I was running through the forest, alone and petrified, my breaths quick and labored. I stopped to catch my breath and turned to look behind me. I was still alone.

I sat down and waited, licking my bloody paws clean. After a moment of silence I got up and turned as I heard a rustle and felt claws in my back.

'You cant run from me!'

I jolted awake, gasping loudly. Two others near me kicked me and groaned to be quiet. I looked down at my paws. I was shocked to see they were bloody.

'But it was just a dream!'

I got up slowly, trying not to put too much pressure on my sore paws and limped to the medicine den. To my surprise Snowpaw was still awake and looked up when i walked in.

"Your paws!" She gasped. She rushed to get some cobwebs and sat me down near the small stream to wrap them over my paws. "What happened?"

I looked around to make sure Jayfeather was sleeping. He was. So I began my story. I told her about the strange dream and the cat that was chasing me.

She listened intently and only spoke once I finished. "Icepaw," she whispered, eyes swimming with concern. "I don't think those are dreams."

I tilted my head in confusion.

"I think someone is trying to get your attention." She got up and cleaned her mess. "When you go back to sleep try to speak with them. See what they want. Maybe they can tell you whats happening."

As I walked back to my den I pondered what she said. But after I lay down I could not for the life of me go back to sleep. I just wasnt tired.

Instead I decided to keep a silent vigil that night.

When dawn finally came I still was not tired. I watched Bramblestar stretch and yawn his way out of his den and pad over.

"Good morning Icepaw." He licked the top of my head. "How about a hunt while the morning patrol is out?"

I flicked my tail. "Sure."

I waited as he sent out the dawn patrol and came back to me with Rainpaw, Lightmask and Berrynose and set out through the tunnel.

We steered clear of the border and split up under the trees. Bramblestar took me closer to the mountain stream and set me down into a hunting crouch. I waited until he climbed the nearest tree and started creeping over the leaves.

A leaf twitched near my nose and I held my breath. A field mouse scurried out of a hole and into my line of sight. Before it noticed I was there I pounced and bit into its neck. I carried the mouse triumphantly back to where Bramblestar sat waiting in his tree.

He sat looking out into WindClan territory, hackles raised and eyes narrowed suspiciously.

I dropped my mouse and gaped at him. "Bramblestar?"

He jumped and nearly slipped out of the tree. "Yes Icepaw? Oh you caught a mouse! Great job!" He climbed down the tree and examined the mouse. "It's very plump for a field mouse. Good job. Come on I'll teach you the proper crouch for hunting birds."

I picked up my mouse and followed him further into the trees. I hid it under some leaves and hunched down, lightening my pawsteps and inching forward sideways.

A bright blue bird landed on a branch over head and chirped. I waited. It flew off around the tree a few times and as it came back the third time I leaped and smacked it to the ground.

It fluttered around the dirt dazed before i snapped its neck.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Bramblestar lay his tail over my shoulder. "Excellent strategy!"

I picked up my two kills and followed him to where he had his own stash: a rabbit, two squirrels and a sparrow. We picked up what we could carry and went back to camp.

We deposited our kills just in time for Berrynose, Rainpaw and Lightmask to enter with their own prey. I purred and bounded happily over to Rainpaw stashing his prey.

"Hey Rainpaw!" He looked at me. "Let's go to the training hollow!"

"Okay," he mewed. He raced towards the entrance, with me hot on his tail, and bolted towards the training hollow.

He leaped in and immediately dropped to a crouch, eyeing my steps as i circled him slowly. I raced in and swept a sheathed paw at his feet and jumped back in time for him to nip at me.

He dove for my paws and I jumped up over his head swiping at his back in the air and again as i landed. He cried out in protest and sat down to groom his fur.

"So what's up?" He asked, still licking his fur clean. "You dont usually call on us anymore except to tell us things. So whats the news this time?"

I perked my ears up to listen for any prying pelts. I didn't hear anyone so i began the story of the dream I had the previous night.

Rainpaw's ears perked up at my description of the strange cat. "Well, if you ask me, from all those scary stories we were told when we were kits, it sounds like Tigerstar."

"THE Tigerstar? The same Tigerstar that tried taking over the forest many moons ago? The same Tigerstar that is our grandfather?" I was in awe. But what Rainpaw said made sense.

If the stories we were told about the three cats that had been exiled from Thunderclan all those moons ago were true, then it makes perfect sense! What other cat would invade your dreams and try to kill you?

"I think," Rainpaw continued slowly, carefully choosing his words, "Tigerstar wants something of you. When the clan goes to sleep tonight, you, Snowpaw and I should go up to the Moonpool and share tongues. Maybe we'll figure out whats going on."

It was late that night. The moon was almost completely up but the camp was silent and asleep. Rainpaw and I snuck carefully out of our den in time to meet Snowpaw by the entrance. Slowly we left and picked our way up the slopey stream to the Moonpool.

We sat and waited for Snowpaw's okay before laying with our noses in the icy water. Instantly I was drawn in to the dark.

There was a deep chuckle from every direction. And then he spoke. "Welcome, Icepaw, to the Dark Forest."