Falconpaw stretched awake, yawning, and the dream came rushing back.

The haunting words rang in Falconpaw's ears, and he shivered. The image of the grey tom was imprinted in his mind.
What did it mean? Was it a prophecy, maybe? He could gather the tom had been warning him, but of what? The dream was slipping away like water through his paws, and the details were fuzzy as a caterpillar he'd caught as a kit. But the grave words were sticking in his head; he didn't know what to make of them, they were like an irritable thorn stuck in his paw...

But he was no medicine cat to interpret dreams- might it have been just that- a dream?

A paw prodded him. He looked up in alarm, only to fall back when he saw Waterpaw beside him, her head tilted.
"What's wrong?" she meowed, eyes sparkling with worry. "You look like you had a nightmare."

"No, just a confusing... dream." He mewed. She stilled looked worried, but she got to her paws and said, "Lightstar called a meeting."
He yawned, stretched, and pushed the dream out of his head. It was probably just was a dream.

Lightstar was sitting on the rock, looking frail. He sat near the back, trailing his paws in the dust. The sun beat on his back.

Soon every cat was gathered.
"It is my pleasure to tell you that Treetail has kitted. We welcome Lynxkit and Rosekit to RiverClan."
A few cats purred.

"Since Treetail will be unable to train Waterpaw now, I have decided to give her a new mentor who will finish her apprenticeship. Floodpelt, you will be Waterpaw's mentor."
Falconpaw watched as his denmate and father touched noses, and he sighed. It was a happy event, with his father training his friend, and new life flourishing in the Clan, but the prophecy- for that was what he assumed it was- weighed his paws down.
His mentor came up to him.

"Falconpaw." Emberwhisker greeted him. "I think it is high time you had a session of proper training-
without interruptions- and hunting and maybe a few spars."
Normally this would have been welcome, but Falconpaw sighed. "Okay."
~~~~~~~~~****~~~~~~~~

The day was cloudy. Thunder rumbled, but no rain was there- yet. Falconpaw faced Waterpaw, eyes narrowed, determined to win this time. He circled like a hawk, keeping her in sight. She darted forward, and he jumped back, hissing when she grinned as she circled back.

He charged forward, paws thumping against the ground, the sound cutting off abruptly as he leapt into the air.
Waterpaw scrabbled back in alarm, but too slowly, and he landed on her back. However, the broad shouldered apprentice mananged to shake him off. He landed on the ground, and blue silver paws pressed him there. "Alright!" he wheezed, furious he'd lost again.

Waterpaw stepped off, shaking her fur. Emberwhisker padded between them. "Falconpaw, you're smaller. Don't try to pin her. Use your advantages. Speed and stealth are on your side, so take heed of that. Try again."

This time he let Waterpaw attack, and he darted under her belly, butting upward. She tumbled back with a squeak.

Falconpaw purred. She was on her back, paws in the air, her fur dusty and messy.

She gave an indignant mew and got back up.

"Floodpelt flicked his gaze between them. "Waterpaw, you might want to roll when he does that. It'll help you keep balance. Falconpaw, that was good. Smaller cats usually work in pairs, though, to better their battle chances. I think, though, we will have you hunt now. Another four or three moons of training will finish up your apprenticeship. Now- I want both of you to go hunting. Come back with at least two pieces of prey."

Falconpaw trotted off toward the river, determined to fish more prey than any cat ever.

He leaned over the swift flowing water, looking at the low points and the white crests in the water. He stuck a paw out, his shadow trailing over the liquid, and frowned. All the fish were scattering the moment his paw fell over them.
"Might want to make sure your shadow doesn't fall over the river." A voice mewed behind him. He craned his head around and saw Waterpaw twisting to bury a water vole.

He purred. "Thanks. " Adjusting himself, he darted out a fleeting paw, shivering at the cold of the river, and felt a fish brush against his paw. He quickly unsheathed his claws, but the fish had swum away.
"Frog dung!" he hissed.
"Don't worry!" Waterpaw said brightly, sitting beside him. "Just keep trying."
So he attempted again, and again, and again. On his fourth try, a flopping, wriggling fish came up. He leapt back in alarm.

"Get it!" Waterpaw meowed, hopping back in surprise. Falconpaw struck with his claws, feeling them sink into the firm coolness of the fish. It flopped once more and fell still, shimmering.
"Whoa!" Waterpaw breathed, and she rubbed her muzzle against his, purring. "That was amazing!"

Falconpaw sat down. "I can tell you a story about the first fish," he offered, feeling a little like a kit again.

She nodded. "Okay, I guess."

"Once a long time ago, when StarClan first roamed the skies, there was a tom called Water. He was named thus because of his tendency to flee, his wavering courage and his thin blue fur. He was skirted from group to group of cats. No one wanted him very long because he was, well, useless. He was hopeless in marsh hunting, noisy in woodland hunting, and too slow in moor hunting. No-one lived by the river at that time, as it flooded and was considered dangerous.
"So Water thought he should try his luck by the river with no scathing words or nips of anger. At first life was good there; he was only one cat and there plenty of water birds and water voles for him to feast on.

But one day, eventually, news of the hunter passed n among the prey, and they hid. Leaf bare was coming; too, and Water had nothing to eat. He was starved and eventually the hunger drove him to try and cross the river back to the woodlands. But as he crossed, he noticed that there were things in the water, and he thought them strange. He used his paws to catch one, and saw that it was shiny and warm!

"He took a bite, and to his surprise, found that they were to his liking. So from then on, cats ate fish."

He finished his story, and then sprang up. "Oh no! We are supposed to catch two pieces of prey. We'd better hurry and catch two more."

He dashed off, sniffing, and saw a blackbird tugging a worm out of the ground. He slowly slunk toward it, breathing shallowly. He sprang, pinning as it flapped beneath his paws.
A chill swept through the clearing. Falconpaw noticed that the leaves on the trees were turning crimson and gold and orange and were dropping off.

Leaf-fall had arrived.