Shaking her head, Violetshine resolved not to give in to these dark thoughts. Instead she concentrated on dragging her burden of ferns across the camp. But annoyance rose inside her again when she spotted Tree, lounging on a flat rock beside the stream. Sunlight shimmered on his yellow fur as he stared drowsily into space.

I don’t think he’s moved all morning!

Too tired to be tactful, Violetshine dropped the fern fronds. “Anytime you want to get off your hindquarters and pitch in,” she hissed at Tree, “you’ll be more than welcome!”

Tree turned his head to look at her. At once Violetshine felt a little guilty for being so harsh; Tree’s amber eyes were fraught with indecision.

He still doesn’t know what he wants to do, she realized. Stay with SkyClan, or go off on his own again.

“Look, Tree—” she began awkwardly, not sure what she wanted to say.

To Violetshine’s relief, Leafstar’s voice interrupted her. “Tree—over here, please. I want a word with you.”

Violetshine turned to see Leafstar standing outside her den in the hollow of the old cedar tree at the far end of the camp. As Tree rose to his paws, Violetshine abandoned her bundle of bedding and followed him across to the Clan leader. She was careful to stay a respectful distance behind the loner, not wanting him to think she was putting pressure on him, or Leafstar to think she was nosy.

Even if I am! she admitted to herself.

As she approached, Violetshine noticed that a few other cats were also hovering, including Frecklewish, the SkyClan medicine cat. She could see her own curiosity reflected in their eyes.

“Well, Tree,” Leafstar began. “You’ve had time to think about whether you want to make SkyClan your home. Plenty of time. Have you made a decision yet?”

Tree shook his head. “I’m really not sure if this life is for me,” he replied; Violetshine could detect an edge of strain in his voice. “Sure, I like you SkyClan cats”—he broke off briefly to flick a glance at Violetshine—“but I’ve been a loner for my whole life. Who can say whether I’d be able to adjust to life as a Clan cat?”

Disappointment pricked Violetshine, as if she had set her paw down on an unexpected thorn.

She watched Leafstar closely, wondering if the Clan leader’s face would betray irritation or, worse, a complete loss of patience with Tree.

But Leafstar remained calm. “We are grateful to you for your help, but we can’t let you stay here as a visitor forever. You need to make a choice. Maybe you should try out as a warrior’s apprentice,” she suggested. “See if you like it. If you do, then maybe you can join SkyClan for real.”