Blossompaw watched Owlstar and Crystalwing leave the den, her mother's face set with a determined resistance. She heard Crystalwing murmur something to Greyshard, who had been standing guard throughout the day. Her mentor sounded as if she was thanking Greyshard and asked for something to do with prey.

Then, Blossompaw got an idea. Owlstar wanted to talk to Crystalwing about something very secretive. Blossompaw could tell. The smell of secrecy positively buzzed around Owlstar's pelt. Crystalwing's as well. Though, the blue calico was more confused and nervous than grimly resolute.

As Greyshard's steps faded away, Blossompaw slipped out of the medicine den. She glanced back at her patients, before following Crystalwing's scent trail to the side of the HighMound. She heard the rustle of moss, as the two cats inside settled down. Then, Owlstar's voice, edged with worry, sounded out, half-whispering.

"I got the dream again..."

Crystalwing's voice replied, "Again...? How many times have you had it?"

"Since her apprenticeship... about one every quarter moon..." Owlstar mewed, "Each time, it becomes more and more vivid, until..."

"What?" Crystalwing asked.

"This dream... It was the worst so far...!" Owlstar murmured. After a pause, Blossompaw had to strain her ears to hear the next part, "There was a small clearing. Ferns and such. Full moon. Nice and quiet. But then the shadows started moving and swirling and bulging. They swarmed around me, and my ears were filled with screeches of cats in pain. Then it all stopped, and the shadows fell onto me. Everything was dark, as if I was drowning. I could smell blood and fear on the air. Suddenly, a beam of light... and a flower... the darkness faded as the flower grew more and more... it went from a bud and curled out into a white flower, with smaller ones stemming off of it... I think it's her..."

"Yes... Maybe... But what is the darkness? What's going to happen?" Crystalwing's voice asked trembling.

"I don't know..." Owlstar confessed, before muttering half-angrily, "Those mouse-brained spirit cats can never give us straight answers..."

"Owlstar...!" Crystalwing scolded with only half of the enthusiasm she should have used.

Blossompaw wriggled her haunches to become more comfortable. She wondered what they meant, until it clicked in her mind. A white flower - darkness - light. Was she the one Owlstar and Crystalwing were talking about? I did have a dream about... with a prophecy... so... maybe? She thought. Then, she sensed something moving behind her. She smelt Dapplewind padding out of the elder den. Blossompaw took a few, quick steps away from the den and she quickly shook her pelt to scatter some of the herbs on the ground. She started to gather them up, pretending that she had dropped them, making her paws move as if she had just been walking.

Behind her, Crystalwing poked her head out of the den and murmured something to Owlstar. She ducked back inside and Blossompaw picked up the last of the herb leaves. She absently scraped at the ground, pricking her ears towards the den, but she couldn't hear anything.

"What are you doing?"

Blossompaw jumped and dropped the leaves on the ground. She whipped around to see Rockpaw standing behind her, looking confused but curious. Treepaw padded up to him to stand at his shoulder. Their mentors, Mousefoot and Wolflungs, deposited prey on the fresh-kill-pile, a few tail-lengths away.

"Um..." Blossompaw stammered, her voice suddenly losing its volume, "I... er... well..."

Rockpaw tilted his head, while Treepaw asked, "Are you alright?"

"I..." Blossompaw took a deep breath, before whispering, "I- I need to tell you something."

Her brother's dusty brown ears pricked up and he nodded towards the dirtplace tunnel, "If anyone comes in, we can say that we were helping you get rid of some old herbs."

Treepaw turned her striped head to stare at her brother.

"What?" he asked.

"No, it's just that you seem to have a very good excuse for sneaking out." Treepaw answered.

Rockpaw rolled his eyes, "Like what?"

Treepaw meowed smugly, "Well, there's today, while we were hunting, when you said you left a mouse behind, only so you could hide Littlepaw's catch."

Rockpaw huffed and mumbled, "Fi-ine. Yeah... sure..."

Treepaw grinned at Blossompaw and, glancing over their shoulders, they trotted towards the dirtplace tunnel, shredded herbs hanging from their jaws.

When the went through the dark tunnel and came out on the other end, they went over to the opposite side.

"So..." Treepaw began, "What's wrong?"

Rockpaw peered over to the tunnel then turned back to Blossompaw, looking expectant.

