Chapter Three: Sweet Dreams

FORESTCLAN, WILDPAW'S POV

After gobbling down a quick vole, Wildpaw hurried to the apprentice's den for some rest so she wouldn't be exhausted at the Gathering later. Flintpaw tried to talk to her, but she flatly told him she had to sleep.

If it was one thing Wildpaw was known for, it was her spice and attitude. She still held a grudge on Flintpaw for saying nothing in her defense when she had been insulted as a kit. In fact, this was the first time he had even said a word to her since. He probably just wanted to be friends with the hero apprentice who found the starlings.

The silver tabby she cat curled into her fresh, moss nest and pressed her eyelids together, willing herself through her excitement to fall asleep. Finally, she did, though not in the sleep she expected.

When she opened her eyes, she was amid the lush woodland of ForestClan territory. The cool night air tickled her whiskers and whispered through he silver pelt.

Wildpaw tipped her chin up to look at the stars. To her awe, they were slowly moving, dancing toward each other. They came to form a single cat, who leapt from the velvet midnight sky with ease. Her ginger and black tortoiseshell fur shone silver in the light of the almost-full moon, and her round blue green eyes captured the starlight.

She touched her nose gently to Wildpaw's in greetings. "Welcome to StarClan, Wildpaw." It's real, StarClan is real… The silver tabby apprentice had to admit that she was slightly skeptical when she heard of StarClan, but now she knew it was true.

"A- am I allowed here?" "Of course you are, my dear." The she-cat purred. "You may call me Foreststar, or simply Forest." Wildpaw widened her golden eyes in shock. One of the first nursery tales she had heard was of the four heroic cats who each created their own Clan. "Why am I here?" Wildpaw meowed, gaining back her confidence as she knew she was accepted. She held her head high and met the StarClan she cat's unearthly glowing eyes, which sparkled admirably.

"I see you have confidence and bravery. You will need to put this to good use on the road that lies ahead." "What are you speaking of?" Wildpaw asked, tilting her head to the side. Forest sat back on her haunches and wrapped her tortoiseshell striped tail around her paws. "All is not well for the Clans. These tragedies are signs- sent by higher powers."

What could possibly be greater than StarClan? "What do they mean?" The silver tabby apprentice inquired. "There is a storm on the horizon, my child. It cannot be stopped. You are part of the hope that the Clans will live on. Cats like you who have been plagued by tragedies are more fit than any other to do this."

Wildpaw was baffled. "Surely there must be a leader or warrior more fit than I! I'm not even Clanborn!" Forest regarded her gently. "We've spoken to all of the leaders and medicine cats in turn, in high hopes that they would be willing to move their Clans somewhere else. But they have lived so long in old traditions that they cling to this place as stubbornly and strongly as the roots in the trees. But the younger generation-" She leaned in- "They have the hope, bravery, and spirit to carry all the Clans on their shoulders. You and three other young, brave cats must travel far from the storm to start Clans of your own."

The silver tabby was shocked. Surely they would choose a Clanborn cat to do this job!

Forest touched her nose softly to Wildpaw's head. "You have a strong, fiery spirit that will guide you on this quest. You are just as Clanborn as any cat, if not more." She pulled back, and the world started melting away. "There will be one cat from each Clan, apprentices like you, at the Gathering tonight. Speak to them. Make plans to journey far." Wildpaw felt her dream slowly fading into memories. "Wait! Which cats are they?" "You will know," the whispered voice of Forest replied as the vision shattered.

NIGHTCLAN, PEBBLEPAW'S POV

Pebblepaw stretched her long legs and shambled towards the apprentice den.

Ugh, that's the last time I eat a sparrow that big! She thought and crashed into her nest. She was the only apprentice in there, and she was thankful to have some alone time to rest before the Gathering.

The Gathering! The mere thought of the word sent excited shivers down her spine and had her heart beating wildly in her chest. And to think it was only her first day being an apprentice! She rolled over and squeezed her eyes shut as tightly as they would go, and after emptying her mind she fell into a deep slumber.

She sighed contentedly until she felt the squelch of mud between her paw pads. "Wha-" she started and opened her pale blue eyes only to see the swamps of NightClan territory.

The very few evergreen trees that made their homes their stretched up impossibly high to the soft, dark blue sky, which was covered thickly with the stars of StarClan. She could barely make out the shapes of cats formed by the stars, and one of the forms twitched and came to life before her very eyes. The tom had deep, rich brown fur with darker flecks and eyes the color of pine trees.

He approached her on paws as silent as an owl's wings and regarded her with a nod. "Greetings, and welcome to StarClan." He meowed in a deep, quiet voice. Pebblepaw's eyes widened. "Am I dead?" She whispered. "No, of course not, kit." The tom chuckled.

"Hey, I'm not a kit!" Pebblepaw mewed, her blue eyes flashing with defiance.

The tom slowly blinked his iridescent green eyes thoughtfully. "I believe I have forgotten to introduce myself. I am Nightstar, though I usually go by Night." Pebblepaw's jaw dropped in shock and she quickly snapped it shut before bowing respectfully. This was the very cat who created NightClan! "Rise, youngling. You are more than worthy to stand in front of me."

