A/N: Last chapter! This one sort of sets up the scene for the sequel. Oh, I'm so excited! Thank you so much for reviewing and reading and favoriting and following! Since this chapter is the (almost) end of our first fanfiction, we're really amazed that we actually got this far! The next chapter is a short epilogue, and then it'll be finished! After the epilogue I guess we'll post a Sequel Alert when we post another story.

Enjoy!

Chapter 25 | Dangerous Dreams

Hollyheart opened her eyes to the lush MoonClan forest. She was so happy she felt as if she could fly. Finally she'd gotten her name, Swiftbreeze was back too….

Swiftbreeze murmured, "This way, Hollyheart." Hollyheart spun around. Swiftbreeze almost never was in her Starpool dreams. But she followed her mentor anyways to a small clearing in willows overlooking a lazy stream. A gray she-wolf was standing there.

The wolf got up as Hollyheart and Swiftbreeze approached. "Hello, Hollyheart," she greeted. "My name is Raincloud. I was the medicine wolf of WaterClan before FrostClan massacred us."

"Nice to meet you," Hollyheart said.

"Nice to meet you too. Now come, MoonClan wants me to show you something." When Swiftbreeze made as if to follow, Raincloud held up a paw. "I'm sorry, this is for Hollyheart only."

"I understand," Swiftbreeze said, and let Hollyheart and Raincloud through.

Raincloud led Hollyheart through the willows to a small clearing. "Wait," Raincloud smiled.

Soon, MoonClan warriors began to appear: Silverflame, Amberfur, Oakfur, Stormstar, Quailfur.

"Do all new medicine wolves get this?" Hollyheart asked Raincloud.

"Wait and see," Raincloud replied, looking straight forward.

The MoonClan wolves formed a semicircle in front of Hollyheart, leaving a space in the middle where there was a rock. It was silent for two heartbeats until the space above the rock began to shimmer, and there, sitting on the rock, was a wolf. Hollyheart could tell by the way the MoonClan wolves treated her that this wolf was important. She was a light gray she-wolf, not very conspicuous, but Hollyheart knew she should treat the wolf with respect.

The gray wolf spoke first. "Hello, Hollyheart. My name is Water. I am the founder and the first medicine wolf of WaterClan."

Hollyheart felt like she should fall on her face and grovel. She didn't know that WaterClan had been founded by a medicine wolf, but she couldn't believe that the wolf before her actually started WaterClan.

"You know, I don't appear for just any living wolf," Water continued. "In fact, you are the first living wolf I've appeared to. My very existence is a secret to all those living. Even your mentor Swiftbreeze doesn't know me- when she returned to your world, her memory of MoonClan's secrets was erased."

Hollyheart was frozen in shock. What other secrets did MoonClan have?

"Every other wolf believes that WaterClan was started by a wolf named Rocky Cliff," Water continued. "But now you know the secret. Do not tell anyone. If you do, the warriors of MoonClan will come and take you. You will be alive in MoonClan, which by the way is not a very nice existence."

Hollyheart finally found her voice. "But why are you telling me?" Her voice came out squeakily.

"Because I have the rare power to tell the future. This will be important to you later on. You don't know when. It may be when you are a soul in MoonClan. But you will know when the time comes. Tell no one about this."

"I-"

Water was gone.

Hollyheart was confused. She could tell what Water had told her was a big secret, but why would she need that knowledge?

She wandered around. Since she hadn't woken up yet, Hollyheart could tell it wasn't yet dawn. She swam in the stream a little, climbed a birch tree, ventured into the darkest part of the forest and came out unscathed. She'd never thought it possible to be bored in MoonClan, but that's exactly what happened. She sat on a rock by the river, skipping pebbles across the water.

That's when she smelled it: FrostClan. And it wasn't like Silverflame's FrostClan scent; it was the FrostClan scent of a warrior who was alive.

Hollyheart spun, but she was tugged off of and then slammed into the rock she'd been sitting on.

"Thanks to you, IceClan split and my Clan rose up against me," a dark voice spat. "I'll never forgive you for that."

Hollyheart tried to figure out who it was, but she couldn't breathe. Her vision went fuzzy and spots appeared from lack of oxygen.

"Calling out 'half-Clan' at that Howl Time and breaking the reputation I've spent my life building!"

"I didn't mean to, Darkstar," Hollyheart choked out, for she'd finally realized who it was.

"Didn't mean to," Darkstar mocked. "You ruined my life, WaterClan."

"You're still leader of a powerful Clan-"

"Ignorance. My own Clan kicked me out. I'm a rogue now, WaterClan, so I'm allowed to make your life horrible." Darkstar smiled. "And I'm going to."

