Dawnfire turned in her sleep, it felt like there were a million burrs in her pelt. When she opened her eyes she wasn't in the warriors den, she was in the Gathering Hollow. Dawnfire jumped to her paws, looking up at the sky, the half-moon glowed brightly. That's when she realized it was a dream, the half-moon was a few sunrises ago. There was a gentle spring breeze, carrying the scent of something sour. It smelled like burning, Dawnfire looked around for a smoke or fire but saw nothing. Then another scent washed over her, it was an unfamiliar one. The shape of a cat appeared from the shadows, it was obviously a Clan cat, a fluffy silver tom. He smelled of SunClan and had a gentle look in his eyes.

"Who are you?" Dawnfire asked, her voice steady, as he showed up she felt warm and safe, the burning smell was gone.

"My name is Feathernose, I was Honeywing's mentor." The tom replied, his voice was soft, and his blue eyes reminded Dawnfire of a gentle river.

"Where's Honeywing?" Dawnfire looked around for the golden medicine cat who normally visited her.

"Am I not good enough for you?" Feathernose's voice was stern, but when Dawnfire tensed he relaxed. "I'm joking." He purred. "I wanted to visit you and talk to you."

"But why?" Dawnfire questioned, wondering why this random StarClan cat wanted to talk to her. Honeywing had become normal, but Dawnfire never even really heard of Feathernose.

"So many questions." Feathernose purred. "There comes a time when you have to stop asking questions and just follow your heart." He looked her in the eyes. "Not every question has an answer."

Dawnfire shuffled her paws. "Right." She muttered. "So what did you want to talk about?" She thought he would say something else about question asking, but he looked up at the half-moon, eyes reflecting the shine.

"Poppyfur told you about the prophecy." Feathernose mewed gently, slowly moving his gaze from the moon to Dawnfire.

Dawnfire's tensed at the mention of the prophecy. "That's a real thing?" Part of Dawnfire wished that Poppyfur was just a crazy medicine cat, but if a StarClan cat told her, then she had no choice but to believe that it was true.

Feathernose nodded. "It was originally given to Honeywing who passed it on to Poppyfur on the night of your birth. The only ones who know about this prophecy are Flowerstar, Poppyfur, and myself."

"How can you be sure it's about me?" Dawnfire asked, her claws scraping the grass. "I'm just a SunClan warrior."

"You're much more than that, Dawnfire." Feathernose said. "You have a powerful destiny ahead of you."

"Of what? What am I supposed to do?" Dawnfire demanded, growing on edge.

Feathernose rested his tail on her shoulder. "Calm down, young one. There is no telling what your future holds, no destiny is laid out in a perfect stone path. Destiny is decided by your own pawsteps."

Dawnfire sighed, recalling a dream she had as an apprentice. "Honeywing told me that once, when I was an apprentice; the first time I went to the Moonstone."

"Honeywing is a very wise cat." Feathernose said. "She was a wonderful medicine cat, always wanting to help; and that has not changed. Honeywing wishes she could guide you the entire way, but that's impossible. You need to find your own destiny."

Dawnfire lowered her head. "But why?" She asked. "Why me of all cats? Why not my sister?" Her voice caught in her throat. "Why did Willowkit have to die?" She found herself suddenly back in SunClan camp, when the world was still huge to her. Her sister's dying figure, coughing and twitching. Was Willowkit's death a question that would never be answered?

Feathernose let out small sigh. "Death almost always happens for a reason, when it's a cat's time to join StarClan, it's unavoidable. Willowkit was meant to die."

"Why?!" Dawnfire was suddenly on her paws, pelt bristling. "Why did Willowkit have to die! She was jus ta kit!" Dawnfire's legs gave out and she fell to the ground.

"I will show you." Feathernose said, his voice losing it's soft edge. Dawnfire opened her eyes and she was outside SunClan camp, but it looked wrong. There was crowfood scattered about, bones of prey and the dens were broken.

"What is thi-" Feathernose silenced Dawnfire with his tail, she just watched. Dawnfire recognized some of the cats. Rainears, Bramblepelt, Sandfoot, Applespots, Icepetal, Turtleblaze, Yarrowtail, Cinderflame, and a few others. Flowerstar, Thornpelt nor Dawnfire was anywhere in sight of the camp, or the medicine cats. The cats were thin, with matted pelts and battle scars. A lanky, ruffled she-cat with hatred in her eyes, ,it was Willowkit.

"Willowstar!" Bramblepelt limped up to the SunTree. "We cannot keep invading the other Clans like this!" He shouted.