Pebblepaw raised her head with a questioning glance. "Why is that?"

The brown tom looked off into the distance and began in little more than a hushed whisper. "You know of the tragedies, do you not?" He chuckled humorlessly, "Why of course you do! Your sister's life was recently taken, wasn't it?" Pebblepaw felt a pang of misery but cleared that from her eyes and gave a firm nod. "Well, these happenings aren't just a bunch of coincidences. They are… signs, if you will. They were sent by something higher than StarClan itself."

Pebblepaw looked to the sky in awe. Something greater than StarClan is up there!

"These signs are warnings of an even greater tragedy to come- and it's just over the horizon." The blue gray apprentice's eyes were wide and her ears were perked in attention. "You were born for a reason, Pebblepaw. You are one of the only hopes that the four Clans will live on." "What?" The NightClan apprentice nearly shrieked. "No, that's impossible. Surely a warrior or a leader would do a better job than a puny apprentice!"

Night narrowed his green eyes and spoke in a strained voice. "We have spoken to each of the leaders and medicine cats. Of course, they didn't listen. They're to stuck in their old ways to hear us out and move to someplace safer." The NightClan leader sighed heavily and bowed his head in utter defeat. "The Clans aren't great and heroic, like they were in the days of old." Pebblepaw was shocked to see a cat with so much power so vulnerable and helpless like this.

"I will help, Night." The small she cat said as bravely as she could.

The tom looked at her, a new kindled hope in his deep green eyes. "I always new that you would, young apprentice. There's a reason you scented that fox before a senior warrior."

He cleared his throat. "There is a cat from each Clan like you- they are all apprentices, and they are all receiving a dream like this. They will all be at the Gathering tonight, each on there first day of apprenticeship. Seek them out, and speak to them about this. You must travel far and start a new generation of Clans." He stood up and the dream slowly started to fade. "You have a bright spirit, youngling. You are the blaze at the end of the dark tunnel, part of the hope that the Clans will live on." Before Pebblepaw could ask the million questions she had on her mind, the dream ended abruptly like the life of a mouse underneath a warrior's claws.

FLIGHTCLAN, WOLFPAW'S POV

Wolfpaw sighed deeply as he rested on the cool ground, trying unsuccessfully to cool off in the blistering green-leaf heat.

There was never a tree in sight on this bare moor, but Wolfpaw wouldn't trade his territory and his Clan for anything in the world. It was all he had left to remember Heatherpaw, who so loved the heat and running through the meadow. He figured that this was the only thing grounding him to complete sanity.

Pushing himself to his paws, he padded with aching paws into the burrow that created the apprentice den. He curled up on the dry, cool earth and decided to try to get some sleep before he had to travel a long ways to the Gathering tonight. Yes, he was proud that he fought the badger, but the only thing that would have made him happy is if Heatherpaw had been their to congratulate him. Sighing, the last thought the dark gray apprentice had was a prayer to StarClan to spare him from the recurring nightmares.

When he opened his bright yellow eyes, his heart fell when he realized he was on the same plain within FlightClan territory where the nightmare of the battle took place. But this time the sandy ground bore no blood, and his heart bore not a trace of fear. He gazed at the twinkling stars in wonder. The shapes they formed resembled cats running over a meadow.

One of the shapes suddenly streaked across the sky and circled in a wide running arc, spiraling down towards the apprentice. This must be StarClan, he thought as the cat slowed and touched down onto the ground gracefully. Her long, sweeping tabby fur was the light golden brown of wheat and her eyes twinkled the brightest shade of yellow.

"Welcome, Wolfpaw!" She greeted in a light, cheerful mew. "Am I in StarClan? Have I died?" He asked, baffled. The she cat laughed and circled around him. "No, silly one!" She sat in front of him and curled her bushy tail over her paws.

"My name is Flightstar, but you can call me Flight." Wolfpaw blinked silently and thoughtfully, then bowed his head in respect for the very first leader of his beloved Clan. "Rise, my dear warrior. Do not feel any duty to me."

She lifted his chin with the tip of her tabby striped tail to meet her eyes. "You're very quiet, aren't you? And troubled beyond your young years… but you are more fit for your journey than any other cat in FlightClan." Wolfpaw backed away from her tail and spoke quietly and seriously. "Does StarClan have a message for me?"

Flight blinked her bright eyes and looked at him thoughtfully. "You know more about the pain of the tragedies than most, don't you? A friend of yours was killed recently, I believe."

Wolfpaw's eyes blazed. "She was not just a friend, I loved her!" He hissed.

The FlightClan leader touched her nose gently to his. "I understand this, and I don't doubt it." She continued, "But these tragedies are happening for a reason. A great horror will plague the Clans, my apprentice, and nothing can stop it. The recent tragedies pale in comparison- they are just signs, sent by a great power above even StarClan."

