A gentle, new-leaf breeze blew through the air as the clouds covered the sky. Through the few trees, the sounds of meowing cats echoed through the clearing. In the middle sat a dark gray tabby she-cat with sun colored eyes. Her sleek tail sat wrapped around her white paws as a pale brown she-cat bounded toward her.
"So, what are we gonna do today Stonetail?" She asked
"What do you think Tigerpaw?" She replied
"Yes! Finally! My assessment! I'll be the best hunter this clan has ever seen!" Tigerpaw exclaimed
The tabby smiled happily as Stonetail got up. Finally, after six moons of training I'm gonna be a warrior! I wonder..What will Hazelstar name me? I hope it's a good one. The she-cats left the camp and headed into the forest. The fresh, crisp air ruffled Tigerpaw's fur as she padded along the green ground.
"We're meeting up with Appledust by the stream." Stonetail said, "You're going to fight her."
"B..but she's a warrior!" Tigerpaw exclaimed
"You're a fantastic fighter Tigerpaw. You'll be fine." She meowed
Tigerpaw padded around the bundle of bushes and sure enough, Appledust was sitting by the stream. The reddish brown she-cat sat there grooming her pelt. Her fluffy fur looked a bit matted.
"Appledust?" Tigerpaw asked
The she-cat looked up from her grooming and padded over. Her yellow eyes were full of enthusiasm.
"Sorry 'bout that." She mewed, "Didn' realize that you two would be here so soon."
Tigerpaw still wasn't used to hearing Appledust's odd accent, for she sounded nothing like any of the other Riverclan cats. The pale she-cat sat down as Stonetail walked over to her.
"Alright, so, this is going to be a practice session to test Tigerpaw's-" She began
"Yeah Yeah..I know! When can I fight mate?" Appledust asked
Tigerpaw rolled her eyes as she wrapped her tail around her paws. She glanced toward the forest and heard the chatter of cats.
"If you don't stop talking, we're not going to find any prey!"
She purred at the sound of that voice. The cat padded toward them and she felt her pelt grow hot. His glossy, sleek gray tabby fur. The strength and power the existed inside him. His eyes were the color of the river in leaf-bare. He glanced toward her and she looked at her paws in embarrassment. She looked up for a quick heartbeat and caught a smile on his face. She smiled and felt a spark of pure happiness. He's perfect. So strong and brave! Tigerpaw shifted in place as she heard the rest of the patrol. Blizzardtail, Goldfur, and Cloverfang padded along the side of the hill. Tigerpaw looked away, not wanting to be caught looking at Cindershade.
...
Stonetail padded with her away from the river. A small scratch sat on Tigerpaw's shoulder and it was bleeding a bit.
"Ya sure you're alright?" Appledust asked
"I'm fine." Tigerpaw replied
"Alright then sweetheart. I'll be back in camp if ya need me."
The she-cat bounded away back toward the camp as Stonetail veered right.
"Okay, I'd like you to catch some birds. Although we eat fish most of the time, we need to know how to hunt other prey. Mice and voles hardly pass by here, so we do not need to work on them. Birds, we do find here." She meowed
"But, it's not leaf-bare."
Stonetail sighed and looked back at Tigerpaw, "Look, it's good to have your skills nice and sharp. Now, from here on out, I'd like you to go where you want to go. You can go to the river or stay here and hunt. It's up to you."
Tigerpaw felt a snake of fear creep into her. She wasn't used to hunting on her own, especially with someone watching her! The pale brown apprentice looked up with her dark gray eyes wide. She nodded as she stood back up.
"Go on." Stonetail said
Tigerpaw got up and padded away. She looked back and was surprised to see that Stonetail was already gone. Instinctively, she perked her ears for any signs of food. The birds were here, but where exactly were they...Tigerpaw walked forward, scenting the air. I know they're here. Just then, she heard a rustle from down below. She unsheathed her claws and padded over. Her ears pricked and eyes focused on the bush. She glanced over and saw a small finch pecking at the ground. Tigerpaw laid down and steadied herself. She crept forward and aimed for the bird. She then jumped for the bird, but it squawked in alarm and flew off.
