Hi, everybody! Sorry about the mix-up where there was no story, our computer stinks. Well, here's the story, I worked forever on it, hope you guys like it and, yes, this is a oneshot. Don't forget to review! Thanks!
Mo0ny
Ravenpaw's Dream
It was dark, and very quiet. The moon was nearly full, and it sent sheets of white-blue light down through the branches of the forest, where they lit up Ravenpaw's black pelt. The swirling patterns of light on his fur twisted and danced away as he crept through the shadowy forest, towards camp. Above the treetops, the stars glittered, cold and distant, like sunlit dewdrops.
Ravenpaw stayed low, his scent glands full of the smell of the thrush and vole he had caught, knowing he couldn't have scented anyone following him. Suddenly a twig snapped. Ravenpaw whirled around in terror.
"Ravenpaw?" called a voice softly. "Are you there?" Ravenpaw sighed in relief and trotted over to the source of the voice: his mentor, Tigerclaw.
"Tigerclaw?" called Ravenpaw, his call muffled from behind his catch. "I'm over here." His mentor stepped into a patch of moonlight.
His amber eyes glowed with pride as he saw what Ravenpaw had to contribute to the fresh-kill pile that evening; they would need all the fresh-kill they could get after the battle they had fought that day against Brokentail.
"Well caught," he mewed to his apprentice, nodding to Ravenpaw's catch. "You're getting to be quite a hunter."
Ravenpaw beamed at his mentor's praise. "Thanks." He stared up at Tigerclaw, his sympathetic, understanding mentor, who was always kind to him, taught him battle moves that nobody else knew; he had so much to thank Tigerclaw for, right—? Ravenpaw had an odd feeling that he was forgetting something, and it was right there, just out of reach...
"Are you okay, Ravenpaw?" Tigerclaw asked, sounding concerned. The apprentice shook his head, and the warrior dipped his. "Alright then, let's go."
They walked side by side through the dark forest, the sounds of the night around them, and Ravenpaw felt safe for the first time in a long time, though he could hardly remember what had happened earlier that day—hadn't he and Firepaw and Graypaw gone to find Yellowfang? Because ShadowClan had taken some kits? And they'd ended up driving off Brokentail? That was right; wasn't it?
Ravenpaw struggled to remember, but then he smelled camp. And his friends, Graypaw and Firepaw; he could smell them too, so bounded forward to meet them. Tigerclaw waved his tail at Ravenpaw, looking proud and sad at the same time, then slipped quietly into camp. What was going on? Everything was confusing him, even the simplest things, like his own memory, or Tigerclaw.
And where were Graypaw and Firepaw? He knew he could smell them, but...
"Hello?" called Ravenpaw. "Any cat here—?" But his query was lost as he found his friends—on top of him!
"Hi!" said Graypaw cheerfully from his perch on Ravenpaw's head. "How's things?"
"That was quite an ambush!" Ravenpaw greeted them, trying to dislodge his attackers. "I had no idea where you were, but you should try and disguise your scent; I could smell you with a mouthful of prey."
"Thanks, we'll do that," smiled Firepaw. "Maybe we'll let you in on it next time," he added, winking.
"... or we'll just use your evil plan against you!" put in Graypaw, grinning. He and Firepaw rolled off of Ravenpaw. "But you'll never guess what we heard today!" He added, looking thrilled.
"You bet I won't," mewed Ravenpaw curiously. "What?"
Firepaw looked around them, and then beckoned with his tail. They followed him into camp, and walking around the edge of the clearing, in the shadows, he led them over towards where Tigerclaw and Bluestar were talking in low voices.
Graypaw crept forward after Firepaw, then turned when he noticed that Ravenpaw was not following them.
"Come on," he hissed. "What're you waiting for?"
"I don't think we should be spying on them," replied Ravenpaw, rather fiercely. "They trust us."
"They do? Well I wouldn't," Graypaw flicked his ear irritably. "And anyway, we're not spying; just, um, listening. It's probably about us anyway."
"You still didn't tell me what you heard today," mewed Ravenpaw, stubbornly trying to change the subject. "What did you hear?" he pressed.
Graypaw rolled his eyes and darted after Firepaw. Irritated, Ravenpaw stood up to follow them, but he realized what they were doing: they talked to each other in low whispers, and then they turned, and came back to Ravenpaw.