"LET GO OF ME!" Hollyheart screamed, and kicked Darkstar away. She landed in a crouch, waiting for a fight.

It never came. Darkstar walked away, smiling cruelly at her. "Until we meet next, WaterClan. You won't forget me."

Hollyheart breathed heavily. If Darkstar wasn't leader of FrostClan anymore, then who was? She thought hard for Darkstar's deputy. She would probably choose Snakeheart, which meant Snakestar was now leader.

Hollyheart wondered if the secret that Water had told her had anything to do with getting Darkstar off her back. It might, if it sent Darkstar into shock. Maybe Water would forgive her for telling a living wolf if that was the way it was meant to be used.

Another thought struck her. Since Darkstar was a rogue, and there was a different leader of FrostClan, that meant that Darkstar would be Darkfire instead. And she wouldn't keep her nine lives. At least, that's what Hollyheart hoped, but from what Swiftbreeze had told her, Hollyheart suspected that that would be what would happen.

Hollyheart reached for another pebble to skip, her heart rate lowering. Her paw passed right through it. It's dawn! she thought. I'm going back to the Starpool.

She woke up first out of all the wolves and lion. Hollyheart stretched, yawning. A heartbeat later, Swiftbreeze woke and growled in her ear, "Run! Avalanche!" Hollyheart heard ominous rumbling behind her and her heart raced.

Immediately, Hollyheart was on her feet and dashing for WaterClan territory. She heard her mentor yowling to the medicine wolves, "Wake up! Avalanche!" As far as Hollyheart could tell, they all made it out, but she couldn't see clearly as she raced for a tree.

But the stretch between the mountain and WaterClan territory was plain, no trees. She glanced behind for a split second and glimpsed a roaring mass of snow and rock gaining on her. Hollyheart raced ever harder, spotted a sturdy pine, and shot up the trunk faster than a squirrel. She could see all the other medicine wolves doing the same, except for Lilypond. She struggled to climb, Gorsepelt struggled to help, but somehow she slipped on snow, fell backwards into the roaring avalanche, and missed Gorsepelt's paw. Lilypond gasped and tried to keep her head above the snow, but she wasn't strong enough and disappeared.

Finally the avalanche ceased halfway into WaterClan territory. The medicine wolves hopped from tree to tree, not daring to put a paw down on the unstable snow. As she passed, Hollyheart caught a glimpse of Lilypond sitting up and coughing snow out of her lungs. No one stopped to help.

()()()()

When Hollyheart and Swiftbreeze finally made it back to camp, it was sunhigh and their muscles burned. Swiftbreeze gave an official report of what had happened to Lightningstar while Hollyheart lay on the flat rocks as her littermates plus Falconpaw fussed over her.

Honeyfern brought her fresh-kill while Falconfeather built a soft nest around her. Duststorm scrambled to get her fresh moss soaked with clean water.

Hollyheart began to feel better as Swiftbreeze emerged from Lightningstar's den. Lightningstar jumped down to the flat rocks and shooed the apprentices away. "What happened?" he asked.

"We went to the Starpool. I got my medicine wolf name: Hollyheart. Then I had a dream where I was greeted by MoonClan wolves." Hollyheart was careful to cut out the secret bits. "Then later in the dream, Darkstar was there. She's mad at me for revealing that she's half-Clan at a Howl Time and she says she's a rogue now so she'll make my life miserable. FrostClan kicked her out so now Snakestar's the leader and Darkstar is Darkfire now and has only one life instead of nine."

Lightningstar thought about that, absorbing the information. "I see. Thank you for telling me." He jumped off of the flat rocks.

"Let all wolves and lions old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!" he howled. Once everyone was gathered, he announced, "I am so proud of all of you, WaterClan. I couldn't have asked to be leader of a better group of wolves and lions. We started humble, and look at us now! We rival FrostClan in strength! Thank you, all of you. We couldn't have done this without each and every one of you. We have seven new warriors, many cubs in the nursery, two beloved medicine wolf and lion, and we all work together.

"With that being said, we need to expand the warrior's den."

Everyone laughed.

"No, seriously. It's so crowded in there."

"We know, Lightningstar!" called Windrunner good-naturedly. "We sleep in there and you don't!"

Everyone laughed again.

"Whatever," Lightningstar replied, pretending to be grumpy.

"Can you go back to that big inspiration thing?" Honeyfern called. "I liked it better."

