Olivepaw had a terrifying dream that night. Amber eyes burned in shadow, like fire was captured in them. They stared at her, never blinking, until she meowed, "Who are you?"

"I am your enemy," the cat replied. She could see the outline of his body. "I am your worst nightmare."

Olivepaw woke up the next morning with a fever.

"Wolfclaw?" she croaked, stumbling to his nest. "I think I have a fever. Can you check?"

Her mentor sat, scratched at his pelt with a hind leg, and came over to her. "This is bad," he muttered. "We have the medicine cat meeting tonight, not to mention that we need our medicine cat healthy and well!"

Olivepaw stared at him, confused. "What about you?" she ventured. "You're acting as if I'm the only medicine cat in ShadowClan."

"We medicine cats don't get sick days. We have to perform at our best all the time," the gray tom lectured her. "You need to get used to that."

"Well, I'm so sorry for getting sick, something that I have no control over!" She snorted and rolled her eyes.

Wolfclaw sighed and pushed some feverfew toward her. "Drink some water after you're done with that. Do you think you'll recover in time for the meeting?"

To be honest, Olivepaw didn't want to go that much anyway. "I don't think it's too serious," she grudgingly confessed, making Wolfclaw nod approvingly.

"Good. I want to introduce you to StarClan as soon as possible. Now, rest up today—we don't want that fever catching."

Olivepaw gulped down a squirrel, licking her lips after she was finished. The medicine cats were going to the Moonpool soon to share tongues with StarClan, and she was waiting for her mentor to come out of his den.

"Hi, Olivepaw!" She turned her head to see Snowpaw flop down beside her, fur infested with pine cones and dirt.

She made a sour face and began washing her new friend's fur, picking out the cones as she went. "What were you doing all day, rolling around in the dirt?" she snapped, good-naturedly.

Snowpaw purred in amusement. "I was chasing a frog down a hill, and I slipped and fell," she meowed, eyes glowing at the memory. "I didn't catch it, but it was pretty funny."

Wolfclaw padded towards them, fur smoothed and sleek. "Come on, Olivepaw, we should meet Frostsnow and her apprentice at the border," he mewed airily.

Olivepaw heaved herself to her paws, said goodbye to Snowpaw, and bounded after her mentor. "Who's Frostsnow?" she asked, curious, as they ran through the forest.

"The ThunderClan medicine cat," he answered, dodging a tree.

"How do we get to the Moonpool?" she panted, buzzing with questions.

"I'll tell you once we reach the border." Eventually, they did, and a petite white she-cat sat waiting for them.

"Hello, Wolfclaw," she greeted him, then glanced at Olivepaw. "Who is this? Did you take an apprentice?"

"Yes, I did," he meowed proudly, puffing out his chest. She rolled her eyes as the ThunderClan cat purred her congratulations.

"Why are you talking to her?" Olivepaw hissed to him. "Remember when her Clan ambushed us?"

Wolfclaw glanced at her, expression patient. "Medicine cats don't take part in Clan rivalries," he explained. "Medicine cats live in peace with one another, and are not affected by boundaries or skirmishes."

Weird, she thought. Just then she noticed the cat beside who she assumed to be Frostsnow. She was a gray she-cat with amber eyes, and she regarded Olivepaw with curiosity and excitement.

"Olivepaw, this is Frostsnow and Morningpaw," Wolfclaw introduced. "Frostsnow and Morningpaw, this is Olivepaw, my new apprentice."

Morningpaw leaped over the boundary and licked her face. "Yay!" she exclaimed, circling her. "A new apprentice! Heatherpaw is so boring, and I just needed someone to talk to, you know?"

She reminds me of Horsepaw, Olivepaw thought, remembering the brown chatterbox. "Great," she meowed.

"Morningpaw, while we're going to WindClan, can you please explain to Olivepaw how we're going to the Moonpool?" Wolfclaw asked kindly.

The gray cat brightened up. "Sure!" As they walked along, she told her, "The Moonpool is basically in WindClan's hills, and you have to follow a stream to find it."

"Where are the WindClan and RiverClan medicine cats, then?" Olivepaw asked.

"They share a border, so they meet up there, and then they cross WindClan territory to group up with us," Morningpaw explained. "Nice and easy, right?"

She nodded, and Morningpaw went on to tell her about her Clan and family, stuff that she tuned out, before they reached the end of ThunderClan territory and crossed into WindClan's.

Two cats rose up to greet them. "Oh, do we have a newcomer?" a tom asked, spotting Olivepaw right away. "I thought I was lucky enough to have you replaced," he teased Morningpaw.