"Okay, Ravenpaw," muttered Firepaw, after glancing around. His eyes glowed with the fire for which he had been named. "We heard Bluestar say something about you, and me, and Graypaw, and the word 'warriors'!" They beamed at him. Ravenpaw was exhausted from the day's adventures, but he still felt a grin spreading across his face.
"'Warriors'? That's—"
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!" Buestar's yowl echoed across the camp.
"... That's right!" Graypaw finished for him. "Let's go!" The three of them sprinted off together; Ravenpaw and Firepaw and Graypaw, almost warriors.
"... By making new warriors, we show that ThunderClan is still strong," Bluestar was saying to the surrounding cats. "These three apprentices led and fought bravely in today's battle, and it is time they became warriors." A murmur of congratulations swept through the crowd, and as every head turned to face them, Ravenpaw lowered his head in embarrassment.
Tigerclaw sat importantly next to the Highrock, his amber eyes glittering. Again, Ravenpaw had that feeling that he was forgetting something that he needed to remember, and that it was there it was again, a claw's length out of reach...
"Graypaw, come here," said Bluestar, standing up. Trembling, Graypaw bounded onto the Highrock to face her. "I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained determinedly and commitedly to understand the ways of your noble code, and we commend you to make him a warrior in your turn. Graypaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"
Graypaw dipped his head. "I do," he said solemnly.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Graypaw, from this day forth, you shall be known as Graystripe. StarClan honors your strength and loyalty, and hopes that you will become as great a warrior as Lionheart was, and trained you to be."
Graystripe bowed his head and licked Bluestar's shoulder. Then he jumped off the Highrock, beaming. The whole clan cheered, chanting his name. "Graystripe! Graystripe!" But before Firepaw and Ravenpaw could congratulate him, Bluestar's voice rang out across the camp again.
"Firepaw, come up here," she called.
"Yeah, go on, little apprentice," teased Graystripe, nudging him forward. Firepaw flicked him with his tail before leaping up to join his mentor on the Highrock.
"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He too has trained with determination and loyalty to understand the ways of your noble code, through all sorts of hardship, and we commend you to make him a warrior in your turn. Firepaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"
Firepaw held his head high and looked straight at his mentor. "I do," he said, loudly and clearly.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Firepaw, from this day forth, you shall be known as Fireheart. StarClan honors your fierce courage and determination, and hope that one day you will be the great warrior I tried to train you to be."
Fireheart leaned forward and licked Bluestar's shoulder, his eyes full of happiness and gratitude. Then he too bounded down from the Highrock among the calls of his clanmates: "Fireheart! Fireheart!" He looked ecstatic as he landed beside his friends.
"Great name," Ravenpaw congratulated him.
"You don't like mine?" said Graystripe, mockingly indignant.
"No," purred Ravenpaw sarcastically. "I hate it: Graystripe? It's—"
"Ravenpaw, com here," mewed Bluestar. Shaking, Ravenpaw rose to his paws. His walk to the Highrock seemed to take seasons; every eye was on him, and then he bunched his muscles, and leapt for the rock...
Suddenly, his gaze found Tigerclaw, who looked like he was brimming with pride, but Ravenpaw could see something else under his gaze: cold and fiery at the same time, angry and satisfied, and unpleasantly familiar...
He landed hard on the Highrock, but he got his balance quickly. He looked at Bluestar, who gave him tiny nod, and began.
"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained beside his friends and enemies to understand the ways of your noble code, and we commend you to make him a warrior in your turn. Ravenpaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I...I do," said Ravenpaw with determination, but at the same time, he heard a little voice inside him, a memory of Fireheart's voice, but... 'Is this really what you want, Ravenpaw?' Fireheart had never asked him that! What was going on? But Ravenpaw had heard him say that, somehow...
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your Warrior name. StarClan honors you loyalty and determination, and from this day forth, Ravenpaw, you shall be known as—"
"Ravenpaw, Ravenpaw! Wake up, Ravenpaw!" a familiar voice was calling him from a distance. Bluestar wheeled around in fear, and suddenly vanished into blood red smoke. With a yelp of terror, Ravenpaw was pulled back through the darkness, the swirling, enveloping blackness, down, down, until he jerked awake.
Ravenpaw let out a long sigh. A familiar, black and white furred, face swam above him. Barley. He was back in his barn. Still a loner. Still an apprentice.
"Its okay, Ravenpaw, don't worry, it was a dream," mewed Barley comfortingly. "Just a dream."