Splashpaw was trying to sleep, but she couldn't. Everyone was shaken up after last night's battle with DarkClan. RockClan didn't only lose a piece of territory but lost a very special Clanmate too. Splashpaw turned her head to see Tanglepelt, her father. His body's being prepared by the medicine cats. She wanted to give out a big wail, but nothing ever came out. She also didn't want to be a warrior anymore. Maybe I can trade spots with Midnightpaw. She wondered.
"Rise and shine sleepy head," her sister, Midnightpaw mewed. "You have a big day ahead of you."
Splashpaw looked at her sister, confused. "What do mean 'big day'?"
"Mother hasn't told you? Today she said she was going to make you a warrior since you fought so bravely against DarkClan last night," Midnightpaw licked her paw. "I wish I was getting my medicine cat name today."
"You could get your warrior name today if you switched spots with me," Splashpaw mewed, hoping Midnightpaw would say yes.
Midnightpaw stared at Splashpaw for a second and then giggled. "Splashpaw, you and I both know that we're great at our duties right now. I don't think I'll ever leave my medicine cat position."
Splashpaw's head drooped. "But I couldn't save father." She sighed. "I should have stayed with him."
Midnightpaw came and rubbed her tail tip against Splashpaw's back. "But if you did stay, Quailkit and Dovekit would have been kidnapped or even worst, killed."
"I-I just wish there was a way to bring him back," Splashpaw sobbed.
Midnightpaw gave her sister a comforting lick on the head. "I do too." Midnightpaw than got up and started to leave. "Crookednose is probably waiting for me to finish father's body."
"Midnightpaw! Wait!" Splashpaw yelled.
Midnightpaw stop and looked at Splashpaw. "Yes, what is it?"
"Did you ever see what fur was between Tanglepelt's paws?"
"Yes, but it was white. I didn't know who it was though."
"White?" Splashpaw paced around. "White?" she repeated.
Midnightpaw looked at her sister, confused. "Not, all DarkClan cats are just black or gray you know."
"I know but the only cats that had some white were was never around father." Splashpaw started to get worried.
"How do you know? You weren't with father when you went to go save the kits."
"Yeah, but Cedartree and Blackpetal were both sick with green cough so of course they weren't there. Hollypaw could never kill a cat with her tiny white paws. And Ravenclaw was by Darkstar's side the whole time." Splashpaw took a breath. "I doubt he ever left him."
"You doubt." Midnightpaw came back in and stood in front of her sister. "You never know what he could have done when you weren't there." Midnightpaw started to head out again. "He could of stepped in white fur, you know." she growled, "Now I got to go."
"But-"
"Goodbye!" Midnightpaw snapped, and then she left.
Splashpaw couldn't believe how angry Midnightpaw got. It wasn't like her sister to snap at her like that. She's probably as shaken up as the rest of us are. She thought.
"Everything ok in there?" mewed Spottail, Splashpaw's mentor.
"I think so," Splashpaw gave a big yawn and then got up and stretched. "So when do we leave?"
"After I go check on Silverdust and my kits."
"Hey Spottail?" Splashpaw asked.
"Yes?"
"Do…Do you think I'm a good apprentice?"
Spottail looked at Splashpaw in shock. "You're a great apprentice!" he placed his tail on her shoulder. "If it weren't for you, my kits could not be here right now, and I owe you a big thanks for that!" He looked at the fresh-kill pile. "I made sure Rockstar would let you get the biggest piece of fresh-kill later."
Splashpaw purred, "Thank you."
"No, thank you!" Spottail repeated. "Now go wait by the entrance, and I'll be there in a sec."
Splashpaw dipped her head in acknowledgement and bounded off. Spottail's words made Splashpaw a little happier even though seeing her father's body on the ground still made her a little sad. She caught a glance of Midnightpaw. They looked at each other for a second and then Midnightpaw shot her head away. What's the matter sis? Splashpaw started to get a little worried about her sister. I'll try to talk to her later. She thought. "She seems a little irritated right now."
"What was that?"
Splashpaw didn't realize Spottail was over there with her. "Err…nothing."
Spottail still didn't look convinced. "Well I think it's about time to go hunting I assume."
"Yes," Splashpaw knew hunting would get her mind off things.
"Ok," Spottail let Splashpaw out first. When she got out there, the forest floor was still covered with blood and it smelled horrible. "Eww."
"I know it smells, but we still have to hunt," he lowered his head and opened his mouth. "It'll be hard looking for prey, and foxes might be around since of the blood. So watch out."
Splashpaw nodded. "Should we split up?"
"Right now?" Spottail tipped his head to one side. "Maybe once we get away from the blood scent a little then we will."
"Sounds fine to me. Where should we go?"
"Uh…let's go by the Oaktreeplace and see what we can find there."
"Ok then, see you there!" Splashpaw run away.
"Hey!"
Splashpaw heard her mentor's paw steps behind her. "Can't catch me!" "Watch out!" Splashpaw stop dead in her tracks. "Huh? Midnightpaw?"
"Everything ok Splash?" Spottail was making it up the hill that lead to Oaktreeplace, where Splashpaw was at.
"I don't know but I heard Midnightpaw say watch-"
"Out!" her mentor yowled.
"Wha-" Splashpaw looked up; a big fox was standing above her, growling. She froze with fear.
Spottail then lowered his head, "When I say go I want you to slash its throat," Spottail whispered. "Ready, set… GO!"
Splashpaw did what her mentor told her and she jumped and slashed its throat. It yelp with pain, but didn't give up. It bit down on one of her forepaws. Splashpaw yowled and slashed it's muzzled with her other forepaw. Finally the fox let go and jumped over Splashpaw's head. Splashpaw saw the fox slowly walking to Spottail, but something didn't seem right.
