Right, so this went relatively fast for me. I edited a bunch (and had to read The Fourth Apprentice for the four billionth time) so that I wouldn't put in something I shouldn't. If I made any mistakes concerning the books, tell me!

Also, I refer to Dewkit (before she is named) as She and occasionally Her, and I want to avoid confusion in terms of what is going on.

Enjoy!

Shoutout to Twinsight!

Chapter 1

Cold. That was the first thing She felt. Cold. It nipped at her limbs and drove the breath from her lungs. It was the only thing She knew. It was the first thing She knew. It was just her and this uncomfortable feeling, like there was something better to feel, but She did not know it yet.

And then She sensed it, close, barely out of reach. Something that penetrated the chill and beckoned her to the sensation. And then it had a name. Warmth. She squirmed, wanting to be closer to this warmth, to feel it melt her limbs and rock her into a steady slumber. She was tired. She moved, and felt something beneath her tender, unsoiled pads. It was soft, but was a strange feeling nonetheless. Growing more confident, She scrambled towards this warmth. It grew more intense, more concentrated. And then She couldn't move any further. Something blocked her way. It wriggled upon her touch, but it was warm too. She didn't mind. It was soft, thin soft fur spread over flesh.

She shoved herself up against it, trying to absorb more warmth. But it moved, and She realized that its size didn't much compare to hers. She was unsatisfied. She felt the larger warmth much closer now, and managed to lug her tiny form to the main source of that warmth, that comfort. She buried her nose into it and, opening her mouth, inhaled deeply (a somewhat strange sensation), relishing in the scent. It too was warm, and She liked it.

She felt tired now. All she wanted to do was rest, to drift off into the calm, serene blackness of which she vaguely recalled. Suddenly she was nudged gently to the side and felt shock manifest itself into a small mewl, another new feeling. She quickly disregarded this, however, as something called to her. Primal instinct encouraged her to latch onto the warm flesh and she began suckling from the being before her, kneading the warm surface. It felt like that smaller mass, but larger, sturdier. As warm milk flooded her mouth, She swallowed involuntarily, her throat muscles contracting in a way She hadn't experienced before. A rumble ripped itself through her chest, and She squirmed in surprise. It wasn't a bad feeling, however, so She ignored it. Two other masses wormed their way in next to her, and began suckling from the warmth as well. Jealousy clouded her mind; She didn't want them taking her warmth.

She squirmed once more, trying to separate the other beings from her warmth. Suddenly, she felt something stop her, and She disregarded the other two quickly, becoming absorbed in feeding once more. She let go of the warmth in favor of curling up beside it. There was a thunder deep inside of it, beating to a rhythm that was intoxicatingly familiar. The warmth began rumbling as well, and this soon lulled her off to sleep, cradled between these three warm beings, of which She discovered she didn't mind at all.

And then She was hit with her first coherent thought, that those two masses next to her were not intruding, but sharing with her what they had shared before. And the warmth was rumbling for all of them.

And her first coherent thought was that She loved them all.

She began a routine. She would arouse when the masses next to her woke, and would suckle from the warmth until She found satisfaction. When that happened, She fell back into a slumber from which She would wake when the ones next to her woke. She was used to the endless loop, and was content with it. It comforted her, this endless cycle. The ones next to her were comfort in themselves. She knew they would be near her as long as the warmth was there as well. And She knew the warmth would always remain.

Then one day, something changed. She woke from her sleep, wriggling towards the warmth, racing the masses next to her. And suddenly, there was a pop. She reeled back in shock as her tender eardrums were assaulted with a variety of noises. With alien sounds clouding her judgment and confusing her sense of balance, proportion, everything, she let out a pitifully frightened mewl. And then something arose from the noise, a musical sound.

"Look! Her ears unsealed already!" The sound was deep and comforting. Feminine and gentle, She immediately identified it with the warmth. She did not know why or how She knew the voice belonged to the warmth, but she knew it did. Slowly, very slowly, the other sounds subsided into her surroundings, and She found herself able to concentrate once more.

