BURSTING from her nest, Sedgepaw glanced around the apprentices den with wide eyes. It really was a dream, she realized.

Breathing heavily, Sedgepaw flinched as another bout of thunder rocked the sky, causing the den to tremble. She noticed none of the other apprentices were in their nests. I'm late! Launching from her mossy bedding, Sedgepaw stepped outside, and she was greeted with a drop of rain on her nose. Thick, gray clouds shrouded the sky, looking ready to burst with rain. Without the warm, golden glow of the sunlight, the camp seemed vapid. Cats milled about slowly, keeping to the cover of the flora that framed camp as raindrops gradually began to fall.

Sedgepaw noticed the other apprentices sitting quietly outside the den, formed up in a neat line. Feeling a jolt of dread, Sedgepaw took a seat beside Toadpaw, hoping she did not miss the morning muster. Only a few heartbeats passed before Sedgepaw spotted Shaleheart making his way across the clearing towards them.

"Good morning, apprentices," Shaleheart mewed. His yellow eyes scanned down the line, counting. "Glad to see everyone is present this morning." A frown cracked his maw. "As you all probably know, MarshClan is on high alert after the events that occurred last night. So, today, the apprentices will he kept in camp."

A collective groan sounded from the apprentices, save for Sedgepaw. Batface already told her the night before she would not be getting any training outside camp today. Instead, she would be getting a history lesson. She rolled her eyes at the thought. When Shaleheart's expression became more serious, she righted her posture.

"We have yet to find Minnowtail's body," Shaleheart went on, his tone was grim. "But due to the amount of blood on the scene and the fact he remains missing leads us to believe he was murdered last night. Until either Egretsong recovers from shock well enough to tell us what happened or a corpse turns up, MarshClan warriors will focus on finding our Clanmate."

The apprentices all nodded in agreement, and many of their faces were crestfallen. Sedgepaw did not know what to feel. Minnowtail never made himself known to her, or anyone for that matter; he was always very quiet. He only seemed to talk to Vinestripe. Still, Sedgepaw felt a twinge of sadness for her missing Clanmate.

"Batface suggested to the mentors today that the apprentices should report to the elders den to learn about Clan heritage," Shaleheart continued. "For the senior apprentices preparing for their test, you will be expected to choose your leader to present today."

"Ah, great." Toadpaw began blubbering beside Sedgepaw. "I am gonna fail…" he grumbled.

Shaleheart raised his tail for silence, and the apprentices stopped muttering to one another. "You are dismissed. Report to the elders immediately."

As the apprentices shuffled away, heads lowered with mumbles of discontent emanating from their crestfallen faces, Sedgepaw was stopped by Shaleheart. She huffed, not in the mood to be talking to her father, or anyone for that matter; her disturbing dream still hummed in her head, befuddling her thoughts and plucking at her nerves. The message she was given at the end… was that some sort of prophecy?

"You look a little rough this morning," he teased, plucking a scrap of moss from her shaggy pelt with his claw. "Rough night?"

"Yeah, couldn't sleep," Sedgepaw muttered, avoiding his gaze.

"Well, I suggest you take a moment to groom yourself. Cypressfang will not be impressed," Shaleheart advised.

"He's never impressed."

"Give him a reason to be," Shaleheart countered, brows furrowed. "Your test is coming up. Maybe show off what you know?"

Sedgepaw sucked her teeth, shrugging Shaleheart off as he tried to pluck at another piece of moss. "You just want me to make you look good," Sedgepaw argued. "I don't care about what he thinks… You do."

Pushing passed her father, she trotted across the clearing with her head low. She stole a glance at the warriors den as she went by, hoping to catch a glimpse of Blueflower, but it seemed empty. Growing more disgruntled with each step, by the time she was at the face of the elders den, she looked like she swallowed a piece of carrion. The musty scent wafting from the mouth of the den made her nose wrinkle.

"Hey, Sedgepaw!"

