When Jay's Wing opened his eyes, he was met by a brilliant light. It blinded him but he found he didn't mind. Being blinded by color was a blessing after being blinded by darkness.

A moment later, the light died down and he found himself standing in a fog filled clearing. He blinked his sharp blue eyes and looked around. I can see.

Jay's Wing glanced at the cat beside him and saw Leafpool for the first time. Blue eyes met amber and Jay's Wing felt himself drawn in by their warmth. His eyes looked over the ThunderClan medicine cat and took in every detail of her light brown tabby pelt. Leafpool tilted her head, confused by his behavior. She smiled at him.

A moment later, two more cats arrived. These two he recognized. One was the pale grey she-cat with eyes that matched his own that he had woken up beside many mornings while he was still a kit curled up in the curve of his mother's belly. The other had a face that he'd seen stare back at him each and every time he looked at his reflection in the great lake near his home.

"Dove's Wing! Jaypaw," Jay's Wing said after they appeared.

"Jay's Wing!" Dove's Wing broke into a purr and ran up to her brother. She rubbed her head against his. "I'm so glad to see you."

Jay's Wing reciprocated her display of sibling affection and nuzzled her, his own purr rumbling in his chest. He was vaguely aware of Jaypaw and Leafpool less affectionate greeting behind him but he couldn't care less what the ThunderClan cats were doing. He was finally with his sister again.

A cat cleared his throat and Jay's Wing turned to see two Fallen Leaves sitting patiently at the edge of the foggy clearing. He cocked his head in confusion. One of the Fallen Leaves, a fresher looking one, got to his paws and waved his tail, disappearing in an instant and leaving the far more worn looking one.

"Jay's Wing, Jaypaw, welcome," Fallen Leaves said. "I'm the Fallen Leaves of the clans' time. Don't worry, I've spoken with my past self. He won't be causing any more trouble for any of us for a long time. Now I think it's time that the two Jays talk with their counterparts."

"Wait, what?" Jaypaw asked but his words didn't cause Fallen Leaves to pause. The ginger tom waved his tail just as his past self had done and in an instant he, Leafpool, and Dove's Wing were gone, leaving only Jaypaw and Jay's Wing in the fog filled clearing.

Jay's Wing blinked his sighted eyes and glanced at Jaypaw. It was just like looking at his reflection, they looked exactly the same. Jay's Wing opened his mouth but suddenly felt a surge of emotion that made him close his mouth again.

His thoughts were conflicting. On one paw, he was angry at the young tom standing before him. Jaypaw had taken his place as a sharpclaw in the Tribe of Still Water. He had taken his friends, his sibling, and his lover while he, Jay's Wing, was trapped in a damaged, blind body in an unknown world.

But on the other paw, Jay's Wing did get a glimpse of Jaypaw's life and it was pretty terrible. Jaypaw was young and yet his dreams had already been crushed by fate. Being blind was harder than Jay's Wing could imagine. Even the simplest things were difficult and every cat treated him like he was going to shatter with the slightest mispawstep.

Jaypaw stared at him, conflict and emotion shining in his own eyes. Jay's Wing couldn't imagine what he was thinking. With all the thoughts in his own head, Jay's Wing could understand that Jaypaw had a million thoughts of his own rushing through that StarClan blessed mind of his but he had no idea what kinds of thoughts he was having. Surely he would miss being able to see once he returned home. And being a medicine cat was pretty lonely. Did he regret leaving the tribe?

Jaypaw broke the silence first. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"Yeah," Jay's Wing agreed. "I've… I've thought about you a lot."

Jaypaw nodded. "Sorry that you got stuck with such a bad life for all these moons."

Jay's Wing snorted. "I'll admit I'm kind of pissed that you stole my life but I'm glad you got a break from blindness and being a medicine cat. I'm sorry you have to go back to that but I really want to be back in my own body."

Jaypaw flicked an ear. "I learned some warrior skills with your tribe. Hopefully things will be different."

"I wish you luck," Jay's Wing told him with a dip of his head.

"Thanks."

"So how's my tribe doing?" Jay's Wing asked.

