"What is it, Firestar?"

Skyfeather looked around wildly. She had absolutely no idea where she was, but the image of Firestar gave her a slight hint that she was having yet another dream. Dread filled her gut as she thought about Goldenheart's words, and that this could possibly be a StarClan-sent dream.

Skyfeather finally began to recognize the shapes in the dark. She was in Mothermouth, and the Moonstone was glittering beautifully in front of her. Stormstar was crouched in front of Firestar's body.

This must be when Firestar was leaving to go back to StarClan! Skyfeather realized. She padded forward a little to listen to what the two cats were saying.

"Firestar, you can't really be leaving!" Stormstar pleaded. Skyfeather could hear the worry layering his voice.

"I'm sorry, Stormpelt," Firestar meowed calmly. His voice was shaky and hoarse, but Skyfeather could still make out what he was saying. "You were always meant to be leader of RainClan. StarClan will leave the Moonstone shining, so you can receive your nine lives tonight."

"Firestar, I don't know what to do," Stormstar mewed, panic filling his soft mew.

Firestar chuckled softly. "Don't worry, Stormpelt. Once everything goes right, there will be nothing to worry about." Firestar paused, shifting ever-so-slightly. "Stormpelt, there is one thing. You have a choice to make. This option is the one all of StarClan think you must choose. It is the option that will help save the forest, and your Clan."

Skyfeather leaned in, impatient for Firestar to finish speaking.

"You must make Skyfeather the Clan's deputy."

Skyfeather doubled backward, eyes wide. What? she thought, her mind racing. Stormstar said that Firestar told him to make Sparrowstripe the Clan's deputy!

"Okay, but why?" Stormstar asked, his voice quivering.

"When she becomes leader, she will lead the Clans to help save the forest. You must do it, Stormpelt." Firestar paused. "There is one thing, though."

Stormstar didn't say anything; he simply leaned in like Skyfeather and listened intently.

"When Skyfeather leads the Clans to save the forest, she will die soon after, losing all her lives to the same wound."

Skyfeather's hackles curled upward as Firestar spoke these words. Her eyes widened and she backed away. The same wound? She wanted to scream out to Stormstar and Firestar, but no words came to her voice. It was like she lost the ability to speak. She felt like a tiny, helpless kit, practically drowned and immobilized by fear.

To somewhat Skyfeather's relief, Stormstar was just as panicked. "I can't let that happen! I love her, Firestar."

When Stormstar spoke his response, Skyfeather was shocked at her own reaction. Her hackles lowered themselves, and she regained her composure. She looked on calmly. Wondering why the fact that Stormstar loved her wasn't shocking her.

Firestar nodded. "I know, Stormpelt. It's obvious in the way you look at her."

Skyfeather looked down at her paws in embarrassment. She was surprised to see Stormstar do the same.

"If you do not make Skyfeather RainClan's deputy, then Sparrowstripe will lead the Clans to save the forest, but he will turn against you all."

Skyfeather couldn't take it any longer. All this information was bewildering, and she wanted out of the dream. Turning blindly, she raced down the tunnel and was surprised to see that the slim walls weren't brushing against her sides. When she opened her eyes and stopped, she realized that her paws hadn't taken her anywhere. She flung around helplessly and stared at the scene once more.

"It's your decision, Stormpelt," Firestar mumbled before his body went limp.

"Skyfeather?"

Skyfeather blinked open her eyes warily. Frostfur was prodding her with an outstretched paw.

"Skyfeather, we have to train our apprentices," Frostfur meowed. "Dustpaw's waiting."

Skyfeather lurched to her paws. "Oh, StarClan! I forgot!" She scrambled after Frostfur and out of the den, into the clearing. Darkpaw and Dustpaw were sitting patiently in the clearing, remnants of fresh-kill below them.

"Come, Darkpaw," Frostfur meowed. "We'll be training with Dustpaw and Skyfeather today."

Darkpaw nodded and picked up the carcass of the vole he had been chewing. He followed Frostfur out of the camp.

