Slipping out of camp unnoticed was harder that Featherpaw had expected. Eventually she left through the dirtplace tunnel. Racing through the territory she skidded to a halt by the fallen tree and perched by it, waiting anxiously. The river was frozen around the edges but the middle was still a rushing flow of dark water. On the opposite bank the open moors of SunClan stretched endlessly. "Waiting for someone?" Featherpaw jumped violently as Wolfpaw slipped up next to her and sat down. "Umm, no, just-just enjoying the river." She stuttered.
Wolfpaw eyed her through narrowed eyes. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night? Are you meeting someone?"
"N-no." Featherpaw's fur prickled as she hoped desperately that Wolfpaw would leave her alone. "I just wanted to stretch my legs."
"If something is wrong, I bet I can help." Wolfpaw mewed, gaze softening. Featherpaw looked away. The urge to tell Wolfpaw everything, how she missed RockClan, how she was training is secret with Ravenpaw, about the prophecy, how she wished she had been nicer to Flamestripe, was overwhelming. "I'm fine." She whispered. Wolfpaw gave her a swift, searching glance before he got back up. "Well you know you can always talk to me. I won't be mad, even if you've broken any rules."
"Thanks Wolfpaw." Featherpaw mewed as he turned back into the frosty forest. Then she resumed her waiting.
Finally, just as she was giving up, Sparkpaw appeared on the opposite bank. He looked right at her, but didn't seem to see her. Featherpaw's solf silver white fur was the same shade as the frost around her making it the perfect camouflage especially in the dark. Sparkpaw's fur however, vibrant orange, did not have the same effect. "Sparkpaw!" Featherpaw called softly. He jerked his head up, ears pricked. "Featherpaw! What am I doing here?" He snapped aggressively, bounding over the fallen tree.
"We are going to find the dew." She informed him.
"Just us?" Sparkpaw looked confused.
"Course not mouse-brain." Featherpaw flicked her tail playfully. "Ravenpaw is waiting for us by the place where the river meets the Thunderpath."
"But, thats on RockClan territory." Sparkpaw mewed, narrowing his amber eyes.
"Dewpaw is a MapleClan cat." Featherpaw pointed out. "Now follow me." Without anymore hesitation she turned and pelted along the river. Sparkpaw hared after her.
After running a decent bit, they skidded to a halt. They had arrived at the Three Stones.  Padding carefully around them, they saw the place where the Thunderpath met the river. And sure enough, Ravenpaw was sitting next to it, his tail wrapped neatly over his paws. Featherpaw darted up to him and they touched noses. Sparkpaw followed after her, looking nervous. "If my clanmates find out they will kill me." He whispered.
"Are we ready then?" Featherpaw demanded.
"Why are we sneaking in to the camp in the middle of the night?" Sparkpaw asked incredulously.
"So nobody sees!" Featherpaw mewed.
"I think I agree with Sparkpaw. How about we meet her tomorrow morning and try and catch her on dawn patrol?" Ravenpaw suggested.
"Fine." Featherpaw agreed sullenly. It would be cool to sneak around in the night though. She thought. "Meet you guys here then."
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The sun streamed into the apprentice den. Ashpaw was the only one still in it, all the other apprentices had gone out. Featherpaw left the den and went to the medicine cat den as ordered. "You seem fine." Frostshine mewed.
"So I can go hunting?"
"Yep. Just stay away from the river." Frostshine called after her with a purr. Featherpaw walked into the sunny camp. It was not as bitterly cold as it had been lately, the sun cast a slight warmth into the camp. As Featherpaw passed Thorntail who was just entering the camp she heard the steady driping noise that could only mean one thing. The thaw was finally here after a long, hard leaf-bare. Though no cats had gotten greencough, the deadly disease that leaf-bare brought, prey had been scarce and it had been an icily cold leaf-bare. Out in the forest water was dripping from all over the place, forming pools and puddles all over the place. When she arrived in the place they had agreed to meet, she found Ravenpaw sitting with a brown tabby she cat, who looked very jumpy and extremely suspicious. "Well, I did have that dream." The cat was mewing. "But how can I trust you?"
"It's a prophecy! Don't you get it?" Ravenpaw replied, saying it very slowly as though explaining to a very stupid kit.
"Who are you?" The tabby hissed as Featherpaw approached.
"I'm Featherpaw. And I'm assuming that you are Dewpaw."
"How do you know my name?" Dewpaw spat.
"Because your the dew in the prophecy." Featherpaw mewed, trying to stay calm.
"And you are?"
"The feathers of the raven's wing." Featherpaw mewed. "The spark should be coming any moment." She added, using their "prophecy names" to seem more important.
Dewpaw wasn't impressed. "Is he late?" She scoffed.
"Not necessarily." Featherpaw mewed evenly. "Look, here he comes." She flicked her tail at the orange cat padding through the melting snow. Sparkpaw arrived, looking distinctly ruffled. "So your Dewpaw." He mewed.
"Yup." Dewpaw replied drawing herself up with a I-am-better-than-you sort of air about her.
Featherpaw stifled the urge to claw her across her pretty face. Instead she mewed, "We should all keep an eye out. To what we should do next."
"Should we meet here again?" Ravenpaw asked, looking hopefully at Featherpaw. She opened her mouth to reply but Dewpaw beat her to it. "No, we should all just try to come to the gathering in a quarter moon. I'm not going to waste my time coming here all the time. I'm going to be the best warrior ever." With that she turned tail and stalked back into her territory, tail high. As Featherpaw turned to go back, Ravenpaw stopped her with his tail. She turned, "What?"
"We'll meet before the next gathering, won't we?" Ravenpaw asked almost shyly.
"Course we will mousebrain." She purred, flicking her tail across his muzzle.
"Now with this prophecy, we have to stick together." He mewed. "I don't want to lose you."
"We have to be careful though. Wolfpaw is getting suspicious."
"Wolfpaw?" Ravenpaw asked.
"My brother." Featherpaw meowed, drawing a paw over her ear.
"Dark grey cat? Your eyes?"
"Yep."
"I've seen him on patrols." Ravenpaw mewoed, nodding. A soft breeze brushed over them. It wasn't icily cold, but had a slight warm tinge to it. Ravenpaw raised his head, breathing in the warm air. His black fur rippled in wind. "It's getting warmer. Newleaf is on its way!" Ravenpaw exclaimed. "Finally."
"This leafbare has been tough." Featherpaw agreed, sitting down next to Ravenpaw.
"Have you had greencough in your camp?" She asked.
"A couple cases. We lost an elder, but thats all."
"We only had whitecough this season." Featherpaw mewed. "No deaths. It will be nice to see warmer times with more prey though. I've started to feel like I will never be properly warm again."
Ravenpaw mumbled his agreement. "It has been unusually cold."
"See you here tomorrow night then." Featherpaw mewed after a long silence, where they both stared at the rushing river. "Not tonight, I would like some sleep."
"See you there." He mewed, getting up. When Featherpaw left, he covered her scent with a scent marker of his own. Nobody would know she had been there. Neither Featherpaw nor Ravenpaw noticed the dark shape turn and slip silently back into the forest, having seen, and heard, everything.