Blessings

The warmth of the sun, at it's highest peak, beamed down as sacred words were spoken. "I, Fallstar, call upon my warrior ancestors to look upon these kits. They have sworn to uphold your code and follow the way of a warrior. Blackkit, form this moment on until you've earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Blackpaw." The stunning light ginger leader mewed loud enough for the whole of her clan to hear as she rested her muzzle on Blackpaw's head. "Sunfeather, you know what it is like to feel lost, but you are one of my best warriors. I pray you'll pass on your bravery and wisdom onto this new apprentice." Fallstar looked at the golden she-cat with sage green eyes. Sunfeather nodded and padded over to Blackpaw.

"I'll try my best Fallstar." Sunfeather promised her leader as she touched Blackpaw's nose with her own.

Fallstar purred and turned to the other anxious kit that wiggled enthusiastically beside Blackpaw. With gleaming leaf green eyes, Fallstar continued the ancient ceremony.

"Ravenkit, from this moment on until you have earned your warrior name, you shall be known as Ravenpaw." The slender she-cat mewed and turned to a bright ginger tom that stood proudly, his amber eyes gleaming. "Redflame, you trained Birchcry to be an amazing warrior. I hope you will pass your strength and patience unto your new apprentice." Fallstar spoke with a purr.

"I'll do my best to teach everything I know to Ravenpaw." Redflame swore as he walked over to the small black she-cat that had a white muzzle, paws and chest. Ravenpaw couldn't keep still as she touched her pure black nose to Redflame's. Her warm amber eyes shone with pride.

"I'll try my best." The small she-cat whispered, her eyes gleaming.

"As will I." Redflame said in a hushed whisper, his amber orbs locking the promise in joy and pride. They parted as Fallstar ended the ceremony with a mighty yowl and the clan exploded into cheer. It had been three moons since there had been apprentices within BurnClan camp, so Blackpaw and Ravenpaw were true blessings from SpiritClan themselves.

"Blackpaw! Ravenpaw! Blackpaw! Ravenpaw!" The clan yowled their approval. From the center, the familiar voices of their white mother, Snowember, and black father, Crowweb, who wore silver tabby markings, were the loudest. Snowember looked at her kits with loving misty blue eyes and Crowweb watched his daughters with pride.

The warriors trotted up to their kits as the chanting wore down and nuzzled them with affection and joy.

"I know you two will do us proud." Snowember purred.

"Train hard and listen to your mentors. They know what they're doing." Crowweb added as he looked form his mate, to Blackpaw, and then Ravenpaw. He licked Blackpaw on the ear and Ravenpaw on the head, his gaze soft, an emotion buried deep within his hazel depths. Snowember glanced up at smiled at an approaching clanmate.

"Ravenpaw, how about you and Blackpaw come with Sunfeather and I so we can show you the territory?" The deep voice of Redflame sounded as he approached the close family, the sunlight making it appear like fire danced on his fur.

"Okay!" Ravenpaw nodded and looked at Blackpaw excitedly. "Come on Blackpaw!" Ravenpaw mewed as she bounded up and down. Blackpaw followed Ravenpaw with glee and smile. Snowember stared after her kits with worry and sadness, but with the gentle touch of Crowweb's tail, she smiled weakly as they watched them go.

~later~

Redflame padded behind Sunfeather, who held her golden head high. Blackpaw walked beside her, looking around the greenleaf forest in amazement and wonder.

"I like Sunfeather. She's nice." Ravenpaw mewed as she walked with Redflame. The tom chuckled and nodded.

"Yes, she is." His eyes sparkled as he stared after his sister. Ravenpaw smiled as they walked behind the incomplete pair.

"I love Blackpaw though. Do you think she knows that?" Ravenpaw asked, her head tilted ever so slightly. Redflame was taken aback for a moment, but regained himself. With his eyes forward, he nodded.

"You and Blackpaw are the closest siblings I've ever seen. Fear not Ravenpaw, she knows you love her and you should know she loves you too." Redflame mewed. Ravenpaw nodded as she smiled at him. Once she looked forward again, she jumped with a gasp and bounded forward. As she passed Blackpaw, the she-cat followed. Sunfeather glanced back at Redflame before trotting quicker. Redflame quickened his pace until he was running after the apprentices. "Ravenpaw! Ravenpaw, Blackpaw, don't run that far ahead!" He yowled. A wave of relief rushed over him as he caught up to the excited apprentices.