Glancing in the direction of the chipper voice, Sedgepaw spotted Foxkit bouncing up from the nursery. His dark ginger fur looked darker under the gloomy light. Followed behind him were two smaller kits, still round and fluffy with their kit fur, and their eyes were a bright blue still. She knew the little white she-cat was Magnoliakit. Bumbling behind her was a tom with brown tabby fur that was made sparse by massive white splashes, Hawthornkit.

Foxkit hopped to Sedgepaw's side, smiling smugly. "Guess what?"

"What?" she grunted.

"Jasminefur and Hollyfoot let me bring Magnoliakit and Hawthornkit to the history lesson today!"

"Oh, cool," Sedgepaw muttered, unenthused. She was too tired to share Foxkit's energy. Instead, she just envied it.

Magnoliakit and Hawthornkit bumped into one another as they waddled after Foxkit. Sedgepaw eyed them as the passed to enter the elders den. She snickered when Magnoliakit kept glancing back to stare at her with wide eyes, curious. When Hawthornkit looked back at her, he stuck his tongue out in her direction tauntingly.

"I'm gonna get you for that!" she teased, making the young kits squeal as she play-chased them into the den. The kit bounced after Foxkit, laughing, and Hawthornkit tried to jump on Sedgepaw's broad shoulder as she barged into the den, snickering.

Before long, all the kits were squealing and jumping on Sedgepaw and she had no choice but to bowl over with an exaggerated groan. The kits started laughing as she prodded at them gently. She noticed Foxkit's fur traded its fluff for a sleek sheen as he crawled onto her belly, joining in on the fun. It would not be long before he would be apprenticed.

"Ahem." Cypressfang cleared his throat, standing over Sedgepaw and the kits with a brow quirked. "I'm sorry," he grumbled. "I didn't know we were hosting playtime this morning."

Sedgepaw froze as Hawthornkit continued to chomp on her ear, she crooked her head to smile sheepishly at the elder, her grandfather. His green eyes were unimpressed as she sat up, shaking blades of grass and pieces of moss from her long fur. Magnoliakit and Foxkit were still as statues, staring at their paws guiltily. She laughed nervously as Hawthornkit started headbutting her side and growling playfully, blissfully unaware of Cypressfang's nonexistent patience. She shooed Hawthornkit away with her paw until he gave up with a pout.

"My apologies, Cypressfang. I started it. They came here to learn, and so did I." Sedgepaw bowed her head.

"You could do a better job of showing it." Cypressfang's green eyes flitted to the kits, and he sighed. "I would hope you'd want to set a better example for the kits of MarshClan."

"But—" Sedgepaw was unable to get a word in, for Cypressfang was already leading the kits into the deeper confines of the den. She hissed underneath her breath.

In the heart of the elders den, the apprentices sat, surrounded by the elders that lay in their nests. The grasses of the den's walls were dense and now air or sunlight filtered through. It was suffocatingly warm in the center, but thankfully there were breaks in the roof of ivy and jasmine vines that allowed fresh air from the outside the whistle in. The rain that started to patter more consistently now was reflecting by the vines, which diverted the water to the soft rush and bulrush that composed the bulk of the elders den. If not for the scent of fresh rain, Sedgepaw would have to suffer the musty odor of the elders.

"Oh, my!" Larkwing perked up when he saw the kits padding in behind Sedgepaw. "Jasminefur let you to come out to see your grandpa today?"

Magnoliakit and Hawthornkit ran up to the elder, bouncing and chirping all kinds of nonsense about their games of moss ball and the butterfly they found the other day.

Owleyes smiled as she watched the kits talk, taking a break from grooming Larkwing's ears. "Our daughter isn't holding them hostage, Larkwing," she scorned softly.

Their reunion was cut short when Cypressfang emerged. His dark brown tabby fur looked almost black in the dim lighting of the elders den. His green eyes flickered to the gathered apprentices, and he gave an unimpressed sniff.

"How about we get started then?" Cypressfang nodded to Russetnose, and the old, shaggy tom sat up from his best shakily with a yawn. He nudged at Vervainclaw, but the pale silver elder remained asleep, grunting in annoyance.

"Leave him be," Owleyes chided. "We can do this lesson without him."

