“He’s obviously guilty,” Spiderleg put in. “He wouldn’t have risked his neck climbing the cliff to escape, otherwise.”

“That’s true,” Thornclaw meowed as Firestar looked thoughtful. “He must have been scared of what we would do to him. We sure taught him a lesson!”

Firestar took a couple of paces away from Sol’s den and gazed at the cats who stood around him. “You’re right,” he murmured at last. “Let’s hope that Sol has learned the Clans can’t be messed around with, and doesn’t try to cross any more borders. Brambleclaw, we’ll double the patrols for now, until we’re sure he’s not still in the territory.”

“Sure, Firestar,” the deputy meowed with a brisk nod.

“What will you tell the other Clans?” Graystripe asked, a worried look in his amber eyes. “If we say he escaped, they’ll think we were too weak to hold on to him. And they might blame us for letting him out to cause more trouble.”

Firestar twitched his ears. “I’ll tell him we banished him from our territories and made him promise never to set paw here again.”

“But that’s not true.” Sandstorm looked uneasy. “Should we really be lying to the other Clans?”

“Like they always tell us the truth!” Cloudtail snapped.

“I think Sandstorm’s right,” Brightheart put in, with a sharp glance at her mate. “What if Sol is still around? What would the other Clans think of us then?”

Firestar hesitated, his gaze fixed on his paws, then raised his head again. “We’ll do as I said. It’s for the sake of ThunderClan,” he meowed. “We need to show that we’re strong and committed to the warrior code, and that we deal with our own Clan’s affairs in our own way. And we’ll make sure that Sol isn’t still hanging about,” he finished.

As the cats began to move away, and Brambleclaw began to organize the patrols, Lionblaze spotted Hollyleaf standing at the edge of the clearing. Her eyes were like green flames, but it was impossible to tell what she was looking at.

Slipping between Sandstorm and Hazeltail, he padded to her side. “I have to tell you something,” he mewed softly.

Hollyleaf didn’t seem to hear him. “He escaped!” she hissed, her claws flexing in and out.

Lionblaze couldn’t tell if she sounded glad or sorry. He didn’t dare tell her what had really happened with so many of his Clanmates close by. “Where’s Jayfeather?” he asked.

Hollyleaf’s ears flicked. “How should I know?”

“I’ll find him,” Lionblaze meowed. “Go into the forest and meet us by the training clearing. Don’t argue!” he added as Hollyleaf opened her jaws. “Just do it. It’s important.”

His sister rolled her eyes, but she set off toward the camp entrance, staying in the shadows. Once he was sure she was on her way, Lionblaze headed for the medicine cats’ den, but before he reached it, Jayfeather emerged from the nursery. Lionblaze bounded over to him.

“What’s all the yowling about?” Jayfeather demanded.

“Sol has escaped.”