Brinepaw rolled onto his back, his legs bent in the air and his big, fluffy forepaws flopped over his chest. He was sleeping soundly. His bed was so soft, supple green moss embroidered with white feathers. The air was crisp as it flowed into the apprentices' den, but Brinepaw was snuggled so far into his bedding that he remained warm. The breeze played with his fur as it passed through the space, then drifted out again and into the open sky.

He purred as he coiled his body to one side, still lying on his back. He straightened his legs and stretched, toes spread out wide. He was dreaming peacefully. The world seemed full and dark and fuzzy.

There was a stomping sound as somebody entered the den and noisy mewing turned to panicked shouts.

Brinepaw came out of his deep sleep, roused by all the commotion. His eyes opened and slowly adjusted to the gentle morning light. It was mostly blocked out by the walls of the den, but even the muted brown light that filtered through the entrance was too harsh for Brinepaw's sleepy vision. The snoozing bodies of the other apprentices were now beginning to stir, some of them jumping up completely. Brinepaw lifted his chin to see an unfamiliar she-cat moving swiftly through the den, hostility concentrated in her sharp blue eyes.

Bluepaw popped up from where he'd been sleeping, fur standing on all ends. He squeaked in surprise as the situation registered, "Attack! We're under attack!"

Finally, Brinepaw was awake enough to comprehend what he was seeing. He lurched to his feet as the she-cat approached. Behind her was white and beige tom with gray-blue eyes. Brinepaw recognized him as Coralstep, a well-respected WaveClan warrior.

The enemy cats continued towards him in what seemed like slow-motion, their muscular frames rippling with every step. Brinepaw gawked as Burnetpaw rose up from behind them and prepared to strike.

"Whitefin, behind you!" warned Coralstep, and the she-cat whipped around to clobber Burnetpaw with a large, snowy paw.

"No!" Brinepaw yelped, bounding forward to help his friend.

But Whitefin turned to block his path. She wore a malicious grin.

Nearby, Bunnypaw unsheathed her claws and prepared to fight. She glanced over at Brinepaw, "Brinepaw! You need to get out of here! Don't worry, we'll handle them."

Just as Brinepaw was about to reply, Coralstep tackled Bunnypaw to the ground. Milkpaw scrambled out of her nest, hissing. She pounced onto Coralstep's back and grabbed his shoulder with her teeth. The WaveClan tom cried out in pain.

Brinepaw pushed past Whitefin and attempted to escape, but two more warriors had barged into the den. Bluepaw threw himself into battle, knocking an amber-furred tom into the rock. Meanwhile, Burnetpaw took the other cat, a brown tabby tom with inky brown eyes.

"Go!" Burnetpaw urged, huffing as he kicked his opponent with his back leg.

Brinepaw froze with his legs splayed apart. In his moment of hesitation, Whitefin managed to catch up with him and throw a claw-laced blow across his rear paws. Brinepaw crumbled against the floor of the den and felt hot blood run into the creases between his toes. He flipped himself onto his back, only to see Whitefin looming ominously above.

She bent down, jaws gaping and then closing painfully around his neck. Brinepaw felt her teeth press against his jugular. She punctured his skin, and the blood began to spill.

He knew it was over if he didn't act fast. There was no water in sight, but he could feel it floating in the air. It was thin, invisible moisture, smooth to the touch.

Now, if he could only harvest it.

Brinepaw closed his eyes. The sharpness of Whitefin's bite was so agonizing it sent red flashes across his darkened vision. He tried to focus on the vapor that was swirling all around him. Wispy tendrils of condensation, just waiting to be pulled into water.

He brought the thin blanket of moisture together into one lump of wetness. It thickened and thickened until he could hear it splashing above his head. His eyes opened, but he was blinded by pain. Everything looked shadowy and unreal. Whitefin's face was a vague shape pressed to his, her mouth still closed around his neck. The mass of water he'd created was certainly there, but in his weakened state it appeared like a gray ball of darkness.

Whitefin's grasp on him loosened briefly as she glanced upwards at the foaming, rushing water. Brinepaw could see clearer now. The she-cat's white expression was incredulous.

He took the opportunity to shoot the water at her face. She let out a scream as the rapidly moving liquid sliced across her eyes. Blood splattered onto Brinepaw's face. He squealed in shock and disgust as he writhed away from the WaveClan warrior's reach. Whitefin floundered towards him as the pungent smell of blood clogged the air.

"You fox-hearted apprentice!" Whitefin roared, "You've blinded me!"

