Chapter 2

A paw prodded Shadowkit in the side. He woke up groggily. Two green eyes looked at him. A tabby pelt gleamed in the morning light. He looked just a little younger than an apprentice. He wouldn't stop poking him until Shadowkit finally stood up. Shadowkit stretched and yawned.

"Well, he's finally awake! I thought that he'd sleep for a moon! He sleeps like a hedgehog!" the tabby kit exclaimed.

Shadowkit again felt insulted. He was a hedgehog! The fact that they make hedgehogs seem like lazy, insignificant mammals made him mad. They were comparing him to what he actually was in the form of an insult! The tabby continued before Shadowkit could make a retort.

"My name is Dawnkit! What's your name? Well, DUH! It's Shadowkit. Everyone knows who you are! Welcome! Over there is Lightkit the positive, Swiftkit the mopey, and Emeraldkit the odd! I don't know why she's odd... She's mysterious! Do you two come from the same place? Where's that? How much do you know about the outside world?" The tabby tom kept going on and on. He never stopped. Emeraldkit covered her ears out of annoyance, Lightkit smiled sheepishly, and Swiftkit thought he was going to explode. Swiftkit jumped to his paws.

"Would you shut your big mouth?!" Swiftkit demanded.

"What?! I was just asking a few questions!" Dawnkit snapped. Lightkit stepped in front of Dawnkit.

"You'll have to excuse him. He's got talking issues...," she said casting him a stern look. Dawnkit backed away. "Anyway, I'm glad you're able to be a part of this clan! It'll be great to have a new member!"

"She's right! It's good to have you here!" replied a new voice. A cream colored she-cat padded in from outside. She stretched and pulled Dawnkit closer to her. She began to lick his fur to groom it. Dawnkit groaned.

"Mom... I can groom myself...," Dawnkit muttered.

"You neglect the responsibility," the she-cat told him.

Shadowkit figured that was Vanilla. He looked down at his fur. It didn't look as nice as it did the day before... Would he have to lick it to groom it? He gave his chest fur a lick. He was surprised at how rough his tongue was. His tongue felt like sandpaper almost. He continued licking. It was odd, but it worked. Nobody questioned his actions.

"Vanillaflower, didn't you say that Shadowkit was needed by Cosmicleaf?" asked Lightkit.

Vanillaflower nodded to her. She looked over to Shadowkit. "You can make it there yourself correct?"

"I know where it is. Blazepelt and Goldenpaw showed me yesterday. I will be fine," Shadowkit explained.

"Very well. I shall see you later," Vanillaflower said.

"Bye, Shadowkit!" Lightkit and Dawnkit told him in sync.

Before leaving, Shadowkit looked over at Emeraldkit. She was looking at him. Her eyes specifically said: "Don't tell anyone." He nodded to her. She curled back up with her tails to her nose to take a nap. Swiftkit rolled his eyes at her.

"You know, as a warrior, you don't just take a nap whenever you feel like it," he hissed at her. Her ear twitched. Shadow glared at him.

"Don't talk to her like that. There are many things you don't know about her," Shadowkit replied.

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Why she keeps her claws sharp," Shadowkit answered. He left without another word.

Swiftkit looked back at Emeraldkit. He looked at her claws as they sheathed and unsheathed themselves. A purr rose from her throat. She was imagining herself ripping her enemies apart. Swiftkit moved away from her.

Shadowkit looked around the camp as he approached Cosmicleaf's medicine den. He saw Diamondwing slip out of the camp unnoticed by any cat other than himself. Camoflight looked around the camp. He turned and began to walk to the bramble tunnel. He disappeared in plain sight when he was halfway there. Shadowkit figured he was Espio. Sonicwind was basking on the rock next to Doublepaw who was running around with excitement. Shadowkit remembered that his warrior ceremony was today. He wondered what happened in a warrior ceremony. Did anything incredible happen? Shadowkit figured out that when you become an apprentice, you get 'paw at the end of your name. So, when you become a warrior, your name gets changed again, but you do not know what name you get. He finally reached the medicine cat den.

