Two moons had passed since Scooterpaw had joined ThistleClan. His mentor, Brownrock, was teaching him well, despite the fear and anger that had passed between the two. Scooterpaw had grown quite fond of his mentor.
"Scooterpaw! Stop daydreaming and get a move on!" Brownrock yelled. Scooterpaw shook his head, and suddenly remembered that they were on a hunting patrol.
"Sorry, Brownrock." Scooterpaw mumbled. He parted his jaws to see if there was any prey nearby. Scooterpaw caught the faint scent of a plump, juicy vole. His paws prickled with excitement as he stalked carefully along the soft, forest scented grass. Scooterpaw spotted the brown vole a few mouse-lengths away. He crept forward softly until he was a tail-length away, and he pounced on the vole. It let out a shriek of surprise as Scooterpaw nipped its neck, and it fell still under his jaws. He picked up the vole happily and walked back towards the clearing where Brownrock was standing. His mentors eyes lit up in surprise.
"You found vole!" Brownrock licked his lips. "Great catch!"
Scooterpaw's pelt felt hot from the praise of his mentor. Brownrock wasn't usually this happy.
"Is something on your mind, Brownrock?" Scooterpaw asked curiously. Brownrock looked back at him in surprise.
"What have you heard?" Scooterpaw noticed that his pelt was prickling in shock.
"I haven't heard anything. You just seem happier than usual."
"Starpelt is expecting my kits!" Brownrock purred. Scooterpaw's jaw dropped in shock. He hadn't expected the cranky warrior to find a mate. Brownrock lowered his voice carefully.
"Your warrior assessment is tomorrow. Think about Silverfoot." He murmured. "I want you and my sister to be together just as much as I do."
Scooterpaw had only recently found out that Silverfoot and Brownrock were kin. It had shocked him, but after studying both cats carefully, he noticed that they both had the same muscular shoulders and bright blue eyes.
"Scooterpaw!" A familiar mew was calling for him. He turned around, and came face to face with Starpaw. Her gaze was lined with happiness.
"What is it, Starpaw?" Scooterpaw asked.
"It's my warrior ceremony! Come on!" Starpaw purred, taking his tail in her jaws. Scooterpaw left out a yelp.
"Hey, that's my tail in your mouth!" He snapped. Starpaw let go of his tail.
"Sorry." She mumbled.
"It's fine. Just let me go get my vole." Scooterpaw meowed, and turned to the plump vole behind him. He grasped it in his jaws carefully. Starpaw was already half-way to camp.
"Starpaw! You rotten little she-cat!" Scooterpaw called teasingly, and hared after her. Starpaw looked back in surprise as Scooterpaw barreled into her.
"Ow! You huge lump of fur, get off of me!" Starpaw mewled, pushing up with her paws into Scooterpaw's stomach.
"That's my stomach!" Scooterpaw mewed, and realized after the words had left his mouth it had sounded stupid.
"No, I thought it was your face." Starpaw purred with amusement. She twined her tail with his and purred. Scooterpaw felt a shock of surprise, and seen the warmth in her gaze.
"Starpaw…" Scooterpaw started. But the look in Starpaw's eyes gave Scooterpaw a weird feeling of longing. He couldn't believe he felt this way about a different she-cat than Silverfoot!
"Come on, let's go." Starpaw meowed, letting her tail leave his. The two apprentices walked side by side, pelts brushing, back to the camp. As soon as they entered the hollow log, a startled shriek broke the silence of the clearing. Scooterpaw bristled and shoved Starpaw out of the way. His eyes widened as he seen multiple SeaClan cats crowding the clearing.
"What in the name of StarClan is going on here?" Scooterpaw snapped.
"We have a few… visitors." Burrvine meowed, weaving through the crowd to stand by his son. Streamstrike wasn't far behind him.
A sharp yowl sounded at the base of the CrownRock. Scooterpaw focused his attention towards the front, where Starpaw and Sandpaw were standing. Swiftstar was sitting on the base of the CrownRock.
"Starpaw, please step forward." Swiftstar mewed. Starpaw walked forward until she was standing a tail-length away from Swiftstar.
"Ancestors of StarClan, I present to you Starpaw. She has trained harder than any other apprentice," Swiftstar shot an apologetic look to Scooterpaw. "Starpaw. Are you prepared to become a warrior, and protect the warrior code and your Clan with your life?" Swiftstar asked.
"I do." Starpaw's voice shook with excitement.
"Then from this day forward, you shall be known as Starstream."
Swiftstar gave the same speech to Sandpaw, who then became Sandfang.
"Starstream! Sandfang! Starstream! Sandfang!" The cats in the clearing called. Scooterpaw's voice rang above every cat's—he felt proud of Starstream for completing her apprentice duties so well.
"Scooterpaw!" Starstream was running towards him. "I did it! I'm a warrior!"
Scooterpaw's pelt felt hot as he felt the whole Clan's gaze shift to him and Starstream.
"Scooterpaw?" A shocked voice sounded at the base of the crowd. Silverfoot emerged from the huddle of cats. Her ears were flat on her head, and her eyes were filled with anger and hurt.
"I thought…" Silverfoot meowed.
Starstream moved away from Scooterpaw's side, embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Silverfoot. Are you two mates?" She asked self-consciously.
"No, we're not." Scooterpaw answered for her. He turned to face Silverfoot. "I'm sorry. But I don't think that we belong together, Silverfoot. Please forgive me." He meowed. Silverfoot's gaze clouded.
"You aren't sorry. You promised me. You told me to wait for you, Scooterpaw, and I did!" Silverfoot snapped. Scooterpaw flattened his ears.
"I said that I was sorry. Isn't that enough?" Scooterpaw snapped back. He was beginning to get angry with Silverfoot for being so ignorant!
"No, it's not enough! It's never enough!" Silverfoot lashed her tail, and stalked through the crowd of shocked cats. Starstream pressed against Scooterpaw's flank. Scooterpaw was glad to have someone to be close to. He leaned into her shoulder, breathing in her sweet scent.
"Scooterpaw," Starstream whispered into Scooterpaw's ear. "Will you be my mate?"
Scooterpaw met her gaze evenly and whispered back, "Of course I will, Starstream."