It was dark by the time Thunderstar, sore-pawed and exhausted, reached the ThunderClan camp. He slipped through the gorse tunnel, nodding at Leaf, who was standing guard, but said nothing. The camp was quiet, the cats asleep.

Violet Dawn was sleeping, too, in the mossy nest they shared in their den. In just the two days that he’d been gone, she seemed to have grown even more round. He lay down beside her and felt a kit squirm inside her belly, tiny paws kicking at him through her side. Warmth spread through him at this proof that the kits were alive and growing.

In a moment, though, his joy dimmed. How could he be happy so soon after Lightning Tail’s death? In the morning, he would have to tell the Clan what had happened. His chest felt tight at the thought. No matter how gently he tried to tell them, they would suffer. Every cat in the Clan had loved Lightning Tail. And would they blame Thunderstar? He had been given nine lives so he could protect his Clan, but instead, Lightning Tail had died protecting him.

Thunderstar rolled over onto his back, gazing up at the rock at the top of his den. He was so tired, but his mind was spinning. He shifted again, accidentally bumping Violet Dawn’s side.

“Hmm?” she murmured softly, and her eyes blinked open. “Thunderstar,” she mewed sleepily. “I missed you.”

He nuzzled his cheek against hers. “I missed you, too. How are you feeling?” Her voice sounded weak, he thought.

Violet Dawn shrugged. “I’m okay. The kits have been really lively at night, so I haven’t been sleeping well.”

“You aren’t sleeping?” Thunderstar asked, alarmed.

Violet Dawn purred. “Don’t worry so much,” she told him. “Cloud Spots says I’m fine, and it’s completely normal for the kits to be keeping me up this close to when they’ll be born. Milkweed says the same thing, and she’s had kits three times. The only problem was that I was feeling too tired to lead the Clan while you were gone. But Owl Eyes has been doing great,” she added quickly. “He’s kept everything running smoothly and even sent out extra hunting patrols to take advantage of the good weather.” She gave a little huff of amusement. “If Lightning Tail doesn’t watch out, Owl Eyes will be deputy before he knows it.”

Thunderstar stiffened. Violet Dawn, sensitive to his moods as always, sat up. “What is it?” she asked, concerned. “Did you find the dogs? Are we going to have to move camp?”

“No,” Thunderstar answered sadly. “We’re not going to have to move. Lightning Tail and I took care of the dogs.” He felt his whiskers drooping. “Lightning Tail was really brave,” he added.

“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?” Violet Dawn sounded puzzled. “But what’s wrong?”

I shouldn’t upset her when she’s carrying kits, Thunderstar thought. But how could he pretend that nothing had happened? Every cat would be wondering where Lightning Tail was in the morning.

And Violet Dawn had never flinched from facing the truth.

“Lightning Tail fought valiantly,” Thunderstar told her. “But the dogs were too fast and too strong for us. They killed him. They killed me, too, but Star Clan gave me nine lives, so I came back again.”

In the darkness he could see the glint of Violet Dawn’s wide eyes staring at him. She sat absolutely still for a few heartbeats, and then gave out a wail of grief. “No! Oh, no!” Her cry echoed around the clearing.

From out in the camp came sleepy exclamations as cats began to stir.

“What’s going on?”

“Are we under attack?”

“The dogs! The dogs!”

Violet Dawn wailed again. Thunderstar curled against her, licking her fur, trying to comfort her.

“It’s Violet Dawn!”

“Are the kits coming?”

Violet Dawn took a deep, shuddering breath. Pressing her face against Thunderstar’s shoulder for a moment, she sobbed once and then pulled back, calming herself. “They need to know what happened. Let’s go out,” she meowed.

Thunderstar shook his head. “You’re more important right now. You need to rest.”

“No.” She got to her feet, her heavy body dignified. “I will be fine. Come on.” She led him out of their den, her head held high.

Out in the clearing, the whole Clan was milling around, their faces worried. At Thunderstar’s appearance, they surged forward.

“Thunderstar, you’re back!” Milkweed mewed, Beech Tail and Patch Pelt staggering sleepily behind her.

