I slept soundly last night. No omen this time. I'm grateful for this as I stretch and make my way out of the warriors den. However my good mood drains when Wolfstar beckons me over to her den. "Mistfeather told me you received an omen a couple nights ago. Tell me about it," she says once we're in the privacy of her den. I proceed to tell her about the sun disappearing from the sky above the clearing and the sudden wind that blew leaves all around me. I tell her about the voice I heard, telling me the omen. By the time I am done, Wolfstar has a very troubled look on her face. "We'll have to keep an eye out for this cat amongst the other clans, and even among our own kits when new ones are born. We must figure out who this cat is so we know what we're dealing with," she says in a very distraught tone. She quickly changes the subject though; "Speaking of kits, have you told Rowanwing yet?" she asks me, her tone lighter now.

"Not yet. I'm still trying to figure out how," I reply.

"It isn't too difficult. I remember telling my mate the first time I was expecting kits. I thought for days how to tell him, until one day I just decided it was easier to just...tell him, instead of figuring out a certain way how."

"What was your mate's name, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I don't mind at all. His name was Spidertooth. He died of a bad wound infection two moons after I became leader."

"I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm sure he was a great warrior."

"Yes, he was a very fine warrior. He almost became my deputy."

"How many kits did you guys have? I know Owlclaw and Newtberry are your sons, but did you have others?"

"Well, Newtberry had a sister who was stillborn, we named her Ashkit despite that, and then Owlclaw was an only kit. I had only them before I became deputy."

"Oh, wow, that's horrible. I'm so sorry."

"Thank you. Now, I think you should go find Rowanwing and tell him your good news."

"Ok!" I say as a prance out of her den.

I find Rowanwing still asleep in the warriors den, so I gently shake him awake. "Sleeping in, I see," I tease him once he's awake.

"What do you want?" he says in mock irritation, but the soft look on his face tells me he's only teasing back.

"Well, you asked me the other day why I was so jumpy and said if I decide to talk to you about it you'll listen. I've decided to talk, so you listen; I'm expecting your kits."

"That's wonderful! How far along are you?"

"Only a couple of days."

"Well then, we must spread the news!" he says excitedly as he rushes out of the warriors den, reminding me of a kit about to become an apprentice.

By the end of the day, the whole camp knows I'm expecting kits. Amberleaf, who's almost as excited as Rowanwing and I are, has already congratulated me multiple times. Everywhere one of us goes in camp, there is at least one cat congratulating us and asking if we've picked any names yet. I feel bad when Thornpaw comes over with a sullen look on his face. "Does this mean I can't be an apprentice anymore?" he mews in a sad voice.

"Nonsense! I just can't train you anymore. Wolfstar will assign a new mentor to you," I say to him. This brightens him a little bit, but I can still tell something is wrong. "What is it?" I ask.

"I just…I don't want a different mentor. I want you to teach me!"

"I know, little one, but I can't. I promise I'll watch your final assessment though," I meow encouragingly. "In the meantime, you still have a long ways to go until that time, so I want you to be good for your new mentor and continue to work hard."

"Ok!" he says, and takes off to go find his sister. Suddenly he halts a few tail lengths away though and turns to run back to me. "Congratulations, by the way!" he says and then takes off again.

Wolfstar has just climbed onto the Clanrock for a clan meeting to announce Thornpaw's new mentor. I can see some of the younger warriors buzzing with excitement, hoping they'll be the ones chosen to continue his training. Wolfstar's voice rings out across the camp as she calls us together for the meeting. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Clanrock for a meeting!" We all gather around the giant rock like she said. Once we've all gathered, she announces "As you all know, Brightheart is currently expecting Rowanwing's kits." I look over see Rowanwing glowing with pride next to me. "As you also know, she is currently the mentor to Thornpaw. Now, she cannot be in the nursery and mentor an apprentice at the same time, so Thornpaw must be given a new mentor. Thornpaw, please step forward." He obeys and steps forward with a nervous look on his face. "Your new mentor will be Blackfur. I hope she will pass down all she knows onto you. Blackfur, please come forward." The she-cat walks over to where her new apprentice is. At this point he is almost bouncing with excitement. "Blackfur, you are ready to take on your first apprentice. You have received excellent training from Nightwhisker, and you have proven yourself to be loyal and brave during battle. You will be the new mentor of Thornpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him." Blackfur and Thornpaw touch noses, and the meeting ends. We all scatter to continue what we were doing before the meeting. Rowanwing and I walk off in awkward silence, unsure of what to do since we weren't doing much before the clan meeting.

"Wanna go take a walk in the woods?" I suggest to him. "We haven't done that in awhile."

"Don't you need to rest though? I'm sure it must be tiring carrying kits in your belly."

"I'm fine. It's only been a few days since I found out."

"Ok, if you insist."

