Twigpaw’s belly lurched as she listened, and she kept her gaze fixed on her paws. She didn’t dare to look up; she could feel the gazes of her Clanmates boring into her for costing them food.

She heard the WindClan cats saying their farewells, then felt Bramblestar’s tail flick her shoulder.

“Come to my den, Twigpaw,” the Clan leader meowed. “You and I need to talk.”

Twigpaw’s heart sank right down into her paws. Being scolded by Sparkpelt was one thing; it was ten times worse to be scolded by the Clan leader. Her paws felt like heavy stones as she toiled up the tumbled rocks and followed Bramblestar into his den.

“You may be an apprentice, Twigpaw,” he began, sitting down at the edge of his nest. “But you’re old enough and experienced enough not to make this kind of mistake. What’s going on with you?”

Every word sliced through Twigpaw like a blow from unsheathed claws. She would rather Bramblestar had growled at her instead of speaking in the calm and weary voice that he was using now.

“I’m sorry,” she mewed. “It really was an accident.”

“But you and Finpaw shouldn’t have been out there in the first place,” Bramblestar responded. “Come on, Twigpaw, tell me what the problem is. I know you sacrificed a lot to come back to ThunderClan, so you must want to be here. Why are you finding it so hard to settle in?”

Twigpaw sighed, and decided this was the moment to tell the truth. If the Clan leader will listen to me, things might get a whole lot better.

“Training is . . . a challenge,” she admitted, “because Sparkpelt insists on training me at the same level as Finpaw. I understand,” she added in a rush, “and it’s perfectly fine. I don’t expect special treatment. But—”

“But that is a little strange,” Bramblestar interrupted. “You’ve been an apprentice twice before. It seems like a waste of your time and Sparkpelt’s to teach you the basics.” His gaze grew thoughtful. “I’ll talk to Sparkpelt about it,” he promised. “Is there anything else that’s bothering you?”

Twigpaw was silent for a moment, but she couldn’t go on trying to push her worries aside. “The prophecy!” she blurted out.

Bramblestar’s gaze lightened; for a moment he looked almost amused. “What prophecy?” he asked.

“I know Alderheart believes that StarClan wants there to be five Clans,” Twigpaw replied. “And with ShadowClan gone and RiverClan having closed its borders, there are only three. I’m worried that terrible things will happen to ThunderClan if we don’t do something.”