Jaypaw peeled open his eyelids, swollen with sleep. He shook his head slowly, mind still reeling from what had happened in his dream. Lionpaw was part of the prophecy. Maybe that's why they'd connected so well.

"Wakey, wakey, bunny. You fell asleep out here amongst the heather." Nightcloud's whiskers trailed over his head, her touch feathery.

Jaypaw got to his feet, fur spiked in all directions. "Has Cranberrystripe been asking for me?"

She tapped her tail twice against his flank to gesture the answer was no.
"You're on camp duty today, apparently." Nightcloud reminded him. Jaypaw groaned. Camp duty was the worst. He hated collecting moss, taking care of other cats, and hated their whining and questions. 

"Yeah, yeah." A thought unfurled from within his brain. "Isn't it the gathering tonight?" The idea tasted like sunshine, warm and hopeful. Lionpaw might be there. They could discuss the prophecy and all they knew, and figure out who the other cats in it were

His mother tapped his flank once to indicate yes.
"Your second gathering! How do you feel?"

"I mean, I don't really care. It's just another gathering." But inside, his organs were humming. A chance was right in front of him, waiting for him to take it.

Throughout that day, Jaypaw's thoughts kept him occupied. Weaving nests, grooming the elders, forced conversation were all made easier by pondering the prophecy. He planned out all the things he'd need to say to Lionpaw. He'd need to discuss powers, other cats that may be in the prophecy, and his theory that the Four was made up of a cat from each Clan.

His daydreaming fogged his head, keeping Jaypaw distant from his daily activities. He didn't fully concentrate until he was actually arriving at the island as the moon had fully risen in the sky.

"Jaypaw, your fidgeting is kind of annoying," Whiskerpaw whispered to him. "What's so exciting about this gathering, anyway?"

"Oh, there's someone I want to see," Jaypaw replied. He tried to sound airy but his words came out bubbling with excitement.

Whiskerpaw's whiskers scraped Jaypaw's face as he turned sharply. "You'd better not have feelings about a cat from another Clan!" He sounded affronted.

Jaypaw shook his head impatiently.
"Of course not. It's just a friend, no big deal." He sniffed, though he was trembling with anticipation. Lionpaw was more than just a friend. He was one of the Four. And that was certainly a big deal.

When WindClan entered the island, Jaypaw took a deep inhale. He scented ThunderClan easily, mixing among ShadowClan scents. RiverClan wasn't here yet, which gave Jaypaw time to find Lionpaw and for the two to sneak away to talk.

He weaved through the crowd, wondering just how to find the other tom. Scents cascaded around him, disorientating Jaypaw as he stumbled through the crowd. Chatter ground against his ears, scraping against his bone. He followed the haze, desperate to scent Lionpaw through it all.

"Hey, Jaypaw!" He turned his head at the sound of voices calling. He forced a smile. Briarpaw.

"Hey, Briarpaw. Is Lionpaw here?"

The molly tapped his flank with her tail to signal yes. "He is," she confirmed. "I can find him for you if you want! He was over by the foxgloves. The ones on the ShadowClan lakeshore. Last time I checked he was talking to the ShadowClan medicine cat."

Jaypaw swallowed, his saliva tasting like morning glory, sunrises dripping in birdsong serenading him awake, or to sleep. Jaypaw's feet were already moving toward the foxgloves by ShadowClan's side of the lake shore.
"Thanks, Briarpaw!"

He jostled his way through the crowd, navigating over to where the ShadowClan scent was the strongest. He walked through the undergrowth until the sour, toxic smell of foxglove, searching for Lionpaw's scent or his voice.

"Jaypaw?" Lionpaw caught him off guard; the tom had seen him first. A rush of relief hit him like tasting cool water on a hot day.

"Lionpaw, we need to talk." He strode over to him, ignoring Flametail.

"Oh yes, we do," Lionpaw agreed. "Sorry Flametail," he apologized to the ShadowClan medicine cat. "It was great talking to you but I have some things to talk about with Jaypaw." He scurried after Jaypaw, who was retreating into the bushes near the lake shore.

"Jaypaw, did my dream really happen? If it didn't, this will sound weird as flying hedgehogs, and I was so certain when it happened  it was real but I started  doubting myself. StarClan, I bet you're so confused right now-" Lionpaw blabbered in Jaypaw's ear.

