Jaypaw sucked in a breath at Hollypaw's words, even though he'd been thinking them himself. They sounded much more chilling when said out loud.

Lionpaw sat frozen, all muscles tensed. "No," he growled, swinging his head to the side, not meeting their eyes. "No. I'm not like him. I'll never be like him." He raised his glare to Hollypaw. "My father fought against other cat's prejudices his whole life to be seen as his own cat. Your mother left ThunderClan to escape his image! You can't accuse me of being like him." His fiery gaze swept over Jaypaw, who averted his gaze.

"What Hollypaw means is that you have to be careful. She's not picking on you because of Tigerstar. Being invincible could be dangerous. It could go wrong very easily," Jaypaw said.

Lionpaw scoffed. "So's your power. You can spy on other cat's dreams. You can invade other's privacy and even control their dreams. But no one said anything about that. Hollypaw hasn't raised her concerns about your powers," Lionpaw's voice turned sour. "Of course my powers are dangerous. All of our powers are, we're as powerful as StarClan. But none of you cared until I got mine." He looked back at Hollypaw. "Don't ever tell me I'm like Tigerstar. You of all people should know better." He stomped to the other side of the den

Hollypaw whisked her tail, walking across to him. "Oh, Lionpaw, I'm sorry. I just think its important that we remember Tigerstar's actions devastated the Clans." Her voice softened, but each word still carried weight. "As powerful cats, we need to make sure we never grow hungry on our power the way he did. StarClan blessed us with our powers, so we know we're okay. As long as we follow their guidance and the code, we're fine."

Jaypaw stared at his paws. He'd never thought of his powers as invasive. But Hollypaw was right, what's the harm? He'd only ever used them for the sake of the prophecy. Her words brought him back to his earlier thoughts. StarClan had never said their powers would be good. The prophecy could mean that they would hurt the Clans. But Rock said that they were fighting for the Clans, so they had to be good!

Jaypaw scuffed his paw over the leaf mulch that littered the ground. Why couldn't Rock or StarClan give them an answer? He'd never get any answers in here, hiding in the undergrowth, too scared of interfering and changing the future.

Jaypaw picked his way out of the undergrowth, draping fern dragging across his spine. Walking back into the clearing. he stared at the scene. No amount of stories could have prepared him for the devastation this battle had caused. Bodies  strung across the clearing, slumped over, wrecked in a savage kind of violence. A chest torn open, lily-white ribs exposed in the moonlight. Throats slit, the cuts gaping, two jagged lines of flesh that would never touch again. Grieving cats sitting in the blood of their deceased, their wounds fresh, open, and angry.

Jaypaw's breath hitched. He shut his eyes, welcoming the dark relief it provided. Never before had he wished he could erase a sight from his mind.

A soft, feathery tail brushed across his spine. Looking to his left, Lionpaw gazed out at the massacre, his expression grim and teeth gritted. Next to him, Hollypaw's face contorted, her sleek tail draped over Lionpaw's back. Jaypaw sighed, grateful for their presence. At that moment, he vowed never to let the Clans go the same way.  No matter what force was rising against them, they'd stand against it. This kind of destruction would never happen again.

As they watched in silent solidarity, taking in the brutality of their history, Jaypaw noticed the moonlight gradually growing brighter, washing the clearing in an ethereal glow.

"Look!" Hollypaw whispered.

Jaypaw couldn't figure out what she was looking at. There was just too much to watch. Too many cats, bodies overflowing with grief. He couldn't focus. He noticed the leaders all turn to watch something - a single cat, pacing towards them. Jaypaw stared at this cat. Her fur seemed to sparkle as if each hair on her body was a blade of grass, cradling a dewdrop. They glimmered as she moved. Jaypaw's jaws dropped. The first StarClan cat, revealing herself to the Clans for the first time. Each glimmer must be been a star.

And in perfect synchronisation, the dead began to rise. From their limp bodies rose a faded form, all strung with stars. They left their bodies behind, walking among the living, saying their goodbyes. Jaypaw took a shaky step closer, wanting to hear what they were saying. Hollypaw and Lionpaw walked with him. 

