Pine trees. The sharp scent of the bark, the prickle of needles underpaw, the familiar yet unsettling outlines that stood out in the black of night. He couldn't believe he was here again. Not after all the begging he heard from Half Moon. Not after seeing such worry in those deep, green eyes. Not after he promised to be careful. Not after he told himself that she was more important. Not after he promised himself that he wouldn't come back. That he couldn't come back.

Jaypaw thought about turning back. He did and he knew it even if he doubted it later because his paws didn't stop. They wouldn't stop. He just kept heading deeper and deeper into the pine forest.

Out of the corner of his eye, Jaypaw saw a shadow move but thought nothing of it, thinking his eyes were playing tricks on him. He did pause when he felt the smooth dirt of twoleg path against his pads as he crossed into twoleg territory. His old wounds didn't even hurt as his belly twinged in excitement. Tonight would be the night. He was going to beat that stupid kittypet.

Jaypaw didn't remember heading out here but he remembered laying in his nest the previous night running through battle strategies in his head. Upon Half Moon's request to leave the kittypet alone, Jaypaw had gone to Lapping Wave for battle tutoring instead. Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he was breaking a promise right now but that thought was overpowered by the excitement for the fight to come.

Jaypaw frowned as he kept padding forward. He'd crossed the dirt path. The greenleaf twoleg nest was in a clearing just behind it… I should be there already… Oh there it is.

Jaypaw broke the treeline and stepped into the clearing but he did not see that wooden fence nor the brown pelt of his rival. He stopped and tilted his head in confusion. Did I take a wrong turn? That would be pretty embarrassing.

Above, there was no moon in the night sky and the bright light of stars was missing but Jaypaw didn't notice this. He was too focused on finding the kittypet to bother looking up at the sky. If he had, he may have noticed something was wrong.

Padding out of the clearing, Jaypaw headed deeper into ShadowClan territory. The shadows of the pine forest wrapped around him, consuming him, as he ventured farther and farther.

Jaypaw's legs didn't tire but he knew he had been walking far. Too far. This pine forest was endless. He should have broken into the fields he knew lay behind ShadowClan territory or ran into the river that lead to RiverClan territory. Jaypaw stopped and looked around, trying to figure out where he was. There were no landmarks, only pine trees. Behind them, he only saw darkness.

The darkness suddenly seemed to swallow him and the trees and ground faded from vision. Jaypaw yowled in surprise, breathing becoming labored. One thought pounded in his mind. Am I blind? Am I blind? Am I blind again? Please StarClan, don't let my sight be gone.

"The Stars cannot see you here…"

"Who's there?" Jaypaw yowled, blind eyes batting around the darkness wildly but he saw nothing. He unsheathed his claws. "Show yourself."

A dark, low laughter surrounded him. Jaypaw whipped around violently, trying to pinpoint its source but he saw nothing. Upon the movement, he saw the grey fur of his paws and he relaxed considerably. He wasn't blind. This must be a dream.

The laughter sounded again.

"You are a smart one my little jay but this is not the realm of sleep."

"Who's there?" Jaypaw called again. His voice did not echo but he could feel it in his ribcage alongside a rising feeling of fear. "How do you know who I am?"

The laughter sounded again and a solid, pure white shape materialized in front of him. "Oh little Jay. Don't you remember me?"

Jaypaw leaped backward instinctively then crouched into a defensive position, claws still out. The white tom merely stared at him. He titled his head to one side, sharp eyes boring into him. Jaypaw flinched as he was caught in his gaze. His eyes are so red… They're like blood.

The white tom purred. He turned and flicked his tail in Jaypaw's direction. "Walk with me."

"Walk with me..."

"Walk with me…"

"Um. O-okay," Jaypaw stammered and bounded to catch up with the white tom. Attempting to match his strides, Jaypaw became suddenly aware of how massive this cat was. His shoulders had to be broader than even Brambleclaw's and Brambleclaw had the broadest shoulders of any cat Jaypaw knew. Eyes trailing over him, Jaypaw could see muscles ripples beneath his pelt as he moved with the power and precision of an experienced fighter.

