Chapter 1

"From this day forward you will be known as Waterpaw. Snowspots, you are ready for your first apprentice, and I trust you will pass down all you know to Waterpaw."

"Waterpaw! Waterpaw!" The pale gray apprentice closed his eyes and let his Clanmates' voices swirl around him. It felt amazing to finally be a SkyClan apprentice. He glanced to the pale blue sky and vowed that he would be the greatest warrior SkyClan had ever seen.

"Hey Waterpaw!" One voice stood out from the others, and he realized it came from Snowspots, right next to him. She had pale gray fur with white spots, and bright orange eyes.

"What?"

"How about a tour of the territory?" his new mentor suggested.

"Yes!" Waterpaw squeaked in excitement. His very first day of training as an apprentice! He ran ahead of his mentor and bounded halfway up the gorge before turning back. "Come on!"

Snowspots purred in amusement. "I'm coming." She trotted after the young apprentice and took the lead, and Waterpaw followed her the rest of the way up the zigzag path and out of the camp.

Once they were out of the shelter of the rocky gorge, the wind picked up, whistling over the open territory at the top of the slope and buffeting Waterpaw's fur. He dug his claws into the coarse grass and followed his mentor toward the line of sharp-edged Twoleg nests.

"Are we going into Twolegplace?" he wondered aloud.

"No, we stop long before we get there. This territory isn't much use for hunting, so we just enclose a strip of it so we have a pathway alongside the gorge. It's not usually quite this windy. Okay, right here is where we set the first marking." She'd stopped at a small dead tree that smelled strongly of SkyClan; its bare branches were clattering in the wind.

She set the scent marker on the tree's roots, renewing the smell that clung to it. Then she led Waterpaw on, across the windy ridge above the gorge, and toward the forested section of the territory.

Enclosed by the trees and the sparse undergrowth, the forest was not nearly as windy as the hill. Waterpaw breathed in deeply, taking in the fresh smell of the forest, the warm scents of prey, and so many fascinating unfamiliar scents all around. Birdsong resonated through the tall trees, and there were tiny scuttlings as squirrels scampered up their trunks. The leaves rustled overhead, their movement creating a pretty swirling pattern in the sunlight dappled on the grass.

"The next marker is right here," Snowspots meowed. "Would you like to do the honors?"

Waterpaw went up to the tree she had indicated, spraying the trunk as his mentor had done and adding his own scent to the pungent buildup of his Clan's mixed odors. His first contribution to the Clan. He trotted away in satisfaction, following closely behind his mentor.

Waterpaw was still full of energy, impatient to move faster. He forced himself to match Snowspots' moderate pace, though his paws still twitched restlessly.

SkyClan's territory was far bigger than Waterpaw had anticipated. It seemed to take most of the morning to make a loop around all the borders, though when Waterpaw glanced at the sun he saw that it had only moved a few degrees in the sky. He didn't mind that it seemed to take longer than it did, though; he wanted to make the most out of his first day as an apprentice.

The wind had died down considerably by the time they got back around to what Waterpaw realized was the same expanse where they'd fought the powerful wind that morning. It was quite peaceful without the current sweeping across it. Waterpaw glanced back at the now-quiet meadow before plunging down toward the camp.

It was a relief to be back in the friendly atmosphere in the gorge after exploring the new and unfamiliar territory above it. Waterpaw dashed down the last section of the zigzag pathway back into the camp. Eagletalon's kits hurried up to greet him. They weren't that much younger than he was, but they wouldn't be apprentices for another half moon.

"What'd you see?" That was Stonekit; his green eyes were wide with eagerness to hear what the forest was like.

"I got to tour the whole territory!" Waterkit bragged to his adoptive littermates. "It was awesome."

"Lucky," Shadowkit muttered. "We're almost six moons, anyway—why couldn't Badgerstar make us all apprentices at the same time?"

"Because he likes me better than you," Waterpaw teased.

