A huge light woke Lakepaw up. He opened his eyes, he was laying on a meadow surrostunded by huge pines and oaks, it seemed to be in the middle of a forest. Lakepaw sat up, studying the place. Suddenly, a bright light made him squint. When he got used to that glow, a cat shape appeared from the light.
It walked close to Lakepaw, then sat on the soft grass.
"Hello Lakepaw," the cat meowed. It seemed to be a she-cat. She didn't wait for answe.r—she continued calmly.
"I'm your mother, Bee," she meowed.
"M-mother? I thought she is dead," Lakepaw stammered.
"I am dead, silly. I've come from StarClan to tell you a prophecy," Bee meowed amusedly. "But why me?" the gray apprentice kept asking. Bee didn't answer, she just looked at him ith loving, affectionate eyes.
Lakepaw walked close to her, burring his nose in her soft fur. She licked his ear.
"I knew you would make it," she whispered, "And i know you'll make it now."

"Lakepaw, my beautiful and strong son. This is the prophecy I'm carrying.
It's your destiny to find your father, and stop him with whatever he's planning. Your path may be clouded, but you need to find your way out of the mist to beat the darkness.
May StarClan go with you, dear Lakepaw."
As Bee stopped talking, the mist began to spread over the clearing. Lakepaw could see nothing. "Bee! Where are you? Where do I begin?" Lakepaw called, but it looked like his mother was already gone.

He opened his eyes. He was laying in his nest under the bushy roof. It could be almost sunhigh. Lakepaw was still breathing heavily.
No one was in the den, perhaps they were all out training. Lakepaw scrambled to his paws and he panted out of the den. He gave his chest fur a quick lick. What could the dream and prophecy mean? My father is still alive? I thought he died in a battle with a fox..? Lakepaw thought. And what about my mother, Bee? He limped to the fresh-kill pile.
"Where do you think you are going, youngster?"
A cold voice meowed. Barkclaw.
"U-uh I was going to have a meal," Lakepaw mewed nervously.
"Take that prey to the elders," The warrior hissed. "You haven't been hunting today. That prey isn't for you."

Lakepaw angrily grabbed a thrush and a mouse, and carried them to the elders. Cherrywing was laying in front of the large tree, whose long roots had made the walls and roof of the den. The she-cat's pinkish pelt glittered in the cool sunlight.
"Here," Lakepaw meowed with his mouth full, dropping the fresh-kill to her.
"Thank you, Lakepaw," Cherrywing purred, "Could you bring us some more, please? There are five hungry mouths!"

Lakepaw rushed again to the pile, now taking a hare and a mouse.
"That could feed us all." a black and white head poked out of the den.
"Ah yes, you're always the hungry Dampnose," a fluffy ginger tom, Hayfur, meowed.
"Mmm, i can't wait!" a thick-furred white she-cat laughed.
"I know, Woolpelt! Cherrywing purred.

After all these kind, happy, well fed looking elders, Lakepaw was kind of surprised to see Longscar. He was a thin, scarred white tom, who had a very, very long scar. The scar was from his ear to his claws. His paw was limping thanks to it, and he also retired early because of it.
He simply took the fattest vole, and he limped back to his nest, casting contemptuous glances at the other standing cats.

"Did you ever see him smile?" Lakepaw hissed at the elders.
"Nope," the old cats replied as one.
Lakepaw swallowed. The massive claw mark gave him chills. He suddenly didn't feel like his scar was that big and ugly, compared to Longscar's.

"I should go," Lakepaw meowed, turning.
"Oh, could you also switch our beddings?"

Lakepaw's jaws ached from constant carrying moss there and back. He spent caring for the elders the whole rest of the day, but he felt like going on a patrol though. He already met Whitepaw and Snailpaw, they helped him change the beddings. The three apprentices were now crouching and finally chewing two starlings.

"Food! Finnally! I thought my stomach had blown out!" Snailpaw moaned.
Lakepaw nodded, he was busy gulping the juicy meat, same with Whitepaw. After a while he licked his lips, and he rolled onto his back. Snailpaw let out a mrrow of laughter, and with playful growl he leaped on Lakepaw. Whitepaw pounced on Snailpaw and the three young cats rolled on the clearing with happy growls.

Lakepaw rolled onto his belly and with his hind legs, he softly kicked Snailpaw off him. He pushed him to the ground with his back, but Whitepaw took Lakepaw with them. Lakepaw quickly turned to his belly, pinning the both apprentices to the ground, although he had to spread his front paws a lot.
He thought he had won, but Whitepaw got out from his grip, and leaped on him. It was hard, but Lakepaw kept Snailpaw under him. Lakepaw finally released the light brown tom, and Whitepaw pounced on the just relaxed cat.
Lakepaw watched them with amusement, but a yowl interrupted them.
"Let all those cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Tall Stump for a Clan meeting."

The crowd moved to the stump. Magpiestar was sitting there, tapping his tail on the wood.
"As some of you heard, Owlstar wants our territory and mostly, kits," he began. "He said Lightstripe died, in my opinion it was the most normal cat in their Clan. We need to keep watch. So, double patrols along HawkClan's border and thicken the camp walls, most importantly the nursery."
Magpiestar spun around and leaped off the stump.
"Clan meeting dissmised."

"Whitepaw? Snailpaw? Wanna go on the evening patrol?" Lakepaw asked the two cats.
"Oh sure!" Whitepaw nodded.

"Leopardheart? Could we go on the patrol?" Snailpaw yowled at the cat sharing tongues with Hivefoot.
"Why not. Tell Lindenbreeze to go with you," she answered and continued washing her mate.

Whitepaw rushed to the warrior den where Lindenbreeze was sitting.
"Leopardheart told us you should go with us on the dusk patrol!" the apprentice mewed.
Lindenbreeze said something and lashed her tail as she stood up.
"Where should we go?" Lakepaw asked.
"Let's go to the HawkClan border. We haven't been there in a while, and now it's even more urgent,"
Lindenbreeze worriedly smiled and padded through the rock entrance.