It was a cold, rainy day. Phoenixpaw, half a moon after her apprentice ceremony, trudged into camp, her fur lying flatter than her spirit.
Rainpaw was over by the medicine cat den, purring as usual. Phoenixpaw tried not to hiss her way. Rainpaw, however, noticed her bleak look immediately.
"Woah, Phoenixpaw! What's wrong?" Rainpaw hopped over, staring at Phoenixpaw.
"The bedding is wet! I couldn't find a dry speck of bedding the WHOLE DAY! Worst of all, I had to get it with CLAWPELT! ARGH!" Phoenixpaw exclaimed, stomping her foot into a puddle.
Rainpaw looked undeterred, a huge smile across her face as the muddy water splashed against her fur.
"How can you be so happy today?!" hissed Phoenixpaw.
"The kits! I got to help with the kitting!"
"Sounds disgusting." complained Phoenixpaw, sticking out her tongue.
"Aw, you killjoy. New life is a beautiful thing! I got to name one of the kits!" Rainpaw squealed with delight.
"Amazing. Why don't I just go see 'em myself?" Phoenixpaw said sarcastically.
"Sounds great, let's go!" Rainpaw smacked Phoenixpaw with her tail, causing her to tumble forwards into the nursery.
Phoenixpaw grumbled in disgust but slowly padded forwards to the sound of tiny, mewing kittens.
"Aren't they beautiful?" purred Longclaw. Silverkit and Windkit watched the three new additions squirm around next to Longclaw, trying to keep warm.
Silentpelt strode past Phoenixpaw, gently bumping her out of the way.
"What did you name them, my love?" he purred, his voice like honey.
"This one will be Cloudkit." she wrapped her tail around a tiny white tom. "This one will be Sunkit," she said, gesturing to a small gold tabby, "and this one will be... Scarletkit." she finished, looking straight at Phoenixpaw as she said it. Scarletkit was different from the others- although they were gold and white, the colors of their parents, Scarletkit was a bright cherry red.
Rainpaw sat next to her, glowing. "New life..." she said with a smile.
Phoenixpaw fidgeted uncomfortably. "I'm going to... go get some leaves." she meowed, slowly pacing out of the nursery. She was almost out when an apprentice noticed her. "Hey, you're not supposed to be out on your own!" yowled Growlpaw, racing after her.
"Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" The fur on Phoenixpaw's back stood up.
Petaldust, noticing the clamber, walked over to the two of them. "Phoenixpaw, where were you going?"
"I just wanted to see Fire's grave." Phoenixpaw mumbled.
Wind whirled through the camp, obscuring the friendly mewing of the other cats. For a moment, it was silent, until Petaldust said finally, "We... can go."
Wet foliage crinkled beneath their feet as they walked on together. Turning around the corner of a huge oak, Phoenixpaw stood beside the tiny wet mound of dirt.
A few lily petals blew across the wet grave, and the earth began to shake.
Branches rustled, dirt jumped up and down, and the two cats clung on to the ground for dear life.
Through the awful, pounding noise, an ancient voice spoke from the fox's grave, deep and powerful-
Icy winter pierces hearts,
powerful as frozen darts,
Two young cats shall brave the storm,
born to keep their clanmates warm.
Fire and water against the snow,
when the world turns ten below,
end the winter, end the fight,
shatter the moon to make things right.
The ground ceased to rumble and the branches became still as they had before. Petaldust slowly got to her paws, breathing heavily.
Petaldust smiled, a devious grin. "It's so simple. I get it now..."
The two cats walked home in almost utter silence.
"What is?" Phoenixpaw asked finally.
"Fire and water means you and Riverpaw." Petaldust exclaimed, then noticed Phoenixpaw's mouth wide open in shock and utter terror.
"I know, I don't like it either. You're the one who beat up my kit." hissed Petaldust, "But there has to be a reason you were chosen."
"But... are we going to tell everyone?"
"No, prophecies are supposed to be secret."
"We're not telling anyone? Not even Moonstar?"
"No, Moonstar should know, and Swallowfern as well. Maybe Rainpaw."
"Know what?" Moonstar leaped down from a branch, staring at Petaldust, who looked unsurprised, and Phoenixpaw, whose fur was sticking up in panic like a wooly caterpillar.
"Moonstar!" Petaldust announced, "We were at Fire's grave when StarClan made the earth shudder and gave us a prophecy."
"What? A prophecy? We haven't had one since... before I was even IN DragonClan."
Petaldust nodded, "I know! Isn't it great?"
"Well, go ahead, tell me the prophecy."
No, thought Phoenixpaw, don't tell her!
"Icy winter pierces hearts,
powerful as frozen darts,
Two young cats shall brave the storm,
born to keep their clanmates warm.
Fire and water against the snow,
when the world turns ten below,
end the winter, end the fight,
shatter the moon to make things right." repeated Petaldust.
"That's a long one right there. Hmmmm..."
"Well, if it helps, fire and water might be..."
"Phoenixpaw and Riverpaw." Moonstar noted, "This could be a problem. Well, they must learn to get along. The best way to do that is to have you train them both."
Petaldust shuddered. "Moonstar, I-"
"No buts. I entrust you, of all cats, can handle it."
"Yes, Moonstar." she dipped her head.
Phoenixpaw, looking at them both in confusion, mewed, "I have to train with him?!"
"It's for the good of the clan. You must be ready for the prophecy when the time comes. After all, it has been a moon. You have to get back to training."
Phoenixpaw, with nothing else to say, looked down at her feet in anger. She wished with all her heart she could be back at the nursery, a young kit squealing besides her littermates, her biggest problem being when she would get more food.
Grabbing a leaf on her claw, swiftly as she would catch a fish, she headed back to camp, the two older cats watching her like hawks watching a juicy piece of prey. She hated them both for it, but she had to be strong, to show them she wasn't useless.
After all, she wasn't a kit anymore.