"The first of her siblings! Congratulations, Clovermist." Another tone added itself to the waves of sound. It was light and held depths of which She could not identify. A rumble followed, a lovely sound.

"Does that mean that she can hear us?" Different still, higher and firmer, yet masculine, filled with youth, the volume greater than the previous voices.

"Yes, so be quiet! You'll scare the poor thing!" The second voice sounded once more, but was overshadowed by a purr, making the order much more joking than serious.

"Oh, it's alright, Fallowfern. She'll have to get used to it eventually." The warmth's voice sounded once more, and She used that to guide her towards the warmth. She made the connection that the second voice must belong to Fallowfern. So the warmth had a name as well? Clovermist… She mulled the title over in her mind and purred in satisfaction. It was a fitting name, soft and gentle, like the warmth.

"So are you going to give her a name now?" Yet another voice rang, similar to the third, the masculine, childish one, but not quite. It was filled with humor, as if the owner was happy for no particular reason. She decided She quite liked the voice.

"Hush Rainkit! That's rude!" Fallowfern's scold was cut off by Clovermist's deep purr.

"Not yet. I will when she opens her eyes," The warmth, Clovermist, answered the unnamed voice, presumably Rainkit.

"I still think you should let us name them," The third voice grumbled, followed by a mild thump. "Hey!"

"Don't question a queen's rights to name her kits, Lizardkit. If I had left your names up to your father, you would both be named after him. The vain tom." Fallowfern's scoffing complaint ended in a purr, closely followed by Clovermist's.

She didn't understand half of what was being said, but she knew enough to know that those four were discussing something she didn't yet understand. She hoped She would someday. A yawn made its way through her jaws, and She stumbled close to Clovermist, eager to be lost in sleep once more.

"Oh, dear. You must be tired. Being bombarded with all these sounds. Come here," And with those words, Clovermist drew her close, letting the warmth given off comfort Her as She drifted off into slumber, this time with the lullaby of Clovermist's heart mingled with the chorus of sound to accompany her off into unconsciousness.

The next sunrise began a new adventure for the kit. Waking up much sooner than normal, She sensed that the masses next to her hadn't arisen yet. Stretching her limbs, She considered feeding, but discarded the thought. There were so many things to hear…

She began to pick her way slowly away from the warmth and explore, relishing in the sounds that now seemed natural to her. The crunch of the ground beneath her paws, the shifting of leaves, the flapping of insect wings. Feeling her way over the last of the soft ground under her feet, She felt a new ground under her tiny claws. It was hard, and it seemed to move slightly when She felt it. Unfazed, She continued on. It made a dull thumping sound when she tread on it, not very loud at all.

She had only taken a few steps when she came across something new. It was cool and thin and stretched towards the sky. The tendril didn't feel like anything She had felt before, and, transfixed, she grabbed it in her claws.

She squealed and jumped back in fright when the stem bent over without being spurred and something slid off the top, landing on her head with a plop! It felt quite different, like milk but thinner.

And then her eyes flew open in shock.

Dizzying hues of green were the first sights to greet her eyes. Emerald, olive, lime, any color She could imagine and more, all before her. It made her tender retinas cramp and She felt her pupils dilate, turning to thin black slits. It was all so… bright. She didn't think it could get any more blinding. And She glanced down. Brown, with the most interesting texture she had seen. It was loose, and She understood why it had felt odd beneath her paws. Her paws… She saw them. Brown in color, like the ground, but richer, containing hidden tints of red, where the light shone and gleamed on her fresh pelt. Her eyes climbed up her front legs, and she realized she had darker brown stripes running up her limbs. Her gaze turned upward, and her eyes widened. She was contained in an enclosure of sorts, but the branches and vines climbed towards the sky, one side blocking a sandy colored wall of stone. She had never seen anything so tall.

