DOVEPAW WAS DREAMING.

     She stood side by side with Mousepaw, watching as fire surrounded them. The motionless bodies of their Clanmates were surrounded by pools of blood or covered in claw marks. Mousepaw shook beside Dovepaw. They kept together. The shadows of MoonClan cats loomed over them, menacing and daunting. Their muscles rippled under their fur as they crept through the trees and their eyes gleamed with evil.

     There was a gap in the fire. Dovepaw and Mousepaw darted towards it, but with a screech Mousepaw was gone and Dovepaw was alone. She ran as fast as she could. There was a pain like claws—or perhaps it was claws—in her tail. She was yanked backward into the fire. She yowled as loud as she could as flames seeped into her fur, burning her skin. She scrambled to get away, but the orange fire consumed her and everything went silent.

     Dovepaw shot upward. She was surrounded by her closest friends and her family. Most were awake. Was the dream a sign? That MoonClan's plan would prevail? It can't be true. No, it can't be. We will defeat MoonClan. The prophecy echoed throughout her mind with a powerful force. She felt heavy all of a sudden.

     Mousepaw looked up at her sister with a concerned look on her face.

     Dovepaw nodded. Mousepaw looked uncertain but she put her head on her paws again and didn't press.

***

     When the sun finally rose, Mousepaw nudged Dovepaw. "I'm not staying for the burial. It's too sad. I hope Tawnyflight can understand. Can we go on a walk?"

     "Let me say my parting words to Tawnyflight," Dovepaw meowed. Mousepaw nodded and left her to peace. Dovepaw crouched down next to the tortoiseshell she-cat and whispered, "You were like a mother to me, even if I never knew you like most cats. I will never forget you." She felt as if a piece of her heart had been taken away. She touched Tawnyflight's cold ear in farewell before turning away and joining Mousepaw.

     "Welcome," Mousepaw greeted her. "I wanted to talk to you in private because . . . well . . . I'm worried about you. You woke up so quickly and you had a frightened look in your eyes. I couldn't just leave it alone."

     Dovepaw purred. "If you put it like that, I guess I'll tell you. I had this terrible dream that you and I were the last FrostClan cats, and we were surrounded by MoonClan cats and fire. Then we ran away but we were both dragged back. I think it was some sort of twisted sign, but I'm not sure."

     Mousepaw pressed her flank into Dovepaw. "Maybe it was, but maybe it was just your fears. Come on, Dovepaw, you know you aren't alone on this one. You can tell Lynxstar or Badgertooth or any other cat you trust, like me. Just pretend that they are me."

     Dovepaw glared at her. "It's not that easy! You wouldn't know. You have a super easy life, being a warrior apprentice. You got everything you ever wanted! I didn't. You act like it's all fine, and nothing is fine. Three cats have died so far, and each of them were close to us."

     "Look, I'm sorry . . . I know that you are heartbroken and sad, and I get it. I was sad when you couldn't become a warrior with me." Mousepaw gazed at Dovepaw, her eyes troubled. "I didn't mean to offend you or anything."

     "Well, it's not that! See, you won't understand because you don't know what it's like to have all of these signs from StarClan thrown at you when you don't even know what to do with them!" Dovepaw retorted.

     "I'm sorry," Mousepaw repeated.

     Dovepaw looked at her paws. "No, don't apologize. I snapped at you, and I didn't mean to. I care about you very much, and I know you care about me. It was wrong. I'm sorry."

     "It's okay. I know this is hard for you. You seem very stressed and I just wanted to help you out."

     "Yeah."

     After a moment of awkward silence Mousepaw meowed teasingly, "You do have anger issues, though."

     Dovepaw whipped around to face her. She let out a purr of laughter. "Oh, yeah? Say that to my face!" She shot after Mousepaw. They wove through the frozen plains. The snow was melting now, but the chill in the air promised one last snow before new-leaf. Mousepaw gradually got faster and farther ahead.

     Mousepaw turned around. "I'll slow down. I keep forgetting."

     Dovepaw shrugged. "It's just a game. Doesn't matter. Also, we are not kits anymore, so what is the point in doing this?"

     Mousepaw shrugged also. "I don't know. But I think that you're growing up too fast. Slow down. We still have so much fun to have! Enjoy it for once." She nuzzled Dovepaw affectionately.

    Dovepaw nuzzled her in return. "I'll try better next time. Thanks for being so honest. But for now, let's go back to camp. I want to rest up before the Gathering."

