Dream rolled out from under him and purred, "Yeah, we will. Let's get this prey to the elders!"

Ashpaw gathered his pile together and began to walk towards the ravine, and Dreampaw follow with her prey. She couldn't help but admire the muscles that rippled under his pelt and found herself gazing dreamily at him.

"Dream, one day, could you show me your old Clan?" Ashpaw meowed.

"I don't know Ashpaw, if they found me, they would kill me, or worse." She murmured.

"What's worse than being killed?" Ashpaw questioned.

"Many things. Being tortured, force mated with…" She muttered angrily.

Ashpaw stopped in his tracks, and snarled, his back arching. "Force mating? If they ever did that to you I would kill them! I wouldn't let them do that to you!" He meowed.

Dreampaw smiled thankfully at him, and listened as he went on.

"You know, I really don't think it's proper to mate unless you are actually mates with the cat, and you love them."

Dreampaw nodded her head in agreement, "I'll take you to BloodClan, because you're my friend, but you have to promise to not let yourself be seen!"

Ashpaw nodded and purred, "Don't worry, I'll protect you!"

Ashpaw followed Dreampaw into the camp, and emptied his prey out into the freshkill pile.

"Grab two pieces of prey for the elders that should be enough to fill their bellies."

Dreampaw grabbed a squirrel and a sparrow, and padded towards the elder's den.

Ashpaw meowed, "Good afternoon!"

The elders all meowed a cheery greeting and a tortoiseshell colored she cat purred, "Thank StarClan you bought prey!"

Dreampaw padded over to her and laid the squirrel at her paws.

"Thank you, dear. So how are you liking ThunderClan?"

"It's great! Thanks for asking." She responded.

"No problem, I am glad to see you like it here. One piece of advice, dear, many cats here in ThunderClan don't take to well to newcomers, and neither will some of the cats from the other Clans. Don't pay any attention to them. Everything happens for a reason!" She purred.

The elder cat had a strange twinkle in her eye, as if she knew more then she was saying.

Dreampaw merely nodded and meowed, "Thanks, Dappletail."

She laid prey at each of the elder's feet, and followed Ashpaw out of the den's entrance. Her stomach growled and Ashpaw gave her an amused look.

"Hungry?" He asked.

"Starving!"

They both bounded over the fresh kill pile, and skidded to a stop. Dreampaw stopped to poke around the fresh kill pile, wondering what to get.

"Did you feed the elders?" A familiar voice sounded.

She looked up, and saw Firestar sitting next to her, his eyes lit with warmth, and a smile on his face.

"Of course, Firestar." She purred.

"Good, tomorrow, be awake by dawn, I will be giving you a tour of the territory."

"Yes Firestar."

Firestar nudged her flanked, and padded off to a group of senior warriors near his den, including Whitestorm.

Dreampaw finally decided on a squirrel, and padded over to Ashpaw by the tree stump.

"Hey." He meowed.

He poked at his food and sighed, resting his head on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"Well, remember how you told me they force-mated in your old Clan?"

"Yeah, what about that?"

"Did they ever do that to you?"

"No! Why do you ask?"

"Thank StarClan! It had me worrying all day!" He purred in relief.

Ashpaw licked her shoulder and began to eat his rabbit.

She gave a small mraw of laughter, and began to eat her squirrel as well.

Once they had finished their food, they began to groom each other's pelts.

"How do you like being an apprentice?"

"It's really, really great!"

"That's good, hey, you have a flea on your shoulder, let me get it off for you."

Ashpaw plucked the flea off of her shoulder, and purred, "There you go!"

"Thanks!"

"No problem!"

He licked her ear and meowed, "Come on, I am going to introduce you to the other apprentices."

She followed him into the apprentice den, and gazed at the five cats standing before her.

Ashpaw gestured towards a she cat that looked a lot like him and meowed, "This is Fernpaw, my sister."

The dark brown cat in the corner was Bramblepaw, and the tortoiseshell she cat was Tawnypaw, a golden brown tom named Thornpaw, and a ginger and white she cat named Brightpaw.

Brightpaw turned to face her, and Dreampaw ears flicked.

"Hi, Dreampaw." Brightpaw meowed.

"Hey." She responded.

Half of Brightpaw's face was torn away, pink scars was all that was left of it.

Brightpaw seemed to sense her looking, and turned away, shuffling her paws.

"Don't worry; you are the same as any cat to me. I won't judge you based on your looks." Dreampaw meowed.

Brightpaw turned to face her, and smile spread across her face, and Dreampaw smiled as well.

"Thanks, welcome to ThunderClan." She purred in response.

