Lionblaze's eyes were locked on the golden tom before him. The cat gazed calmly back into his own. Lionblaze didn't know whether to tense or relax, this cat's expression had a certain quality that made him unsure how to react.

Compare to the two gray cats on either side of him, the tom was huge but he was roughly the same size as Lionblaze. He even had the same muscular build and confidant stance. The only difference that Lionblaze could see just from looking at him was the wisdom that he seemed to hold in himself.

The tom slowly put a paw step forward, moving towards Lionblaze. The ThunderClan cat didn't move away. Something about this cat was alluring.

The tom reached his muzzle up. Lionblaze somehow knew to lower his head. He felt him rest his chin atop his head. The touch felt warm but it didn't feel quite solid, like he was really touching anything. He closed his eyes and leaned closer into the touch.

Lionblaze suddenly felt like he was struck by lightning as a wave of energy. When his eyes snapped open, Lionblaze found himself in a meadow. He looked around in alarm. He saw no one, not his clanmates nor the strange cat who looked like him. Instead, he was surrounded by moorlengths upon moorlengths of bright, green grass.

Lionblaze felt something wet his paws. He was standing at the edge of a pool that sat surrounded by the tall grass. He stared into the pool, watching his own reflection in the deep water. He was slightly startled when he saw how much he resembled that golden tom.

The water began to ripple and slowly, it began to spin and twist, melting into a new image. Lionblaze took a step back out of instinct but moved back to the water's edge after the movement died down.

He peered into the water, seeing the familiar sight of the Tribe of Rushing Water's cave behind the waterfall but he didn't recognize the cats emerging from behind it.

An old golden tom limped beside an even older white she-cat. Despite her age, the she-cat's green eyes were sharp as they watched the cats file out of the cave. She and the golden tom moved slowly. It may have been due to their age but it seemed intentional, as if they were waiting for all the other cats to pass them so they could stand in the back.

"Lion's Roar," the she-cat said as they followed the larger group of cats.

Lionblaze flinched at the sound of the name. He'd heard it many times before. On their journey Crane's Wing often begged Jayfeather to tell him stories about the ancient cats. Not many were about Lion's Roar but his name still came up frequently, usually from the mouth of Crane's Wing sharing his own stories passed through his tribe's lines.

"What is it, Half Moon?" Lion's Roar asked. Lionblaze recognized that name as well. He'd encountered Half Moon during the battle and he knew Jayfeather loved her.

"Do you think I made the right decision?" Half Moon asked.

"It wasn't your decision," Lion's Roar said. He looked weary, like his paws were made of the same stone he was walking on. "The tribe cast the stones, remember?"

"I know but I was the one who suggested-"

"And I was the one who encouraged you to share your dream," Lion's Roar reminded.

Half Moon sighed. "I do not wish to share this burden with you, my friend."

"I know but I do not believe you should take this as a burden," Lion's Roar told her. "You remember what stone I cast."

Half Moon nodded. "The stone to leave."

"And the tribe agreed with me. If they hadn't they wouldn't be here," Lion's Roar said. His gaze fell upon a grey kit bouncing excitedly around a slender tom. Lion's Roar purred in amusement. "Jagged Peak will make a good hunter one day. Especially since there will be more prey."

"Or so we hope," Half Moon murmured. Her tone was quiet, almost to herself. Lion's Roar didn't seem to hear her.

"Do not fret, Half Moon," Lion's Roar said.

"I haven't been Half Moon in a long time."

"My apologies. Stoneteller," Lion's Roar corrected. He looked out at the cats before him. "Once we reach the peak, you will no longer need to feel responsible for these cats. They will be in the paws of Shaded Moss and we both know he is capable to leading our former tribemates on the sun trail."

Half Moon sighed. "You speak as if they are going to another world, Lion's Roar. They are our tribemates and always will be as I am their stoneteller and always will be. I doubt I will ever feel I made the right decision to tell them to find new hunting grounds. I am the only remaining cat who knows of the dangers beyond the mountains."

Lion's Roar dipped his head. "I am confident they will learn to overcome them as you once did."

"I had sharpclaws to teach me and Jay's Wing to guide me on my journey," Half Moon said. Her voice cracked as she said Jay's Wing's name.

Lionblaze felt a shallow pang in his chest like watery claws. She still loved him, even when she grew old, he realized. And Jayfeather still loves her even in a new life. Lionblaze thought of his own mate back home. He imagined those feelings, those powerful feelings, between his brother and this cat that he was watching through the water.

