Disclaimer: This is the last chapter I'm posting a disclaimer on. It should be pretty obvious by now that I don't own Warriors, just this idea and my OC's.

A/N: Where would a Warriors story be without dead kitties giving mysterious warnings in dreams? The next few chapters will be a bit on the shorter side.

Chapter 10. The Dream

A quarter moon passes in peace. I reckon it's the best quarter moon of my life. Tigerclaw must have got all the let's-attack-ThunderClan out of his system for now, 'cause he concentrates on battle training, hunting, and protecting our new clanmates. He and I are gettin' along better than we ever have, and my doubts from the battle by the road begin to fade. Other than occasionally being confused for a heartbeat when someone calls me Nettlethorn, I'm fitting in better than I hoped.

I'm startled when I catch a glimpse of my reflection in a brook while on a routine hunting patrol. Tigerclaw works us hard, but thanks to regular meals, I'm fillin' out. By which I mean that I can no longer actually count my bones through my skin. My brown-and-white fur is smooth and sleek. I ain't never looked or felt this good.

"ShadowClan should just name Tigerclaw leader already," Jaggedtooth mutters one day after we finish directing Wolfstep, Fernshade, and Rowanberry in a fighting exercise.

I shrug. "Runningnose says he gotta wait for a sign from StarClan." Jaggedtooth snorts derisively.

"Don't let the other warriors hear that," I tell him.

"And I suppose you're a true warrior and believe in a bunch of dead cats runnin' things," my friend teases.

"Anything's possible. Mama always believed we go somewhere when we die."

"Even if dead cats do go somewhere, why do they get a say in how we live our lives?" Jaggedtooth meows. "I reckon some leader ages back just made up StarClan to keep their cats in line."

"Apparently when a leader dies, their deputy goes off someplace to meet with StarClan and comes back with nine lives. They can be killed eight times before they die for real. Fernshade told me about it."

Jaggedtooth blinks. "I guess it'd be cool to have nine lives, but it still sounds like a load of dog shit to me."

Just then, Boulder enters camp with Frogtail, Tallpoppy, and Darkpaw. All four of 'em be carryin' prey. The days of ShadowClan's fresh-kill pile being empty are long past.

"Hey, Nettlethorn, wanna share a sparrow?" Boulder calls.

"Sure," I meow, wondering why my stomach is fluttering and my fur feels warm.

"We can share fresh-kill," Jaggedtooth snaps.

"I eat with you all the time," I say, nudging him playfully as I go to join the silver-gray tom. Jaggedtooth's smoldering gaze makes my pelt prickle.

"How was battle training?" Boulder asks eagerly. "I worked with Tigerclaw this morning, and he's something else. His training has made us all stronger."

We trade stories of our day. This don't sound too interesting, but Boulder has a talent for findin' humor even in everyday routine. I near 'bout laugh myself into a fit when he tells me about how a mouse ran almost directly into his paws. Before I know it, the sparrow we shared is gone.

"Want to come hunting with me at dawn?" Boulder purrs. "I'll show you my favorite spot, a marsh near the burned-out pine."

I'm about to agree, but then I remember the hurt and confusion on Jaggedtooth's face. We always said we'd be mates. That hasn't changed just 'cause we joined ShadowClan, has it? I still feel warm and happy when he's with me. Trouble is, I reckon I'm startin' to feel that way about Boulder too. Maybe one of my she-cat friends can give me some advice.

"I gotta see," I mumble, spittin' out a clump of brown feathers. Boulder's long tail droops in disappointment, which makes me say quickly, "But I probably can, yeah."

Tangleburr mrows with amusement when I confess to her later that night in the warriors' den. "You're in the best situation," she tells me.

"It ain't funny," I say, not really mad.

"Yes it is," purrs Dawncloud. "I wish I had two toms fighting over me."

"You're a young cat, Nettlethorn. Take your time. You don't have to decide now. Besides, you're not ready to be tied down in the nursery, are you?" Tangleburr asks.

"No," I say. Then I add in a whisper, "I'm terrified of havin' kits. I seen queens die givin' birth, and Mama... I'd always be afraid I couldn't protect 'em."

"That's what you've got a clan for," Fernshade meows, licking my shoulder.

"Will you shut up? Some of us are trying to sleep here," Deerfoot growls grumpily. Tangleburr, Fernshade, Dawncloud, and I exchange amused looks and hold in our laughter. These cats be treatin' me like I was born here, I marvel, basking in the feeling of belonging.

I must be dreamin', on account of I ain't never seen any place this green. Tall plants with huge, brightly-colored flowers, brighter than anything I seen in the forest, sway around me in a gentle breeze. From somewhere off in the distance, I hear the soft sound of runnin' water. In the distance, I see a square of unnaturabbly smooth stone: a twoleg den.

"Cici!"

