Littlepaw was stalking a water vole. It was getting cold enough so that Greystar had decided she should learn how to hunt land prey for when the river froze over. Then a twig broke behind her and the vole disappeared. "What did you do that for?" Littlepaw stopped arguing when she saw Mosswing. "Sorry." She felt guilty for snapping. This was a dream, after all. The old warrior looked angry.
"I've come to warn you! You must wake up!" he snapped. "Windclan is invading your camp! Beware the warrior whose actions you question!" Littlepaw's eyes grew wide.
She woke up flailing.
"Stop kicking me, Littlepaw," Leopardpaw mumbled, before falling asleep again. Littlepaw peeked outside. She could see Windclan warriors crossing over the stepping stones silently. Before they could get any further than the entrance, she burst out of the apprentices den. "Windclan trespassers!" she screeched. Instantly, the camp was alight with action. Windclan warriors raced across the stepping stones and fell into battle. Littlepaw found herself being dragged into the nursery along with Morningpaw. "I want to fight!" she argued.
"You don't know enough yet," Littleshine told them softly. Outside, they could hear Crookedclaw and Loudheart defending the nursery. Then Littlepaw heard another sound.
"Get off our territory, you mangy hare-chaser!" It was Silverpaw! She was in Starclan?
A warrior stuck his muzzle through the nursery. Littlepaw slashed at it angrily and it retreated, yowling in pain as Crookedclaw attacked him. Littlepaw watched through a gap in the wall. The two warriors tussled for what seemed like only a second but must have been longer. Both warriors were covered in blood. Then Crookedclaw bent down, pinning the struggling warrior to the ground Littlepaw didn't see any more after that, when Rippleclaw passed in front of her gap, but when he had moved, the warrior was still. Crookedclaw was nowhere to be seen. Littlepaw's eyes widened. She would wake up, right? Littlepaw looked away, not wanting to witness any more violence. What had happened? Had Crookedclaw just killed that cat? No, he wouldn't.
It seemed like ages, but then Littlepaw heard a yowl of agony. "Cloudberry? Cloudberry!"
"This battle is over!" Greystar snarled. "Go back to your own clan!"
"You broke the warrior code when you killed Cloudberry and Harestep!" was Reedwhisker's scathing reply. "You have gone too far! Windclan will not fight a battle with a clan who does not follow the code!" Pawsteps sounded, then Greystar spoke.
"Whoever killed Windclan's warriors will step forward now." There was silence. "Very well then. Pebblewhisker, Rippleclaw, Loudheart, make sure the Windclan warriors have left. Mudstorm, Brightfur, Blackwater, take a moon-high patrol. Then I want my senior warriors in my den. The rest of you, get some sleep." Listening to him give out orders, Littlepaw wondered how old Greystar was. She knew Rippleclaw was his son, and Rippleclaw's kits were the same age as her. Blueshade was his mate, and she had already moved to the elders den. He didn't usually sound so old as he did right then. The event must have really shaken him up. And he was a leader. They didn't usually get shaken up. Either way, if the event was enough to unsettle him, Littlepaw was sure something wasn't right with it. She just hoped everything would resolve soon.