Ivypool’s head lifted sharply; there was a defensive look in her eyes. “Yes, but I would never use them against my own Clanmates.”

“Of course not,” Lionblaze reassured her. “I just meant that you’re getting good, that’s all.”

“I…I do feel bad about using my Dark Forest skills as a ThunderClan warrior,” Ivypool admitted, leaping over a fallen tree branch. “It’s as if I’m betraying the training I’ve received from the Clan.”

Lionblaze blinked, remembering his own nights of training with Tigerstar, and how he still used moves and tactics that he had learned from the murderous Dark Forest warrior. “Any source of training is a good one,” he mewed aloud. “A battle is a battle, and winning is everything.”

Ivypool nodded, though she still seemed uncertain. Thinking over what he had just said, Lionblaze began to wonder if any other cats were being trained by hidden sources. “Have you ever seen any other ThunderClan cats in the Dark Forest?” he asked, trying to sound casual.

He was aware of Ivypool tensing beside him, and a few heartbeats passed before she answered. “We’re kept separate,” she replied. “I’ve seen a WindClan cat—the one who was injured, Antpelt—but mostly I train with other Dark Forest cats. I think they keep us apart deliberately.”

It was obvious to Lionblaze that she didn’t feel comfortable talking about the Dark Forest. Seeing the hollow not far away among the trees, he gave Ivypool a nod and a wave of his tail, releasing her to run ahead of him. Padding more slowly after her, he thought over what she had said. Suddenly he halted, a chill running through his pelt.

She didn’t answer my question! She never said she hadn’t seen any other ThunderClan cats in the Place of No Stars.

Lionblaze’s chill grew stronger.

Who else among my Clanmates is being trained by the cats who want to destroy all the Clans?

CHAPTER 21

Dovewing’s ears ached from the snow that blocked them; snow filled her eyes and froze her paws until she felt as if they were burning. “I hate snow,” she grumbled. “I’d give anything to be back in the forest.”

“So would I,” Foxleap agreed.

Dovewing had noticed that the Tribe cats moved far more easily through the landscape. They seemed to know instinctively where there were rocks to jump onto, even when they were covered by a thin layer of white. Admiring Splash’s easy grace, Dovewing forgot to watch where she was putting her paws. The snow gave way underneath her and she felt herself sinking into a drift.

“No! Help!” she yowled, flailing her paws as if she was trying to swim through the powdery white flakes.

Crag bounded back toward her and bent over, fastening his teeth into her scruff. Just as if I was a kit! Dovewing thought crossly, scrabbling for a paw hold as the cave-guard hauled her out and set her down again on solid rock.