"Walk with me..."

"Walk with me…"

"Um, who are you?" Jaypaw asked quietly after a bit. He swallowed, not liking the way his voice came out. The empety space around the pair seemed to be whispering to him. Like his stick only it wasn't soft and comforting. No, it was far more... unsettling. And creepy. "Where am I? And why am I here?"

The tom chuckled. "Oh little jay. You're too cute. Do you really think you can making through the third day without consequences?"

"Consequences?" Jaypaw repeated. The fear echoing in his chest had died down a bit but it was welling back up again. "What for? What did I do?"

"Your trial. You proved yourself a sharpclaw passing the Tribe of Still Water's trial on the first day. You proved yourself truly strong passing the Tribe of Stone Forest's trial on the second day. And on the third day… Oh little Jay. You proved yourself one of us."

"Who are you?" Jaypaw repeated. His heart raced. Three days? Three trials? He's surely talking about the Rite of Passage… The tribe says no cat can survive longer than the first day but I did… Were there more trials? One on each day?

The white tom chuckled again. Jaypaw's fur stood on end. That was creepy, he didn't like it. He saw no reason for any cat to ever chuckle instead of laugh and there was no reason to laugh if something wasn't funny.

"You can call me… Ink," the white tom decided. Jaypaw blinked. Ink… Strange name for a white cat. "And as for where you are… let's just say you're in a black spot."

"A black spot?"

"Walk with me..."

"Walk with me…"

"One of the places in the night sky where a star's light cannot reach," Ink explained. "A Place Of No Stars, if you will."

"A Place Of No Stars," Jaypaw murmured. That was a strange concept. He had always thought that StarClan could touch everywhere but it made sense that it couldn't. Besides, this was no StarClan. StarClan was filled with fields and forests filled with prey. This was just a place darker and emptier than the night sky.

"Walk with me," Ink said again and quickened his pace. Jaypaw had to run a bit to keep up with his long strides. "Look around you."

Jaypaw turned his head away from the white tom and let his gaze flick over the surrounding area. At first, all he saw was darkness but the image suddenly changed and slowly began morphing into something new. The world twisted around him in swirls of black that bled into new colors and plunged into the ground.

Jawpaw stopped in his pawsteps as he watched the forest rematerialize around him. Thankfully Ink stopped long enough for him to register his amazement. StarClan's never done anything like this.

"What is StarClan?" Ink asked, massive head swinging to bore his sharp red eyes into him. Jaypaw flinched hard. He can hear my thoughts? Ink's eyes narrowed. "We of the black spots derive from an ancient beast with who wielded the power of the mind. In the realm of sleep, I am all powerful. None of your thoughts can escape me."

Jaypaw shuddered as the pure white tom circled to face him. Jaypaw squeezed his eyes shut and looked away. Ink put a paw on his head and forced him to face him. Blue eyes met red and Jaypaw found himself unable to tear his gaze away. It was like the scarlet orbs were drawing him in.

"Hmm." As Ink stared into him, Jaypaw felt his eyes begin to dry from being held open so long and his mind tingle as something buzzed around in there. Like bees. It was such a strange feeling. Jaypaw often accused others of being bee brains. He really hoped no cat had ever gotten a bee in their brain because if it felt anything like this... "It seems you're not the one who walked the trial. No matter. You seem to have a natural affinity for the power of the mind. You will do."

Ink lifted his paw from Jaypaw. The young tom released the breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and backed away from him before breaking into a run. The terrain suddenly shifted around him and Jaypaw's foot caught on a root, sending him spilling into the ground. The skin on his forelegs burned as he skidded across the invisible ground. Jaypaw didn't push himself back to his paws. Scared, he shut his eyes and prayed that the darkness would consume him once more, eliminating the surrounding trees and the advancing tom.

