Bearpaw had a bleak dream. He tossed and turned at the sight of all the cats from the other Clans, casting menacing glances at him and his own Clan. ThunderClan was telling other cats that RiverClan was a nuisance. WindClan was glaring at the RiverClan cats, and whispering quietly among themselves. ShadowClan, however, was looking ready to attack them. Their claws were unsheathed, and they pulled their lips back in dozens of sharp-toothed snarls.

Bearpaw realized that all the Clans were together on the island. We must be at a gathering. Rainstar jumped into the tree where the leaders sit to make announcements, and told the Clans that they were leaving the lake. Shouts of agreement came from the three other Clans. ShadowClan and WindClan together drove the RiverClan cats off their own territory, and told them never to come back.

"You can't make us leave!" Bearpaw was shouting at them, when the lake began to disappear, leaving only rocks.

"Go to the place of rocks and stones to create new life." A voice sounded behind Bearpaw.

When he spun around to face the speaker, he saw Shiningpaw, her gleaming pelt covered in stars.

"Shiningpaw! I've missed you so much!" Bearpaw rushed over to his sister, and touched noses with her.

"Bearpaw, it's nice to see you too, but I have an important message for you." Shiningpaw took a step back, and sat down. "RiverClan is coming to an end, but from the ashes of this Clan will rise an even greater Clan." Bearpaw's head was filled with images of RiverClan cats crumbling to dust, and rebuilding themselves, bigger and stronger than before.

"What do you mean?" He whispered. What does this all mean? Why do you tell me this, and not Rainstar! The unsaid words whirled around Bearpaw's head like gnats. After a long moment of silence, he mewed quietly and slowly, "Should I tell Rainstar?"

"If you would like. It won't make much of a difference." Shiningpaw flicked her tail. "Although, if you do tell him what I told you, tell him I would like a warrior name! Even in StarClan, names are important. For example, Badgerfang." Bearpaw was a little confused.

"Who's Badgerfang?" Then, he remembered something. "I forgot to meet with Rainstar in his den! I just went to my nest as soon as I finished meeting the kits!"

"Well, you'd better wake up then." Shiningpaw looked back toward where the lake used to be. "Don't forget my name. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up!" Shiningpaw's calming voice turned into harsh screeching as Bearpaw was thrust out of his dream world, into reality. He opened his eyes to see warm afternoon sunlight seeping in through the den walls. Bearpaw turned his head to look behind him, and saw Ivorytooth poking him with a small twig in his jaws. Ivorytooth spat out the stick, and flicked his tail indicating Bearpaw should follow him. As they went, Ivorytooth explained why he needed to get up. "Rainstar wants to see you in his den. You slept very late, considering how you've only been pampered and fed this past moon or so. Actually- it was closer to two moons." They arrived at Rainstar's den, and Ivorytooth left him standing in front of it. A voice came from inside.

"Come in, Bearpaw."

Bearpaw hesitantly stepped inside the den, to see Rainstar waiting for him.

"I see you forgot our meeting yesterday. I can't blame you; it must've been tiring. I'm sorry that Ivorytooth woke you up so rudely." Rainstar motioned for Bearpaw to sit down, and he did. Bearpaw immediately remembered what Shiningpaw had told him before Ivorytooth had woken him up.

"Rainstar, can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

Bearpaw took a deep breath. "Shiningpaw came to me in a dream last night. She asked me to-" Bearpaw shifted his paws, wondering if he was about to sound crazy. "She asked me to ask you to give her warrior name to me, so I can tell it to her in StarClan." Rainstar twitched his whiskers, and shook his head in a joking manner. "That sounds like Shiningpaw. Let's see… what words would I use to make a StarClan cat a warrior…" Rainstar closed his eyes, looking like he was trying to decide what his next meal would be. "Ah. how about this." Rainstar looked up at the roof of his nest. "I Rainstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look on a brave apprentice, who died a warrior's death." Bearpaw didn't want to interrupt the ceremony, but he couldn't help wondering why Rainstar wasn't doing this in front of the whole Clan. Does he not take this seriously?

"Shiningpaw," Rainstar continued. "if you are looking down on us from StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Shiningpaw, from this day forward your warrior name will be Shiningblaze. RiverClan will forever honor your courage, loyalty, and strength." Rainstar looked back down at Bearpaw, and then at his paws. "I hope that satisfied you. Now, I called you in here for you to tell me your story. I want to know exactly what happened with the cats that ate other cats."

Bearpaw reaccounted the time when he was captured by Scarlet, when he found Pigeonwing and Honeyripple at the hut, and when part of his tail was chewed off.

