𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐌𝐨𝐨𝐧 #3: 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐭

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐄𝐄𝐍

Dovesong knew with a sinking heart that the MoonClan cats would never let her say goodbye to Shadowheart one last time. She wanted to sink her claws into Cypressstar's flesh with a burning passion, to get revenge for every cat he snatched away from her. He terrorized her Clan and killed the cats she loved most, along with cats who were loved by others, such as Featherspring or Leafpaw.

She also knew that her Clanmates probably knew she was gone by now, and if they saw the scene by the river, they would suspect she was dead. She would have to get out of this alone, but she had no idea how. She had no denmate like she did before, and no one knew where she was. If someone had come, she was still unconscious.

She watched miserably as the little sunlight that streamed into the den traveled across the ground as the day passed by. I should be back with my Clan. I should be looking for Moonclaw and making sure she's alright. If she dies or gets tortured because she ran away, it's going to be all my fault! I told them where she was.

At night, Dovesong ate, but she could barely taste the vole she was given. She knew that the next day she would be interrogated again or taken with the MoonClan cats to find Moonclaw since only she knew where she was. Well, she didn't know exactly where she was, but she had an idea and it was enough to find Moonclaw.

After she was finished with her fresh-kill, she curled up in her nest and drifted into a shallow slumber.

She opened her eyes again in a wide clearing, with tall, thin trees surrounding it, towering into the clear, sunny sky. She expected this to be a dream from StarClan, but then she saw Moonclaw. Her heart leaped with joy. "Moonclaw! Are you doing alright?"

"Fine, thanks." Moonclaw dipped her head thankfully. "But I didn't come here to check in-I wanted to tell you where I was in case something happened."

"Oh, okay." Dovesong was confused. She already knew mostly where Moonclaw was, but why would she want to tell her anyway?

"I'm in a cave at the edge of the forest; the forest that starts at the MoonClan camp," Moonclaw explained.

"Okay. Thanks." Dovesong paused a moment before continuing cautiously. "Why did you leave?"

"Didn't Swallowpaw tell you?" Moonclaw asked, an edge on her voice.

"Swallowflight did tell me. But I just wanted it from you. You know how she misses small details."

"Reasonable. I needed to leave so the MoonClan cats don't make me do all those terrible things again. Not just for my sake, even though they tortured and abused me." Moonclaw shuddered. Dovesong realized for the first time the long, thin scar on her flank, one that she must have gotten from the MoonClan cats. "But also because the Clan cats don't deserve any of this. They deserve safety. So I left. You should leave, too. They could use your knowledge and healing abilities to their advantage."