Two sunhighs later, Firestar called a summons to the Clan. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Nightpaw joined her siblings in the clearing below the ledge that overlooked their camp. Firestar looked solemnly down at his Clan.

"It's time to appoint two new warriors," he began. "Flamepaw and Splashpaw, please come up to the rock."

Nightpaw's belly churned with suppressed emotions. They're going to be warriors! She silently cheered for her siblings. But at the same time, a dark, envious thought bubbled up in her mind and burst on the surface. Why can't I go up there with them?

Stormheart came up from behind. She turned, and he must have seen the hint of jealousy in her violet-blue eyes. He bowed his head. "Nightpaw, they're so much farther ahead in their training than you. Firestar offered, but I had to decline. You're ahead of any apprentice who's had the same amount of training as you, but not ahead enough to be a warrior."

She lowered her eyes, shame replacing envy. "I understand, Stormheart."

"Splashpaw, from this day forward, your warrior name will be Splashfoot. StarClan honors your truthfulness and honor, and we welcome you as a full warrior of the Clan."

Splashfoot, barely keeping in her excitement, ran to lick Firestar's shoulder, and then she bounded to Foxwhisker, nuzzled his flank, and seemed to burst. She put her muzzle to the sky and yowled, "Yes!"

"Flamepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Flamestep. StarClan honors your loyalty and your willingness to do anything, and we welcome you, too, as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Flamestep's eyes glowed. He licked Firestar's shoulder and padded away to sit by himself at the edge of the clearing. He looked modest, although Nightpaw caught him exchanging a glance with Blossomfall.

She sighed. She was proud of her siblings, but why couldn't she join them in their vigil?

Nightpaw awoke in the middle of the night to hear a terrible screech. "Willowpaw!"

Immediately awake, Nightpaw stumbled into the medicine den and watched in horror as blood gushed out of her sister's wounds. Thrushwing crouched next to her, wailing. "I can't stop the bleeding! Oh, StarClan, no!"

Willowpaw twisted in her nest and Nightpaw grabbed a pawful of moss, frantically stuffing it on the wound. The blood gradually slowed, and Thrushwing hunched over, licking Willowpaw's cheek. "I'm sorry, Willowpaw," she murmured as Nightpaw crept out of the den.

She had a fitful sleep afterwards. She dreamed that she was running, running forever. She looked down and her paws were glowing with silver starlight. Words whispered in her mind. There will be three… who hold the power of the stars in their paws… three to save the three… two becoming one…

"Nightpaw! Nightpaw!"

Her shoulders shook as though a cat was clawing at them. She shuddered and opened her eyes.

"Lionblaze!" It was a cat shaking her shoulder. The orange warrior was shaking her as though she would never get up.

"I'm awake, I'm awake," she grumbled as Lionblaze continued shaking. He stopped and hissed, "Shh!"

"What?"

"Don't wake anybody else up!"

"Keep your fur on," she muttered, and she stumbled out of the den. Splashfoot and Flamestep already waited for her, grooming the sleep out of their ruffled pelts and looking annoyed. Jayfeather and Dovewing were there, too. The gray she-cat jerked her head towards the forest. "Coming?"

They walked for a long time, until they arrived at a small clearing. Nightpaw grunted. "Why are we here?"

"We're testing you," Jayfeather explained.

"Is this training?"

"Sort of," he mumbled. Splashfoot grunted. "We're warriors now, in case you hadn't noticed."

Jayfeather coolly met her gaze. Nightpaw found herself shuddering as his blue eyes scanned them, staying with hers for a moment longer before they swept away. She didn't understand how those blind eyes knew where they were going.

"A long time ago," he began, "StarClan gave Firestar a prophecy in his dreams."

Nightpaw snorted. He sounded like an elder telling a nursery tale! "How do you even know about Firestar's dreams? You can't read minds!"

"Who says I can't?" Jayfeather murmured, silencing her. He continued as though Nightpaw hadn't said anything. "They told him that there would be three, kin of his kin, who held the power of the stars in his paws."

Her dream! Nightpaw shivered ever so slightly as Jayfeather pierced her again with those bright, unseeing eyes.