All the apprentices seemed to be settling down for the night, and Ashpaw nudged her flank and meowed, "Ready to go to bed?"

"Yeah." She responded.

She curled up beside Ashpaw in her nest, and let out a happy sigh. She licked Ashpaw's ear thankfully and meowed, "Thanks for showing me around today, and keeping me company."

"It was my pleasure really, good night Dreampaw."

Dreampaw rested her head on her paws, and fell asleep.

Dreampaw awoke in the same place she was in her dream a couple of days ago. She bounded towards the stream, wanting to speak to Bluestar.

"Bluestar?" She called out.

"Over here!" Bluestar called.

Dreampaw whipped around, and saw Bluestar standing by the break of the forest. Bluestar waved her tail, and Dreampaw ran over to her.

"Good evening, Bluestar."

"Good evening to you to, Dreampaw"

Dreampaw purred at the sound of her new name, and meowed, "I have a couple of things to ask you."

"Shoot."

"One, you remember how Lionheart said that me and Ashpaw were in his dream together?"

"Yes, why?"

"Why is it that we were in his dream?"

"You have heard of the love, before haven't you?"

"Of course!"

"Then what do you think Dreampaw?"

"That we will be mates one day?"

"Yes, but a day far away from now, dark times will come, a newcomer will break into his heart, but they will not last, remember that."

Dreampaw narrowed her eyes, and took it all in, "Ok."

"Fire will burn into ashes." Bluestar murmured.

Dreampaw woke with a start in her nest beside the sleeping form of Ashpaw.

She blinked the sleep out of her eyes, and headed out of the apprentice den. The sun was rising over the lake and she realized Firestar would be looking for her soon. She began to lap at her pelt, grooming herself. She glanced approvingly over her now clean pelt, and padded over to where Firestar was speaking to Cloudtail.

She sat a couple of tail lengths away, giving the two some privacy.

"Good morning Dreampaw, ready for your tour?" Firestar asked.

She nodded her head eagerly, and he waved his tail, gesturing for her to follow him.

Firestar broke into a sprint, racing over the ravine, and all the way over to Twoleg place. Thankfully, Dreampaw was able to keep up with him.

"Here is Twoleg place, you already know that, and close to here are some Twoleg trails where they walk their dogs, stay away from there if there is a fresh scent. Also, tree cut place is near here, stay away from there in general."

Firestar began to run again, sticking close to the border; eventually they reached a river, and a secluded area with large, smooth stones.

"This is Sunning Rocks, for many moons, RiverClan and ThunderClan have been battling over who owns these stones, right now, there ours."

Firestar points his snout towards the area across the river, "That's RiverClan, take a deep breath. What do you smell?"

Dreampaw breathed in deeply, and wrinkled her nose, "Gross! Smells like fish!"

Firestar chuckled, "My mentor pulled the same trick on me."

"Who was your mentor?" Dreampaw asked.

"Bluestar." Firestar sighed.

"Oh, Bluestar I have see-." Dreampaw stopped.

Firestar tilted his head and meowed, "Hm?"

Dreampaw nodded, and meowed, "Can I tell you later about it?"

Firestar nodded, and meowed," Come on, next stop, Four Trees!"

Dreampaw padded slowly into the camp, she had spent the whole day with Firestar, learning everything there is about the territory. Her muscles were very sore, and she looked forward to relaxing with Ashpaw.

She picked out a mouse from the fresh-kill pile, and laid down next to her friend by the tree stump.

"Hey" She purred.

"Hi!" He meowed cheerfully.

She bit into her mouse and chewed it slowly, savoring the forest like taste.

"Did he tire you out?" He chuckled.

She groaned in response, and he laughed even more.

"You are going to be sore tomorrow!" He purred.

Once they had finished eating, Ashpaw began to knead his paws on to her shoulders, helping her sore muscles relax.

She licked his ear in thanks, and fell asleep with her head on his shoulder.

~Ashpaw's P.O.V ~

Dreampaw is such a great friend, I am so glad to have her. She understands me.

She is really..beautiful too.

I would love to be her mate, or even the father of her kits.

That would be a time far away from now though, we are only apprentices.

I will wait for her, I would do anything for her.

Do I love her?

Fernpaw says she loves Dustpelt. She says she would die for him, she says she feels like birds are flying around in her stomach when he speaks to her.

Then yes, I do love her.

I love how her lip curls when she concentrates, or when she smiles when she blushes. I love the way her silver fur blows in the wind. I love those green eyes of hers. I love the way she cares for me.

I would wait forever, just for you.