Featherkit raised his blue eyes, which sparkled in anticipation and excitement. His gaze was trained on Bramblestar, who sat with his tail draped over his paws on the Highledge. The leader's voice echoed off of the camp walls.

"Featherkit, you have reached six moons of age, and it is time you became an apprentice. From this moment on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Featherpaw. Cinderheart, I think it's time you have another apprentice. You will be mentor to Featherpaw. I know you will teach him all that you know."

Featherpaw stood up on his paws and padded towards the fluffy gray tabby she-cat. Cinderheart purred in delight, and Featherpaw craned his neck to touch noses with her.

Cheers erupted in the camp, and Featherpaw's chest swelled with pride. He was an apprentice at last!

Featherpaw was a gray tabby tom with milky-blue eyes. His paws and tail-tip were white as snow.

Featherpaw wasn't born in ThunderClan, nor was he born in any other Clan. He was found on the edge of ThunderClan's territory, abandoned. Featherpaw was glad that he'd get a chance to prove himself to the Clan, now that he was an apprentice.

As the meeting ended and the Clan dispersed, Featherpaw looked up at Cinderheart eagerly.

"What're we gonna do first?" he meowed, his eyes sparkling. Another purr rumbled in Cinderheart's throat.

"How about we tour the territory?" she suggested. Featherpaw nodded.

Cinderheart turned her head then, and Featherpaw followed her gaze. Cinderheart's mate, Lionblaze, was padding up to them.

The golden-furred tom nuzzled Cinderheart affectionately. "Congratulations on being a mentor again!"

Then he accidentally locked gazes with Featherpaw. The warrior's eyes flashed with sadness, and Featherpaw's fur pricked uncomfortably. He didn't know why, but many of his Clanmates looked at him wistfully, like they were remembering somebody. Lionblaze and Alderheart especially.

Lionblaze meowed a quick farewell to Cinderheart, before heading out on a hunting patrol.

Cinderheart flicked her tail and padded towards the tunnel leading out of camp. Featherpaw followed, his tail waving excitedly.

When Featherpaw emerged into the forest, he glanced around. Trees towered overhead, casting shadows on the forest floor, which, Featherpaw realized, was layered with frosty snow. The smell of the forest wreathed around him, and rays of sunlight broke through the leaves of some trees.

For some reason, Featherpaw recognized the trees. The scents from the forest were not unknown to him; he could name them, but he didn't know why. This was his first time out of camp, after all, not including the time he spent abandoned, but he didn't think he could remember that...

He shook his head to himself and followed Cinderheart as she led the young tabby tom through the forest. The soft crunching of snow underpaw was oddly satisfying to Featherpaw.

Cinderheart raised her tail, a signal for Featherpaw to stop. He did, with one paw still raised in the air as he tilted his head in confusion.

"Can you smell anything?" Cinderheart asked, turning her head to face him.

Featherpaw raised his muzzle to scent the air. "SkyClan scent-markers... I think Sparrowpelt, Plumwillow, Blossomheart, and... Sandynose set them."

He returned his gaze to Cinderheart, whose jaw was slackened in shock. Featherpaw's fur bristled self-consciously. "D-did I do something wrong?" he asked tentatively.

His mentor didn't respond for a moment. When she did, her tone was full of confusion. "How did you know that this is the SkyClan border? How do you know who those cats are?"

Featherpaw scanned his thoughts, and found that he didn't know how he knew that. He just... did. He shrugged. "The older apprentices told me their scents," he lied.

Cinderheart kept her eyes trained on him for a moment. "Okay... Well, come on, there's more territory to show you."

•••

Alderheart dipped his head halfheartedly as a greeting to Kestrelflight, Willowshine, Fidgetflake, and Puddleshine, with his new apprentice, Shadowpaw. Mothwing wasn't there tonight, and neither was Frecklewish.

"You're finally here!" Puddleshine purred. The ShadowClan medicine-cat didn't mean that Alderheart was finally at the half-moon meeting that night. It had been six moons since Alderheart had come to the meetings. Six moons also since he had gone to a Gathering.

Alderheart had a feeble excuse, in his own opinion. He was still grieving. He had been downcast ever since Leafpool died in a rockslide, and Jayfeather had died in a storm. Sadness ate at him from the inside, and he was behind on his duties because of it.

The other medicine-cats missed Leafpool and Jayfeather badly, too; they all shared a bond stronger than the boundaries between Clans, but Alderheart didn't think they knew how much he was hurting inside.

Alderheart had only come to this meeting because he thought that maybe... Maybe he could talk with Jayfeather and Leafpool when he shared tongues with StarClan.

Alderheart followed the other medicine-cats down the slope that led to the Moonpool. His paws slipped into the indents made by cats generations and moons ago.

He lifted his gaze to stare at the Moonpool. Stars reflected off if it surface, and moonlight struck the water, lighting the cave in a pale blue glow.

