Lead you? Violetshine could hardly believe what she was hearing.

For a moment there was a frozen silence among the ShadowClan cats. Then Juniperclaw’s voice rose up to the glittering stars. “Tigerstar!”

“Tigerstar! Tigerstar!” The rest of the Clan joined in, their voices echoing around the rocks.

As the clamor died away, Tawnypelt pushed her way through the crowd to her son’s side and pressed herself against him, purring as if she was going to burst. “Tigerstar, tell us what happened,” she begged at last.

It was Puddleshine who replied. “StarClan brought him back and gave him nine lives. He is the new leader of ShadowClan!”

“Yes, it was . . . amazing.” Tigerstar’s voice was full of wonder. “I found myself on a grassy slope, with the sun shining and a stream running around the bottom of the hill. I thought I was in StarClan—and I was, but I didn’t expect what happened next.”

“Go on . . . ,” some cat breathed out.

“I was transported to a different place,” Tigerstar began. “Rocks beneath a night sky. Rowanclaw and Dawnpelt appeared, and . . . oh, many more cats. Their fur was shining so brightly I could hardly bear to look at them. Rowanclaw told me I was being sent back to become leader of my Clan. And then they gave me nine lives.”

Standing beside Leafstar and Frecklewish, Violetshine thought that the SkyClan medicine cat looked troubled, and Leafstar’s eyes narrowed as she addressed the ShadowClan cats.

“I’m not going to cross the will of StarClan,” she announced. “But I’m tired of ShadowClan cats treating the SkyClan camp like some sort of temporary nest. RiverClan has gone home, so your old camp is waiting for you. From now on, you need to stay out of SkyClan’s camp for good. You are not welcome there—and we will be patrolling our borders.”

Tigerstar dipped his head to the SkyClan leader with chilly politeness. “You’re right, Leafstar,” he meowed. “It is time for ShadowClan to go home—to the ShadowClan camp.”

Beckoning with his tail, he headed down the steep moorland, and his Clan streamed after him. As she passed Violetshine, Tawnypelt paused.

“Are you coming with us?” she asked. “I know Tigerstar will be glad to have you.”

“No, I’m SkyClan now,” Violetshine replied, with a glance at her father. “I want to stay with Hawkwing. But thank you for asking me.”

She watched sadly as the ShadowClan cats walked away. Tigerstar had been kind to her when she was a kit. And she had admired Tawnypelt for her strength, and for her commitment to her Clan despite everything she had suffered. The cats of ShadowClan had been Violetshine’s Clanmates for a long time. For the first time, Violetshine thought she understood a little of what Twigbranch had felt, torn between two Clans.