"Cosmicleaf? You said you wanted me?" asked Shadowkit looking into the den. He didn't see anyone anywhere. He walked further in. "Hello? Is anybody there? I heard- Ow!"

A forceful paw came down upon his back it knocked him over. A white blur flew past him and aimed another shot at him. Shadowkit quickly rolled to dodge. He jumped to his feet and raced after the cat. He hissed and fluffed up his fur. He grabbed onto the tail of the white feline and bit down as hard as he could. His mouth grew salty as he bit down harder from the blood in his mouth. The cat let out a meow of surprise. The cat threw him off and shoved him to the ground. Shadowkit lay there panting awaiting his fate. The white cat raised its paw but sheathed its claws. The mysterious being allowed Shadowkit to stand up.

"Wha-?!" demanded Shadowkit.

"I'm sorry to test you. I had to make sure. Let me help you with that scratch I gave you. I'm sorry," a female voice said. She sounded familiar. Shadowkit looked up to see Cosmicleaf's calm and collected eyes. She nosed through some herbs until she found the right ones. Shadowkit watched her work still alarmed that it was her.

"You were testing me by attacking me?! You're the medicine-"

"Shush! Keep it down... If anyone hears about this..., I'll be in trouble. Come on! I can help my tail wound later! This is much too important!" she told him ushering him out of the camp. Shadowkit tried once or twice to object. He didn't succeed in any of those attempts. Once they were far from camp, Cosmicleaf turned back to him.

"Why are you doing all of this?! What do I have to do with anything?!" Shadowkit demanded.

"You know more than the average kit. You know a lot about the arts of battle, speech, cleverness, and agility. Explains how you were able to beat Sonicwind so easily. Now, I must talk to you! I got a message from StarClan about you! They told me that a kit of night and day shall appear with the power from beyond StarClan in his paws. You are of three moons an already know more than the average kit! You've already proven yourself faster than the deputy! You are the cat they were talking about! Pelt of night in the clan of day... It must be you!" Cosmicleaf explained.

"I'm part of a prophecy?" asked Shadowkit in disbelief.

Cosmicleaf looked around again. She scented cats in the air. Shadowkit could scent the cats as well, but he wasn't yet able to identify their scents. Cosmicleaf huffed. "Border patrol! Can't we go anywhere without being interrupted? Hm... Crocscale, Beepaw, and Acorntail by the looks of it... Quick! Into the wild garlic!" hissed Cosmicleaf in a whisper. She shoved him into a patch of wild garlic not far from there. It had a very strong smell and Shadowkit knew it would take ages to get the strong scent out of his fur. The patrol then came by.

"I'm going to find the biggest, fattest piece of prey in the whole forest! Look at that! A squirrel! Up in the tree!" Beepaw exclaimed pointing up the tree that they were hiding next to. So far, nobody noticed them.

"Beepaw, don't talk so loud! You'll scare the squirrel!" Crocscale scolded.

The squirrel looked up and bounded away in terror. The only thing that remained was the nut that it was nibbling on. Acorntail shook her head.

"Yeah, Crocscale... There goes all the prey in SunClan territory. It probably fled to MoonClan's borders! Come on, let's get this done and head back to camp...," Acorntail sighed.

The patrol padded away with Beepaw chattering on as usual. Cosmicleaf stood back up. Shadowkit huffed with annoyance at her. He tried to lick the scent off, but the scent only latched onto his tongue and tasted revolting. Shadowkit hissed.

"Sorry, it was important that we didn't get discovered. Yesterday, I went to the MoonCliff. The stones in the cliff allow us to communicate with StarClan, our warrior ancestors who live in Silverpelt in the night sky. They watch over us and send us warnings about the future. I'm the medicine cat. I get the messages from StarClan and deliver them to the clan cats. Yes, I do heal them as well. They told me that you would come. That's why this is such a big deal. You are important for some reason. I just... don't know how yet," Cosmicleaf explained.

