Shadowpaw's POV

  As soon as they arrived at camp, Ripplestar's body was rushed to the medicine cat's den. All the other injured cats followed, piling into Dawndrop's den.

  Crystalpaw and Lightwhisper-who had been a former medicine cat, Shadowpaw learned-tended to all the cats that needed healing, while Dawndrop looked after Ripplestar, who was still unmoving after one of his lives had been killed.

  Grassflame lay in front of Lightwhisper, her claw torn off. Ouch. Shadowpaw winced, knowing how much it hurt. The silver she-cat plastered some sticky cobwebs all over Grassflame's paw and moved on to chewing up some leaves to make a poultice for some fang marks in her shoulder.

  Next to Lightwhisper, Crystalpaw also had her paws busy. She was trickling some herb juices into Adderstrike's swollen, nearly shut eye. Shadowpaw felt a savage pleasure in knowing she had condemned her step-sister to this kind of life-healing, fetching moss, tending to the elders' ticks and finding herbs in the territory.

  While Lightwhisper was checking over Brichwave, Shadowpaw twisted her head to examine her flanks for any injuries. There was a cut above her eye, long gashes on both flanks, a slashed muzzle and clawed lumps of fur from her underbelly.

  She winced as her flanks grazed against the walls of the den, a bramble tendril catching on her wound; the injuries were very deep. The wounds stung like they were burning, and she tried hard to ignore the pain.

  Then it was her turn. Shadowpaw stood in front of Lightwhisper and obediently turned around, exposing her flanks.

  "Lie down,"Lightwhisper ordered. She carelessly plastered poultice and cobwebs to both flanks and the cuts, before impatiently rushing her off.

  Before Shadowpaw had even walked to the apprentices' den, the cobwebs had already peeled off.

  Miserably sighing, she curled up.

  "Don't complain,"came Wavepaw's hard voice in the darkness. "You betrayed us; you brought this on yourself."

  Shadowpaw shrunk deeper into her nest of moss.

  "Thanks to you, we lost,"Wavepaw continued mercilessly. "You disgust me, Shadowpaw."

  Suddenly, Ripplestar's voice sounded outside. "Let all cats old enough to hunt and swim gather beneath the HighBranch for a clan meeting!"

  Shadowpaw had never been so glad for Ripplestar's interruption.

  Wavepaw and Shadowpaw both limped outside, where a group of cats had already gathered. To Shadowpaw's surprise, urgent whispers sounded as Shadowpaw entered the clearing, and Birchwave raised his voice. "There she is!"

  The crowd parted asShadowpaw wove her way through. Everywhere she faced, she was met bu unfriendly hisses and hostile glares. What was going on? Shadowpaw wondered in bewilderment.

  Suddenly, Sandfrost's voice sounded in a yowl. "You traitor!"

  The clan took up the chant. "Traitor! Traitor!"

  Ripplestar raised his voice to be heard over the furious yowls. "Bring her here!"

  Shadowpaw was shoved roughly to the front of the crowd. Ripplestar stood triumphantly on the HighBranch, looking down scornfully on her. "Shadowpaw,"he meowed authoritatively,"You are accused of sneaking LakeClan's battle plans to MountainCLan, causing us to lose not once but twice. Your sin has also caused the death of Pineflower, and grief for her mate, Cedarpelt and her kit, Wavepaw for many moons to come."

  Wavepaw...

  It was Wavepaw!

  Shadowpaw spun around to look at Wavepaw in horror-she had reported Shadowpaw after all.

  "By the power of StarClan, you are hereby exiled from LakeClan,"Ripplestar snarled, a dark warning in his tone. "If you do not get out of our territory by tomorrow sunrise, we are within are rights to chase you away. Now leave!"

  The clan took up the call. "Leave! Leave! Leave!"they echoed.

  Humiliation burned in Shadowpaw's ears and her blood boiled. 

  "Leave! Leave!"the clan yowled.

  Turning, Shadowpaw turned to flee-

  "Wait!"

  Tigerstripe?

  The dark brown tabby tom raced up next to Shadowpaw. "Wherever you go, I'll come with you."

  Shadowpaw's eyes blurred with tears of emotion. "You remembered?"

  Tigerstripe nodded. "Of course I did. I promised you..."

  Shadowpaw felt weak, she was sobbing so hard. "You would leave the clan for me?"

  Tigerstripe gazed at her with piercing, searching amber eyes that seared with love and grief that could last a lifetime. 

  "Always."

  Shadowpaw slowly calmed herself, then together, with their tails twining together, they headed for the exit of the LakeClan camp.

  As Tigerstripe ducked through the tunnel, Shadowpaw glanced around at the camp which she had grown up in, one last time. Then she saw Wavepaw and Crystalpaw, sitting side by side, as best friends-

  Shadowpaw's gaze locked with Wavepaw's and Crystalpaw's, but none of them flinched away. Blue eyes met amber eyes, and for a moment, the Chosen One glared at Wavepaw and Crystalpaw , holding both their eyes-

Once friend, then enemy

Once step-sister, always rivals.

Only one would survive.

And that's the end of the first book! Keep your eyes peeled for the second!