Brinepaw opened his mouth slightly, aghast. Where Whitefin's eyes had been, there were now two black hollows that spurted with blood. The blood dripped down Whitefin's cheeks and off her chin. Saliva dribbled from her drawn back lips. Her beautiful, white mottled fur was stained a mixture of crimson and coal black. The hollows of her eyes were empty and awful. They bore into Brinepaw as if her eyes were still there, but this time they were nothing but a soulless void.

Brinepaw retched up a chunky stream of vomit. He recovered and heaved again, but this time nothing came out.

Whitefin staggered towards him, moaning in pain. Around them the fighting continued. Brinepaw ducked as Whitefin threw a badly aimed blow at his head. He felt her paw whoosh between his ears, and she grunted in frustration. Brinepaw straightened back up, pulling more water from the air as she recovered and attacked again. She snapped at him and threw another blow with one huge paw. Brinepaw backed into the wall of the den and allowed the water to swallow his feet. Taking a deep breath, he lunged for his blind opponent and struck her in the belly, then brought the water upwards to slash her neck.

But before he delivered the killing blow, he paused to see Whitefin shaking with fear. The blood still squirted from where her eyes had been, and her features were contorted and gruesome. Brinepaw sighed, letting the water fall away from her neck. He couldn't kill her. If he did, he would never forgive himself.

          The rage on her face had disappeared. Whitefin sat back, slumped over her paws like a dead fish. Misery radiated off her pelt. For a long moment she was quiet. Then she began to make soft, muffled noises. At first, Brinepaw thought she might be laughing. But then he saw the mucous slopping out of her nostrils and the understated shudders of her body. She was crying.

          "My eyes!" she sobbed, bending her head into the leaf-littered floor. Blood oozed from her wounds and soaked the ground. "My poor eyes! I'm never... I'm... I can't see..."

          Pity struck Brinepaw like a bolt of lightning. He crept forward. Had he done the right thing? Surely she would have killed him otherwise. But seeing her suffering now, Brinepaw wondered if that would have been for the best.

          "I'm sorry," Brinepaw whispered, but Whitefin gave no acknowledgment that she had heard him. Instead, she sunk entirely into the soil and became very still. Her whimpers faded. She was still breathing, but an eerie calm seemed to have taken hold of her body. 

          Brinepaw could hear a battle raging outside the den. WaveClan must have brought nearly their entire clan, he thought grimly. His attention snapped back to the area around him. The other apprentices were still in the midst of battle. They bore some scrapes and scratches, but for the most part, they appeared to be winning.

          Good. Maybe that means I can get out of here.

          An unusual instinct for self-preservation had sparked within him. Brinepaw took one last look at the violent scene before he whirled around and exited the den.

          His eyes burned as he was momentarily blinded by the sunlight. Then, slowly, the harshness of the light dissipated and the image before him came into view. There were cats of both clans scattered everywhere. The entire camp stank of blood. Chilling shrieks filled the air. Brinepaw searched desperately for Covestorm. He needed to know that his mentor was safe.

          When he couldn't find him, panic set in. He raced right into the middle of the chaos, glancing about frantically. He saw Sagecloud and Baycrash fighting side by side as three WaveClan warriors challenged them. Further away, Skymask wrestled with an apprentice. Brinepaw peered closer and recognized Plumpaw. The light gray tom's feathery fur was torn away in patches. Brinepaw felt a cold sorrow wash done his spine. Had it really come to this?

          They were here for him. They'd gone for the apprentices' den first, and now they were determined to keep all of the warriors out of the way. Brinepaw could tell in the way they moved that everything was very calculated. Everything had been planned. This was not a spur of the moment decision.

          Adderstar wanted him dead.

          The thought scared him. But why? he wondered, Why should I be so worried about death when death is what I wanted in the first place?

          He wasn't sure, but now wasn't the time to think about it. Brinepaw resumed scanning the camp and eventually located Heronstrike along the perimeter. He was grappling with Tigershade, a WaveClan warrior highly esteemed for her fighting skill. Brinepaw bounded over, muscles tensing as he prepared to go into battle. 

          Tigershade had Heronstrike pinned to the ground. He wriggled around underneath her grip, but to no avail. Squeezing his eyes shut, Brinepaw rammed his head into the she-cat's side. She choked in surprise and tumbled over. Heronstrike jumped up. "Thanks," he mewed when he saw Brinepaw. He was panting and appeared somewhat flustered.

          Tigershade popped up. Her fur was dusty and her yellow eyes were wide. "You!" she snarled, raising a black forepaw, "You're Brinepaw!"

          Brinepaw narrowed his eyes until they were sharp bronze slices. "That's right," he confirmed, spreading his stance and lashing his tail.

          Tigershade pounced at him, reaching out with her paw and attempting to grab hold of his leg. Fortunately, Heronstrike read her movement perfectly and managed to block the effort with his body. Brinepaw pulled the moisture from the air into a tangible stream of water. Heronstrike stepped aside, allowing Brinepaw to pummel Tigershade's front. The she-cat yipped as she was shoved backwards.

