Allegiances

ThunderClan

Leader: Bramblestar- dark brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Deputy: Brackenfur- golden-brown tabby tom

Medicine Cats: Jayfeather- gray tabby tom with blind blue eyes

Leafpool- light brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes

Warriors:

Cloudtail- long-haired white tom

Brightheart- white she-cat with ginger patches

Apprentice: Sorrelpaw

Thornclaw- golden-brown tabby tom

Spiderleg- long-limbed black tom with brown underbelly and amber eyes

Birchfall- light brown tabby tom

Whitewing- white she-cat with green eyes

Berrynose- cream-colored tom

Mousewhisker- gray-and-white tom

Ivypool- silver-and-white tabby she-cat with dark blue eyes

Lionblaze- golden tabby tom with amber eyes

Cinderheart- gray tabby she-cat

Dovewing- pale gray she-cat with blue eyes

Apprentice: Fernpaw

Rosepetal- dark cream she-cat

Apprentice: Hollypaw

Blossomfall- tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Bumblestripe- very pale gray tom with black stripes

Molewhisker- brown-and-cream tom

Lilyheart- tortoiseshell-and-white she-cat

Amberleaf- pale ginger she-cat

Dewfall- gray-and-white tom

Snowtail- white, fluffy tom

Queens:

Squirrelflight- dark ginger she-cat with green eyes (mother of Bramblestar's kits: Tawnykit (she-cat), Runningkit (tom) and Sunkit (tom))

Poppyfrost- tortoiseshell she-cat (mother of Berrynose's kits: Bluekit (she-cat) and Rowankit (tom))

Cherryfall- ginger she-cat (mother of Mousewhisker's kits: Smokekit (tom) and Hazelkit (she-cat))

Apprentices:

Hollypaw- gray tabby she-cat

Sorrelpaw- golden tabby she-cat

Fernpaw- solid gray she-cat

Elders:

Graystripe- long-haired gray tom

Sandstorm- pale ginger she-cat with green eyes

WindClan

Leader: Onestar- brown tabby tom

Deputy: Harespring- brown-and-white tom

Apprentice: Slightpaw

Medicine cat: Kestrelflight- mottled gray tom

Warriors:

Crowfeather- dark gray tom

Apprentice: Featherpaw

Nightcloud- black she-cat

Apprentice: Hootpaw

Gorsetail- very pale gray-and-white tom with blue eyes

Weaselfur- ginger tom with white paws

Leaftail- dark tabby tom, amber eyes

Apprentice: Oatpaw

Emberfoot- gray tom with two dark paws

Heathertail- light brown tabby she-cat with blue eyes

Breezepelt- black tom with amber eyes

Furzepelt- gray-and-white she-cat

Crouchfoot- ginger tom

Larkwing- pale brown tabby she-cat

Queens:

Sedgewhisker- light brown tabby she-cat

Apprentices:

Slightpaw- black tom with flash of white on his chest

Featherpaw- gray tabby she-cat

Hootpaw- dark gray tom

Oatpaw- pale brown tabby tom

Elders:

Whiskernose- light brown tom

Whitetail- small white she-cat

Chapter 1

Bright moonlight shone over a large lake, forming a white circle over the slow ripples tugging at the stony shoreline. The pale gray pebbles jostled gently under the lazy current, leaving their smooth surface damp as the water pulled away. Just beyond the shoreline, a figure sat unmoving, staring out onto the lake with dark, serious eyes. The figure, a lithe black cat, stood slowly and padded down to pebbly shore. Her paws brushed over the stones, feeling the cool water run over her soft fur.

The she-cat paused, and uncertainty gleamed in her green eyes. She lifted her head to the black sky, where only a few lone stars shone dimly above her. "What do I do?" she cried, her voice echoing over the water. "Why did you let this happen to me?"

The emotionless stars did not answer. The cat waited for a long moment, praying that someone would hear her cries. Knowing that only silence would greet further calls, she heaved a heavy sigh and stepped back onto the soft, dewy grass.

Before turning and running up the grassy hill toward her home, the cat sent one last look at the silent stars. "Please, help me! I can't do this anymore!"

"Nightcloud, get out here, you fat lazy lump!"

The black she-cat's eyes shot open. A feeling of dread pulsed through her body, causing a slight tremble. After a moment of brief terror, the she-cat remembered she was back in the WindClan camp, laying in a mossy nest under a thick bramble bush that served as the warriors' den. Heaving a sigh of relief, the she-cat shoved herself to her paws. Stepping out of the den and blinking her eyes against the bright, early morning sun, the she-cat caught sight of an angry warrior glaring at her, and the dread in her heart returned.

"Yes, Harespring, what is it?" she asked, trying not to sound afraid of the brown-and-white tom.

