⠀⠀ "Coalfoot, you have proven yourself to be wise, and skilled in both hunting and combat. I trust that you will teach Emberpaw well."

⠀⠀ "Emberpaw! Emberpaw! Emberpaw!"

⠀⠀ The rhythmic chant enveloped the leader for a moment. She turned to Lionkit, who was waiting excitedly for his turn.She motioned for him to come forward, and he did so with clumsy steps.

⠀⠀ "Lionkit, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Lionpaw. I will be your mentor." The small tom's jaw dropped, his fur bristling in excitement.

⠀⠀ "Lionpaw! Lionpaw! Lionpaw!" the clan cheered. Lockstar touched the yellow tom's nose with her own.

✵✵✵✵✵

⠀⠀ "Good! Just remember that next time you need to keep your back paws quiet too," Lockstar mewed as her apprentice refrained from stalking the ball of moss she had set up at the bottom of the hill. He had been an apprentice for over two moons now, and tomorrow was another gathering. Bluepaw had become Bluenose, and Hiddenbrooke had given birth to four healthy kits the day before: Fernkit, Leopardkit, Eaglekit, and Hawkkit.

⠀⠀ Fernkit was a near exact clone of her mother. She was a stunning brown spotted tabby with white legs and a white ring around the end of her tail. Leopardkit was named after the ancient leader, Leopardstar, who was Bearwhisker's favorite leader to hear about when he was a kit. Leopardkit was a light silver with dark gray, nearly black spots. Eaglekit was a tabby tom a white tail and white ears, his stripes barely visible. Hawkkit was the opposite. He was white, with a dark gray tail and ears, along with very faint gray stripes lining the very top of his back.

⠀⠀ "I'm going to sit at the top," she mewed, motioning to the large hill. "I need you to try and tackle me without me seeing you." The young tom nodded and waited excitedly as she climbed the hill. She gave a slight nod and turned away, signaling for him to begin. He made it halfway up the steep slope before he tripped rustled the grass, catching the leaders attention. However, as soon as she turned he had disappeared from sight. Her eyes scanned the green and gold grasses as she searched for the young tom. She began to pad to where she assumed he was before being tackled. Though he surprised her, she rolled him onto his back and pinned him, her jaws placed carefully around his throat and her claws holding his paws to the ground. After several excruciating moments, she released him.

⠀⠀ "Next time, I think we'll work on what to do after you've managed to sneak up someone," she chuckled, though he was still thoroughly terrified. The tom nodded as he stood, legs shaky. "We should head back. The gathering is tomorrow," she mewed. Lionpaw nodded, grateful that he didn't have to repeat the exercise, and followed her to camp.

✵✵✵✵✵

⠀⠀ Lockstar watched as Thunderclan filed in before her clan. This time, it was Windclan that had arrived last. She took notice that Wrenstar was much thinner since the last two gatherings, and her heart nearly stopped as a realization hit her. Wrenstar had been pregnant, and Lockstar believed that she knew who it was. Her brother, Adderbite, watched the leader with caring eyes, grinning like a maniac.

⠀⠀ "Redstar, would you like to begin?" Badgerster mewed flatly. The russet tom narrowed his eyes at the Riverclan leader and nodded.

⠀⠀ "Shadowclan is doing well, as always. We have received a prophecy that I believe the other clans heard as well." He turned his gaze to the group of medicine cats who nodded in unison. "Wrenstar?"

⠀⠀ "Thunderclan welcomes a new kit, Cobrakit," she declared, holding her head proudly. Lockstar's gaze turned to the white apprentice with deep green eyes in the back of the Shadowclan group. The cats closest to him watched as his fur bristled and he fell to the ground, trembling. Redstar seemed to have noticed as well, for he looked from the young tom over to Windclan, who was too busy listening to Wrenstar gloat over her new son. The white and silver tom looked up, his vibrant green eyes piercing Lockstar's.

⠀⠀ That has to be Viperkit, she thought to herself as the tom held her gaze. She narrowed her own, assuming that he'd look away, but he refused to back down. Emberpaw noticed what was going on and notified Lionpaw, and soon the entire island was focussed on the two cats. The tom's lean build should have been a dead give away, but a Thunderclan cat was arrogant enough to call out, "Why are you two glaring at each other?"

⠀⠀ "He's Windclan," she hissed. "Look at him! That's Viperkit! Shadowclan stole Viperkit on the day I joined Windclan!" She was screaming now, and even Wrenstar had become fully engrossed in the conflict.

⠀⠀ "Violetstar would have done something if we stole a kit," Redstar hissed back, his words laced in venom.

⠀⠀ "No she wouldn't! How do I know that, you ask? She didn't do anything when you took him!" she spat back. "I'm not sure if you noticed, Redstar, but Windclan will no longer put up with your foxdung." The tom lashed his tail and unsheathed his claws as he leaped down, padding towards the apprentice. He bared his teeth in response and backed away.

⠀⠀ "That's not true, Lockstar! My family is Shadowclan! You can't trick me into joining your crowsfood of a clan!" His green eyes grew to slits as he spoke. He spoke like Voleclaw did, loud, and even intimidating, but Lockstar shook her head and sighed.

⠀⠀ "One day, Viperpaw, you'll remember. If you're ever wondering why you're different, you now know the answer," she mewed, leaping down from her perch. "Windclan dismissed!" she yowled, leaving three shocked clans behind her as she padded over the slick log.

⠀⠀ Her heart raced with each step. Clouds were circling the moon, slowly closing in on it. She felt strangled as they ventured further into Windclan territory, and soon she was wheezing. The feline collapsed, her vision blurring. Starry cats circled her as she glanced frantically around.

⠀⠀ The adder's cousin.
⠀⠀ His cousin's kin.
⠀⠀ Wars to come.
⠀⠀ Few will win.

⠀⠀ "What?!" she screeched, staggering to her feet. She hadn't lost a life, but she had lost something else. Her sanity slowly evaporated until she was back on the ground, trembling.

⠀⠀ "Lockstar!"

⠀⠀ The voice of her apprentice knocked her out of the deathly trance. She gave the fiery tom a reassuring nod and unsteadily rose to her paws. Her clan mates stared at her in terror, but they calmed once she uttered two simple words.

⠀⠀ "A prophecy."