     "Okay. Let's go." Mousepaw walked with Dovepaw back to the camp. Whitefoot was just outside, calling his apprentice's name. "Here, Whitefoot!"

     Whitefoot turned around and noticed Mousepaw. "What were you thinking, leaving camp without me?"

     "I was taking a walk with Dovepaw. She had something important to tell me." Mousepaw trotted up to her mentor. "I'm sorry, I should've told you."

     Whitefoot nodded. "You should have. But I'm glad you came back. I was worried sick."

     Mousepaw purred. "Is it time for patrols?"

     Whitefoot nodded again. "Yes. Spottedpaw, Owlheart, and Acornshade are waiting. They are getting impatient, so let's go." He looked up. "Good morning, Dovepaw."

     "Morning." Dovepaw dipped her head politely and followed the back-and-white tom and his apprentice inside the camp. Whitefoot and Mousepaw immediately left with the rest of the patrol. Dovepaw waved her tail to Mousepaw as she left. Mousepaw twitched her ear in acknowledgement as she ducked under the arch that led outside of the den.

     Dovepaw turned towards the medicine den. When she entered Badgertooth was giving Hollypaw some mouse bile for the elders. "Hi," she greeted them. When she entered, the warm air inside made her feel even more tired. "Badgertooth, is it okay if I take a nap before we leave for the Gathering? I'm exhausted."

     "Of course," Badgertooth mewed.

     "Hi, Dovepaw." Hollypaw nodded to her as she left.

     Dovepaw slipped into her nest and curled up comfortably. She wrapped her tail over her nose and let herself drift into sleep.

     Dovepaw could barely see in front of her when she woke. Long, green grass glittered in front of her eyes. The sun shone as bright and glittery as a still stream. The gentle breeze ruffled her fur. She felt like going back to sleep before a dark gray cat approached her. She looked up. He was a dark gray tom with sparkling sky blue eyes.

     "You must be Badgertooth's apprentice," he mewed. "The apprentice of my apprentice."

     "Are you Skysight, the previous medicine cat of MoonClan?" Dovepaw asked, standing up and stretching her legs one by one.

     "Yes. And I have seen that you are troubled by terrible dreams that, in our eyes, are triggered by the prophecy."

     "The prophecy? What do you mean? How could that cause dreams like that?"

     "You've been worrying about the prophecy, and, mixed with all of the MoonClan attacks that the Clan has been suffering, it makes those dreams. Does that make sense?" Skysight tipped his head to one side curiously.

     "I guess . . . but I haven't been worrying about the prophecy as much as the battles." Dovepaw ducked her head. "Something tells me that I should be worrying about the prophecy more."

     "Maybe. But just remember that we are with you. Always," Skysight promised.

***

     Dovepaw watched as Foxpaw confidently crossed the tree-bridge with ease to the island where the Clan cats met every full moon for a Gathering. She glanced at Badgertooth when it was her turn. I can't do this. The water was deep and black under the bridge, and the trunk was slippery and thin.

     Badgertooth flicked his tail. "Go. Just keep your claws unsheathed."

     Dovepaw was trembling. She unsheathed her claws and scrambled on top of the trunk. She balanced on the icy truk cautiously, her heart racing. She fought the urge to look down at the churning water. She could hear it splashing on the shore behind her. She flattened her ears against the wind and clung onto the wood even harder.

     When she reached the end she jumped down. Pain shot up her broken leg as it hit the ground painfully. She let out a yelp of pain. Foxpaw scrambled towards her and supported her as she steadied herself. "Are you okay? What happened?"

     "I landed on my leg weirdly. Nothing big." Dovepaw winced, twisting around to look at her leg. It was fine. "Thanks." She looked up at Foxpaw. Their gazes locked. They stared at each other for a long moment before walking into the crowd of cats.

     I shouldn't be feeling like that about him. I'm a medicine cat. He's a warrior. And yet, I can't stop myself from feeling like this.

     Badgertooth caught up to her. "What happened? I heard you yelp."

     "It's okay. I landed on my leg weird, that's all. Foxpaw helped me. Where do we have to go?" Dovepaw asked.

     "Dovepaw! I've been waiting for you! I'm so glad that you're here!" Swallowpaw darted towards her, her amber eyes gleaming with pleasure. She skidded to a halt beside her. "What happened at the tree-bridge?"

     "I landed on my leg funny." Dovepaw twitched her ear to dismiss the question. "I'm glad to see you, too. How are you?"

