Brookshadow woke, stretching and yawning a bit. She blinked and was slightly surprised to see that not only could she barely see anything, but Dewfur was lying next to her in the Medicine Den, a dark fluffball in her nest. She smiled a small bit, shifting closer to Dewfur and purring, pushing her nose into his neck fur. Dewfur shifted, then wrapped his paws around her and pulled her closer, falling back asleep in seconds. Brookshadow purred into his ear, feeling her eyes starting to drift closed.

She felt someone nudge her shoulder, and she looked to see a transparent paw on the ground near her head. Brookshadow's eyes blinked open, and she followed the paw up to it's owner, and felt her confusion dissipate, seeing Bluestar standing above her, smiling kindly down at her.

"Come with me. You must be quiet, it's still nighttime." the ThunderClan leader of old whispered.

Brookshadow nodded, gently disentangling herself from Dewfur. Dewfur again shifted, but didn't wake. The light brown tabby watched him for a moment with affection in her gaze, then followed Bluestar on silent paws. Brookshadow saw the night guard, Lionblaze; Bluestar passed and he didn't move. Brookshadow followed, expecting some form of acknowledgement from Lionblaze, but he simply sat there, his ears erect and his gaze scanning the forest. Brookshadow stopped and sat down in front of him, confused. His gaze didn't falter.

"Come now," Bluestar mewed quietly. "They can't see us." Brookshadow opened her mouth to speak when Bluestar quickly added, "But they can hear you."

Brookshadow nodded and followed along. Bluestar took her to the edge of the lake, where Brookshadow looked up in amazement at Silverpelt. So many stars. Was there really one for each warrior, just as she'd been told long ago by Aldershade?

Bluestar watched her with a small smile on her muzzle. She settled down right at the edge of the water and motioned Brookshadow over. "Come here."

Brookshadow stood next to the she-cat, and looked down at the water when the StarClan warrior motioned to it with her tail.

"What do you see?" Bluestar asked.

Brookshadow peered closely. "I see me," She replied, seeing the ripple of the clear water gently distorting her reflection.

Bluestar nodded, touched the water with her paw, then sat back again. "And now what do you see? Look closely."

Brookshadow again looked at her reflection. "I still see me, except..." She blinked a few times, making sure she wasn't seeing things. There were two little kits playing underneath her feet in the reflection, and a third starry kit sitting at Bluestar's paws.

"What do you see, Brookshadow?" Bluestar asked gently.

Brookshadow didn't reply. She was busy watching the two kits, so lively, playing with each other. The starry kit watched with a sad yet happy expression. Brookshadow's expression softened as she watched the two kits tumble and pounce on each other. There was no sound.

The water changed. It now no longer heralded Brookshadow's reflection, but seemed to show the ThunderClan camp in a cold leaf-bare. The same two kits were playing again, and there were slightly older kits playing with them, seeming to be playing a game of tag. One of the two smaller kits tripped while running away from an older kit, and she fell. The older kit tried to stop but instead tumbled into the smaller kit. Brookshadow heard a tiny crack - The older kit started wailing. Suddenly Leafpool appeared, and while Cinderheart calmed the older kit, Leafpool stood gently brushing her paw over the tiny figure of the smaller kit, which hadn't moved. After a moment, Leafpool looked up towards Brookshadow, grief crushing her gaze.

The scene changed. It was late newleaf, almost greenleaf, and the other kit that hadn't been motionless was bigger, stronger now. An Apprentice. Brookshadow watched as she trained with her mentor, Dovewing. She was gaining skill easily, would be a great warrior. Brookshadow blinked slowly and watched as the mentor and apprentice went on a border patrol. The day looked long, dreary, and that temperature that makes it too hot in the sunshine but too cold in the shadow. They went along the ShadowClan border. The young apprentice stopped, her ears twitching. Dovewing had also stopped, watching her young apprentice curiously, with pride in her eyes.

The young apprentice turned sharply, only to be pounced on by a ShadowClan patrol. The apprentice screamed, Dovewing clawing at the ShadowClan warriors furiously. The Apprentice got free and scrambled to Dovewing's side, and Dovewing hissed at her for a few seconds before the apprentice sped away. Dovewing screeched at the ShadowClan warriors, slicing at them once more, her claws fully extended.

