Leopardkit's heart soared. And then it plummeted. All those nights that she had yearned for Darkstar to appear in ShadowClan's camp to rescue her, and now he had finally arrived. But did she still want him to come for her?

Her heart beat quicker and she found herself shrinking back into the throng of angry ShadowClan cats. They didn't even seem to notice her, their glares locked on the intruder.

    Two more ThunderClan warriors slunk through the bramble tunnel, flanking Darkstar on each side. Squirrelheart, a small, stocky brown tabby and Sharpwing. Her own father.

    Leopardkit raked her gaze over the tabby and white warrior, her amber eyes calculating. He was lean and well-muscled, showing not a shred of weakness as he stared down the ShadowClan cats, lip curled and amber eyes ablaze.

Yet, she couldn't find even a flicker of concern in those eyes for her. Only excitement and bloodlust, burning deep in his fiery amber glare.

Leopardkit scowled at Sharpwing, trying her best to ignore the hurtful pang in her chest. She recalled Goldentail's words from the day she left ThunderClan. Did he even know that he was her father? He must know. That means he could have been a part of her life—if only he cared enough. Yet he had chosen not to.

    What happened between you and Sandstreak? she thought, narrowing her amber eyes.

    The throng of ShadowClan cats suddenly shifted, parting to allow a silver she-cat to stalk through. Even her own warriors held their breath as she stepped past them; there was a dangerous air about her.

"You dare come into my camp after murdering one of my warriors?" Flowerstar hissed, her blue eyes cold and hard. She approached Darkstar without hesitation, coming face to face with the much larger, muscular black tom.

Darkstar merely blinked, unfazed by her aggression. "I did not come here to fight, Flowerstar. Where is she?" he growled, a threatening rumble deep in his throat.

Flowerstar strode past the black tomcat, as if he hadn't even spoken. She locked eyes with Squirrelheart, whose breath audibly hitched as he came face to face with the ShadowClan leader. With a satisfied flick of her tail, she turned and stepped toward Sharpwing, who raised his hackles and snarled deep in his throat as she came close. Tilting her chin up in clear disapproval, Flowerstar finally let her icy eyes fall back on Darkstar. "I don't believe I know what you're talking about," silver she-cat said with a poorly-concealed smirk.

Darkstar let out another low growl and Leopardkit's heart jumped. He's here for me. Elation flurried in her chest, but she was also overcome with a wave of disappointment that she couldn't quite place. She tentatively stepped back from the scene, accidentally bumping into something soft. The she-kit glanced up fearfully to see Fogtail, the queen's soft gray eyes looking back at her.

"Don't worry," Fogtail said softly, curling her warm white tail around the she-kit. "We won't let anything happen to you."

Leopardkit wanted to believe her. At the same time, she didn't want to believe to her.

"Don't play dumb," Darkstar snarled, his black fur slowly rising, but Flowerstar coolly stood her ground. "What have you done with her. I swear to StarClan, if you've hurt her—"

"Do you really want to attack me in the middle of my camp with a patrol of three?" the silver she-cat sneered at him as he bore down on her. "If you know what best for you, I suggest you leave at once." There was a frightening glint in her frosty eyes. With a subtle flick of her slim tail, four of the ShadowClan's strongest cats, Whitestripe, Wolfsong, Bearfang, and Pebblefrost, began to slink foward, their unsheathed claws digging into the ground.

    Darkstar glanced around wildly, and Leopardkit could almost detect his panic as the ShadowClan warriors closed in. Realizing he was heavily outnumbered, the tom met Flowerstar's eyes, a grave look twisting his face.

    "Harming a kit is against the Warrior Code!" he hissed to Flowerstar. "If the other Clans find out about this—"

    Flowerstar rolled her eyes. "For StarClan's sake, I never hurt the kit!" she snapped impatiently. "In fact, she's been under the careful watch of our queens."

    Darkstar visibly shuddered in relief, but his defensive stance did not relax. "Leopardkit rightfully belongs to ThunderClan," he said slowly, meeting Flowerstar's stare.

    "Then where has ThunderClan been for all the time we've kept the kit here?" Flowerstar challenged.

A shadow crossed Darkstar's face, and he didn't respond immediately. "We haven't been able to send a patrol here, considering all the destruction ShadowClan has bestowed on our camp," he growled, glaring at the she-cat.

Leopardkit furrowed her brow. Something about his explanation didn't seem quite right to her.

Flowerstar and her warriors surrounded the ThunderClan cats like a snake circled around its prey. The ShadowClan leader gave a subtle flick of her tail, and they drew even closer. "We had reason to attack, Darkstar," she informed him coolly as her death trap tightened around him.

"And a reason to kill our medicine cat?" the black tom snarled angrily in rebuttal.