"So we were born. Lionblaze, Dovewing and I, we all have special powers. They were given to us by cats older than even StarClan."

"StarClan!" gasped Nightpaw. "Nothing's as old as StarClan!"

"You don't know that, Nightpaw," said Jayfeather calmly. He waved his tail at Dovewing, who took up the story.

"Lionblaze can't be hurt in battle. Jayfeather walks in other cats' dreams. I have senses that reach farther than the territories of all four Clans."

"That's not right," whispered Flamestep.

Dovewing glared at him. "Then, they gave another prophecy. Three to help the three, two becoming one."

"We haven't figured out that last bit yet," Lionblaze admitted. "But we're pretty sure that we understand the first part. You're three cats, kin of Dovewing's kin. Dovewing is kin of Firestar's kin. You're the cats who will help us in this prophecy."

"What? That's impossible!" Flamestep gasped.

"It seemed like that to me, too," admitted Dovewing. "I was angry at first. I was scared. I had to lie to my whole Clan. It wasn't easy, being special."

"Why?" asked Splashfoot. "Why do we have these powers?"

"Have you ever heard of Tigerstar?"

Nightpaw searched her memory for any tales that the elders had told. She tried desperately to remember the story of Tigerstar.

"He was… the leader of ShadowClan."

"Yes." Jayfeather said patiently. "He was a very bad cat. He killed to get what he wanted. He holds a grudge against Firestar, still."

"Don't tell me he went to StarClan!"

"No. He went to a different place. The Dark Forest. And now he's training cats from the Clans to kill. He's making a whole Clan of warriors, using them to take over and obliterate all of the Clans. Ivypool is our spy there."

Nightpaw opened her mouth and searched her brain for words. She closed it again.

"But… surely cats wouldn't hurt their own Clans!" protested Splashfoot.

"They don't understand," explained Lionblaze. "They think that they're being trained in these skills to help their Clan, not hurt them."

"Now, we will test you for your powers. Whether you have them or not, never tell any cat what we just told you."

"But what if-"

"No."

"Now we can test you," Lionblaze broke in, glaring at Jayfeather.

"Now. Splashfoot. Can you tell me what's going on back at camp?" Dovewing asked.

Splashfoot's eyes glazed. "They're all a little scared. They must be worrying about Willowpaw." Her body tensed as she spoke her sister's name. "Redkit and Whitekit are making Berrynose pretty frustrated. Maybe they're asking for another piece of fresh-kill!" She purred. "Thornclaw's startled. Firestar and Sandstorm are talking about something that makes them both confused."

"You know all that?" Dovewing said. Splashfoot shifted her paws. "I've known it since I was a kit. I thought every cat could sense other cats' feelings."

"I thought that too, about my power. But they can't, at least not as well as you," Dovewing meowed.

"Nightpaw," Lionblaze said. Was that a hint of hesitation in his voice? "I'll race you to the camp and back."

Jayfeather purred with amusement as Nightpaw shot off. The forest blurred as she ran. She glanced back and saw Lionblaze, a tiny speck in the distance. Adrenaline pumped through her, and the forest vanished. A starry field took its place. Her fur whipped in the draft and she stretched her mouth wide open, her yowl of euphoria lost in the wind rushing past.

She reached the camp and turned so fast that she sprayed dirt and pebbles into the air. Then she raced back to Jayfeather.

The blind medicine cat was still purring when Nightpaw arrived. He stopped purring, then stumbled back in shock. "Great StarClan! I didn't expect you to be that fast!"

"What?" Nightpaw looked behind her.

"I didn't sense you until you stopped running!"

Lionblaze stumbled into view, panting. "She's… fast. I didn't make it to the camp! I had to turn back!"

"Um, yes, she is fast, mousebrain!"

"I just ran," she meowed in confusion.

The two cats looked at her in disbelief. "Are you kidding? You were so fast, I couldn't see you." Lionblaze said.

"I thought you were joking," she confessed. But now that she had proved it, she could feel the hidden power bubbling up through her paws. She had to fight the urge to yowl in ecstasy. I have the power of the stars in my paws!