"Walk with me..."

"Walk with me…"

"Walk with us…"

"No," Jaypaw whimpered. He burrowed his face into the the ground and put his paws over his head, covering his ears. The voices were in his head but that didn't stop him from trying to block them out. "Leave me alone."

Ink snorted. "Pathetic. I'd say you should have thought about that before you entered the trial but like I said, that wasn't you. That's too bad. That jay was the first survivor of all three trials in generations. If he had your power, we'd have a revolutionary cat among us but it looks like we're stuck with you. At least you've got motive. May take a bit more work than I'd like but we'll make a fighter out of you yet."

Jaypaw's ears pricked at those words. A fighter? They can help me become a sharpclaw? Jaypaw uncovered his head and looked back at Ink. His deep red eyes stood out against his white fur and gleamed in the shadows of the night.

"Don't think we haven't seen your fights with that pathetic kittypet," Ink said. "The stars see all and the black spots see even more. We can see your struggle. We can see your desire to be strong. To have power. And we can help you achieve it."

You don't know the half of my struggles, Jaypaw mentally snorted. But the offer was appealing. This cat lived beside the stars… That was pretty close to being a StarClan cat, right? It seemed close enough. He was scary but he could get over it. Anything to be a warrior. Anything to be a sharpclaw. That's all I want.

Jaypaw didn't know of Ink heard his thoughts or if he accepted his silence as an answer but he dipped his head. "Very well. Your training begins now."

Ink unsheathed his claws and shot forward with stunning speed. Blinding pain exploded in his face as deadly claws raked down his face and Jaypaw's vision went white.

Jaypaw suddenly jolted awake gasping for air. His chest felt tight, he could barely breathe. His body felt damp and cold. It was kind of gross but he ignored it and focused on his breathing. After awhile, his panic died down and he managed to get a hold on his breathing. He let out a long sigh of relief as he became aware of the den around him and his body laying in his nest. It was only a dream.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a flash of white. He gave a strangled yowl and leaped clean out his nest. He grunted as his back slammed flat into the wall but he didn't let that stop him. Eyes wild, he stood on his hind legs supported by his spine pressed flat against the wall. He held up his paws, ready to defend himself, and boxed the air with uncoordinated strikes.

"Woah, Jay's Wing, calm down!" Half Moon exclaimed. Jaypaw relaxed upon recognizing her and slid back down to all fours. He lowered his head, embarrassed. Half Moon came over to him, coiling around him, and ran soothing licks over his head. "Bad dream?"

"Something like that," Jaypaw murmured. She withdrew from him and sat down. Her eyes shone with worry. Jaypaw swallowed. Green not red. Green not red. Deep, beautiful emerald green. Not red. Definitely not red… dark, cold, bloody, red… Green. Warm, kind. Green not red. Green not red. Green not red. Focus, Jaypaw. Green not red.

Half Moon seemed to sense his inner panic and guided him back to his nest. Jaypaw usually hated being guided but he didn't resist and numbly sat back down. Half Moon settled beside him and pressed close. Jaypaw closed his eyes, comforted by her warmth. Half Moon's muzzle found its way to his neck and Jaypaw let himself relax against her. I can sit like this forever.

"Feeling better?" Half Moon asked after a while. Jaypaw opened his eyes. His eyelids were heavy with relaxation. He nodded slowly. "Care to tell be about it?"

Jaypaw hesitated, not really knowing what to say. His first instinct was to lie. Lying had become second nature and he hated himself for it. He let out a long breath and turned his head to look at her. He was momentarily captivated by her features. A soft purr rumbled in him. Pure love shone in his eyes. I can't believe she's mine… That she can love a cat like me.

He felt those words on his tongue. He opened his mouth to say them but closed it again and pressed his head into hers wordlessly. The two sunk into each other and the fear Jaypaw had felt mere moments ago was forgotten.