"-It happened." Jaypaw cut him off. "Trust me, it happened." He crouched down and crawled into a bramble bush. The thorns scraped his head, running their prongs through his short and wiry fur. 

"It's so hard to wrap my head around it all. Everything is different now! I'm part of a prophecy. A secret prophecy! And I can't tell anyone, not even Leafpool..." His voice trailed off. "I can't tell anyone, can I? Anyone at all? I've been bursting to say something all day. I don't think I can keep this secret," he confessed, still rambling on to Jaypaw.

Jaypaw sat down. He hadn't expected Lionpaw to act like a bumbling kit. He was usually such a relaxed cat. When Jaypaw had learned of the prophecy, he'd taken some time to process it and come to terms with it. He'd been so disbelieving at first, but Lionpaw seemed to have latched onto the idea immediately. "Well, you're going to have to," Jaypaw said, ready to get down to business.

Lionpaw didn't answer Jaypaw's snappy remark. Jaypaw flicked his ear; every other time he'd talked with Lionpaw they'd got on well. Clearly, he'd only ever spoken to Jaypaw when he was in a good mood.

"Lionpaw, I get that this is a shock for you. But you need to get over it. We've got some important things to discuss," Jaypaw said. Lionpaw remained silent; Jaypaw hoped he was pulling himself together and focusing his thoughts. "We know very little about this prophecy. All we know is that we're extremely powerful, even more powerful than StarClan. Hawkheart told me that my power is that I can visit other cat's dreams and see when dreaming. Have you been told yours?"

"No..." Lionpaw sounded bewildered and overwhelmed. "Firestar didn't even give me a clue. I asked-I asked him what the whole holding the power of the stars in our paws thing and he said we had powers. I asked what mine is and he said I had to find out for myself. I have no idea what it could be."

Jaypaw clenched his jaw. "So we know we have powers but you don't know what yours is. Just great. We know there must be some reason why we're so powerful, but we don't know why. Hawkheart didn't so much as allude to anything. What about Firestar?"

"Nothing," was all Lionpaw said.

"Our plan of action should be to find out who else is in the prophecy so we can all figure it out together. I can walk in their dreams and guide them to the Moonpool like I did with you." Jaypaw droned on. "I've been thinking, Hawkheart suggested there was a cat in each Clan when he first talked to me. And having you in the prophecy shows I could be right. Another thing, you and me are really close in age. So maybe the other two are apprentices like us? Can you think of anyone in ShadowClan or RiverClan who might be in the prophecy too?"

"Woah, hold on!" Lionpaw protested. "I learned about all of this last night! I've had no time to process any of it!"

"Process it tomorrow. Right now just go with it, okay? You were talking to Flametail, how well do you know ShadowClan cats?" Jaypaw asked. He didn't care that Lionpaw was lost. Jaypaw had moved on and acted like everything was normal when he learned about the prophecy. He didn't have anyone around him to guide him aside from Hawkheart, and he wasn't much of a guide. Lionpaw had more than that.

"Well... Flametail's my kin. His mother is my father's littermate. He has another sibling, from a different litter, who's a moon or so older than us. She's called Hollypaw. There's also Pinepaw and those other two ShadowClan apprentices, I don't know their names."

"Hollypaw! That's a good one. She's close in age..." he trailed off, an idea coming to his mind. "Hey, there's a weird thing we have in common? Our parents all went on a journey together. Crowfeather and your parents. Didn't your father's littermate go too?" Jaypaw asked. 

"Yeah, she did, Tawnypelt was one of the cats who journeyed to the Sun-drown-place. But the RiverClan cats didn't have kits. One died and the other stayed in the mountains."

"Well, there goes that theory."

"The RiverClan apprentices. Blossompaw told me about them. None of them stand out to me. There's, hmm, let's see. Troutpaw, Rushpaw and someone else I can't remember. How about you try all of them?"

Jaypaw shook his head. He couldn't just enter all these random cat's dreams! That could raise a lot of questions if they talked to each other. Before he could say anything else, a head plunged into the bush they were sitting inside. "Hey, apprentices! The Gathering's started, come outta there!"

Jaypaw emerged from the bush, annoyance staining his teeth green. He scowled at the warrior who'd interrupted him.

