“Ivypaw?”
Graystripe, Berrynose, Millie, and Whitewing were sitting with Icecloud and Foxleap beneath Highledge. Brambleclaw paced in front of them.
Dovepaw took a deep breath and called to them. “Has Ivypaw already left on patrol?”
Graystripe turned and glanced, puzzled, at Dovepaw. “Do you need her for something?”
Dovepaw shrugged as casually as she could. “She wasn’t in her nest when I woke up.”
Whitewing got to her paws. “I haven’t seen her.” Concern edged her mew. “Birchfall?” She called to her mate.
Birchfall paused from digging in the snow. He was unearthing a prey store. “What’s up?”
“Have you seen Ivypaw?” Whitewing asked.
Birchfall looked at Dovepaw. “Isn’t she in her nest?”
Dovepaw shook her head. “She was gone when I woke up.”
Whitewing pushed her way into the apprentices’ den, popping out a moment later. “Her nest is cold. She hasn’t been in it all night.”
Birchfall’s fur spiked. “Brambleclaw?”
The Clan deputy looked up. “Is everything okay?”
“Ivypaw hasn’t slept in her nest,” Birchfall told him.
Brambleclaw glanced around the gathered warriors. “Has anyone seen her?”
“Not since last night,” Berrynose answered.
“I shared a mouse with her at sundown,” Sorreltail told him.
Cinderheart came hurrying from the dirtplace tunnel. “Did someone say Ivypaw’s missing?”
Whitewing paced at the edge of the clearing. “Her nest hasn’t been slept in.”
“It’s too cold to be out of camp for long.,” Brambleclaw meowed.
“What if she’s hurt?” Whitewing gasped.
Birchfall brushed his tail along her ruffled spine. “We don’t know that.”
“We’ll have to start searching for her,” Brambleclaw decided. He nodded to Berrynose and Graystripe. “Take a patrol each and search the forest.”
Dovepaw’s heart began to race. They mustn’t waste hunting patrols! Her thoughts whirled. She couldn’t blurt out that Ivypaw was in ShadowClan’s camp. They’d wonder how she knew.
Jayfeather! He’d understand.
Glancing furtively at her Clanmates, Dovepaw headed for the medicine den. “Jayfeather!”
“Shhh!” The medicine cat was soaking leaves in the pool. “Sandstorm’s sleeping!”
Briarlight propped herself up on the edge of her nest. “What’s wrong?”
“Ivypaw’s missing,” Dovepaw mewed. She stared at Jayfeather, willing him to hear the urgency in her mew. She had to speak to him in private.
Carefully he rolled the soaked leaf into a dripping bundle and laid it beside the pool. “Come with me,” he told Dovepaw, and padded past her. Briarlight’s eyes were sharp with curiosity as Dovepaw followed Jayfeather out of the den.
Toadstep and Icecloud were clambering over the beech. Toadstep peered down the gap between the branches and the cliff wall. “Ivypaw?”
Rosepetal was checking behind the nursery. “No sign of her here.”
“I’m guessing she’s not in camp,” Jayfeather muttered.
“I know where she is!” Dovepaw could hardly keep the words in. “I can hear her. She’s in ShadowClan’s camp!”
“What’s she doing there?” Jayfeather demanded.
“I… I don’t know. I can just hear her. I think they’re holding her captive. They told her to stay where she was and gave her some food and said that Blackstar would see her later.”
“How in the name of StarClan did she end up there?” Jayfeather sounded more annoyed than worried. He headed toward the rock tumble. “Let’s tell Firestar before the whole Clan starts to panic.”
Dovepaw followed him up the stones. Say as little as you can, she reminded herself. You mustn’t give anything away.
“In the ShadowClan camp?” Firestar blinked with surprise when Jayfeather told him. He turned his sharp gaze on Dovepaw. “How long has she been there?”
Dovepaw stared at him innocently. “She was in camp last night when we went to our nests, but she was gone this morning.”
“Do you think she went there herself?”
“She may have gone to the border,” Dovepaw ventured. “Perhaps they caught her there?”
“What would she be doing on the ShadowClan border?” Firestar shook his head as though he had a tick in his ear. “I can’t think of anywhere more dangerous since the battle.”
Dovepaw dropped her gaze, her pelt burning. “I—I don’t know.”
Jayfeather leaned closer to the ThunderClan leader. “Perhaps you should call off the search.”
Firestar ducked out of the den. Dovepaw trailed after him. “We believe that Ivypaw has been taken prisoner by ShadowClan,” he called down to the clearing.
Dovepaw flinched as her Clanmates stared in shock at the ThunderClan leader.
“How do you know?” Mousefur growled, padding to the center of the clearing.
Firestar shifted his paws. “She was last seen on the ShadowClan border.” He couldn’t reveal any more without giving away Dovepaw’s powers.
Thornclaw padded past Mousefur. “We should send a patrol to rescue her!”
“I want to go!” Whitewing insisted.
Thornclaw flexed his claws. “I’ll lead it.”
“We should leave now!” Birchfall yowled.
Firestar flicked his tail. “We must stay calm.”
“We can’t just leave her there!” Whitewing hissed.
“A small patrol should go and see if it’s true,” Firestar reasoned. “If it is, they can ask for her return.”
Birchfall bristled. “Ask?”
Firestar nodded. “We can’t fight them in their own camp,” he pointed out. “There are elders and kits there.”
Mousefur twitched one ear. “Don’t forget, they have Ivypaw. They might harm her if we attack.”
Firestar sat down and wrapped his tail over his paws. “Brambleclaw!” he called. “Take Brackenfur, Cloudtail, and Dovepaw.”
Dovepaw curled her claws into her pads. She wanted to stay out of this. She wanted to pretend it wasn’t happening.
Whitewing darted forward. “I want to go with them!”
Firestar shook his head. “Brambleclaw can handle it,” he meowed. “He’ll bring Ivypaw back safely.” Whitewing turned away, growling. Firestar glanced at Dovepaw. “Off you go.”
She scrambled down the rock tumble and joined Brambleclaw, Cloudtail, and Brackenfur as they headed out of camp. “What was she doing on the border at night?” Cloudtail wondered as they headed through the trees toward ShadowClan territory.
“Surely she’s not a traitor?” Brackenfur murmured.
Never! Guilt shot through Dovepaw. It was her fault that Brackenfur doubted Ivypaw’s loyalty.
“It wouldn’t be the first time a cat has met secretly with a warrior from another Clan.” Brambleclaw’s eyes were dark, fixed on the trail.
It’s all because of me! Don’t blame her!
At the border, Brambleclaw sat down. Cloudtail stared at him. “Aren’t we going to the camp?”
“We’ll wait for a patrol,” Brambleclaw answered.
Cloudtail snorted.
“We don’t know for sure they have her,” Brackenfur pointed out.
Cloudtail began to pace the scent line. “It’s just the sort of trick ShadowClan would pull.”
Dovepaw pricked her ears. Paw steps were crunching through the snow. ShadowClan was awake and patrolling. She waited, listening over the pounding of her heart, until the paw steps came near enough for her to announce without suspicion, “I can hear something!”
Brambleclaw stood up and faced the border, fur smooth, gaze steady. Rowanclaw, Shrewfoot, and Crowfrost wove through the bushes toward them. Dovepaw forced herself to stop trembling. It’s going to be okay. She spotted Tigerheart as he slid out from behind his Clanmates. She looked down at her paws, frightened to catch his eye in case she gave her feelings away.