"Pebblefall! Pebblefall! Pebblefall!" Pebblefall heard the voices of his Clanmates cheering in his dream. He was finally a warrior! Spottedstar smiled down at him and his mentor mentor smiled at him from the side; the moment was perfect.

"Pebblefall, Pebblefall!" A very real and familiar voice broke into Pebblefall's sleep, and he snapped to attention, remembering that he was supposed to be keeping vigil over the Clan. To his relief, the only cat around to see him dozing was the same cat who had spoken to wake him, Sandwhisker.

"Don't worry, I fell asleep on my vigil, too," Sandwhisker, who had been made a warrior only a short time ago, whispered conspiratorially. "But now you finally get to sleep in the warriors' den!" he joked in a patronizing tone. "I have to admit, even after a half-moon, I still find myself heading back to the puny apprentices' den," Sandwhisker teased with small smile that let Pebblefall know he meant no harm by it.

Pebblefall rolled his eyes. "Longest half-moon of my life..." he muttered. Sandwhisker snickered to the side.

"Go get some rest," he suggested with a light flick of his tail against Pebblefall's shoulder, as the grey-and-white tom failed to stifle a huge yawn.

"'Mkay," Pebblefall agreed, stretching his stiff legs slowly.

"Oh!-" Sandwhisker called in a hushed whisper as Pebblefall started away, "I almost forgot! There's not a nest for you yet, so you can just use mine."

Pebblefall smiled gratefully at his friend and stepped into the warriors' den for the first time (not counting the time he and Sandwhisker had snuck in together for a peek as kits), locating Sandwhisker's nest by its scent near the back. He carefully tip-toed his way past the sleeping figures, taking extra caution to avoid treading on any tails. He wasn't used to so many cats after the empty apprentices' den.

