"All those old enough to catch their own prey, please gather around highrock for a clan meeting." Mintstar shouted.
I grumbled and got out of my nest. Three moons had passed since Lionfire's death, and I have distanced myself from the other cats. I promised my sister I wouldn't let anything get in the way of becoming the best warrior ever. Making friends with the other cats can be a distraction. I made my way out of the den and sat down looking up at Minstar.
"Two apprentices have passed their assessments today and are ready to be made warriors. Badgerpaw, please step forward."
Badgerpaw puffed out his chest and stepped forward. "Badgerpaw, do promise to uphold the warrior code and protect the clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do."
"Then I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice as I call him by his warrior name, Badgerclaw. Starclan honors your bravery and strength. Now Ripplepaw step forward. Do you prmise to uphold the warrior code and protect the clan with your life if needed?"
"I-I will." Ripplepaw seemed embarrassed by all the eyes that were watching him.
"Then I call upon my warrior ancestors as I call you by your warrior name, Ripplewave. Starclan honors you agility and wisdom."
"Badgerclaw, Ripplewave, Badgerclaw, Ripplewave!" Their names were shouted throughout camp.
The two new warriors jumped down and padded over to the fresh kill pile for something to eat before their silent vigil. Badgerclaw came over to me with two pieces of prey and dropped one at my paws. "You want to eat together?" He asked.
"Uh… sure I guess." I was shocked by his question seeing as he never really liked me. "So you're a warrior now? How did you think your assessment went?"
"Well like Ripplewave, we both thought we failed. I had caught two squirrels and a starling for my hunting assessment, while he caught a mouse and a vole. When Breezehowl was still an apprentice, he told me you had to catch twenty pieces of prey. Twenty! I thought I would never be a warrior if that's how much you had to catch."
I chuckled a little. "If you tried to catch twenty pieces of prey, you would still be trying when I was an elder!"
"And what about you!? You would catch your first when I become leader." He purred.
"That's what you think! Just wait; I'll be leader before your first apprentice is made a warrior."
We laughed before Ripplewave came up to Badgerclaw. "It's time we start our vigil."
Badgerclaw said bye to me before he padded off with Ripplewave to the entrance of camp. I walked to the apprentices den and plopped down in my nest. It was lonely without any other apprentices. And Badgerclaw. Oh Lionfire! I'm sorry that I let him distract me! But what am I to do! The is the exact thing I wanted NOT to happen. I sighed. Maybe one friend wouldn't be bad. Lionfire would want me to be happy right? I dozed off to sleep with this happy feeling and wanting to be a warrior as soon as possible.