Birdpaw pretended that she was on her way back to the cave when Whiskerstar came across her. He looked mildly surprised that she had caught something, congratulating her as they settled down outside the cave with Flowerstem. The moon was high up in the sky as the three cats ate in silence, the only noises from crickets chirping. When each cat had eaten their fill, Flowerstem stood up, catching Whiskerstar and Birdpaw's attention.

"We should go into the cave now," she announced, "before the moonlight passes." Whiskerstar dipped his head in agreement and all cats stood up, stretching their legs before walking into the cave, the medicine cat in front followed closely by the apprentice and then the soon-to-be leader. The darkness was uncomfortable and felt like it was suffocating Birdpaw, the dirt on the ground clogging her claws and the scents muddling her head. After what felt like eternity, the three cats eventually came out in a dark area that was quite wide. The apprentice's eyes took a little while to adjust, but she made out a jagged hole in the roof.

"Welcome to the Moonpool," said Flowerstem, her green eyes glowing in the dark. As she spoke, moonlight spilt through the jagged hole in the room, landing on a small but deep pool of water towards the back of the cave. The light lit up the whole cave, the moss covering the walls sparkled with water drop lets and small yellow mushrooms looked like they glowed.

Flowerstem and Whiskerstar crouched down at the pool and Birdpaw quickly followed, completely unsure about what she should be doing. Her excitement was contagious, when she looked over at her mentor, she was his eyes sparkling and whiskers twitching as he looked down at the pool.

"Just touch your nose to the pool," instructed Flowerstem, dipping her nose on the surface, with Whiskerstar and his apprentice following. Birdpaw felt darkness close over her, before she felt the ground underneath her change, from springy moss to lush grass.

She opened her eyes and found herself standing in a dark forest that looked a lot like the SpringClan territory. A loud yowl made her jump out of her skin and she saw a dark ginger tom standing in the clearing near her along with a grey tabby tom, and the two didn't look like friends. The ginger tom's voice was slightly muffled but the apprentice caught a few words he was saying.

"Hello... long overdue... brings you here?"

"Give me back..." growled the grey tom, "...games."

"You mean..."said the ginger tom, "...your kits ... have any need for ...finish them off now."

"Don't you dare..." growled the grey tabby tom, sliding out his claws and digging them into the ground as he got into a battle stance. The dark ginger tom laughed before speaking again.

"...shouldn't I?" He held up a paw and inspected his claws, "...first time I have..."

"You are a monster," the grey tabby tom snarled before he yowled something else and jumped at the dark ginger tom, claws out as barrelled him to the ground. Birdpaw gasped as more cats poured out from the bushes on each side of the toms and joined in the battle. The two toms were rolling around on the ground, snarling and bitting at each other as the other cats fought as well, blood pouring onto the once green grass.

Soon the air was thick with the smell of blood, bodies lying on the ground. Birdpaw flattened her ears against her head to try and block out the pain-filled screeches and dying groans. She started to back into the bushes behind her but the dark ginger tom ran at her and barrelled her to the ground.

The apprentice jolted awake and leapt to her paws, fur spiked up and breathe coming in short gasps, as she looked wildly around. Whiskerstar was laying nearby in a deep sleep, and it hit Birdpaw, the grey tabby tom in the battle was Whiskerstar!

"I need to get some fresh air," thought the apprentice, spinning around a racing out of the cave, her paws striking the muddy floor so hard that she slipped and stumbled. Her lungs hurt as she burst out of the cave and into the crisp night air. She sat down on a rock nearby and caught her breath before removing the dirt clogging her claws. Cricket chirps filled the air and a gentle breeze blew through the trees, creating a quiet whistling. As she groomed her dirty fur, the apprentice thought over what she had seen at the Moonpool. Would there be a battle or was it a nightmare? The elders at camp said that the Moonpool often showed or told medicine cats about the future. A chill went through her spine as she looked up at the moon, hopefully, there would be no battle.