A tortoiseshell spirit glared at Clear Sky. "You fool, Clear Sky." Jaypaw pricked his ears, catching her hiss. "When did you decide it was okay to kill the cats you were raised beside?"

Clear Sky shook his head, backing away. "I only wanted to protect my own."

"Killing only leads to more killing. Let your mistakes teach you," she said. "Leave us now. I must talk to Gray Wing."

"I never knew it was a ThunderClan cat who started the war," Lionpaw murmured. Meeting Hollypaw and Lionpaw's questioning eyes, he shook his great head. "Clear Sky must be ThunderClan. This fight is because he wanted to protect his borders in the forest, where ThunderClan used to live. How come no one ever told me that?" His ears drooped.

The three watched as the first silver cat approached Clear Sky, her eyes hard. She flicked her tail and the bodies surrounding them. "Is this what you planned?"

Clear Sky looked around at the bodies. "I-I was trying to do the right thing."

"No." A muscle in Hollypaw's jaw jumped. "'An honourable warrior does not need to kill other cats to win his battles.'" 

"And you didn't guess how it would end?" The spirit continued.

"I followed my instincts," he replied.

"Your instincts?"

"I had to protect my cats."

"Your cats?"

"I'm their leader. I'm responsible for them."

The spirit cat tipped her head, gaze fixed on Clear Sky. "And have you protected them?"

There was a long, heavy pause as he stared at the bodies once more. "I have not." His words were so quiet Jaypaw had to strain to hear them.

The Spirit didn't take her eyes off of him. "You've been greedy, Clear Sky. You wanted power over every cat."

"That's not true!" Clear Sky shook his head, pleading with the cats around him. I had to make difficult decisions. That took courage. You must understand!"

She jerked her head towards another spirit, who was stalking over to them. 'Was killing her courageous?" 

The silence that met her words was deafening. The second spirit glared down at Clear Sky. He wilted under her gaze. "I didn't want to see any cat starve. I was scared my heart would break if I saw any cat die like Fluttering Bird."

"But you just caused all these deaths," Jaypaw muttered.

The Spirit nodded. "Fear is what drove you." Her voice softened. "Fear is a powerful instinct that only the strongest cat can resist. But now you see there's no need to be afraid. We have shown you death is nothing for you to fear. It's not the end."

"Just imagine it," Hollypaw breathed. "Life before StarClan. Believing that when your clanmates die, they're gone forever."

Lionpaw nudged her. "It's surprising that all these cats still cared for each other. Wouldn't survival take over, if you believed there was nothing after death? Wouldn't you hoard all the prey and territory you could to ensure your survival? You'd be terrified of death."

Hollypaw nodded. "It would be the end. You just...wouldn't exist. What would that be like?"

"Hmm," Lionpaw mused. "You know when you're drifting off to sleep and before you dream, you just feel and think nothing? Just an empty black? I bet it's like that."

"Shut up!" Jaypaw hissed at them. "You can have an existential discussion later when we're not watching the most important thing to ever happen to the Clans."

They all fell silent, watching what was going on in front of them. The spirit cat was speaking.

She turned to Thunder. "My dear son. I could not be more proud of the cat you've become. Do you know why we've come here?"

Thunder narrowed his eyes, puzzled. "To show us that death is not the end."

"You've heard tales of Stoneteller, the cat who learned to speak to the ancients. Did you think she imagined the cats who had gone before her?"

"So they did have some idea of an afterlife?" Hollypaw questioned. Jaypaw shot her a glare, and she fell silent once more.

"Then why are you here?" Thunder asked her.

"Do you remember what I told you?" The Spirit asked, her expression soft.

Thunder frowned. "That I would know when to make things right."

"Now is the time."

"Now?" Thunder stared at her. "What do I have to do?"

