Minnow had been hoping that this whole prophecy thing was a huge misunderstanding, one she could reasonably blow up at someone for, but when Otterspots dropped Minnow's namesake in the medicine den, and Foxpaw confirmed the fish he dreamt about was indeed a minnow, she shriveled like a week old blackberry.

The ginger apprentice shot her an apologetic look when he confirmed it, but the idea she could be stuck in the woods for weeks, possibly moons on end made her sick to her stomach. Either that, or the hunger was making her sick. Despite everything she had been through, Minnow found the idea of biting down into a mouse repulsive. Since arriving in MoonClan camp, all she had eaten were strength herbs. If she wanted to get home, she'd have to eat a mouse eventually, right? No better time than now.

From where she sat, tucked in the medicine den, she could see the whole camp clearly, with about thirty cats gathered in little groups sharing prey or grooming each other's pelts. Minnow knew from watching the warriors that they stored their prey in a hole beneath a tree stump that marked the middle of camp. She considered asking Dovestar if she could have some prey (and how ridiculous, that she'd have to ask to eat) but he was seemingly pre-occupied.

Across the camp, Dovestar climbed to the top of a tree split in half, the top nowhere to be seen. The remaining stump was taller than any other point in camp, and smoothed out from moons of careful pawsteps and tending. From here, the leader stood proudly with the last dregs of sunlight splashing across his snowy pelt. Minnow sensed a change in the leader, his usually soft face now steeled and serious.

"Let all cats with the strength in their paws to provide for our Clan, gather beneath the Hightree for a Clan meeting!" Usually flat-voiced, Dovestar now sounded commanding and powerful, just like she imagined a leader of a fierce band of cats would be. She was beginning to see why he was the one in charge.

Behind her, Blazefoot slowly shifted to his paws, padding out of the den slowly, so as to not irritate his wounds. As he passed by her, he meowed "you should come too, kittypet." The two emerged from the thicket, and while Blazefoot took his place at the foot of the Hightree, Minnow sat beside Kestrelwing and Foxpaw, who greeted her with friendly smiles, a few tail-lengths away from their den.

Dovestar began. "I'm sure you have all heard of our guest here in MoonClan, the kittypet from Twolegplace, Minnow. Today, she was supposed to be escorted home by our deputy. But they were attacked by none other than Addertooth, the exiled queen."

Gasps rippled throughout the crowd. Mutters of 'so that's what happened' and 'she has returned' popping up from the MoonClan warriors. Dovestar allowed them to indulge before speaking again, bringing the crowd to silence.

"Addertooth was chased off by a morning patrol, but she may return. Because of this attack, I want patrols to be larger and more frequent. I understand our warriors are stretched thin as it is, but my top priority at this moment is keeping our Clan safe from harm. As for Minnow, there has been a turn of events. StarClan has spoken to Foxpaw, and we believe that they want us to keep Minnow in our company. We are unsure of why, at the moment. But we believe for the time being she must remain here."

One cat in particular spoke up; a tom who seamlessly blended into the crowd. "Are you sure that StarClan would take interest in an outsider? Foxpaw is merely an apprentice, Dovestar. Perhaps he is mistaken?" he croaked. Minnow had to squint to see him properly, washed out in a puddle of fur, but she pinpointed the same black tom she had sat next to earlier that day. This tom had the kind of voice that sounded like he had been chewing on the silt from a riverbed; a gravelly, angry voice that made her ears prickle. He carried on with: "and besides, first dogs and now Addertooth? I would have thought this kittypet to be bad luck by now!"

"I understand your concerns, Crowclaw. Which is why I have decided I will make the pilgrimage to Mothermouth to speak with our warrior ancestors directly. I will be making this departure in three days. In the meantime, I will allow her to stay in our Clan. Minnow will stay confined to the camp, where we may keep an eye on her. To keep her busy, we will allow her to care for the elders, queens, and kits; to compensate for the trouble she has brought us."