"So, you attacked me to test to see if I was the cat that a bunch of dead cats told you about?"

"Well... I suppose that's one way to put it," Cosmicleaf said awkwardly.

Shadowkit huffed. He so that's what all of this "StarClan" stuff was about. He didn't care a lick about it! He was doing fine without StarClan! He frowned. "Sorry, I'm not buying it. All of this just to be told about something I don't believe in," Shadowkit stated. He raced through the trees leaving a stunned Cosmicleaf behind.

The voices he had been hearing swirled around him. This time it wasn't Sonic. It was a lot of different voices. All of them sounded familiar. Shadowkit stopped. He sniffed the air. Where was he? Nobody told him about a large lake in the forest. Shadowkit felt that the voices were coming from it. He looked into the lake only to see his own reflection. He didn't know completely what he looked like until now. He saw a tiny black kit with tiny red stripes who was too small to be a part of anything. He sighed and turned away.

Shadow... Come with me...

The voice surprised him. He hadn't been able to figure out what the voices were saying until now. They were calling him? He walked back to the lake.

You see little kit, I see greatness... Power... Glory! You shall rule the forest one day I'm sure... You will be the greatest cat of all... Everycat will bow to you...

Shadowkit had no idea what was going on. All of that sounded familiar in a way. It was something he wanted. He wanted it more than ever. He approached the lake.

Bow your head low... ALL HAIL SHADOW!!

Shadowkit smirked. When he looked into the lake. He didn't see the puny kit. He saw Shadowstar. He saw a large, muscular, good-looking cat with blood red eyes that gleamed with confidence. All of the cats in the forest were behind him.

Just touch the water... Touch us...

Cosmicleaf bolted into the clearing. She bowled over Shadowkit and hissed into the lake. "Shadowkit is not yours to take! StarClan sent him to us! No matter what happens, I will protect him from your evil grasp!"

The reflection of Shadowstar faded. A black ghostly cat stood in its place. He smirked at Cosmicleaf.

You say you can protect him... I've seen his heart. I've seen his desires. That cat shall be joining the ranks of The Valley of Lost Echoes! Well, you win this time. I shall be back. I'm not going to back down so easily!

The reflection of the dark cat vanished in a large ripple in the lake. Shadowkit stood to his feet weakly. He looked into Cosmicleaf's eyes. They were filled with anger, concern, and disappointment.

"What do you think you're doing?! You could've been lost! You shouldn't have come this far into the forest! Only medicine cats are allowed to come beyond this point! This is the Lake of the Lost. Too many cats have roamed into this forest and never returned because of this lake! You almost joined them! What do you have to say for yourself?!" she scolded.

His answer came out as a squeak. "I was not in the best mood. They showed me what I've been wanting and I couldn't help it!"

Cosmicleaf's stern gaze softened and she nudged him back to his feet. "We may get tempted, but we still can't let them take anyone. We need our full strength for handling MoonClan. Nothing can possibly stop us if StarClan sent you to help us."

Shadowkit got it. So, back towards the camp he trotted. Voices surrounded him again. Not from the lake. It felt as if they were coming to him from the sky. They rode the winds down to the land just to speak to him. Cosmicleaf seemed to sense the voices as well. She stopped.

"You feel something. I can sense it as well. What are they saying?" she asked him.

Shadowkit listened closer. The voices were hard to make out, but he was able to tell what they were saying. "They are saying over and over: "Come to the MoonCliff. Your destiny lies there where the stars and the land become one, Chosen One." That's what they're saying," Shadowkit explained.