She looked around her next, her gaze stopping at the mossy nest from which she had climbed. It looked fuzzy, and so she scrambled over to it, seeing the softness with a new light. She looked up, peering further into the nest and saw two small lumps of fur, one dark brown, like hers, and one a lighter, softer tan. Both were breathing deeply, lost in slumber, curled up against the warmth. These two sleeping mounds, She felt an overwhelming desire to protect them, to shield them from harm's way.

She glanced up, and her breath caught in her throat. The first thing she took notice of when She caught sight of Clovermist was her mother's eyes. Two blazing, gentle orbs of cerulean that She became lost in. She was transfixed by those eyes, eyes filled with kindness and love for her.

Clovermist blinked, and the spell broke. A purr rumbled in the queen's chest and filled Her ears.

"So you've opened your eyes? You're a fast learner," Clovermist beckoned her over, and She hesitantly stepped into the nest. Clovermist used her tail and swept Her close, between the two sleeping mounds and the large wall of warm.

I never knew Clovermist was so big, She thought, gazing up at her mother.

Clovermist swiped her tongue across the top of Her head, wiping up the drop of water that had fallen from the stem of grass. Clovermist leaned back, studying her daughter with eyes sparking with intelligence.

She studied her mother as well. They had the same deep brown pelt, but Clovermist's was mingled with a tortoiseshell pattern that swam before her eyes.

"You'll need a name now, I suppose," Clovermist began, losing herself in thought. "I'll name you Dewkit. You opened your eyes because of that dewdrop, after all."

She was no longer She. She was Dewkit, and Dewkit pondered her new name. She decided she liked it, and she let out a light purr. Clovermist responded with a rumble of her own. Dewkit, armed with her new name, climbed up on her mothers back as Clovermist watched bemusedly. From there she could see the entire nursery. In another nest, there was another large she-cat. Dewkit guessed that was Fallowfern. Then those two must be Rainkit and Lizardkit, she realized. The two kits were similar in size to herself and the two lumps of fur, one ginger and one gray, nestled up against Clovermist, but they were still much larger than her. Dewkit stared in awe at the sheer size of everything.

"Why is everything so big?" She pondered aloud, capturing Clovermist's attention. Her mother purred, her eyes narrowing in happiness.

"Because you are so small," Came the answer along with a purr.

"Will I be big someday?" Dewkit yawned. The onslaught of sights and colors had managed to drain her energy in such a short amount of time. Clovermist purred, nudging the kit back into the crook of her stomach.

"Yes, you will, Dewkit," Dewkit nodded in satisfaction, and closed her eyes, comforted by the simple darkness that greeted her. Hearing the birds singing and the insects chirping, Dewkit was gratefully lulled off to sleep by the steady beating of her mother's heart once again.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Jayfeather?" A soft gray she-cat with stunning yet puzzled blue eyes asked. Her pelt glistened with starlight as she looked up at the tabby tom, seemingly unaware of his angst. She waved her tail, gesturing Jayfeather to settle down on the limestone rock beside her. It was yet another picture perfect day for the warriors of StarClan, and Jayfeather couldn't help but be irritated by it.

Doesn't this place know that we could all be in trouble? Jayfeather pondered angrily. He plopped down with a huff next to the she-cat, who looked at him quizzically, surprised by the tabby's bad mood.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes… No… I don't know!" Jayfeather spat, startling the she-cat, who responded by puffing her pelt. "Something's wrong!" The she-cat cocked her head, wondering what that meant exactly.

"Wrong how? Did something happen, Jayfeather?"

"In a way… Dovewing, do you know the new litter that was born several sunrises ago?" His question mildly surprised Dovewing. She had expected the tom to start badgering on about how infuriating Yellowfang was, or something similar (she had thought for a moment that he had had an argument with Half-Moon), but she nodded, recalling the queen's pained cries.

