NOTE: I am keeping this story up for posterity's sake, but please be aware that it does not live up to my current standards, and if I were to write it again, I would do things differently. My handling of mentally ill characters in this story was not handled well, as well as conversations regarding abusive relationships and implied child grooming (which frankly doesn't even seem like something the character in question would do, now that I've spent some time reflecting on their character).

If you are still okay reading this story knowing above, please go ahead and enjoy. But please keep in mind that any mistakes or problematic topics you come across while you're reading, I already know about and am taking steps to avoid these mistakes in future works.

Thanks!

The bitter leaf-bare wind whipped against Ambereye's face. As the wind cut through his thin golden-brown fur, he pinned his ears back and squinted, barely able to make out the furry shape of his apprentice in front of him. The wind split his fur into clumps, showing the black roots normally hidden by his gray-tipped fur.

"I can make out the others just ahead."

Ambereye almost missed Ravenstorm's mew over the wind. The younger cat jumped over a deep patch of snow, darting towards the others. Ambereye followed at a slower pace, cursing his aching joints; his legs weren't as spry as they used to be. He remembered his warm nest back in the ShadowClan camp, and for a moment he wondered whether he had made the right choice by coming tonight. Grumbling to himself, he pushed the thought aside; he may be old, but he wasn't senile yet!

He approached a pawful of cats huddled together under a bramble thicket against the wind. A neat calico and white cat lifted her head as Ravenstorm neared, her eyes brightening when she saw who it was. "Ravenstorm, there you are! We were afraid you might not make it!"

The other cats called out similar greetings, though none of them, Ambereye noted, moved to make space in their pile for him. Typical of them, to disregard their most senior medicine cat. Young cats these days have no sense of respect.

Ravenstorm puffed his chest out, his large orange eyes glittering with pride. "A little wind never stops ShadowClan. We're made of tougher stuff than that." He glanced over the bedraggled group of cats, huddling against each other like their lives depended on it. "You all, however, I'm not so sure."

"Don't be crass." Ambereye flicked Ravenstorm's ear with his tail. A purr rumbled in his throat, betraying his affection for the younger cat.

"I'm surprised you came tonight, Ambereye." Spottedflower's eyes grew dark with concern as her gaze flicked over his bony flanks. "Now that Ravenstorm has his full medicine cat name, you don't have to come every time, you know."

Ambereye snorted. "I may be gray in the whiskers, but I have moons in me yet before I join retire."

"Glad to hear it," A thickset tabby with ragged fur grumbled. "Us seniors have got to stick together, you know."

Ambereye flicked his ear at the thickset tabby amicably. "Oh, stop it, Thornstep. You're practically half my age. Start acting like it."

Thornstep purred. "We better get a move on. Rainflower can catch up to us."

Ravenstorm's tail fluffed up in surprise, like he hadn't noticed that the blue molly wasn't here until now. "Is everything alright in RiverClan?"

"I ran into her the other day while looking for herbs on the border," a wiry brown molly mewed, getting to her paws and fluffing her fur out. "She said that some of her elders have come own with colds, but it's nothing she can't handle. I'm sure she's just got stuck in a snowdrift somewhere. She'll be fine."

Purrs in amusement filled the air at the thought of the big round molly tumbling into the snow. Together they turned and padded up the hill towards the moonpool. Overhead, the half moon poked out from behind the clouds, shining the snow underneath their paws and lighting their way.

Ambereye's nose had iced over by the time he padded down the slope into the Moonpool. "Brr!"

"I can't wait to get back to camp," mewed a cream-furred cat, shaking out her dark tufted ears and fluffing up her tail.

Beside her, a ginger tom nodded. "The valley protects SkyClan from all of this wind!"

"We should wait for Rainflower," urged Ambereye. There's no point in reminiscing over leaving before they could even start.

"No need!" a voice called.

The medicine cats looked towards the entrance of the moon pool, where a large blue molly clambered over the edge and padded down towards the water. "Sorry for being late. Branchpaw got a thorn stuck in her paw right as I was leaving camp."

Ambereye twitched his ear as he saw Spottedflower lean over and whisper into his apprentice's ear. "Her sides are coated in snow-how much do you want to bet she got stuck in a snow drift after all?"