A brief look of surprise crossed Flowerstar's face, but it quickly returned to its cool, unbothered state. Clearly, she had not known about this. "I'm sure it was accidental. That old badger was well beyond her time, anyway."

The anger, quick and fiery, filled Leopardkit faster than she realized. In a heartbeat, blood was pounding in her ears and she trembled with fury. The memory of Firetail's brutal death replayed in Leopardkit's mind, over and over.

       The darkness of medicine den. The water dripping behind her. Wolfsong on top of the old she-cat. His grimy white paw colliding with Firetail's neck, following by a crack. His smirk and his yellowing fangs when he was finished. Blood dripping from Firetail's frozen jaws. Drip. Drip. Drip.

"It wasn't an accident!" she suddenly cried out.

ShadowClan and ThunderClan alike halted at her shrill cry, turning their heads to look for the source. Leopardkit shoved her way past the gathered Clanmates and out into sight. The small she-kit turned and stood so that she faced both Clan leaders who stared at her, dumbfounded. Darkstar's green eyes lit up, but Flowerstar's narrowed.

"I saw Wolfsong kill her!" Leopardkit repeated breathlessly. "She was already injured and couldn't walk, but he murdered her anyway!"

There were a few audible gasps and worried murmuring from the crowd of ShadowClan cats. Wolfsong quickly turned from his battle position, his pale blue eyes locking on Leopardkit. They shone with pure malice. "Blasted kit," he grumbled under his breath. "You'll pay for this."

Leopardkit turned back to the ShadowClan cats, expecting to see betrayal and anger on their faces. Instead, their eyes shone with sympathy as they gazed the white tomcat. No, the betrayed scowls were directed at her...

Leopardkit's stomach plummeted. She searched the crowd desperately for anyone who believed her, amber eyes flitting from one cat to the next. The she-kit turned to Fogtail, but the black queen only wrapped her tail around her sons and pulled them close, her soft gray eyes suddenly dark.

Leopardkit looked for her other friends, her heart pounding in her chest. The young warriors Starlingheart and Swiftsong were staring at her, but their gazes were stony. Rowankit was being ushered backwards by a frantic Roseheart, unable to even catch a glimpse of her friend. Lizardkit however, stood at the edge of the crowd, his eyes shining with confusion.

Why doesn't anyone believe me? Leopardkit felt shame, embarrassment, and injustice all
swarm in her belly, making her want to retch. She suddenly wished that she hadn't said anything at all, but how could she just sit back and let them tell lies about the beloved medicine cat?

Flowerstar let out a vicious snarl that drew the attention back to her. "Leave, now!" she spat at Darkstar. "You are not welcome here." She lowered her haunches, ready to launch herself at him. The ShadowClan warriors, even Wolfsong, followed her lead. Their eyes were bright with bloodlust.

    "Wait!" Darkstar boomed, causing everyone to freeze. He relaxed his defensive stance and stood up, tail lifted in submission. "I have a proposition."

    Sharpwing and Squirrelheart both glanced at their leader, faces contorted with confusion. This was clearly not part of the plan.

    Flowerstar's face remained calm, revealing nothing. She signaled with a flick of her tail for her warriors to halt their attack, but remained in her crouch. "Explain."

Darkstar hesitated for a moment before speaking, waiting until all suspicious gazes were locked on him. "You will return this kit to me. And... I will give ShadowClan the territory that stretches to the Twisted Sycamore."

    Both ThunderClan toms gasped incredulously. Even Flowerstar's stony eyes widened momentarily. There was an uneasy shift amongst the gathered ShadowClan warriors, and a murmur arose among them.

    Leopardkit pinned her ears back. She had never seen the Twisted Sycamore, but she had certainly heard of the old, ugly tree that grew on ThunderClan's territory. Judging by the reactions of the warriors, Darkstar was clearly giving up a notable stretch of land.

    The she-kit felt her stomach sink. Why was Darkstar doing this? ThunderClan would surely suffer from the loss of land. Regardless of that, Leopardkit wasn't even sure she wanted to return...

    "You can't be serious!" Sharpwing snarled, his brown and white fur rising on his back.

"All that land for one kit, Darkstar?" Squirrelheart scoffed from the leader's other side. "Surely she can't be worth that much!"

Leopardkit felt her heart sink. She tried to make herself as small as possible, shrinking back towards the crowd. Unbeknownst to her, the ShadowClan warriors shifted away, their eyes hardened.

Flowerstar watched the quarreling ThunderClan cats with a gleam of amusement in her blue eyes. Darkstar only stared back at her, his green eyes unnervingly dark. He lashed his black tail once, warning both his warriors to quiet. Still ruffled, Squirrelheart and Sharpwing finally shut their mouths and looked expectantly toward the silver she-cat.

