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Something was calling. It was like a wail through fog, muffled, but surely something was there. A scream echoed around what seemed like an enclosed space, the sound bone-chilling. It was horrible and drawn-out, ending in a raspy sob.

Bearpaw scrambled to his paws, panting and glancing around nervously. Moss scattered around but none of the other apprentices were awake. It was almost completely dark. Dawn had not arrived yet. The ginger form of Pumpkinpaw was curled in his nest, while Sablepaw was stretched out, with her muzzle almost touching her back thighs.

Flinching, Bearpaw blearily blinked his dark brown eyes as she stirred. His paws seemed to be pulled by an invisible force, making him stumble towards the entrance.

There was a guard situated by the camp entrance. Ever since the FallowClan assassin had tried to take down Battlewish, Valleystar had posted one warrior each night.

"We are going to venture outside the valley, with Acornrustle leading a small patrol to the twolegplace and loner area. We need to get more cats now that FallowClan is here. They seem to have been depleted like us, but I'm sure they'll get rogues and loners." The large light brown tabby glanced over at his brother.

Battlewish, sitting with his luxurious tail flowing near his paws, nodded briskly. "It seems like a good course of action. I could come with you. . . ."

A small sigh escaped Valleystar's lips. "No, no. You have no reason to go. You're safer here. Bristleburn will go and you will train her apprentice for a few days. They will be back within the moon. Even one new cat is better than none."

Bristleburn jerked her head towards Snailpaw, who gulped when Battlewish fixed his eyes on the small apprentice. "You be good," Bristleburn murmured softly to Snailpaw, "you know what to do. I've told Battlewish what to cover. Just don't let go too much," she added in a dark undertone, only loud enough for Bearpaw to catch accidentally.

Bearpaw tried to make like he didn't notice, but a sneaking suspicion edged it's way to his conscience. Did Bristleburn not trust the gruff-looking medicine cat? He shoved the thought back. She must have just been trying to be extra careful.

Acornrustle glared in Bearpaw's direction. "I wonder if those are even my kits," he muttered furiously. Sablepaw glared back coldly at her father. He flicked his ears as Cranewing and a ginger tabby tomcat with bright blue eyes stepped forward. The tabby, Aquamarinestorm, scoffed.

"How daft can you be, Acornrustle?"

The bengal tomcat opened his jaws quickly to reply immediately but shut them when Valleystar shot him a sharp, pointed look. "Let's go," the deputy snapped, stalking out of camp.

Bearpaw hardly slept that night. . . .

Shaking himself out of his distracting thoughts, Bearpaw squinted at the warrior guarding the entrance. It was a grey tomcat with black stripes and markings like those of a raccoon. Raccoonscramble. Glancing around, Bearpaw realized he could slip through the brambles and trees surrounding the camp.

Still not sure why he was going outside of camp, the tug in his paws worked it's way into his heart. He knew he had to go there. Er - where ever there was. Raccoonscramble stirred feebly as he stifled a yawn. The striped warrior bobbed his head sleepily, eyes shadowed from lack of rest.

Bearpaw was silent as he bolted across the camp, where the soft grassy patches muffled his pawsteps and there were no dried leaves to step on. Each day, one apprentice was given the job of collecting the dead leaves and putting them outside of camp. It seemed Raccoonscramble must have done the job quietly in a desperate attempt to stay awake.

Everything was quiet for the chirping of early birds. The light wasn't strengthening as he peered through the brambles and ferns lining the camp, so Bearpaw estimated he had a few hours to see where the pulling in his paws and heart took him.

Nosing a space large enough to squeeze through, Bearpaw took one sweeping look of the camp before vanishing through the thick plants. He struggled through the brambles, the thorns pricking his pelt but the ferns masking his scent. He turned and closed the home in the camp wall best he could before forcing his way through the rest of the camp border. I didn't realize the brambles were so thick.

His eyes stung as the brambles scraped against his body, but came out with nothing more than a few shallow scratches. "Where I am going . . . ?" he mewed quietly to himself, his paws leading him along a path. The path wasn't familiar. It was peaty and soon the forest thinned out. He was going left of the camp, which meant he would soon be approaching - a crashing sound cut through his mask of calm.

It was continuous, and as the ground got slippery like near the river, Bearpaw suddenly realized where he was. A magnificent gleaming waterfall thundered down, a large tree branch at the bottom, making what would have been a sheen of graceful water, splash and send little rivers flowing down the uneven bark.

Starfalls. It's even more beautiful than how everyone described it. But we aren't allowed here. . . . He brushed his tail along a flat leaf, testing the moisture. It was rather damp, and he bushed out his fur as a sudden chill nipped at his paws. He flicked his tail-tip, sending water droplets flying around.

