“We’ll stay for the night,” Brambleclaw decided. “But we’ll have to leave at dawn.”

“Fine!” Purdy’s ears perked up. “Have some o’ this rabbit,” he invited proudly.

“Thank you,” Brambleclaw replied, his voice gentle, “but we can catch our own to add to your fresh-kill pile.”

“I brought you a mouse,” Hollyleaf added, snatching up her prey and dropping it at Purdy’s paws.

The old tabby’s eyes shone. “That’s right kind of you.” He crouched down and tucked in.

The Clan cats headed for the entrance to the den. Brackenfur glanced back at Sol, who was still standing in the middle of the den.

“Don’t worry,” Sol meowed. “I’ll be here when you get back.”

Brackenfur still looked uncertain; as they padded through the entrance, Brambleclaw shouldered his way toward him and murmured into his ear. “Stay on guard. But keep out of sight.”

Brackenfur gave him a relieved nod and crept underneath the low-growing branches of a nearby bush, where he crouched with his gaze firmly fixed on the den.

Darkness had fallen while the cats were inside. The harsh orange light of the Twolegplace covered the sky, blotting out the stars. Hollyleaf wished she could have seen the spirits of the Clan’s warrior ancestors, to know that they were still watching over her.

Once outside, she headed for the thicket of shiny green leaves where she had caught her mice. Hazeltail padded along beside her.

“I’m so glad we found Sol,” she murmured. “Now we can go home.”

Hollyleaf nodded. “I feel bad about taking Sol away from Purdy,” she confessed.

“But Sol is a murderer!” Hazeltail halted, her eyes wide with shock. “What if he kills Purdy, too?”

“He wouldn’t do that,” Hollyleaf replied.

“How do you know?” Hazeltail persisted. “We need to get him back to the camp fast, before he does any more damage. Firestar will know what to do with him.”

Hollyleaf shook her head helplessly. There was no way to reply to Hazeltail’s questions. Besides, if Sol didn’t come back to ThunderClan with them, what would happen in the hunt for Ashfur’s killer? Would Firestar be forced to look closer to home? Hollyleaf’s belly felt cold at the thought of accusations flying around her Clan.

She plunged into the thicket to hunt, but this time prey didn’t come so easily to her paws. In the end she had to be content with a single shrew; she padded back to Purdy’s den feeling embarrassed, but the rest of the patrol had only found thin pickings, too.

“Prey’s pretty scarce ’round here,” Purdy admitted as they crouched down to eat. “But I can find enough to feed me and Sol through leaf-bare. I ain’t never starved before!”

He must be so lonely if he’s willing to share this much prey with a stranger, Hollyleaf thought sadly, swallowing her morsel of shrew.

Once she had eaten, she settled down to sleep. The stone floor of the den was damp and cold, and wind whistled through the gaps in the walls. Huddling next to Lionblaze for warmth, Hollyleaf wished for the thick moss and bracken of her nest in the camp, and for the sheltering branches of the warriors’ den.