Flamefoot dashed as fast as he could into the trees, not stopping to look and see if the twoleg was following him or the other cats. Adrenaline coursed through his body, making everything else fade away but the need to escape and find shelter.

As his feet carried him farther into the woods, he started to take in a bit more of his surroundings. The trees he saw seems to consist mostly of oak, with a few others mixed in. There were a few scattered bushes, but mostly the ground was filled with ferns, grasses, and other small plants. Ivy snaked up a nearby tree as Flamefoot flashed past, and it struck him that this area would be ideal for climbing.

His mind was distracted, however, as a familiar grey pelt swept past him. He had subconsciously been slowing down, but Spottedstorm had no intention of doing so. He tried to speed up again, his dark-orange paws becoming a whirl beneath him as he went deeper and deeper into the forest.

Flamefoot's ears were pointed behind him, keeping watch for any sign of the twoleg. It's yowls had been growing more and more faint as it realized it couldn't keep up with the cats. Eventually they faded out altogether, and Flamefoot finally slowed to a halt.

Almost all of the other cats had stopped running before, as Flamefoot had longer legs and more endurance than most. Panting, he looked back at them, seeing a wide variety of pelts scattered throughout the greenery.

One of the cats padded toward him, and Flamefoot gazed at him warily. This was a stranger, someone he had never seen before. The cat was all black with a white chest, muzzle, and tail-tip, and a single ginger paw. There was a casual look to him, as if this newcomer wasn't ruffled by the fact that they all just barely got away.

"Hello there!" He said, flicking his war in a friendly gesture.

"Er, hello." Flamefoot responded, not quite sure how to address this new cat yet.

As if sensing his uncomfortableness, the cat went on in an attempt to start a conversation.
"I see you're the one who figured out how to open those den-things. And before you ask, that golden tabby over there told me." He said, forestalling Flamefoot's question and motioning towards Leaftail.

"I'm Swiftheart, by the way." He added, and Flamefoot finally realized why his voice sounded familiar, despite him never meeting the cat before in his life. This was the mysterious voice who had rallied the cats to escape back in the huge twoleg monster.

Flamefoot nodded, recognizing the importance of what Swiftheart had done. "It's a pleasure to meet you. You're the one who had spoken before, right? Thank you for doing that. If you hadn't come up with a plan, we wouldn't be free right now."

Slightly embarrassed, Swiftheart dipped his head. "Well, I only wanted to help. Though now that it seems we've escaped, there's a new difficulty. How are we supposed to get back to the clans?"

At the word "clans", everything came rushing back to Flamefoot. The gathering, the prophecy, the tree. Darkwind. He almost stumbled with the weight of the memory of Darkwind's death, and how he had left Rocktail behind. His friend's terrified face still shown clear in his mind, as if the entire thing had only happened a moment a go.

Swiftheart seemed to notice his unease, and he looked worried. "Flamefoot? Are you alright? Is something wrong?"

Flamefoot gritted his teeth. "Nothing, I'm just remembering what... waqhat happened at the gathering."

Swiftheart nodded. "The medicine cat getting crushed by that tree? That was a terrible thing to happen."

Flamefoot just looked at him. It was more than that. He wanted so badly to know what had happened in his absence, how the rest of the Clans had reacted, and most importantly, how Rocktail was fairing.

Suddenly, the prophecy flashed across his mind. "Four will become one, and nothing will be as it was. But till the fate-bound are sealed, peace will not come. The only way is through the new era, and the new era begins with Dusk."

Without realizing it, he had muttered the prophecy aloud, and a spark of recognition lot in Swiftheart's eyes. "That was the prophecy that he had said before... everything happened, right? It seems like you've memorized it already, but I thought the rest of ShadowClan didn't know about it before the gathering, judging by their reaction."

He had faltered slightly when mentioning Darkwind, but kept a strong note in his voice. Swiftheart, Flamefoot realized, was not a cat to underestimate. He had a very watchful eye, and noticed things that others might not pick up on.

He nodded, thinking carefully of how much he should say. Finally, Flamefoo decided that Swiftheart could do no serious harm with the knowledge of what happened.

"It seems not much escapes you. I did know about the prophecy before. That's because I had a dream about it, shortly after Darkwind did."

Swiftheart looked a bit shocked, and was about to say something when Spottedstorm appeared behind him and cut in.

"Flamefoot, I'd like a word with you."

Swiftheart merely nodded and moved away, leaving no way for Flamefoot to escape. He wasn't sure what it was about Spottedstorm that made him uncomfortable, but she certainly had an intimidating presence.

Her tail was flicking back and forth in an annoyed manner, and Flamefoot braced himself.

"I've been thinking about this since the gathering. So, that whole prophecy thing you didn't tell me about back in camp. That was the prophecy Darkwind told us? Why in StarClan's name did you keep that to yourself?" She demanded.

Flamefoot sighed in response. "It's not like I was trying to keep it a secret on purpose, I just didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble... But I guess it's too late for that now."

Spottedstorm snorted. "You think? Anyways, I heard what you said to that WindClan cat. Why would you, out of everyone else, have that dream?"

She just won't stop with this, he thought wearily. The excitement of the entire ordeal was starting to wear off, and he could feel pain coming from his shoulder, where he had been smashed against the tree. Tiredness clung to his pelt like a tick, and he longed to just stop talking and find a place to settle down and sleep.

Spottedstorm, however, was in no such mood. "Well? Get on with it!" She spat, clearly getting irritated.

"Alright, alright. You wouldn't know this, since you were probably a kit as well at the time. But before I was Flamefoot, or even Flamekit, I was known by the name Dusk. You see, my real mother, Blaze, was a loner, and she wanted a better life for me. So she snuck into ShadowClan territory and came across Darkwind, who said he would take me into the clan. Dappledflower had just had a new litter, so he asked her to raise me too, and from then on I was Flamekit."

Spottedstorm stood there, speechless, as Flamefoot recounted everything that Darkwind had told him over the seasons. Once he was finished, he waited for her to say something, but she never did, only looked at him with an emotion he couldn't quite place.

Finally, she spoke. "I see... so the prophecy was sent to you because you are the 'Dusk' mentioned in it. But... That doesn't make sense. How can you begin a new era? what is that even supposed to mean?"

Flamefoot tilted his head, surprised that she hadn't figured it out yet. Then he realized that she had, but didn't want to admit the truth.

"Spottedstorm, I think we both know what it means. StarClan wants me, you, and all of the other cats to have a new beginning. A new clan."

{author's note- well, I'm glad I could finally get that chapter done. Hopefully I'll have better inspiration for the next one. :P As always, don't forget to comment, and vote if you liked it!}