Warning: This chapter is rushed and seems very random.
The Dawn of Dusk
Book One
Chapter 4
Within Emberpaw's dream
Emberpaw stood on a moor deep in the heart of WindClan. It was misty and dark, even through the full moon that shone with a radiance that surpassed anything he had ever imagined. On a tall rock stood a large cat silhouetted against the moon light. "Tonight," the cat proclaimed. "We strike!" Mist rolled in. The cat and the rest of his follows were covered by it and a cloud eclipsed the full moon.
Exit Dream
Emberpaw awoke before the sun rose. He crept quietly into the clearing and watched the remains of the crescent moon dwindle into nothing.
He felt eyes glaring at him and turned to face Cedarpaw, who had been watching him the whole time. "Hey, something bothering you?" he asked.
"I'm fine, thanks for asking, just couldn't sleep Why are you up so early?." Cedarpaw nodded his head and sat beside his friend. Emberpaw could tell he wanted the whole story and was waiting patiently for it. Whitepaw walked passed.
"Hey, Ember, what's wrong?" she asked. Cedarpaw was staring at her like he always did. Emberpaw was always teasing him about loving her.
"Nothing," the blazing orange tom then turned to Cedarpaw. "Why don't you two go hunting or something?" They didn't need anymore encouragement and started out of the camp. Then, Littlestar appeared.
"Have you two not slept? Cedarpaw, you're going to need some sleep for your vigil tonight." Cedarpaw literally leapt from his place.
"Really?" he asked, his voice overflowing with excitement.
"Yes, you, Goldenpaw, and Whitepaw." Littlestar replied.
"Congratulations, Cedar," Emberpaw said. Whitepaw purred and licked Cedarpaw on the ear.
"Thanks, I can't wait! I hope I get a cool warrior name."
The sun was almost up and now the camp was full of activity. Rosepetal and the other elders were telling stories to Lilykit, Robinkit, and Maplekit. Littlestar and Tigerstripe were talking at the foot of the high rock. Cedarpaw and the rest of the apprentices had taken the day off to rest for that night. Brindlefoot and Blackshard had already brought in a rabbit and two thrushes. Emberpaw was sitting in the medicine cat's den, making sure they were well stocked with all the right herbs, and then, a random thought graced his mind.
"Cloverbreeze, have you ever wanted to be a regular warrior?" Cloverbreeze turned around and shifted her weight to her bad hip.
"When I was young. But now, I have figured that this is the only path for me." Emberpaw's eyes focused on her hip. Cloverbreeze was older than Rosepetal, and he had never asked how she got that injury. He almost had once, but she seemed sensitive on the subject.
"How did it happen?" He finally plucked up the courage to ask. She didn't give him the harsh answer he expected.
"I can hardy remember it was so long ago, come to speak of it, I can hardly remember anything about my past anymore..." she finished softly. She turned back to him, and her eyes brightened, like she had just seen him in a new light. A smile spread across her lips. "I think we're low on cat mint, can you get me some?" Emberpaw turned to exit the cave, and the cream colored medicine cat headed towards Littlestar's den.
Emberpaw, of course, didn't head straight for the old twoleg nest. He rounded the WindClan boarder and headed for the Tiger Mouth with a thrush in his teeth.
"Dovepaw?" He entered the den and looked around at the dreary interior for Dovepaw, but to his surprise, she was gone. "Oh no...she isn't well enough to leave, she'll reopen her wounds and will loose so much blood she wouldn't even make it to WindClan!" He found a trail of blood, though it didn't lead to WindClan, but down the border line to RiverClan.
He followed the scent trail as far as he could, but he never had been a good tracker, he needed Cedarpaw.
He raced though the undergrowth back to camp. "Ow!" he exclaimed, stopping to pull a thorn from his paw pad. His cry echoed though the hilly moors and the grass rustled. "Over here!" a she-cat, who smelled of WindClan, yelled.
"Coming," a gruff voice answered. "This better be her." The heather parted to reveal a large black tom with a white stripe down his back as well as a small white she-cat.
"Oh, it's just a ThunderClanner." The she cat said. She turned to leave, but Emberpaw stopped her.