"Pretty good. I don't know how it was before you left but nothing seems different," Jaypaw told him. "Dove's Wing is a sharpclaw now… I think Fish Leap and Half Moon are thinking about going on their own trials soon. How's the clan?"

Jay's Wing shrugged. "You hurt your body pretty bad before we got switched so I've been stuck in the medicine den a lot. I played around with Foxkit and Icekit a lot and they didn't really know what was going on with the clan."

Jaypaw nodded. "They're good kits."

"Yeah."

"You and Half Moon going to have kits anytime soon?" Jaypaw asked offhandedly.

Jay's Wing's eyes widened in surprise and he took a step back. "Where did that come from? Did you-?"

Jaypaw waved his tail. "Don't worry. We didn't do anything. I'm just curious. I'm probably never going to see her or you again."

"That's true," Jay's Wing said. He paused. "I don't know. I haven't seen her since I passed the trial so we haven't really talked about that. We haven't even shared a den yet."

Jaypaw nodded. "Try to time it so you guys have kits at the same time as Fish Leap and Dove's Wing."

"Wait, what?" Jay's Wing screeched. "Is Dove's Wing expecting kits? Are they mates?"

"No. And no. I just noticed that your tribe's kits don't really have the same kind of kithood as clankits," Jaypaw told him. Jay's Wing let out a breath of relief. I would not be ready for that. "I just think it would be nice for your kits and your sister's kits to grow up together. There were a lot of kits in the nursery when Lionpaw, Hollypaw, and I were born. We were close with everyone else. Having friends would be good for your kits."

Jay's Wing nodded, suddenly understanding what Jaypaw was trying to say. Jaypaw could never have kits of his own so this was the closest thing he was going to get and he wasn't even going to be there for the kits' lives. He didn't want them to face the same hardships he had. "Your life is so lonely."

"I know. But some of it is my fault. I was just never good with others. I think I'll try to be better when I get back to the clan," Jaypaw said. "Even if it's too late to really bond with the other apprentices I could try to be nicer to Kestrelpaw and Willowpaw. They haven't suffered blindness but they know the loneliness of a medicine cat. I don't want them experiencing that on their own either."

"I think I'll try to study herbs a bit," Jay's Wing decided. "I learned a lot from Leafpool and in the tribe the more cats who know herbs the better."

"As much as I love the tribe, you guys need to change some stuff," Jaypaw agreed. "Like you guys don't share food. It was so hard not being able to hunt and I always felt bad eating around the elders and kits."

"I probably will too when I get back," Jay's Wing agreed. "Maybe I'll talk the others into starting a fresh-kill pile. Even if it's not like what you clans have, it'll still make it easier for the elders, queens, and kits to eat regularly."

"That's good," Jaypaw said. "You kind of got the short end of the stick on this switch. I'm glad you were able to learn some stuff from it."

"Oh, I learned a lot more than just that from this whole thing," Jay's Wing told him. He really had. This whole experience had changed his whole perspective on life and caused quite a bit of reflection on his own part. "So, um, how do we get out of here?"

Dove's Wing sat in the foggy clearing, tail whisking beside her, as she waited for Jay's Wing and Jaypaw to return. Fallen Leaves was staring blankly off into the distance and seemed occupied but Leafpool looked just as bored as she was.

"How was it?" Dove's Wing asked.

"What do you mean?"

"How was Jay's Wing's time in ThunderClan?"

"Oh… Well, I guess it was pretty hard on time," Leafpool told her.

"What do you mean?"

"He was injured when he found him and he didn't understand where he was or what was going on. And the fact no one believed him when he said he wasn't Jaypaw probably didn't help," Leafpool explained. She sighed. "I suppose Jaypaw's life is pretty difficult. He's blind and a medicine cat so he's pretty isolated. And… well, I found out Jaypaw was given powers from a prophecy."

"Powers?" Dove's Wing questioned. "Like… flight?"

Leafpool snorted in amusement. "Not quite. Jaypaw apparently can feel others emotions and walk in their dreams. It was pretty overwhelming for Jay's Wing since he had never experienced anything like that before. He… learned some things he probably shouldn't have."

"Well, once he's back home he can't tell anyone from your clan, Dove's Wing told her, "so there's no need to worry."