"Well... Come on! Back the other way! We must get back to the camp before Doublepaw's warrior ceremony. He should be having it towards the end of the day. If you're going to share tongues with StarClan, we must be sure we make it back. If we don't, the others in our clan will get suspicious. Not even I can take kits around for a stroll after dark and get away with it. Come on!" she told him. They turned around and ran back into the forbidden part of the forest. They didn't go by the Lake of the Lost because the dirt path split in two. They ran down the other path which led to a rocky gorge. The gorge contained high cliffs of solid rock making it easy for an avalanche to occur if they weren't careful. The gorge ended in a dead end. A small pool of water was at the end and purple glowing gems were in the side of the cliff. Cosmicleaf nudged Shadowkit closer to the small pool of water.

"The voices are clearer here. I can hear them all talking to me. What could they possibly want?" asked Shadowkit.

Cosmicleaf shook her head sincerely. "I don't know what StarClan has in mind for you. All that I know is that it must be important. This is the first time I've ever taken a kit anywhere near the MoonCliff."

Shadowkit sighed. He was going to have to go in blindly. He slowly approached the water. He slowly placed his paws into the clear, shallow water. He waded over to one of the glowing gems. They reminded him of the chaos emeralds. He leaned in closer to the point where his nose was up against the cold, hard stone. He felt the world begin to fade as he entered what felt like a dream.

"Shadow the Hedgehog I presume?" asked a voice that seemed to surround him completely. He couldn't tell yet where the voice was coming from. The voice sounded female.

"I was Shadow the Hedgehog. What's so important that you had to send me to this place?" asked Shadowkit narrowing his eyes as he looked around. The place seemed more saturated than normal. It was as if the entire world was painted over with a bunch of brightly colored paints that still made the world look real. The entire world surrounding him was forest. He could hear prey shuffling around in the undergrowth. He was half tempted to try and catch something, but he stayed where he was to not be rude.

"I'm Galaxyfern. I was the former medicine cat of SunClan. With the former leader, Earthstar. We need to talk to you." Another white she-cat padded out of the undergrowth. She had a pelt that gleamed with stars and she didn't appear to have any wounds. It was clear to him. She was a heavenly StarClan warrior.

"What is it that you wish of me?" asked Shadow.

"Have you realized that your back to hedgehog form?" asked Earthstar with a purr. She had silver fur and green eyes that reflected the plants of the clearing rather than Shadow. Shadow thought that it almost made her look like she wasn't paying much attention.

"You haven't noticed that you're standing on your back legs? I thought that'd we'd barely be able to get your attention because you'd be so happy!" exclaimed Galaxyfern.

Shadow looked at himself. He was back to normal. He was glad, but he wasn't really that excited. Shadow looked back at the cats and shrugged. Their ears twitched with surprise. Shadow explained. "I may have my form back, but the only reason I do is because this is all a dream. I still think of myself like this. If I dream, my brain thinks me up like this which is why you can't change my form in a dream."

"You're right. We can visit, but we can't change the reality unless if we really must. We stay here as we watch over you and act when needed. The reason you're here is still not known to us. You have a power from beyond StarClan. You come from the planet of Mobius. We know everything about you. Your world rests beyond the borders of StarClan, but we can still watch to see what happens. We then heard of a coming danger that required the power and knowledge of a cat who wasn't always a cat. We allowed you to keep your memory, but you are young so that you can be more curious about the world and learn about the ways of the warrior cats. When you die on Earth shall be when you return to your own world. That's just about all we know right there," Earthstar explained.

"So when I die, I go back to my old life as Shadow the Hedgehog. I think I've got that. Even so, did you drag me here just to tell me that?" asked Shadow.

"No. We came here to warn you that the mission of adapting to clan life isn't easy. The fire that burns in your soul will be what keeps you going. You were sent to this world to save it. However, if your power gets into the wrong paws, disaster may strike," Galaxyfern replied.

Shadow rolled his eyes. "I figured that much. Why send me, though? Why not someone else? Wouldn't having another Sonicwind be easier?"