"Flamestep," Lionblaze said. "Did you know that Blossomfall has been meeting a RiverClan warrior?"

"What!" shrieked Flamestep. He launched himself at Lionblaze. "Who told you that?"

"Um… Bumblestripe let it slip."

Flamestep growled, studying Lionblaze's face. Then he leapt off of the warrior, shaking his head. "Why are you lying to me?"

Nightpaw and Splashfoot exchanged a glance. Flamestep was making it very transparent how much he cared about the tortoiseshell warrior.

"I'm not lying," Lionblaze meowed smoothly. Flamestep glanced at Jayfeather. "Yes, you are. He knows you're lying, too."

Lionblaze relaxed. "You're right," he said quietly. "I'm testing you. Jayfeather, we've found them. We've found the Three."

"Now," Jayfeather meowed briskly. "You can't tell any cat this. The only other cats who know are Firestar, Cinderheart and Ivypool. Don't tell any cat, or the Clan will panic- they'll ruin everything we've built."

"Why does Cinderheart know?" Nightpaw challenged, not ready to believe the tales. Jayfeather broke off. "Oh- um…"

Lionblaze was staring at his paws. Splashfoot started to tremble. "Lionblaze- you-you-" She broke off, unsheathing her claws and sinking them into the dirt. Her tail lashed and she stared at the stars, eyes watering.

"Splashfoot! What's wrong?" Nightpaw yowled.

"He-"

"He has experienced pain like very few cats ever have before," interrupted Jayfeather, and he led them away, leaving Lionblaze in the forest, alone.

"Hey, Nightpaw!" called Stormheart. She looked up. Ever since the night Jayfeather had told them about their powers, she couldn't concentrate on anything.

"What's wrong? You can barely hit me, let alone fight me anymore! Remember the first day of your apprenticeship? You beat me twice!"

"Yeah, Nightpaw," Icewhisker snapped. "You want to do the move more like this." He swept his paw under her feet, causing her to fall on her side. Icewhisker leapt on her and began to pummel her sides. Her scar burned. She leapt to her feet. "Fine. Let's try it again."

Stormheart charged at her, and Nightpaw, instead of flashing a paw out to trip him, leapt into the air. Stormheart, who had jumped to avoid the swipe he expected, let out a yowl of surprise as Nightpaw tackled him. He shoved her off with his hind legs and pinned her down.

"That was much better!" he meowed.

Icewhisker snorted, purring at Nightpaw teasingly. "Come on. Let's go get some fresh-kill."

Nightpaw followed him into the clearing and watched as he sat down. Eagerly she bounded over to the fresh-kill pile, wincing as she tripped over something long and skinny, like a tree root.

"Ow!" Icewhisker snapped behind her. She has tripped over his tail! She turned quickly. "Sorry, Icewhisker!"

"Why are you so clumsy?" He flattened his ears and went back to his vole, drawing his tail protectively around his paws.

"Icewhisk-" She stopped and turned away, trudging towards the fresh-kill pile.

Nightpaw grabbed a vole from the pile and began eating it hungrily. Icewhisker finished his sparrow quickly. "Hurry up, Nightpaw!" he ordered. "You have to come on sunhigh patrol with us!"

"I just went on dawn patrol," Nightpaw protested.

"Do as you're told," Icewhisker retorted. "Apprentices listen to warriors." Nightpaw flattened her ears. "You're only a moon older than me!"

"Deal with it," the warrior growled.

"No!" Nightpaw unsheathed her claws and sank them into the dirt angrily.

Icewhisker launched himself at her and swiped her paws from under her, planting his paws on her shoulders and leaning in close. Nightpaw shrank away. The tom was bigger and stronger than her, looming over like a shadow. She pushed him away angrily.

"You're coming on patrol!" he yowled, baring his teeth. Nightpaw backed away, lashing her tail defiantly. "You have no control over me, foxdung!"

Icewhisker's eyes narrowed into chips of blue ice. His claws slid out from their protective sheaths, and he lashed out at her. Nightpaw dodged quickly and slid around him, nipping his haunches quickly. He snarled and chased her, but Nightpaw dodged.