As soon as the two disappeared through the ferns, Dustpaw practically exploded into mews.

"What are we going to do first, Skyfeather?" she mewled excitedly. "Are we going to practice hunting? Fighting? What are we going to do today, Skyfeather?"

Skyfeather rolled her eyes as the apprentice spoke. When she was finished, she placed a paw on top of her apprentice's head. Dustpaw's speaking died down as she was calmed.

"First of all, Dustpaw," Skyfeather began, taking her paw off of Dustpaw's head, "you need to be quiet. Let me do the talking, okay?"

Dustpaw nodded vigorously, but remained silent.

"Good," Skyfeather meowed. "Your first task of the day is to follow me out of the camp and next to the river. Take that eaten squirrel with you. You need to bury it."

Dustpaw nodded viciously once more and ducked down to scoop up the squirrel corpse. She dragged it out of the camp, Skyfeather right behind her.

Once beside the river, Dustpaw dropped her remaining fresh-kill on the ground and covered it with fallen leaves.

"Good," Skyfeather meowed. She didn't want to sound like a bad mentor, always telling Dustpaw to stop talking and acting obnoxious. "Now, to start your training, we might as well begin with hunting. All cats of the forest must know how to hunt, whether you're hungry or not."

Dustpaw nodded, taking all of Skyfeather's words into her mind and soaking them up.

"Since we live by the river, you might as well learn to fish." Skyfeather got up and padded down the riverbed. Dustpaw followed her clumsily, stumbling every now and then. "Listen carefully," Skyfeather ordered. "You have to wait patiently for the fish to come along."

Dustpaw watched in consideration as Skyfeather watched the water intently. When a fish slithered by through the water, Dustpaw cried out, "There's one! There's a fish, Skyfeather, catch it!"

But Skyfeather didn't bother to place her paw in the rushing current. She straightened up slowly and turned a hard gaze on her apprentice. "Dustpaw!" she hissed. "You have to remain quiet while hunting! You don't want the fish to hear you."

Dustpaw looked at her scuffling paws. "I'm sorry," she mewed.

Skyfeather sighed. "It's okay," she meowed. "Now watch."

Dustpaw nodded and leaned down to peer in the water, mimicking Skyfeather.

Another smaller fish slipped through the current, completely unaware of its predators. Skyfeather waited for the exact moment the fish passed her and thrust her paw into the water. The fish landed with a slight thud on the cold earth.

Dustpaw's eyes were the size of moons. "Wow!" she mewed. "That was incredible! I'm going to be able to do that? That's amazing!"

Skyfeather didn't want to bask in her apprentice's praise, for that would seem oddly kit-like. "You have a try. Remember, stay as quiet as possible, and only reach your paw in when the fish has slightly passed you."

Dustpaw nodded and gazed down into the clear current. Skyfeather watched too, keeping her wet paw on the writhing fish.

Suddenly, Dustpaw shot her paw into the water, spraying Skyfeather. She shook her pelt in annoyance and checked Dustpaw's success.

"I did it," Dustpaw mewed, "but the fish quickly went back into the water."

Skyfeather nodded, pleased with Dustpaw's ability to not whine, and the fact that she actually got a fish on her first try. "Don't worry, Dustpaw," she meowed. "You did great. You actually got a fish! Just try again."

Dustpaw beamed up at Skyfeather's praise and instantly turned to the slippery rocks. "Can I jump onto one of the stones?"

"Of course," Skyfeather called as her apprentice leaped onto a stone.

The day went by, and Dustpaw eventually got the hang of catching fish. She'd caught three fish, and Skyfeather caught a squirrel and a water vole while she was practicing. The two were on their way back to the camp when something soft and white fluttered down from the clouds above.

Dustpaw jumped back and hissed at the sky as the white fluff hit her pelt. Skyfeather meowed a laugh and sat down on her haunches. She dropped her fresh-kill and looked up at the sky, opening her mouth gleefully.

Dustpaw hissed again, "What is this stuff?" she mewed, clawing her way over to sit next to Skyfeather.

