Written by Cloudysky

Thirty season-cycles had passed.

Thirty long season-cycles in which the cats of StarClan lived in absolute peace - peace that had been won in a great battle for the honor of the forest and the Clans that lived with in. A rogue group of cats, sickened and angry at both the warrior code and the existence of the social norms that guided the Clans, had decided to break off and form their own Clan, at the edge of the territories - close to the Moonpool, preventing the four lake Clans from communing with StarClan. There they recruited members, built up armies, and prepared themselves for a great attack on the lake Clans. The lake Clans had to fight very valiantly, but even their strength alone against the new Clan - BloodClan, in honor of that which had come before - was not enough: members of the Tribe of Rushing Water had to join them in their fight.

It was a long, tough battle, and many cats had died. Many cats who were now in StarClan - their names and deeds immortalized forever by the living cats, who were of no mind to forget the sacrifices others had made to ensure their victory against BloodClan. Thirty season-cycles had passed, and these brave warriors walked among StarClan, happy with where they were and enjoying the effects of the peace they had worked so hard to achieve.

Except for one.

Underneath a tree sat two cats: one, a dark gray she-cat with a hint of blue in her fur, a white patch on her head, and brilliant orange eyes who had been there for those thirty season-cycles, and another, a young brown tabby warrior who had just lost his life only a few days before. They were talking - or rather, the dark gray she-cat was talking. The brown tabby warrior was listening, though not very intently.

"- and then," she meowed excitedly, "and then I came here, to this very tree, and when I ran into it, I suddenly remembered everything!" she said, her face very full of emotion. "I especially remembered Hawkfrost and how he was supposed to have been my mate before I died! So I went back to camp - on the way, I ran into Redfur and Lakepool, who - Oh! Hey! Look, over there!" She gestured with her tail, and the other cat turned. She was gesturing at a mottled gray tabby who was walking nearby.

"Who's that?" whispered the tabby, turning back to the gray she-cat and leaning in.

"Why, it's Jayfeather, of course!" meowed the gray cat. "Hey! Jayfeather! Over here!" Jayfeather looked up at his name, but when he saw the gray she-cat, he tensed up.

"Nightblaze! How many times do I have to tell you?! I'm not your father! I never was! I was dead before you were even born!" Without saying anything else, Jayfeather turned and ran off, hissing as he left.

"... Why did he say that?" asked the tabby, turning back to the she-cat - Nightblaze.

"Oh, he just doesn't like to admit that he's related to me, not after I - wait, we haven't gotten to that part of the story yet! I can't tell you!" She looked mischievous, and the tabby slumped back, mildly annoyed.

Her story wasn't making any sense at all. Most of the cats she was talking about had been part of a different battle, and had died well before this she-cat - Nightblaze - was even born. Hawkfrost was a cat that was not in StarClan, and Tigerstar was gone as well. And Hollyleaf was in StarClan, so she certainly couldn't have been aligned with Tigerstar. Plus, there was that whole thing about the "Ten Commandments" and Nightblaze's bizarre insistence that she-cats couldn't love she-cats. And just what was a "Geesis" anyhow?!

"Nightblaze," he meowed, getting to his paws and interrupting Nightblaze's tintillating story about how she leapt to the Highledge and claimed to be the deceased Gleamstar, "I have to go."

"Oh, okay!" said Nightblaze, unfazed. "That's okay! When you get back I can tell you about what happened afterward, when I realized I was pregnant!"

The tabby never wanted to hear anything like that, ever.

He walked back to where some of the other members of StarClan were gathered by the lake. One, a dark ginger she-cat, was lounging lazily on a small cliff overhanging part of the water. He'd spoken to her briefly before, when he first arrived in StarClan.

"You're Jazzstar, right?" he asked, trying to remember her name. "You were leader of ThunderClan during the great battle with BloodClan."

"That's right," meowed Jazzstar, not looking at him. "Was there something you wanted to talk about?"

"Well," meowed the brown tabby, scuffing his paws on the ground, "if you were leader at that time, surely you remember the warrior Stargl - I mean, Nightblaze."

Jazzstar sighed and closed her eyes. "Yes," she said wearily. "I was the closest thing Nightblaze had to a friend."

"So you can tell me," pleaded the tabby, stepping forward. "She tells me some very strange stories. About being leader of ThunderClan, and being in love with Firestar and Graystripe, and fighting Hollyleaf, and - and being your mate, and -"

"Lies," said Jazzstar, turning to look at the tabby for the first time. "What's your name?"

"M-Mudwhisker," replied the tabby, suddenly a little bit unsettled. "Um... what do you mean by...?"

Jazzstar turned away again, and Mudwhisker realized with a sigh of relief that she wasn't angry. "Well, Mudwhisker, Nightblaze was lying to you. ... Though I guess 'lies' is a strong word," Jazzstar admitted. "It's more like... half-truths... brought on by delusions of grandeur in life - and in death."

Mudwhisker had no response to this, so he simply waited for Jazzstar to continue. Jazzstar, however, looked at him with piercing blue eyes that seemed to stare into his soul. "Do you want to know the truth about Nightblaze's life?" she asked solemnly.

Mudwhisker was taken aback. Did he? These were random tales that he was hearing from some random StarClan cat he didn't know. What interest could he possibly have in knowing the truth?

"It's because we can't have cats running around StarClan thinking that Nightblaze's version of events is the correct one." Jazzstar seemed to know exactly what he was thinking - and sounded rather bitter. "Even in life, she was like that. And even in life, we knew not to listen."

Now Mudwhisker was intrigued. "What was she like?"

Jazzstar stared at him again and her blue eyes flashed. "Let's take a trip and find out," she said, and before Mudwhisker knew what was happening he was in the ThunderClan camp once again, on a bright newleaf morning. But - and he wasn't sure how he knew this - he could no longer be seen or heard. He was simply observing as a completely uninvolved third party.

He was standing in front of the nursery. As he watched, a dark gray she-kit walked out of the nursery entrance, head held high and tail fluffed out in excitement. "What are you waiting for?!" she called behind her, as two other she-cats - a blue-gray tabby and a ginger with differently-colored eyes - chased her out. "Come on, Lakekit, Flamekit, wake up! It's time for the ceremony!" She stopped and looked behind her, holding her head up in a clear gesture of superiority. "Today is important!... today."

And somehow - Mudwhisker wasn't sure how he knew - he had stumbled into something far greater than he could possibly imagine.

He had stumbled into the true life of Nightblaze - or Stargleam - and he was about to witness her life play itself out in full.

"I'm ready!" mewed Nightkit. "Today is the day that is going to begin the best part of my life! Starting today, I am ready to fulfill...

"Starkit's Prophecy!"