Alright, second chapter. Yay! I'm still not quite to the plot yet (though the beginning will make you think differently), though I'm dying to get to it. I gotta go through all the steps. Enjoy!

Oh, and as usual, I don't own these characters. Erin Hunter does. (doesn't mean I can't wish)

Jaypaw's POV

The fire surrounded me. It practically swallowed me as it spat out deadly black smoke. I coughed, whirling around frantically in search of something cool. Water. Ice. Snow. Anything! Giving up, I ran off in one direction, as if something was pursuing me, though I knew the flames weren't too close just yet.

My eyes were having difficulty seeing through the haze. In my dreams, I could see, but this dream clearly wasn't the same as others. Everything was so blurry and unclear. Nothing was making sense. I didn't even know where I was. All my senses were messed up.

"Jaypaw!" two very familiar voices called out. I froze. What were they doing here?

"Lionblaze? Hollyleaf?" I cried out, trying to see through the haze for them. My senses weren't as clear as they could've been. I was so confused.

There will be three…

I tried to find a way to escape the flames and look for them, but I was surrounded. Yowling, I leaped through the flames that lapped hungrily at my fur. I came out the other side.

"Jay…"

"Paw!"

I blinked. They were calling me. Where were they? I picked up the pace, smoke filling my lungs. I coughed as I ran frantically like a pathetic lost kit.

I found a cat eventually. But it wasn't Lionblaze or Hollyleaf. I blinked. What was he doing here?

"Firestar?"

Kin of your kin…

Firestar's orange pelt glowed more than usual, most likely due to the deadly life. Even so, Firestar did not turn around to face me, which was odd. Didn't Firestar respect all cats? Didn't he care the fire was killing his clan? I padded up to him, utterly confused, forgetting the murderous fire surrounding me. Firestar's green eyes were narrowed, staring at something I couldn't see, something through a new thin fiery wall. He looked angry and thoughtful all at once. I squinted to see what he was looking at. Lionblaze and Hollyleaf lay on the ground, eyes wide open and rolling into their heads, limbs rigid. I stiffened. Were they…? I swallowed hard. No. They couldn't be. This wasn't possible was it?

The smoke overwhelmed me and I disappeared into a world of black. Was I suffocating? Dying?

No.

I couldn't die in a dream, could I?

Eventually the blackness cleared.

I stood up on unsteady paws. What had happened? The fire was gone, I knew that much. But what had really gone on? I walked up to two piles of ash and swallowed. Was that really…?

That hold the power of the stars in their paws.

I shook my head. "No," I said stubbornly. "That's not possible. It can't be." What looked like stars glittered in the piles of ash. I gaped. I was pretty sure I didn't want to know what had happened. I was positive I knew. What was this? That's when I heard a tiny voice behind me.

"Blame me. It's not like one lie would kill ya or anything, but all the same… Blame me," the voice whispered. What was it talking about? And where was it coming from? I searched, until I realized it was coming from a juniper bush. I went over to investigate, warily sticking my head in. "Blame me." I gasped at what I saw. It was a set of eyes, one yellow and the other green. "Please," the voice whispered. I leapt about four tail-lengths back, stumbling.

"Blame me…"

That's when I felt a sharp jab in my ribs. I gasped and sat up in the blink of an eye, obviously scaring the cat that had woken me, for I heard a scuffling of paws as something fell backward.

"Jaypaw! Don't scare me like that," Leafpool hissed. I frowned.

"Sorry?" I asked, still shaken from my odd dream.

Leafpool seemed confused. "What's wrong?" she asked, coming over and laying her tail on my shoulder.

I shook her off. "It's nothing. Just had trouble sleeping," I answered. It wasn't really a lie. Leafpool sighed.

"Okay. Do you think you could check on Mousefur today while I speak with Firestar about some things? She's claimed belly ache for the last couple of days. You can go gather juniper berries later," Leafpool suggested. I heard her start to leave the den.

Juniper berries. The juniper bush with the eyes. I shuddered, but nodded. "Sure, Leafpool," I decided, goign to the stocks and picking out some herbs. "Oh, and Leafpool?"

Leafpool stopped midstep. "Yes?"