Minnow opened her mouth to protest, but Foxpaw shoved his front paw in her mouth, silencing her. She glared at him, but his green eyes were pleading her to keep quiet. Sighing, she lowered her head in defeat and continued to listen.

"I trust you will treat our guest with the same respect you would treat one of our own. The camp guards for the night will be Beechleaf and Poolstream. This meeting is dismissed."

Immediately, the crowd fractured like a swarm of bees, each going back to their favored spots. Kestrelwing helped the still-injured Blazefoot back into the medicine den, but Foxpaw stayed outside next to Minnow. As if on cue, a certain blue-gray tom emerged from the crowd and bounded up to the two apprentices.

"Hi Foxpaw, hi Minnow!" he mewed cheerily, seemingly forgetting Minnow's outburst earlier that day. "You're staying with us for a bit then, huh? That's great! We should show you around then!"

"Not so fast, Rapidpaw," Foxpaw interrupted. "I think we should let Minnow eat first. She's probably starving."

She raised an eyebrow at him, tilting her head. "How'd you know?"

"Your stomach was rumbling the whole meeting. I'd be surprised if Dovestar didn't hear it from all the way up the Hightree!"

Minnow's ears burned red in embarrassment as the two toms burst out laughing. Her ears flattened and she looked away. "Well sure, maybe I am hungry. But the idea of crunching down on - on bones and blood is just-! Eugh! It makes my skin crawl!"

"It isn't that bad," Foxpaw meowed, "it might take some getting used to, but if I can do it then I'm sure you can too."

He has a point, Minnow thought. If even the gentlest, most nervous Clan cat she had met so far could eat prey, then it mustn't be so bad. Besides, she'd have to get used to it anyway. "I guess you're right… Okay, then!" she meowed in determination, steeling herself. "I'll try it! Just… start me off small, okay?"

The grin on Rapidpaw's face widened and he started padding off, calling over his broad shoulder; "awesome! I'll go get us a big fat magpie from the pile and we can share between us!"

Foxpaw followed behind, meowing "oh, but wouldn't a vole or mouse be better? They taste a bit more plain than magpie."

"Maybe, but Barkpaw came back today with the biggest magpie I've ever seen in my life! If it's still in the pile I want it!"

"Huh! And, because it's apparently so huge, it'll have a bunch of meat so Minnow won't have to worry about biting into organ meat or bones! Rapidpaw, you're a genius!"

The blue apprentice ducked under the tree stump and popped his head out with, as he said, the biggest bird Minnow had ever seen. "Huh, what? Oh, yeah, organ meat. That too!"

Minnow stood agape as Rapidpaw dropped it at her paws. It landed with a dull thud, wings splayed in death. "We're going to eat that thing? It's looking right at me! What the- it's HUGE!"

He smirked, reaching over to take the bird back. "Well, if you don't want it…"

She hissed at him, swatting his huge front paw away. "Okay, okay fine! I'm taking a bite, jeez…"

Minnow leant down, tilting her head hesitantly, not sure what angle to start with. Her nose screwed up as she took in its scent; much like the forest, it was a wash of all sorts of different scents that she couldn't place. Carefully, she opened her mouth and bit into the prey, surprised at how much force it took to break skin. Feathers filled her mouth, and she pulled back her head, coming up with a mouthful of feathers. Minnow spat them out and went back in at the patch of skin she left behind.

Immediately, the flavor of the magpie filled her mouth. A sweet, powerful taste that overwhelmed her senses flooded her maw, causing her to drool like a starved animal. Minnow forced herself to swallow far too early, an uncomfortable lump going down to her stomach. She shuddered. "That was… weird."

"But good, right?" Rapidpaw offered.

Minnow gave him a withering look, and pushed the magpie over. "No comment."

"Suit yourself!" He bent down to take a bite, but bit into air as Foxpaw pushed the bird back over to Minnow.

"I think you'll need to take more than one bite to keep your strength up. Rapidpaw can wait."

"No I can't!" the tom whined, his long ears flattened.