"StarClan has blessed ShadowClan with kits this moon. Snowbird has given birth to four kits, Cloverkit, Yarrowkit, Berrykit and Ripplekit." There was no mistaking the pride in Rowanstar's voice as he announced this. To Jaypaw, it sounded like a threat.

"Well, that's great, Rowanstar. Kits are always something to celebrate." Reedstar said.

"Kits are on their way to WindClan as well; Sedgewhisker and Emberfoot are expecting their first litter," Harestar announced. Cheers and purrs of approval met his words. Both felines were popular, so many cats considered this good news.

"Prey has been running well in ThunderClan. I'm happy to say, my son, Lionpaw, has recovered from his ordeal at our competition. I thank Jaypaw once again for his rescue of Lionpaw. Funny how things turn out; a WindClan cat saving a ThunderClan cat instead of killing one for once," Bramblestar kept his tone light, though it was clear to Jaypaw he faked is tone, and the accusation wasn't at all hidden.

Jaypaw could hear his Clan hiss among themselves. He felt his own fur bristle, even though his focus was elsewhere.

"Now, Bramblestar, I'm sure you remember that there was an equal amount of killing on both sides. After all, both you and I are leaders now instead of Firestar and Onestar," Harestar matched Bramblestar's tone.

"Well, if no one has anything else to say, I'd suggest we draw this gathering to a close," Reedstar rushed, cutting in.

One or more of the leaders must have nodded, as Jaypaw could hear chatter start up around him, and he could hear and feel movement buzzing around him. "Lionpaw!" He hissed, racing back into the undergrowth.

He didn't bother sneaking into the bush this time, he just crouched behind another plant. "Lionpaw, tell me everything you know about Hollypaw and the RiverClan apprentices. Like their scent, what they sound like."

"Uh... All ShadowClan cats smell like pine needles. Hollypaw smells like that too, with a hint of something else...a bird...a starling! She walks even quieter than most ShadowClan cats. She makes next to no sound. It's weird." Lionpaw licked his lips, ears swivelling around. "Listen, Jaypaw, I have to go. Can you ask the other apprentices? Bye!" The tom scurried away.

Collapsing in his nest, Jaypaw tried to focus his thoughts on the ShadowClan apprentice he'd heard about. He focused on ShadowClan's smell of deep forest and pine, on the name 'Hollypaw.' Biting his lip, thoughtshis thoughts spiraled around him, burying him. He had no idea if this would work - he'd never met Hollypaw before. Jaypaw didn't know what her voice sounded like, or what she acted like. The worries sang him to sleep with their restless lullabies.

Opening his eyes, tall trees surrounded him. These trees were different from the ones he'd witnessed in ThunderClan. Their trunks stretched high and straight, knobs marring their bark. They were surprisingly smooth to the touch when Jaypaw stroked his whiskers against them. All the trees were uniform, unlike ThunderClan's jumble of mixed trees. The ground was soft underfoot. A few pine needles fell unto his back, shaken from above him. He looked up to see a black molly perched in the tree. 

"Hello," She said. "Who are you?" Wild green eyes peered down at him, curiosity painted clear within them.

"I'm Jaypaw, from WindClan. Are you Hollypaw?" He asked, craning his neck up to the molly.

"Yes." She pranced from branch to branch down the tree. Her claws skittered down the trunk, and she sprang down beside him with elegance. Jaypaw hadn't seen tree climbing before, but when he'd heard WindClan cats practice the skill, they were slow and hesitant, movements skittery and choppy. He'd heard a ThunderClan cat in a tree near the border, and their movements sounded confident and bold, but very loud. Hollypaw sounded graceful and quiet, every footstep calculated, but appearing so effortess.

"I've been looking for you. You need to come with me," he told her.

"Oh. Why?' she lowered her tail, eyes flickering from side to side. Hollypaw drew her body inwards, shrinking into herself.

"There's something I have to show you."

"Hmm...okay." She nodded, but her body was still very tense and poised.

Jaypaw didn't bother running; he visualised the Moonpool in his eyes. The glistening pool, the sheer rock walls surrounding it.

This time he found himself there without having to run anywhere. He was able to control elements of the dreamlike setting as well as appearing in other cat's dreams. I have to stop now. What if I accidentally create a dream that shows the wrong cat the prophecy?