Flowerstar tilted her head curiously. "This kit must be awfully important to you for you to sacrifice so much for," she mused. Although feigning thoughtfulness, there was a condescending undertone to her voice. "Especially so to endanger the lives of your Clanmates in the midst of leaf-bare..."

Darkstar narrowed his eyes. "Do not question me," he growled firmly. "I know what I am doing." Sharpwing and Squirrelheart shared a quick glance with each other, conveying their disbelief.

Flowerstar dipped her head, although Leopardkit guessed she was mocking respectfulness. "Very well," she said in a disturbingly soft tone. The silver she-cat turned back to her Clan, her icy eyes trailing over everyone until they landed on Leopardkit.

The she-kit shivered in the cold, fluffing out her spotted fur. Like water, the ShadowClan warriors washed away from her, leaving her alone in the cold, frigid moonlight. They gathered in the shadows of their camp, watching her with glowing eyes. If Leopardkit had acclimated herself into their ranks for a few brief days, their acceptance had now vanished. She was alone. Just as she had arrived.

       The spotted she-kit felt her heart sink. Leopardkit didn't look up to meet Darkstar's warm gaze as he padded fo her. She didn't feel his jaws clench around her scruff. She hardly registered that she was being lifted into the air. I don't want to go.

       Before she knew it, she was swinging from his grasp as Darkstar loped through the forest, Squirrelheart and Silverstripe flanking their leader on either side. Leopardkit sensed the unease of the warriors as they traveled beneath the tall, dark evergreens. Their towering shapes blotted out the moonlight.

       In a heartbeat, panic seized Leopardkit. She pinned her ears and her whole body shuddered. She had just been ripped away from Fogtail, Rowankit, Swiftsong, Lizardkit, and all the others. They were gone, and she may never see them again. Leopardkit's stomach sank even further.

She never even got to say goodbye.

Leopardkit remained silent as Darkstar and his patrol finally crossed into ThunderClan terrority. They continued for a bit longer, until Leopardkit could see a colossal, ugly black tree in her swinging vision. The black tom halted and turned to face the other toms. "I'm going to take her back to camp. You two, start here and mark the new border. Squirrelheart, you head to the lake, and Silverstripe, go the opposite direction. Make sure the line straight and fair."

As Darkstar turned away with the she-kit in his jaws, Leopardkit's ears picked up Squirrelheart mutter, "There's nothing fair about this."

The ThunderClan leader must have heard, but he stared straight ahead and continued into the forest.

Leopardkit could feel the silence between her and Darkstar, broken only by the crunch of leaves beneath his wide paws.

"Can I walk?" she suddenly meowed.

Darkstar didn't pause. "It's not safe for you out here."

Leopardkit sighed in exasperation. "Were back in our own territory and we can't be far from camp now. My scruff hurts. Please?"

Darkstar blew a puff of air out of his nostrils. "Fine," he grumbled, gently setting her on the forest floor. "Stay directly behind me."

Leopardkit didn't have the energy to talk back to him, so she fell into step behind the huge black tomcat. She had to quicken her pace to keep up with his long strides. The pair followed a well-worn path through the undergrowth, which rose up on either side of them.

Rustlings came from the brush, but Leopardkit was so deep in her misery that she couldn't summon up any fear. The she-kit focused on Darkstar's long tail ahead of her, and not the dark, spiny trees stretching to the sky all around.

Leopardkit could tell they were finally nearing camp. After becoming accustomed to ShadowClan's biting pine scent, the earthy smell of ThunderClan cats was overpowering.

Almost in a daze, the she-kit stumbled over a large hump on the ground. She looked closer at the obstacle, and her breath caught in her throat. The packed earth was fresh. A stone sat on top. It was a grave.

Darkstar sensed her stop and glanced back. His green eyes softened when he observed the she-kit. "That is where Firetail was buried," he said tenderly. "When you're older, you may come visit her whenever you like. But right now we need to head back."

Leopardkit could only nod, a stone lodged in her throat. An inexplicable sense of guilt overwhelmed her. She could have fought to save Firetail. She was no match for Wolfsong, obviously, but perhaps she could have distracted him... Or she could have simply apologized. Before it was too late.

Now the old spunky medicine cat was nothing more than a mound of old dirt in the middle of the forest. No more snappy remarks. No more wise words. Nothing.

Leopardkit forced herself to tear her amber gaze away from the grave, but as she did, something else caught her eye.

Another mound, much smaller, right next to Firetail's. Dark, fresh dirt.

"Darkstar?" Leopardkit squeaked, light-headed. "W-Who is that?" Her heart was thumping, and she feared she already knew the answer.

Darkstar's face screwed up in sorrow. "Redpaw."