"Fine," Cypressfang growled, shrugging his broad shoulders irritably. "Would the senior apprentices announce which leader they are intending on presenting?"

"I'll be presenting Blazingstar," Blackpaw piped up.

"And I'll be presenting Brightstar," Yewpaw mewed.

Sedgepaw realized the apprentices seemed to be going down the line, since Blackpaw started. Thankfully she was at the end. She had no idea which leader she would focus on for her test. She started rolling through her memories for names.

"I've chosen Hemlockstar." Ospreypaw's voice was serious as ever.

"U-uh… I'll do… Amberstar?" Mudpaw mumbled.

"Is that a question or a statement?" Cypressfang pressed.

"N-no. I mean. Yeah? I'm doing Amberstar." Mudpaw nodded firmly, his smiling giving away his uncertainty.

"I'll do Marshstar." Toadpaw smiled goofily as he spoke.

Damn! That's what I wanted… Sedgepaw shuffled her paws nervously. All eyes were on her. When Cypressfang approached her, she felt her face get hot with embarrassment.

"I recognize that blank stare," Cypressfang murmured. "Your father makes the same one when he has no idea what to say. It seems two of my kin cannot gather their thoughts today." Shaking his head, Cypressfang continued, his voice condescending, "You have no idea which leader to pick, do you?"

Gritting her teeth, Sedgepaw looked Cypressfang in the eye and shook her head. "No, I do not," she admitted grudgingly.

"Well, it's not the end of the world!" Owleyes interjected. "Maybe one of your peers can suggest one for you?"

It was Lilypaw who piped up next. She was sitting at the far end of the den beside Russetnose and Pebblepaw. "How about Darkstar? Or Eveningstar?"

"M-maybe Bleakstar or Smallstar?" Pebblepaw suggested meekly.

"Look at this, even novice apprentices have a handle on their heritage," Cypressfang observed. His voice was just loud enough for Sedgepaw to be the only one to hear. "How does it feel to be put to shame by your juniors?"

She glared at him, fur starting to prickle. Before she could make a snide remark, Yewpaw mewed, "Do Lightningstar."

"Ah, now there's a hero! One of the grandest leaders in our past!" Larkwing praised.

The name sounded cool enough. Sedgepaw nodded to her sister thankfully. "Okay, Lightningstar then."

"Very well," Cypressfang rumbled. He nodded to Blackpaw. "Let's begin, tell me what you know of Blazingstar."

"Blazingstar, the seventh leader of MarshClan," Blackpaw began, rattling off all her knew fervently, "He was known for creating the Warrior Code we have today. He was preceded by Hazestar, and succeeded by his deputy Fadedpetal, who become Fadedstar. It was during his rule that raiders first appeared on MarshClan territory."

Cypressfang nodded. "Very good." His eyes narrowed as he searched Blackpaw's face for uncertainty, he found none. Sedgepaw could see the apprentice's smug grin from all the way down the row. "Who was the medicine cat that appointed him?" Cypressfang went on, quirking a brow. "And why?"

"He was appointed by…" Blackpaw trailed off, hissing softly as his answer evaded him.

"Olivebranch was medicine cat at the time," Cypressfang pointed out. "She appointed him deputy after Hazestar was killed by raiders."

"What is a raider anyway?" Magnoliakit peeped, blue eyes wide with wonder.

"They're bad cats, Magnoliakit," Larkwing replied gently. "They were outsiders. Raiders tried to steal from our land, and they killed many of our warriors in fights for food and water. They even murdered our medicine cat, Dovecloud, which forced Olivebranch to take his place only a moon after being recognized by StarClan."

"Remember that for your test," Cypressfang grunted. Blackpaw nodded, appearing disgruntled. Cypressfang's green eyes slid to Yewpaw and softened. "Now, tell us about Brightstar."

Yewpaw smiled and nodded. "Brightstar, the fourth leader of MarshClan, is considered to be one of the greatest leaders of our past. Uhm… She ruled after Darkstar fell to a plague that almost wiped out MarshClan. There were so many sick and weak cats that Nightshade, the medicine cat, was running out of candidates to choose. Brightstar was one of the few healthy warriors left, so she was selected for leadership."

