Mintpaw was padding through the forest behind Rainleap, rather proud of herself. She was holding a robin and a thrush by the wings, and she'd caught them all on her own! The sun was setting and red light was flooding through the leaves and inwardly Mintpaw wondered how Rainleap would teach her anything else about hunting. Surely she wouldn't teach her to fish, she'd never seen a fish on the fresh-kill pile and she wasn't a RiverClan cat.

She gulped as she remembered how she'd overheard Buzzardtail speaking to Cloudstar about RiverClan and the shoreline. SkyClan fishing made much more sense than RiverClan wanting to own a strip of land on the wrong side of the river… then again she'd also overheard her mentor speaking to Nightfur about how RiverClan were mouse-brains.

Well, her mother told her that she'd used a bad kittypet word and Mintpaw should never repeat it, but she meant mouse-brains.

Mintpaw scooted through the bramble tunnel. Once she emerged on the other side, Rainleap gave a tap of her tail to her shoulder and smiled before padding off toward the warriors den. Mintpaw thought it was a bit early to be going to bed, but without her mentor, didn't know what to do.

She went to drop her birds on the fresh-kill pile, a bit startled at the sight of her littermates sleeping behind a skeleton. Mintpaw figured she'd do a good deed and drag it to the dirtplace for them. She needed to go there anyway.

Once Mintpaw came back, she dipped her paws and muzzle into the stream by the elder's den. She took a few laps and then an idea struck her. She let out a happy hiss and sucked in a mouthful of water, rushing to her siblings before a warrior noticed and told her off. Standing over the two, she opened her mouth and let the water fall onto them.

When Snailpaw yelped and Tansypaw shot up, knocking Mintpaw onto her back, she was finally proud of herself. She'd finally played a successful trick on Snailpaw!

Tansypaw shook her head and blew a raspberry, cuffing Mintpaw over the ear as she sat up. Snailpaw sat up, face in quiet, neutral defeat. Mintpaw swayed her tail over the grass, and gave a huge smile in Snailpaw's direction. A prank war with her know-it-all brother was all she'd ever wanted and StarClan, she hoped this would start it.

When Tansypaw forced her ears to stop drooping, she spoke.

"Fawnstep wants to talk to all of us."

Mintpaw stiffened, "I haven't messed with her supply for moons!" she exclaimed, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but what trouble did you two rope me into?"

Tansypaw shrugged and stood, leading her reluctant siblings into the den and through the tunnel. Fawnstep looked as if she'd fallen asleep sat up and hadn't moved from the post.

Tansypaw lowered her ears. "Fawnstep?"

The brown she-cat straightened, dark blue eyes shooting open. Tansypaw shrunk back and Mintpaw felt the same. They hadn't disturbed a vision, had they? Fawnstep blinked, looking around at the now-dark den before landing on the apprentices. She swept her tail along the packed earth, summoning the apprentices to sit in the dusk light under the weaving.

Mintpaw took her place in front of the she-cat, her siblings settling beside her. She was trying her best not to look nervous, but had no idea how she looked. Snailpaw looked absolutely petrified and Tansypaw looked expectant. Fawnstep stop and dragged the fern over the very entrance of her den. Mintpaw felt her heart sink. Fawnstep wouldn't- couldn't- would she?

"There will be three," she whispered, "With the power of the stars in their paws."

Mintpaw pricked her ears and glanced at her siblings. Tansypaw looked significantly more interested than Snailpaw, her blue-green eyes even brighter. Truthfully, Mintpaw was more confused than anything. Why was Fawnstep telling some hardly-apprentices instead of the leader or deputy?

Fawnstep turned around and gazed at the bark and dirt shelves behind them all.

"The night you were born," she went on, grabbing something off, "A cat came to me. She said there would be three. And she said you were the three."

She placed the object in front of them. It was a small, dark shell. One yellow flower was sticking out, alongside three ridged leaves. Mintpaw's eyes widened in realization.

"Do you three know what this is?" Fawnstep asked, her voice soft.

"It's…" Mintpaw mewed, "It's a snail shell."

Tansypaw nodded, "With a flower and some leaves coming out of it."

"It's mint and tansy," Snailpaw corrected, even quieter.

Fawnstep nodded. "Hazelwing brings me shells all the time," she explained, "The day after you were born, she brought me this one. After Fernpelt and Buzzardtail named you and I received the prophecy, a tansy flower and a mint sprig grew inside of it."

Mintpaw pushed her ears back down and shifted her paws, curling her plumey tail around them. She couldn't hardly bear to look at the omen, not understanding why she off all cats was in possession of this otherworldly power. Her mother was the daughter of two rogues and Buzzardtail was an abandoned loner kit. Why should I have this instead of a clan-blooded cat?

She glanced quickly around, even Snailpaw looked interested now. She felt the fur on her hackles rise and she sunk her claws into the dirt.

"Why us?"