Firestar brushed through the long grass beneath the trees and drank in the warm scents of prey. Sunlight sliced through between the tree branches, casting dapples onto his flame-colored pelt. For a moment he paused, unsure which of the tantalizing aromas he should follow. Then he picked up the scent of squirrel; it had swarmed up the trunk of a nearby oak tree and was hiding somewhere in the branches above his head.

It's been awhile since I tested my tree climbing skills, he thought, remembering how he had taught his clanmates to hunt aboveground. Lionblaze had really hated it at first. With a purr of amusement, Firestar recalled the golden-furred warrior standing at the foot of a tree, reluctant to set a paw on the trunk. So unlike Cinderheart, who seemed ready to sleep in a bird's nest once she learned how to climb.

Firestar sprang up the tree, easily digging his claws into the soft bark, moist from an early morning shower, and spotted the squirrel on one of the outer branches. He leaped towards it, reveling in the strength in his haunches, pleased that he still kept his sense of balance. The squirrel fled, jumping from branch to branch, higher and higher. As Firestar crouched, ready to follow, he heard a voice calling him from below.

"Firestar! Firestar!"

He halted in his hunt. The leaves around him rustled as the squirrel vanished into the dense foliage. Firestar allowed himself a single hiss of regret, then turned and scrambled down the trunk to the ground.

"Sorry to disturb you, Firestar." The ancient cat's old wise eyes glinted with amusement. "I see you haven't lost any of your hunting skills."

"I have something to tell you." The voice became more serious. It was Skywatcher, the cat who first delivered the Power of Three prophecy. "It's an important message about the Three. Since they don't seem to can cope without their powers, their powers are given back to them from where the prophecy came from."

The Three were once three powerful cats that had different and special powers: Dovewing could hear and see by sensing things far away, Lionblaze could not be defeated in fights, and Jayfeather could read minds and walk in dreams. They did lots of good for Thunderclan and sometimes the other three clans. But, they lost their powers during a fight against the Dark Forest, which are the evil dead cats, but won the fight along Starclan. Firestar lost his last life against his old enemy, Tigerstar, and killed him, but lost his last life too, keeping him in Starclan, watching over his former clanmates.

"What? Really?" yelped Firestar. "That's great! I need to tell them immediately!" He tensed his legs, ready to deliver the message.

"Wait," Skywatcher's commanding mew stopped him in his tracks. "Remember, with great power comes great responsibility. These cats need to know what they are getting back," he warned.

"Don't worry," Firestar responded. "They had the powers before, they'll know what it's like." He dipped his orange rusty head to the ancient grey cat, and sprang away into the undergrowth before Skywatcher could respond.

Another important message! After the prophecy Cloudstar told him to deliver to Bramblestar about water meeting blood, he felt like a real, important Starclan cat!

Firestar stopped in his tracks along the trail, who should he give the message to? Jayfeather was the obvious choice, since he was the medicine cat, but Dovewing would like to hear it the most, while Lionblaze would be relieved that he wouldn't have to get hurt again. He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He should probably deliver the message to all three of them, and Bramblestar of course.

Taking up a trot again, he admired the green-leaf undergrowth and the warm sunshine. If only life in the Clans were like this, always green-leaf, rich prey, stocked herbs, and peace between the clans. But, he reminded himself, life in the wild is tough and leaf-bare will always come.

Soon, he reached a grassy, lush green meadow dotted with colorful green-leaf flowers, a place where he met with old friends that he had left behind in the clans when he lost his ninth life.

"Hello?" Firestar called softly into the trees that surrounded the sunlit meadow. "Anyone there?"

Bramblestar emerged from the shady forest trees.

"Firestar!" Bramblestar exclaimed and rushed to meet him, springing across the sunlit clearing. "It's so good to see you!" He rubbed his muzzle against him in greeting.

Jayfeather, Dovewing, and Lionblaze also soon emerged from the shady forest trees after Bramblestar. Jayfeather looked irritated, as always, as he tried to explain something to Lionblaze that Firestar couldn't make out. Lionblaze shrugged but didn't look convinced as their arguing voices drifted across the large expanse of wide, open, empty space.

As they were about to reach them, scuffling broke out with Lionblaze and Jayfeather with a mock growl from Lionblaze. "Die, ShadowClan trespasser!"

"Get off, you great lump!" Jayfeather protested, though there was laughter in his voice.

Lionblaze reluctantly scrambled off Jayfeather and Jayfeather hared into the woods with Lionblaze on his tail, letting out a yowl of frustration as he let Jayfeather get away from him. Firestar could hear them crashing into the undergrowth and eventually the yowl of defeat from Jayfeather and Lionblaze's yowl of triumph following soon after.

"I'll go roundup those daft furballs," Dovewing muttered with a sigh and sprang back into the forest. She soon emerged again with Lionblaze and Jayfeather following close after.

"We've been waiting for you to arrive." Bramblestar stifled a mrrow of amusement with a gleam of amusement in his eye as the scuffling cats reached them. His mew grew more serious as he went on. "Firestar has something important to tell us."

The cats settled down and took positions around Firestar as he began to speak, "Skywatcher informed me that you three, Jayfeather, Dovewing, and Lionblaze, have gotten your powers back." He paused, waiting for a reaction.

They stared at him in disbelief. "But we just lost them a few moons ago," Dovewing blurted out. "How could we get them back?"

"You have struggled without your powers, so they are restored to you," Firestar continued. "But you must be careful with them," he warned. "A darkness will come, that might sweep the clans away forever." Firestar's voice was grave and his eyes flashed warningly.

The four cats began to fade. "Don't worry," Lionblaze replied. "We'll be careful!"

"'Bye, Firestar!" Bramblestar called. "Watch ThunderClan!"

"'Bye!" mewed Firestar. "May StarClan light your path!"

The cats faded away into nothing but shimmering mist that evaporated as the sun shone. Firestar sighed, the message was given, he just hoped they heeded the warning.