My life has been unbearable since day one

My life has been unbearable since day one.

It's not that I'm a horrible person—I get good grades, I've got some friends. I can be annoying but I can act calm. My family's not rich, but we're not incredibly poor either. It's more the people in my family than my actual situation. Inattentive parents who have limited control over me or my actions. Nor do I, for that matter.

Ever since I could walk I've been riding. My family owns Hare Hill Riding Stables on the lake, a popular vacation spot for families with kids. I've never had my own horse; but I treated every horse my parents bought as if they had bought it for me and me alone. King is 'mine', you could say. His owner never comes to see him, but he needs attention or he'll start to get bored and bite himself. We're alike in so many ways, it scares me.

Now, why has my life been horrible? Because I've never had freedom.

As much as I hate my parents, they know how to raise a kid. (I'm their third and youngest at fifteen) They gave me boundaries and showed me what would happen if I crossed them. I don't leave the house except for school; no one can come over, I can't go over to anyone's houses. I do my chores in the house and the barn, get my homework done and I have to stay within seeing distance of the house. No joy rides around the lake; no parties, no sleepovers, no after school clubs or dances. My parents work all day, come home late, and go to sleep; I do all the work around the house. I can't go on trail rides without one of my parents, which is next to never; no jumping King, unless my parents are there; and, most of all, no pets.

Then I had this wonderful idea…

Why don't I run away? It would be easy enough with no one to watch me. Just take King and go. He'd follow me anywhere and I'd do anything to keep us together. I hatched a plan and soon it would take its course.

Little did I know that someone else that plans for me not too different from my own.

A warm breezeless night expanded across the moor. Barkface was waiting with his apprentice, Kestralpaw, near the border between WindClan and ThunderClan. Tonight was the half moon, which marked the meeting of the medicine cats of the Clans. Kestralpaw scented the air and pricked his ears.

"I smell Leafpool," he mewed. Barkface nodded.

"Jaypaw, as well. I wonder where Mothwing is tonight?"

Jaypaw listened to Leafpool leap over the stream that was the border between WindClan and ThunderClan, taking his time following her, measuring the distance and landing a bit off kilter but on his paws. He had scented the two WindClan medicine cats as soon as he and Leafpool had left camp; Barkface and Kestralpaw were always first. Jaypaw had yet to scent RiverClan or ShadowClan, but they would be along soon enough.

"Hello, Leafpool," greeted Barkface. "Lovely evening, isn't it?" They touched noses and Leafpool sat. Jaypaw nodded to Kestralpaw and took a spot a little way's off from him, silent. The grey tabby unnerved everyone; his blue eyes gave away that he couldn't see like other cats could, but he never acted as if he was different. Kestralpaw's nervousness came off in waves. The WindClan apprentice had never been comfortable with the blind medicine cat.

Soon they were joined by Littlecloud of ShadowClan; Mothwing and Willowpaw of RiverClan came bounding up not too much later. Jaypaw let the scents of the medicine cats guide him to the Moonpool; felt his paws sink into the prints of those past, heard the whispers of his ancestors mumbling to him.

"Jaypaw." He looked up at his mentor, Leafpool, as they settled down to drink the water from the Moonpool and dream. "Remember what we talked about," she mewed sternly.

With a grunt Jaypaw lay down, merely nodding to the she-cat. "Yes, Leafpool," he said in a bored tone. 'What we talked about' referred to Jaypaw's ability to walk into other cats' dreams uninvited and undetected. It was how he had found out that RiverClan had been pushed from their camp by twolegs, and how he had found out Mothwing did not dream with StarClan, but of regular things: hunting and chasing and her duties as medicine cat.

The icy cool water of the Moonpool slid down his throat as he drank it. He let sleep command him and the dream invade.

The dream was blindingly bright; pain pulsed through his veins. He refused to cry out; instead he gritted his teeth, squinted his eyes, and looked at what he could. Glimpses of scenes drifted by; a night sky, followed by a limp, shadowed figure, rain lashing down in all directions. A patrol of cats dragging something behind them; a Twoleg, astride a creature he remembered as a horse. Throughout it all, a voice rang out: 'Trouble will help trouble, mend what is broken, break what is whole, and so she will rule.' He tried to cry out as lightning forked through the sky, straight towards the girl—

As soon as it hit, he opened his eyes. He was panting heavily; as he looked around, he noticed the rest were still dreaming. Jaypaw calmed himself and shook his head. If what he saw was right…

The Clans were in trouble.

And he was the one who would save them.