The sun warmed the grey rocks of the area known as the sun rock, the light caste shadows over the calm stream, ten cats were all gathered on the rocks five hanging back as the smaller five learned to fish.
"and this the proper technique for catching fish" brindle paw said, swiping a minnow from the steam, "woah" feather paw said in amassment. Mellow paw was also surprised but showed it less than her brother, pebbles and lyres were fascinated.
"you just plucked a fish right out of the water that's amazing" pebbles said, "I want to try" lyres said but when he padded up to the river his shadow cast over the water scaring the fish away, "fish brain you let your shadow scare the fish away" quail willow scolded the silver tom and cuffed his ear hith a sheathed paw, he just laughed it off and the ginger she cat huffed.
Owl fang sat next to tiny whisker "you're letting your apprentice brag over a tiny minnow" he asked tiny whisker as they sat comfortably in the shade, "she's just like that, with the new apprentices she feels that she needs to impress her peers" tiny whisker replied scuffing her claws in the stone.
"she's getting quiet big for an apprentice don't you think" owl fang said watching his brother help the apprentices with their fishing form, "are you saying I should make her a warrior right now" tiny whisker asked, "hmm maybe not today but soon" owl fang said getting up, leaving tiny whisker to think his words over.
Owl fang narrowed his eyes as lyres was able to scoop a little minnow out of the river, with a yell of pride, quail willow tried to calm him down and scolded him for probably scaring all the prey in the area away, he still never understood after a moon why pale star allowed the kittypets into the clan.
"mellow paw come were going to hunt near the training hollow" owl fang called, "what but I haven't caught a fish yet" mellow paw said upset, her brother and brindle paw had already caught fish and she wouldn't admit it out loud but she was jealous of their closeness.
"it's too crowded hear, we'll fish another day" owl fang said leading the tortishell down the river, bridle paw smirked an said to feather paw "owl fangs probably just embarrassed his apprentice can't catch even one fish" she smirked, feather paw didn't laugh like he usually did at her jokes or smile even, he just looked back at the stream and continued fishing.
"what's wrong with you, I was just joking" she said, "I know but, mellow paw is always the butt of your jokes and she hasn't talk to me in a while because of them" feather paw said looking in the direction where his sister left in.
"she's just angry we get along so well" brindle paw said, tiny whisker chose this moment to butt into the conversation, "brindle paw I know this is sudden but, how would you like to take your final warrior easement today" the small black she cat asked, brindle paw went wide eyed for a moment until leaping to her feet and saying "of course, does that mean I'll be a warrior by tomorrow" tiny whisker nodded "if you pass then yes"
Feather paw leapt up "congratulation brindle paw" he said, lyres and pebbles walked over "wow so you're going to be a warrior" pebbles asked, "yep" brindle paw said, "not unless you don't start hunting, I'll be watching and if I find your ready to be a warrior I'll talk to pale star" tiny whisker said.
Brindle paw nodded and ran off into the forest to hunt, she moved silently through the woods like tiny whisker taught her, she scented the air looking for prey scents, she caught the scent of mice, she crouched down and stalked forward through bushes she saw the fat brown mouse snacking on a Chesnutt under a chestnut tree.
She stalked forwards more, and skilfully leapt forward, ending its life in a swift motion, she buried it to keep it fresh and began to look for more prey, she felt pride at the expert kill, she scented a thrush and stalked in its direction.
There was the thrush digging through dry fallen leafs looking for beetles, brindle paw stalked forward again confident she would make another easy catch, her paw crunched on some fallen leafs and the thrush wiped its head up to look at her, it then flipped it brown wings to take flight franticly.
brindle paw leapt upward digging her claws into its body, she quickly killed it but not before it let out an alarm cry, she cursed not only had she almost let the prey get away the kill was sloppy and it had warned all the prey in the area of her presence.
She brought the thrush over to where she buried the mouse and buried it there, she decided to head further upstream and see if she could score some easy prey, she walked along the sandy and rocky shore of the river searching for prey she saw movement in the reeds.
There was a water vole darting between the reeds on the other side of the river, she smirked and slipped silently into the river, she glided across the water silently, swimming was as easy as running to her, when she was close enough to the oblivious vole she attacked, leaping out of the water and catching the brown critter under one of her paws, she snapped its neck and took it in her jaws.
