This chapter involved probably one of the largest changes between this and the original version. The original one had a strange detour to SkyClan that was rather nonsensical even in context and introduced a bizarre supernatural element that was better off being cut out. There will be no StarClan given marks in this version, nor will there be any green-hued cats. We will get a glimpse at SkyClan later but it is under much different circumstances than the original.

TRIVIA: My original notes for this chapter indicate that it once involved a very terrible tree related pun. Part of me wishes I knew what that pun was while the other is thankful it was deleted.

Chapter 4: We Remain Grounded

The vigil for a fallen warrior is a solemn affair, and it left a mark on Echopaw and her siblings. The death of her parents had been bad, but at least she hadn't seen the bodies. Echopaw wasn't sure if she would have made it if she had seen them, if they were anything like Spottedfire's had been.

Echopaw hadn't been able to eat for almost a full week after it had happened, and the other apprentices had not been much better off. Pebblepaw had fallen completely silent during that time, Smokepaw got into a lot more arguments, and Hailpaw had woken up screaming several of those days.

She worried about how Oakleaf was doing, she hadn't left her den in all that time. Several times, either Kestrelflight or Typhoon went in, presumably to speak to her, but whatever happened stayed in there. She only left the den a few days after Echopaw managed to keep the first meal down. Her eyes were distant, her steps unsteady, yet she smiled the same to Echopaw and her siblings. It was rather unnerving.

"Come on Pinepaw," She had murmured, as in a daze "We have to finish your training."

Her friend followed shortly behind, ears pulled all the way back. "Come on Pebblepaw, we should go with them."

Echopaw had spoken to Hawkpaw that day as well, seeking comfort from the brown tabby. The medicine cat had been quiet as she recounted what had happened, face twisting in horror as Echopaw described the extent of Spottedfire's injuries. Nobody deserved that to happen to them, Hawkpaw thought, not even those that resided in the Dark Forest.

Darkstar had continued Echopaw's training without another word of the event on the Thunderpath. From the outside, he seemed to have gotten over the tragedy far too quickly, and Echopaw couldn't help but complain of his apparent callousness.

"Don't let him hear you say that about him…" Kestrelflight said with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.

"H-hey! Were you listening to me? Y-you were the one who told me about eavesdropping and- and…"

"Did I now? Hmm…"

"Kestrelflight!"

"I'll admit it- I'm a huge hypocrite. Now then, you think our leader isn't showing the proper emotions?"

"Yes! He doesn't seem the least bit upset that his orders caused Spottedfire to d..d.."

"You don't think he's bothered by it at all? I think you should look closer," Kestrelflight motioned with his tail to where Darkstar was sitting in the shade of the Tallrock, away from them. "You might notice…"

Echopaw stared at her mentor for a few moments, gasping when she noticed Darkstar's head drooping ever so slightly, tail lashing furiously. His entire body tense,

"Darkstar doesn't really have the freedom to 'be sad'; he has to be strong for the rest of the clan. I'm sorry you saw it as him being cold."

"Oh… I had no idea. I'm sorry."

"I don't think you need to apologize to me." Kestrelflight sat on his haunches and wrapped his tail around his paws. "Go on. I'll watch from here."

"Right now?"

"If you truly are sorry, I think you should make a greater effort to understand our leader's motivations. At the very least, even if you don't agree, you could perhaps sympathize with his position."

Echopaw looked between Kestrelflight and the leader. She wasn't exactly sure Darkstar would appreciate her going over there and disturbing him, but it was technically on the medicine cats' orders. In a situation like this, who held the higher authority? Echopaw took a breath in. Well, what was there to lose?

"Darkstar? Are you okay?"

The tom stiffened up upon hearing her voice and swiveled his head to stare at her. All signs of former weakness disappeared in that instant, every inch of him the unflappable leader of WindClan once more. "Hello, Echopaw. I'm doing well."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence. Echopaw was just about ready to turn tail and run, but Kestrelflight was still looking their way, and clearly expected a greater effort.

"Oh, that's good. Say, um… Why did you choose me as your apprentice?"

"No reason in particular."

"Really?"

Darkstar looked away a moment before he sighed, "I suppose you reminded me of my brother."

"Featherstar?! But you hate him!"

"Keep your voice down. I didn't mean it like that. While it's true my brother and I don't exactly get along," That was putting it lightly, Echopaw grimaced, "It doesn't mean everything about him is awful. I just wish…"

Darkstar cut himself off there. He then got up and walked away, leaving Echopaw more confused than before. She looked to Kestrelflight for guidance.

"I don't get it. He picked me because I remind him of his brother, who he may or may not hate as much as he says he does?"

"The relationship between Featherstar and Darkstar is… complicated. Now then, I have to get ready to go to the Moonpool tonight."

"Could you tell me if StarClan tells you anything?"

"I can't guarantee they'll say anything tonight, but I promise."

When Kestrelflight left, Echopaw was alone. It was scarcely past sunhigh and there was still several hours of daylight left, so Echopaw was left trying to figure out what she wanted to do. The border patrol had already left, and even though the freshkill pile seemed to be well-stocked, it never hurt to have a little extra, right?