"Can't you guess?" She gestured around at the bodies surrounding them. "After all this death, don't you know?" She glanced at another cat, a lithe brown tabby. "Have you guessed our message?" At the blank response, she flicked her gaze to a silver cat who'd come closer to listen to the conversation. "What about you? Do you know?"

This cat sat down, looking more peaceful than the others. "I think so." Silence gripped the clearing. "The fighting must end. It has torn us apart-"

Clear Sky turned on him, teeth bared. "How dare you come here, acting like one of us? This has nothing to do with you. You don't belong!"

The Spirit, previously calm, whipped her head around, lashing her tail. "Stop arguing! For once in your life, stop telling every cat who belongs and who doesn't. You don't get to decide!" She took a step towards him, eyes blazing. "Why do you think I left the forest? You came here from the mountains and brought nothing but death. This is your chance to make amends." Her gaze raked over all the watching cats. "All of you!"

The light began to dim, casting cool shadows over the clearing. Jaypaw looked up, watching clouds drift across the moon, concealing it from view. A sharp flare of white light burst beside it, streaking across the sky. Jaypaw's mouth fell open as he watched its trail, falling from the sky.

"It's a sign," A tom murdered, watching the star fall from the sky.

"You all live under the same stars," The silver spirit told them.

"And a single moon shines onto all your nests," Another spirit said.

A black spirit gazed fondly at the black molly, who Jaypaw figured must be Shadowstar. "We came to tell you only one thing," he purred. "Unite or die."

Jaypaw sucked in a breath at the iconic lines that had been echoed throughout history, what he'd been told was the catalyst for the birth of the Clans.

"Don't let these deaths be wasted," The silver spirit added. "This must never happen again."

Clear Sky stared at her. "We'll unite," he promised. "From now on, we live as one."

The spirits began fading, disappearing into the night. Their transparent bodies melted into the landscape, leaving glittering remnants in their wake. Darkness swallowed the clearing once more as the moon retreated behind the cover of clouds as if allowing the cats privacy to grieve behind the cover of dull black. The bodies lay unmoving, not even a stroke of wind to stir their fur. So lifeless, with no spirit tethered to their body, the mercilessness of the battle was once again clear.

"And that was the beginning of the Clans as you know them today," rasped a voice in Jaypaw's ear.

Jaypaw jumped, letting out an instinctive hiss. But he knew the voice. Rock.

"You've seen how the Clans came to be. But you're young and you're stupid, so I expect you have questions," he addressed all three of them. Before even waiting for a reply he slunk back into the undergrowth. Jaypaw, Lionpaw, and Hollypaw followed.

Rock sighed, his milky eyes staring at the three. "Go on, what do you want to know?"

Jaypaw glanced at Hollypaw, expecting her to have some intelligent question to ask. She stared back at Rock, her gaze as blank as his.

Lionpaw took the initiative. "The Great Battle...there are some things I don't understand-"

"-There's a surprise," Rock interrupted.

"Those cats, Gray Wing and Clear Sky. Well, I know who Gray Wing was, he's important to WindClan. But I've never heard of Clear Sky before," Lionpaw said.

Rock shook his head. "Clear Sky was Gray Wing's brother and Thunderstar's father. He, uh." He licked his lips, ducking his head. "He split from the group and chose to live in the forest. To repent for beginning this battle and causing bloodshed, he stepped down from his place as a leader and gave it up to his son."

"But why haven't we heard about him?" Lionpaw sat down, tilting his head.

Rock shuffled his paws. "How should I know? History gets warped over time.  Did you know the Clans were originally the Tribe of Rushing Water?"

Jaypaw and Lionpaw both shook their heads. "But the story of the great battle continues to be told. Every cat hears it as a kit to warn us against battle! So why has Clear Sky been erased?" Lionpaw pressed on.

"Could've been intentional. A cat who claimed many lives out of his greed for power destined to be forgotten, to have the least power of all. Or maybe he just slipped out of history." Rock flicked an ear.

"You're missing the important thing!" Hollypaw burst out, tail lashing behind her.