The scene changed, although Brookshadow could tell it was the same day. ThunderClan camp was being destroyed, ThunderClan and ShadowClan cats fighting each other everywhere. Brookshadow could even see herself, battling with a black tom. But the watching Brookshadow's gaze travelled to two cats specifically. Bramblestar and Rowanclaw stood snarling at each other. Bramblestar spat at the ShadowClan tom, then leapt at him. Rowanclaw dodged and bit into Bramblestar's scruff. Rowanstar quickly pinned Bramblestar down, snapping at his throat. Suddenly he was knocked aside. Squirrelflight stood over him Rowanclaw now, her pelt torn and her shoulder bleeding from a nasty bite wound. Rowanclaw gasped for breath, pummeling at the ginger deputy's stomach.

Bramblestar stood and staggered. Rowanclaw shoved Squirrelflight off of him and quickly leapt again for Bramblestar. Squirrelflight quickly recovered and stood by her mate's side, snarling and clawing at Rowanclaw, matching Bramblestar strike for strike. Rowanclaw shook his head, backing away from the two cats. Suddenly he lunged, catching at Squirrelflight's throat.

Bramblestar's eyes flared. He swiped at Rowanclaw, hard enough that the ShadowClan tom was practically torn from Squirrelflight's throat. Squirrelflight coughed blood, sinking onto the ground. Bramblestar glanced at his mate, then roared and lunged for Rowanclaw, slicing his throat open in a single deft swipe. Rowanclaw fell to the ground, bleeding out.

The battle stopped. All cats turned to Bramblestar, Squirrelflight, and Rowanclaw's body in the center of the clearing. No cat muttered a thing.

Bramblestar turned from him and crouched down next to Squirrelflight, his gaze worried. He let out a cry, and Leafpool came over with cobwebs and pressed them gently to Squirrelflight's wounds, her mouth moving slowly.

Rowanclaw's body twitched. After another few moments, his body jerked and he lifted his head, slowly looking around.

Bramblestar glanced behind him and snarled.

Rowanclaw - who no longer even had a scratch where his bleeding throat would should have been - pulled back his ears. Then he let out a yowl, and all of ShadowClan followed him out of the gorge.

Dewfur suddenly gasped, running over to a lump of fur and blood on the ground that Brookshadow had already been looking at. The young apprentice, her chest torn to shreds from claw marks, blood dripping out from a wound on the back of her head. She was still alive. But Brookshadow could see in her eyes how much pain she was in. Leafpool, after a few moments, came over to inspect the she-cat. She froze, her pelt rising in fear. She turned to Dewfur and mewed softly into his ear. Dewfur took on a pained expression. He turned to Brookshadow and said something. Brookshadow let out a cry and nuzzled the apprentice. The apprentice let out a small mew, then her face flashed in pain. The apprentice mewed something else. The lake Brookshadow pinned back her ears. Bramblestar stood next to her, resting his tail over her shoulders. He mewed something into lake Brookshadow's ears. Lake Brookshadow trembled, then unsheathed her claws. She lifted her paw, and the apprentice let out another whisper. Lake Brookshadow hesitated, then swung.

The scene faded. A light flashed. The real Brookshadow jerked her head, hearing twigs snap. The faint outline of a cat appeared.

"Brookshadow?" It was Dewfur. His eyes were tired, but concerned. "Are you okay? What are you doing out here?"

Brookshadow glanced at the water, seeing no Bluestar and nothing in the rippling lake. She glanced back at Dewfur. "Oh, nothing. Just going for a walk."

"Are you sure?" Dewfur sleepily looked her up and down for injuries.

"Yes, I'm fine." Brookshadow mewed, giving him a lick on his cheek. "Come on, let's get you back to bed."

At the lakeshore, Bluestar reappeared, staring after the two cats heading back to their camp. She glanced into the water and pulled back her ears, confusion pooling in her eyes.

A gray furred she-cat appeared beside her. She mewed, annoyed, at Bluestar. "What did you do? She knows too much now! What did you show her?"

"I didn't show her anything past the kits, Yellowfang," Bluestar mewed, puzzled, not minding the other cat's attitude since she nearly always had one.

"Well then how in the name of StarClan did she see it?" Yellowfang huffed, sitting down and staring intently at the water.

Bluestar shook her head and shrugged, sighing. "That I don't know."

Yellowfang sighed, still angered. "You'd better hope she doesn't take advantage of this, Bluestar. For your sake."

"If she is a good cat, she will not," Bluestar answered simply, although nodding slowly as she hoped as well, not for her sake, but for Brookshadow's.