Chapter 4
The cold light of morning filtered into the apprentices den, casting a white glow into the nests. Arching her back in a long stretch, Lilypaw yawned. She had never slept that good in two moons, since Olivepaw's coldness towards her never seemed to ease. Yet finally, she forgave her, a bit begrudgingly, but forgiveness is forgiveness, right? Lilypaw decided she would ask Olivepaw to go hunting with her when she woke. Silverstorm was having Flametail's kits, so she couldn't train Lilypaw. Instead, Stormheart, who had no apprentice since the death of Brightpaw, took over Lilypaw's training. Lilypaw asked Stormheart if she could go hunting with Olivepaw later, and Stormheart had agreed, since Flametail was on sun-high patrol. Lilypaw woke Olivepaw, getting impatient with her laziness. "Wha…?" Olivepaw muttered, rolling onto her back as Lilypaw butted her shoulder. "We're going hunting, lazy bones!" Lilypaw hissed, her tail twitching irritably. "Ok, ok, I'm up!" Olivepaw groaned, as though just the thought of getting up hurt. Lilypaw rolled her eyes. "Really?" she snorted. Olivepaw got to her paws. "Sorry…" Cloverpaw, one of the newest apprentices from Dovewing and Bumblestripe's litter, stirred in her nest. "What's all the racket about?" she mumbled, her pale brown tail twitching irritably. "Lazybones here wouldn't get up," Lilypaw explained. "Hey!" Olivepaw protested. "I'm not lazy!" she swatted Lilypaw's ear. "Ok let's go hunting now…" Lilypaw muttered. Olivepaw's ears perked and her tail stuck straight out at that. "I love hunting!" she exclaimed. "Glad you're finally awake," Lilypaw laughed. Olivepaw ran out of the apprentices den, her black tail flowing behind her. Lilypaw chased after her. "Wait up!" she called, her paws throwing up puffs of dust and dirt. Olivepaw slowed down so Lilypaw could catch up. Lilypaw lifted her muzzle to scent the air. "Mouse… and a hint of vole," Lilypaw declared. "I'll get the mouse," Olivepaw mewed, padding away towards the scent. Lilypaw shrugged and followed the vole scent. Suddenly, she stopped dead. "Olivepaw?" she called, beginning to panic. The scent of fox and badger had covered the scents of vole. "Olivepaw!" she called again. Moments later, Olivepaw appeared with the mouse dangling from her jaws. "What? I heard you calling, so I came over." Olivepaw meowed impatiently. "Sniff the air…" Lilypaw murmured. Two low growls sounded the air. "Run!" Lilypaw cried. "There's no time!" Olivepaw protested. "Oh yes there is! We can't face them alone!" Lilypaw hissed, her fur bristling with terror. "We have to! If we defeat them, we might just earn our warrior names!" Olivepaw hissed back. "And what if we don't defeat them?" Lilypaw shot back. "Well then we're doomed." Olivepaw meowed. Before Lilypaw could reply, a loud roar broke the air. Lilypaw turned, but she was too late. She felt massive paws slam into her foreleg, and blackness clouded her eyes before she could even feel the pain.