Usually, the sight would astound Alderheart, and usually a warm feeling would fill his being as he gazed at its magnificence, but he felt too empty inside to really care this time.

Alderheart, without waiting for the others to join him, crouched down by the edge of the Moonpool. He dipped his nose into the water and a chill crept through him from ears to tail-tip as he drifted into sleep.

•••

Alderheart blinked his eyes open. He stood up, stretching his limbs, before scanning his surroundings.

He was standing in the middle of a clearing in StarClan's hunting grounds. To his surprise, the other medicine-cats were around him. Rarely was there a time when medicine-cats shared dreams.

He pricked his ears and swiveled his head at the sound of rustling in the bushes.

A light brown tabby she-cat stalked out of the bushes with purpose in her pawsteps. Her fur glimmered with stars, and her amber eyes flashed.

"Leafpool!" Alderheart meowed, a rush of happiness surging through him. Leafpool padded up to him and nuzzled him with her muzzle. "I miss you," he breathed.

Leafpool broke away. "StarClan chooses when it is our time to go. It was mine."

Alderheart sighed. "I know..."

As the other medicine-cats greeted Leafpool with murmurs of sorrow, Alderheart locked gazed with her, a small glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"Is... Is Jayfeather here...?" he asked tentatively.

Leafpool shook her head. "He is not in StarClan."

Alderheart's breath caught in his throat.

Shadowpaw tilted his head. "If he's not in StarClan, where could he be?"

The ShadowClan apprentice had never met Leafpool and Jayfeather in the real world, but he had heard many stories about them, and he respected them.

"He's... he's not in the Dark Forest, is he?" Willowshine asked hesitantly. Leafpool didn't respond, but Alderheart did.

"You'd really suggest that!?" he growled, his tail lashing. "He's not in the Dark Forest!"

Leafpool herself didn't say anything for a moment. She shook her head sadly. "He's closer than you think," she murmured.

After that, Alderheart could feel himself being tugged back into the waking world. Alderheart yowled, begging her to tell him more, but he couldn't hold onto the dream, and he could feel himself regaining consciousness.

•••

Alderheart shot up on his paws. The other medicine-cats woke up shortly after.

"What did Leafpool mean? 'He's closer than you think'? What does that mean?" Puddleshine muttered. "And why isn't he in StarClan?"

Alderheart turned his head to stare at Fidgetflake. "Can you get Tree and meet me at the border tomorrow at sunhigh?" he asked.

Fidgetflake blinked in confusion. "Why?"

Alderheart lowered his gaze. "Because maybe if he's not in StarClan, he has unfinished business here..."

"And Tree can help us see ghosts..." Fidgetflake murmured. Then he shook out his black-and-white pelt. "Alright, tomorrow at sunhigh."

•••

Featherpaw pulled himself forwards by his forepaws, his blue gaze trained on the brown-furred mouse in front of him. He licked his lips in anticipation.

As he bunched up his muscles to spring, he felt a stab of pain in his head. He let out a yelp.

The mouse stiffened, before scampering away. Featherpaw didn't see, though; he had shut his eyes tightly, trying to block out the pain. When he opened them again, he was left in confusion.

His vision was blurred and cloudy. Everything was a haze of colors glazed in fog. He turned around, and everything looked the same. Just a blur.

He started to panic. What's going on? he thought, whirling around, his paws crunching the fresh snow as he stumbled in confusion and fear.

He heard Cinderheart hiss in agitation. "For StarClan's sake, Featherpaw, you're lumbering around like a fox in a fit! You'll scare away all the prey in the forest! What's gotten into you?"

Featherpaw tried to meet her gaze, but he couldn't find out where her gaze was. "I can't see!" he wailed.

"What do you mean?"

"Everything blurry! I can't see!" he cried, flexing his claws in the snow. He heard Cinderheart's tail swish in concern.

"When did that happen?"

"Just now! I was about to catch a mouse, and then I felt a pain in my head, and then this happened!"

Cinderheart padded towards him, and he could feel her tail layed over his shoulders. "Take in deep breaths. Try to calm down."

Featherpaw nodded, gulping. He tried to steady his breathing, his heart pounding in his chest. Eventually, once he was breathing in a steady rhythm again, his vision began to clear.

Featherpaw sighed in relief. Then he looked to Cinderheart with wide blue eyes. "What was that? Why'd my vision go away?"

Cinderheart visibly hesitated, before meowing, "I don't know."

I know I said updates wouldn't be frequent... but, uh... let me change that.

Updates happen at random times. There will be no real pattern to updates. Sorry if that's annoying.

Also, even though this takes place in The Broken Code, the events in The Broken Code won't happen. There's no lost connection with StarClan, and no imposter, okay? This is just my story in this time, and I'm not really including the events in The Broken Code.

Now, to anyone wondering why I made Featherpaw's mentor Cinderheart, there is a reason. Some of you might know why...

I hope you'll join me next time!