"It's snow, you furball," Skyfeather murmured through a mouthful of the flakes. "It's frozen water, falling from the sky. It won't hurt us, don't worry."

Dustpaw seemed to hesitate before imitating Skyfeather and opening her mouth. When she caught some snowflakes, she leaped up in joy. "You're right!" she mewled. "It is water!"

Skyfeather chuckled before they set off back to camp again. But Skyfeather's mind was not full of excited thoughts for the snow. There were two things on her mind.

The first one, she tried to ignore all throughout the training session: her dream. That can't possibly have been what happened in Mothermouth, she thought, her mind reeling. Stormstar said that he was supposed to make Sparrowstripe deputy. And how am I supposed to help save the Clans?

Also, the fact that Stormstar loved her caused her fur to rise slightly. But I don't love him back, she told herself, even though she knew it wasn't true. Ever since she was impressed with Stormstar's wonderful fishing abilities in LightClan, and was amazed with his glistening, sleek pelt, she knew that she had some feelings for Stormstar. But she never thought that Stormstar would feel anything for her, so she trained herself to act normal in front of him. How would she be able to face him now?

The second thing bothering her was the snow. She wasn't excited about the snow; she was antagonized by it. She glanced up at the sky in anxiety, wishing the snow wouldn't cover the ground completely.

If the snow did cover the world in its soft blankets of white, Skyfeather didn't know how they'd be able to find prey. The river was most likely to freeze over, and the prey would all run into the shelters of their small dens. She'd have to hunt as much as she possibly could for the next few days.

Skyfeather tried to duck behind Bluetail as Stormstar approached her, Sparrowstripe alongside him.

"Skyfeather?" he meowed, peeking around Bluetail.

Skyfeather squinted her eyes, embarrassed, as she crept out from behind Bluetail. "Hey, Stormstar!" she chirped, masking her growing apprehension.

Stormstar purred softly. "How are you?"

"Pretty good," Skyfeather mewed. "How about you?"

Stormstar chuckled. "Down to business," he meowed, suddenly sounding urgent. "I want Sparrowstripe to lead you, along with Dustpaw and Tawnypaw, down the river until you reach LightClan's territory. Report everything you see."

Skyfeather nodded. It was a long journey, but they could make it. Wait!

"What?" she suddenly blurted out. "What about Tawnypaw? How's she going to travel that far with her injury?"

Sparrowstripe nodded in understanding. "This patrol is a little test for her. If she makes it, I will assess her tomorrow, and she will become a warrior."

Skyfeather's ears perked up. "Oh, really?" she muttered. "Well, I'll be rooting for her!"

Stormstar nodded to the group before trotting away to his den. Sparrowstripe turned to Bluetail. "Can you take Littlerock and Snowstorm out on a hunting patrol with Silverpaw? We need as much fresh-kill as we can get before the snow completely covers the ground." He pointed his tail to a small hole in the ground. "We'll be storing most of the prey underground throughout leaf-bare."

Bluetail nodded urgently and padded off to find Littlerock. Then Sparrowstripe turned to Skyfeather. "Come on," he meowed. "I'll get Dustpaw for you. You go get Tawnypaw and tell her the good news."

Skyfeather nodded, her happiness shining in her eyes. She leaped away to the apprentices' den to find the dappled she-cat washing herself with the enthusiasm of a rock.

"Come on, Tawnypaw!" she called.

Tawnypaw glanced up and got to her paws. "Where? Where are we going?"

Skyfeather chuckled. "You're coming on a patrol up to LightClan's territory with Sparrowstripe, Dustpaw, and me. Didn't she tell you?"

Tawnypaw shook her head.

Skyfeather rolled her eyes. "Of course she didn't," she muttered under her breath. "Well, hurry up! We're leaving now!"

Skyfeather rushed out of the den to see Dustpaw as jumpy as her. She was glad to see that Tawnypaw and Dustpaw had become friends. She couldn't wait for Tawnypaw's warrior ceremony. She was almost too sure that Tawnypaw would make the journey.

A/N: squee I hope you guys like this chapter as much as I do...Oo