She buried it on the bank of the river, because going back into the forest to bury it with the rest would be a waste of time she desperately needed to catch enough prey to impress tiny whisker, she continued up stream catching another water vole that had made the mistake of catching her eyes.
She heard clumsy splashing up ahead she walked over and saw mellow paw clumsily trying to subdue a trout on the shore, she laughed as the trout slapped the other apprentice in the face with its tail before the tortishell was finally able to kill it, the tortishell sighed in relief and looked up at the other apprentice who was still chuckling.
"what are you doing here" she hissed at the other apprentice, "oh you know just taking my 'warrior assessment'" brindle paw said smugly, "you a warrior, ha, doesn't make me laugh" mellow paw said, as if she had been told a funny joke, "what so funny about me becoming a warrior" brindle paw said angrily across the river.
"oh I don't know, maybe because your so immature, I don't think you could handle not having the other apprentices so impressed by you, because the moment you become a warrior you'll be at the bottom" mellow paw said haughtily.
brindle paw huffed in anger "your just jealous that feather paw likes me more than you" she said, which was the only thing she could think of to rebuttal, and mellow paw knew this "oh I won't have to worry about that anymore, once you become a warrior, you'll most likely begin to ignore us again, like when you became an apprentice" mellow paw said.
"we used to all be friends you know as kits and then you began to ignore us once you became an apprentice; it it'll be the same as then" mellow paw said smugly when brindle paw got angrier and angrier as she spoke.
"where in the worlds owl fang, if he heard what you're saying, you would be in the elders den removing their ticks" brindle paw said angrily, "you didn't say I was wrong, I guess my brother really does mean nothing to you, and owl fang found a strange scent he found In the territory and is getting a patrol" mellow paw said angrily, tuning away mellow paw picked up her trout and began to walk off.
"I do care for him" brindle paw called after her angrily, mellow paw turned to her and was about to reply when her eyes widened and she dropped the trout "brindle paw get away from there" the tortishell cried.
'whoop~ hiss~' brindle paw turned slowly to see a large white feathered long necked bird hissing at her angrily, it was a swan, she knew she was in grave danger, the leader swan star was named after this powerful bird and for good reason, they were powerful and elegant fighters, they had drowned shore clan cats in the past one of the cats being her father heavy pelt.
She was frozen to the spot unable to stop staring at the angry bird as it hissed and flapped its wings in a threatening motion, 'am I going to die' she though as all sound seemed to cease as the bird charged her.
short whisker gripped the swans leg with her teeth and dragged it back away from her horrified apprentice, mellow gripped one of its wings with her claws and buried her teeth into its flesh, its blood stain its white pristine feathers, as it hissed more and tried to dislodge the clan cats.
Brindle paw snapped out of her stupor as the swan kicked tiny whisker away and dislodged mellow paw from its wing, it hissed more and turned on them it began to peck tiny whisker, its beady black eyes glinting in anger, brindle paw leapt onto the back of the swan and gripped the birds long neck in her jaws.
it thrashed around and almost dislodged her when tiny whisker tackled its side, knocking it onto its side were mellow paw helped grip the angry birds neck and together they twisted it, the bird let out one last wheezing whoop and fell limp, the cats sat there panting.
tiny whisker had scratches on the side where the swan threw her across the shore and most likely bruising under her pelt, mellow paws claws were wrenched from clinging onto the swans wing, and bridle paw was shaking in shock with a couple of her own wrenched claws, when the shore clan patrol lead by owl fang, came and found them lying next to the dead swan, panting.
"what happened here" owl fang cried running to his apprentice's side, "swan 'pant' attack, get 'pant' weasel fern" mellow paw panted, owl fang looked over at his patrol "go get weasel fern" he said, sky tail rushed back up the river on his command to get the medicine cat.
Owl fang looked at his sleeping apprentice and sighed, he berated himself for leaving her alone while he got the patrol to look for the scent, and the scent turns out to be a swan of all things, gentle mist came up and draped a tail over his brother's shoulder feather paw was beside him they were carrying herbs in their jaws.
