*The plot might be a bit wonky and clumsy right now, but bear with me. It's been a while since I wrote in this story—but I still have big plans for these characters.*

"I want you three to hunt something new today," Mapledawn said to the three newcomers, whispering for fear of waking Patchkit and Waiting Falcon. "If you succeed, I'll take you on a special mission." Yew grinned up at her from beside the nest, quiet for once (because she'd snapped at him not to wake Patchkit).

The newcomers' ears perked up. Pig grinned is signature wide grin.

"What should we hunt, ma'am—er, Mapledawn?" meowed Butter.

"Rabbits." Mapledawn rasped a laugh when Butters' ears fell. "You can usually find them in tall grass, especially where flowers grow. You'll need teamwork to take one down." She nodded to Yew. "Yew will be watching you, out of sight."

"You mean you're not coming?" Pig whispered.

Mapledawn shook her head. "You caught on so quickly yesterday, I know you can do this without me." It's a bit early for their warrior assessment, Mapledawn thought, but it's important to see if they can overcome a challenge… And obey their mentor.

"No time like the present," she whispered. "Rabbits are most active at dawn and dusk. Go, before the sun scares them away. May the Ageless Ones bless you."

The three cats blinked at her in confusion.

"Now you say back, 'may StarClan guide you.'"

"May—StarClan?—guide you," Billy mewed.

Mapledawn nodded, satisfied. Yew slunk off after them. He wasn't the most stealthy cat, she knew, but he was good and honest; he'd give an accurate report.

"I haven't seen you this happy since you came here," Waiting Falcon mewed, making her jump.

"I thought you were asleep!"

"Not so much." He rumbled a deep laugh. "You seem a born leader. Even Yew obeys you without question. I've never known that cat to do what he was told."

"Well…" Mapledawn looked away sheepishly. "I'm just curious, that's all. I want to see what these cats are capable of."

"You're testing them. And not just their strength, but their character." He licked his paw and drew it over his ears. "It's smart. You don't just need them to be fighters. You need them to be loyal. To rely on each other. You want to see how far they'll go to prove themselves… Should I ask what you're planning?"

"A good leader," Mapledawn said, winking, "never reveals her strategy."

Waiting Falcon laughed. "Little Patchkit," he mewed. "Time to wake up."

"Merble," Patchkit mewed, yawning, "can I play with Raven?"

"After you eat, little one."

Patchkit nursed, and then yowled over at Cinder's nest: "Raven! Raven!"

The little black kit crawled to the edge of his nest, his sister not far behind, and pelted over to Mapledawn's nest. Patchkit looked up at her questioningly.

"Go ahead," she said. "But don't go far. Stay where I can see you."

Raven, Soot, and Patchkit play-stalked each other and wrestled for a while, then they switched to a game they called "Forest Cat," where each of them was leader in charge of commanding the same clan. They called themselves Leader Ravencat, Leader Sootcat, and Leader Patchcat… Mapledawn didn't have the heart to tell them that wasn't how it worked. Lark's Call dropped by a while later with prey for her and Cinders: two mice for each cat, stuffed with some general health herbs from Mist Shadow. Mapledawn ate hers and then threw the cleaned pelts to the rambunctious kits—telling them they were foxes here to eat their Clan's kits.

"Never!" Soot yowled, pouncing on one of the pelts and pummeling it with her sharp little claws. "For MightyClan! Leaders, attack!"

"This fox is no match for Leader Patchcat. Get him, fearsome leader!" Raven yowled, batting the other mouse pelt over to Patchkit, who leapt onto its back and sank his tiny teeth into the tail.

"Nasty fox," Patchkit mewled, "I'll teach you to attack my Clan!"

"I'll never get used to how quickly kits learn to speak," Mapledawn whispered to Waiting Falcon. "He said his first word yesterday."

"And was his first word 'Merble' or 'Raven?'" Waiting Falcon said, purring.

"Those two are so enamored with each other." Mapledawn purred back.

Waiting Falcon's ears swiveled to the west. The three newcomers were padding back to the ravine, their tails held high over their backs, their chests pushed out. Pig and Billy each dragged a nice-sized rabbit across the ground. Yew walked behind them, looking just as proud as they were.

"Well done," Mapledawn said as they approached her nest. "Share some with Cinders and Mist Shadow."

Billy dipped his head and got to work tearing one of the rabbits into chunks. The rabbit, she could see, was partly mangled; they'd obviously had trouble with the killing blow. She waited for them to carry one of the rabbits over to Mist Shadow and River of Starlight, then called Yew over.

"Well?"

"They were a bit clumsy about it," Yew said, "but they worked together really well. Pig flushed out two rabbits while Butter and Billy waited. They both pounced on one at the same time," Yew said, laughing a little too loud, "and almost tore it in half. But then Billy snapped its neck and as soon as he did that, all three of them chased after the other rabbit! They killed that one nice and clean."

Mapledawn nodded. "Thank you for your help, Yew. You're a good friend."

"I know I am," Yew said, and padded off.

"So?" Pig said. "How'd we do?"

Mapledawn paused, trying to look pensive. "Well, it wasn't perfect," she said. Billy's puffed-out chest fell. "But I'm proud of you. You've earned your reward."

"What's the special mission?" Pig said. "An attack on the Clans? A fox hunt?"

Mapledawn shook her head and stifled a laugh. "In the Clans," she said, "one of the most important, and sacred, parts of our life is StarClan. Our ancestors. We speak to StarClan by visiting the Moonpool, a sacred place where the stars touch the water."

Their eyes lit up with awe. Only Pig looked a bit skeptical.