That small voice freezes the breath in my lungs. "C-Coal?" I stammer, lookin' down at the gray tabby kit running circles around me, his tail stickin' straight up.

My brother looks just like he did when Bone killed him, except without the gaping wound in his neck, and every now and then, he flickers like he's made of mist. He still looks about four moons old. I guess he always will. I touch noses with Coal, though what I really wanna do is lick him all over and bask in his familiar scent.

"You're so big now!" Coal marvels. "Remember how Mowgli and I used to make fun of you 'cause you were smaller than us?"

As I purr in amusement, another all-too-familiar voice meows, "Served you right when she snuck up on you from behind and whacked you upside the head. I always said your sister would be tiny but fierce!"

"Mama!" I cry. I don't want this dream to end.

My heart near 'bout bursts as I see her slender frame comin' 'round one of the plants. She gave me her amber eyes, her light brown pelt with white streaks. Lookin' at her's like lookin' at an older, wiser reflection of myself. Seein' her and Coal fills up all the empty places inside me. We touch noses, and Mama gives my cheek a soft lick.

"Where are we? Is Mow... Nightwhisper havin' this dream too? Are you in StarClan?" Could the clan cats be right about their warrior ancestors? I wonder.

"What's StarClan?" Coal wants to know.

Mama's amber eyes fill with sadness. "This is the garden of the den where I lived as a kit. They were good twolegs, but when they died, I went to the bad place, where you and your littermates were born. This ain't StarClan, not as your new friends know it. But the sky is big enough for all of us. I can't reach Nightwhisper from here. His mind is... different than yours."

"Awwwww, I wanna see him too!" Coal whines.

Mama flicks him with her tail. "Go on and play now, baby. Your sister and I gotta talk about some serious grown-up things," she says gently but firmly.

Coal looks at her, then decides not to argue. "See you later, Cici. I miss you," he meows.

"Love and miss you too," I say, chokin' up.

Mama and I both watch as the kit who will never grow up bounds off into the flowers. Being murdered doesn't seem to have made him any less sweet. As much as I wish he was still with us, I ain't sad that he hasn't had to suffer and go hungry like Nightwhisper and me. And thinkin' of my livin' brother brings me back to reality.

"What do you mean about Nightwhisper's mind being different?" I ask. "Ain't nothin' wrong with him, is there?"

Mama shakes her head. "He's fine, just not as… open as you. A great evil be comin' to your new home, Nettlethorn. And your old one too. You gotta help stop it. If you do, you'll save your brother, and all the cats in the forest and the town. You must have the courage of your convictions, my daughter, and stand up for what you know is right." Mama be fadin' away even as she speaks. But her words leave me with more questions than answers.

"Wait, Mama, please don't go! What's the evil I have to stop? Is Tigerclaw part of it? Do we really belong with ShadowClan?"

But Mama's gone, leavin' nothin' behind but a faint trace of her warm, sweet scent. I tumble into a yawning emptiness I been runnin' from for moons. A paw is pokin' me in the side.

"Nettlethorn, are you okay? You were moaning and flailing like crazy," Nightwhisper murmurs.

I blink up at the brambles that form the roof of the warriors' den. Cats sleep all around me, their soft snores and scents fillin' the air. Nightwhisper's green eyes flash with worry.

"Can we talk somewhere outside camp?" I whisper.

Without a word, my brother picks his way out of the den. Blackfoot's on guard near the camp entrance. Nightwhisper tells him we're doin' a little early hunting, and he just blinks slowly at us as we leave. Pine needles crunch under our paws as we walk through the cool, dew-soaked woods. I feel lighter the farther we get from camp.

"You had any weird dreams lately?" I ask.

"I dreamed I was being chased by a huge orange bird the other night."

"No, I mean… have you dreamed about Mama or Coal? Last night, I saw 'em in this beautiful garden."

Nightwhisper winds around me, purring. "I wish I could dream of them. It'd be nice to see 'em again, if only in my head. But we've got a new family now, a clan."

Do we? I ask myself. "It wasn't no regular dream, Nightwhisper. Mama was warning me, saying an evil was coming."

"Are you a medicine cat now?" Nightwhisper asks, a sharp edge to his meow.

"No, I just… it felt real," I say, wishin' I was better at findin' words.

"It's all in your head, Nettlethorn. Ain't no evil in this forest, unless you count the other clans lookin' to attack us if they see the slightest sign of weakness," Nightwhisper says.

Any response I might've given flies right outa my head when I see that the sky in the direction of the road is a bloody, pulsing red. I ain't never seen anything like this. We trade a cautious glance, then edge closer. Usually the road is roaring with cars, even in the early morning. But now everything is silent, and the smell of smoke makes my nose twitch and my fur stand on end.

"Fire. It looks like it's comin' from ThunderClan. Tigerclaw needs to know about this," Nightwhisper says.