Harespring rolled his amber eyes. "Seriously, Nightcloud? This is the fifth day of the past six that you've over slept! You haven't been on a single dawn patrol in the past moon! All you do is lay around camp and eat prey that other cats worked hard to catch. You've gotten lazy, and it's time to stop."

Nightcloud studied the Clan deputy nervously. "I'm sorry," she meowed. "I'll go on a patrol today."

"You'll go on two," Harespring hissed. "First, you can join Crowfeather his border patrol, then you can join Furzepelt on her hunting patrol. And no eating until you've completed both and I have been given a good report from both patrol leaders!"

"But I need to eat!" Nightcloud cried, her stomach twisting uncomfortably.

The deputy shook his head angrily. "You've been eating enough for two cats and you haven't earned a single piece of it! Get on your patrol- now!"

The she-cat dipped her head respectfully, squeezing her eyes shut and wishing she was anywhere else. When she opened her eyes, the she-cat quickly stalked away from the deputy, searching for the familiar day gray pelt of her former mate.

Spying the tom standing near the entrance of the camp with a gray tabby she-cat, Nightcloud sighed miserably and padded up to the pair. "Good morning, Crowfeather. Morning, Featherpaw," she meowed, trying to sound cheerful.

"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Crowfeather sneered, glaring at the she-cat with cold blue eyes.

"Who?" Nightcloud asked, confusion clouding her mind.

Featherpaw let out a mroww of laughter. "Hootpaw, mousebrain! You remember Hootpaw, your apprentice?"

The black she-cat swallowed, trying not to let her embarrassment show. "Oh, Hootpaw! Yes, I'll fetch him."

She turned and hurried over to a small abandoned rabbit den where the apprentices slept. "Hootpaw!" she called into the entrance. "It's time for a patrol!"

A small dark gray tom squeezed out of the narrow entrance, blinking away his tiredness. "A patrol? Yay!" he squeaked, bouncing on his paws. "Who are we going with?"

"Featherpaw and Crowfeather," Nightcloud meowed quietly.

The light died from Hootpaw's eyes. "Crowfeather? Oh, I'm sorry, Nightcloud."

"It's alright," the she-cat lied. "Come on now; we can't keep them waiting."

"Featherpaw, what can you scent?" Crowfeather asked, padding along the ThunderClan border.

The small tabby wrinkled her nose, concentrating on her surroundings. "I smell cats," she meowed. "I think they must be…Thornclaw, Rosepetal, Molewhisker, and Hollypaw."

The WindClan warrior nodded. "We must have just missed them. Very good, Featherpaw!" the tom sounded pleased at his apprentice's answer. "It seems like ThunderClan is staying on their side of the border. Good, we can keep the peace a while longer."

Hootpaw bounced up to Crowfeather. "Can we catch up to them? I want to say hi to Hollypaw!"

The warrior's eyes widened. "My goodness, no! We can't trespass on ThunderClan territory. You can wait until the next Gathering." Turning his gaze on Nightcloud, his eyes darkened. "Haven't you taught your apprentice anything? A day old kit knows not to trespass!"

Nightcloud felt her body tense up. "Yes!" she hissed. "I've taught him that. He's only forgotten. It's okay. Hootpaw will remember next time. "

"You haven't spent much time with him," the tom went on, his blue eyes burning with hostility. "You don't do much at all anymore. You claim you're too tired for patrols, you eat enough food for two full-grown warriors, you sleep more than the elders, and you neglect your apprentice! It's a wonder Onestar hasn't punished you!"

"I haven't been feeling well!" the she-cat meowed, trying to defend herself. She felt a sharp pain shoot through her belly, and shuddered. It's okay, she thought desperately. I'm okay.

Hootpaw stomped up to Crowfeather, thrusting his nose in the warrior's face. "Don't be mean to Nightcloud! She's a great mentor! She just hasn't been feeling well, that's all."

Crowfeather shook his head. "She feels fine," he snarled, shoving the apprentice aside and stalking up to the she-cat. "Stop acting like a kit! You've been acting like a useless lump since the Great Battle when you found out our son was a traitor. Now just in the last moon you've been acting even more useless! I didn't even know it was possible for you to be even more-"

"I'm pregnant, okay?" Nightcloud erupted. "I'm expecting kits! How could you not have noticed? My belly's huge! Why did you think I've been tired all of a sudden and have been eating more?"

The tom's blue eyes widened. "You're expecting kits?" he hissed. "Who's are they? They aren't mine!"

The she-cat hesitated. "I…can't say."

Crowfeather shook his head furiously. "You are even worse than our son. I can't believe I ever thought I could like you. You are a horrible excuse for a cat. Don't tell me who the father is- I don't want to know. But know this- I will make your life miserable for this. You are still my mate and if I ever find out who the father is, I swear I'll kill him!"