"Nightpaw! Frostclaw! What are you doing?" Firestar padded up behind Nightpaw. "Firestar, Nightpaw was disobeying orders," Icewhisker told the flame-colored tom.

"Nightpaw, please do what Icewhisker tells you. I know he isn't much older than you, but I trust him to do what he thinks is best for the Clan., and I expect you to, too."

Ashamed, Nightpaw dipped her head. "Sorry."

Instead of replying, Icewhisker narrowed his eyes and flicked his tail, padding towards the rest of the patrol.

"I hate patrolling the ShadowClan border," grumbled Nightpaw.

"I know," meowed Frostclaw sympathetically. The patrol was just padding away from another barrage of taunts, teasing, and jeers about her scars.

"Gonna go scare off some foxes with that ugly face of yours?" yowled Wetpaw. Nightpaw stopped and half-turned around as Wetpaw's mentor shushed her. "She earned those scars in a great battle," the ShadowClan cat said, casting an apologetic glance at Nightpaw.

"Yeah," Nightpaw hissed back. "Greater than you ever fought, Wetpaw. The harshest battle you've ever been in is with your littermates, fighting over the best piece of fresh-kill."

Wetpaw growled, but her mentor stopped her from leaping over the border with her tail. "Don't start fights that you can't win," the mentor growled at his apprentice. "You can clean the elders bed for the next moon for such reckless behavior."

Nightpaw drew back her lips smugly at the ShadowClan apprentice. "Bye, Wetkit," she called over her shoulder, giving her tail a last lash of disrespect before bounding after her patrol.

"You're not ugly, Nightpaw," murmured Icewhisker. He pressed himself into Nightpaw's pelt. "They're just provoking you."

"I know!" she snapped, Icewhisker's taunts from earlier still crawling in her pelt.

"What's your problem?" he asked gently.

"I'm so worried about Willowpaw!" confessed Nightpaw. "Ever since her cut opened up again, she's been asleep. She won't wake up. She breathes so slow…"

Icewhisker leaned over and brushed her whiskers with his nose. "Don't worry. Thrushwing will find some way to heal her."

Nightpaw pulled uneasily away. She wasn't sure if she completely trusted Icewhisker. The incident where she had accidentally stepped on his tail was fresh on her mind.

"Wait! Wait!" The call stopped the patrol in their tracks. Flamestep bounded up to them, panting. "Is Splashfoot with you?"

"No," replied Icewhisker. "I thought she went on the dawn patrol."

"She did. They saw a bird and Splashfoot told them she would catch up with them. She tracked the bird. But now we can't find her. Foxwhisker is going out of his mind!"

"We'll keep an eye out," promised Nightpaw, ignoring the cold feeling of panic that seeped down her belly. Flamestep nodded gratefully. "I'll go then. Firestar's making me clean out the elders' den, because Cherrypaw and Molepaw had hunting patrol." Sniffing in annoyance, he bounded off.

Icewhisker stiffened suddenly. "What's that smell?"

Nightpaw opened her mouth to let the rich scents of the forests flood in. "It's Splashfoot!"

They tracked the scent. It wove all around the border, sometimes weaving around tree trunks, sometimes wading through the stream. "What in StarClan's name was she doing?" muttered Nightpaw.

"She must have been tracking a grouse," replied Frostclaw. "I smell one of those, too."

They continued following the scent. It strayed over to the WindClan border. Suddenly, the scent vanished into a wall of thick brambles.

"What happened?" wailed Nightpaw.

"Maybe a WindClan patrol stole her!" gasped Berrynose.

"Then there would at least be signs of a fight," Icewhisker reasoned calmly. "She can't have just disappeared. Does the scent go to either side?"

"No," replied Nightpaw, trying to calm herself.

"Look!" called Frostclaw, who had been nosing around the wall.

Nightpaw pushed her nose into the spot where Frostclaw had shouted. "It's a tunnel!"

The brambles trembled slightly when they were disturbed. Nightpaw pushed her head into the small hole, wincing as a thorn pierced her pad, and pulled herself through. "I think you can fit," she called to the rest of the cats. She licked her pad fiercely as Frostclaw, Berrynose, and finally Icewhisker pushed through the small hole to join her.