          Heronstrike resumed his position in the fight and prepared to take her on again. He waved Brinepaw away with his tail. "Leave," he ordered the apprentice, "It's not safe for you here."

          "Where's Covestorm?"

          "Last I saw, he was fighting Adderstar by the Red Cliff," Heronstrike glanced back for a quick second, a glint of wisdom in his eye, "Go to him if you must. But after that, go far away. As long as you are here, this conflict will see no end."

          Brinepaw nodded. Tigershade let out a low growl as she recovered her full strength and sped towards him. Heronstrike unsheathed his claws and stood in her way.

          Scampering away, Brinepaw felt his heart almost leap out of his chest. He headed for the Red Cliff and prepared for the worst.

          He passed dozens of tussling bodies as he went. Tufts of fur flew through the air. Mewls of fright and confusion echoed from the nursery as he hurried by. There was an uncomfortable knot wedged in the middle of Brinepaw's gut. Would he be too late?

           Finally, he could see through the mess of fighting to the Red Cliff. Sure enough, he could make out Covestorm's smoke tabby figure on top, pressed against the rock by a leaner tom. Brinepaw quickened his pace and sprinted for the sharp, jutting boulder. He reached the bottom and glanced around for an easy way up. There was none, so he sprung onto the side and latched on. Smaller pebbles clacked as they fell down the face of the cliff. Brinepaw pushed with his hind legs and scrabbled up a few tail-lengths, stopping to rest for a moment on a flatter slope. Then he started to climb again, letting out a breath of relief when at last his front paw swung over the top of the rock.

          Brinepaw pulled himself to the top, whisking his tail to summon a stream of water. Without hesitation, he sent the stream forward to pierce Adderstar's back. The leader howled in pain and Covestorm struggled out from under him. His deep orange eyes lit up at the sight of Brinepaw.

          But Covestorm's joy swiftly turned to concern. "What are you doing here?" he asked, but his question was cut short when Adderstar rolled back to his feet and let out a menacing hiss.

          "So," the WaveClan leader purred, "It's the apprentice I've heard so much about."

          Covestorm tensed, "Don't lay a paw on him," he cautioned darkly, "Brinepaw's done nothing wrong."

          "He nearly killed a WaveClan apprentice!" Adderstar shouted, flexing his claws, "As long as he lives, my clan will be unsafe."

          "That's not true," said Covestorm, "He's not dangerous. Your cats made the choice to trespass. He was only defending our territory."

          Adderstar's amber eyes flashed with anger, "You're wrong, Covestorm. He is dangerous. He's proven that already. I will not allow TideClan to rule by fear any longer. WaveClan has a right to these waters too."

          "I'm not disputing that," Covestorm replied calmly.

          "Then surely you must understand my dilemma, Covestorm," Adderstar's voice was trembling now. He watched Brinepaw through wide, honey-colored eyes, "This apprentice threatens the very balance of our lives. He has powers unlike anything we've seen before. It's unnatural for a single cat to command the entire ocean."

          Brinepaw looked on anxiously as Covestorm took a daring step towards the enemy leader.

          "And yet it's happened," said Covestorm, "There must be a reason. Perhaps his powers were sent by StarClan themselves. Did you ever consider that? You could be attempting to kill a cat chosen by StarClan."

          "Has Sandfire mentioned anything? Has there been a prophecy?"

          Covestorm gazed indignantly into Adderstar's eyes. He said nothing.

          "That's what I thought."

          The two toms faced off for a long time. The wails of battle rose up from beneath them. Brinepaw saw that Adderstar's reddish brown fur was still bristling, but he'd sheathed his claws. Covestorm stood with his legs wide apart, prepped for the first sign of an attack.

          Brinepaw took a pace forward. He stood alongside his mentor. "I'm sorry for what happened to Nightpaw," he meowed, "I never meant to hurt him. And I don't intend to hurt anybody now. Please, you have to believe me."

          His bronze eyes were shining.

          Adderstar frowned. He seemed to be deep in thought. But then he spoke with decisive anger, "You are a curse to this world, Brinepaw. Look around you." Brinepaw peeked over the edge of the cliff at the puddles of blood and the shrieking cats. A lump caught in his throat. "This is all because of you," Adderstar continued, "If only you were normal, none of this would have ever happened."

          "That's enough," growled Covestorm, dropping into a crouch, "Get out."

          Adderstar looked smug. He turned to the crowd of cats beneath them and raised his tail, "WaveClan! Come now! We return to camp!"