"What do you want in ThunderClan territory?" he demanded. She opened her mouth to answer, but the large tom stopped her.
"That's classified. Tell Littlestar that Badgerstripe said hello." His voice held no emoticon. He didn't seem to care that he had just violated warrior code, but the little white warrior seemed very nervous. Emberpaw hissed at the larger warrior, but Badgerstripe paid him to mind and lopped back to WindClan.
His fury at Badgerstripe had distracted him from the mission at hand. He worked his way back down the border till he hit RiverClan, where the scent ended. He knew that she had tried to swim, but did he darn cross into another Clan's territory, the very thing that he had just hissed at others for? "She's as good as dead." He said sadly. "She couldn't swim strong enough to cross this." He looked into the lake, thinking that somewhere was the body of a fallen apprentice he couldn't save.
*********
He arrived back at ThunderClan, his mouth full of herbs and his heart filled with grief. Cloverbreeze took them from him, seeming happier than he had ever seen her. "What happened to make you so happy?" She acted as if she didn't hear him.
"Where have you been? It's almost sun down." He thought up a hasty excuse.
"All that cat mint at the twoleg nest was bad, so I found some more."
"Where?" Great, I have to lie again...
"By RiverClan." She nodded her head and returned to work, humming to herself as she went. Emberpaw slowly dosed off in the ferns, and as he slept, was haunted by nightmares.
********
"Wake up!" Cedarpaw was standing over him, nudging his with his paw. Emberpaw shot up to his feet and looked about for danger. "It's moon high, come on!" For almost being a warrior, Cedarpaw had the enthusiasm of a three moon old kit. Emberpaw followed him out into the clearing. The whole clan had gathered around Littlestar and made way when Cedarpaw, Goldenpaw, and Whitepaw walked though. Littlestar's eyes gleamed with amusement.
"Cedarpaw, will you please step forwards." Cedarpaw's mother gave him a quick lick to smooth his fur and his mentor, Blackshard, led him to the front. Blackshard had never looked more proud of his young student.
"I, Littlestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to master the warrior code and had become possibly that best tracker that ThunderClan has even seen, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Cedarpaw, do you promise to uphold warrior code, even at the cost of your life and to live by it, and defend it with all you strength?"
"I do." He said clearly and surely.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Cedarpaw, you now will become Cedarstrike. ThunderClan honors you strength, valor, and loyalty to all that is right, and we would like to welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan!" Littlestar's voice rang out throughout the hallow as he jumped from the rock and rested his muzzle on Cedarstrike's shoulder. The camp came alive with cheers.
"Cedarstrike, Cedarstrike, Cedarstrike!"
********
Cedarstrike and the newly named warriors Goldeneyes and Whitespots stood in the clearing silently. Emberpaw sat outside the medicine cat den and watched them for a moment. Moon light reflected off of the three's faces, each shinning with a different emotion. Cedarstrike with determination, Goldeneyes with pride, and Whitespots with nervous excitement. Emberpaw walked quietly up to Cedarstrike and Whitespots.
"Congratulations you two," he whispered. Cedarstrike nodded energetically and Whitespots smiled. Cedarstrike glanced nervously at her. He was going to tell her about his feeling after their vivil was over. Or so he had told Emberpaw. "And good luck," Emberpaw added more softly. He waved his tail to Goldeneyes, but as always, he ignored him.
Back at the medicine cat den, he fell into a light cat nap.
*******
He awoke with Cedarstrike standing over him. "Help, we need a medicine cat! Its Whitespots!" Emberpaw didn't asked questions, he just grabbed some herbs and followed Cedarstrike to where the little black and white she cat was lying.
It looked like someone had tried to deliver a killing bite to the back of her neck, but missed her spine. They didn't bother to finish her off; they just left her to bleed out. Cloverbreeze rushed around the corner but didn't do anything; she just stood and watched her apprentice work.
He placed a large amount of cobwebs of Whitespot's wound and applied pressure. The life was bleeding out of the newly named warrior, and there was nothing to do. This random murder wasn't the work of an animal, but a cat with rouge scent.
Hours later, Whitespots died, along with the secrets of her murder.