Echopaw slipped through the trees, keeping her mouth open to smell any prey. The forest was quiet at night, and it seemed like every animal had gone into their burrow to sleep. She had trouble smelling anything, and the silence made her fur bristle.

Echopaw growled softly, thinking of her argument with Reedwhisker. She wondered if he was only acting like that because he was worried about Swallowtail, or from being in the medicine den all day, and not hunting or patrolling. 

That still doesn't give him an excuse to be rude! Echopaw thought. What's the point of having a mentor if he doesn't teach you?

She sighed. Echopaw realized that her paws were taking her toward the battle scene from earlier today, and she winced when she saw that the blood and torn fur had not been washed away. She could still see the badger's large pawprints and all the greenery the battle had torn up.

Echopaw walked toward the spot where Volepaw had been hurt, and she stopped at the edge of the black puddle. The starlight dazzled in it, while the moonlight reflected off it. She looked up at the stars, which seemed to shine brighter than before.

Echopaw stared at it thoughtfully. She wasn't scared of it until she remembered her earlier dream. Volepaw had been captured by the black water so quickly, how could the other cats survive? How could RiverClan survive? 

Echopaw lay down, sheltered by the overhanging bushes, and stared into the depths of the black water. She began to feel drowsy and eventually fell asleep, but when she opened her eyes again she was surrounded by darkness. 

Echopaw turned in a circle, looking around nervously. She sat on her hunches and rubbed her paws together worriedly. Where was she? Was this a dream?

Did I fall into the black water? She thought, her neck fur was bristling. 

She turned around again and saw a dark brown cat standing there, and suddenly all the greenery and the black puddle rose from the ground, and she was back in RiverClan territory. The stars seemed to burn through her, casting rays of starlight on her, and it made the moon look like a Twoleg light.

The cat in front of her mewed to get attention, and Echopaw yowled in surprise when she realized it was Mudfur. She could see silver outlines of stars in his pelt, and Echopaw mewed in astonishment.

"Welcome," The old Medicine cat said, stepping forward to smile at her.

Echopaw took a step forward, and the memory of when Mudfur died flooded back to her, and the prophecy Mudfur had whispered.

Listen for the signs of new, Echopaw recalled in her mind. Listen to the cat of sun and moon, or you may all perish, and StarClan cannot save you.

Echopaw looked up at the Medicine cat. Why was he even visiting her? She wasn't a leader, and she wasn't any more special than say, Waterpaw.

"You are my important than you think," Mudfur said to her, walking over to the apprentice and sitting in front of her. "StarClan has great plans for you."

"What does that mean?" Echopaw asked, standing up suddenly and looking Mudfur in the eye. "What plans?" She suddenly stopped, and her breath caught in her throat. "Was that prophecy about me?"

Mudfur considered that for a long moment. "That has not been revealed to me, and when it does I will decide when you are ready to know the truth." He paused, thinking thoughtfully. "The whole truth." 

"Why are you visiting me, then?" Echopaw asked, clawing at the ground and flicking her tail agitatedly. 

Mudfur flicked his tail and turned away, sitting down in front of a water puddle. Echopaw followed him and realized that Wavepaw was in it, her picture reflecting off the puddle.

She was sitting on a large stone overlooking WindClan territory with a cat, and his lean body made him look like a ThunderClan cat.

"Who is that?" Echopaw asked, tilting her head to try and see the face of the cat sitting beside her friend.

"Not now," Mudfur turned to her. "But the time will come to know, and when it does, you must help Wavepaw any way you can." Mudfur sighed. "She will be going through very tough times."

Mudfur looked up at the sky, where three stars shone more brightly than all the rest. "I must go, but remember what I told you."

.               .               .

Echopaw opened her eyes, feeling deeply disturbed by Mudfur's words. She was still sitting beside the black puddle, and the sun was just a slice over the tall trees.

She stood up, yawning, and trotted back toward the camp. She caught a mouse on the way and it made her think of what Bluetail had told her about staying downwind.

She carried it toward the camp, and she found a few stepping stones to hop onto without getting wet. When she entered the camp, no cats were awake yet. Echopaw quickly dropped the mouse in the fresh-kill pile and walked over to the apprentice's den, not wanting to be questioned about where she was.

She stepped over Splashpaw's tail and made her way to the back of the den, and she watched her friend's silently, thinking.

Echopaw found herself feeling lonely from the lack of apprentices in the den. It was only Waterpaw and Splashpaw since Volepaw was in the medicine den. But she knew they wouldn't have any apprentices for a long time, since Mosspelts kits were only four moons old.

Echopaw waited for a long time, and she eventually fell asleep again and woke up in a little while later, but her sleep was light, and she found lots of moss in her fur, which meant she had been moving around a lot.

Echopaw stood up, cleaned the moss out of her fur, and walked out of the den, looking around to see if her mentor had gone out of the medicine den.

But Echopaw couldn't see him, and she felt another bolt of anger and annoyance shoot through her. What was she going to do today when she had no mentor?

Splashpaw was sitting in the shade, looking deeply confused. Echopaw walked up to him. They both didn't have mentors now, since Swallowtail was sick with white cough.

Echopaw hissed when a new thought wrapped her up. She was never going to become a warrior at this rate, with her mentor not teaching her. She would have to talk to Mistystar about it.

"Hey." Splashpaw greeted her. "No mentor today, too?"