Sedgepaw was surprised by how confident Yewpaw sounded. Her words poured from her mouth effortlessly as she recited each factoid with ease. Envy pricked her pelt as she eyed her sister from afar.

"She helped Nightshade find a remedy for the illness. She spent many sleepless nights providing for her Clan, especially after Nightshade also fell to the plague… leaving young Dovecloud with a heavy burden. After the epidemic ceased, her rule was long and peaceful. She died of old age and was succeeded by Stormstar, previously named Stormscar." Yewpaw held her chin high when the elders gave a unanimous purr of appreciation.

"Well done!" Cypressfang rumbled. "I'm very impressed." His grizzled mug actually harbored a grin, and Sedgepaw could hardly believe her eyes; her grandfather never smiled at her like that. When Cypressfang craned his head to Ospreypaw, his smile faded. "And you?"

Straightening her back, Osprey held her head high as she became the center of attention, "Hemlockstar, the twelfth leader of MarshClan, is considered to be the leader that completely rid our land of raiders forever." The unanimous nod from the elders encouraged her to continue, "His tactics were controversial, however, because he not only ambushed the raiders' tribe and left no survivors, but ordered all kits and apprentices of mixed blood to be executed-"

"Wait! No! Stop!" Cypressfang interrupted. His green eyes blazed, and his fur was standing on end. "We do not speak of that anymore. Whitestar ordered those details to be archived."

"But, wait, why?" Ospreypaw's yellow eyes were wide, bewildered.

"Just say he 'purified our land,' honey," Owleyes corrected gently. "This was a recent mandate; Whitestar only notified us a few days ago. You couldn't have known."

"It makes your presentation shorter anyway," Russetnose chimed in, making a "guffaw" of laughter. He shook his shaggy pelt. "It's for the best, I think. Those stores of Hemlockstar always spooked me as a kit."

"Yeah, I'm pretty spooked!" Magnoliakit chirped.

"What's spooked?" Hawthornkit mewed, head tilted.

"Ah, moving on," Cypressfang grunted, nodding to Ospreypaw.

"Right, uhm… Hemlockstar was preceded by Murkstar, who was also his mentor. Murkstar was the first to adopt the practice of invading the raiders' land and killing-"

"Stop!" Cypressfang interrupted. "We don't speak of that either."

"Say: 'Murkstar inspired Hemlockstar as his mentor and predecessor.'" Owleyes' mew was sympathetic.

"O-okay," Ospreypaw murmured, voice shaking.

Sedgepaw could see her friend's confidence fading. She clearly prepared well for this presentation, but she was being corrected left and right. Sedgepaw realized the gravity of Blueflower's fight to preserve history. She did not know how much and how far Whitestar was going to sanitize MarshClan's past. Blueflower's parents were fighting against this… and they got exiled for it. Sedgepaw suddenly felt nauseous. How much of what she knew was true?

"Hemlockstar was inspired by Murkstar, his mentor and predecessor, who fell to the claws of a raider." Ospreypaw's voice slowly became more resonate as she continued, "He was succeeded by Bleakstar, formerly Bleaksky. The medicine cat that placed him in power was named Twistedshadow."

"Decent job," Cypressfang grumbled. "Now, Mudpaw, let's hear it."

"Amberstar!" Mudpaw exclaimed, standing up as he exploded with energy. "Yeah! She was cool… Uh." He sat back down, shrugging. "I just know she was super religious."

Shaking his head, Cypressfang gave an exasperated exhale. "Amberstar, the fourteenth leader of MarshClan, was the first to coin the moniker "Fallen" for MarshClan cats that failed to abide by our laws and StarClan. She was preceded by Bleakstar and succeeded by her deputy, Thornface. The medicine cat that granted her leadership was Crowtalon."

"A-ah, right, got it." Mudpaw smiled sheepishly. "I'll be sure to remember all that for my test."

"You better," Cypressfang warned gruffly, "or I will fail you." His piercing gaze flickered to Toadpaw, and the stocky apprentice flinched as if the glare stabbed him. "Toadpaw, you're next."