"Great StarClan!" Frostclaw meowed. He bounded off to the other side of the enclosed bush. "It's like a secret camp!"

"But not big enough," added Nightpaw. "Look. There's a hole in the-"

She gasped as she looked into the gaping hole in the center of the clearing at a broken body below. "Splashfoot!"

The young warrior must have just leapt to catch the grouse when the ground collapsed. The silver cat's fur was dirty and matted, and blood coated her paws where she must have swatted the grouse. The large bird that she had hunted was clutched in her mouth.

"No, no, no! Splashfoot!" Nightpaw wailed. Icewhisker's eyes were wide. "Don't-"

But Nightpaw jumped down into the hole. It was a hard landing, but she managed to stay on her paws. She pressed her muzzle into her sister's flank. "Don't be dead, Splashfoot, please don't be dead," she begged. She felt for the silver cat's heartbeat. Nightpaw stiffened. "She's alive!" There was a faint thump of a heart behind the coat of dust and mud on her sister's fur.

Frostclaw jumped down with a thump. "You mousebrain!" he scolded. "You could have tripped and fallen like Splashfoot. Then what would we do?"

"Hey, dumb cats," called Berrynose from above them. "How are we going to get you out of there? You can't jump out!"

They looked up. Icewhisker's white and gray head poked out over ten tail-lengths above them. "Well?" he snapped. "How do you expect to escape?"

Nightpaw glanced wildly about. "Look!" she cried. "It's a tunnel!"

Another hole poked out of the side of the dirt. Icewhisker peered over at them. "Foxdung," he muttered. "You two are not going that way. You'll get lost. You'll die down there!"

"It's got to lead upward eventually," reasoned Nightpaw. Icewhisker growled. "When you get an idea in your head…"

"Let's go!" Nightpaw bounded towards the tunnel.

"I'll go get a patrol to help!" called Berrynose.

"Wait." A thud sounded, and Icewhisker shook each of his paws in turn as Nightpaw scuttled away like a frightened squirrel. "You're trapped now, too," she pointed out.

"Shut up," growled Icewhisker, scooping up Splashfoot on his back. Nightpaw reeled back in shock. She had never heard such harsh words coming out of his mouth.

"What's wrong with you?" she cried. "You think that I'll still forgive you, no matter what you say."

"Why do you always have to be such an annoying piece of foxdung?" snarled Icewhisker. "You're not the only one suffering, you know. You think you're so special-"

Nightpaw spat in his face. "You think you can just say anything to me," she growled, her voice icy cold. "Well, maybe you can after you learn how to be nice to a cat!"

Icewhisker's eyes widened as he realized what he had said. "Nightpaw, I'm sorry-"

Nightpaw silenced him with a cold glare and turned her back.

"Let's go," she meowed to Frostclaw. She bounded ahead, not caring whether he joined her or not.

A moment later the light began to gradually fade. She padded on in darkness, letting her whiskers guide her. She was just getting used to walking in the dark when something sharp lodged between her pads. "Ow!" she cried out. Immediately pawsteps approached her. She flinched away from the white shape that passed her, afraid that it might be Icewhisker. But he's carrying Splashfoot. It was Frostclaw, and he was carrying some plants in his mouth.

"Look! I found these in a cave. They were growing underground!" Frostclaw set down the herbs and sniffed at her pad. "Looks like they'll be useful." He chewed a leaf of the herb and gently rubbed it into Nightpaw's pad. She stiffened. The juice stung.

"Are you all right?" Frostclaw asked her gently, and Nightpaw knew that he was referring to more than her paw. He was talking about everything. He was talking about her injuries and the ShadowClan battles and Sunsplash. He was talking about Icewhisker and Splashfoot. He was even asking about himself. Nightpaw hesitated. He's prickly as a hedgehog! But her sense of truth was stronger than her guilt. She twined her tail with his. "I'm okay, Frostclaw. I'm fine."

She let the dim light in her mind show the way as the two padded down the tunnel, tails entwined, pelts brushing, their pawsteps echoing through the hollow space under the earth.

A.N.- Help me come up with something for my parody stories!