Chapter 5

"No Batpaw, your posture is wrong," mewed Moonpelt, her voice commanding and orderly. "Your back needs to be curved and tail down.

Batpaw sighed in annoyance. She had never known that there were so many rules in fighting. She had thought that you just bit and scratched and prayed real hard that you might win, or possibly that your opponent might surrender, before you killed yourself. It had never occurred to her that there were actual positions and movements that you had to do correctly before you were any good.

Batpaw arched her back and let her tail drop to the ground. "Good, now pounce and I want you to turn around at the last second like I did."

Batpaw nodded and for a second her mind flashed to her mother. She had been an amazing fighter, and Batpaw had seen her drive off many dogs before, sending them away bleeding and limping. She had started to train Batpaw in fighting, but that had stopped when... Batpaw angrily pushed the thought out of her mind, as grief swept through her. No! She couldn't think of that now, she had a new life! She was a new cat in a new place with a new name!

Batpaw once more focused on the circle that was scratched in the dirt, giving it her full concentration. She leaned forward, pouncing and she tried, she really did, but when she turned, she tripped and landed in the dirt, coming up sputtering.

"Try again and then we'll go see Lynxpaw's warrior ceremony," Moonpelt mewed patiently, having seen all of this before when she had trained Addertooth.

"He's going to become a warrior!" Batpaw gasped, her mind flashing to the sandy brown tom, whom she had met yesterday.

Moonpelt nodded. "He is our oldest apprentice, very skillful in hunting. Now try again."

"All right," Batpaw agreed, wanting to watch Lynxpaw's warrior ceremony. She pounced and twisted, this time landing squarely on the circle that Moonpelt had scratched in the dirt for her to practice on, staggering a little and making a loud thud as she landed.

"Was that okay," she asked hopefully. "Did I do it right?"

"That was very good," praised Moonpelt, smiling. Batpaw felt pleasure and pride until it all slipped away when Moonpelt said, "Try it on more time."

"Do I have to?" questioned Batpaw, her voice tinged with a whine.

Moonpelt sighed. "I suppose not," she mewed. "We might as well go back to the camp for Lynxpaw's warrior ceremony. We don't want to be late."

They entered the camp just as Duskstar was calling the clan from the high rock. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting."

Batpaw's eyes sifted through the cats, trying to pick out Tansypaw among the clan. She was sure to be here! When Batpaw found her she bounded over and sat down beside her with Starpaw.

Lynxpaw, and Blizzardtail, whom she supposed was Lynxpaw's mentor, sat beneath the Highrock. Lynxpaw's eyes gleamed with pride and excitement, and his brown fur was freshly groomed.

"Isn't he handsome?" murmured Starpaw, her eyes wide and woozy.

Tansypaw giggled and rolled her eyes at Batpaw, who just shrugged and fixed her attention on Duskstar, who was looking almost as excited as the mentor and apprentice.

He sprang down from the Highrock, to land beside Lynxpaw and Blizzardtail, his eye's joyful, and twinkling with pride for the pair. "Blizzardtail," he mewed. "Are you satisfied that this apprentice is ready to become a warrior of Thunderclan?"

Blizzardtail raised his chin and stared at Duskstar with an unblinking gaze. "He will be a warrior the clan will be proud of," he replied.

Duskstar raised his eyes to the sky where the sun shone so brightly as if it knew of the special occasion. "I, Duskstar of leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice." His voice rang out across the clearing, loud and clear. "He has learned the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Lynxpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this clan even at the cost of your life?"

Lynxpaw's body quivered with excitement and all of the forest seemed to be holding its breath. "I do," he mewed clearly lifting his chin proudly towards the clan.

"Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. From this moment on, you shall be known as Lynxfoot. Starclan honors you for strength and honesty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan!" Duskstar rested his muzzle on Lynxfoot's sandy brown head and Lynxfoot gave his shoulder a respectful lick before stepping back.

"Lynxfoot! Lynxfoot!" the clan chanted milling around him and congratulating him.

"Come on Batpaw! Lets go over to him," mewed Starpaw. Batpaw nodded, and she and Tansypaw followed her over to Lynxfoot. "You were wonderful!" exclaimed Starpaw, her eyes wide with delight. "You totally deserve to be a warrior."