"U-uh, right. Uhm. Marshstar, the first leader of MarshClan…" Toadpaw tapped his foot on the ground, his wide-set eyes began to wander as he pondered. "Before he became leader, he was known as Sootbreeze. He came from the Clans Beyond the Horizon, searching for a better life. When they found the marsh and Mother Lake, Ashbreeze knew they found their home. He took the name Marshstar, named after MarshClan, when he was blessed with nine lives at the Lunar Cavern."

"Who did he come with?" Cypressfang asked.

"He had his queen, Duskflower, and his mother… Softpelt? Yeah, Softpelt." He thumped his foot again, and which each tap, Sedgepaw could see Cypressfang's eye twitch; she stifled a chuckle. "And he had a few followers... as well as the medicine cat that came with him from the Clan he left, Nightshade."

"Good, good… and his successor?" Cypressfang leaned in, eyes narrowed.

"Nightshade appointed Marshstar's daughter, Eveningpool, as leader. She became Eveningstar."

"What Clans were beyond the horizon?" Foxkit asked. "I thought we were the only ones."

"I'm glad you asked, Foxkit," Cypressfang purred. Sitting back on his haunches, he sighed as he relished the nostalgia of MarshClan's tales of the past. "Though their names are lost to time, Marshstar hailed from a land that harbored five Clans that lived in wavering harmony. Marshstar wanted to find a place where cats could live peacefully under the guidance of StarClan, away from the politics of the Clans Beyond the Horizon." He nodded thoughtfully. "He firmly believed a righteous leader is a leader chosen by the medicine cat, for they have the closest relationship to our ancestors. Thus, to this day, our medicine cat chooses which of us may lead."

"Cool!" Foxkit's eyes were as wide as the moon.

"Moving on then," Russetnose mewed, stifling a yawn. Sedgepaw felt his eyes singe the fur on her back. "You picked Lightningstar, right? Let's hear it. I'm overdue for my nap."

"She doesn't know what to say. She didn't even know who to present!" Cypressfang growled dismissively.

"You don't know that!" Sedgepaw snapped. "I—uhm…" When Cypressfang glowered in her direction, Sedgepaw clammed up. She struggled to pick up the pieces of what she was about to say after her grandfather shattered her focus with his scornful glade. "I know he is… the one that succeeded Smallstar, making him the tenth leader of MarshClan. His deputy was… Murkstorm, who became Murkstar after his death."

"And how did he die?" Cypressfang presses.

"I—uh—I don't know."

"He was killed in combat!" Cypressfang smashed his paw into the floor of the elders den, visibly irritated. "He was killed because he refused to listen to his medicine cat. Do you even know how he came into power?"

"N-no, but—"

"Twistedshadow ordered he stage a coup! Smallstar was pathetic; she only cared about keeping peace and tolerated the raiders. And her main medicine cat, Cloudwatcher, was daft. When prey started becoming scarce, MarshClan had enough. They demanded a war! And what did she do?" Spittle rained from his lips as he spoke, his eyes wide with passion as he regaled the past as if he lived in that time.

Sedgepaw shrugged, lowering her head, expression abysmal.

"She did nothing! Lightningstrike had no choice… Twistedshadow gave his word and blessing. He drove out Smallstar. He became leader, but at a price… Because he let Smallstar live, he only had one life, she still had the other eight…"

"S-so Lightningstar was not really a leader?" Sedgepaw surmised.

"Wrong," Cypressfang growled. "He was one of the best. He was the one that developed the apprentice's final test, so that MarshClan would have proper warriors. He was brave and noble, but… he made a grave mistake in allowing Smallstar to live. Kits started going missing. Scouts spotted Smallstar cozying up with the raiders, helping them train the kits they stole."

Sedgepaw's mind was reeling. How could she know this was the truth. Though Cypressfang spoke vehemently, he could easily be regurgitating the words Whitestar fed him. She tried to siphon out the truth, but the past was so foreign to her she failed to grapple its meaning.