"Well..." Blossompaw meowed quietly, "This may sound really, well... weird and... hard to believe, but it's true."

"And...?" Rockpaw asked, before Treepaw slapped her tail over his mouth.

"I... I got a prophecy... f-from StarClan... from Marigoldpaw." Blossompaw whispered, staring at her paws.

Her siblings were silent and Blossompaw could sense that their minds were blank.

"She was a tortoiseshell... a bright gingery-red and black she-cat with deep orange eyes. She l-led me somewhere..." Blossompaw murmured.

Treepaw gulped, before asking, "Are you sure this wasn't a normal dream?"

"N-no. I- I was in the Twolegplace and it- it was so loud and bright and hard...! And then I went into a Twoleg den, and there were cats everywhere. They smelt of crow-food and Thunderpaths and Twolegs... There was loads of giant cat laying on Twoleg rocks. They were giant, and muscly, and powerful-looking. Then, I was thrown into darkness and Marigoldpaw's voice said 'When the-" Blossompaw broke off as a fit of coughing seized her body. Her throat burned with pain and her body shook.

Rockpaw and Treepaw rushed to her side. They stared at her, seemingly unable to do anything about it.
Blossompaw's belly contracted and her wind pipe felt as if it was on fire. She choked on her breath and she faintly tasted blood on her tongue. It speckled the ground as she crouched down in pain, wheezing like crazy.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Crystalwing and Owlstar rushing through the tunnel. They barged Rockpaw and Treepaw out of the way.

"What happened?! What did you do to her?" Owlstar demanded.

"W-we didn't do anything! We were helping her get rid of herbs, when she started coughing!" Treepaw exclaimed, lashing her tail nervously.

"Yeah! She just started coughing!" Rockpaw repeated.

Blossompaw's breath rattled in her rib cage, and more blood splattered onto the dusty ground. Her legs shook underneath her, while she heaved a few more times. Trying to regain her breath, she straightened her legs, only to fall to the floor again.

Owlstar bared her teeth at Rockpaw and Treepaw, and Crystalwing started nudging Blossompaw. The fawn-and-white she-cat stood up shakily, gasping for breath. Helped by Crystalwing, Blossompaw padded back into the tunnel, across camp and into the medicine den.

Before her view was hidden by yew branches, she saw that the camp had become more crowded. Cats bustled around, eating prey or sharing tongues.

Blossompaw settled into her nest near the base if the stream, shaking slightly, throat burning.

Owlstar shooed Rockpaw and Treepaw out, before laying down in her own nest. Crystalwing ducked into the herb store and came out with a pale orange chunk of something, which dripped a golden substance.

"Honey," she whispered, laying the piece of honeycomb next to Blossompaw's nose. "Wait a moment."

Crystalwing grabbed a small ball of moss and dipped it in the stream. She dabbed her apprentice's muzzle and wiped the blood from it. She put it to the side and nodded towards the honeycomb.

Blossompaw lowered her head slowly, sniffed it, then licked it slowly. It tasted of... nothing really. But it felt nice as it slid down her throat. It soothed the aching skin, like water quenching a blazing flame.

As she closed her eyes and let her lungs fill back up with air, she pondered over the conversation with her siblings. When she was on the verge of falling asleep, she realised that Rockpaw had been distracted all throughout their talk.

He had been feeling... guilty...? Why? Blossompaw searched through her memories and saw, through Rockpaw's eyes, a red tortoiseshell body laying on a patch of dusty ground. The body was unnaturally still. Rockpaw along with Blossompaw circled around it, Skunkpaw's black-and-white fur edging their vision. As Rockpaw came to stand in front of the body, Blossompaw saw Marigoldpaw's empty, orange eyes staring up at her.

That day... before our apprentice ceremony... he was out and he found... Marigoldpaw's dead body...! Did he kill her...? That would explain why he felt guilty. But she was a 'paw and he was a kit... How...? Blossompaw asked herself silently. She opened her eyes, staring at the shadowing green shell of leaves around her.

After a few more licks at the honeycomb, Blossompaw stood up to help Crystalwing clean up the remaining herb.

Word Count: 1500
Again, I'm very sorry it took so long. I will try to get the next chapter out quicker.
And also, CHAPTER 10! Yay!
Hope you like it!
Bye!