"Is this Great Falls?" Blackpaw mumbled in awe.

"Yes, this is it." Sunfeather purred with a nod as they listened to the rushing current as small bugs and debris swept downriver. The water churned as it raged past them, paying the cats no mind as it continued it's way, falling off a sheer cliff that stood no more than four foxlengths away.

Redflame watched as his daring apprentice bounded to the cliff and watched as the frigid water fell into a large pool at the beginning of BurnClan's border with PoolClan. Feeling uneasy, Redflame bounded up to Ravenpaw and nudged her away from the deadly edge.

"I don't want you to fall." He defended himself before Ravenpaw could protest. He sighed as he looked at her crestfallen expression.

"Okay." The black and white she-cat muttered and shuffled her paws.

"Come on, there's a lot more territory to see!" Sunfeather mewed and beckoned them with her tail, trying to make Ravenpaw feel better. It worked and Sunfeather led Blackpaw away from Great Falls. Ravenpaw and Redflame followed.

Redflame noticed for Ravenpaw studied Sunfeather, and was overwhelmed when she asked, "When did it happen?" Redflame looked at Sunfeather, his eyes clouding at the memory of the day cats looked upon her as incomplete. The black and white apprentice instantly felt guilty and mewed quietly, "You don't have to tell me."

After what felt like a moon, Redflame breathed and whispered, "No Ravenpaw, it's okay. I'll tell you." as he slowly began to walked down memory lane. "It was on the proudest day of our lives..."

The normal blue sky lit with lavender gave sign that night would soon fall upon the clans and two new warriors would watch over their camp.

"Redflame, Sunfeather, it's time." Fallstar purred as the sun sank behind the horizon, a shining silver crescent taking it's place and the spirits of their ancestors shining alongside the moon. The proud warriors took their place by the camp entrance, step for step, every movement in-sync. Slowly, their clanmates disappeared into their dens, prepared for a safe nights' sleep under the watch of new warriors.

Under their silent vigil, Sunfeather and Redflame watched the dark, surrounding forest. A loud crack sounded overhead and icy drops of rain began to fall, pouring harder and harder on the their heads. Still, they held their place, not moving as if their lives depended on it. Again, cracks of thunder rang from the night sky and flashes of lightning illuminated the forest, momentarily blinding the two warriors. Small pools of water formed as their paws began to sink in the muddy earth beneath them. A tearing sound, like bones breaking, sounded from the left. Their heads snapped to the side in tom to see another bright flash of lightning, this time engulfing a large cedar tree in flames.

"Everyone out! Fire!" Redflame screeched immediately. Sunfeather instantly ran to the closest den; the nursery. Desperately, she gathered the small whining kits and defensive queens, herding them out of camp. The fire spread rapidly, dancing it's way down the slope leading to the bramble surrounded camp.

Redflame ran to help any panicked apprentices, who were trying to push out of camp. "Get in file! I know it's scary, but if you don't get in line, we'll all be trapped!" He yowled. The apprentices, still in a panic, formed a messy line and made it out of camp. Warriors followed the apprentices. Ashwillow, the delicate dark gray deputy, went to find her leader and Brightrose, the small ginger medicine cat. Redflame looked around for Sunfeather and saw her helping the queens. A small white kit with a single golden paw, Goldkit, swayed in her jaws gently. A sigh of relief escaped Redflame. Almost all of the clan was out of camp, but everything was glowing a threatening orange. Not even the pouring rain could smother the natural killer that threatened BurnClan. The rain simply kept it at bay.

"Is everyone out?" Ashwillow yowled as another blast of thunder roared. Redflame went from den to den, not seeing anyone. "Everyone's out!" He yowled to the deputy and retreated from camp, the deputy hard on his heels.

"Is everyone here?" Fallstar asked.

"Creekkit! He's not here!" Blueflower, the oldest nursing queen yowled with panic.

"I'll get him!" Sunfeather called instantly and raced back into the burning camp. Smoke and fog blocked all vision of her as the clan waited. Redflame shifted his weight from side to side, his nerves tearing within him. He froze when he saw it. The cedar tree was falling into camp!