A wave of sadness washed over him. His brother was a medicine cat, forbidden to love. He knew that. But Jayfeather had once trained to be a warrior and it pained Lionblaze to know that he'd never have a connection like the one he had with Cinderheart even if he had continued down the path of a warrior. Every cat deserves love, Jayfeather most of all. Every time he looked at his brother and saw his blind eyes, the scars on his pelt, smelled the scent of herbs on his fur or heard his bitter voice, Lionblaze was reminded of the hardships Jayfeather had experienced.

Trying to forget his sorrow, Lionblaze looked back into the pool where Lion's Roar and Half Moon were standing on a snowy peak surrounded by cats.

Lion's Roar watched Half Moon exchange a few words with Shaded Moss. Lion's Roar's gaze scanned the rest of the cats. They were all skinny and they all shared the same hollow look despite the energy that was radiating through all of them. Hopefully things would change now that there would be fewer mouths to feed.

Lion's Roar was snapped from his thoughts as Shaded Moss rose his tail and waved it, beckoning the leaving cats to follow him. As the cats began their descent, Half Moon padded up to Lion's Roar's side.

Lion's Roar stole a glance at her. She looked sad to see the cats leave. She had known each of them since their kithood and had watched them lives their entire live up until this point in the only home they'd ever known.

Lion's Roar leaned over and lapped her ear comfortingly. "Come on," he said. "Let's get you back to the cave before you freeze."

Lion's Roar tried nudging her away but Half Moon wouldn't budge. "Let me at least stay until I can't see them anymore."

Lion's Roar looked down the path. That would be awhile but he didn't object. He sat down and pressed his patchy pelt against Half Moon's. "Then at least let me try to keep you warm."

"Hello?" Dovewing called. She pricked her ears, hoping to hear a response but heard nothing.

She was standing in a forest clearing. It was quite beautiful with all the trees around but that didn't change the fact that she didn't know where she was or how she got there. She somehow knew it was that pale grey she-cat's doing but that didn't mean she understood it.

Before her was a small river that ran through the forest. There was a small breakaway that trickled into a small pool within the clearing. Dovewing felt something drawing her to it.

Dovewing stood at the water's edge, seeing her reflection as expected. She did not expect the water to start moving. She watched with curiosity as the water seemed to wrap around itself and mold into the inside of a den with dirt walls. It seemed to be a den inside a tunnel.

A pale grey kit and a tabby grey kit were swatting a moss ball between the two of them with happy yowls. Their tiny kit claws were slowly shredding the ball as they batted it back and forth.

One of the kits, the pale grey she-kit, smacked the ball particularly hard, sending it flying across the den and towards the entrance just as another grey cat entered.

"Falling Rain!" the tom kit called. "Can you pass our moss ball back?"

Falling Rain's head turned to look at the kits' play thing. He looked at it blankly. The two kits seemed to sense something wrong and scampered over, forgetting about their game.

"Are you okay?" the tom kit asked. He pressed against Falling Rain's foreleg, trying to reach up as high as he could. She she-kit did the same on the other side.

"N-no…" Falling Rain stuttered, his voice laced with grief.

"What's wrong?"

"J-jay's Wing… your…" Falling Rain trailed off, unable to form words. He gave himself a small shake and sat down, drawing his tail around the two kits. "Jay's Wing, Dove's Wing. I'm going to tell you something very important. Can you listen?"

Jay's Wing nodded vigorously. Dove's Wing did the same with less energy but her response was just as genuine.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Your mother… Falcon Swoop… she's gone," Falling Rain said slowly almost too quiet to hear. He swallowed and hung his head as he let out a shuddered breath.

"Gone? Gone where?" Jay's Wing asked. "When's she coming back?"

"There was a monster…"

"A monster? Running Horse told me that they carry twolegs around. Did she get carried off in one?" Dove's Wing questioned.

"N-no, no," Falling Rain said, opening his eyes to look into the confused gazes of his kits. "She was crossing the thunderpath and a monster started coming towards her. It was too fast, she didn't have time to move. She- she was crushed under its paws."

Jay's Wing looked at his father in horror. Dove's Wing gave an anguished wail.

Falling Rain gave another shuddered breath, his grief pouring out of him like a flood. He wrapped his tail tighter around his kits and inhaled deeply, taking in their scents. He shifted his weight onto his hindquarters, raising his paws off the ground. Jay's Wing and Dove's Wing took this as an opportunity to move in closer and press against his under belly. Falling Rain puts his paws back down, securing their closeness.

Dovewing swallowed at the sight of such a scene. She tried to imagine losing Whitewing but pushed that thought out of her mind. Her mother had many, many seasons left in her and she was a great warrior, she had nothing to worry about.

But still, witnessing two kits learn that they'd never see their mother again, never smell her scent, never hear her voice, ever again... It was painful. Almost too much to bear.

Author's Note: If you couldn't tell, Lionblaze and Dovewing finally experienced memories of their past lives like Jayfeather has.

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