"I heard," She meant this literally. Somehow, the Three had kept their special abilities after the prophecy had been fulfilled, and had stuck with them even in death. This was how Jayfeather knew the she-cat was surprised. Though, since gaining sight and losing his life, his incredible senses had dimmed slightly, causing him to rely more on his eyes. But Jayfeather could still sense powerful waves of confusion rolling off of Dovewing. "Did something happen to one of the kits?" Dovewing asked this, already knowing the answer. Jayfeather didn't respond as Dovewing's ears instinctually angled backwards, listening for any abnormalities in the Clan. Hearing none, she turned to Jayfeather, urging him to go on.

The tabby tom sighed, gazing tensely at his surroundings. A small brook trickled downhill, surrounded by sun-bleached stones ranging from pebbles to boulders. Moss grew in surplus here, thick and fertilized by the moist soil. Several cattails poked their heads through cracks in the rocks, swaying gently in the breeze. Starry clouds dotted the sky in wisps of white, the only spots in the cerulean sea above them. Jayfeather, tiring of the vibrant beauty, closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. The smell of damp earth and fresh soil carried itself on the cool wind, somewhat blocked by the overpowering sweetness of pollen. He heard the babbling and bubbling of the creek and the songbirds unintentionally harmonizing with each other, the crickets chirping and cicadas buzzing, and if he strained his ears, Jayfeather imagined he could almost hear the whispering breeze singing along with the natural orchestra.

"Are you okay, Jayfeather?" Dovewing's soft mew held a concerned gentleness to it, telling him that she was purposefully tiptoeing around this tender subject of his, not desiring to start an outburst that Jayfeather was oh so famous for. Jayfeather exhaled, not realizing he had been holding his breath. He opened his eyes.

"Yes, I'm fine. But one of those kits, the larger she-cat, she's different," Dovewing opened her mouth to reply, but was silenced as Jayfeather went on. "Something's off," Dovewing nodded, her ears flickering involuntarily towards the wing beats of a butterfly. "I can't sense her." Dovewing reeled back slightly, her ears pointing down.

"Is that possible?"

"Well, yes, and no. I couldn't tell what she had done, where she had been. Her emotions are as clear as day to me. I just don't know what she has done. I can't look back on her memories, and I can't see her dreams." Hearing this, Dovewing purred, righting herself and flicking Jayfeather's ear with her fluffy tail. Jayfeather's power had possibly grown stronger since he had died. Perhaps a part of his gift had remained in the Clan, the realm of the living, but no matter what, Jayfeather now had the ability to walk in the dreams of cats both in StarClan and out. Of course, the Dark Forest was mysteriously cut off from him. Dovewing couldn't hear anything beyond the border as well, to their dismay. The Place of No Stars had been dangerously quiet ever since the Great Battle. Nobody dwelled on it, however, because of the many moons of silence. While unnerving at the beginning, the cats of StarClan had grown accustomed to the peace.

"Well of course you can't, mouse-brain! She's a kit, she doesn't know anything besides her mother and milk," She gave Jayfeather (who was looking rather unamused) a reassuring look. "So she wouldn't have any memories to look back on!" Thinking the issue was solved, Dovewing purred and settled back.

"No." Jayfeather's response was sharp, more of a retort than a protest.

"No?"

"No. I can tell. Now, listen," he recaptured the she-cat's attention. Dovewing nodded warily, confused as to where this conversation was leading. "Imagine you could hear a cat, but you couldn't tell where this cat was. You knew how fast they were breathing, could hear their paws on the ground, but didn't know where they were. They were just walking in a blank space that you couldn't name." Dovewing stared at the brooding tom in stunned silence. She couldn't imagine that.

"And kits do have memories." Jayfeather began, correcting the shocked she-cat. "I remember, right after you were kitted, you had a dream about the scent of Whitewing's supper." Dovewing stared at Jayfeather in mild surprise, the previous shock waning, replaced by interest. Jayfeather could practically feel her thinking, back, trying to remember any such dream, but shook her head in disappointment.