          The fighting began to break up as WaveClan departed. The TideClan warriors shouted victoriously as they watched them leave. Brinepaw could see the apprentices just outside of the mouth of the den. They looked confident and proud as they chased away the last of the WaveClan cats. Whitefin followed behind her clanmates, guided by Coralstep.

          Adderstar skidded down the rock face and landed neatly on the sand. He turned to look up at Brinepaw and Covestorm one last time. Although he said nothing, his amber irises twinkled sinisterly. This wasn't the end. They would be back.

          At last, the leader went to join his clan. His russet figure disappeared into the distance.

          Brinepaw realized he'd been holding his breath. He let out an exasperated sigh.

          Covestorm breathed out as well and his fur began to flatten. "It's okay," he murmured, facing his apprentice, "They're gone now."

          "I'm sorry!" Brinepaw burst out, eyes full of fear, "I didn't mean for this to happen!"

          Covestorm looked shocked, "Of course you didn't," he replied softly, "This wasn't your fault. Adderstar is overreacting. It's just as Almondstar said. He feels threatened."

          "Exactly!" cried Brinepaw, "He feels threatened because of me!"

          "Perhaps," Covestorm admitted. He nudged Brinepaw's chin, "But you can't blame yourself. Right now, all I want you to focus on is figuring out why you were granted these abilities. Nothing else matters. Let me handle WaveClan, okay? Just figure out what this all means. Can you do that for me?"

          Brinepaw shivered. He wasn't sure he could.

          But Covestorm was waiting. His orange gaze was intense.

         Finally, Brinepaw nodded.

         "Good."

          They sat on the edge of the Red Cliff. Cats were beginning to emerge from their dens and join in the center of camp. Sandfire and Fawnpaw travelled around checking wounds, bunches of strongly-scented herbs hanging in their jaws. Little kits bumbled excitedly out of the nursery, followed by Dawnwind and Fogspirit. The queens looked distraught by the state of the camp.

          Everything was messy. Red rivers of blood meandered through the cracks in the rocks. Some cats were barely moving. The warriors looked traumatized as they got steadily to their feet. Brinepaw noticed a gray body deposited sloppily against the side of the warriors' den.

          Dread hung over him like a raincloud. He skidded down the rock and landed on the camp floor. Covestorm followed.

          Together, they watched as Fawnpaw hared past them and over to the body. Her expression turned from hopeful to solemn as she inspected the fallen warrior. Blinking sorrowfully, she raised her head and let out a wail, "Rainflight is dead!"

༄ ༄ ༄

          A thick layer of clouds had covered the sky. The colors of the sunset were drowned out by a depressing blanket of gray. Over the ocean, the moon rose, but it was hidden. Brinepaw felt nighttime creeping in as he sat by the apprentices' den. He lifted his chin to the chilling breeze. There was a circle of cats gathered at the center of camp. Between them was Rainflight's lifeless body.

          Brinepaw had tried to face him. He'd tried to pay his respects. But the deputy's eyes were blank and frightening. All he could do was sit and observe as those that were closest to him said goodbye.

          He could see Bluepaw at the center of the circle. He was dipping his muzzle to touch his mentor's face. The apprentice's green eyes were vacant.

          The uncanny silence was broken as pawsteps filled the air. Brinepaw stood up as Almondstar made her way to the foot of the Red Cliff. She mounted the boulder in a few efficient leaps and appeared at the top.

          "Cats of TideClan."

          Brinepaw went to gather with his clan. Cats poked their heads out of their dens and moved carefully into the center of camp. Those around Rainflight's body turned to listen.

          Almondstar spoke very slowly, choosing her words carefully, "A terrible tragedy took place today," she said, "And we will sit vigil for Rainflight tonight. But first, as required by the warrior code, I must appoint a new deputy."

          Brinepaw couldn't help but glance over at Covestorm, who was seated by Rainflight's lifeless figure. The great tabby looked surprisingly disinterested.

          Almondstar's voice cracked as she proceeded with the ceremony, "I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of TideClan is Heronstrike."

          Quiet mews rippled over the crowd as Heronstrike stepped forth. His flank was ripped and matted with dried blood. He bowed his head to his leader, "Thank you, Almondstar. I am honored to be chosen to serve at your side."

          Brinepaw looked at Covestorm again, but his face was difficult to read.

          The meeting came to a close. Cats wandered over to Heronstrike and congratulated him. The large warrior smiled gratefully.

          Brinepaw felt like he was in the middle of a misty, flowing dream. He stood still as cats bumped him and pushed him aside. Nobody seemed to know where to go. There was a subdued hysteria floating around the clearing. Everything was dim and faint and blurry. The world had entered a state of sleep.

          Brinepaw shouldered his way back to his den. He went inside.

          The moon stayed behind the clouds all night.