Bearpaw padded to the side of the tree trunk where water wasn't able to reach and stretched out his nose to touch the bark.

Even though it wasn't wet, it was slimy and flaked away at his paw's insistence. There must have been a different entrance . . . nobody ever told stories about coming back dripping wet, he reasoned with himself. Now to only find it. The waterfall's beating rhythm calmed him.

He searched the steep cliffs that held the waterfall, looking at the cracks in the wall and dips in the ground, but there was no sign of an entrance. He was about to admit defeat when his eyes - able to see farther down because of his drooping head - landed on a wide crack he had not seen before.

Bearpaw pushed at the crack, knowing this was the way in. He was sure of it. The tug in his paws jolted his body again before he realized it had even vanished. The crack turned bigger and small rocks fell away from the entrance. There was a cavernous cave, with the thundering of the waterfall echoing deafeningly in the space. The waterfall cut through the cliff, landing in a large pool of water, which had tiny rivers down to another pool, which went farther down into the rock.

Bearpaw eyed the curious anomaly, but had no time to comment. The waterfall was starting to get lit up by a sudden blaze that must have been creeping slowly from beneath the horizon.

He looked around. The tug forced him no more. "Where am I supposed to meet StarClan?" he murmured to himself.

"You are exactly where you need to be," a voice chuckled. Bearpaw felt a rush of adrenaline pulse through his body and he spun around easily as a mink.

"Do not fret, kit," a dainty short-furred light brown tabby molly meowed gently, her voice and expression softening at his fearful gaze. "My name is Littlemink, and I am just a StarClan warrior. You have a very extraordinary talent of speaking with StarClan when it's impossible for us to even speak to you." Her face twisted bitterly.

"But Battlewish is a medicine cat, and he seems very - very strong," Bearpaw mewed feebly. He knew nothing was making sense but he had to say something.

Littlemink's tall ears flopped as she shook her head. "Only you. Like I remarked, StarClan has tried and failed to communicate. I fear Valleystar has made a colossal mistake. Now StarClan's at war, and many have faded into nothingness. We need a way to stop this madness. I can take you to the StarClan dimension."

Bearpaw suddenly realized that the waterfall's sound had died away though they were still in the cavern. He felt the sudden urge to race outside. "We are in the StarClan dimension!" he exclaimed, breathing in the pure water scents and fresh air. Littlemink's green and brown eyes lit up with amusement.

The chill was in StarClan as well, but that struck Bearpaw as odd. "I didn't know StarClan got affected by cold weather," he meowed, his face a puzzlement of confusion.

Littlemink's eyes fell to her paws. Her good mode vanished like mist in the morning. "It's not supposed to."

Bearpaw stared at her. "I have so many questions. Why am I the one who can speak to StarClan? I'm not a medicine cat. I'm just . . . me." He shook his head disbelieving and brought up his pace to a trot, looking around at the pale light that lit the green surroundings. Pale light - ? "Er, is the time here the same as the time back in ValleyClan. I'm not supposed to be here. And I need to get back before dawn."

"We have so much to talk about," Littlemink mewed wistfully. "But yes, Bearpaw. Now go, make haste." She swept her tail around them and suddenly everything misted over. It was an exceedingly curious sensation, like grass tickling his paws or the feathers of birds brushing against his head.

Then he was lying on the cold cavern ground. He hadn't realized he had fallen before seeing Littlemink. The odd tingling feelings faded away and alarm spread though his body. He scrabbled on the packed earth and at last managed to get to his paws.

He wasted no time in sprinting outside. He tasted the air. Morning was approaching. A touch of peach brushed the horizon and the forest was a blur as he slipped, ran, and stumbled down the path to camp. Pausing only to rub the scent of the pleasant leafy ferns on his pelt, he swiftly shoved aside the brambles, struggled with the thorns, and entered camp.

Pulling to a complete stop, he stood there, panting. Raccoonscramble was still keeping guard, and didn't seem to notice Bearpaw as he slid into his nest in the apprentices den.

Furiously trying to slow his racing heart, Bearpaw's legs ached and his whole body screamed in pain. He rolled over, hearing a grunt from Pumpkinpaw and a deep breath from Sablepaw. His pelt felt hot, but it was crucial that he stay nestled amongst the moss and ferns, feigning sleep.

Reaching out a paw to brush the twigs holding his nest together, sleep finally started to drag his attention away. He yawned, his pointed teeth gleaming in the weak dawn light, and started to feel calmer, his heart slowing and mind groggy. Everything seemed like a dream.

Which, of course most of it was. . . .

Bearpaw began to snore lightly as Littlemink's green-brown eyes pierced into his heart. He pushed the vision away. Nothing was to bother him for the moment. Nothing, nothing at all.