He settled down into his friend's nest, instantly recognizing his pleasant scent, and drifted back into sleep.

~~~

Pebblefall awoke to a claw prodding his side. "Pebblefall! Get up, sleepyhead! It's past sunhigh."

Pebblefall sat up to see Sandwhisker standing in front of him. "Come on, Mudspot wants us for a hunting patrol!"

Pebblefall's eyes lit up as he caught onto Sandwhisker's enthusiasm. His first patrol as a warrior!

"Come on, slowpoke!" Sandwhisker urged, pausing to nip a loose feather out of Pebblefall's fur before bounding out of the den.

Pebblefall was sent out with Sandwhisker, Minnowstreak, and Smokestep. They made their way to the lake with bits and pieces of pleasant chatter, Sandwhisker and Pebblefall and the two older cats mainly keeping to themselves.

Eventually, Minnowstreak slowed to fall in step with Pebblefall, brushing her pelt against his coyly and adding a hint of purr to her words.

"So, new warrior, I see."

"Er-" Pebblefall tried to step away from her but found Sandwhisker on his other side, no doubt intentionally blocking his escape.

"Mouse got your tongue?" she asked with a sweet smile, brushing her tail against his.

"Er, no," he said, pulling his tail away. "But I think we're almost there," he added, despite knowing full well that the lake was still several tree-lengths away.

"I guess I'll... see you around?" Minnowstreak blinked flirtatiously at him before speeding up to rejoin Smokestep.

"You piece of crowfood, you did that on purpose!" Pebblefall hissed at his friend as soon as the she-cat was out of hearing range. His pelt burned with embarrassment. How could he let him suffer like that?

"Of course I did," Sandwhisker snickered. "Don't tell me you don't find her the least bit attractive."

"Well, I don't!" Pebblefall growled irritably. "Besides, she flirts with every tom younger than herself who are within view of Silverpelt."

Sandwhisker conceded, dipping his head. "Okay, maybe she is a bit of a flirt."

"A bit!" Pebblefall huffed under his breath, and Sandwhisker chose not to comment, though his whiskers continued to quiver in amusement.

Not long after, the patrol reached the edge of the lake and stopped. "Let's try the shallows where the river empties into the lake," Smokestep suggested, sweeping his gaze across the smooth cyan water.

The remaining three cats followed him to the riverbank and crouched in waiting. "Look Pebblefall, it's your first catch!" Sandwhisker joked, gesturing at a passing minnow.

"Really? Because I recall you being extremely proud to catch a minnow your first day of being an apprentice. You gave it to me, remember?"

Sandwhisker twitched his whiskers in amusement at the memory. "Yeah, I guess I did."

The two friends fell into a comfortable silence, with only the occasional sound of their paws hitting the water and the flailing of fish breaking it. It was quite nice, Pebblefall thought, to fish here with Sandwhisker.

Through teamwork, quick thinking, and several sets of sharp claws, the patrol managed to catch one of the larger fish of the lake. Pebblefall ended up crushed between Sandwhisker and Minnowstreak once again as the three cats followed Smokestep's lead back to camp with the fish in front of them. He let out a low growl when Minnowstreak tried to rub against him on their walk back, but did nothing except flick his tail irritatedly.

"Nice catch!" Poolripple said appreciatively as the cats returned to camp, dropping their catches on the fresh-kill pile. "Pebblefall, I need you to clean out the elders' den. Mallowshine is complaining again, and we don't have any apprentices to take care of it. . ."

Pebblefall held back a sigh of disappointment, sharing a glum look with Sandwhisker.  "Sure thing, Poolripple," he mewed as cheerfully as he could manage, but he felt his whiskers drooping as he spoke.

"Sandwhisker, you can help, too," she added, quickly noting Pebblefall's crestfallen expression. "It'll take a while, what with Lilyspot's kits in there earlier. StarClan, there's mud all over this camp thanks to them!"

"They'll be apprentices soon enough," Smokestep said good-naturedly, flicking an ear in amusement.

"I can't wait," Sandwhisker muttered in Pebblefall's ear as they padded off to the elders' den.

It took them until after sundown to finish cleaning out the elders' den, pausing to do various miscellaneous tasks for the two, and replacing the dirty bedding, by which time several of the warriors had already retired to their nests. Pebblefall's whiskers drooped as he clawed the soiled bedding into a ball. What was the point of being a warrior if all he did was clear bedding and listen to elders' tales?

"I'm exhausted," Sandwhisker remarked with a yawn as they dragged the last of the dirty bedding out of camp. Suddenly, Pebblefall remembered that he was supposed to have built a nest for himself in the warriors' den today. It's okay, he thought gloomily, I can just sleep in the apprentices' den for the night. And to think he had been so excited this afternoon. What's one measly hunting patrol worth?

The two cats re-entered the camp, and Pebblefall made for the apprentices' den.

"Where are you going?" Sandwhisker asked in confusion, nodding towards the warriors' den. "You're in here now."

"I don't have a nest, remember?" Pebblefall answered. "I can just sleep in the apprentices' den tonight."

"Don't be fish-brained!" Sandwhisker exclaimed, ushering him into the warriors' den. "You can share my nest tonight, and I promise I'll help you build your own tomorrow."

Pebblefall smiled as he entered the den. "Thanks, Sandwhisker." Maybe being a warrior isn't so bad after all. . .

The two cats curled up together in the small nest, Pebblefall's head resting atop Sandwhisker's. Glad to be free of the loneliness of the empty apprentices' den at last, Pebblefall quickly slipped into sleep.

He awoke with a start surrounded by swirling mist, as if some cat had called his name. But when he looked around, he couldn't see even the shadow of a cat. I must be dreaming, he realized, standing up.

Taking a few tentative steps forward, Pebblefall squinted into the slightly luminescent mist, trying to see something, anything that was distinguishable. He finally saw something to his left, a black silhouette that could be a cat sitting unmoving several tail-lengths away. But when he attempted to investigate, Pebblefall found he was unable to move his paws.

Suddenly, he yelped in terror as he heard a voice speak as if they were standing right next to him. Turning his head frantically, he confirmed that the only living being in the area besides himself was the black blur in the mist.

"Pebblefall. . ." the voice said. "Be careful."

Pebblefall opened his mouth to ask them a question, but before he could utter a single sound, the dream faded into nothingness.

This chapter, and indeed the entire plot behind this book, was brought to you by the one and only Amazing Annco!

Partly edited by Aquarius and partly edited by Whisper