Hazel eyes gazed at the she-cat before them. Pouncepaw looked shocked; had he really just said he loved her? This would explain why he liked helping, and why he always seemed to be getting injured and sent back to be healed.

"I've loved you since I saw the real you. How you cared for people, how kind you were to me. I love you, Pouncepaw. And I know we can't be together, but I had to tell you how I feel." He continued, then stared at his paws sadly.

"Oh, Stonepaw… I don't know what to say." She gazed at him. She knew she loved him, but she could never admit it. So that was it; they both loved each other, but couldn't be together. StarClan had wanted her to not have a mate; it was in the warrior code, even though she never knew why. Pouncepaw didn't know being a medicine cat could hurt so much.

"So that's it… you don't love me back, do you?" Stonepaw whispered, his eyes clouding with the same grief he had shown when Frostpaw was captured.

"Stonepaw, I—"

"Don't worry, Pouncepaw. I get it. You don't love me; I'm just some stupid tom with a sister you hate." He started walking away, taking the yarrow leaves picked with him.

"N-no…! Stonepaw, I-I…" She swallowed, "I love you, too." Her voice came in a whisper. She had said it now, and she knew StarClan would punish her. StarClan had taken Yellowfang's kits when she had had kits as a medicine cat, and only let her have the evil one. Leafpool and Crowfeather never worked out, either.

"But, as you said, we can't be together." Pouncepaw continued gently, trying to let him know she couldn't love him back, even though she wanted to. Stonepaw seemed to know what she meant, and he sighed, then grabbed the leaves again.

"We should get back."

Frostpaw sighed. She had been training with Brokenclaw all day, and he was still pushing her on. She was lying on the ground currently, with him standing above her impatiently.

"Are you going to sit around like a lump until moonhigh?" He mocked, trying to get her fired up again. But the fire in her was out.

"No, I'm going to bed. We've been training all day! Please, Brokenclaw." She stared at him, and he sighed.

"All right, all right. But don't say I never helped your fighting skills." Frostpaw merely nodded and scurried off to the apprentice den, where Spottedpaw was grooming herself.

"You look happy." Frostpaw observed. Spottedpaw nodded, but didn't say why. The grey apprentice flicked her ear at her friend, but sighed and curled up. She shut her eyes, and soon sleep flooded over her.

The same dream. Frostpaw had had the same dream, again. Each time it was getting more and more obvious she needed to as Hazelthorn about it, but Brokenclaw never gave her the chance. He was always coming to get her, first thing in the morning, and not letting her go until sunset was almost there. But luckily, today would be different; Brokenclaw was on dawn patrol duty, and Hazelthorn said Frostpaw needed a rest. This gave the apprentice a chance to speak to the medicine cat.

When Frostpaw walked into the medicine cat den, Amberwave was fretting in the corner with Hazelthorn, who had a worried look on her face. Pouncepaw was there, much to Frostpaw's disappointment, but she was only watching Amberwave with a puzzled gaze.

"But… if you've been expecting kits for a moon, why didn't we notice it?" Pouncepaw questioned, looking awkwardly at the tawny she-cat.

"Because she was sick; greencough made her skinnier than normal, and she just started gaining the pounds. But now that you're better, you should be moved to the nursery with Cloudedsky. Amberwave nodded, her eyes glazed with fear.

"But Hazelthorn… the kits… what if their sick because I was?" The queen questioned, her voice shaking.

"We won't know until they are born, Amberwave. But StarClan will light your path." Hazelthorn answered, before sending her off to the nursery.

"Now, Frostpaw. What do I owe the pleasant surprise of you visiting?"

"Or unpleasant…" Pouncepaw muttered, and Hazelthorn flashed her a sharp look.

"I had a dream, and I wanted to see if you could interpret it…" Frostpaw meowed, ignoring Pouncepaw's comment. Hazelthorn nodded; a sign telling Frostpaw to urge forward.