"Moonpool is too far from here," Mapledawn continued, "but these cats have their own special place. It's called Clearpool, and it's just over that way." She pointed her tail. "If you're lucky, the ancestors may speak to you."

"You mean—" Butter looked back and forth furtively. The kits had stopped playing Forest Cat and were watching the exchange with rapt attention. "You mean like ghosts?"

Mapledawn had never heard that word, but she could guess what it meant. "Maybe," she said, nodding. "Do you think you're up for it?"

Billy nodded solemnly. "Cinders, can you watch Patchkit?"

"Certainly," the she-cat said. "Thanks for the rabbit, by the way."

The newcomers nodded to her, then followed Mapledawn out of Lesser Oak Crash to the path towards Clearpool. They padded up the ravine, through trees, and followed the thin, burbling creek that flowed down from the sacred place. Again, Mapledawn's paws slipped easily into the old divots around the pool. She paused at the edge, ears pricked; had her enemies found their way here? Certainly Oakstar wasn't the only ancient, almost-faded StarClan cat who wanted to see her fail. And the dark, whispering shadows… Those, she knew, must be remnants of the Dark Forest. If StarClan could find her here, then they could too—

She shook her head and motioned for the newcomers to join her at the water's edge. "This is a sacred place," she mewed. "Can you feel it?" Billy nodded quietly. Butter's eyes were wide. Pig looked doubtfully at the water, then down at his paws, which rested comfortably in an old pawprint worn into the stone.

"What should we do?"

"Step into the water," Mapledawn said. "When you're ready, hold your breath and let it cover your head."

Mapledawn stepped slowly into the shallow water, trying to keep her fur from bristling. Maybe I shouldn't have done this. Learning to revere StarClan, even if she didn't agree with the idea much herself anymore, was as critical for these cats as learning to hunt and fight. It had to be done if they were ever to join her in FireClan. How presumptuous of me to assume Yellowstar would allow them. It's not my place. But FireClan needed warriors desperately. If she did return home, it wouldn't be empty pawed. Just me, Waiting Falcon, and Patchkit would be a burden… More mouths to feed. But If I brought three confident, trained apprentices… She screwed up her resolve and dipped her head underwater.

Billy's legs brushed against her flanks, then Butter's. Finally, Pig stepped gingerly into the water. She could feel him recoil. Mapledawn bobbed up so her nose took in air, closed her eyes, and waited for the inevitable.

Nothing happened for a while.

Good, she thought. Stay silent. I'm—

Until a familiar scent wreathed around her.

Mapledawn almost swallowed water, almost choked, when the faded, ghostly figure of a solid ginger cat materialized in the water before her.

Bloomspirit! She trembled underwater. Why are you here? Are you okay? What about Larchkit and Petalkit? Tell me they're alright... Oh, Bloomspirit, she thought. Did StarClan drive you out for helping me? For loving me? Does this mean… Mapledawn shrank back. You know the truth now, don't you?

Maple… Bloomspirit's voice came weak and distorted, like it was shouted through a fierce gale. It's okay. I came to warn you. StarClan divided… You're in danger here. Frecklefang is coming.

I can take her, Mapledawn thought. But thank you for warning me.

Not just her, Bloomspirit said, sounding exasperated. Dustapple. Scratchface. Others. Someone here has been guiding them… Guiding them to kill you.

And with that, her sister's spirit vanished. Mapledawn wanted to yowl—wanted to beg her sister to come back. I've missed you! She thought. But Bloomspirit was gone.

Mapledawn climbed out of the water, shimmied up to the rocks around Clearpool, and shook the water roughly out of her fur. "Well," she said, her voice cracking. Pig, Butter, and Billy were standing in the middle of the water. She cleared her throat and tried again. "Well, what did you see?"

"I heard weird whispers," said Butters.

"Felt a cat brush against my fur," said Billy.

"I dunno," said Pig, "but it was definitely weird." He splashed toward Clearpool's banks. "Cool as hell, though! What did you see?"

"Yeah," said Butter. "You're looking kinda… Spooked."

"My vision was private," Mapledawn snapped. "Er—but I'm glad you each had experiences. Now… What do you know about fighting?"

Mapledawn went through the basics of Clan style fighting for the rest of the morning. I was going to wait, she thought, but if we're under attack… She shook her head. If only Bloomspirit had told her more. How soon would they arrive? Who was Dustapple—wasn't that a random CrookedClan tom? Oh, I remember him, she realized. We met when I accidentally trespassed in CrookedClan. What in Gray Wing's stars could he have against me? If the Lesser Oak Crash was under attack, she needed to plan. She'd need to hide away Patchkit, Soot, Raven, and Cinders, and maybe Mist Shadow, too. She wasn't too worried about Scratchface; surely StarClan still hadn't given him nine lives. And Frecklefang was ferocious, but she'd always been too eager, too quick to fight. She had a lot of weaknesses Mapledawn could exploit.

Billy and Pig proved to be decent, if clumsy, fighters. Butter obviously wasn't used to it but, Mapledawn thought, she'll learn in time.

"Okay," she said. "Enough for today." I have to get back to my kit. Her pelt twitched. She'd already been away from him too long. "Tomorrow we'll do a mock skirmish and practice some secret FireClan moves."

"Yes!" shouted Pig. "Thank you, Mapledawn."

"Yeah," echoed Butter. "Thank you."

All three cats dipped their heads to her, as low as she would to a Clan leader. Mapledawn couldn't help feeling a warm rush of pride and satisfaction. This is what I was made for. The dark, whispering shadows wanted her to use her skill, her ambition, for evil. I just want to save my Clan. Save it and make it better.