Lightstar shook herself awake, wondering what the end of her dream had been about and why Hawkfrost had saved her and the StarClan cats. Redwing and Jadefall lifted their heads.

"Are you okay?" asked Redwing "You look like you had a bad dream. Didn't StarClan give you your nine lives?!"

"Yes, they gave me my nine lives. And anyway, I'm not supposed to talk about what happens in my dreams. My new name is Lightstar!"

"All hail Lightstar!" Redwing and Jadefall said, teasing Lightstar. "Oh Great and Powerful One."

"Hey! Just because I'm leader doesn't mean I can't have any fun." Said Lightstar. She batted playfully at them and jumped backwards.

"Race you back to the camp!" she yelled joyfully, temporarily forgetting her troubling dream.

The three cats whipped through the forest undergrowth, dodging thorns, jumping fallen trees and roots, until they got to the edge of the camp and looked over the edge of the cliff face into the camp, which was just being touched by the light of dawn. There were already cats out o their dens, and Brackenfur was organizing the morning border and hunting patrols. Lightstar twitched her tail and the three bounded towards the camp entrance.

"Starlight!" called Flameclaw as they entered the camp. He bounded up to her.

"That's Lightstar to you!" the Clan leader called out cheerfully. A few cats looked up her voice.

"Lightstar, our new leader!" Brackenfur said. The other cats echoed him and called out her name. A few cats came out of their dens to see what was going on.

"Now, don't make a fuss. Our leader needs her rest!" said Flameclaw, laughing.

Lightstar nodded in thanks and leapt up to her den above Highledge. She felt like she had been fighting LionClan warriors. She curled into her comfortable nest of moss and downy feathers, closing her eyes and almost immediately falling asleep, even though it was morning.

In her dream, Lightstar was in a forest, but it wasn't one in the Dark Forest or in StarClan. She saw a brown tabby with broad shoulders approaching her through the woods. She already knew who it was.

"Hawkfrost? Why did you make Tigerstar stop back there?" Lightstar asked.

"Innocent cats shouldn't die. This whole thing was a big mistake." Hawkfrost sighed and fixed his blue eyes on her.

"Would you ever forgive me?" His eyes were sincere and his voice was full of regret.