The naming of a Loner
I DO NOT OWN WARRIORS, ERIN HUNTER DOES! This fic contains spoilers for power of three. If you squint and turn your head.
"Hey Ravenpaw"
Ravenpaw sighed. All the forest cats had left, aside from some elders, who had all faded away into obscurity or become kittypets. "What is it, Barley?"
"Well, I was thinking. You aren't technically a forest cat any more, are you?"
Ravenpaw thought for a moment. "Not really, but…"
"But nothing, Ravenpaw. You aren't going to become a warrior. We're loners. End of comment. But really, are you going to have an apprentice name all your life?"
Ravenpaw had never really thought about it. He had kept his name, it was the only name he had ever had, aside from what Tigerstar had called him when he was still Tigerclaw, "mousebrain", and "lousy-piece-of-foxdung", among other things. Of course there was "Ravenkit", the name he had before apprenticeship, but that fitted him worse than his current name.
"Ravenpaw?"
"Sorry, Barley. I was lost in thought for a moment"
"Well, even though Starclan have left the forest, and were never really watching over our barn anyway, there is going to be a solar eclipse today."
"Barley, I haven't lived around twolegs as long as you. What's a 'solar eclipse'?"
"Well, Ravenpaw, apparently the moon blocks out the sun for a short amount of time. They hardly ever happen. It kinda turns day into night,"
"Why are you telling me this?"
Barley sighed. "Because, Ravenpaw, I know how much rituals are important to you forest cats, so I thought that it would be the best time for you to change your name into something either more loner-like, or warrior-like. Give yourself a warrior name. Come on, Ravenpaw, you proved in the battle of Bloodclan that you were a proper warrior. You earned the name of a warrior."
When it was put like that, there really was no denying it.
* * *
Barley cleared his throat, and looked up at the sky. The moon was almost touching the sun. As the first silver of shade passed over, and day was turned into night, Barley spoke.
"Warrior spirits of Starclan, heed my words," the words flowed effortlessly, and Barley knew exactly what to say, "This cat, Ravenpaw, has kept his faith in you, through times of dark and light. I ask you, in this dark time, to reward his faith," Ravenpaw decided on a loner name, he isn't really part of a clan, "and give him a name proving how much he has learned. Ravenpaw, from this moment onward you will be known as Raven".
Maybe it was Starclan, perhaps it was pure chance, but despite the darkness given by the eclipse, Raven was almost glowing, as though he was in sunlight.
"Thankyou Barley."
Maybe this is what being a clan leader feels like.