“Why is it so loud?” Beech Tail asked crossly, her little tail switching. “Why is every cat awake?”

“What happened?” Pink Eyes blinked nearsightedly at Thunderstar. “We heard a terrible yowl.”

“Is some cat hurt?” Shivering Rose and Blue Whisker were huddled close together.

Thunderstar looked around. Every cat’s face was turned toward him—anxious, concerned, expecting him to put everything right.

“I—” He paused and leaped up onto the Highrock so that every cat could see him. “I have bad news,” he began.

He expected them to erupt in a babble of speculation, but instead the clearing was silent, every cat’s face turned toward him.

He swallowed hard. “We found the dogs, and they won’t be coming back. But Lightning Tail was killed. He… he died saving my life.” Thunderstar didn’t add that he had died, too, or that StarClan had fulfilled their promise and brought him back. He couldn’t bear to, not when Lightning Tail was gone.

Cries of mourning rose all around him.

They would blame him, now that he had admitted that Lightning Tail had died protecting him, Thunderstar thought. But looking around, he saw that he had underestimated his Clan. The faces below him were contorted with grief, but there was no anger or hatred. As their cries gradually fell silent, he saw nothing but love in their faces.

Apple Blossom stood up, her head high. “Lightning Tail was a good deputy and a fine cat. He taught me to hunt and to fight. He was never impatient with me, and when I was discouraged, he always had an exciting story to tell me to make me feel strong again.”

“Lightning Tail saved me from Twolegs when I was a kit,” Owl Eyes said, standing next to the younger warrior. “There was no cat braver than him. He died the way he would have wanted—saving a Clanmate.”

“Lightning Tail was one of the first cats to welcome me and my kits to ThunderClan,” Milkweed said. “He was always willing to play with kits, and they loved him.”

“When my eyes got too bad to hunt, Lightning Tail always made sure I was fed,” Pink Eyes said. “He was a generous cat.”

All the cats were murmuring agreement, remembering kind things Lightning Tail had done or the way he had shown his bravery in battle and in protecting his Clan.

“We’ll never forget Lightning Tail,” Violet Dawn meowed finally. “He was brave and strong and good, and we were lucky to have him.”

The next two days were quiet and somber as ThunderClan mourned Lightning Tail.

Thunderstar and Violet Dawn sat in the mouth of their den, watching their Clanmates. Clover lay in the shade, picking sadly at a vole. Cloud Spots came out of the medicine den and passed the prey pile by, his tail drooping sadly. Everywhere cats were moving slowly, not speaking to each other, wrapped in their separate grief.

“This has to stop,” Violet Dawn mewed, eyeing them. “Lightning Tail wouldn’t have wanted the Clan to act like this, especially not because of him.”

Thunderstar wrapped his tail around his paws, feeling cold. “No, but what can we do? I can’t tell them to stop being sad.”

“Maybe you should pick a new deputy,” Violet Dawn suggested. “You need to have one, and it will help things get back to normal. It will give the Clan something new to think about, too.”

“A new deputy?” Thunderstar replied doubtfully. He couldn’t imagine any cat being able to support him the way Lightning Tail had. How can I replace my best friend?

“Owl Eyes was an excellent deputy while you and Lightning Tail were gone,” Violet Dawn told him. “Leaf and Gooseberry got into an argument about the nests in the warriors’ den, and Owl Eyes figured out a solution every cat could live with. He managed so well that I didn’t even know there was an argument until it was over.”

Thunderstar hesitated. The idea of another deputy—any deputy—taking Lightning Tail’s place beside him made him ache inside. But Owl Eyes was smart and hardworking. Every cat liked him. He was brave and strong and sensible.

Thunderstar wasn’t ready.

But the Clan needed a new deputy.

Sitting up straight, he made up his mind. Thunderstar opened his mouth to agree with Violet Dawn—Owl Eyes was the right cat for the job—when Violet Dawn suddenly gasped.

“What is it?” Thunderstar asked, Owl Eyes forgotten. Violet Dawn swayed and Thunderstar instinctively moved to support her.

“It’s the kits,” Violet Dawn told him, her eyes wide and glassy with pain. “They’re coming!”