"Lightningstar had no choice. In the end, he had to set out to do what he was destined to do: kill Smallstar." Cypressfang rumbled on, his expression darkening. "He took his best warriors and his deputy, Murkstorm, to the raider colony. At first, they peacefully asked for Smallstar to turn herself in. The raiders refused, vowing to protect her with their lives. It was Murkstorm that made the first move, he dove for Smallstar, vowing to kill her for his best friend and leader, Lightningstar. Before Lightningstar could intervene, he was slain, brought down by three raiders that overwhelmed his fighting prowess with sheer numbers."

"So he never got his eight other lives?" Sedgepaw realized, shocked.

"He died before Smallstar was killed by Murkstorm," Owleyes clarified, sounding melancholy. "But Lightningstar fought for his Clan til the end. Murkstorm had no choice but to assume leadership though he was beside himself with grief over his leader's death. They were like brothers, you see. Yes… it was bittersweet… MarshClan lost a fine young tom, but gained a leader with nine lives and a winning advantage over the raiders."

"Nothing can be achieved without sacrifice," Russetnose observed, nodding sagely. "One must always ask themselves… What would you be willing to give in order to succeed? For some, it's a long day's work… others, a good night's sleep… would you give up everything if it meant you could have anything?"

The elders den fell silent, and the cats that congregated in the shadows glanced at one another wordlessly, all collectively deciding who or what they would sacrifice. Another crash of thunder sounded, causing the bulrush to shiver as wind howled in its wake. Sedgepaw was left wondering what she was willing to sacrifice. She failed to come up with anything. She loved her family, her friends, even her mentor… she loved being an apprentice in MarshClan. What would she lose to keep the other?

"Thank you for helping me," Sedgepaw mewed, breaking the silence. "But… I just have one more question. How did Lightningstar start a revolution?"

"Another good question!" Larkwing praised. "You see—"

"Enough… we aren't at liberty to discuss that either," Cypressfang reminded him.

Larkwing blinked before chucking. "My mistake."

Cypressfang's eyes fell on Sedgepaw. "You don't need to worry about the how, Sedgepaw, just the why. Lightningstar did what he had to do to keep the Clan safe, just as Whitestar is doing for us now. Leave it at that."

Disappointment clawed at Sedgepaw's belly, and she averted her eyes from the elders in order to hide her anger. This isn't fair… I have to know! This could be the one way for me to figure out what the prophecy means! Digging her claws into the soft earth, she clenched her teeth. It seemed she was left with more questions than answers. Maybe the prophecy was a fluke? Maybe StarClan was wrong? Sedgepaw watched as the apprentices slowly began to exit the elders den, being dismissed by Cypressfang and Russetnose. How could she start a revolution if she did not even know where to begin?

Following the apprentices outside the elders den, Sedgepaw inhaled the fresh scent of rainfall, gazing around camp as the MarshClan cats went about their day peacefully—a stark contrast from the night before. The status quo did little to harm her. The way things were, she had a simple job: to serve her Clan. No prophecy was going to change that. Lightningstar had to do what was right for the time. The only thing Sedgepaw had to do was graduate and become a warrior. Just as everything began to make sense, her mind became clouded with the names of cats that did not get to enjoy a simple life. Vinestripe, Nettlefrost, Jayflight and more all became Fallen because they opposed Whitestar. The "big picture" became decidedly grim when Sedgepaw fix her family into the frame. What if she lost her parents like Blueflower? What then?

Sedgepaw kneaded the grass, ripping it out of the ground as she dug for answers. She knew what needed to be done, and she was desperate enough to go for it. The only way to know the truth was to go straight to the source. Flickering in her mind's eye like a dim candle flame was the face of the pale brown tabby with green eyes, the one she saw before falling from the Great Cypress. Maybe they knew the answers? Coming from beyond the river border, that mysterious cat had to be Fallen. No one else lived outside of MarshClan.

Under the cover of rainfall that slowly became a downpour, Sedgepaw slipped out of camp. This was the only way. She had to know. Sedgepaw realized what she was willing to sacrifice for the truth: herself.