A Dangerous Path

Chapter 1

Skyfall's fur bristled with disbelief and fury as she gazed up at the new leader of ShadowClan standing on the Great Rock. She watched as the cat swung his massive head from side to side. Muscles rippled under his gleaming pelt and his amber eyes seemed to glow with triumph.

"Tigerclaw!" Skyfall spat. Her old enemy—the cat who had tried to kill her more than once—was now one of the most powerful cats in the forest.

The full moon rode high above Fourtrees, shedding its cold light over the cats of the four Clans, assembled there for the Gathering. They had all been shocked to learn of the death of Nightstar, the ShadowClan leader. But no cat in the forest expected that ShadowClan's new leader would be Tigerclaw, the former ThunderClan deputy.

Beside Skyfall, Darkstripe was rigid with excitement, his eyes glittering. Skyfall wondered what thoughts were going through the mind of her dark-pelted Clanmate. When Tigerclaw had been banished from ThunderClan, he had invited his old friend to go with him, but Darkstripe had refused. Was he regretting that decision now?

Skyfall caught sight of Sandstorm weaving her way toward her. "What's going on?" the pale ginger she-cat hissed as she came into earshot. "Tigerclaw can't lead ShadowClan. He's a traitor!"

For several heartbeats, Skyfall hesitated. Not long after she'd recovered from the battle with RiverClan, Skyfall had discovered that Tigerclaw had murdered Redtail, the ThunderClan deputy. Once Tigerclaw became deputy himself, he had led rogue cats to attack the ThunderClan camp, trying to murder their leader, Bluestar, so that he could take her place. As punishment, he had been banished from their Clan and the forest. It was hardly a noble history for a leader of any Clan.

"But ShadowClan doesn't know about all that," Skyfall reminded Sandstorm now, keeping her voice low. "None of the other Clans know."

"Then you should tell them!"

Skyfall glanced up at Tallstar and Crookedstar, the leaders of WindClan and RiverClan, respectively, who stood beside Tigerstar on the Great Rock. Would they listen if she told them what she knew? ShadowClan had suffered so much from Brokentail's bloodthirsty leadership, followed by a devastating sickness, that they probably wouldn't care what their new leader had done, as long as he could forge them into a strong Clan again.

Besides, Skyfall couldn't help feeling a surge of guilty relief that Tigerclaw had satiated his hunger for power in another Clan. Maybe now ThunderClan could stop waiting for him to attack, and Skyfall could walk the forest without constantly glancing over her shoulder.

Yet, as she struggled with her conflicting emotions, she knew she would never forgive herself if she let Tigerclaw come to power without even making a protest.

"Skyfall!" Skyfall turned to see Thunderpaw, her thin-furred black apprentice, padding quickly toward her with the wiry brown warrior Mousefur close behind. "Skyfall, are you just going to stand there and let that piece of fox dung take over?"

"Quiet, Thunderpaw," Skyfall ordered. "I know. I'll—"

She broke off as Tigerclaw paced to the front of the Great Rock.

"I am pleased to be here with you at the Gathering this night." The huge tabby spoke with quiet authority. "I stand before you as the new leader of ShadowClan. Nightstar died of the sickness that took so many of my Clan, and StarClan named me as his successor."

Tallstar, the black-and-white leader of WindClan, turned to him. "Welcome, Tigerstar," he meowed, nodding respectfully. "May StarClan walk with you."

Crookedstar meowed his agreement as the new ShadowClan leader dipped his head in acknowledgement.