Graypool (Forest of Secrets)

## Prologue

"Oakheart? What have you got there?" (pg. 18)

"But . . . . Whose kits are they? They're not RiverClan's. Where did you get them?" (pg. 18)

"In the forest? Oakheart, don't talk to me as if I'm not mouse-brained. What cat would abandon her kits in the forest, especially in weather like this?" (pg. 18)

"I have plenty of milk. Of course I'll take them." (pg. 18)

"I still don't understand. Why would two kits be alone in the forest in the middle of leaf-bare? Their mother must be frantic." (pg. 19)

"No, I don't think you did. But you're not telling me the whole truth, are you?" (pg. 19)

"No, you haven't! What about their mother? I know what it's like to lose kits, Oakheart. I wouldn't wish that kind of grief on any cat." (pg. 19)

"But Oakheart-" (pg. 19)

## Chapter 5

"This is too far for my old bones. I'm going to freeze to death." (pg. 85)

"There are ThunderClan cats here!" (pg. 85)

"What do you mean, all right? What are they doing here?" (pg. 85)

"Two of them. There had better be a good explanation for this." (pg. 86)

"Well, at least you remember your manners, ThunderClan or not." (pg. 86)

"Stringy, but it'll do," (pg. 87)

"I think you should go. Go on, out. You too. I'll talk to Fireheart alone. I can see he's the one who needs to know." (pg. 87)

"There's no need. I may be old, but I'm not helpless. I'll find my own way back." (pg. 88)

"Now. Mistyfoot has told you that I'm her mother, and Stonefur's?" (pg. 88)

"Well. I'm not. I brought the pair of them up as kits, but I didn't give birth to them. Oakheart brought them to me in the middle of leaf-bare, when they were just a few days old." (pg. 88)

"He *told* me he found them in the forest, as if they'd been abandoned by rogue cats or Twolegs. But I'm not stupid, and my nose has always worked just fine. The kits smelled of the forest all right, but there was another scent underneath. The scent of ThunderClan." (pg. 88-89)

## Chapter 6

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm telling you." (pg. 90)

"Oakheart was a noble warrior. He would never stoop to stealing kits!" (pg. 90)

"Because Oakheart asked me to. He may not have been deputy back then, but he was a fine young warrior. I'd recently given birth to kits of my own, but all except one died in the bitter cold. I had plenty of milk to spare, and the poor little scraps would never have lived to see the sunrise if some cat hadn't cared for them. Their ThunderClan scent soon faded. And even if Oakheart hadn't told the truth about where they came from, I respected him enough not to ask any more questions. Thanks to Oakheart, and to me, they grew into strong kits, and now they're good warriors - a credit to their Clan." (pg. 91)

"Now listen to me. Mistyfoot and Stonefur know nothing, and if you tell them what I've just told you, I'll rip your liver out and feed it to the crows." (pg. 91)

"They never doubted that I'm their real mother. I like to think they even look a bit like me." (pg. 91)

"They have always been loyal to RiverClan. I don't want that loyalty to be divided now. I've heard the gossip about you, Fireheart - I know you were once a kittypet - so you should understand more than any cat what it means to have a paw in two places." (pg. 92)

"I accept your word, Fireheart. I don't know if this has helped you at all, but it might explain why Oakheart would never let a ThunderClan cat harm Mistyfoot or Stonefur. Even if he claimed to know nothing about where they came from, he would have smelled the ThunderClan scent on them as clearly as I did. As far as they're concerned, they are loyal only to RiverClan, but it would seem that Oakheart's loyalties were divided on their behalf." (pg. 92)

"That's as may be. But now that I've told you everything, you must leave our territory." (pg. 93)