Jaypaw looked over at her, hearing panic rise in her voice. Her tail whipped from side to side, hers pinned back. "The spirit cats told the Clans they needed to unify and to stop fighting. StarClan's original vision for the Clans was for us to live in peace! Clan life was founded upon a will for peace, but we still fight each other. Are we doing everything wrong? Are StarClan angry?"

"Maybe that's what the prophecy is for," Lionpaw mused. "For us to bring peace to the Clans for good."

Jaypaw shook his head. "StarClan isn't angry, they still guide us and they've never told us to stop. They just meant for the Clans to stop their war. We started with war and had a period of peace and then went back to fighting. It's just our nature."

"But what if it shouldn't be!" Hollypaw's fur bristled, whiskers trembling. "Maybe StarClan isn't angry, but we're disobeying our first rules. We aren't living the way we're supposed to be!"

"There isn't a right and a wrong way of living. If we didn't fight, what's a point in us being Clans?" Jaypaw replied.

"StarClan, I'm sorry for what I've done wrong. If we Clans have misunderstood your message, we will do better. Send a sign, tell us what you mean. Should we unite as one Clan? Should we pledge peace forever?" Hollypaw muttered, tipping her head back to the sky.

"I don't think we're meant to fight all the time," Lionpawput in. "Jaypaw, you're wrong. We're not bound to our nature. We make decisions and choices that make us who we are. Kittypets choose to live with twolegs, but cats aren't supposed to live that way. RiverClan cats swim because they want to, even though no other cat likes water. You run around in tunnels, that's certainly not natural!"

Jaypaw rolled his eyes. "We eat because we have to. We drink because we have to. We die if we don't. We won't die if we don't fight but there are some things we can't help doing."

"We have a choice. I have to believe that." Lionpaw nodded with finality.

"If you're all done talking-" Rock began,interrupted by Hollypaw.

"Listen. We need to think about this. It raises so many questions. StarClan told us to unite or die, and lately, we've faced so many struggles, like Tigerstar, the destruction of the forest, and now this prophecy. What if that was a punishment? What if we're supposed to be one Clan, or that we're supposed to be peaceful all the time? No more border skirmishes or silly battles over prey and territory?" Hollypaw dropped her head, staring at Rock. "As that what we're meant to do? Bring the Clans back to StarClan's original message?"

Rock opened his mouth to end her tirade, but Jaypaw got there first.

"Don't be so stupid. If we'd been doing something wrong for generations, StarClan would've told us. Bad things happen sometimes. You get power-hungry cats, twolegs destroy things. Whatever. Fights happen. If StarClan expected the Clans to get on all the time, they need to be realistic." Jaypaw rolled his eyes.

"All of you, shut up!" Rock snarled.

The three fell silent.

"I asked for questions, not this drivel." Rock bared his teeth. "I've been waiting for the Four to arrive ever since the first sun over the lake. Now you're finally here, but you're young and you're stupid."

None of the three knew how to respond to Rock's anger. Jaypaw continued to flick his tail, sinking his claws into the dirt. Rock seemed to droop, like a flower in the night.

"You're young," he sighed. "So, so young. Of course, you're running around like panicked rabbits, you're too young to have this weight on your backs."

Jaypaw hissed. "Stop calling us young or stupid! We've been waking up in different times for days, trying to figure out what StarClan wants. And every time we do. We've proven we're capable. We know more than you think."

Jaypaw expected to see Rock's temper fire up again, but he just shook his head. "No, Jaypaw," he said. "You're far too young for the journey laid out for you. You know less than you think. But I'll explain some things to you today. Plainly and clearly. You've seen all you need to see."

Lionpaw let out a sigh of relief. "And then we can go back to our normal time? I'll be able to see my Clanmates again?"

Rock nodded.

"You know of a prophecy foretelling Four cats would be born with great power, more power than StarClan themselves. Three of you have found each other already. Jaypaw, you know your power, that you can walk in other cat's dreams, and you're able to see in dreams. Lionpaw, Hollypaw, do you know yours?"

Hollypaw shook her head, leaning forward, wide-eyed. "Can you tell me?'' 

