The sudden sharp cold was enough to make Adderpaw flinch. He opened his eyes in a panic as he realized that he was all alone. There were no other cats with him and the Moonstone was gone. He didn't know where he was. He was no longer in a cave, but in a forest. He couldn't see the moon, no stars to light up the skies. The trees seemed to stretch into the sky, darkness surrounding him as he got to his paws. The trees almost seemed broken, as if there was no life in them at all. Why was he here?

"Who are you?"

"Ah!"

Adderpaw swirled to see a rugged gray tabby she-cat, her glowing amber eyes harsh. He could see that her teeth were yellow, a lot of them broken. The smell coming from this cat was almost enough to make him retch. He had expected to meet cats with shiny fur and starry eyes. But there was nothing bright or friendly about this cat or place. The she-cat stepped forward so that he could smell her horrible breath.

"I asked you a question, kit. Who are you? And why are you here?"

"I'm Adderpaw," he slid his claws out as he felt the strength coming from the much bigger cat. "I don't even know where I am. Isn't this StarClan's grounds?"

"You must be dumber than I thought," the tabby chuckled to herself as Adderpaw felt offended by her rude words. "Do they not teach young kits about this place? Looks like sweet Poppytooth is gonna have to take you with me. No StarClan cat would dare step place in here. Not unless they wanted to lose their place there."

"I have to go," Adderpaw felt panic as what she said flooded through him. He had gone to a place were StarClan cats didn't even go. But he went to the Moonstone, the place were the Clans were closest to them. How did he even end up here? "I didn't mean to come here at all."

"You must have something tying you here," Poppytooth stepped back and gave him a look of contempt. "Something that is stronger than the stars themselves. Something dangerous. But I guess I can't keep you tied with us just yet. I'll see you soon, young Adderpaw. I'm sure that we definitely will meet again."

"Yeah, sure. . ."

Adderpaw raced through the trees as soon as she was gone, desperate to get out of these dark woods. What was that old she-cat talking about? Why would he have any connection to this star-forsaken place? His father was the deputy! He froze as yet another cat emerged from the trees. But he didn't feel chills go down his spine at the sight of this cat. The orange and black spotted tom gave him a stern look.

"There you are. I looked all over for you," the starry warrior stepped over to him, his fur glowing. His footsteps left a bit of brightness behind with them, standing out on the dark ground. "I had no idea that an apprentice as young as you had ended up here. It makes no since! You should have appeared in our grounds. There must be something dark connecting you to this place. But I'm not even sure what that is. You don't have the darkened heart of a killer or the agony of a cat living their life fully on revenge."

"Does this mean those things will happen to me?" Adderpaw backed up a bit.

"It all depends on your decisions," the StarClan warrior bowed his head. "Say something happened to your sister and you blamed Weaselpaw for it. You could end up killing him in cold blood in your ignorance. You could kill him in revenge if he did do something bad to her. It's all up to what you do. But we aren't here to discuss your sister or your choices. Come with me. We must leave this forest before another finds us. Poppytooth might have let us live, but the others might not be so unforgiving. We can talk along the way."

"What is your name?" Adderpaw kept close to this tom as they briskly made their way around, the wind brushing against his fur as a familiar scent filled his head. He lifted his head a bit higher, but the air had changed, becoming a bit more frozen. Maybe the cold chilled the hearts of every cat who was in this forest. But just how many were there?

"I am Spottedface," the cat flicked his spotted tail as they kept going. "I was once a proud warrior of ShadowClan. I now watch over all of the new apprentices. Young cats are so delicate, as they are still learning their way. One wrong move and they can be corrupted. But I'll keep you all safe. Even if I have to die again."

"Again?"

"That's not important. What is important is the road in life that you have taken. It is a dangerous one, full of death and melancholy. You're young. You still have time to set yourself onto a better route."

"What do you mean?"

"Come here," Spottedface lead him to a new set of trees, fox-lengths away. These trees were beautiful, full of life. They glowed against the dark trees that they left. Once they were in the brighter forest, the StarClan cat sat down. "I cannot change your fate myself, but I bring you a warning."

"A warning?" Adderpaw felt the hairs on his pelt raise at the distant look on Spottedface's eyes. "Is my Clan in trouble?"

"Beware of the waves that flood the Clans. Only the Snake can face the rushing tide, but must fall to bring back the light."