"Splashpaw!" her mentor called. "My hindpaw is stuck in bramble; I need you to distract the fox while I try to get out!"
Splashpaw felt her stomach in her chest. "Here, let me help!"
"No! If you help me we might both get killed!" He panted. "Do what I said before and distract the fox!" he repeated.
"Ok," Splashpaw felt sick. How would she be able to distract the fox for that long? She swallowed, and then jumped on the fox's back and started to scratch it. The fox yelp again and try to get her off. Splashpaw struggled to stay on it. "Grip your hind claws into its skin and scratch it with your front claws" Splashpaw heard her sister's voice again, but this time, she did what she said. The fox yelp even louder and was shaking even harder, but Splashpaw manage to hang on.
"Good job Splashpaw!" yelled her mentor. "I'm almost-" Spottail had a shock expression on his face. "Splashpaw! There's another fox behind you!"
Spashpaw was caught off guard and was thrown to an oak tree. Both of the foxes were ganging up on her. "Yowl. It'll save your life." Splashpaw obeyed her sister and yowled. Then out of nowhere Rockstar and her patrol group came.
"Stay away from my daughter!" Rockstar yowled. Then she sliced one of the foxes ear, and kicked the other with her unsheathed hind claws.
Both of the foxes growled at her, but once they her group they yelp and ran away.
"Cowards!" Shimmerfoot spat.
"Where's Spottail?" Leaftrail asked.
"Over here," Spottail was still stuck in the bramble.
"Now how in StarClan's sake did you get stuck in bramble?" Rockstar asked.
"I didn't," Spottail then lift his paw out of the bramble easily, no scratches at all. "I was testing Splashpaw on how well she would be against foxes." He turned his head and looked at her. "And she was excellent!" He praised.
Splashpaw couldn't help but feel proud of herself. "Thank you, Spottail."
"I think's it's time to head back to camp," Rockstar demanded. "And make a certain someone a warrior."
Splashpaw felt her heart skip a beat and pelted away.
"Oh my StarClan! Splashpaw, I had a nightmare while you were gone!" Midnightpaw mewed, worried.
"Really?" Splashpaw was surprise by her sister's change of attitude from earlier.
"Yes!" her sister seems very worried now. "You had to fight a fox and Spottail was stuck in bramble!"
Splashpaw gasped. "That's what happened!"
"What?"
Splashpaw showed her forepaw to Midnightpaw. "I was attacked by a fox today, Spottail was stuck in bramble too…well I thought he was at least."
Midnightpaw gasped. "Here, follow me to the medicine cat den and we'll talk more in there."
"Ok," So Splashpaw followed Midnightpaw to the medicine cat den.
"Ok, so go on," Midnightpaw said while she was getting some medicine cat stuff.
"Well at first I heard you say in my mind 'watch out,'" Splashpaw started.
"Well, I did tell you to watch out in my dream." Midnightpaw mewed. "Then I saw you struggling to stay on the fox so I said to grip its skin with your hind claws…"
"…And scratch it with my front claws," Splashpaw finished.
"Then another fox came and I saw mother and I told you to…"
"Yowl…It'll save your life," the sister's said together.
"Then I woke up," both Midnightpaw and Splashpaw were shocked.
"This is weird, it's like were…" Splashpaw slowly mewed.
"Connected," The she-cat's said together once more.
Splashpaw took a couple steps back and tripped over a pair of red paws.
"Hey, watch it!" Redheart mewed. "I just got done grooming!" The huge white tom then was about to walk out. "Rockstar needs you, NOW!" then he walk out.
Both sisters then looked each other.
"I wonder what his problem is." Midnightpaw asked.
"He probably is just mad that a bunch of cats keep pestering him on where he got his scar above his eye." Splashpaw answered.
"Sometimes I wonder about him." Midnightpaw mewed. "Great StarClan I forgot about you paw, here let me get-"
"COME ON!" Redheart yowled.
"Coming!" Splashpaw was walking out "Sorry sis, duty calls. See ya!"
"But..." Splashpaw heard her sister sigh behind her. "Bye! Good luck! I'll be out there soon, promise!"
Splashpaw saw all the cats already lined up for her warrior ceremony "Whoops," she called "Sorry to keep you all waiting!"
"We've been waiting forever!" Redheart yelled. Splashpaw saw Fireblaze, Redheart's sister put her tail over his mouth.
"Shhh!" Fireblaze whispered.
"Splashpaw," Rockstar called. "Come."
Splashpaw did what Rockstar said and came to her.
"You fought courageously against DarkClan last night, and fought those foxes like a true warrior this morning." The Clan then cheered. "I think it's time to make you into a warrior." Rockstar cleared her throat. "I, Rockstar leader of RockClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Splashpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?
Splashpaw felt a little drip of water splash in her heart "I do." She answered.
"Then the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Splashpaw, from this moment on you'll be known as Splashheart. StarClan honors your courage and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RockClan. Rockstar then rested her muzzle on Splashheart's head. "Good job, my daughter."
Splashheart then stepped away from her mother. "Thank you."
"Splashheart! Splashheart!" the Clan yelled.
Splashheart was happy now that Midnightpaw didn't switch places with her this was the best thing ever! Even though Midnightpaw was in the very back Splashheart could hear her cheering clearly. She smiled.
"Oh, and I almost forgot," Rockstar cleared her throat again. "Since our old deputy, Tanglepelt was killed in last night's battle. I need to appoint a new one." The Clan paused and waited for Rockstar to appoint a new deputy. "I say these words before StarClan that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve my choice. The new deputy of RockClan is Redheart…