"Nothing," I said, figuring it'd be best not to bring it up yet. I heard Leafpool leave. "Just wondering why you didn't trust me enough to give me my name..." I muttered mostly to myself.

Sighing, I picked up some chervil and made my way to the elder's den. I could hear Mousefur complaining. Rolling my eyes, I entered.

"Jaypaw?" an old tom called. It was Longtail.

"I'm here. Leafpool told me Mousefur had a bellyache," I answered, Mousefur's scent catching me. I turned to her and placed the chervil roots down. "If you chew these that bellyache will go away."

I heard moving and then soft chewing as old teeth ground up the roots. "I think it's more than a bellyache. What have those apprentices been feeding me?" Mousefur croaked, a suspicion rising in her voice.

I shook my head. I didn't think so. All the same, I could tell Mousefur had swallowed because she practically gagged.

"Herbs never taste good, do they?" Mousefur asked.

"If it tastes bad, it's good for you," Longtail assured her.

"Oh?" Mousefur asked. "Because dirt tastes bad..."

Longtail cleared his throat. "The rule doesn't apply to everything," he replied. I turned around and left them to their bickering. "Oh, Jaypaw?" I froze, ears pricked. "I found some ticks in Mousefur's pelt. Do you think you could get some mouse bile. I could get them out." I flicked my ears to tell him I heard as I left the den. Longtail, though he underestimated me due to my blindness, didn't like to put work on other cats. Apprentices... like me... were supposed to take out the ticks. I walked into the den again and searched for mouse bile.

"That's odd..." We were out. We were never out of mouse bile. I mean it. Never! Groaning, I added it to my list. Juniper and mouse bile. Lovely.

I guess it was a good excuse though. I needed to think over my odd dream. All the same, I didn't want to fetch juniper. The eyes had been in the juniper bush... Sighing, I headed for the entrance, but a furry wall blocked my way.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, mou Oh! It's just the blind cat!" the tom hissed. My fur stood on end. Ashfur!

I growled. "Of course. I'm just a blind cat. That's why I know more than you do," I retorted, going around him. Let him think that over!

Stumbling out of camp, I scented the air in search of juniper. Normally there were juniper bushes over by the twoleg place, so I could look there, but I didn't want to run into a hunting patrol. I didn't want to talk to anyone.

But there was no where else to go. I let the forest consume me and my thoughts. I replayed the dream in my head over and over again. Lionblaze and Hollyleaf were dead. Firestar was there. The eyes in the bush... I was so confused, but I let it go. Maybe I could sneak a trip to the Moonpool. That's when an idea popped into my head.

I could go tonight.

I could be there and back before anyone noticed I was gone.

They'd all be sleeping anyway.

Excited, I quickened my pace. I searched for juniper again, but before I could head off in the direction I sensed them in, I found someone else's scent.

Lionblaze's...

I moaned internally. I did not want to talk to him. He'd ask questions, and I wasn't sure I could answer them.

Before he could say a word I came up to him, finding his large, muscled form easily. I could sense his presense. "Lionblaze," I greeted formally.

"Hey brother," Lionblaze answered, his voice warm and friendly. He glanced at me for a moment. "You excited about the whole thing with WindClan? Us stealing prey? This could be another battle."

"Yes, Lionblaze. Another battle is exactly what we need right now," I replied sarcastically.

All the excitement that was coming of Lionblaze's pelt faded. "I just think it'd be fun to have a good fight now and then..." Lionblaze muttered.

I hissed. "Are you saying that ThunderClan warriors have gone soft?" I asked.

Lionblaze tried to make a comeback. "Course not! It's just we can't fight with claws unsheathed when we're doing mock battles," Lionblaze explained.

"So you like causing injuries?" I inquired, putting my head to one side.

"N-no. I mean, to enemy cats... yeah..."

My fur bristled. "You mousebrain! Do you know who has to clean up the mess you warriors make? Me! Leafpool! Littlecloud! Barkface! Willowpaw and Mothwing! We're left behind to fix everything you've broken!" I growled.

Lionblaze flinched. "I'm sorry... But when they threaten us..."

"But they're not! Onestar is just making a false assumption." I whirled around and stalked off in the direction of the juniper bushes.

"Jaypaw!" he called after me.

"What?"

