I stood frozen in place.

"Now!" he yowled, and strode into his den.

I jump and scramble forward. As I reach the medicine den, I slow to a crouch and flatten my ears, tail tucked close.

First day and I'm already in trouble. I think morosely.

Darkness floods over me from the inside of the tree hollow, blocking out the bright sun. It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, and I look around the den.

Shelves made of imperfections in the wood line the walls, housing herbs too many count. A strong smell of medicine wafts through the slighty stuff air. It fills me with awe; a place of healing.

"Sootpaw."

I flinch and spin around, fur pricked, instinctivly tensing my muscles. Immediatly I relax as I see the familiar shape of Hollyleaf. I'm amazed at his ability to be silent on his paws, dispite being a medicine cat.

"Done admiring the place? Good," he goes on, not waiting for my answer. "I have a concerning query for you."

I nod meekly, sitting polietly across from him.

"Who are these dream cats?" he asks it so blandly, so flat-out, it takes me a second to realize what he's asking.

"O-Oh. They, well, appeared in my dreams every moon or so when I was a kittypet."

"I see." his eyes turned thoughtful. "Can you describe them for me? Every single detail."

I tilt my head, confused on why he was so interested, but answered him anyway. "One of them was a pale grey she-cat with blue eyes and the other was a dark brown tabby tom with yellow eyes. Oh- they were both kinda sparkly," I add.

Hollyshade turns his piercing eyes on me. "Sparkly, you say? Like they were possibly... made of stars?" he says slowly.

I consider this. "I suppose so."

Silence echoes throughout the tree hollow. I resist the urge to shiver.

"Sootpaw," Hollyshade's voice is low and no-nonsense. "What are these cats' names?"

"I-I don't know," I stutter. My eyes are wide and I can feel my fur prick under the medicine cat's stare.

"Find out. Tonight."

I nod, not daring to go against him. His tail flicks towards the den entrance, dismissing me. I quickly bow my head before scurrying out, heading straight for the apprentice den and my bed.

•••

That night the spirit cats came. It's like they knew I needed them. As soon as their glittering bodies formed, I rushed forward and touched noses with the she-cat and tom in turn.

"Sootpaw." the silver molly's comforting voice echoed around me. "You seem anticipant. What's wrong?"

I open my mouth to respond, stopping short. "Wait... How do you know my name changed?"

The tabby tom laughed. "We know a lot, Sootpaw. We're proud of you." He smiled. "What were you going to ask?"

I blink, forgetting why I was there for a second. "Oh, right! You know my name, but I never got yours. What are they?"

The two shared a glance. "It is time to tell him," the tom said softly.

The silver damsel stepped forward. "Dovewish and Rootstar. That is all we will share for now." She touched her nose to my forehead and I watched as they faded into a constellation of stars.

"Wait! I still have so many questions!" But they were gone, and I woke up in a cold sweat. Stripes of moonlight flicker through the den's leaf-and-bramble coverage. Nothing could be heard besides the chirping of crickets and the other apprentices' deep breathing.

I creep outside, needing some fresh air. As I gaze around the camp, I spot a black shadow sitting by the stream that ran through camp. I softly pad over to it.

"Hello, Sootpaw." Again, Hollyshade's uncanny warrior-like instincts, too good for a medicine cat, surprise me, but I shake it off.

I nod in greeting. "I met with the dream cats," I whisper, settling beside him.

Hollyshade turns his gaze on me, an expression of intrigue on his face. "You reached them. What did they say?"

I hesitate. "Dovewish and Rootstar. Their names."

The black tom freezes, eyes clouding over for a moment. He muttered the names to himself. "Thank you."

I slowly nod. "Who are they?"

His eyes bore into mine. "You'd better get some rest. Leafglow can be quite vigorous in his in his training regimes." The subject change was abrupt, and the dangerous look in Hollyshade's eyes didn't encourage me to press it.

I lower my gaze. "Goodnight, Hollyshade." I wave my tail and head back to the apprentice den, leaving the medicine cat staring into the crystal clear waters of the stream.