So, it's been a while! I've been busy, dealing with a lack of wanting to write and a bunch of other things. I'll be working on getting this written and done. I've not lost interest, don't worry!

Chapter 23

"This is strange," Kestrelpaw decided.

Robinpaw nodded in agreement.

Down below their paws the ground sloped into the hollow that held the Moonpool. Robinpaw imagined it glowing in the moonlight, the water ruffled slightly by the slight breeze. The rest of the forest was hot and heavy, but it seemed like here was cooler thanks to the water – or StarClan.

Kestrelpaw led the way down the slope and into the hollow. Robinpaw followed, his whiskers brushing against the hollow's stony walls. His paws slipped comfortably into the marks of cats who had come before, long ago. Soon enough the two apprentices were sitting before the Moonpool as it gently lapped at their toes, fed by a splashing spring from above.

It feels as if it's gotten lower, Robinpaw thought uncomfortably. All the water in the territories was drying up – if the lake wasn't immune to the effects of the heat, why shouldn't the Moonpool dry up as well? The thought scared him. What would LionClan do without the Moonpool?

"Do you think StarClan will talk to us without one of our mentors here?" Kestrelpaw wondered. He made no comment on the receding water. "They… they were quiet to me after… after Barkface died."

"They must," Robinpaw insisted, sympathy flashing inside for Kestrelpaw. "They can't just ignore us." I won't let them.

Robinpaw didn't see Kestrelpaw nod, but he did hear the other apprentice sigh. "Let's do this, then," Kestrelpaw decided.

Together they lapped at the cool waters of the Moonpool, like frost and starlight on the tongue. They curled up together on the shore, and Robinpaw heard Kestrelpaw fall to sleep almost immediately. It didn't take long for Robinpaw to dream, either. Almost the moment his head hit his paws, a bright light shone from behind his eyes – and when he opened them, Robinpaw was in StarClan.

It always took Robinpaw a moment to adjust himself to being able to see. The fields of StarClan seemed to stretch into forever, its grasses long and vibrant and beautiful. Edging the field was a great section of forest, trees heavy with leaves. Everything glistened with dew, as if it were just morning. A stark contrast to the woods where Robinpaw trained with Silverhawk.

Before Robinpaw could call for anyone, a lumbering dark shape approached. They were a large she-cat, broad-bodied and flat-faced, with orange eyes that blazed like flames and scars along her matted dark gray pelt. A faint scent of something similar to LionClan drifted to Robinpaw's nose, but there were too many differences.

Robinpaw frowned. "Who are you?" he wondered. "Where is Tallstar?" Tallstar was one of the few StarClan cats he knew. He had expected to see him – and even if he hadn't come, Robinpaw wanted to talk to Tallstar anyway. Who else would know where Barkface was?

"I am Yellowfang." The dark gray she-cat grunted. Her voice was a deep rasp – old-sounding, even for StarClan. "Former medicine cat for ThunderClan and ShadowClan before that – and Tallstar will not be speaking to you tonight."

"Is he talking to Kestrelpaw?" Robinpaw wondered. "That's good if he is – poor Kestrelpaw's been so caught up in -"

Yellowfang cut him off with a growl. "I've never liked too much chatter," she said. "In my opinion, StarClan tends to make one prone to talking in circles. I want to get to the point with you, Robinpaw. No distractions."

Robinpaw shut his jaws. She was quite unlike any StarClan cat he'd met – in fact, her direct demeanor reminded him more of Silverhawk. Yet she couldn't be as mean as he was at times. Robinpaw settled himself in the grass. "Alright," he agreed. "Where do we start?"

"I know you've many questions," Yellowfang rasped. "But I hate secrets, especially when knowing could help more now than later. Ask me what you want, and I'll do my best to answer."

Robinpaw swallowed. Being given the option opened floodgates that Robinpaw wasn't sure how to close. Questions poured through his mind – so many, too many! It took him a moment to sort things out, to find the ones he really wanted answers to. Yellowfang's gradually curling lip did not help.

"I…" Robinpaw breathed. "The prophecy," he decided. "Of the Three. Where did it come from? What does it mean?" That felt like the most important question, the most logical. Yellowfang had to know something.

Yet her orange eyes clouded. "Straight to the point," she grunted, "like your father." The old she-cat took a great breath before going on: "I cannot tell you what it rightly means, Robinpaw. None of us know, either. As for where it came from… This prophecy has always been there."

"What?" Robinpaw's eyes widened in disbelief.

Yellowfang nodded. "It was spoken long ago," she said, "farther back than most cats here can recall. Some say its existed long before StarClan even came to be. Some others think that it means that what's happening now has been preordained – always meant to happen, no matter what."

"You mean, LionClan and TigerClan were always meant to…" Robinpaw trailed off. His paws trembled, and he suddenly felt cold.

Yet Yellowfang shook her head. "Not that bit, I don't think," she admitted. "At least, I don't think so. How the Clans split was not mentioned in the prophecy – I think something went wrong somewhere."

Something went wrong? Robinpaw frowned. "Like what?"

Yellowfang shrugged. "Don't know," she stated. "Life has many directions it can take, Robinpaw. Too many, in my opinion. Simply putting a paw out of place can change your destiny forever, like ripples in a pond."

Robinpaw frowned, ears pinning. "That sounds confusing," he admitted.

"If you think too hard on it, your head will spin," Yellowfang grunted. "Trust me. But the fact of the matter is that we might not know what the prophecy means, Robinpaw – but we are doing everything we can to find out, and guide you from there."

Robinapw worked his cream-colored paws into the earth. Somehow, he got the impression that Yellowfang meant she was done answering that question. But I only have more questions than when I asked! It made him want to wail. But he shoved those questions aside – better to see if he could answer them himself rather than squander this opportunity.

"TigerClan," Robinpaw decided. "If there's nothing StarClan can do to stop them, what can LionClan do?"

Yellowfang narrowed her eyes. "I know of the battle that took place," she said. "We all do. Very unfortunate, but someone with evil in their heart will always attract more of the same. Nothing to be done about that."

The dark gray she-cat shifted on her paws. Old, cracked claws sheathed and unsheathed in frustration. She meowed, "I'm sorry, Robinpaw; there's not much we can do. If we could fight TigerClan for you, believe me – I'd lead the charge. StarClan can only do so much."

Robinpaw frowned. It was the answer he'd expected, though in not so many words. Maybe the prophecy has something to do with it, he decided. Tallstar made it seem that way when he told me. Robinpaw didn't dare ask that question, however – he knew the night was slipping away. How many more questions could he ask before he woke?

He decided on another prominent one. "Where is Barkface?" he asked.

Yellowfang's frown deepened. "I had hoped you'd ask that first," she admitted. "Barkface is dead, Robinpaw – but he never made it to StarClan. Tallstar went down to fetch that old coot himself; but Barkface's spirit was already gone."

Robinpaw's ears pricked in shock. "I-If he was already gone," he breathed, "then where is he now?"

This time Yellowfang's eyes narrowed to such a point that looking her in the face felt like claws searing down his white-dashed muzzle. Her growl was deep: "Oh, I'm sure you know."

Before Robinpaw could ask, Yellowfang disappeared. Confusion gripped Robinpaw, then horror. The world began to break apart around him, as if Yellowfang was forcing it to happen. What does she mean? Robinpaw thought frantically. What does she –

His final thoughts cut off as the ground fell out from beneath his paws, sending Robinpaw spinning into darkness.