Lynxfoot's whiskers twitched with happiness, glancing at the ground. "Thanks," he mewed, shuffling his paws in embarrassment.

"I'll bet that you can't wait until the gathering!" Starpaw mewed enviously. "Imagine, your first gathering as a warrior."

"A gathering?" Batpaw mewed curiously. "What's a gathering?"

Lynxfoot looked at her in surprise, but then he registered who she was, remembering that she wouldn't have learned this as a kit. "A gathering is where all the clans get together under a truce," he explained. "Duskstar picks out a group of cats to go with him there."

Batpaw nodded, her expressions turning eager. "Will I get to go?" she asked, her eyes wide. "It sounds like so much fun!"

Tansypaw and Starpaw looked at her regretfully. "Probably not," Tansypaw mewed. At Batpaw's look of disappointment she said quickly, "You almost never get to go to a gathering right when you become an apprentice. It's very rare, only for the best apprentices."

Her explanation left Batpaw scowling.

"Batpaw!"

Batpaw turned around and saw Moonpelt striding towards her. "Go rest and take it easy for the day," she said. "I know that it's been a long day for you."

"We-ell."

Moonpelt shook her head firmly. "When you get older, you'll be happy for even a couple of minutes of free time. Now go lie down."

Batpaw nodded and with a flick of her tail, waving to her friends, she headed for the apprentices den, still feeling a little resentful at Tansypaw.

Her instincts told her that Tansypaw was going to go to the gathering with Batpaw or without, and although that made her annoyed she understood her friends reasons. Suddenly Batpaw felt heat rush to her head and realized how tired she was. She yawned and stretched, settling down outside of the apprentice den, her thoughts slowly turning to darkness.


When Batpaw awoke her mind felt fuzzy and her thoughts disordered. She blinked several times until her vision came into focus.

All around the camp cats were coming in and out of the gorse tunnel, carrying prey or going to catch some. The camp looked abuzz with life, like a hive of busy bees.

Batpaw looked up at the sun and registered that she had been asleep for about an hour. The stunning light of the sun cast a golden glow down on all the cats, turning their fur flaxen.

Batpaw glanced at the leaves on the trees, suddenly noticing that they were beginning to redden in color, announcing the upcoming of Leaffall. She stretched, feeling her muscles expand and her body loosen up from her long nap, and she sighed with comfort, feeling the heat that had settled on her fur while she slept.

Batpaw yawned and then lazily watched Tansypaw approach the warrior den with a plump rabbit clamped in her jaws. Probably for Eaglewing, she thought.

It all happened so fast, and Batpaw barely had any time to react. Tansypaw's mouth opened wide in a high pitched screech that spiraled up through the air, and fell to the ground writhing in pain, her bright blue eyes glazed over in agony. Batpaw yelped in terror and scrambled to her paws, but Tansypaw's loud cry had already brought the whole camp running, soon gathering into a thickly clustered crowd, all circled around Tansypaw, their fear scent thick in the air.

Duskstar bounded out of the mob, and came to stand over Tansypaw, trying to calm her and stop her from thrashing around, pinning her down with a paw.

"Someone get Dewpelt," Eaglewing ordered, but she was already on her way, her mouth clamped full with herbs. She approached the apprentice and pried her jaw open, wincing as Tansypaw's teeth dug into her paw. Batpaw leaned forward and saw scarlet specs in Tansypaw's mouth, staining her teeth and tongue.

The clan all looked at Dewpelt, their eyes stretched wide with worry, wondering what the young medicine cat would say. "Deathberries," Dewpelt mewed, gravely, her blues eyes not their usual gentle shade of sky blue but a sharp steely color. The clan let out shocked gasps and whispers erupted among the cats.

"What are deathberries?" Batpaw whispered to Greymoon, who was standing next to her, afraid that she already knew the answer.

"Berries so poisonous that even one could kill the strongest warrior," Greymoon murmured back, gravely. "Minnowtail is not going to like this. Tansypaw is her last kit."

"But Tansypaw won't die," mewed Batpaw, stubbornly, fear overcoming her senses and turning into anger. "She can't!"

"I wish that were true," murmured Greymoon sadly. "But with deathberries, you never know."


"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the high rock for a clan meeting!"