"In the dream, another cat and I are playing in the snow, but I can't recognize the other cat. Then, a cat shaped shadow goes over the camp, and the snow turns into a blizzard, the food disappears, and I grow weaker until I wake up." The apprentice looked at Hazelthorn, "What does it mean?" But the medicine cat looked lost for words. Something seemed to be haunting her, and Frostpaw faintly heard her whisper,

"Beware of a shadow you can not see, for light is unable to defeat it, only two can save the clans, but only if they become one."

"What is that? A prophecy?" Frostpaw and Pouncepaw asked at the same time, then glared at each other.

"Yes… I received it before Pouncepaw became my apprentice… but never knew what it meant… the shadow in your dream sounds like the shadow of the prophecy. And you said it was cat shaped, which means the threat…is a cat of some sort…" Hazelthorn's eyes dimmed slowly, then she added, "Frostpaw, Pouncepaw, why don't you to leave me to think for a minute." The apprentices sighed and walked out side, glaring at the earth the entire time. Frostpaw decided to eat, while Pouncepaw talked to Stonepaw. The squirrel she had chosen was stringy, but she ate it anyway. Maybe me and Stonepaw can go hunting… we haven't in a while… She thought, and walked over to him.

Pouncepaw had been speaking, but she stopped immediately and glared as Frostpaw walked up to the two. In fact, the apprentice ignored Pouncepaw completely and asked Stonepaw to go hunting. Pouncepaw felt furious, but she let it go and forced a smile. She said goodbye to Stonepaw quietly then walked back to her den. They could talk another time.

"Dang, Stonepaw. You're so loud, you could wake up every single piece of prey from here to the lake!" Frostpaw teased, watching her brother scare away another mouse, because he stepped on a twig.

"Oh, shut up, Frostpaw. I didn't see the twig. It's not my fault." Stonepaw snapped playfully, pawing at his sister.

"Sure you didn't." The she-cat mocked, walking a few steps forward, until Stonepaw pounced on her back and pinned her to the earth.

"Still want to tease me?" He hissed challengingly.

"Of course." She kicked him off of her, then charged at him and head butted his chest. He backed up a step, then swiped at her with a sheathed paw. She lashed back the same, then stood on her hind legs to make her look bigger. Stonepaw swiped his front paw under her back paws, causing her to tumble onto her back. He was getting ready to swipe her nose, and just as he started she rolled away and pounced on him, chewing on his ear.

"Is this how ThunderClan apprentices spend their days? Play fighting in forests when they could be hunting or on patrol?" A voice laughed. Frostpaw and Stonepaw glanced up to see a WindClan warrior looking at them with gleaming eyes. A she-cat, by the looks of it, and about as old as Hazelthorn.

"Who're you?" Frostpaw asked kindly; it's not like the she-cat was on ThunderClan land; she was on the opposite side of the border.

"I'm Redfeather, WindClan medicine cat. I was looking for herbs and saw you two playing."

"We were supposed to be hunting, but we got carried away. We should be heading back to camp now. But nice to meet you!" Stonepaw said, before walking away. Frostpaw glanced at him, waved her tail at Redfeather then sprinted after her brother, who was already through the bushes. They walked a little while, sometimes trying to catch prey, but they were already halfway in camp before they caught two voles. They carried their catch back to camp, and dropped it in the fresh kill pile before Stonepaw walked off to groom himself.

Frostpaw stretched, watching in case Brokenclaw came back. Around sunhigh he was back, but he walked over to report to Ravenstar, then talk to her about something. He came back to Frostpaw in a few minutes, a smile on his face.

"Only a moon left, Frostpaw." He said, just as happy as Frostpaw was. But the apprentice could tell her mentor was tired, so she decided to get to sleep early, so she could be up early to train or hunt in the morning. She nodded to Spottedpaw, who was grooming herself in her nest again. She settled into her nest, and fell asleep fast.