"No he doesn't!" Stonekit leaped at Waterpaw, bowling him over, his littermates following. Waterpaw was immediately buried under the three of them, but he acted like he had some awesome battle move planned. "Careful, I know how to fight now!"

"No, you don't." Waterpaw had forgotten Snowspots was still watching behind him. "Don't bite off more than you can chew."

"All right, all right," the pale gray apprentice muttered. He snapped his head eagerly back toward the three kits. "Hey guys, want to hear about the dog I met while I was out?"

"Totally!"

"Let me go, then."

The kits jumped off of him, and he scrambled to his paws.

"Just kidding, there was no dog." Then he took off running.

Later, Waterpaw wandered to the apprentices' cave. It had been a long day, but a great one. He padded into the shadowy den to find Robinpaw already curled up in one of the nests. He tried to step around her quietly, but she raised he head as he did.

"Hi, Waterpaw," she meowed drowsily. "I made you a nest already, over there." She flicked her tail toward one of the nests, lined thickly with fresh moss and bracken.

"Thanks," Waterpaw mewed gratefully. "You didn't have to."

Robinpaw shrugged. "But I did." Then she tucked her muzzle firmly under one paw to show she was going back to sleep.

The pale-furred circled in his new nest a few times before settling down on the soft moss. He was surprised he wasn't tired after the long day's training—he almost never was as a kit, but he'd expected that to change when his training started. He shifted restlessly in his nest until at last sleep drifted over him.

Waterpaw was dreaming. He was on a wide slab of rock, thick mist swirling around him. Then some of it cleared, and he realized he was standing on the Skyrock. He'd never seen it from the top before.

"Greetings."

Waterpaw jumped. He spun around to see who had spoken, and saw a slender cream-and-tabby she-cat with bright yellow eyes. He'd recognize her anywhere! "Owlstare!"

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" Waterpaw's mother stepped forward and nuzzled his shoulder. He felt a purr rising in his throat. This was what he hadn't had in over five moons.

But it was only moments before she drew back, the affection in her yellow eyes replaced by seriousness. "You must go on a journey to seek your destiny," she hissed.

"What do you mean?" Waterpaw couldn't understand why his mother had so suddenly turned grave. "What destiny?"

"You are part of a prophecy," she rasped. "You cannot stay in SkyClan. Your destiny is to help another Clan."

"Another Clan?" Does she one from Eagletalon's story? "What have I got to do with them?"

"You must meet four other cats. Each of them, including you, has a special ability that no other cat will ever have. The prophecy states that you will help them to save the forest where they live."

"But what about SkyClan?"

"Your destiny is far greater than your role in SkyClan. You must find the the other Clan, and help four other cats fulfill the prophecy."

"What prophecy?"

Owlstare ignored Waterpaw's question. "Travel due north for many miles. You destination is by a lake."

"But...Eagletalon said they lived downstream."

"They did, when Firestar came. But they have long since moved out, when the forest was destroyed. Perhaps the Twolegs finally caught up with them after SkyClan was driven out."

"So..." Waterpaw struggled to process this new information. "I have to leave the Clan, to find another Clan who I didn't even know existed until a moon ago, and fulfill a prophecy with four other cats using a 'special ability' I probably don't have."

"Exactly." Owlstare nodded. Then her eyes turned serious again, but this time it was more like...anxiety. Like a mother's worry for her son.

A starry mist had begun to swirl around her, and her voice was muted when she spoke. "Always have faith in yourself, little one. One day you will be remembered by every cat. Go well, my dearest, and know how much I love you." Her voice faded out as she said her final words of farewell, and moment later she began to fade from view. With a last nod, she disappeared completely.

The dream itself was darkening as well, warning Waterpaw that it was almost over. There was nothing left to do here anyway, now that his mother was gone.

What had Owlstare meant when she said that he possessed an ability that no other cat had? What was it? And why did he have to leave his Clanmates to fulfill a prophecy for some cats he didn't even know?

Waterpaw sighed. His normal, carefree life in SkyClan had suddenly become very complicated.