But Hollypaw and himself weren't alone at the Moonpool. Two ginger bodies lay next to each other, father and son, both in a peaceful slumber.

"You're showing me my dad and my brother? That's not exciting. I see them every day." Though Hollypaw's words were that of a bored and careless cat, Jaypaw could see her body relax at the scene.

"Don't you see where you are? You're at the Moonpool. Isn't that exciting?"

She looked around her surroundings, eyes full of a recognition and wonder he hadn't seen in them before. "I've always wanted to see how medicine cats spoke to StarClan..." Jaypaw watched her movements carefully. Unlike Lionpaw, he'd never met Hollypaw before. If she really was part of the prophecy, which he was almost certain she was, it would be important for him to get to know her. So far she seemed odd. Just following him and trusting him without question. Though to her, this whole thing was a dream, so her behaviour would probably be different.

"What did you say your name was again?" Hollypaw said sharply.

"Jaypaw, " he answered, eyes fixated on the two sleeping cats ahead of them. He concentrated on Rowanstar, eyes following the tom's shape, thinking of what he knew of the cat. His voice from Gatherings. His boast about the kits born in ShadowClan, Rowanstar praising his daughter at the competition, pride colouring his words-

"-what's going on? This dream doesn't feel right. I've had plenty of dreams and I've never felt like this. I feel awake, " Hollypaw's hiss interrupted his concentration, her teeth close to his ear. Jaypaw looked at her, noticing with alarm her claws gleaming like slivers of moon in the watery light.
"I need to wake up and tell Flametail about this weird dream. It doesn't feel right!"

"You're intuitive." Jaypaw took two steps away from her. He didn't know if she could hurt him in these dreams. "Hollypaw, you're right. This isn't just a dream. But you need to trust me. It'll be clear in a moment but you need to let me do this."

Hollypaw didn't move a muscle. Jaypaw watched her curiously. Her body was tense but she wasn't poised to attack. She was holding herself high and calm, clearly thinking over what he had said.
"I want to know what you're doing first."

He nodded at her request. He still didn't know for certain that she was part of the prophecy. He didn't know whether to risk telling her. Tail tip twitching, he surveyed for Hawkheart's hidden form. But his gaze uncovered no amber eyes, no smoky form. The guide didn't seem to be here. Jaypaw remembered how easily he's tapped into Lionpaw's dream without meaning to. Taking a breath, he thought quickly of Rowanstar, recalling his deep pine scent.

Back in a familiar scene, Jaypaw and Hollypaw stood in a clearing filling with mist, unravelling around their feet.

Hollypaw gasped, stumbling backwards. "What did you do? What happened?" 

"Talonpaw? Talk to me! Where did you go? Darkflower?" Rowanstar wailed.

Hollypaw gasped. "Rowanstar!"

"He can't hear you," Jaypaw told her. "We're in his dream or memory. I don't know yet."

Hollypaw rounded on him. "I asked you to explain what's going on."

"There will be four, born of abhor, who hold the power of the stars in their paws." A disembodied voice echoed.

"I won't explain what's going on. But he will." Jaylaw gestured to the large white tom emerging from the mist. His fur was speckled with stars, splashing across his pelt. His paws were black in stark contrast to his white pelt.

"Blackstar?" Hollypaw stuttered.

Blackstar nodded to Jaypaw before settling his gaze on Hollypaw. "I'm sure this is confusing for you. I'll tell you everything." He looked back at Jaypaw. "You can leave now."

Jaypaw fought the urge to curl his lip at the former ShadowClan leader he'd heard about in stories. "I wasn't planning on sticking around," he said. Urging himself to wake up, Jaypaw focused on familiar sounds from the apprentice's den, snuffling, whispers, snoring and the sound of several cats breathing into the open air. The feel of his woven long grass nest underneath his sleepy body, and cool open air wash away the remnants of hot greenleaf air that had congealed around his body. 

He woke, not even registering the usually jarring change in vision from sighted to his usual blindness. He'd found the third cat! He only needed to discover the fourth. He'd spoken to his denmates, who'd informed him that RiverClan apprentices were Troutpaw, Rushpaw and Mossypaw. His thoughts lingered over each one, standing over a precipice, to descend into their dreams.