"True," Leafpool purred. "How was Jaypaw's time in the tribe?"

"I think he liked it," Dove's Wing told her. "He got the chance to live the type of life he always wanted. He had some issues… It was hard for him to hunt and fight since he had no previous training and he didn't exactly find the best teacher but he defiently enjoyed his time as a sharpclaw of the Tribe of Still Water."

"What do you mean he didn't find the best teacher?" Leafpool asked.

Dove's Wing looked away, avoiding the question. She glanced over at Fallen Leaves. "How long are they going to be?"

Fallen Leaves shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just acting as a medium. They decide when we leave."

"Did you tell them that?"

"Fox dung," Fallen Leaves hissed under his breath. His tail lashed behind him in frusteration. He took a breath and relaxed. "They're not mouse brains. They'll figure it out eventually."

Jaypaw sat on the ground of the fog filled clearing. Earlier he had a million thoughts rushing through his mind but it had been quieted by his talk with Jay's Wing.

Of course, he still wanted to stay with the tribe. He loved Dove's Wing, Half Moon, and Fish Leap and he didn't want to give up the ability to see or the ability to protect the cats he cared about but he knew he had to give Jay's Wing his life back and face his own.

But most of all, he wanted to get away from Ink. Ink scared him since the moment he laid eyes on that pure while pelt with rippling muscles below that and he had sensed his maliciousness the heartbeat those blood red eyes stared into his soul, piercing whatever defenses it had and exposing everything in him to the Place of No Stars.

Still, despite his fear, he found himself wishing that he could just keep training. Ink had powers like his. He would have liked to learn more about them. If only Ink had a softer heart. Then maybe things would have worked out between Jaypaw and the Tribe of Still Water.

But as he kept reminding himself, Jay's Wing deserved to live his own life and Jaypaw had no right to it, even if it meant going back to his own miserable existence alone in a medicine den. Maybe that could change though.

"How long are we supposed to wait here?" Jay's Wing questioned aloud, sounding impatient. "Fallen Leaves brought us here with his powers, right? If his powers are anything like yours, he should sense that we're done talking."

"Try using your powers," Jaypaw suggested. "If they're linked to his, we should be able to get back to Leafpool and Dove's Wing on our own."

Jay's Wing blinked at him. "My powers? I don't have any powers. We switched baack, didn't we? You should have them."

Jaypaw spiritually looked inside himself, feeling for any sign of his powers. He could feel something in him that hadn't been there before but it wasn't complete. It was something though. He shut his eyes, hating the darkness brought by the action, and concentrated. He reached out into the fog but got nothing.

The young grey tom opened his eyes and looked at the cat who looked just like him. "I can't. It's like my powers aren't really back yet. Maybe you still have them."

Jay's Wing shut his eyes, presumably doing the same thing Jaypaw had. He was still and silent for a few heartbeats before reopening his eyes. Jaypaw looked at him hopefully but Jay's Wing shook his head. "It's not working. I definitely still have your powers. They're just… not really… there."

Jaypaw tilted his head and tried focusing his sensory powers on Jay's Wing. "I think they're split between the two of us."

"Well we can't have that now, can we?" Jay's Wing said and took a step forward. He rested his muzzle on Jaypaw's shoulder. "I think I've got the hang of your powers enough to control them a little bit…"

Jaypaw suddenly felt a rush of energy come off of Jay's Wing filling him up like rain from a cloud fills a hollowed log during a storm. He gasped and tilted his head back. He'd expect something like this to be painful but the power transfer was smooth. It was like he was a stone in a river bed and Jay's Wing was calm water washing over and into him. He let his eyelids relax and his jaw slacken as an ecstasy filled his body.

Slowly, blurs of black began to fill his vision and the euphoric sensation slowed. He felt Jay's Wing shift against him but he didn't pull away. "I guess this is goodbye."

"It was nice meeting you," Jaypaw murmured, turning his head so he could see the cat as his vision began to face. "Thank you for giving me the opportunity to see how my life could have been."

"And thank you for giving me the chance to learn so much."

Jaypaw felt his presence slipping as his mind began to become unclear. "Goodbye Jay's Wing."

"Goodbye Jaypaw."

And then the two vanished from this world of fog.