I was really losing my patience here. I didn't want to talk to him. The dream was still fresh in my mind and I had no idea what it meant!

"What happened?" Lionblaze asked hesitantly.

My breathing slowed as I sighed and turned around. I hung my head. "Just a bad dream," I answered. It wasn't a lie.

Lionblaze sighed too. "Are you just trying to make an excuse?" he asked.

"No. I'm not. It's the truth," I explained, shaking my head. Lionblaze's tail rested on my shoulder. I didn't need this comfort though. He couldn't help, no matter how much he told me he could. This was medicine cat business, if not more.

It was important. I knew that much.

"Okay. Honestly, you can tell Hollyleaf and I, or it can just be a thing between us toms, if ya want. You've been acting weird lately," Lionblaze told me honestly.

Weird? I thought I was supposed to be the ill-tempered one. Besides, I was easily ticked these days. I nodded, all the same. "I can feel something coming. It's disturbing me. My mood is just feeding the fire, but I can't help it. I have this odd feeling..." I answered.

Lionblaze 'hmm'ed in thought. In the end he seemed to agree. "Yeah, we've all been feeding the fire lately," he meowed.

"LIONBLAZE!"

"Gotta go! You know how Brambleclaw is," Lionblaze mewed with a chuckle, running off.

"Yeah I do," I answered softly. "Yeah I do." I went back to work, searching for the juniper berries. I was still thinking over his words.

We've all been feeding the fire lately.

Fire. Like in my dream.. I shuddered at the thought of it.

I found the juniper bushes alright, but that wasn't what caught my attention. I lost focus. There was another scent buried beneath the juniper. I didn't recognize it. It was definetly a cat, though. I wrinkled my nose. I searched the bushes as quickly as possible, but efficiently, sticking my muzzle into any possible hole. I finally came across one that smelled strongly of the stranger. I coughed at the smell. They reeked, whoever they were.

I wonder why they were staying in a bush.

Shaking my head, I quickly picked some juniper berries. I'd have to run back to camp, drop off the berries, than find a cat who could help me figure it out. Maybe Cloudtail. He was the best tracker, apparently.

...

"I'm serious, Cloudtail. I scented a cat here in this bush," I insisted for the umpteenth time.

Cloudtail was clearly confused, and just as frustrated as I was. "But I don't scent anything," he replied, not quite understanding it. "Besides, there is no way a cat could get in there unless they dug up half the bush."

"Maybe they did," I added sourly.

Cloudtail chuckled. "Or maybe it was a trick of the wind, or maybe all those herbs have finally gotten to you," Cloudtail offered.

"I knew those herbs weren't good for you," Foxpaw, who had trailed us, replied. I rolled my eyes. Why he had followed us, I'd never know.

"I think it's best just to leave it be. If it was a cat, it was probably a rogue." I just nodded, not really listening. I let the two of them go back to camp while I stayed behind, staring at the bush.

I could still smell the cat. I knew it had been there, and it wasn't just a rogue.

"I don't understand," I whispered to myself. Perhaps there was something wrong with me.

...

It was quiet when I made my escape out of camp. So quiet I could hear my own breathing and pawsteps without even focusing on the sounds. It was like the forest had died, and truly, it felt cold enough.

Shivering, I made my way to the Moonpool. I was pretty sure Leafpool had made her way to the Moonpool when it wasn't half-moon plenty of times, so it wasn't like it was against the warrior code or anything. Swallowing a bunch of air, I proceeded towards the river by WindClan. I was taking my time with this, still unsure of my decision, but I had followed cats loads of times. Never had I questioned it then.

It wasn't long before I heard the soft sound of rushing water. I made sure I didn't get too close to the water so I didn't slide in like I had quite a few moons ago. When I got within a few tail lengths (I guess, since I can't see) I started padding up along the bank. I knew the path by heart. I was pretty sure you could've clogged my ears and I still would've been able to reach the Moonpool.

Climbing the hill, I eventually got to the top. Below I knew Moonpool lay. I stiffened as the wind blew my way.

This was just feeding the fire, now wasn't it?

Yay! I finished this chapter! The plot is getting closer! Actually, I have like... one or two chapters to go and then the plot comes in. Yay! Thanks for reading! Love you guys.

(...And reviews.)

Ezzy