"Wake up!" Sunpaw shook Nightpaw again. Nightpaw blinked his eyes open. "Huh?"

His sister's eyes were full of worry. "Are you okay? You were screaming in your dream."

Then the dream came back to him. A cat with violet eyes, a leader named Posionstar, Blossompaw not recognizing him. It was so real... Nightpaw thought.

He got onto his paws. "Why am I in the medicine den?" He wrinkled his nose at the scent of herbs.

"You were screaming really loudly. I tried to wake you up, but you're still asleep." Sunpaw meowed, still sounding worried. "So I thought that there must be something wrong. I reported you to Volepaw. But Volepaw didn't know what to do and Dappleleaf was out gathering herbs, so we brought you here."

"Oh." Nightpaw meowed. Are there really herbs in the winter? "How loud did I scream?"

"Loud enough for half of the camp to hear." Sunpaw meowed teasingly. She looked into his eyes and asked, "Are you okay now?"

"I think so."

"I'm going to have Dappleleaf check on you anyways." Nightpaw's sister meowed. "Also, is Blossompaw the cat you introduced me at gathering with weird eyes?"

Her eyes aren't weird! Nightpaw wanted to mew. But instead, he meowed, "What exactly did I scream?"

"Something like, 'Please tell me! Please tell me what's going on! Please tell me, Blossompaw!'" Sunpaw continued. "And when I shook you, you screamed, 'Get off me!'"

"I'm sorry for screaming that." Nightpaw meowed.

"I doubt it's your fault." His littermate responded. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but what were you dreaming?"

"I dreamed that I was at a gathering with cats that I don't know." Nightpaw meowed.

Before Sunpaw could comment anything, Dappleleaf came back with a few herb stems, padding into the den.

"Nightpaw, Volepaw told me that you were screaming in your dream, and wouldn't wake up." The medicine cat meowed. "Would you like to share what you dreamed?"

Nightpaw told Dappleleaf the same thing he told Sunpaw.

Dappleleaf nodded. "Did it seemed like a dream from StarClan?"

Nightpaw shook his head. "Not really, it just seemed real."

The medicine cat checked Nightpaw's breathing. "Do you feel fine?"

Nightpaw nodded.

"Good." Dappleleaf meowed. "Then you can resume your role as an apprentice." She paddled deeper into the den, where Rubblespots and Bushpaw lay, sick with greencough.

Nightpaw found Stormflight waiting for him at Halfrock, like usual.

"You're cleaning the bedding today." His mentor meowed. Stormflight turned his back on Nightpaw and stalked away. Stormflight must be really disappointed at me, behaving like that.

Nightpaw knew that he should feel guilty. But he didn't. His heart blamed everything on Branchpaw.

~

Leaf-bare was a harsh season. More cats caught greencough, including Spidernose, Ivypond, and Hollykit. Rubblespots even died.

It had been several sunrises since Nightpaw had the weird dream. Nightpaw paddled through the forest, sniffing the air for prey. No luck.

Redstar had tried sending more hunting patrols, but the prey had grown very scarce. The patrols barely caught anything.

But then he heard wings flapping above him. Nightpaw looked up. There was a thrush, flying above the trees.

If only I could catch that. Nightpaw thought, ThuderClan is starving.

Nightpaw suddenly remembered how he moved a mouse without touching it. Would that work on a live bird?

The thrush landed on the very top of an oak tree. Nightpaw squinted at it and concentrated. He focused on the thrush.... It's wings... But he found himself focusing on the tip of the tree instead.

The thrush spread it's wings, ready to take off. No! Nightpaw thought, then mentally sighed. I'm so stupid. Of course the bird wouldn't come. I've wasted my time for nothing.

He was going to walk away, but blue and green fire swirled around him, blocking him. Nightpaw looked frantically from side to side, trying to find a way around the flames.

His tail swung as he whipped around. Nightpaw accidentally brushed his tail on against the flames, but it didn't burn nor melt the snow beneath him.

The fire started smoking. The smoke was so thick that Nightpaw couldn't see.

Nightpaw blinked once. He found himself clinging on to the very top of the oak tree.

Why am I here? Nightpaw looked down. He wasn't afraid of heights, but the tree is slowly tipping...

Nightpaw knew that he is in trouble. The tree is wobbling from side to side because of Nightpaw's weight. He needed to get down, but there was no way down. If he let go of the bark, he would fall.

The tip of the tree is leaning to one side. At one point the trunk would snap in half.

"Help!" Nightpaw yowled, hoping that Stormflight could hear him. He dug his claws harder into the wood, clinging on for his life. He looked around frantically, trying to find a way down.

Then Nightpaw noticed something flapping an inch away from him. The thrush!

Nightpaw stared at the prey. He knew that he should save himself first, but the jet-black apprentice can't resist thinking of a way to catch it.

Then he had an idea. The plan might kill me, Nightpaw thought, but if I stay here I'll fall anyways. At least I be remembered for hunting for my clan.

Without thinking, Nightpaw hurled himself at the thrush. His jaw clamped onto the bird in midair.

Then Nightpaw fell, his body crashing into trees and branches.