Willowstar lept down from the SunTree, teeth bared at Bramblepelt. "Do not question me, Bramblepelt!" She spat. "I'm your leader!"

"I understand but we've lost so many cats lately," He said. "With no medicine cats, our cats are dying quickly from battle wounds. Snowtail is dying as we speak!"

"She is weak!" Willowstar spat. "I will hear none of this! We attack MoonClan at dawn." Willowstar turned sharply and went into the SunTree which had been marked with claws several times.

"Willowstar." Another tom-cat padded up, Dawnfire barely recognized it as Turtleblaze, his pelt was dull and clung to his frame. "Things have to change or SunClan or going to die off." His voice was stern.

"SunClan will control the forest!' Willowstar shouted, Dawnfire was haunted by the vision. Would this actually happen?

"You cannot still blame yourself for Dawnkit's death!' He shouted. "It was not your fault! Our our parents!"

Dawnfire tensed. I'm dead?

"Shut up, Turtleblaze!" Willowstar hissed. "Leave me alone!" She reached forward and swatted at him, it was then when the vision faded and Dawnfire and Feathernose were back in the Gathering Hollow.

"Would that have really happened?" Dawnfire looked at Feathernose, haunted by the appearance of SunClan.

"More than likely, Willowkit was an ambitious cat, and had you been the one to die instead of her, she would've been driven insane by the guilt and tore SunClan apart." Feathernose's tone was soft. "Willowkit's death was a tragedy but it's what needed to happen. She's happy in SunClan alongside Blazeheart and Windflight."

"What about their deaths? or Sunstreams? Or Dovetails?" Dawnfire looked at Feathernose desperately. "Were their deaths just? Were they meant to die?"

Feathernose's blank expression didn't change. "Some where, some weren't. It's not your problem to worry about."

Dawnfire's fur raised along her spine. "That's not an answer!" She shouted.

"Not all questions have an answer." Feathernose repeated himself from earlier, closing his eyes. "Just beware the thorn barrier."

"What does that mean?" Dawnfire questioned but the old medicine cat was fading. "Don't go!' Dawnfire shouted and ran forward, running right into something. Thorns dug into her face, she stumbled backwards, stepping on more thorns. It was then that she realized she was surrounded by thick, sharp thorns.

Dawnfire let out a gasp as she awoke in the warrior's den. Her face stung and her heart hurt from the vision she had been shown. Lionclaw stirred next to her and half-opened his amber eyes.

"Everything, okay?" He asked, voice just above a whisper.

Dawnfire nodded, trying to calm her racing heart. "Yeah, just a bad dream." Lionclaw yawned and nodded before falling back asleep. Dawnfire could see outside the den that it was dawn. She figured she might as well go on the dawn patrol. Dawnfire carefully made her way outside the warriors den, embracing the chilly newleaf air. Thornpelt was already up, talking to Snakewhisker, Squirreltail and Heatherpaw. Dawnfire approached them, shaking off a yawn. "Mind if I join?" She questioned.

Thornpelt gave a suspicious look, but it was Snakewhisker who spoke. "I don't mind." He said kindly.

"Neither do I." Squirreltail added, yawning as well.

"Very well." Thornpelt's voice was nearly a growl, Dawnfire realized that she had done barely interacting with her former mentor since she became a warrior. He shouldn't have gotten my parents killed. Dawnfire thought internally.

"Then let's go." Snakewhisker said and the patrol left. Dawnfire always loved newleaf mornings, dew sparkled on the grass and leaves like the stars themselves fell into the forest. As Dawnfire left she turned over her shoulder at Thornpelt who was standing in the camp. For a split second, the scene changed. It was Thornpelt, it was Willowstar, and the camp was in ruins. She was covered in blood, with the dead body of Flowerstar at her paws. Dawnfire let out a gasp and blinked, Thornpelt was back and clear of blood.

"Are you okay?" Squirreltail mewed, concern filling her green eyes. Heatherpaw and Snakewhisker looked at her like she was crazy.

"Yeah," Dawnfire swallowed her fear. "Just stepped on a rock, it surprised me." She lied, and the patrol continued. The rest of the patrol went without incident, except for when they came across the MoonClan border and saw the river was dangerously high.

"It's from all the melted snow." Snakewhisker mewed. "We'll have to tell Flowerstar so the Clan knows to be careful when patrolling or hunting around her. SunClan can't exactly swim."

Dawnfire looked at the river, getting flashbacks of the time she nearly drowned, or more exact; when Thornpelt nearly let her drown. Realize snapped inside Dawnfire, the constant warning of thorns in her dreams, the vision she had just seen, StarClan was warning her about Thornpelt! Thornpelt was both a danger to her and SunClan, the vision of Willowstar must have been Feathernose saying Thornpelt would lead SunClan much the same way. She had to tell someone, about everything. About Sunstream's death, about Windflight and Blazeheart's death, about the attack on the apprentices, it was all because of Thornpelt!