"Yes, I do insist. Now let's go!" I meow to him as I run through the entrance like a new apprentice. When I'm a few tail lengths from the end of the thorn tunnel that forms the entrance, I look back to see if Rowanwing is following, and to my surprise see him walking through the entrance. I slow down to a halt and turn back to him. "C'mon you slow poke!" I meow teasingly to him.

He trots a little to get next to me, then says "I really don't think you should be running right now, and plus you said we'd go for a walk in the woods, not a run." I roll my eyes at him, but do as he pleases.

"You don't need to be so protective of me. I'm carrying kits; I'm not a fragile elder! Also, again, I'm only a few days in," I say to him, rather annoyed.

"Ok, I'll stop. I'm sorry," he meows, though I can tell he's not completely serious.

"I'll make a deal with you; if you stop being so protective, I'll start being more careful," I meow back. He seems satisfied with this, so we continue our walk.

We walk along in silence and with our tails entwined as we enjoy the crisp, cool air of a late leaf fall is a small breeze rustling the trees, but other than that it is completely quiet. The moon shines bright from the starry sky above our heads, illuminating our path and adding an eerie glow to the trees. An owl sounds overhead, breaking the silence. I jump, startled, and trip over a root. "Oof," I mew as I hit the ground.

"Brightheart! Are you ok?" Rowanwing's looking at me with a concerned look on his face.

"Yes, I'm fine. I can't say the same for this mouse though," I say as I stand up, revealing the mouse I fell on. Rowanwing chuckles in amusement.

"Nice catch," he says with a mischievous look on his face.

"Gee, thanks," I meow back to him. I pick up the mouse to carry back to camp.

"Thornpaw! Aim for where I'm going to be, not where I am now. Otherwise I'll already be somewhere else and I'll have the advantage!" Blackfur instructs and rolls her eyes as Thornpaw makes the same mistake once again. I woke up early this morning and have been sitting in the clearing watching how Thornpaw's training is going. I want so bad to go train him myself, but I know it's not possible carrying kits. Plus, Rowanwing would never let me. He's still being very protective of me, despite our deal. I had just barely convinced him to let me watch Thornpaw, and he absolutely refused to let me train him in any way shape or form. I'm rather surprised he didn't insist on coming with me to make sure I don't start training Thornpaw again.

Thornpaw looks over to me with frustration in his eyes. I can tell he's trying his best to please both me and Blackfur. I make eye contact with Blackfur and summon her over with my tail

"Just Blackfur," I say as Thornpaw tries to follow his mentor. He stops a few tail lengths away, still in earshot, but fine if we're quite. We turn our backs to him to make even harder for him to overhear us. "Try demonstrating the move on me. He works better if he's shown what to do," I meow to her in a hushed voice.

"But Rowanwing forbade you to train him," she says in protest.

"I won't be training him. You'll still be doing that part. I'm just going to be your demonstration. Also, Rowanwing never has to know about it."

"Ok," she mews reluctantly.

"Please. Just this once, for old times' sake?" We were apprentices together even though I'm three moons older than her."

"Ok fine. But I am to do the hard stuff; you just dodge and move around."

"Deal," I say as we turn back to face Thornpaw once more. "Blackfur and I are going to demonstrate for you, so pay close attention," I say to him. I get into a defensive stance. Blackfur mirrors me as we circle around for a bit, then she strikes out at me. I quickly dodge it, but she expected that and manages to land a decent blow to my head. I shake my head a bit and slash back at her, and get her hard on the side of the head. This shocks her and she stumbles back, stopping a few tail lengths away.

"You weren't supposed to do that! We agreed that I'd be the one striking while you dodge and move around!" the she-cat mews, irritated.

"Well it worked though, didn't it?" I say stubbornly.

"I think I got it now," Thornpaw interjects quickly before we start arguing.

"Ok, then try it on me again," Blackfur says and gives me an irritated look.

"Ok!" Thornpaw meows as he gets ready to strike. He misses, but immediately strikes again with his other and hits her on her shoulder, knocking her paws out from under her.

"Nice hit!" I say to him as Blackfur gets up.

"Let's call it a day and head back to camp," she says, and starts walking along the trail that leads to the camp. Thornpaw and I follow her.

"I wish you were my mentor still," he mutters to me.

"I know, but give Blackfur a break. You're her first apprentice, and I can tell that she's stressed about training you," I meow back to him, making sure Blackfur can't hear me.

"Ok," he says. We continue walking in silence until we reach the thorn tunnel and enter the camp. Rowanwing is waiting for me when I get inside.

"You demonstrated a move with Blackfur!?" he says, highly irritated. "I told you no training!"

"I wasn't training! Thornpaw was having a difficult time learning the move he was being taught, so Blackfur demonstrated it on me!" I shoot back defensively.

"That's not what she said! She said you slashed at her and got her on the side of the head! That doesn't sound like letting her demonstrate on you to me! That sounds like you were the one doing the demonstrating!" he says with a slight hiss.