"She's my new apprentice," Wolfclaw meowed. "Her name's Olivepaw."

"Nice to meet you! I'm Gorseclaw, and this is Heatherpaw," the tom greeted, flicking his tail toward a golden she-cat. Her eyes were blue, but as shadow flitted over them they looked purple.

"Where's Doveheart?" Frostsnow mewed, peering off into the rolling hills.

Gorseclaw frowned. "I could've sworn she was behind us..."

Heatherpaw sniffed Olivepaw, wrinkling her nose. "All of you forest cats stink," she grumbled.

"Well, you smell like peat!" she shot back, making Heatherpaw mutter, "No duh."

A cat suddenly skidded to a halt, spraying dirt behind her as she dug her claws into the soil. "Sorry!" she gasped. "I just wanted a drink, and then I couldn't see you anymore..."

When Olivepaw was once again introduced, they set off to the Moonpool. Her paws ached, and even though she ate before she left her stomach felt empty. Wolfclaw saw her struggling and dropped back to help her. "Once you do this for a while, you'll get used to it," he meowed, laying his tail on her shoulders.

When Olivepaw saw there was a rocky wall to climb, she just wanted to collapse right there. Her legs trembled and burned, her throat was parched, and her stomach was growling like a badger.

"This is the last part, I promise." Wolfclaw confidently leaped up and clawed his way to the top before sliding over.

Using the last of her strength, she clambered up the wall and dropped like a dead bird on the other side.

Her paws sunk into paw prints molded into the ground. Countless of them spiraled down to a waterfall rushing to fill a gleaming pool, reflecting the moon and stars. The medicine cats were already walking down to it, their gazes filled with wonder.

Olivepaw followed them and lurked near the side, wondering what she should do. Wolfclaw raked his eyes across the gathering of medicine cats, a glimmer of pride in them. "Before we share tongues with StarClan, I wish to introduce my new apprentice to them," he announced. Turning to her, he mewed, "Olivepaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?"

She quivered with anticipation. "It is."

He beckoned to her with his tail. "Then come forward." Once she had done so, he turned back to the Moonpool and continued, "Warriors of StarClan, I present you with this apprentice. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat, so grant her your wisdom and insight so that she may understand your ways and heal her Clan in accordance with your will."

He bowed his head. "Now, let us drink from the Moonpool and protect our Clans with these future dreams."

Olivepaw laid down and lapped a few drops from the Moonpool, and fell into sleep.

"Olivepaw, you have to wake up."

A voice startled Olivepaw from her sleep. She sprang to her paws when she saw a small white tom—not Blackstar—stare at her.

"Who are you?" she growled. In the back of her mind, she noticed she wasn't at the Moonpool anymore. She was in a pine forest, sweet scents filling her nose and sunlight dappling the ground.

"I'm Littlecloud. I used to be a ShadowClan medicine cat." He flicked his tail towards her. "Come and walk with me."

She walked with the groomed cat through the forest, heading to the camp. "Am I in StarClan?"

"Yes," he answered. "I brought you here because I have to show you something."

That piqued her curiosity. "What?" she breathed.

He slid through the barrier and into the camp, barreling toward Birchstar's den. Olivepaw ran after him, her shorter legs struggling to keep up.

Littlecloud suddenly crouched down outside of her den, hissing, "Get down, and be quiet! Listen," he added once she got down.

Olivepaw strained her ears to hear. "Oh, back again, are you?" she could hear Birchstar snarl.

"Yes. Birchstar, this information is very important." Blackstar! He was visiting Birchstar, too!

She would've thought about that more, but Birchstar's complaint caught her attention."That doesn't mean you have to repeat it over and over again!"

"Who says I'm actually here? You might just be dreaming about this without me actually having to come," he retorted.

"Don't act as if I'm frog-brained."

"Olives or black water will destroy the Clan, Birchstar." His voice was a low whisper, but she still caught it.

Suddenly, teeth gripped her scruff and hauled her to her paws."Don't tell anyone about this!" Littlecloud hissed in her ear. "I wanted to do this long ago, but StarClan wouldn't allow me."

Olivepaw felt herself struggle towards consciousness. "I promise!" she gasped out before she woke up, the cold stone stinging her side. She was back at the Moonpool, in the medicine cat meeting.

The others were also waking up and stretching their limbs, yawning with pink mouths wide open.

Olives or black water will destroy the Clan, Olivepaw repeated, beginning to pad up the spiral path. What in the name of StarClan does that mean?