"Sunfeather!" He screeched, but it was silenced by the teeth gritting sound of roots tearing away from the muddy ground. A loud crash echoed in his ears as the tree hit the ground and sparks hovered in the air. With a massive thud, the tree fell into camp, and a cry filled the smokey air.

"No!" Redflame's yowl was matched with Blueflower's choked.

Slowly, the frigid rain began to smother the dancing flames. Redflame went to dash into cmap when Ashwillow stepped in front of him.

"Don't! The fire is still burning! If you go in there, you risk your life and then you are no use to your sister, Creekkit, or rest of the clan." The deputy hissed, her tone stern, but her eyes glittered with fear. Redflame opened his mouth to argue, but with another crack of thunder, stayed silent. Instead, he turned his head back to the smoke filled camp. Still, the fire burned, but not as brightly. The rain was winning a battle with its true foe, but as the fire died, fear settled into Redflame's heart.

"Ashwillow, take Redflame, Featherfur, and Skybird into cmap. Find Sunfeather and Creekkit." Fallstar ordered. Ashwillow nodded and bounded into camp, Redflame, Featherfur, and Skybird following. "May SpiritClan be with them." Fallstar whispered under her breath as she watched the four warriors go back into the charred camp.

"Sunfeather! Sunfeather, can you hear me?" Redflame called as he picked his way through his destroyed home. Rain still seeped within his cold coat, but he didn't care. He just wanted to find his sister and Creekkit. A scared whimper made it's way to him. He turned his head towards the sound and padded over to the tree. He saw a small bundle move between the twisted branches.

"Ashwillow, Skybird, Featherfur, over here! I found them!" Redflame yowled as he watched patches of fire flicker. The sound of splattering, pounding paws stormed towards him. He glanced frantically for a big enough opening in the twisted branches so he could get to his scared, and maybe injured clanmates.

"Sunfeather, Creekkit, can you hear me? I need you to make some noise so we can find you!" Skybird called. They all pricked their ears and they waited for an answer. After what felt like moons, Creekkit's scared chirp drifted to them. Redflame tried to pinpoint the sound as best he could and, with the help of the three she-cats around him, he broke the branches into a wide enough gap for him to squeeze through and make it to his sister and the kit she'd saved. He saw the small blue/gray pelt of Creekkit huddled beside a limp golden body.

"No." He breathed and hurried to them. As he looked at Sunfeather, her body on the ground, he realized he was standing in a pool of blood; her blood. Her front right leg was pierced with a long, thick branch. Her leg was hanging on by a single strip of tissue and the blood was draining from her.

"Ashwillow! Ashwillow, it's Sunfeather! A branch is in her leg and- please, you got to help! She's bleeding a lot!" Redflame was shaking, but he lifted up Creekkit by the scruff and made it far enough for Skybird to grab hold of him and pull him out of the twiddled branches. Featherfur ran to get Brightrose, who came back with as many cobwebs as she could find. The small she-cat wiggled her way through the branches with ease.

"Oh dear SpiritClan." She gasped as she put the cobwebs on Sunfeather's almost severed leg. "I need more cobwebs! Get all of them you can!" Brightrose screeched. Redflame watched absently as the medicine cat worked in front of him. It didn't seem real. None of it felt as if it were real.

"Well, don't just sit there! Go get more cobwebs! She isn't dead yet!" Brightrose spat, not in anger, but in fear.

Redflame nodded his head fearfully and made his way out of the twisting limbs of the charred tree.

"Cobwebs!" He yowled to anyone that could hear. Rowanleap, Cloudpelt, and Cedarclaw parted from the distressed clan, somewhat recovered from the catastrophic event that was, in some way, still occurring around them. A large brown tom was the first to come back, his hazel eyes filled with distress and his paws were coated in thick cobwebs. He passed the sticky natural bandage to Redflame. "Thanks." The bright ginger warrior breathed and made his way back to Brightrose as quickly as he could, his whole body shivering in fear for his sister. As he passed the cobwebs to Brightrose, he made his way back to the clan where Cloudpelt and Cedarclaw waited. He took the cobwebs from them quickly, dipping his head in gratitude and once again made his way to Brightrose, trying to control his nerves under control and failing desperately. He arrived at Brightrose and stuck one massive paw out. She took the cobwebs that were wrapped around his paw and tried to bind Sunfeather's torn leg, but it was hopeless. Only a thread of flesh made the difference of Sunfeather having four legs and having three.

