Wolfpaw and Eaglepaw sat still for a while, until they were sure that Ravenclaw was gone. Finally, Wolfpaw spoke. "W-why did she do that?" "I... don't know," Eaglepaw replied, "None of it makes any sense." Wolfpaw looked up at the sky. "We'd better get going back to camp." "Yeah, probably," Eaglepaw said as the two cats headed out from under the bush. They broke into a sprint, heading back the way they came. All of a sudden, Eaglepaw stopped. "We need an excuse for going out at night. Quick, go catch some fresh-kill!" Wolfpaw nodded and started tracking a nearby squirrel. She caught it, and buried it to get later.

By the time she was finished, she had caught a squirrel, two voles, and a thrush. She raced back with her catch in her mouth. Eaglepaw was waiting there. "It's getting light out. Let's get hurry back to camp!" he said. Wolfpaw nodded, and, with their fresh-kill, they ran off toward camp. As they walked in, Ravenclaw padded over to them. "What were you two doing out at night?" she asked. "We couldn't sleep," Wolfpaw replied, "So we went out hunting." "Well, you should have asked a Warrior before you did that. Follow me to Lionstar's den," the deputy said. The two apprentices nodded, and followed Ravenclaw.

They padded into the den, and Lionstar opened one of his eyes. "Yes?" he asked. Ravenclaw replied, "These two apprentices were out at night," she huffed, "and they didn't ask." Wolfpaw wanted to yowl, YOU WERE OUT AT NIGHT, TOO! but she didn't. She knew she could get in big trouble for yelling at a Warrior, more or less the Clan Deputy. She just snorted and looked away. "Ravenclaw, follow me," Lionstar said, and padded towards the far corner of the stone den. Ravenclaw followed. As soon as they were there, Wolfpaw hissed to Eaglepaw, "I think she knows we were following her, or at least she's suspicious. We'd better be careful." Eaglepaw nodded. Wolfpaw stole a glance at Lionstar and Ravenclaw, and Ravenclaw had a disappointed look on her face. Then the deputy and leader started padding over to Wolfpaw and Eaglepaw. The teo apprentices looked up at Lionstar, trying to avoid Ravenclaw's stare. "You shouldn't have snuck out at night without asking," the leader started, "but, since you brought back lots of prey, I am letting you off with a light punishment. Today, you are to help Robinheart and Leopardpaw gather herbs."

Lionstar let the two apprentices out of the den. They immediately headed towards the fresh-kill pile. "Oh, no you don't," a voice said from behind them. They whirled around to see Ravenclaw. "You may not eat until the Warriors, Elders, and Queens have eaten, and you have finished your Apprentice duties." Wolfpaw and Eaglepaw sighed, and padded towards Robinheart's den. They poked their heads in. "Hello," Leopardpaw's friendly voice said from the dim cave, "come in." Wolfpaw was a bit glad to be assigned this duty. No matter how rude the Warriors could be to her, she could always trust her sister, Leopardpaw, and her mentor. She padded into the den, with Eaglepaw behind her. "So, what brings you here?" Leopardpaw asked. Eaglepaw replied, "We are here to help you gather herbs, we hope you don't mind." "Oh, not at all," a voice said from the opening to the cave as Robinheart came in, "We were just about to go. Now, Leopardpaw, could you tell me what herbs we need?" Leopardpaw nodded and started counting the herbs.

A few moments later, she looked up and said, "Tansy, catmint, and juniper berries. Some borage couldn't hurt, either." Robinheart nodded and led the cats out of camp. Wolfpaw glanced back at Ravenclaw. She looked up from eating a plump mouse, licked her mouth, then started eating again. Wolfpaw's stomach growled. She looked away and followed the group.

"Leopardpaw, coud you tell me where you would find some tansy?" the medicine cat asked. Leopardpaw took a moment to sniff the air, and replied, "That way," pointing her tail north. "What about catmint?" Robinheart asked. Once again, Leopardpaw sniffed the air. "That way," she said again, this time pointing east. "And juniper berries are that way," she added proudly, pointing her tail west. "Now, Eaglepaw, please get the tansy, while Wolfpaw, you get the catmint. Leopardpaw, please fetch the juniper berries, while I get the borage." And with that, the cats split up.

Wolfpaw raced in the direction that Leopardpaw had indicated. After a while, she came across the tansy. She recognized it from when she had a bad cough when she was a kit. Carefully, she picked the delicate plant and ran back with it in her mouth. Robinheart was already waiting there, and in a few moments Leopardpaw and Eaglepaw burst through the bright green bushes. "Let's go back to camp," the Medicine Cat said, and they returned.

That night, Wolfpaw dreamed she was in an unfamilliar forest. Scents of warm prey and the forest flooded in around her. She looked at a rustling bush, and a gray head poked out. It was Mountainstar. He padded out towards Wolfpaw. "StarClan cats are becoming weaker," he said, "and we have found the source of our weakness. We believe that you are the only one who can save the Clans. Follow me."

Wolfpaw was confused. Normally, Mountainstar greeted her with a friendly voice. Now, he sounded terrified. She decided she had no choice but to follow him. He led her through the bright forest, which she figured must be StarClan's forest. Eventually, it became darker and darker. The forest was becoming colder. finally, Wolfpaw could barely see, and had to rely on the warm pelt of Mountainstar to guide her. He led her to a dark clearing, and there she saw Ravenclaw and some strange cat. Wolfpaw gasped as she recognized the cat. She had heard of him in the nursery and the elders' den, but never thought he was real.

From what the Elders had told her, he was the most evil cat ever to have walked the forest. He was black and white, and had a huge scar running down his side. He was the son of a MountainClan medicine cat and a SwampClan Warrior.

He was Darkheart, and he was talking with Ravenclaw.