Echopaw shook her head. "I'm never going to become a warrior." She lashed her tail furiously, accidentally brushing Splashpaws pelt.

"I can help you today if you want," Splashpaw suggested, inspecting her curiously. "Or maybe Sunbeam will pick us for the dawn patrol."

Echopaw looked around and saw Sunbeam talking to Blackclaw and Bluetail. Sunbeam brushed her tail against Bluetail's pelt, and the warrior leaned into her. 

"Does Reedwhisker like Swallowtail?" Echopaw asked Splashpaw. "It sort of seems like he likes Sunbeam too, but her mate is Bluetail, right?"

Splashpaw shook his head. "No. Reedwhisker knows he and Swallowtail will never be mates without Sunbeam's permission, which will be hard, considering Sunbeam doesn't give praise easily. And yes, Sunbeam and Bluetail or mates."

Echopaw nodded and took an eager step forward as Sunbeam left the two cats and watched for a moment as Waterpaw, Hawkfrost, and Dawnflower left the camp. Probley for a hunting patrol.

"Since you too don't have mentors," Sunbeam said, stepping up onto the rock to be on the same level as them. "You'll be joining the dawn patrol with Bluetail and I."

"What about Blackclaw?" Splashpaw asked, watching the black warrior walk back into the warrior's den. 

"We need warriors here in case of an attack," Sunbeam explained. "If you are deputy one day, remember that."

Splashpaw looked revolted. "Why would I be deputy? If it's any of the apprentices, it's going to be Waterpaw."

Sunbeam shook her head, smiling. "Come along," 

The two apprentices followed her as the four cats went outside the camp and slowly walked through the water. Echopaw looked a little closer and saw a few black flecks in the water, and she splashed onto the shore unpleasantly. 

Echopaw followed the warriors, thinking about all the warnings and dreams she had had. First, the mysterious prophecy Mudfur had told her, and then the dream she had about the black water, and last, the warning Mudfur had given her about Wavepaw.

Shoot! Echopaw stopped suddenly. I forgot to check on Wavepaw. I hope she had a good trip to Highstones.

Sunbeam called out a yowl of triumph, and she rushed forward to see the sun-colored warrior holding onto a rabbit with her jaws. 

"Great catch, Sunbeam!" Bluetail exclaimed. Sunbeam covered it in the dirt to come back to it, and smiled at Bluetail. There was some unspoken thought in the air between them, but they both turned away smiling.

"What can you smell, Echopaw?" Sunbeam asked her. She lifted her snout into the air, excited to be learning. She moved around a little bit, lowering and lifting her nose.

"Mouse, Thrush, and bird." Echopaw sniffed the leaves. "And... what is that?"

Sunbeam sniffed the pile of leaves against the tree and said, "Fox. It's stale though. We'll be fine."

Bluetail pawed it suspiciously. "Are you sure?" He asked. "I think I smell something different."

Splashpaw nosed the ground. "Me too." He took a step forward.

"We should follow it," Echopaw suggested. Sunbeam took a tentative step forward, then stiffened. 

"Are you okay?" Bluetail asked her, but before he could finish, Sunbeam was racing through the forest, toward the river.

Echopaw didn't have time to hesitate before Splashpaw and Bluetail were racing after her. Echopaw followed, feeling disturbed.

Suppose I'm going to be a warrior. She thought. I need to get over my fear of the river. 

But Echopaw couldn't help thinking about what would happen if she hadn't gotten swept away, and what would have happened if she hadn't lost her memory.

She remembered the black and white cat she had seen when she was in Mistystar's den, and for a moment she wondered if it was her mother.

"Echopaw! Wait!"

She stopped running and turned to see Stormfur running up to her. "Mistystar sent me to get you."

"But-" Echopaw turned to look in the direction of where Splashpaw's tail disappeared. 

"She said it's urgent." Stormfur pressed on, shuffling his paws on the ground. Echopaw turned toward the river again, but she sighed.

"Alright," She took a few steps before turning back to say, "But you should go follow the rest of the patrol. They found something interesting."

Stormfur nodded, staring after her as she raced back to camp. Echopaw wondered what they found, and what Mistystar wanted to talk to her about.

Echopaw stopped at the moat, thinking carefully. She wanted to have a little bit of fun, so she took a few steps back and ran forward, jumping far over the moat and landing with her front paws dry and her back legs splashing in the water.

I'll get over it eventually, She promised herself, laughing a little at that silly goal.

She emerged in the camp, shaking off the excess water, and looked around for Mistystar. She spotted her talking to Reedwhisker.

She walked over, a little surprised to see Reedwhisker out of the medicine den, but she pretend he wasn't there and approached Mistystar.

"Echopaw, I am glad you came back." She said, but the sincerity in her voice didn't match the anger in her eyes. 

"What was so urgent that had to take me away from a patrol?" She slid her eyes over Reedwhisker's pelt for a moment. "Sunbeam was helping me with my apprentice training."

Reedwhisker lifted his head to meet her eyes, desperate help reflecting off them. Echopaw felt a little guilty, and she had to remind herself that Reedwhisker was a cat with feelings.

Echopaw turned away, her eyes narrowed. She felt trapped. What would happen if she didn't have a proper mentor? She couldn't tell Mistystar, because  Reedwhisker was her son, and if she didn't have a good mentor, she would never become a warrior. 

"Come into my den," Mistystar wished her tail in a circle. "Both of you."