A/N: First warrior cats fic, but hopefully not the last. This is a direct sequel to "The smallest warrior" from "Code of the Clans" following Badgerpaw as he meets with Starclan. That poor apprentice. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Warrior cats or anything associated with it, those belong to Erin Hunter.

Badgerpaw could hardly feel his mentor's muzzle as it rested gently on his head. So much pain…why did that warrior bite me so?

And then it was gone, slipping away like water from a duck's back. Badgerpaw's eyes were screwed tightly shut but the agony had left now to be replaced by an exhilarating throbbing, from his paws to tail tip. Blood echoed in his ears as his senses came back to life, filling his ears and nose with exotic sounds and smells he had never experienced in his three short moons.

Badgerpaw opened his eyes to find he was still standing on the bloody battleground but beside a black-and-white broken body. His own. Flintfang stared at his unresponsive form, eyes dark with grief, before turning to yowl wordlessly to the skies.

Badgerpaw was shocked; he must be dead. In his mind he had known it was coming, the sheer agony had be so intense, but to actually join Starclan, to never again feel his mother's fur or his father's soft voice was to much. A tear dripping from one eye, he howled back, "I'm here Flintfang, I'm here! Don't leave me! Flintfang!"

Flintfang made no reply, but pressed his nose sharply into his fallen apprentice's fur. The icy rain splashed down while Badgerpaw looked helplessly at his grief-stricken mentor, unable to speak or move.

"Don't fret, little one, he will live." A soothing voice washed into the air, and Badgerpaw turned to regard the speaker, a pale brown queen, but there was no light in his eyes. She walked closer, but it was more of a glide then a walk, her paws drifting gently of the moor land grass without a trace, "You belong with us now. I am Daisytail, a former Thunderclan queen who tried to put an end to this madness. Walk with me."

Badgerpaw walked as though in a trance, his face toward the queen and up, up past the trees and clouds and birds, up to where the stars and moon watched over all, warrior or nor. He was running now, alongside Daisytail, and he realised his body felt more than fine, as thought he could outrun the fastest Windclan warrior, swim more quickly than any Riverclan, or out-wrestle any of Thunderclan. The weight on his mind was slowly beginning to ease, allowing him to glimpse his new surroundings.

He was sitting in a starlit glade bathed in moonshine, silver forest lining three sides, The fourth looked out onto an endless river; Badgerpaw could see cats fishing and playing in the shallow depths.

Everywhere he looked Starclan cats shimmered, their glowing pelts were the stars themselves. In the center was a shallow pool and beside this a rock, much like the one at Foutrees. On this rock sat a cat, a huge dark brown tom with a powerful body, accompanied by two smaller she-cats: one ginger, the other white.

Badgerpaw pressed into Daisytail's glossy fur as they walked towards the giant rock. Sweeping the clearing with his gaze, he locked onto a cats he knew, small and white, a blur whilst tussling with another two glowing apprentice-sided cats. "Blossompaw!" he exclaimed. She had perished in training not a week before his own demise so the urge to run up and press against her was still very strong. He looked to his guide.

"Leave her, nutkin." the older cat mewed, "She's here for the same reason you are. She'll meet with you soon."

"Cats of Starclan!" the big tom on the rock suddenly cat in as they reached it's base, "I wish you all to gather round and hear my call!"

Slowly but surely, lithe forms melted out of the trees and water, flowing as one to sit at the foot of the stone, leaving a small space about the feline forms in the center. Bagerpaw twisted around nervously with his paws; all eyes were on those cats.

"We hear you, Raggedstar." answered a cat near the front.

"Good." Raggedstar answered, "I have called you to gather on account of a truly unfortunate matter, one we have not seen the likes of since ancient times. A clan is now training kits to be warriors, and taking them into battle as young as two moons - we have much to decide."

"Shadowclan's leader, your son!" snarled the ginger she-cat by him, "Sagewhisker and I agree: enough. Something must be done."

The third cat turned her gentle face towards Badgerpaw, "And now Daisytail brings us another kit-warrior, barely old enough to leave his mother's belly. We must do as Littlebird tells you; end this madness now."

A worried chatter broke out among the observing cats, a few yowls were audible, calling for Brokenstar's demise and the like, but Bagerpaw had his eyes firmly fixed on the debating leaders.

Raggedstar took again to the floor: "My son he may be, but I cannot allow this. I propose we assign a warrior to watch over then until the cat the shines like fire ends his tyranny."

Littlebird cut him off, "Why do that? We can take him out now and save lives! Badgerpaw is the sixth kit to die at his bloodstained paws."

"That is not our way, Littlebird. A warrior it shall be. All in favour?" Sagewhisker used her tail to gesture to the rest of Starclan causing an angry but agreeing grumble to ripple through them. Badgerpaw felt excited they knew, and they cared! He'd always known they did.

"Which warrior will be the watcher?" one yowl called.

"Only one who has experiences this cruelty may really understand it. Badgerpaw, step foreword." Raggedstar beckoned him with a wave of his tail.

Bagerpaw felt stunned. He was to be a Starclan warrior, one of their messengers? Paws shaking as he stood, the paced up to Raggedstar, who had leaped down to meet him.

"Starclan, look upon this apprentice. He has trained hard, but was pushed to hard in a battle that should not have been fought. He chose his own name in honour of a wise mentor, Starclan praises his devotion and integrity. Badgerpaw, do you promise to uphold what is right and good, watching over all kits and apprentices of all clans?"

Liquid fire coursing though his veins, Badgerpaw replied, "I do."

"The let Silverpelt ring with your name: Badgerfang. May you rest forever in the stars." Raggedstar finished a glint in his eye.

"Badgerfang! Badgerfang!" noise poured from the crowd as they cheered, swelling the new warrior's chest until it nearly burst with pride. He'd made it, and now he was going to make sure no others had to follow him in his fate. As though she could hear his thoughts, Daisytail looked him straight in the eyes and gave him a small nod.

Thank-you, Badgerfang whispered mentally, Thank-you all: Daisytail, Raggedstar, Sagewhisker, Littlebird and Blossompaw. Flintfang and mum, I'll be waiting for you. He swallowed thickly. Brokenstar, you'd better watch out: touch any of my clanmates and - his eyes darkened - you won't be alive to regret it.

A/N: What did you think? CC and general reviews are always appreciated.

Thanks for reading!