At sunset, all the warriors had returned from looking for Barktooth. No one found anything. Honeypelt had broke down in tears, and once again had to be lead into the medicine den. Horsepaw's heart sank. Barktooth truly was missing.
   
Suddenly, she heard a commotion in the den entrance. Barktooth! She thought. But her tail drooped as she saw it was only Eagleeye. His fur wa ruffled up, and he had a wild look in his eye. His legs were shaking and he was panting. "I know where Barktooth went!" He yowled. Everyone gasped and held their breath. "He went to live with the Twolegs! I saw him go into a Twolegden and then a Twoleg picked him up, and then it looked like he was enjoying it!" He spat with distaste. Honeypelt wailed even louder from the medicine den.
   
Stormstar gasped from the Big Rock. "That's where he's been sneaking off to at night. I have had a talk with him about where he goes, but he just said he goes hunting. I knew there was more to it than that, but I never expected him to turn against us, and live a soft, kittypet life!" His tail swished in anger, and his face was twisted with rage.
   
"Will we go get him?" Grassfoot's voice rang in the camp. "I was once a kittypet, so I know my way around the Twolegplace." Her eyes were wide.

Stormstar shook his head. "He has made his choice. We cannot affect him now." A few cats nodded, agreeing.

"We have to go get him! He's the father of my kits!" Honeypelt yowled back to her leader. She was standing in the middle of camp, along with Whiteheart and Creamleaf.
   
"I understand why you want him back," Stormstar answered her with sympathy. His whiskers twitched. "But he chose to live somewhere else. He was obviously planning this for a long time, because he had to know which Twolegden to go to, and the Twolegs had to get used to him. I'm so sorry, Honeypelt, but his life is with them now."
   
Honeypelt growled and howled with grief and collapsed on the ground. Creamleaf, Whiteheart, and Birdtail carried her to the medicine den once more.
   
"We cannot have anymore warriors betray us. I thought I trusted my clan, but I was wrong." Stormstar turned away from his clan. "If anyone else wants to betray me, and your clan, please tell me now, so I don't have to figure it out later. Please, it would be better now to know." He faced his clan again with heartbroken eyes.
   
Everyone looked at each other, mumbling. Suddenly, a voice rose up. "No one would ever betray you, Stormstar! Except maybe that kittypet, Barktooth," Growled Cavepaw. Other cats nodded.
   
"Yeah, I wouldn't!"
   
"Neither would I!"
   
"You're our leader! We worship you!"
   
Stormstar smiled, his face lifting. He had the support of his clan. Nothing could stop him, or his clan.

"This meeting is dismissed!" He yowled, hopping down from the Big Rock. He wandered into his den, and Crowpelt following close behind.

Horsepaw turned and walked into the medicine den. She needed some more medicine training from Creamleaf.

"Honeypelt, you can't keep fainting on us! We're running out of thyme because of you!" Creamleaf laughed. Horsepaw hid behind the medicine den leaf curtain as she spied on her mentor. "Be careful, but you can go back to the Nursery. But stay in your nest." Honeypelt nodded and padded out the den, and into the Nursery. Whiteheart tried to follow, but Creamleaf's tail stopped her.

Creamleaf looked worried as Whiteheart spun to face the medicine cat. "You're way overdue, and I don't know what to do. I've never had a queen whose kits wouldn't come. Maybe we need to ask other medicine cats for advice, because this a risk for you and your kits. I think I'm going to travel to the other medicine cats to ask for help tomorrow."

Whiteheart gasped. "Don't give up on my kits! They'll come, just give them time." She said in a hushed voice. She looked down at her swollen belly with a soft gaze.

"Oh, I'm not giving up on them, it's just that Petalpelt died early, and didn't teach me everything. I'm just asking for help." Creamleaf answered in a whisper. She was still emotional about her former mentor.

Whiteheart nodded understandingly.

"For now," Creamleaf continued, motioning to one of her nests for sick cats. "You can sleep in here, just in case they come during the night. Make yourself as comfortable as you can. I know it must be very hard to sleep with extra big kits in your stomach." Whiteheart nodded wearily and collapsed gratefully into one of the nests. She didn't even have to energy circle the nest and make it comfortable.

Horsepaw gasped silently. This was a big problem for queens. It was also terrible for Horsepaw.

If Creamleaf was to leave tomorrow for help, that meant Horsepaw was going to be in charge of the medicine den for the camp while she was gone.