Acornpaw's Worst Nightmare

After a long day of hunting, all Acornpaw wanted to do was sleep. She didn't feel like staying up late, next to the halfrock, with her friends and fellow apprentices, Amberpaw, Dewpaw, and Snowpaw. She had already eaten, but she didn't exactly want to leave her friends, all talking about their day, to go to the empty apprentices' den. Yet somehow, the brown tabby found herself falling asleep to Snowpaw meowing, "And then guess what happened…?"

When Acornpaw woke up, she didn't know where she was. She was standing in the middle of a forest clearing. Sunshine, birdsong, and the scent of many, many cats filled the air. What if this is StarClan? she wondered. What if I am dead?

"Don't worry, you're not dead." Acornpaw spun around, fur bristling, to face another cat.

A she-cat, like herself. And, somehow, not like herself.

The other she-cat looked friendly enough, yet there seemed to be something…off about her. Her eyes were a pretty shade of orange, almost like sunset. They defiently weren't like any eyes Acornpaw had ever seen. There was a white patch on her forehead, like two triangles pointing in different directions; one up, one down. That wasn't the strangest thing about the other cat. Her fur was purple. Not the purple-blue of jupiner berries. Not the violet of the last bits of sunset. No, the purple-furred, sunset eyed she-cat was very strange.

And her fur color made Acornpaw's eyes hurt.

The purple cat spoke again. "Hello there! Don't worry…Acornpaw, yes? This is StarClan. You're safe here."

"How do you know my name? And who are you?" Acornpaw was glad that she wasn't dead, and she was in StarClan…but she wasn't a medicine cat! Why would she be here? Hollyleaf had visited her, yes, but that wasn't StarClan.

"Hollyleaf?" The purple she-cat hissed, somehow reading her thoughts. "Hollyleaf might have paid attention to the rules, but they weren't my rules. Anyway, she killed my sister!"

Acornpaw just stayed silent, staring at the strange cat. "Oh well," the other cat purred, seemingly happy again. "I know everything, so of course I would know your name. As for mine…my name is Stargleam."

"What?" Stargleam? That just sounds strange.

"Oh, don't sound so shocked, dear. It is a warrior name." Stargleam gave a dismissive flick of her purple tail.

"But StarClan!" Acornpaw gasped. "Your name it makes you sound like you're StarClan's leader."

"It does?" Stargleam purred, sounding pleased. "Anyway, enough about me. How about yourself?"

"Um…" Acornpaw searched for words, feeling like a piece of prey under a cat's claws; nervous. This cat had stars in her fur, so she was a StarClan cat, but she was just…weird. "Well, my father is Lionblaze–"

"Really?" Stargleam squealed/sparkled. "Oh, wow! Lionblaze is so handsome, and so strong, and–"

"My mother, Cinderheart, is his mate!" Acornpaw meowed defensively, annoyed that this Stargleam seemed to be in love with her father. "Who are your parents?" She wondered if they had purple fur too.

"My mother is Dawnsparke, and my father is Jayfeather!" Stargleam mewed, sounding kitlike and unfazed by Acornpaw's mother.

"Jayfeather?" Acornpaw asked, a little shocked and confused. "He's a medicine cat! And anyway, he doesn't have kits!"

"In my world, he does," Stargleam told her.

"Oh." Other worlds have ThunderClan too, I guess. And purple cats.

"Hey, we're related!" Stargleam meowed happily. "Our fathers are littermates!"

"I guess so," Acornpaw mumbled. Nice, I'm sort of related to a shiny purple cat who is way to enthusiastic. Then, something strange came to her. "Why do you have purple fur?"

That threw Stargleam into confuzzelment. "I honestly have no idea. But it's the best fur color ever!"

"Yeah," Acornpaw lied.

"So, anyway, Acornpaw," Stargleam meowed, sounding suddenly sympathetic. "You are an apprentice, I guess? Would you like your warrior name?"

"But…you're not Bramblestar…you're not even a leader…" Acornpaw felt very confused by this entire dream.

"Oh, I am a leader!" Stargleam meowed. "My other name was Starstar!"

Starstar? Was this cat crazy?

