Message From a Friend

His pawsteps led him by instinct down toward the stream and he crouched down to drink, prodding the thin ice at the very edge and shaking icy drops off his paw when it gave way.

As Firestar bent his head to lap from the stream, the sun came out behind him, striking through the leaves. Light dazzled on the water and surrounded Firestar's reflection with golden rays. For a moment the image of his head disappeared, to be replaced by that of a roaring lion. It was the beast Firestar had heard described in so many elders' tales, his flame-colored pelt blazing into a luxuriant mane, his eyes shining with unlimited strength and power.

Startled, Firestar leaped backward. He let out a yowl as he collided with a tree and stumbled into the dead leaves among its roots. When he looked up, Spottedleaf was facing him from across the stream.

The beautiful tortoiseshell's eyes were brimming with amusement, and she let out a little mrrow of laughter.

"Spottedleaf!" Firestar gasped. She had never come to him before when he was awake, and he wondered what this might mean. He sprang to his paws, ready to splash through the stream to her side, but she signaled with her tail for him to stay where he was.

"Take heed of what you have seen, Firestar," she told him, her amusement vanishing like the frost at dawn. "Learn what you must be."

"Sorrelkit..." Whitestorm mewed as Sorrelkit stood.

"Daaaadddd...Yellowfang said I'm fine," the kit, "I can go back to the nursery today."

She shook her pelt and padded out of the den. Whitestorm sighed and followed her. Nightfrost couldn't help but to let out a chuckle as he followed them out of Yellowfang's den, bumping into the medicine cat.

Before the warrior could speak, Yellowfang mewed,"Nightfrost, Nightpaw was looking for you." She flicked her tail to the apprentice, who was cleaning her pelt.

The black tom padded towards her. "Nightpaw? You were looking for me?"

The she-cat nodded. "Yes, Nightfrost. I would like to show you something, but can we?" Nightpaw asked, putting her tone on 'can' a little more serious.

"That'll be alright..." Nightfrost answer hesitantly. The kit had never looked for him before.

"Great!" Nightpaw mewed, springing to her paws. She padded away, before looking back sheepishly. "Umm...Would it be alright if I lead you there?"

Nightfrost held back a laugh at her kit-like behavior. "Of course, Nightpaw. Of course."

The kit of Violet and Fuzz nodded and lead him. She passed many snow covered trees and bushes. Nightfrost paused, catching the scent of rogues, no, Bloodclan. His icy-blue eyes narrowed at Nightpaw, who didn't seem to take note of the scent. She padded to a clearing, flicking her tail at his nose. Nightfrost sneezed and grasped.

It was place he had never seen before, despite him being in Thunderclan here longer than her. Even when leaf-bare had fallen, the place was still green. Birds chipped in the trees, grass and flowers on the ground. A butterfly fluttered about, landing on Nightpaw's ear. She flicked her ear, making it flutter away. Nightpaw stopped, making Nightfrost pause.

"Why are we here?" the deputy mewed cautiously.

Nightpaw turned back to the way they came, blushing her pelt against his. "Because an old friend of yours wants to see you."

Nightfrost spun around, expecting to see a Bloodclan cat. Instead, it was a ghostly figure.

"Lionheart?"

The maned tom purred. "Nightfrost, it has been a long time."

Nightfrost opened and closed his mouth, but he could find no words to speak to his friend. Lionheart let a out a deep laugh. "Mouth full of prey, Nightfrost? There's no need to be shocked."

Nightfrost looked behind him to see Nightpaw nowhere. A sigh made him turn his head back. Lionheart shook his head and waited patiently.

"What-how?" Nightfrost mewed, still shocked.

Lionheart twitched his ears. "Nightpaw. How else?"

"But...how?"

Lionheart simply settle down on the grass. "She's related to a different prophecy, she going to have it...No, she already has it. But that is not what I'm here for."

Nightfrost paused curiously.

"I'm certain you remember Bloodclan? As its leader?"

"How did you know?" Nightfrost meowed in a low voice.

"Starclan can see more then the clans do, Scourge."

Nightfrost froze at his previous name, a discarded name. The small warrior let out a breath.

"Why has Bloodclan return? Was it not the right choice to to disband it?"

Lionheart shook his head. "That is where the mistake lies, there no right choice, no wrong choice, only best and worse, with each one having different consequences as it collides with other choices. The choice you made back then has collided with another choice. And this is the result, the consequence. Such things has always been the fault of more then one, never just one individual."

"I don't understand..."

"What will you do?"

"Huh?"

"What is your choice?"

"My choice? I'm...I'm not sure...if disbanding Bloodclan doesn't help...then I don't know what to do..."

"Complete destruction of one is not always the best choice, so it is used as a last resort, or more specifically, what they may think as a last resort. More often than not, there are other ways. Ways they are unwilling to choose because it goes against what they want or perhaps, believe."

"But how else? I certain the other cats despise living in Bloodclan."

Lionheart shook his head, he had said all he could. "When the time comes, you will know the choice you need to make, Nightfrost. I'm certain of it. I believe you will take the better choice."

Lionheart faded at the last word, leaving Nightfrost alone in the snowy-filled clearing.

"The forest exploration group are back, leader," Snipe reported, the second-in-command. The dark tabby sat in the spot Scourge, Bloodclan's traitor, used to sit.

"Bring them in."

The bi-colored tom nodded and left. The tom growled, flicking his tail back and forth. Soon, Snipe returned with what was once Scourge's closest guard and second-in-command, Bone and Brick and two of his guards, Ice and Snake.

"Willie..." Bone murmured, before getting jabbed harshly by Ice.

"So...What have you found in the forest, Ice, Snake?" the Bloodclan leader mewed icily.

"Plenty of prey, sir, just like that Shadowclan leader and Boulder said," Snake answered by pushing a mouse to him, a rather pump one; perhaps not by forest cats standards, but definitely pump to them.

The tom nodded. "I see...take the prisoners back to their den, make sure they are...well cared for."

Ice and Snake smirked as they lead the prisoners away. Snipe, despite knowing he was dismissed as well, stayed behind.

The Bloodclan leader leap off the towering trash bin and was about to pace to his den when he noticed Snipe staying there. He turned his lighter-colored muzzle to his second-in-command.

"You know you're dismissed Snipe. Unless...you want something?" the tabby asked suspiciously.

Snipe shuddered a bit. "Yes...sir. Would it be alright for me to ask a question?"

The tom narrowed his eyes. "Depends on what the question is about. Ask."

"Why did you rename the our group of cats Bloodclan? I thought you loathe Scourge."

The leader loomed over him. "Two reasons, Snipe. One, so that other cats will fear our group. Two, it's the best revenge against him. Is that all? You are now dismissed."

Snipe twitched his ears before lowering his head.

"Of course, Willie."

Mouth full of prey-cat got your tougue