"So I landed a single blow to her head! Big deal! To me all that matters it that Thornpaw got the move after that!"

"So you're saying our kits don't matter to you?!"

"I never said that now did I? I just said that it mattered that Thornpaw got the move!"

"You said that that was all that matters, so you might as well have said that!"

"Our kits do matter to me! Don't ever accuse me of not caring about our kits!" I growl, and stalk off towards the warriors den to cool down and get some sleep. I hear pawsteps behind me and look to see if he's following me, but it's Blackfur who's behind me. "You ratted me out!" I hiss at her.

"Brightheart, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to start an argument between you two. I just thought he should know," she mews, clearly afraid of me. I am bigger than her and could easily fight with her if I wanted to, and win, so I can see how she is intimidated by me. However, I decide not to fight her and continue on to the warriors den. "Brightheart I'm sorry!" she calls out again, but I ignore her and enter the empty warriors den. I lay down in Amberleaf's nest, not wanting to lay next to Rowanwing's nest right now, and doze off. I wake up in a strange forest. Oh no, is this another omen? I think to myself. I look around to see if there's anything familiar about this forest, and spot a beautiful silver and light-brown-speckled she-cat with brown paws, tail and ears standing a few tail lengths away in some brush. The she-cat notices I've seen her and steps forward, closing the gap between us until she's only about a single tail length away "Hello, Brightheart," she meows warmly.

"How do you know my name?" I ask her, a bit wary.

"I've been watching you grow up in ShadowClan from here in StarClan," she replies with a purr of amusement.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Cherrynose. I'm your mother." This renders me speechless. Am I really in StarClan with my mother right now? I wonder to myself. I stare at her for a few minutes, awed by how incredibly beautiful she is. She's beautiful. No wonder my father fell for her, I think, but I don't voice this. Her words repeat themselves over and over again in my mind, I'm your mother.

"You're...you're my mother?" I finally manage to get out, still questioning whether this is all real.

"Yes."

"And I'm your father." A tom with a pelt the color of flames but spotted with black and an orange-brown color steps out from the brush. Again I am speechless. "My name is Firestorm," the tom meows.

"I know what you must be thinking; 'why am I just now meeting you?' I can explain," Cherrynose meows to me in a soothing tone. "We didn't want to hinder your loyalty to ShadowClan, but you have proven yourself to be a loyal ShadowClan warrior, despite your ThunderClan heritage."

"So what Lilyrain and Raventail say is true? I really am ThunderClan?"

"Yes. You and Amberleaf were taken by rogues only hours after you were born. That's how your father and I died. We thought they'd killed you too, until Icestar showed us you were still alive."

"Icestar? Who's Icestar?"

"An old leader of ThunderClan, well before Stormstar was even born."

"Why are you here though? And why am I in StarClan? Am I dead?" I meow, starting to panic a little.

"No, you are not dead. We are here to guide you," Firestorm meows.

"Guide me? With what? Is this about that dream I had?"

"Yes," he says. "It was an omen, as you already know, and we are here to guide you on how to protect the clans from this cat."

"But who is this cat? Is it someone we know?"

"No. This cat has not yet been born, but you need to prepare the clans for when she is born, for it has been foretold that when she is born, the ground will shake and clouds will cover the sun. Dark times will be upon the clans."

"But, why me? I'm not a leader, nor a medicine cat," I mew, a bit frightened now.

"This is true, but you are the cat StarClan has chosen," my mother speaks this time. "You are the only one who can save the clans from this cat."

Pinedust- Ha! Chapter 2! Guess who's off to a better start?

Snowcloud- I'm taking my sweet time so my story is better. Whatcha got to say to that?

Pinedust- Whatever. I still think mines better. Brightheart has kits for crying out loud!

Snowcloud- Snowpaw is still an APPRENTICE!

Pinedust- Ok fine, but that's not my fault. I decided to start my main character off as a warrior, you decided to start yours off as an apprentice, we have different writing styles. What's your point?

Snowcloud- My point? My point is that we should probably stop fighting. We're suppose to be friends. We keep fighting. Why?

Pinedust- I don't know, cuz it's fun and entertaining? You're right though, we should at least try to get along.

Snowcloud- Yay!

Foxmoon- *from where ever she is* IT'S ABOUT TIME!

Pinedust- *whispers to Snowcloud* how does she keep doing that? And where the heck is she?

Snowcloud- She is in the warriors den; she should be ON PATROL *yells to make sure Foxmoon hears*

Foxmoon- NOT TILL SUN-HIGH!

Pinedust- How can she hear us from there? We're on the opposite side of camp!

Snowcloud- She has super hearing, that's the only explanation.

Pinedust- *sarcastically* no...really? I didn't notice. *seriously* it's kinda creepy though if you ask me.

Snowcloud- Let's stop being mean to Foxmoon and wrap this up. Ok?

Pinedust- Ok! See you next time! Pinedust out!