Warriors: The Darkest Season
CHAPTER FIVE
Merrypaw sat hunched over the body of her brother, at a loss for words. Why would any cat want to kill a sweet and kind apprentice like Smallpaw?
Suddenly, she heard a groan from below. Opening her eyes with surprise, she looked down. Her brother's flank rose slowly, and he groaned again. Behind her, Lionpaw breathed, "He's alive!"
"Just barely," corrected Yellowtail. "We should get him back to camp – quickly."
Merrypaw nodded. She and Lionpaw carefully lifted Smallpaw's front paws onto their shoulders, while Yellowtail and Frostpool did the same with his hind legs. The four of them silently wriggled their way through the bramble tunnel, careful not to drop the black apprentice as they entered camp. Once safely within, they gently laid Smallpaw on the ground. "Larkleaf?" called Yellowtail.
"She's still gathering herbs," called back Thornpaw, bounding forward to meet the patrol. "What's the matter – oh no!" she gasped, forcing herself to a halt as she saw the injured apprentice.
"He's still alive," Lionpaw mewed. "But without Larkleaf around… how long can he last?"
Yellowtail looked down at Smallpaw, a hint of concern in her yellow eyes. "Not long," she replied gravely. "I'll go get Stripedstar." The fluffy white she-cat hurried off towards Stripedstar's den, while more warriors were coming out to see what was wrong.
"Oh, Smallpaw!"
Birdsong came flying across the hollow, finally stopping to bury her nose into her dying son's fur. Merrypaw watched in aguish as her mother began to lick Smallpaw's bloodied black fur, as if he were a kit who had fallen into a mud puddle.
Badgerfur padded up behind her, deep sorrow shining in his eyes. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, touching Birdsong's tail with his flank. These words confused Merrypaw. Even if Badgerfur and Birdsong had stopped being mates, Smallpaw was Badgerfur's son, too. "I'm sorry" were words used to console a Clanmate, not words to say when your own kit was dying.
At that moment, Yellowtail came back with Stripedstar. "Larkleaf still isn't back," she was explaining, "and I don't think he'll make it. I was wondering... if you would perform the ancient ceremony?"
"Ancient ceremony?" asked Merrypaw, looking up in confusion and pricking her ears with curiosity. What ceremony was the deputy talking about?
Beside Merrypaw, both Thornpaw and Lionpaw looked up with interest as well. "What ceremony are you talking about?" inquired Thornpaw, sounding quite puzzled.
"Yellowtail is my mentor, and she never told me about any secret ceremonies," put in Lionpaw.
"It is a rarely used ceremony, because it so seldom needed," explained Stripedstar. "However, it is used to give a dying apprentice his warrior name as he ascends into StarClan."
Deep despair pierced into Merrypaw's every bone. So that was it, then. Smallpaw was going to die.
Suddenly, the brown apprentice noticed something very peculiar, so strange that it almost made her forget her sadness. Out of the corner of his eye, her father was glaring at her with obvious hostility. Merrypaw's eyes widened in astonishment. Badgerfur couldn't think that she was responsible for this… could he?
"I'd like to wait until everyone is back in camp, however," Stripedstar was saying; Merrypaw turned her attention back to the tabby leader. "Rushpelt and Stonewing are hunting, and Larkleaf is gathering herbs."
At just that moment, Larkleaf emerged from the bramble tunnel, her jaws filled with herbs. When she saw what was happening, the golden-and-white medicine cat immediately dropped the herbs and rushed towards her Clanmates. "What happened?" she demanded. Frostpool turned to her and quietly began to explain what the patrol had seen.
"Is there anything you can do to save him?" Merrypaw begged. "Anything?"
Larkleaf shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid that Stripedstar is right – Smallpaw will be joining StarClan tonight."
Birdsong let out an anguished yowl, and Merrypaw was filled with sadness. Never again could she play with her brother, never again could she try to outdo him.
The elders had joined the crowd at this point, and Brookheart was watching from the nursery. "I'm going to miss that Smallpaw," Stormtail meowed sorrowfully. "I was planning on telling him the story of how I got my crooked tail, but I guess I'll have to wait until I join StarClan now."