It was warm out enough that the snow had started to melt; blades of grass sticking out through the white mush. Echopaw walked through the camp to head to the fields that were closer to the RiverClan borders, stopped only by the sound of someone calling her name.

Pinepaw bounded to her side, his brown fur stark against the snow. "You going hunting?"

"Yep!"

"Is it alright if I tag along? I got something I want to talk to you about."

The pair walked in silence for a long time, arriving at the hunting grounds before speaking another word. It almost seemed like Pinepaw had forgotten what he had wanted to talk about, at least until they stopped walking.

"I'm going to become a warrior soon. Tonight actually."

"Oh. Congratulations."

"You sound upset?"

"Is it that obvious?" Echopaw gave a strained laugh.

After the Thunderpath incident, there was a sense of solidarity between the apprentices that had witnessed the tragedy happen. At night, most of them couldn't sleep unless they were curled up to one another, and yet this would only separate them. Not only that, even the smaller things like hunting with one another or practicing their fighting would be viewed with scrutiny; it would reflect poorly on the new warriors if they continued to act like apprentices. She couldn't verbalize all that, and could only say,

"I won't be able to see you as much."

Pinepaw stared at the ground. "I hate to do this to you, and to Smokepaw and Hailpaw, but it's inevitable. Let's just look on the bright side; if you work hard, you'll catch up rather soon."

"Hey! You know I'm the better fighter!"

"Ah yes, but which of us was the one who took a moon and a half before she caught her first hare?"

"Well, we can't all be perfect." A glint settled in Echopaw's eye as she spotted a grand elm tree. "But I bet you can't climb that tree."

"Nonsense, I bet I am a better climber than any cat in SkyClan!"

"Prove it."

Pinepaw sauntered over to the base of the tree and unsheathed his claws. He shifted his weight from paw to paw and took a running leap at the trunk of the elm. His claws hooked into the bark, and he used his powerful back legs to propel himself upwards. He quickly came to a branch that seemed sturdy enough to support his weight and crawled out onto it. Pinepaw let out a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding and flashed a smirk to Echopaw on the ground.

"See? I told you so."

"I concede defeat; who even taught you how to do that?"

"Sorry, that's my little secret. Anyways I'm going to-"

Pinepaw was cut off by a cracking sound. There was little time to process what the noise was before he was plummeting to the ground. He let out a shriek. The branch splintered when it hit the ground, Pinepaw thrown off to the side. Echopaw raced over, heart pounding in her ears. Her body shook, why wasn't Pinepaw moving? Was she to blame for someone else's demise once more? She begged StarClan to spare him.

Pinepaw twitched a little before slowly getting to his paws. "Owww…."

"Don't scare me like that! I thought I lost you!"

"Oh come on, you can't get rid of me that easily." He winced as he put pressure on his left foreleg, "Stings…"

"You're lucky that's the only thing you hurt!" Echopaw went to his side and pressed against him to take some of the weight off his paw. "We're going back to camp. Hunting trip's over."

"Aww, we didn't catch anything though!"

Pinepaw seemed to be taking it all in great strides, laughing even in the face of his own pain. "Come on Echoes, you gotta admit it's a little funny. Of all ways to go, I think falling off a tree is pretty humorous."

"It's not to me!"

"I'm sorry to worry you, but I'm okay. That's the important thing, right?" He nuzzled her side. Echopaw couldn't be angry at him for long and gave him a soft smile.

"You're right."

The duo took their time getting back to camp, not wanting to aggravate Pinepaw's injury by moving too quickly, and immediately went to Kestrelflight for treatment. The medicine cat complained about being delayed in leaving to his meeting but treated him all the same. Thankfully, Kestrelflight said Pinepaw's leg was merely sprained and not broken, and recommended he keep weight off it for a while. After that it was time for the ceremony.

Echopaw noticed Typhoon whispering something into Darkstar's ear and they both starting laughing aloud. She wondered what was so funny, unsure of whether she had ever heard Darkstar laugh before. At the very least, he seemed to be in a better mood than earlier.

"Everyone meet under the Tallrock for a clan meeting!" Once the cats of WindClan were gathered, he continued with the next part of the ceremony. "Typhoon, are you satisfied that this apprentice is ready to become a warrior?"

"I am."

"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Pepplepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code?"

"I do!"

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Pepplepaw you shall be known as Pepplefoot. WindClan welcomes you as a warrior. Oakleaf, are you satisfied that your apprentice is ready to become a warrior?"

"Yes."

"Yes…" Oakleaf answered

"I, Darkstar of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand your noble code and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Pinepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code even at the cost of your own life?"

"I promise!"

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name." Darkstar broke off to avoid bursting into laughter. "Pinepaw you shall be known as Pinefall. WindClan welcomes you as a warrior."

Pinefall had a look of bewilderment on his face as the cheers of the clan rang out. Echopaw couldn't help her chuckles.

"I guess you are right: it was funny!"