     "I'll leave you two to talk." Badgertooth left the two apprentices and padded over to where Fawnspots and Mapleleaf were meowing quietly.

     Swallowpaw's eyes lit up. "It's been great! I helped a queen's kits come. Two adorable tom kits! Fawnspots helped me, of course, but seeing new kits come into the Clan was wonderful. Guess what they were named?"

     Dovepaw pricked her ears and twitched her whiskers curiously. "What were their names?"

     "Brackenkit and Sunkit! They were two golden brown toms, and they are the most adorable little things I've ever seen!" Swallowpaw was practically bouncing on her paws. She stopped when her gaze rested on four young cats. "Come meet the other two apprentices!" She darted off towards a white-and-gray she-cat, a black-and-white she-cat, a light brown tom, and a gray tom.

     "Hey, friends! Meet my friend, Dovepaw!" Swallowpaw sprang towards the four apprentices. "Dovepaw, this is Hollypaw, Creampaw, and my brothers, Jaypaw and Finchpaw!"

     Creampaw smiled. "Nice to meet you, Dovepaw." Her voice was sweet and shy. Her fur was soft as a newborn kit. "You must be from that new Clan, FrostClan, right?"

     "Yes." Dovepaw dipped her head.

     Hollypaw pressed close to Creampaw. "She's my best friend. We've been apprentices for three moons now."

     Creampaw shuffled her paws in the dust. "Well, I haven't been an apprentice for that long. I've been in WindClan for two moons now. I was a former kittypet, but now I'm a warrior!"

     Dovepaw purred. "That's wonderful."

     "What happened to your leg?" Finchpaw asked curiously, his amber eyes shining with concern.

     Dovepaw shrugged. "It's not important."

     "Well, surely it's important when it looks like that!" Creampaw gasped.

     Dovepaw blinked. She was shocked by Creampaw's—a former kittypet's—fierce concern. She really wanted to know. "Okay, fine, I'll tell you. I fell in a river when my Clan was traveling and I broke my leg on a boulder."

     Creampaw gaped. "That's awful! How do you get around that?"

     "It's easy—Mapleleaf over there helped me with exercises and I was able to walk again. But I couldn't become a warrior anymore," Dovepaw explained, partly excited that she got to share her background with a few young apprentices.

     "Wow," Finchpaw and Jaypaw mused at the same time. They glanced at each other.

     "That's amazing. And you act like nothing happened at all!" Hollypaw exclaimed with an excited glance at Creampaw.

     "The Gathering is about to start!" Brightstar's yowl echoed through the clearing. Cats began to gather around.

     Mousepaw joined Dovepaw. "I'm so excited!" she whispered. "Whitepaw and Featherpaw told me so much!"

     Dovepaw purred. It sounded like Mousepaw found friends from another Clan already. It was her specialty. "Me, too."

     "Hush! The leaders are about to speak!" Whitefoot hissed at the two littermates.

     Mousepaw let out a quiet mrrow of mischievous laughter. She looked up at the tree where the leaders stood, the moonlight shining down on them. Their pelts were outlined in silver.

     "Welcome, all Clans," Brightstar began, "as some of you might know, a new Clan has arrived in our territory, and they are here now." She glanced at Lynxstar. "But for now, I will be the first to report for my Clan."

     Murmurs rippled across the Clan cats.

     "The harsh weather of leaf-bare has made hunting challenging for ThunderClan. But, thankfully, we have not lost any warriors to the grasps of the frost. Our apprentice Robinpaw—who is not attending this Gathering—has been healed and sent back to apprentice duties." Brightstar dipped her head to a large dark gray tom, Fallenstar, beside her.

     The Clans murmured with congratulations. Dovepaw guessed the small brown she-cat had been with Mapleleaf in her den for the past two moons. She felt a pang of pity. Her wound was very nasty. It reminded her of Frozenfang.

     "Prey is running well in ShadowClan. We have run into no trouble, and we thank StarClan for that." He glanced at the other two Clan leaders, Streamstar and Breezestar.

     Breezestar stepped forward. "Same goes for us, too. Prey has been plentiful and we have been thriving. In fact, two kits were born a quarter moon ago. Sunkit and Brackenkit were born healthy and strong."

     There were more murmurs from the Clan cats.

     "I have nothing to report," Streamstar stated, then nodded to Lynxstar to tell her that she could report.

