𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐇𝐄𝐂𝐘 ──── 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘰𝘯.

𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚡𝚡.

THE BUSY MOVEMENT around Dovesong woke her. She opened her eyes and shook her head, trying to clear sleep from her head. She didn't have any memory of what had happened before she went to sleep. But now she was surrounded by MoonClan scent. She heard voices outside. Her heart began to pound inside her chest. Where was she? How'd she get there? She pricked her ears, trying to hear the voices that spoke in front of whatever den she was in.

"Great. Two prisoners. What are we supposed to do now? We still have to find Nightwhisper. Ever since she left, she never came back," growled a voice that Dovesong couldn't connect with anyone she knew.

"They're not just prisoners, Twistedheart. They're tools. They can help us defeat FrostClan." Dovesong knew that voice. That was Sparrowfeather!

So I'm a prisoner now. That's great. Dovesong felt a weight inside her that made her long to be back in the camp. To go back in time and make sure that she never went to find Foxclaw. To never eat the mouse with poppy seeds in it. Mousetail and Badgertooth must have been worried sick. She would hate for them to worry that much.

"Okay, and?" Twistedheart snarled. "They're extra mouths to feed. And they might be brave enough to argue against us."

"They might be." That was Snowtail. "But they won't when we threaten them."

"Threatening is not always the answer, Snowtail." That was Cypressstar.

That's a first. I thought threatening and murdering is all that you do, Dovesong thought with a silent scoff.

"They will do as we tell them to," Cypressstar continued. "And maybe we'll just have to bring teeth and claws to the fight, too."

Dovesong felt a shiver pass through her. What did he mean? What was he going to do to her? And who was the other prisoner?

"You're awake," came a voice from the back of the den that made Dovesong turn around in a hurry. "I was worried they accidentally killed their prisoner." The cat's voice was dry and desolated.

Blinking against the darkness of the den, Dovesong could see the black-and-white pelt and bright green eyes of Moonclaw. She looked unusually tired and unmotivated. "Moonclaw? What are you doing here?"

"Same as you," Moonclaw responded. "They took me back. And now they're going to use me like Sorrelstar had first intended. I just knew that Cypressfan—Cypressstar would betray me."

"What? Did you have some sort of special connection with him?" Dovesong could hardly believe her ears. Moonclaw knew the MoonClan leader in a special way? And he betrayed her? And how were they going to use her?

"Yes. He was my mentor before I left. He wanted to protect me. But then I made the decision to leave because I knew that Sorrelstar wanted me dead. And after he became leader, his heart hardened and he grew to have the same intentions as her," Moonclaw explained, her voice dripping with contempt. Dovesong could see in her eyes that she was remembering things she worked so hard to try and forget. "And now he's dragged us both into his evil plans."