Everyone started to laugh, but stopped when they saw the huge mountain lion. Lightningstar whirled around, and snarled menacingly at it. But the lion didn't flee, and another huge one appeared, this one female.

"It's those two mountain lions!" whispered Yellowtail to Swiftbreeze. "Remember a long time ago, back when it was just the three of us? We had to hide in the Cold Cave during leaf-bare. And when we returned to camp, they were here!"

"The male one looks like Sunrise," Swiftbreeze replied.

"Sunrise is nothing like that!" Yellowtail replied, aghast. "Sunrise is a lion, from past the sun-drown-place like us. He escaped from the Regional Zoo. Those are wild savages."

"That's true- AAAA!" Swiftbreeze screamed as the female mountain lion lunged for her, jaws snapping. Lightningstar slashed its nose and the mountain lion turned for the new threat.

Hollyheart whispered, "What do we do?" to Swiftbreeze.

"Medicine den, now," muttered Swiftbreeze back. She followed her apprentice in.

"It feels like we're hiding and putting our Clanmates in danger," Hollyheart whimpered.

"Once the mountain lions go, we'll heal our Clanmates," Swiftbreeze replied, carefully rolling marigold and comfrey and cobweb into a bundle. "Help me make these simple bundles, one for every warrior in the Clan."

Hollyheart began to roll the herbs as well. "But what about the cubs?"

"The queens and warriors will protect them."

Hollyheart kept bundling. "All right."

Lightningstar bunched his muscles and snarled ferociously at the mountain lions. He howled, "WaterClan, attack!" All his warriors lunged for the two mountain lions. Lightningstar leapt at the nearest one, (the she-lion) and dived under her belly. He was about to kick up and send her into the air, when he noticed that her belly was swollen, and she was seemingly tired out. She also seemed extremely affected and a little nauseous from the unfamiliar wolf scent. She must be expecting cubs, he thought. Lightningstar howled, "WaterClan! The she-lion is expecting cubs! Don't harm her, only defend yourself from her!"

Lightningstar leaped back into battle, aiming for the male. However, most of the warriors were already holding it down, and brutally hurting it: its skin was shredded, it was bleeding from multiple cuts, and it was lying on the ground panting, trying not to get hurt. It wasn't even defending itself, let alone hurting the warriors. Lightningstar growled at them, "You are hurting him needlessly. Let him go." His warriors gave one last warning snarl at the mountain lion, and reluctantly let it go. The two mountain lions fled into the forest.

Lightningstar jumped back onto Highrock. "Since that's done, Hollyheart, Swiftbreeze, could you do your 'healing' thing?"

"Of course," Swiftbreeze replied crisply and efficiently patched up a small scratch that Thunderclaw had gotten.

"Anyways," Lightningstar continued, "the Clan meeting isn't over yet! Today, we have a new medicine wolf, seven new warriors- and three new apprentices! Come here, Hawkcub, Mothcub, and Duskcub." The male wolf and the two she-wolves dashed to the Highrock, Ferncloud desperately trying to groom her cubs.

Lightningstar began the ceremony. "Hawkcub, Mothcub, and Duskcub, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day forward, until you receive your warrior names, you will be known as Hawkpaw, Mothpaw, and Duskpaw. Your mentors will be Falconfeather, Honeyfern, and Dawnstripe. I hope that they will pass down all they know on to you."

Lightningstar looked down at his audience. "Falconfeather, Honeyfern, and Dawnstripe, come here."

The three warriors walked up to Highrock, looking surprised.

"Falconfeather, Honeyfern, and Dawnstripe, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You had received excellent training from Firefoot, Hazeltail, and Windrunner, and you have shown yourselves to be excellent hunters and teachers. You will be the mentors of Hawkpaw, Mothpaw, and Duskpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to your new apprentice."

The three warriors touched noses with their apprentices. The Clan burst out into a cheer of "Hawkpaw! Mothpaw! Duskpaw! Hawkpaw! Mothpaw! Duskpaw!"

Lightningstar spotted Yellowtail looking up at him with uncertainty in her expression. He understood at once. Lightningstar raised his voice and said, "It is also time for Sandcub to become an apprentice. Sandcub, please come forward."

Sandcub looked surprised and overjoyed. She excitedly padded forward to her leader. Lightningstar began, "Sandcub, you have reached the age of six moons. From this day forward until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Sandpaw."

Lightningstar turned to Yellowtail. "Yellowtail, you have excellent hunting skills. I hope you will pass on these great qualities to your new apprentice, Sandpaw." Then he howled, "Sandpaw! Sandpaw!" The rest of WaterClan joined in, raising their voices to welcome the new apprentice.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review!