Batpaw looked up from the mouse that she had been eating upon hearing Duskstar's yowl. It had been two days since Tansypaw had fallen ill from the deathberries, and she had begun to grow accustomed to clan life. Would Duskstar's news be that Tansypaw would be okay, or would it be… Batpaw shuddered. No! She wouldn't even think about it.

"I have very good news," Duskstar announced. "Dewpelt has informed me that Tansypaw will be okay and that she will be able to return to training soon. Dewpelt found some deathberries in the rabbit but thinks that it was an accident that a cat may have brushed against a bush and the berries fell." Batpaw felt relief and let out the breath she had been holding. So Tansypaw was going to be okay! However there still was something a little suspicious about the deathberries.

"Also tonight is the gathering," Duskstar continued. "And I will be taking Minnowtail, Blizzardtail, Goldenfoot, Nightclaw, Cherryblossom, Addertooth, Lynxfoot, Rabbitpaw, and Starpaw."

Batpaw sighed, sad that she wasn't going to the gathering, but it didn't come as much of a surprise. Tansypaw had been right, most new apprentices didn't go, it was rare, although new warriors, like Lynxfoot, did. She was still puzzling over the mystery of the deathberries, but seeing as she had no one to ask about it, she shoved her confusion to the side.

Batpaw met up with Starpaw because she had no one else to be with, the apprentice very energetic about this arrangement. Batpaw immediately suggested that the two go visit Tansypaw which was a good idea because her heart was practically pulling her towards the medicine cat den to see her friend.

"All right," agreed Starpaw, happy that Batpaw had chosen to be with her.

"We can go see how she is doing," mewed Batpaw. And ask about the deathberries, she thought privately, although she did not say it out loud. When they reached the medicine cat den Batpaw padded through the wide doorway.

Dewpelt looked up from the herbs she was sorting and then returned to her work. "She's over there," she mewed flicking her tail, not moving her eyes from what she was doing. "I thought that you would want to see her. Rabbitpaw's already stopped by two times today."

Batpaw felt a current of jealousy hearing this, wanting to be the only one to visit Tansypaw. She quickly banished the feeling, as shame swept over her. Tansypaw was her friend, not a mouse to be played with before she ate it.

As they walked in, Tansypaw rolled over when she heard them and purred in greeting.

"Hi," mewed Starpaw cheerfully. "Are you feeling okay?"

Tansypaw nodded. "I feel fine, though Dewpelt won't let me return to my training because she says that I'm not ready yet."

At that moment Goldenfoot bounded in. "Starpaw," she mewed breathlessly. "I've been looking all over for you. Come on, you're on hunting patrol. Moonpelt is taking Lynxfoot, Blizzardtail, you, and I. Now come on, they are going to leave without us."

Starpaw dipped her head and said, "All right I'll be there in a second." She turned to Tansypaw and mewed, "Hope you get better."

"Bye!" Tansypaw yelled.

Starpaw grinned at the apprentice, dipped her head, and bounded out of the medicine cat den behind Goldenfoot.

Batpaw sighed with relief, knowing that she now she could ask the question which burned her tongue. She turned to Tansypaw and asked, "Tansypaw, who gave you the rabbit with the deathberries?"

Tansypaw winced and muttered, "Oh no one."

Batpaw felt her heart squeeze in pain to see her friend so scared and sickly, as she said that. "Come on," coaxed Batpaw, swallowing her sadness and shock of seeing her den mate so scared and helpless. "I'm your friend. You can tell me what happened."

"Well," started Tansypaw uncertainly. "I was eating a thrush and a cat came in from hunting. I assumed that he had been out privately because no one else came back with him. He told me to bring the rabbit to Eaglewing, and that Eaglewing was in the warriors den."

"And who was this cat?" breathed Batpaw, her heart pounding.

Tansypaw opened her mouth and then closed it. She shook her head stubbornly. "I won't say or he'll try to get me too."

"No one is going to hurt you, Tansypaw," reassured Batpaw, trying not to cry out. Tansypaw had used to be strong and energetic, not frightened and scared to live. "All you have to do is tell me," she whispered, her eyes widening innocently and looking like molten gold.

At that moment Dewpelt came in. "Are you frightening my patient?" she scolded. "Out! You've had a long time. She needs her sleep."

"But Dewpelt," Batpaw objected. "We were only talking." But Dewpelt was already pushing her out the door. Just before Batpaw left she heard four words that made her freeze.

"Batpaw, it was Nightclaw!"