"So, this she cat, you can't walk in her dreams?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't tried yet." Dovewing hesitated at this, her mind wandering back to something Jayfeather couldn't name. Curious, the tom began probing her mind cautiously for whatever was causing the she-cat confliction.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Dovewing suddenly broke the silence, snapping Jayfeather out of his concentration. He looked at her quizzically. "Knowing that she is unlike any other cat, it may cause… Complications." Her mind wandered off, sauntering back to her past.

After mulling it over with his conscience for a few heartbeats, Jayfeather guiltily probed Dovewing's mind for whatever she was thinking of.

Dovewing's mind had unintentionally wandered back to one of her fights with Ivypool, back when they were both apprentices. It was the nastiest fight between the otherwise happy siblings that Jayfeather had ever seen, and the tom watched in interest as cruel words and insults were hurled from one party to another. Jayfeather watched in silence as Ivypool stormed off through some ferns and Dovewing flew off though the opposing gorse bushes. Jayfeather followed Dovewing, who was overcome with anger, fury, and unyielding sorrow. And Jayfeather knew what it was from. Ivypool ('paw, at the time) was jealous and furious at the amount of attention directed at Dovewing, thinking that for some reason, her clanmates favored her sister. It drove Ivypool mad, and made Ivypool mad at Dovewing, which made Dovewing mad. Dovewing paused, cursing the Prophecy for all it was worth.

"Dovewing," Jayfeather murmured, not realizing his mistake. With a start, he slapped his tail over his mouth, but it was too late. Dovewing had heard the comment, and had sensed him inside her head. His silent invasion shocked her, and her mind flooded with a default memory in surprise.

Jayfeather's head whipped back as he was slammed into another memory, another time.

Fire. So much of it, burning his – no, Dovewing's whiskers, singing her pelt. The heat was unbearable, but all Dovewing could think of was… Jayfeather blinked in shock.

Tigerheart. He thought Dovewing had discarded her feelings for the tabby tom, but she still harbored an affection running so deep in her blood it was almost impenetrable. Jayfeather remembered what this event was now. The devastating forest fire on the boundaries of ShadowClan and ThunderClan; ravaging the forest and destroying the waning amount of leaf-fall prey. It had occurred only a few moons after Jayfeather's death; he remembered watching from above, in the starry, moist groves of StarClan. He had concentrated on the camp, yowling to nothing in frustration as cats ran out to save others; they fell, their deaths so painstakingly slow. Toadstep; Blossomfall; Lilyfrost; Mousewhisker; he watched in agony as they lost consciousness, suffocated by the smoke, and began to climb the starry steps up to StarClan. He had paid no heed to Dovewing. In truth, he was ashamed. He hadn't even noticed the she-cat when she had disappeared; he only realized what had happened to her when Ivypool's agonized yowl sounded when she discovered her sister's charred body. By the time dawn broke, Dovewing was sitting beside him, sharing tongues. His heart ached for the gray she-cat, but he knew her time would come eventually; just like his.

Jayfeather didn't know Dovewing had been searching for Tigerheart. He had never felt desperation as strong as the kind that seared Dovewing's pelt as she raced through the endless maze of smoke and fire. She had heard his shocked yowl, right when she noticed the scent and sound of burning wood. She knew he had been one of the first to discover the flames.

Jayfeather wondered if it was love, driving Dovewing. The she-cat had never taken a mate, despite Bumblestripe's offers. Had she been nurturing a secret desire for Tigerheart? No, Dovewing was a loyal ThunderClan cat through and through. She still cared for Tigerheart, though. She didn't want him to die such a horrible death. Jayfeather knew that ShadowClan had suffered losses as well, though, admittedly, Jayfeather hadn't been paying much attention to the pine forest.

Dovewing's senses were overflowing. She couldn't see past the smoke, couldn't hear past the blood pounding in her ears and the furious burning of the previously lush forest. She was terrified. But she knew Tigerheart was around here somewhere. He couldn't have disappeared, could he? Dovewing was blind, racing through the forest, panicked into a terror she had never known before.