"Now, all I have to do is pick out a good name for you…" Stargleam meowed, sounding thoughtful. "Hmm…" She padded up to Acornpaw and stared her straight in the eye, much to the gray-pawed, brown tabby's discomfort. "I couldn't possibly do Acornfur…to boring…and not Acornleaf, no, to much like Hollyleaf…Acornpuff…no… Acorndimond?"

"What's a dimond?" Acornpaw asked nervously, backing away a little from the purple cat.

"A jewel." Seeing Acornpaw's look of confusion, Stargleam added, "A shiny, sparkly thing Twolegs dig up."

"Oh."

"Uw! I got it!" Stargleam yowled to the heavens after muttering a list of possible names, right in Acornpaw's face. Her breath smelled like flowers and rainbows and fluff.

"What is it?" Acornpaw questioned, ducking away from the purple cat's sweet breath.

"Acornflash," Stargleam smiled. "Isn't it the the best name ever?"

"No…" Acornpaw shook her head, feeling suddenly like she was drowning. A bolt of fear went through her, icy and cold, making her fur stand on end. I can't have that warrior name. Then every cat will know that I have a power. "No, you can't…"

"Oh, I can," Stargleam hissed, suddenly sounding terrifying. "I gave the Clans a new warrior code. I gave birth to amazing kits. I can, I will, and I shall give you the name Acornflash!"

"But my power… you can't name me after my power…" Acornpaw searched for good excuses.

"Why not?" Stargleam asked, scratching a purple ear with a purple paw.

"The prophecy…"

"The prophecy that you share," Stargleam spat, sounding disgusted by the last word. "You won't achieve anything by doing things with others. If I put your power into your name, your three little friends will know that you're the only special one."

Acornpaw shook her head. "Jayfeather, if he really is your father, wouldn't want you to do this."

"Who cares?" Stargleam shrugged. "Like I said before, I know everything, and I know that your friend…Dewpaw, is it?…would be proud of you if you took a name from me."

"He doesn't even know you," Acornpaw retorted. The brown tabby crouched down low. "I'm not about to let you give me a mouse-brained warrior name. And I won't let you make my friends think that I'm more special than they are."

"It's you're choice," Stargleam meowed. "I can't force you to not like me. But I can force Amberpaw's brothers."

"You wouldn't!" Acornpaw hissed, suddenly filled with a mental picture of Stargleam surrounded by admiring toms.

"I would. After all, it's all about how great you are. That's what gets cats to like you."

Acornpaw sprang at the purple furred cat, who reached up on her hind legs, trying to bat the apprentice out of the air. But Acornpaw was to fast for her. The brown tabby flashed to the ground. Stargleam, unprepared for Acornpaw's speed, fell flat on her face, unbalanced. Acornpaw wasted no time in leaping onto Stargleam and holding her there, in the sunny forest clearing.

"You are very quick," Stargleam mused. "Even I can't flash, and I'm perfect."

"You're not perfect," Acornpaw hissed. "You never were, never are, and never will be."

"Oh, but I am, Acornflash," Stargleam meowed lightly. "And you might just find yourself perfect too, someday."

Darkness.

Acornpaw couldn't see.

It's like I've gone blind…

She caught a glimpse of amber eyes…or were they a strange orange color?

And then Dewpaw was waking her up, and then she was sitting next to Amberpaw nibbiling on some prey.

And then she made a promise to herself.

I won't end up like Stargleam, thinking I'm perfect when I'm not. And I won't let her scare me – or my friends – at all.

And anyway, she thought with a slightly shaky amused murrow. Purple fur isn't that attractive.

Author's Note:

So, there you have it. Acornpaw meets Stargleam in a dream.

I might add this as a chapter to the Adventures of the Acorn, but this was really just a promise to all of you that Acornpaw won't end up a Mary-Sue. This could take place in between Chapters 5 and 6.

Unlike Stargleam, who I don't own, xdarkrosex does.

I also don't own Warriors. That goes to Erin Hunter.

I only own Acornpaw. Well, this Acornpaw. How many cats are on here with the name Acornpaw again…?

Bye!