"Frog dung..." She muttered
She walked away and headed for the steam near Windclan. The breeze hit her and made her shiver. Leaf-bare had ended a moon ago, so she was not surprised at the cold wind. As she headed down the hill, she heard a whistling noise. A large crow fluttered down by the stream. Tigerpaw quickly jumped into the brush and laid down. She smiled as this bird too began pecking at the ground, completely unaware of Tigerpaw. She then jumped for the bird. But, as she did, a flash of gray came in front of her and she crashed into it. They tumbled down the hill and landed by the stream.
"What in the name of-" She began
The animal looked up and she recognized him as Cindershade. The tall, broad shouldered tom's eyes widened as he stepped back.
"So..sorry Tigerpaw. I didn't hear you." He meowed
"I..It's uh..It's alright." She replied
Cindershade smiled meekly. That's odd. He's usually not like..Oh great Starclan! He likes me! He has to!
"I'm..I'm gonna go." He told her
Tigerpaw nodded as he bounded away. She smiled watching him run away, feeling her love for the tom run through her. She knew for sure that he liked her, which was even better than becoming a warrior.
...
Tigerpaw entered camp with three fish dangling from her mouth. Stonetail was carrying two birds as well. Tigerpaw couldn't get the smile off her face, for she had passed her assessment! I'm going to be a warrior! Her tail flicked in content. She turned to Stonetail. The pale gray tabby had already placed her birds down and was heading for Hazlestar and Grayfrost, Stonetail's mate. Hazelstar glanced up as Tigerpaw placed her fish in the pile and headed for the warrior's den, hoping to see Cindershade.
"Hey! Hey Tigapaw!"
She turned at the call of her name and saw Appledust and Cloudfall running toward her.
"Did ya pass?" She asked
"Yeah! I got all that prey! Well, except for the large carp." She said
"Nice job." Cloudfall told her
She nodded to the experienced warrior. Appledust smiled as Cloudfall's tail dragged across her back. Tigerpaw could picture Cindershade doing that to her when she became a warrior.
"Well," Appledust began, "Just wanted tuh make sure ya passed."
Tigerpaw nodded and turned her head, seeing Hazelstar run over to the Rock Ledge. The gray patched she-cat sat atop there looking at the clan. Tigerpaw quickly started to groom herself, not wanting to look like a mess.
"All cats who are old enough to catch their own prey, gather under the Rock Ledge for a meeting!" Hazelstar called
Tigerpaw looked up from grooming her tail. Icebird, Cloverfang, and Nutclaw came out of the warrior's den. She saw Dawnpaw run out of the apprentice's den and had completely forgotten about her sister! Dawnpaw must have had her's today too. Her mentor, Redpelt, came out of the apprentice's den too. She watched Amberfoot leave the medicine den with Dustkit, who had been in there after eating water hemlock when she left camp. Thank Starclan she lived from that.
"Tigerpaw, Dawnpaw, come forward." Hazelstar said
"Can you believe it? We're going to be warriors!" Dawnpaw whispered
"I know!" She replied
The two sat in front of the Rock Ledge. Tigerpaw's heart sped up as Hazelstar called them forward.
"I Hazelstar, leader of Riverclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard to learn the ways of your code and I commend them as warriors in your turn."
She faced Dawnpaw, who's blue eyes were wide with fear.
"Dawnpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I..I do." She mewed
"And do you Tigerpaw promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do." Tigerpaw told her confidently
"Then by the power of Starclan I give you two your warrior names. Dawnpaw, from this day forward you shall be known as Dawnstream. Starclan honors your kindness and honesty and Tigerpaw, from this day forward you shall be known as Tigerstorm. Starclan honors your energy and loyalty and welcomes you both as full warriors of Riverclan."
"Dawnstream! Tigerstorm! Dawnstream! Tigerstorm!"
Tigerstorm looked out to the crowd, basking in the admiration of her clanmates. She loved this moment. However, it became even better when she spotted Cindershade. The dark gray tabby was looking at her with pure happiness and compassion, as he chanted her new name. At that moment, all she could hear was his deep and powerful voice calling her name. At that moment, she knew she couldn't be happier.