Leafpool sat outside her den with half eaten prey at her paws. She glanced up worriedly. The sun had begun to set and the colors of the sky began to bleed together beautifully, lighting the sky with a faint orange glow.

"What's the matter?" Jay's Wing asked, poking his head out of the den. Leafpool jumped when his blind gaze struck her. She hadn't heard him drag himself over. That was probably a good thing. He seemed to be regaining the ability to walk. Silently too.

"Nothing's the matter, Jay," Leafpool told him. He lowered his head. His eyes seemed to see right through her. Leafpool shifted uncomfortably. By StarClan, what's wrong with me? His eyes never used to bother me before… Part of her thought it was the revelation that this blind cat may actually be able to see her. Another part of her knew it was because it no longer held the familiarity of her apprentice and denmate. Either way, just by staring at her the young tom got her to speak. "It's half moon."

"What?" Jay's Wing said, alarmed. "Is she here? Is she okay?"

Leafpool blinked. "What?"

"What?"

"Half moon is the time we medicine cats go to the Moonpool to speak with our warrior ancestors," Leafpool explained. Jay's Wing visibly relaxed causing Leafpool to briefly wonder what that was about but she didn't ask. "I'm just wondering if it's okay to leave you here tonight."

Jay's Wing shrugged. "I don't see why you would need to stay here. I'm feeling better. My head still hurts but its not as bad anymore. And it's not like you've never left me alone before or like there isn't anyone else here."

"That's true but…" Leafpool trailed off. She flicked her gaze over him. She had removed most of his dressings already and raw, furless wounds were exposed. They were closed now but one glance reminded him of the state she had found him each and every time she looked in his direction. Remembering seeing his weakness, seeing so much blood, fearing for his life, it made her never want to leave his side again.

"Just go," Jay's Wing said, waving his tail at her. "I'll be fine."

"I know but…." Leafpool hesitated. What if he's not here when I come back? His memory… he still thinks he's another cat. What if he leaves? He tried escaping once before.

"If you're so worried, just have Hollypaw and Lionpaw sleep here with me," Jay's Wing suggested. "You said Hollypaw used to be your apprentice, right? If anything happens, she'll be able to handle it."

"An apprentice can't really- Head injuries are complicated even for me."

"Then it's a good thing my head doesn't hurt so much anymore."

"Pain isn't necessarily a good indicator of how an injury is doing."

"If something's wrong, chances are it'll just start hurting again. I'm not going to start spouting blood out of my ears," Jay's Wing said dryly. He paused and looked up at her. "I'm not, right?"

"I don't know," Leafpool sighed. "Cats usually don't hit their heads. I don't know a lot about those kinds of injuries."

"I think vets do. Is there a twolegplace nearby?"

"You want to go to a twolegplace?"

"I mean, no but when Falling Rain told me when his brother got kicked by a horse, he got really badly hurt so the tribe took him to a twoleg who took him to another twoleg that a kittypet he met called the vet. I think they're like the herb wielders of twolegs."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"Horse. Y'know, like a big deer? Twolegs ride on them."

"I know what a horse is."

"Oh. Well, they have these really weird paws. They're huge and hard like rocks. And horses are really strong so they kick really hard."

"What are you meowing about?"

"Horse. Kicked my dad's brother. He got really hurt so my tribe brought him to a twoleg who took him to the vet. Falling Rain always used to tell me they're like magic twolegs. Anyway, I feel fine and besides, Hollypaw and Lionpaw will be around. Hollypaw is really fast. She can run and go get you if if anything happens. Just go do your medicine cat thing."

Leafpool stared at him. Jay's Wing looked perfectly calm sitting beside her. It was as if his brain just didn't register the nonsense he was spouting. She sighed. "On second thought, I think I'll stay. If StarClan has anything urgent to tell me, they can just come to me theirselves."

"Really? I thought you wanted to go. Seriously, I'm fine."

No. No you're not. You're really not Jaypaw. "Don't worry about it. Just get some rest Jay."