Disclaimer: I don't own Warriors. I do own the characters created for this grouping of short stories. Please don't intentionally steal any of my characters.

Chapter One

Goldenstar

Name: Goldenpaw/Goldenfur/Goldenstar

Appearance: ginger tabby tom, amber eyes

Family

Father: Noblestar

Mother: Nettlemouse

Siblings: Frostpaw/Frostflower

Mate: Dapplefoot

Kits: Cedarspirit, Cloverpelt

Apprentices

Blackcloud

What Has Happened to Him/Her

Goldenstar lost the last of his nine lives when he was possessed by Tigerstar's spirit.

ThunderClan's Newest Warrior

The mouse knawed on its acorn, totally unsuspecting that its life was about to be ended by the lithe paws of the ginger tom hidden in the tall grass nearby. Goldenpaw unsheathed his claws in anticipation. His mouth watered at the thought of sinking his teeth into the juicy, plump mouse that he had his amber eyes affixed to. A sudden sound made him jerk with surprise and look around. When he looked back, the mouse had disappeared. Regret filled his belly as the sound turned into someone's voice.

"Goldenpaw! Goldenpaw! Wake up, sleepyhead!"

He felt someone press their paws into his stomach. His eyes groggy with sleep, and his head filled with the thoughts of the mouse, Goldenpaw opened his eyes to look up at into his sister's face.

Frostpaw's white and ginger fur was on end. Her amber eyes, very much like Goldenpaw's, were glittering with excitement. "Come on, sleepyhead! You don't want to miss your warrior ceremony, do you?"

Goldenpaw was awake in the next second. He rolled out of his nest in the apprentices' den and jumped to his paws. He'd completely forgotten that their father, Noblestar, had told him that he was to be made a ThunderClan warrior this morning. He shook bits of moss from his fur.

"Thanks for waking me up, Frostpaw!" Goldenpaw meowed to his sister. He looked at her sadly for a moment. "I wish you were going to be there beside me today."

Frostpaw shook her head. "You know that StarClan give me my medicine cat name, Goldenpaw. Stripedpelt says I've come such a long way since I was first apprenticed; I think that means I'll be getting my new name really soon!"

"I hope so!" Goldenpaw meowed. He gave his sister a playful push with one of his paws. "Now, let's go! I want to grab something to eat before Noblestar calls us for the meeting!"

The two apprentices slipped out of the apprentices' den and padded over to the fresh-kill pile. They found Dapplepaw, Goldenpaw's best friend, lying with the younger apprentices, Meadowpaw, Reedpaw, and Crookedpaw. Dapplepaw, whose dark brown fur was bristled with exhilaration, was telling the other apprentices about how she and Goldenpaw were being made warriors today.

"Congratulations!" Meadowpaw, the gray she-cat with the dark gray tail, meowed. "I can't wait until I'm made a warrior!"

"I wonder what your warrior names will be?" Reedpaw, a white, cream, and black tom, said with shining, light yellow eyes.

"I hope Noblestar doesn't name me Dapplenose," Dapplepaw said. Her nose wrinkled with disgust. "That would be horrible!"

"I'm sure he'll give you great warrior names!" Crookedpaw, a black and white tom, meowed.

As they talked, Goldenpaw picked out a plump mouse from the fresh-kill pile and began to eat it in swift bites.

The apprentices chatted about good and bad warrior names until they saw Noblestar clamber up onto the Highledge.

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Highledge!" Noblestar commanded.

The ThunderClan cats began to come out of their dens in groups. Goldenpaw quickly groomed himself before he and the other apprentices padded over to where the other cats were seated. Meadowpaw and Reedpaw went over to sit next to their mentors, Poppyflower and Barrenoak. Goldenpaw's mentor, Quickleaf, came walking over to him. The light gray she-cat's green eyes were full of pride as she looked at her apprentice.

"I've gathered you all here this morning to appoint two, new warriors to our ranks," Noblestar meowed. His green eyes sought out Goldenpaw and Dapplepaw in the crowd. "Goldenpaw, Dapplepaw, please come forward."

Goldenpaw walked forward quickly. Dapplepaw came up and sat next to him. The two apprentices looked up at their leader.

"I Noblestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on Dapplepaw and Goldenpaw. They have trained hard to understand the way of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn.

"Dapplepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Dapplepaw mewed loudly.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name." Noblestar looked around at his cats before continuing. "From this day forward, you will be known as Dapplefoot. StarClan honors your bravery and your strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Noblestar turned his head to look at his son. "Goldenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Goldenpaw said with determination thick in his voice.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Goldenpaw, from this day forward, you will be known as Goldenfur. StarClan honors your bravery and your strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Noblestar climbed down from the Highledge and touched his nose to Dapplefoot's head. The dark brown she-cat licked her leader's shoulder. The leader next touched his nose to Goldenfur's head. Goldenfur licked his leader's shoulder.

"May StarClan light your paths," Noblestar meowed.

"Dapplefoot! Goldenfur! Dapplefoot! Goldenfur!" the other Clan cats shouted with happiness.

"Congratulations, my son," Noblestar whispered in Goldenfur's ear. To the entire Clan, he meowed, "Tonight, these two new warriors will sit their vigil in silence!"

Goldenfur's white-and-ginger-furred mother, Nettlemouse, came padding over from where she had been sitting. "I'm so proud of you, Goldenfur! And you, Dapplefoot."

"Thanks," Dapplefoot meowed bashfully.

Nettlemouse's elder mother, Brindlehare, came limping over with Smokemask, Tenderclaw's mate, and her kits, Blackkit and Thornkit.

"We're very happy for you," Smokemask meowed.

"Today is a very happy day for ThunderClan," Brindlehare added in her creaky voice.

"I hope you'll be my mentor when I become an apprentice!" Blackit mewed loudly.

"But I want him to be my mentor!" Thornkit shouted.

The two kits got into a scuffle. With an apologetic look, Smokemask led her rambunctious kits away.

Dapplefoot came walking over from the group of cats who had been congratulating her. "Hey, Goldenfur, what should we do first, now that we're warriors?"

Remembering his dream, Goldenfur purred. "Let's go catch some mice!"

End of Chapter One