"You must discover your powers on your own." Rock shook his head. He rested his bulbous eyes on Lionpaw. "What about you?"

Lionpaw opened his mouth, hesitating. "I-well, we think I...I can't be hurt. I fought in a battle and I'm fine. No cat has ever been able to hurt me before. I never really questioned it. Do I have impenetrable skin or something?" 

"No, not like that. I'm not sure what stops you from being hurt, but I don't think it's physical. You can be hurt if you stand on a thorn, or if you trip over a tree root. But other cats can't lay a claw on you unless you let them," Rock explained.

Lionpaw nodded slowly, eyes flickering from Jaypaw to Hollypaw. "And is this okay? I'm not about to go evil or anything?"

Rock wheezed out a laugh. "See, young and stupid. Having powers doesn't make you evil. You're no more likely to hurt anyone than Jaypaw, or Hollypaw, or any ordinary cat." His laugh died. "You're right to be cautious. With the strength of your powers and the weight of your duties, you must be careful not to stray into the darkness, all three of you," he growled, swinging his head around to the group.

Jaypaw snorted. "Enough of all this cryptic hare-dung. You said we've gone back in the past to see what we're fighting for. What's that supposed to mean? What do we have to do?"

"You need to learn to think for yourselves," Rock growled. "You've been watching how the Clans came to be. Tell me you understand what you've been shown." 

Jaypaw let out a soft growl. Why couldn't Rock give him a straightforward answer?

"The Clans started as some kind of ancient tribe living in the moors by the lake."' Hollypaw began, ducking her head. "Then they left to the mountains. In the mountains, they became the Tribe of Rushing Water. But then some of them left to the forest, where they split into the Clans. It's a circle, just like you said!" She finished, jutting out her chin.

Rock nodded. "You've learned your history. You must learn to think of the Clans as part of the greater world around you, not something separate from what you call kittypets, loners, rogues, and other groups of cats. You carry the blood of the Tribe, of my cats inside you. The Clans must live on, otherwise, all of that history would be lost."

"So you're saying something is going to happen to the Clans to destroy them?" Jaypaw interjected. "Because you mentioned that last time. If you're going to foretell doom, just say it."

Lionpaw sucked in a breath, the only pop of noise in the silence. 

Finally, Rock spoke. "There is a new threat rising against the Clans. I can't tell you what. But this is a darkness unlike anything the Clans have faced before. This threat was written back in time. It was always coming. Unless they can be defeated, the Clans will fall." Rock bowed his head, ears drooping. "And the burden falls on you. You three, and the fourth, are the Clan's only hope against this age-old enemy. And you're so young." He began to rock backwards and forwards. "You're young, you're stupid, and you don't deserve such a curse!" 

Jaypaw stared at Rock. Lionpaw looked bewildered, Hollypaw too. 

"StarClan must have faith in us," Lionpaw said. "Otherwise they would've chosen other cats for the prophecy."

Rock jumped to his feet, glaring at Lionpaw. "Have you been listening? StarClan is powerless, that why you three are here! They didn't choose you or give you this power. It's been foretold from before the Clans, before the tribe, before the ancients, even!" He began to pace, muttering to himself as he did so. "I've been waiting for your birth since the beginning of time, never did I think I'd be given kittens barely weaned from their mother's belly." 

"Maybe the fourth cat is older and wiser than us?" Hollypaw asked. 

He grunted and stopped pacing. "Maybe." 

"If it's been prophecised since the beginning of time, then we were supposed to be in the Four. We have to be the right cats." She nodded decisively, but the quaver in her voice was loud in the air.

 Rock sighed turning to them. "Well, you're all the Clans have got, so that'd better be true." His whiskers twitched. "That's all I can tell you at this stage. Before we can get back to your normal time, there's one last place to go."

Lionpaw groaned. 

"Don't whine!" he snapped. "It'll only be for a moment." 

Jaypaw rolled his eyes, sinking to the earth under him, awaiting the sensation that had become so familiar.