"The clans would figure out that they are the same cat. The reason we chose you is because your look-alike is already dead. Shadowstrike!" yelled Earthstar.

A black tom with red eyes and thick red stripes padded out towards them. Shadow thought that he was rather handsome. He was, at least, based on some cat who looked good. Shadowstrike dipped his head loyally to Earthstar.

"Greetings, Earthstar. How may I serve you?" he asked. His voice was smooth and deep. Much deeper than Shadow's voice as a kit.

"Shadowstrike, meet your look-alike from a different world. He's gonna take your place on the Earth as a living being with your body," Earthstar explained.

Shadowstrike's ears twitched with disbelief. He looked at Shadow with narrowed eyes. "He's a hedgehog. Oh yeah, I've seen him before. His world is far across the border of our dimensions. We can look into it, but we can't really look into it. He's that dark hedgehog with insecurities about dead Twolegs. Hmph! At least, I'm dead! Go on! Make a fool out of me!" Shadowstrike hissed turning his back.

"Hey! Be nice. He's the one from the prophecy!" Galaxyfern hissed in return.

"Whatever," Shadowstrike commented. He ran off to hunt.

Shadow watched him run off. He turned back to Galaxyfern and Earthstar. "Nice guy."

"Yeah... He's not exactly a very happy cat anymore. He used to be. Although, when he saw that one of his childhood friends wasn't in StarClan he freaked out and is now no longer in a very good mood," Galaxyfern explained.

Childhood friend? Could he possibly mean- No. She's still alive. Or... Or was she always...?

"Yes... We reincarnated her. She isn't in StarClan. She's a cat who's still alive," Earthstar said.

"Goldenpaw."

"Huh?" the both asked.

"She's been reincarnated into Goldenpaw.That cat reminds me of a friend I had a long time ago. Her name was Maria. Maria is now dead. However, in this dimension, she could be reincarnated again by you," Shadow explained.

"Perceptive hedgehog isn't he? Well, he'll need that for the future. I'm afraid that you must go now if you wish to return to the camp in time for Doublepaw's warrior ceremony. Be sure to come back with the medicine cats every half-moon. We will need to speak to you more," Galaxyfern told him.

Shadow nods. He then remembers something. "By the way, MoonClan is planning to attack SunClan next half-moon."

"We know. We've known of their plan for a while. We've just been waiting for you to come and we wanted to test the abilities of your spies. Speaking of which, I wouldn't recommend trusting every cat in your clan," Earthstar said. Her face clouded at the thought.

"What do you mean? Emeraldkit? I know she comes from MoonClan."

"She bares no threat to the clan at this time. We really shouldn't tell you who is. If we tell you, you won't tell will you?" asked Galaxyfern with a hard and serious expression.

"Sure. Why would I want it to be a secret?"

"If you tell anyone, they'll assume you're lying and you won't be trusted. If your clanmates don't trust you, you won't be able to do anything heroic or save anything. Understood?"

Shadow nods. He leans in as Earthstar takes a deep breath.

"It's... Jetstorm," she said.

Shadow had already figured he was trouble. If there was someone who would cause trouble, it would be Jet the Hawk. He nods and fades from the realm of StarClan.

"Do you really think that it was a good idea to lie to him about who the danger is?" asked Galaxyfern.

"Nobody can know. Not even him. He wouldn't believe me if I told him," Earthstar sighed.

Shadowkit woke up still standing in the puddle. Cosmicleaf was looking at him contently. She stood up. "Did you figure out any answers?"

"Yes."

"Very well. Let's go back to our camp. Before the ceremony starts."

The two cats ran through the trees and finally made it to the tunnel. He dove under the bush and ran out to the clearing. They made it before the ceremony started. Knucklestar was jumping up on top of the Skyrock. He yowled the announcement for everyone to gather below the Skyrock. Doublepaw was with Sonicwind and trying not to wriggle with excitement.