"Then, Plumeshine burst through the wall, and we had this big battle. In the end, Scarlet got away. Wait- did we forget the prisoners we took?" Bearpaw leaped to his paws, only to be calmed down again by Rainstar.

"They brought the prisoners back a little while after you so rudely fell asleep and forgot about our meeting." Bearpaw knew that his leader was joking, but he still apologized for being late. After he apologized, he stood up.

"If that's all, can I visit Honeyripple in the medicine den and the prisoners?" Rainstar shook his head.

"I need to talk to you about one more thing." The leader's expression turned dark, as he said "You didn't tell me your captors were kittypets."

Bearpaw looked at his leader, appalled. "If these cats were kittypets, we would've been able to fight them off!"

"A few warriors checked the prisoners; they are wearing kittypet collars with Twoleg markings on them."

"W-well, if they really are kittypets, which I don't think they are, they are the strongest kittypets I've ever heard of!" Bearpaw shook his head in disbelief. I was imprisoned by kittypets this whole time! How could I not escape? Rainstar flicked his tail, indicating that they could talk about this subject later.

"Anything else you would like to tell me?" His leader settled down in his nest.

"Actually, there is. Remember when I said Shiningpaw- Shiningblaze, I mean, came to me in a dream?" Rainstar nodded. "Well, there is more to the dream than Shingingblaze. I dreamed we, all the Clans, were on the island at a Gathering. All the other Clans were yelling and whispering for us to go home, and ShadowClan was about to attack us. ShadowClan and WindClan forced us off of our own territory." Bearpaw stopped to take a breath, and continued. "The lake disappeared, turning into rocks. Everything was rocks. Then… I heard Shiningblaze speaking behind me. She said, 'Go to the place of rocks and stones to create new life.' She told me RiverClan was coming to an end. But, from our Clan's ashes, will rise a Clan greater than before. I saw a bunch of RiverClan cats crumbling to dust. Then, some more, bigger cats were remade from the smaller cats."

Rainstar nodded slowly, and lowered himself into a hunter's crouch. Right when Bearpaw began to form the words to ask what he was doing, Rainstar sprang. Bearpaw thought for a split-second that his leader was lunging at him, but Rainstar sailed past Bearpaw, landing on a small, pale yellow butterfly that was fluttering lazily behind Bearpaw. Rainstar yowled in triumph at his prey, and opened up his cupped paws.

"Are you even listening to me?" Bearpaw demanded in an exasperated tone.

"Bearpaw, I am listening. I just know something you don't." Rainstar looked behind himself at Bearpaw, and then back at the limp butterfly in his paws.

"And that is?" Bearpaw demanded.

"You're just dreaming. StarClan can't really send dreams to cats- StarClan is just something cats go to when they die. They have no real power." Rainstar looked like he was saying something that every cat knew, but Bearpaw was astonished.

"You mean, you don't believe in StarClan?" Bearpaw felt dizzy. How could a leader not believe in StarClan? Why does Rainstar think that StarClan doesn't have power?

"I do believe in StarClan, just not those nursery tales about them being able to send dreams and things like that."

"T-then what about your leader ceremony?" Bearpaw couldn't help but ask. He knew that leaders were not allowed to share the events that happen at the sacred ceremony, but Bearpaw needed to know the truth.

"I think the Moonpool has tainted water. It caused me to have dreams of starry cats, coming up from the lake."

Bearpaw was fascinated by Rainstar's brief story about the Moonpool. "Did anything else happen in the dream?" Bearpaw inquired.

"I don't think I can tell you or Maplefern will get mad, but…" Rainstar sighed. "I saw Mothstar and Sedgestar, swimming up from the middle of the lake."

"Who was Sedgestar?" Bearpaw interrupted.

"He was leader before Mothstar. He died when I was an apprentice. Anyway, I saw Mothstar and Sedgestar, and they told me that I needed to have faith. Mothstar said that I will only be granted half of my lives, and I won't be able to share dreams with StarClan outside the borders of the Moonpool."

Bearpaw knew that what Rainstar said was true. He stared at Rainstar in a calm manner, but inside he was panicking. "So, you were only granted five lives?" Bearpaw waited tensley for the RiverClan leader to answer. Rainstar tilted his head, then shook it, like he was shaking off water; sending his long fur swirling around Bearpaw.

"Four lives. And, all of them hurt like I was being crushed. Except for one life… That life felt like I could run through the whole forest." Rainstar's gaze sharpened, then focused on Bearpaw. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

Because I want to go visit the Moonpool tonight, if possible.

"Because I want to know all about it, just in case I ever become leader."