CHAPTER 2

Fawnpaw woke abruptly, the camp still dark and silent. Her heart was pounding heavily against her ribs, her sides heaving as her lungs fought for breath. That dream was too realistic to be disregarded without hesitation, however much she wished to. Feeling eyes on her pelt, the apprentice scanned the large den. The other two apprentices occupying the den, Flamepaw and Sagepaw, were backed into a dark recess of the den, as far away from Fawnpaw as possible. Their kitten pelts were fluffed up in fear, and their eyes wide with worry. Sagepaw asked shakily, "Fawnpaw, are you okay? Y-you were yowling in your sleep."

Unable to bring herself to answer, Fawnpaw raced out of the den. Her mind went wild in a frenzy of thoughts. This couldn't be happening! 'It must have been a dream,' Fawnpaw thought. 'Yes, a dream.' That was the only logical conclusion. That couldn't have been a prophecy, and she couldn't be a chosen cat. The prophesized cats were brave like Firestar, strong like Bramblestar, and knowledgeable like Jayfeather. Fawnpaw inherited none of those traits; she was just an ordinary apprentice.

She continued to run blindly, until a strong force nearly pummeled her to the ground. She stopped in her tracks and dug her claws into the soft earth, her gaze taking in the handsome russet tom in front of her. A fleeting moment of embarrassment overtook her after realizing that she looked so frantic and uncleanly, but it was quickly overwhelmed by her continuous panic. "Rowanpelt," she tried to mew calmly, "why are you awake so early? It isn't even dawn yet."

His whiskers twitched as he responded jokingly, "I should ask you. Who could sleep with you lumbering around like a twoleg? To be honest, I'm surprised the rest of the clan isn't awake by now." After a few moments of Fawnpaw's silence, he continued with a more serious expression, "What's wrong, Fawnpaw? You seem troubled." Still, the she-cat remained quiet. Rowanpelt sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay, I understand, Fawnpaw. You don't want to tell me. At least join me for a bit of hunting. Maybe it will help you get over your worries."

Fawnpaw nodded slowly, following the large tom. His stride was strong and confident, while Fawnpaw trembled with every step she took. Cherryfrost was guarding the entrance to the camp at the time, her sleek ginger fur becoming ruffled in the gentle newleaf breeze. Her eyes filled with curiosity as she spotted the two approaching cats. She asked warmly, "May I help the both of you? It's a bit early to be wandering about, don't you agree?"

Rowanpelt nodded his head and mewed quietly, "Yes, but Fawnpaw and I were just going to go hunting for a bit. Could you let us through?"

The she-cat warrior glanced at him and hesitated momentarily before responding, "Of course." There was a twinkle of amusement in her eyes as she added, "Have fun, you two."

Fawnpaw lowered her head, following Rowanpelt out into ThunderClan territory. Her pelt was hot with embarrassment due to Cherryfrost's comment, but Rowanpelt didn't seem to take much notice of it. The two merely continued to walk in silence, never even glancing at the other, but Fawnpaw was grateful for this. The sweet silence was what she needed to clear her muddled head. The forest seemed void of life at the time, since most cats were still sleeping in their respective camps at such an early hour. Thanks to the elders, Fawnpaw knew that there used to be frequent border patrols, so it wasn't uncommon for cats to be in the forest just at the break of dawn. However, those patrols were nearly nonexistent now. There were usually only one or two patrols per day, and that was only to mark the borders that separated clan territory from unclaimed territory. There were no more battles between the different clans, so there was little need to patrol those borders. However, the threats of skirmishes between warriors and rogues and loners still remained.

After a while, the two cats arrived at the river dividing ThunderClan and WindClan. By this time, the sun had already appeared in the sky, turning it into its usual shade of daytime blue, with a few streaks of pink. "Let's hunt in the moors," Rowanpelt mewed suddenly, "There weren't many rabbits in the fresh-kill pile when I checked earlier, and you know how finicky the senior warriors can be about their meals."

Fawnpaw merely nodded in agreement, still too absorbed in her own thoughts to answer. She took tentative steps into the river, the current tugging at her paws. She would never get used to the cold, crawling feeling that water gave. How RiverClan was able to live, she would never know. Fortunately, she was able to cross the river without too much trouble. Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted Rowanpelt leaping over the river in one bound at a narrower section. In mock anger, the apprentice finally shouted, "That's not fair!"

The tom purred with amusement, and then replied, "Maybe you could've done the same if you were actually paying attention to where you were going. I had half a mind to surprise you back there, when you seemed too distracted to even walk." Fawnpaw was opening her mouth to respond when, with a shift of wind, she scented WindClan cats close by. She turned around, seeing two warriors and two apprentices approaching.

"Hello Rowanpelt and Fawnpaw. I haven't seen the two of you in a while," a ginger she-cat mewed. Fawnpaw was acquainted with the two warriors from previous gatherings, but only just. The one who had just spoken was Honeypetal, and the other was Sedgewhisker. However, the apprentices were foreign faces to her. Honeypetal continued, "Meet my new apprentice, Shiningpaw. The older one, Sedgewhisker's apprentice, is Fernpaw." Shiningpaw, enveloped in a mass of long, gray fur, looked at the ThunderClan cats quizzically. Fawnpaw murmured a greeting to the two apprentices, but didn't say much else.

Suddenly, the ground began to tremble. Fawnpaw felt invisible bodies pressing her from all sides, depriving her of air. She heard noises of fear and the sounds of wind brushing against the pelts of those trying to escape. The river was turbulent, as if whipped up by an imaginary storm. The water was thick, red with blood. There was a sickening splash each time a wave came crashing down. The skies became gradually darker, until it was near impossible to see anything around herself. Nothing above her offered any light. Although it appeared to be the middle of the night, there was no moon or stars to assist her. She was unable to move, let alone flee. A mewl filled with anxiety escaped Fawnpaw's throat, when the same, rasping voice repeated, "One must become four once more."

Even when the trembling finally ceased, Fawnpaw was disoriented, her vision harshly blurred. When she was able to see clearly again, she noticed that five pairs of shocked eyes were looking down at her. She was on the grassy earth, her pelt sticking out in random directions. Concern filling his voice, Rowanpelt mewed, "Fawnpaw, we need to get you to Lilyspring's den. Can you walk?" Walk? She could barely move her head. Nonetheless, she gave a weak nod, then struggled to her paws. Within the first step, she stumbled. Rowanpelt moved forward to support her with his shoulder, nudging her along.

Honeypetal mewed softly, "I will escort you to your camp, in case my assistance is needed." The three trudged slowly back into ThunderClan territory and towards the camp, but exhaustion soon wore them down like an invisible weight.

When they were finally a close distance to the camp, Fawnpaw found that she was able to support herself once more. She pushed ahead of the two warriors, and then ran unsteadily into the medicine cat's den, ignoring all shocked expressions. Lilyspring and Whisperpaw looked at her with puzzled expressions as she suddenly barged into their den. Fawnpaw raised her head, preparing herself to speak. She knew she couldn't hide it any longer; the issue was obviously real and in dire need of immediate attention. The apprentice wailed, her voice shaking with distress, "A sign has been sent to me, a new prophecy is upon us!"