Wolfpaw took in every detail with care. When he had absorbed it, he asked, "Why are you telling me this?" Flight smiled sadly at him. "Because you are part of the hope- the light in the darkness, to carry on the Clans." Wolfpaw's yellow eyes were wide. He was not skeptical at all- why would StarClan lie? But he was confused.

"Why would you choose a cat who has been an apprentice for but a day? Why not a leader, or a deputy, or a medicine cat, at that?" The light brown tabby sighed, her eyes gleaming with sadness. "We have spoken to the leaders and medicine cats from each Clan long ago. But they refused to move to a place safer than this. They are stuck in old traditions."

Her yellow gaze bore deeply into his. "There is an apprentice from each Clan who has lived through some sort of challenge or tragedy. This is their first day of apprenticeship as well, and tonight they will all be at the Gathering. Seek them out. You will need to make a journey unlike any other- and leave the Clans behind." With that, the dream started to fade away on a passing breeze. Right before it ended, he heard the faint whisper of Flight in his ears, "You are cunning and intelligent. There is a reason you saw that badger first. Use your skills well on your travels, and save the Clans!"

STREAMCLAN, EMBERPAW'S POV

Emberpaw held his head high as he strolled across the camp.

Several warriors, even the leader, had murmured about his courage and strength and how he had stopped another tragedy by saving Otterpaw from drowning.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you, Emberpaw!" The dark red-brown apprentice mewed and burrowed her face in his chest fur. Emberpaw touched his nose to the top of her head. He had to admit, he had a crush on the apprentice, but who wouldn't? She was pretty, smart, and a good hunter!

But Emberpaw froze suddenly, thinking back to his vision as a kit. He had been in love with some cat, he remembered. And the cat wasn't from StreamClan…

The bright ginger apprentice looked down at Otterpaw sadly. He wouldn't get to be with her! Plus, the vision didn't even take place in StreamClan territory. Emberpaw pulled away abruptly from the pretty she cat. This doesn't feel right, my vision… wait, I'm not a medicine cat, why do I have visions in the first place? He fled to the apprentice den without a word.

Thankfully, Otterpaw understood that he wanted to be left alone and he curled up into the tightest ball he could muster. Squeezing his golden eyes shut, Emberpaw begged for a sleep that wasn't riddled with abstract visions. As soon as he blinked his eyes open again, he realized he was dreaming.

He was standing on the clearing near the river that separates StreamClan and NightClan. The river gurgled quietly as it flowed past, reflecting the rich velvet sky and stars, and the grass under paw was soft and slightly damp. All was peaceful. Yes! No vision!

"Had enough rejoicing?" A voice behind him said dryly and broke into his happiness.

Emberpaw whipped around and saw a starry cat leap from the sky and pad towards him. The bright ginger tom could tell by the way his pale silver tabby pelt glimmered with light and the way his icy blue eyes captured the stars that this was a StarClan cat. The tom sat on his haunches across from the apprentice and flicked his tail.

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Emberpaw challenged. The tom chuckled. "Ah, we've got a fighter. Anyways-" the tabby held up a paw and inspected his claws. "-You may know me as Streamstar, but I prefer Stream." Oh. "You created StreamClan." The ginger tom mewed in awe.

"Oh, I didn't know that! Thanks for informing me!" Stream meowed sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "You may also know that I was a medicine cat as well as a leader." Something about the way this tom seemed to be bragging irked Emberpaw.

"Well, don't just sit there and boast, give me some sort of message or whatever you need to do."

The StreamClan leader sighed dramatically and flicked a tuft of moss from in between his paw pads. "Listen, kit. This is serious business. You know the tragedies, right? Yeah, of course you do. Anyways, those are just tiny fleas, annoyances, really, warning the Clans of something terrible that is to come."

Emberpaw narrowed his eyes. "What is it?" he asked. "Well, if I knew I would've told you!" Stream scoffed. "The warnings are being sent by something even more mighty than StarClan."

How is that even possible? Emberpaw glanced up, wanting to catch a glimpse of whatever it was. "Well, why do I need to know this?" Emberpaw asked. "Why don't you tell the leader or medicine cat? They would actually know what to do!"

Stream flicked his bushy tabby tail against the ground. "We already tried! But did they listen? No. They're sticks in the mud; they refuse to leave!"

The silver tabby leaned in. "That's where you come in. Your generation is more ready for change." His icy blue eyes locked on the apprentice. "At the Gathering tonight there will be an apprentice from each Clan. Find 'em. You four will need to travel farther than ever imagined. There's a reason you are the one who has those visions."

Emberpaw leapt to his paws. "What are those visions about? Why me?" Stream curled his lip in a snarl. "Why are you complaining? You have a gift! Use it to the full extent!" Emberpaw took a step back, shocked. "Are you telling me I need to be a medicine cat? I can't! I was born a warrior!" He nearly roared. The StreamClan leader's blue eyes gleamed. "Who said you can't be both?" And with that, the dream was gone in a flash.

There's Chapter three! (NOTE: I DIDN'T STEAL THIS FROM THE NEW PROPHECY SERIES, BUT IT WAS HEAVILY INSPIRED BY IT.) Review and critique!