A NightClan Warrior
Shadepaw
"Redthroat," I answered, the name rolling off my tongue like a snake. The very mention of his name made me feel nauseous, the sound of it in my mouth left the cursed taste of evil. Anger soared in my veins as my heart quickened its pace.
He nodded solemnly. "Very well, Shadepaw. You have proven yourself worthy of a NightClan warrior." In his eyes, I saw pride jumbled with fear and grief. My mentor twitched his whiskers uncomfortably. I smelled fear. I glared hard at him; never show fear in front of your Clanmates! After he got the message, with the sweep of his unusually long tail, he brought up a cloud of dust and padded out the cave.
I sneezed at the sudden disturbance of the long-ago fallen dust in this sacred cave. After I recomposed myself, I stared at the space in which my mentor had just occupied, lost in deep thought. This very night I was to become a warrior of NightClan. My parents then would be stripped of their warrior duties and become elders. Because my father's father was the leader, I was the next heir to eventually lead NightClan. After me, my brother's kits' kits would become leader.
I was drowned in thought, when the echo of pawsteps drew near. "Shadepaw?" the voice called into the darkness. "Is that you?" It was Dawncloud. A sigh of relief escaped me. I was so grateful that it hadn't been anyone else.
"Yes, Mother," I meowed quietly. I avoided her heavily trouble gaze and settled for looking at the slight crack in the cave ceiling. Sunlight poured out of that small hole, spreading as far as it could in this cold, dark cave.
Dawncloud sat across from me. "I've needed to talk to you," she began, her eyes looking full of sadness and fear. "Well, actually your father wanted to talk with you too but . . . he's afraid." My mother hesitated to go on. Dawncloud never hesitates; this is unusual for her.
I twitched my ears, waiting. My mother stared off into space, as if I was no longer there. "Mother?" I mewed, wondering what was going through her mind.
Abruptly her head shot up, looking startled. She shook her head. "It's about becoming a warrior. Pinefrost and I are worried that you'll forget who you really are once you take on the biggest role in NightClan. When the time comes, you officially—"
I cut her off. "I'm becoming a warrior tonight, Mother."
Dawncloud's pretty blue eyes that I inherited filled with sudden dread. "Why this soon?" my mother growled. She rose to her paws to pace the clearing. "Surely Blackfang knows better than to finish your training this early!"
"Mother," I hissed. "I doesn't matter what you say! I'm becoming a NightClan warrior and there's nothing you can do about it!"
My mother stopped mumbling about how unpredictable this was and turned to face me. "Shadepaw, I will do everything in my power to stop this from happening. You are too young to have these responsibilities. There's still so much I have to tell you . . ."
Her voice trailed off as another cat entered the cave. A growl rose in my throat. I bared my teeth as the intruder entered the sunlight clearing.
"Shadepaw lay off," the dark ginger tom ordered, showing his fangs.
At the scent of his breath, I shrank back into the nooks of the cave, wishing I had my mother's gray pelt. I glared hard at him, trying to get him under my power as I had Blackfang. But he, whose name I had spoken earlier, turned to block our only escape.
The dark ginger tom looked to me then my mother, who had also shrunk back against the cave wall. "Shadepaw," he demanded coldly. "Let's go. The first traces of dusk are the most sacred time of the day. I want to warn the Clan in advance of your ceremony. It is a rare time indeed," he went on. "This ceremony is to be held tonight and only tonight." He cast a hard glare at my mother. "It is in our ancestors' best wishes that we proceed with the tradition, that we have your ceremony in the time of new moon. Like your grandfather before you, you will become one day leader of NightClan."
I glanced at my mother. Dawncloud was shivering, as if cold as Redthroat fixed her with a cold glare. I could scent fear rolling off her like waves, so strong I was sure the NightClan leader could smell it.
"Let's go, Shadepaw," he snapped abruptly, breaking the cursed silence. "You've got your own ceremony to attend."
I curled my lip at him as I rose to my paws. Across from me, my mother rose too. Dawncloud had a sullen look in her eyes. From then on I avoided her heavy gaze, and followed Redthroat in silence. The sun was slowly sinking below the horizon. Even less time before my ceremony. I was excited, yes, but also afraid of what my mother would then think of me.