Rose woke to see that she was inside a spacious stone den, with soft, springy moss underpaw. She felt herself moving without her control, but no panic came to mind. She was calm, as if she had an idea of where she was going. "Let all cats old enough to stalk silently in the night, come here beneath the Sky Stone for a Clan meeting!" She called.

Groggily, cats began to crawl out of bushes surrounding the large, shining black boulder, which Rose assumed was the Sky Stone. She noticed small flecks of white light trapped inside the rock, and she was amazed at how beautiful it was. Obsidian, she remembered.

"Stormpaw, Skypaw, and Silverpaw have all completed their training," Rose began. She glanced at a fluffy white she-cat, a black tom, and a small, silver she-cat. "Snowsky, do you think that Stormpaw is ready to become a warrior?"

The fluffy white she-cat dipped her head, her blue eyes glowing. "Yes, Rosestar. I have never had a more obedient apprentice in my life." So her name was Rosestar. Interesting.

"Stormpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend the Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

A gray tabby with the same blue eyes as Snowsky nodded. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Stormpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Stormsky, in honor of your mentor. StarClan honors your bravery and courage in everything you do." Stormsky padded up to Rose and licked her shoulder while her head rested on the newly named Stormsky's head.

"Nightfeather, do you think that Skypaw has effeciently passed her warrior assessment?" Rose asked.

The black tom nodded, his dark, pine-colored eyes glinting with pride. "Yes, Rosestar. She has done well."

"Skypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend the Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Rose questioned.

Skypaw, a silver she-cat with white paws that were more fluffed up than the rest of her body, nodded eagerly.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Skypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Skyfeather, in honor of my brother. StarClan honors your fighting skills and your impressive loyalty." Rose took a moment to collect her thoughts. Her brother? Now that she thought about it, she had had a sibling that looked exactly like that tom. Had he also joined this 'Clan?' Skyfeather licked her shoulder, and she leapt down to stand beside Stormsky.

"Swiftsplash, do you think that Silverpaw has successfully passed her warrior assessment?" Rose asked. Wow, these ceremonies were getting real long.

The small silver she-cat dipped her head. "Never have I had such a quick apprentice, excellent at hunting and combat. She has even beat me in a race. Yes, Silverpaw more than deserves her warrior name."

Rose smiled as a few gasps escaped from the crowd of cats. "Silverpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend the Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Silverpaw dipped her head solemnly, but anyone could see her tail trembling with excitement. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Silverpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Silverflight, in honor of your astonishing swiftness. StarClan honors your strengths in hunting and running." Silverflight licked Rose's shoulder, and jumped down to stand next to her sisters.

Rose felt herself raise her muzzle to the sky and begin a chant. "Stormsky! Skyfeather! Silverflight! Stormsky! Skyfeather! Silverflight!" She lowered her muzzle, and found that the rest of the Clan was chanting along with her. She smiled again.

But the happiness was short-lived, as a black apprentice burst out of a stone crack in the side of the camp. Herb scent wafted from the cat, its eyes were were rolled back, and a huge bite on its shoulder oozed pus and blood. Cats sitting near that area let out a screech and backed away. Rose let out a battle cry and leapt straight onto the zombie cat, shattering its skull.

There was an eerie silence. Rose backed away from the corpse, and shakily told the Clan, "I-I'm going to go wash my paws..." She charged out of camp and to the Star River. She dipped her paws into the cold water, and all the blood washed off easily. After making sure that she had none of the stuff left on her, she went back to camp.

"No one is to go to the Star River to do anything except wash their paws," she ordered. "No cat should drink from it, lest they end up like Obsidianpaw there." Rose felt surprised. How did she know his name? And how did she know the Star River was called that? "Did anyone else get bitten by one of those weird zombie cats?" A few cats raised their tails. Rose recognized them as Flareflight, Blackpaw, and Milkyheart. "Okay," she said slowly, "you may have to go and become a loner. Wander as far as you can before you turn."

The bitten cats dipped their heads in acknowledgement. Flareflight's mate, Berrysky, instantly volunteered to go with them. "But Berrysky," Flareflight protested, "you might get turned into a zombie cat too!"

"I don't care," Berrysky meowed stubbornly. "I'm going."

Rose bowed her head. "I hate to do this," she sighed, "but you four are now exiled from NightClan. I really do hope you understand." She gazed at them, sorrow heavy in her heart. They dipped their heads, and charged out oof camp. Rose saw the four cats running as quickly as they could, before they were out of sight. "I hope they don't infect more cats," Rose murmured.

Then, she woke up for real.