Flowerstar! Flowerstar knew about the prophecy, would she believe Dawnfire? She could only hope so. The patrol without issue, they returned to camp and Snakewhisker reported the river to Thornpelt who in turn went to Flowerstar's den.

Dawnfire waited outside, shuffling her paws nervously, waiting for Thornpelt to leave. When he exited the den he shot Dawnfire a sour look.

"What are you doing?" Thornpelt questioned, his tone suspicious.

"I'm going to talk to Flowerstar." Dawnfire replied, meeting his gaze.

"About what?" His voice was calm, but there was a fire in his eyes. What would happen if Flowerstar did find out? What would Thornpelt do to her?

"Something private." Dawnfire relied curtly, she broke the eye contact and brushed past him int Flowerstars den. Dawnfire recalled when she and Willowkit explored the leader's den for the first time, she felt a pang of sadness, but shoved it away.

"Dawnfire?" Flowerstar said once Dawnfire stepped into the light, the den was well lit with soft moss. There was a recently eaten mouse on the ground, Dawnfire was relieved to see Flowerstar eating again. Not only that, but Flowerstar's coat was shiny and she looked healthy. It was almost as if she had never lost that life.

"Hi, Flowerstar." Dawnfire dipped her head respectfully, she heard a sight noise of amusement from the leader.

"What do you need?" She asked. "If this is about the river, Thornpelt already told me. I was about to tell the Clan, actually."

"Oh, uh," Dawnfire's tail twitched. "A few things actually." Dawnfire stood up straight and attempted to speak. "Well, Poppyfur told me about the uh..." Her voice caught. "Prophecy."

"I see..." Flowerstar looked past Dawnfire, into the camp before returning her green eyes to Dawnfire. "She told me she was going to tell you. I didn't realize that she already did." Flowerstar sat down, resting her tail across her paws. "What do you think of it?"

"Well..." Dawnfire's tail twitched. "I'm not quite sure." Even the dream with Feathernose didn't really make her feel any more confident about it. "But, that's not the main reason why I'm here."

Interest and confusion bubbled in Flowerstar's green eyes. "Oh? Well please tell me why you came."

"It's about Thornpelt..." Dawnfire felt very self-conscious suddenly.

Flowerstar seemed to tense. "What about him?" She questioned, the leader seemed like she was on guard now.

"I have reason to believe that he is responsible for not only the SunClan apprentices being attacked a while ago...but also the death of my parents."

"Those are quite some accusations, Dawnfire." Her voice was cold, Dawnfire's entire body tensed. "Why do you think that?"

"Well...when he was talking to Echoheart...it seemed to be...rehearsed almost...and I know he really wanted to be deputy but he couldn't when my father was...so he lied about about how big the badger was and cost the life of both Blazeheart and Windflight, I was made a warrior and he was made deputy. Also, when Tigertail was driving away the fox, Thornpelt tripped him..." Dawnfire realized she just had spouted all of her suspicions out.

Flowerstar narrowed her eyes. "Dawnfire," She said, rising to her paws. The leader's body was rigid. "Losing your parents was a great tragedy, and I believe that you are simply upset about their deaths."

"N-No," Dawnfire was slightly shocked, Flowerstar didn't believe her! "Thornpelt pretty much told me himself that night..."

"You were upset, your mind played a trick on you. Thornpelt is a loyal warrior, ambitious yes, but not a murderer."

I haven't killed a single cat, Dawnpaw.Foxes, badgers and other cats have killed but not me. I have not killed a single cat. Thornpelt's words echoed in her ears.

"He nearly let me drown when I was an apprentice, he hates me. He did this to my ears." Dawnfire twitched her niced ears.

"He was a tough, mentor, but it payed off. You're a fantastic warrior." Flowerstar was completely ignoring her arguments. "I don't want to hear anymore of this."

"But, Flowerstar--"

"Silence!" Dawnfire stumbled backwards when Flowerstar hissed at her. "Thornpelt is a brave, loyal warrior! I don't want to hear another word of this, Dawnfire." Her voice was now growl. "Now leave."

Dawnfire dipped her head and turned away, tail dragging on the ground. She felt like a kit that was just scolded by her mother. As Dawnfire exited the den she noticed Thornpelt standing outside, he met Dawnfire's gaze with malice and triumph. Dawnfire felt dread in her belly like a giant stone, making her feel sick. What would happen now?