There was a rustling in the brambles, and Stonewing and Rushpelt returned, each holding a frog and Rushpelt holding a squirrel that must have run over the ThunderClan border. As soon as they'd deposited their fresh-kill and were told what was going on, Stripedstar announced for every cat to come to the Speakrock. Merrypaw, Badgerfur, Songbird, and Thornpaw lifted Smallpaw, who groaned quietly, and helped each other to carry him until they reached the Speakrock's base, where they gently set him down. The movement of his flanks was much smaller, and he no longer made any sort of noise.
Once every cat but Brookheart, who did not want her kits to see the ceremony, had gathered at the Speakrock, Stripedstar leaped to the top and cleared his throat. Once again, there was no need for him to yowl; every cat was already at attention.
"I ask my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice," the huge tabby tom began, and Merrypaw had to choke back another yowl of despair. "He has learned the warrior code, and has given up his life in service to his Clan. Let StarClan receive him as a warrior."
Merrypaw was horrified and afraid. What if Smallpaw died before the ceremony had finished? Would it be too late to give him his warrior name?
"He will be known as Smallsun," Stripedstar concluded. "Although he was tiny, his brightness was visible to all, and his warmth spread into each of our hearts." As he drew the ceremony to a close, the ShadowClan leader bowed his head in grief.
Looking at her brother, Merrypaw could see that Smallsun was not quite dead yet, but that he would be soon. Her sadness was nearly overflowing now. What had Smallsun done to deserve this?
There was a moment of silence; no cat dared chant the dying warrior's new name. Finally, Yellowtail called to Stripedstar, "I was planning to give Lionpaw his assessment tomorrow, if you agreed that he was ready," she explained. "But now that… this has happened, I suppose that it's a bad time."
Stripedstar nodded. "I agree," he replied. "Lionpaw is ready to be made a warrior, but it's just too dangerous to give assessments outside of camp at the moment – I'm sure you can all see why. Therefore, there will be no more assessments until the murderer is captured."
"Or dies of old age," Merrypaw heard Smolderfur muttering. The grey tom was usually so silent that she had never really realized how cynical he could be.
"It is true, however," continued Stripedstar, "that Lionpaw is ready, and I don't want to deny him a ceremony. Therefore, we'll just have to trust our judgment for the time being – mentors, if you believe your apprentices are ready, I'll just have to trust that they're ready. Yellowtail, Lionpaw, please come forward."
Lionpaw brushed past Merrypaw as he bounded towards the Speakrock, following after his mentor as she did the same. They both climbed to the top to stand beside Stripedstar, who began another warrior ceremony – a normal one this time.
"Yellowtail," he mewed. "Are you satisfied that your apprentice is ready to become a full warrior of ShadowClan?"
"Of course," replied the deputy coolly. "He is one of the cleverest and most loyal cats in all of the forest."
Stripedstar nodded towards her, then turned to face the rest of the Clan. "I, Stripedstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn."
Turning to face Lionpaw, the leader continued, "Lionpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and serve this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do," Lionpaw replied, betraying no excitement whatsoever, only a serious determination.
"Then by the power of StarClan I give you your warrior name." Despite the circumstances, Merrypaw couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement. What would Lionpaw's warrior name be like? It had to be something that reflected his bravery and loyalty to ShadowClan.
"Lionpaw," mewed Stripedstar. "From this moment, you shall be known as Lionblood. Your courage is unmatched, and you would defend ShadowClan with your life – it's as if the blood of a lion flows in your veins." Lionblood looked pleased with this explanation of his new name. "StarClan honors your courage and your loyalty, and we welcome you as a full member of ShadowClan."
"Lionblood! Lionblood!" chanted the new warrior's Clanmates. Merrypaw even heard Brookheart chanting from the nursery, and wondered if her kits realized that their "big brother" was now a warrior.
"You will keep a silent vigil tonight," Stripedstar mewed to Lionblood. "As for Smallsun…" he added, looking down at the base of the Speakrock, where the now unmoving body of Merrypaw's brother lay.
Wordlessly, Stormtail and Lightstorm arose and padded towards the rock.. Merrypaw knew that they were about to bury her brother, and a mixture of sadness and anger began to burn in her chest, like nothing she'd ever felt before. Between Badgerfur's suspicious glares and what had happened to Smallsun, it seemed that her entire life had changed in only a day.
She had to find the killer, and fast. Whoever they were, they'd just made it personal.