"I have a great announcement to make! Doublepaw has completed his training with Sonicwind!"

Meows of excitement rang throughout the clearing. Knucklestar waited for them to quiet down before continuing.

"Doublepaw, please come to the Skyrock." Knucklestar waited for Doublepaw to scramble onto the Skyrock in front of Knucklestar. Shadowkit paid close attention. "I, Knucklestar, leader of SunClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Doublepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Doublepaw looked at him boldly. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Doublepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Doubletail. StarClan honors your courage and intelligence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SunClan." Knucklestar rested his muzzle on Doubletail's head and Doubletail respectfully licked his shoulder. All of the cats in the clearing began to chant his name over and over.

"Doubletail! Doubletail! Doubletail!"

Doubletail smiled as he hopped down from the Skyrock. The sun began to go down and he ran outside of the camp and Shadowkit knew he was sitting outside the camp. He was guarding the tunnel. Goldenpaw bounded over to him.

"Hi, Shadowkit!" she said.

"Hi. What's he doing?" asked Shadowkit looking over at the tunnel.

"It's a tradition for all new warriors to do a silent vigil and guard the camp for the rest of the night. Doubletail will be out there until the sun rises. I wonder when the kits will become apprentices. Cheesepaw, Beepaw, and I will get bored without Doubletail...," she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Don't worry. You and Doubletail are still friends I'm sure. He just has new responsibilities. Every cat has to get older and become a warrior. Leave the life of being an apprentice behind. Moving up in life is a good thing," Shadowkit explained.

"You sound like my mentor Blazepelt. You're right! Besides, you'll be moving into the apprentice den in three moons!" Goldenpaw said cheering up.

"What if you become a warrior by then?" asked Shadowkit.

"I'll just fail all of my assessments until you become an apprentice then!" Goldenpaw answered simply.

"Please, if you care at all about your reputation, don't do it!" Shadowkit told her.

"Who cares about reputations?"

"Okay, if you care anything about me and my health, you won't do it!" he corrected. He knew that would be more meaningful.

"Okay! If it'll make you happy, I'll pass them all! I'll be the best warrior with the best reputation ever!" Goldenpaw said making a callback on what he had said a few seconds ago.

"Good."

Vanillaflower padded back out of the nursery and looked around. She spotted Shadowkit and pelted over to him. "What were you thinking staying out of camp all day?!" she demanded with a scolding hiss.

Shadowkit was about to answer when Cosmicleaf walked over. "I was showing him some herbs in our territory. You know, so he knows what plants are dangerous and which aren't. I'm sure you can understand, right?"

Vanillaflower still didn't look convinced. "All day just to show him herbs?!"

Cosmicleaf smiled. "Okay, the next time I go out, I won't stop Shadowkit from eating some... death berries," Cosmicleaf stated. She paused in mid sentence for dramatic effect. Vanillaflower flattened her fur and shook her head. Cosmicleaf nudged Shadowkit back towards Vanillaflower.

"You'd best go with her before she gets mad again," Cosmicleaf told him.

"Bye, Shadowkit!" Goldenpaw shouted with a wave of her tail.

Shadowkit scurried back into the nursery. He began to groom his fur before he was forced to go to sleep. He couldn't help but notice Emeraldkit's gaze upon him again. Her eyes burned into his skin and he couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking about. What she was wanting of him. Probably to continue to say nothing. If that was what she wanted, wish granted.

Day two is over. On to day three. Then to day four. Then to day five. Then to day six. On and on and on until the day I die. Will things ever get better? It makes me wonder. StarClan, help me sleep for the night may only be swallowed up in the yellings of the beings I once knew. Ease the voice of Sonic that follows me everywhere. Give me a night of silence.

For once, the voice didn't disturb him. The voices didn't surround him. He felt completely normal. He felt that he really belonged there for the first time. For the first time since he had gotten there, he didn't have a nightmare.