     Lynxstar stepped forward and gazed among the Clan cats. "We are much more than delighted to be here. Brightstar has been very kind and helped us find a new camp." She shot a grateful look at Brightstar. The yellow she-cat dipped her head politely. "We have been attacked twice these past two moons. There is a Clan called MoonClan on the prowl around here somewhere."

     The Clan cats glanced at each other and began murmuring nervously.

     "We think that they are not only targeting us, but all of you too. Robinpaw was harmed by the MoonClan warriors."

     Angry yowls erupted from the cats. "FrostClan has brought this upon us! How can we keep them here, where MoonClan is following?" Crimsonfrost demanded from where she stood beside Bluestripe and Goldenpaw.

     "Please, quiet down!" Lynxstar pleaded. "We will take care of this, I promise."

     "You haven't gotten rid of them yet. You ran away from them, causing them to find more targets—us!" Fallenstar accused.

     But they speak the truth. We lost two cats to MoonClan now. And they harmed Robinpaw. I don't know how Lynxstar thinks that she can get rid of them. Dovepaw glanced at Mousepaw. I guess we'll just figure out.

     "Trust me, we are trying to figure this out. All we need is a little help and encouragement from our fellow Clans," Lynxstar announced. "If you help, perhaps  MoonClan will be weaker with five Clans against them."

     "Drive MoonClan out!"

     "Drive both Clans out! They are only causing problems among us."

     Protests erupted from the Clan cats, blending together until Dovepaw couldn't differentiate between one voice and another.

     "Silence! We will talk this out. For now, you are all dismissed," Brightstar meowed calmly as the Clan cats quieted down.

     The Clans were dismissed. Dovepaw turned to the other medicine cats. This is my time to tell them. Better safe than sorry. "I have something to tell you all." Swallowpaw, who was just leaving, stopped in her tracks and looked at Dovepaw. "I should have told you before . . ."

     Mapleleaf cocked her head curiously. Badgertooth twitched an ear. Fogsight and Fawnspots looked indifferent.

     "When we went to the Moonpool, I had a dream, and I was given a prophecy. 'When the moon shines in the sky, many will be lost and betrayed. But light will shine from the darkest storm clouds, if only one can find it.'"

     "Why didn't you tell me before?" Badgertooth asked gently. "I could tell you were worried about something, but a message from StarClan is a whole different story."

     Dovepaw waved her tail as if to say, We'll talk about it later.

     "The other night Skysight, FrostClan's previous medicine cat, visited me in a dream. He told me that the bad dreams that I have been having were triggered by the prophecy, but I'm not sure why . . ."

     Badgertooth's paws shuffled in the light snow. "I have a prediction. Maybe since you have been worrying about MoonClan and the prophecy so much, that they sort of collided and—what was the dream about?"

     Dovepaw shuddered as images of the horrifyingly vivid dream rushed through her mind. "Well, uh, Mousepaw and I were running from MoonClan warriors, and we were also surrounded by fire. Huge flames. Flickering an evil-looking orange and red. We ran, and we were both dragged back and killed by the warriors. It was awful."

     Swallowpaw's jaw was open wide in shock. The rest of the medicine cats were bristling with shock. Badgertooth spoke up. "I have seen you twitching in your sleep before. Maybe that was what you were dreaming of . . . ?"

     Dovepaw nodded. "But I prefer not to talk about it. It just brings back . . ."

     "Right. Of course." Mapleleaf still sounded dumbfounded. "Dovepaw, this has been happening for half a moon now? Really? That's awful. Why didn't you tell your mentor before?"

     Dovepaw glanced at the crowd of cats. She saw Mousepaw meowing to the two RiverClan apprentices, Whitepaw and Featherpaw. Dovepaw turned back to the medicine cats. "I told Mousepaw, but I wasn't sure about anyone else . . ."

     Badgertooth sighed. "Well, it's good you didn't keep your feelings in for too long."

     The other medicine cats nodded.

     "I'm not sure what it means yet," mewed Mapleleaf, who was standing beside Fogsight, "but I can try to figure it out. Whatever this threat is, I'm sure everything's going to be fine."

***

     Back at the camp, the moon was falling and gray dawn light was swallowing the sky. Light snow was falling now. The camp was quiet even when the FrostClan cats entered and left towards their dens.

     Dovepaw limped to the apprentices' den and curled out into her nest. She let herself slip into sleep, exhausted. It's been a long few days . . .

***

     Rosefeather's shrill call jolted Dovepaw from sleep at dawn. "Sparrowfeather is gone!"