"Redflame, I need you to trust me, okay?" Brightrose mewed slowly to the fright filled tom. He saw Sunfeather flinch as she roused. Redflame's eyes were on his sister as he nodded to Brightrose, already scared of what was going to happen next. He slipped into the small opening where Brightrose had cleared away sticks so they wouldn't poke her or Sunfeather as she worked.

"If I don't layer the wound with cobwebs, she's going to bleed out and join StarClan. I'm going to have to-" It was obvious the words were hard for the medicine cat to choke out.

"She's going to lose her leg isn't she?" Redflame gulped, hes legs shaking. He saw Sunfeather's green eyes flutter open and a pained whimper came from her throat. Redflame crouched down beside her and look her in the eye. "You're going to be okay Sunfeather. I promise." The tom whispered. Sunfeather nodded and slowly clenched her eyes shut once more. "What do I do?" Redflame turned to Brightrose as he rested his tail on his sister's shoulder.

"Redflame, I've never done this before. I'm not sure if any medicine cat has done this before." Brightrose made it clear.

"So you're saying this may not work?" Redflame raised his voice in fear and anger.

"No, it may not, but I think with your help and the guidance of SpiritClan, we may be able to do this." Brightrose answered, her voice full of confidence. For now, that would have to be good enough or Sunfeather would definitely die, so Redflame nodded. "I'm going to have to bite rest of her leg off. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's all I can think of. Be ready with some cobwebs, because there's going to be even more blood." Brightrose mewed and Sunfeather winced at the words. Redflame could only nod. If this was her best chance at life, than he would do it.

Brightrose bared her fangs and quickly separated rest of Sunfeather's leg from her body. Sunfeather yowled in pain and Redflame almost felt her pain, but he wrapped the cobwebs around her leg and over the severed leg. The blood was already visible.

"I need cobwebs!" Brightrose yowled. The medicine cat didn't even look phased. The small gray shape of Sootpaw weaved in. Stuck to her black padded feet were tiny black seeds. Brightrose took them and gave them to Sunfeather, who was still whimpering and bleeding. Brightrose held up the poppy seeds and Sunfeather ingested them with one lick, then let her head plop down on the ground.

"Redflame, I'm going to ask you to stay here with her. We can't move her with that leg and I need to gather more herbs and treat our other clanmates. The poppy seeds should keep her asleep and fight off the pain for now. If she wakes up or starts bleeding again, call for me." Brightrose mewed calmly and, with that, made her way to the rest of BurnClan.

"...I stayed with her that night and everything turned out okay. After a few moons of rest, Sunfeather pulled through just fine. Together, she and I figured out a way for her to hunt, fight, and train even though she was missing a leg. The leaders all though it was a blessing from SpiritClan she survived and learned to walk and to this day, she's the only cat in clan history that has a missing leg. She's also one of the best warriors I've ever met." Redflame mewed proudly, though the ghost of the past still haunted his stare.

"Blackpaw is lucky!" Ravenpaw purred as she looked at him with a faint smile of pride and envy.

"I think so." Redflame agreed, the pain of that night dimming to reveal the happiness in the current moment.

"You're a great warrior too Redflame!" The sincerity of Ravenpaw's words made Redflame's heart swell with gratitude.

"I'm sure you and your sister will be amazing warriors as well." He told the black and white she-cat. Ravenpaw's eyes gleamed with loyalty, hope, and above all, the will of a true warrior.

At that moment, Sunfeather came back to them, Blackpaw at her side with a small smile on her face. "Sunfeather just showed my the Echoing Caves." Blackpaw murmured excitedly, her ears twitched, and her head high.

"That's great Blackpaw!" Ravenpaw mewed loudly, emotion clear in her voice. Blackpaw just smiled and batted at a falling leaf.

"I think we've seen enough for today." Sunfeather mewed as she glanced at the sun, which was starting to set.

"Agreed." Redflame mewed as he looked at his sister with love. She returned the look with a gentle smile and started away. Blackpaw flicked her left ear and turned her head to the way Sunfeather had went. She quickly hurried after her.

Ravenpaw stared after them for a moment, but after a moment and a comforting nudge from her mentor, she galloped forward, Redflame hard on her heels.