Sighing in defeat, Minnow mentally steeled herself, knowing what to expect this time. With the aftertaste still on her tongue, the flavor wasn't as overwhelming. She could actually let herself chew for a bit before swallowing again. It was still going to be an acquired taste, but it wasn't as awful as she expected. At least she didn't feel as hungry anymore. She pushed the half-eaten magpie over to Rapidpaw and Foxpaw, who happily took turns taking huge bites of the fresh kill.

"There you are, kits," a soft voice meowed, belonging to the white warrior known as Icesnap. "How was your first taste of prey, Minnow?"

"It could have been better," she mewed, wincing as Rapidpaw's head shot up with a mouth full of some gross squishy organ.

The white warrior laughed, sitting down across from them as they ate. "About your journey to Mothermouth, Minnow… It's a huge honor to be visiting our warrior ancestors. We very rarely show outsiders something so sacred."

"What is Mothermouth, anyway?" Minnow asked, folding her paws beneath herself neatly.

Rapidpaw chimed in, flicking his tail proudly. "I know this one, can I tell it Icesnap? Please?"

His mentor rolled his blue-green eyes, and then gestured with his front paw. "All right, it'll be a good test on your knowledge of our ancestors and culture. Can't have Minnow here learning everything wrong because you're too busy play-fighting to learn, can we?"

Rapidpaw, seemingly ignoring the implications, began his tale. "A long, long time ago, our ancestors came to live here, guided by the stars of Silverpelt, that big bunch of stars up in the sky! We followed the stars and ended up in the cliffs north-west from here. Up in the cliffs, there's a cave called Mothermouth, and on nights where the moon shines brightly, uncovered by clouds, the leaders of both Clans can enter it to speak with our warrior ancestors. Usually, our ancestors can only communicate to us through dreams, but in Mothermouth, where the connection to the stars is the strongest, we can hear their words. The fuller the moon, the better!"

Foxpaw swallowed a mouthful of magpie and chimed in. "During the half-moon, medicine cats used to gather at Mothermouth too. We have a closer connection to StarClan, being the ones who heal the sick and make the dying more comfortable as they pass away, as well as perform burial ceremonies alongside our elders. That means we can hear StarClan's words best on a half-moon, but we haven't gathered at Mothermouth in many moons, because of the battles between SunClan and MoonClan."

Minnow frowned. "That's a little grim, don't you think?"

Icesnap interjected, flicking his tail. "In the forest, we fight and die for the cause of our ancestors and culture. Our healers are some of the most important cats in the Clan, outside of our leader. However, the warrior code-"

"Forbids us from treating any one cat as though they are more important than anyone else!" the blue tom yapped, mouth full of magpie meat. He almost sputtered out some crimson-coloured fluid that made Minnow gag.

His mentor sighed. "You may have the warrior code down, Rapidpaw, but your manners could take a little more training."

Foxpaw huffed out a laugh while Rapidpaw rolled his eyes, going in for another greedy bite. His teeth snapped around air though, as Foxpaw shoved the magpie back towards Minnow.

"Please take another bite," he asked. "If you're going to the Moonstone, you cannot eat before you go. It's best if you eat what you can now, so that you can save your strength for the walk."

The silver she-cat was apprehensive for a moment, but when she saw the pleading look in his green eyes, she decided to stomach another mouthful. It went down easier this time.

"Well, since you kits are doing well on your own, I'll be off then. Minnow, Dovestar told me that you can sleep in the apprentice's den if you like for the time being," Icesnap meowed, raising to his paws. He took some prey from under the stump himself, and headed over to a spot just outside of the medicine cat den, where Blazefoot and a huge blue-gray tabby tom sat waiting for him. In fact, all around, small, close-knit groups of cats were gathered, grooming each other's pelts and sharing prey.

Even though these cats fight and kill for survival, they still care a lot about each other, Minnow thought. It's only expected if they've all been born and raised together… but then, I'm an outsider, why should any of them care for my safety?