"Lilypaw, Lilypaw!" a paw nudged her. Lilypaw opened her eyes and winced as she moved her foreleg. Suddenly she remembered everything; the badger and fox scent, the slam of strong paws into her leg. "Is Olivepaw ok?" she gasped through the throbbing pain of her leg. "I'm fine," a relieved voice answered. Lilypaw looked up to see Olivepaw, her mother, Cinderheart, Lionblaze, Cloverpaw, Cheetahpaw, another of Dovewing and Bumblestripe's litter, and the medicine cat Jayfeather looking down at her. Jayfeather sighed. "Finally, you're awake." He turned to the others. "I need space to heal her leg, go worry outside, will you?" he snapped. Lilypaw wasn't surprised, Jayfeather was known for his short temper and constant irritableness. Leafpool came in with some wet moss a moment later. Leafpool was the elderly brown tabby she-cat. She had fallen in love with the WindClan Crowstar (Crowfeather for those who haven't guessed already :P), which was now the WindClan leader. She had had his kits, Lionblaze, Jayfeather, and Hollyleaf, who Lilypaw had only ever heard about in stories. Leafpool was also the sister of the ThunderClan leader, Squirrelstar, and even though Leafpool's past was warrior-code-breaking, they still were closer than the hairs on a voles pelt. Leafpool dropped the moss next to Lilypaw, who lapped at it gratefully. Jayfeather muttered, "This might hurt a bit…" and before Lilypaw knew what was happening, she felt a painful snap in her leg. Her leg felt normal now, and the throbbing from earlier was easing. Lilypaw was just glad that she hadn't ended up like Briarlight, a senior warrior, who had lost the use of her hind-legs. "You can go see your friends," Leafpool mewed gently, gesturing to an anxious Cinderheart, who was pacing back and forth. Cinderheart stopped when she saw Lilypaw, and covered her ears with licks. Lilypaw pulled away and rubbed the tips of her ears. "I'm not a kit anymore," she exclaimed indignantly. Olivepaw practically tackled her and hissed, "You scared me to death!" Lilypaw pushed her off. Cheetahpaw came next, and murmured, "Me and Cloverpaw thought you were dead!" Now it was Lionblaze's turn. "Don't you ever do that again, you could've been killed," Lilypaw rolled her eyes. "Someone refused to get Squirrelstar to come." She complained, looking pointedly at Olivepaw. "Uh… sorry," Olivepaw apologized. "May all cat's old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Squirrelstar's yowl interrupted their talk. Lilypaw scurried to Highledge and sat next to Olivepaw and Cheetahpaw. "Today we are here to witness the ceremony of the naming of two new warriors." She began. "Olivepaw, Lilypaw, come here." Lilypaw, startled, got to her paws slowly, then padded over to Squirrelstar with Olivepaw. "You two were very brave to face a badger and a fox, which thanks to Blossomfall, Lionblaze, Amberflower and Foxleap were chased away, even though I would have recommended for you to come get a few warriors, instead of risked injuries-or worse, death, but anyway, since you were so brave I don't think there will be any other time more fitting than now to give you your warrior names. Olivepaw, with the powers of StarClan, I give you you're warrior name. From this day on, you will be known as Oliveheart. We honor you're bravery and courage." Squirrelstar touched her nose to Oliveheart's head, and Oliveheart licked her shoulder in return. "Lilypaw, with the powers of StarClan, I give you you're warrior name. From this day on, you will be known as Lilybreeze. We honor you're bravery and loyalty." Squirrelstar touched Lilybreeze's forehead, and Lilybreeze, copying Oliveheart, licked her shoulder. "Oliveheart, Lilybreeze!" cheers erupted from the Clan watching below. Cinderheart looked both surprised and happy, and leaned against Lionblaze, who had his chest puffed out in pride. Cheetahpaw and Cloverpaw watched enviously, yet still cheered their names happily. After the ceremony, Lilybreeze and Oliveheart padded into the warriors den, hoping for a nap before their vigil. "We made you're nests over here," Frostflight, a senior warrior, mewed, waving her tail towards two fluffy looking moss beds near the edge of the den. Lilybreeze yawned and curled up in the soft moss. "Sleep well, Oliveheart," she mewed, relishing the feeling of using her sister's warrior name. "You too, Lilybreeze," Oliveheart replied sleepily. If only Brightpaw were here too… Lilybreeze thought silently, wondering what her name would've been.
Lilybreeze woke to paws ndging her flank. "Get up! It's time for our vigil," Oliveheart hissed in her ear. "I'm up, I'm up," Lilybreeze groaned, getting to her paws groggily. Stormheart and Flametail led them outside. "Just sit and don't talk the whole night, and that's pretty much all you need to know." Flametail told them. And so they sat… and sat… and sat…
Yay! That was my longest chapter yet! Anyway, review is luv!