Suddenly, a crack resounded, bouncing off the walls of blackness. Flaming shrapnel landed on her sleek pelt, charring her fur, but she took no notice. She skidded to a halt as a crashing sound echoed. It was coming from everywhere, nowhere. Where was it? Suddenly, orange filled her vision, the cracking and exploding growing nearer. For a split second, Dovewing thought that it was Firestar, come to rescue her. And then all Dovewing could see was blackness.

Jayfeather reeled back in shock. He recalled Dovewing's body being found under a fallen tree. Was that really how the she-cat's life had ended? He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't realize that he was back by the stream with Dovewing. Both of them were panting heavily, from the exertion Dovewing had experienced in her memory. Both of them had experienced Dovewing's death. Dovewing was shaking, Jayfeather noticed. But then again, so was he. Dovewing whirled to face him, lividness writhing in her blue eyes.

"Why did you do that?" She hissed, baring her fangs. Jayfeather blinked.

"You never told me, how you –" He was cut off by a snarl form the furious she-cat.

"How could you? Those memories were private! This is why you can't interfere with that kit's life or dreams!" She spat. Jayfeather was shocked at her rage, but he felt the beginnings of anger welling up inside of himself as well.

"Well how was I supposed to know that you abandoned your clanmates in their time of need for a ShadowClan cat?" The words spilled out of Jayfeather's muzzle before he could stop them. He immediately regretted what he said. Dovewing's eyes lost the violence in them, to be replaced by simmering fury.

"Do not pry into that kit's life!" She hissed, bounding down the rocks and stalking away. She paused, glancing behind her shoulder, and Jayfeather saw not only lividness in her eyes, but pain as well. "And I am a loyal cat." The last words were nothing more than a hiss that Jayfeather strained to hear. And with that, Dovewing exited, leaving quivering gorse bushes behind.

Jayfeather slumped his shoulders in defeat, an angry sigh escaping his muzzle. He had made an enemy in one of his closest allies.

Jayfeather lay curled in his nest of moss and feathers. Trying to ignore the breathing of cats around him, he clenched his eyes shut, imagining the frail, yet steady, heartbeat of the deep brown kit in the ThunderClan camp below him. Shallow yet strong breaths… Jayfeather felt himself lulled off to sleep with this kit, feeling his weary bones relax and his eyes, though already closed, get sealed shut.

He felt himself in the kit's mind. He could feel the boundary of her dream, so close, he could taste it; smell it if he opened his mouth. He padded forth, nearing victory.

Perhaps my fight with Dovewing was unwarranted, Jayfeather thought in hope. But then, out of nowhere, an impenetrable gate appeared, locking him out of the she-kit's mind.

"Why?" Jayfeather couldn't help but ask. He had expected this, it had happened before, when the kit was born. Why was this kit closed off? Were his powers waning? No, that wasn't possible. They had only gotten stronger.

Then what was this? This wall of stone, preventing Jayfeather from entering the small kit's dreams? Why?

Jayfeather peered into the darkness. He could feel something blocking him. It wasn't good. This thing… it was unnatural. It could potentially put the entire Clans in danger. It was something none of the Clan cats – living or not – had ever experienced before.

And Jayfeather was going to find out what it was.

So yeah, this chapter was… intense, but it's going to speed up starting around the next few chapters. I promise, the angst that the Warrior Series is known for will come eventually!

Dovewing's eyes have been described as green, gold, and blue, but I went with blue because that's what it says in the Allegiances.

I plan to give some back-story on how each cat died eventually. Today you learned what happened to Dovewing.

Please review. Not out of the goodness of your heart, not out of pity for the lowly review-deprived author, no. Please, review because it's my birthday. Well, on the 17th. But still! If I get at least three reviews, I promise to update by Monday! If not earlier! Please! Yes, I am resorting to begging! Have mercy!

So… Anyone got any theories? If so, I'd love to hear them.

Now, onto my reviewer response:

Twinsight: Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you liked this chapter. I edited this twice, so I hope it wasn't confusing. Thanks!

Sincerely,

Russetwing