"Don't be rude!" Ravenstorm purred and nudged Spottedflower's ginger-patched fur. "But I'd bet a pawful of mice." His gaze flicked towards Ambereye and, noticing the older cat was watching him, blinked innocently. Ambereye rolled his eyes.

The cats took their places around the Moonpool, and together they touched their noses to the water. Its icy chill shocked Ambereye, but when he opened up his eyes he wasn't in the cold leaf-bare of the Moonpool but in a warm, sunlit meadow. Butterflies floated lazily through the air from flower to flower, and as he watched, the sun's rays melted the snow off of his pelt. All around him, the other medicine cats blinked at the bright light. Ambereye curled his tail in pleasure; all of his aches and pains had disappeared, washed away by the sun's soothing warmth. He felt as if he could run and hunt for hours without stopping.

"Are we all here?" asked Spottedflower, tail tip twitching as she gazed around the group.

"I think so." Ambereye's usually rough mew was softened by the calming light.

"Look!"

Something moved in their peaceful, sunny meadow, causing the flowers to dip and bob as something-or someone-approached. A graceful, long-legged brown cat stepped into view, her green eyes twinkling as she surveyed the cats. "Greetings."

"Doespring!" exclaimed Ambereye. "It's good to see you. StarClan suits you."

"Always a pleasure to see my old apprentice," the brown molly dipped her head in his direction, her tail twitching in amusement.

The flowers rustled, and out stepped another cat, this one a cat tom with a scar running from the top of his head, over one eye, and down his throat. His pelt glistened with starlight.

"Cloudeye," murmured one of the SkyClan cats.

Another cat stepped out, and another. Gathered altogether, five StarClan medicine cats stood before them, one from each Clan.

"Do you have a message for us?" Thornstep mewed, stepping forward towards his old mentor, a red molly with large white paws.

The previous RiverClan medicine cat, a sleek silver tabby, blinked sadly. "Yes."

Thornstep rumbled his disapproval. "We've had nothing but peace all season. Leaf-Bare has kept everything quiet for once. Every Clan is too focused on keeping warm to start fights."

The other cats murmured among themselves. Ambereye didn't say anything, but privately he agreed with Thornstep. There hadn't been any signs of pointless squabbling for moons. No cat wanted to do anything but finish their patrols as quickly as possible and then curl up in their nest and pray to StarClan that the weather will warm up by morning.

"We bring a warning," Doespring mewed.

"A reminder," added Cloudeye.

All of the StarClan spoke at once: "Welcome the stranger, or the a storm will rise that is so powerful that no tom or mollie can stand against it. "

Ambereye stiffened. Their words hung like fog in the clearing, interrupted only by the distant chatter of birdsong. At his side, Spottedflower muttered under her breath, repeating the StarClan cat's words as she memorized it.

"'Welcome the stranger'?" Thornstep mewed in surprise. "But we're Clan cats. We don't welcome strangers. That's what being a Clan cat means."

"Perhaps difficult times call for difficult measures," suggested Rainflower.

The medicine cats looked at the StarClan cats expectantly, but they had already started to fade, and Ambereye could see through to the multi-colored flowers on their other side. Then those, too, disappeared, and he found himself back in the cave, frost nipping at his ear tips. The words of the prophecy rang in his head, and his blood ran colder than the ice around him. He glanced at the other cats, gauging their reactions.

Around him, the others yawned, stretching their stiff joints from the cold. Ambereye grunted as all of his pains rushed back into his body. He heard his bones pop and crack as he stretched, willing warmth back into his numb paws and tail.

"Welcome the stranger," Ravenstorm murmured.

"I don't like the sound of that," grunted Thornstep.

"Well, I don't like what comes after it!" exclaimed Rainflower. "A storm that no tom or molly can stand against? That doesn't sound good at all!"

Ambereye forced his fur to lie flat. These were normal reactions to receiving an ominous warning from StarClan. None of the cats here looked suspiciously uneasy or haunted. He was the only one that knew, then.

"What should we do?" fretted Spottedflower, her white-tipped tail lashing back and forth.

"We tell the others, first off." Ambereye pushed his dread down. Deciphering prophecies was hard, but making plans was easy. "It was a shared prophecy, which means every Clan shares its burden. And then, we do as StarClan said. We welcome the stranger."