"Come on, Duskpaw!" Leaftail hissed. Duskpaw let out a hiss of frustration as she scrambled over a ledge. Pebbles slipped away as the tiny she-cat's feet kicked up. Leaftail stared at her apprentice for a few heartbeats, then took off down the sloped ledge.

Duskpaw kicked off, skidding down the smooth stone and finally stopping beside a small tunnel. "Here we are," she breathed. Leaftail nodded. Without warning, she plunged into the tunnel. Duskpaw slid in after her.

Leaftail's whiskers brushed the stone walls as she padded carefully through the tiny cavern. Her tail flipped and fluttered behind her. She stopped. "Hey, Duskpaw!" She called, her voice echoing through the tunnel.

Duskpaw felt relieved as she heard her mentor's echoing voice. "Here!" She responded, her nose being tickled as she brushed against Leaftail's tail. She trotted behind her mentor. Finally, they burst through a small, thin wall of bracken which had been placed by cats countless moons before, and they were suddenly in a large cave with a glittering crystal in the center.

Two groups of cats were already there. CloverClan and OakClan, Duskpaw thought. Three pairs of glowing eyes stared at her and Leaftail. "Greetings, Leaftail, Duskpaw." It was a scruffy old tom who spoke. That's OakClan's medic, Cinderfoot, Duskpaw thought to herself. Duskpaw dipped her head respectfully. "Hi, Duskpaw!" A young tom purred. Duskpaw purred happily. Cinderfoot's apprentice, Lionpaw! Lionpaw curled his tail around hers. Leaftail lashed her tail. She disapproved of Lionpaw and Duskpaw together. "Leaftail, finally!" A young-sounding she-cat purred. "Hello, Marshfur." Leaftail dipped her head.

Finally, the crystal was set, shining under silver moonlight. It lit the cave, nearly blinding the cats. They all settled around the stone. Duskpaw pressed her nose to it. The world went dark.

Duskpaw popped open her eyes. She was in the middle of a sunlit glade, grass, flowers, and hills stretching for miles and miles.