Between the three of them, the magpie was nothing but bones very quickly. The sun had set by now, bathing the camp in moonlight. Crickets chirped distantly, filling the air with a relaxing buzz. Foxpaw headed off to the medicine den to rest, while Minnow and Rapidpaw retired to the apprentice's den for the night.

The den itself was tucked away in a corner of the camp, with thick bracken coating the outside to defend it. There was a small hole that led into it, where the scent of cats was the strongest.

Before they entered, Minnow cleared her throat lightly, whispering to Rapidpaw, "hey, um… I'm sorry for yelling at you earlier."

"Huh?" was all he replied at first, which made Minnow want to smack him, but before she could decide on it, he stammered out "oh, right. It's okay, you were stressed."

She pawed at the ground beside him. "I know, but it's not an excuse to take it out on you."

He regarded her for a moment. The moonlight bathing his pelt turned him a brilliant silver and highlighted his powerful muscles. He was handsome in this light. "Thank you," he said, for lack of any better words. "Other cats always say I'm a lot to deal with, so I get used to them snapping at me all the time. I just find it hard to tell when is enough, really… I get excited, and run my mouth, and then- well, I'm doing it now!"

Minnow laughed with him, and batted him lightly in the shoulder, which glanced off him ineffectively. "Hey, you caught yourself that time. Now hurry up and let's go inside, I'm so tired I could sleep for a whole moon!"

Apparently, looks can be deceiving, because despite the fact the den was built of thorny bracken and gorse, inside it was spacious and comfortable, the inside woven with soft moss, feathers and down so no thorns would snag during sleep. In the corner tucked away together were two apprentices she hadn't gotten to know yet. A brown tom with a boxy but lithe build for his young age, curled up in his mossy nest; and a beautiful calico she-cat that licked her paw and regarded Minnow with a rather displeased green-eyed stare.

"What's the kittypet doing in here?" she meowed to Rapidpaw.

"Dovestar said she could sleep here for a while. You sound like you're in a foul mood, Sorrelpaw," he replied back, puzzled.

The brown tom spoke this time, his voice muffled from the moss his nose was buried in. "I mean, she is a kittypet. Why's she gotta sleep in here with the proper apprentices? She doesn't have a Clan name or mentor."

"Barkpaw is right," declared Sorrelpaw brattily. "I could deal with feeling sorry for Foxpaw having to put up with her, but I'd rather have that foul scent out of my den."

"I have a name, you know," Minnow hissed, ears pinned back and tail flicking in irritation.

"Whatever. Since you're so special or whatever, why don't you take a nest… right over there," she flicked her tail to the opposite end of the den. "That way us peasants won't have to put up with your foul stench!" She (and Barkpaw, albeit blearily) erupted into laughter.

Honestly, Minnow tried to retort in some way, anything about her own foul scent, or her looks, or anything about her… but she found it difficult. Sorrelpaw was a pretty young she-cat, with silky long fur that was neatly groomed to perfection. Her scent was sweet and warm, like the after-rain grass. The only foul thing about her was her personality.

"Well, I wouldn't want to share a den with such a rude cat!" Minnow spat, practically throwing herself into the nest furthest from Sorrelpaw, turning away snootily.

"Whatever. Come lay down, Rapidpaw," Barkpaw offered sleepily, gesturing with his head to a carefully-built nest beside him.

Minnow couldn't see Rapidpaw's face from her nest, but she could hear him scoff and pad closer to her. "No thank you," he meowed, "if you two are in a bad mood I'd rather stay away."

She could feel his warm pelt curl up nearby, in a fresh nest untouched by his scent. He must be really naive if he'd choose an unknown kittypet over two cats he'd grown up with. Still, it felt good to be his first choice.

Sorrelpaw scoffed and spat at him, "fine, if you're going to hang out with that smelly kittypet, then Barkpaw and I can do without you!" There was a rustling of leaves as she settled into her nest, and then all that was heard was quiet cricket chirping as the apprentices fell asleep.

The joys of Clan life, Minnow thought bitterly as she drifted off. These three days were going to be long and painful for sure…