Weasel fang ran over to the injured cats, she looked them over and sighed in relief, "their injuries are only minor they'll heal quickly, but I'll be taking tiny whisker into my den to make sure her scratches don't get infected" weasel fern explained.
she took the wrapped up beech leafs from gentle mist jaws, and opened it up and took the juniper berries inside, and popped them into brindle paws jaws, the blue grey she cat chewed and her breathing calmed, "can you walk brindle paw" weasel fern asked, "no my paws are killing me" brindle paw said, weasel fern examined her paws "you've got a couple wrenched claws I'll get you some comfrey back at camp.
The patrol carried their clan mates and the swan back to camp, their wounds were treated and everything seemed well until brindle paw realised "my warrior assessment" she yelled startling the other cats in the den, "it's okay brindle paw you can take it again soon" weasel fern said, tiny whisker nodded "but- agh" brindle paw said, "come on tiny whisker just let her become a warrior" mellow paw said, brindle paw looked at her and mellow paw nodded, "hm maybe you were doing pretty well before the swan attacked, and I guess it's not your fault" tiny whisker considered.
"ill have to talk about it with pale star" she said getting help from weasel fern to limp out into the camp clearing and over to the leader's den, "so why did you help me" brindle paw asked head bowed, "because I know you truly do care for my brother, but remember this if you prove me wrong and break his heart again, I will never let you talk to him again" she said orange eyes narrowing,
Pale star walked into the den, tiny whisker and weasel fern following behind her, she looked over at brindle paw and smiled "guess who's becoming a warrior" she said, brindle paws eyes lit up "really" she asked.
"yes although you faced hardship, with being attacked by a swan and all, you were able to work with your clan mates to take down a danger to the clan, and your hunting skill are said to be great, you are a loyal and powerful cat brindle paw, and I think all Theas attributes make you ready to be a warrior" pale star said, brindle paw puffed up her chest in pride.
Pale star looked at her paw "are your claws feeling better" she asked "yes I guess" brindle paw replied, pale star turned and began to walk out of the medicine den "good, come on then" the cats followed their leader out into the clearing, pale star leapt up onto the gnarled tree and called out "all cats old enough to hunt their own prey and swim the current gather around the gnarled tree"
Cats poured out of the den and made a semicircle around the gnarled tree, "I, pale star, leader of shore clan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on 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" she said, there was muttering and cries of happiness from brindle paws friend and family.
"Brindle paw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" pale star continued.
"I do" brindle paw said happily.
Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. brindle paw from this moment on you will be known as brindle wish. StarClan honours your strength and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of shore clan" pale star finished and hopped down from the tree, she walked over and rested her head on the former apprentice's head, brindle wish liked her leader shoulder.
"brindle wish, brindle wish" the clan cats called her new name, the apprentices called louder than others, especially feather paw and mellow paw she walked over to her former den mates, "you better keep your promise" mellow paw said, "I will" she said.
"so you're a real warrior now, just like that" lyres said amassed, "wow star clan really accepted you" pebbles said, "they accept every cat that believes in them, but they only make those worthy of being warriors, warriors" brindle wish explained.
"so killing the swan made you worthy of being a warrior" pebbles asked looking at the large white bird that rested on top of the prey pile, droplet kit and swift kit where throwing around its feathers happily, "I guess" brindle wish replied.
Dust pounce walked over "brindle wish, as a new warrior you must sit a silent vigil in the front of camp" the large she cat told her, brindle wish was about to reply but nodded instead, the apprentices laughed and she smiled, dust pounce lead her through the reed tunnel and she sat outside her camps entrance.
She wondered what it would have been like if soft paw had been made a warrior as well, what would his warrior name be, soft fur, soft pelt, or maybe soft light like he always wanted, she shook her head this was no time to think of the past, she was a warrior now and her job at the moment was to protect her clan mates as they slept.
Fun fact-
I thought the swan would have been a cool a unique threat to shore clan, since there is a story of one drowning a man in anger, and I thought they could be a serious threat to the clan.
Heavy pelt was drowned by a swan, so that's why brindle wish froze up when she saw it.
Mellow paw has rekindled some form of friendship with brindle wish, but I think it's going to be more of a friendly rivalry.
Pebbles is in awe of starclan and is scared if she does something to offend them they'll punish her, this mostly comes from a lack of understanding of the warrior ancestors.
Dust pounce is rubble blossom and big storms only surviving it from their first litter, she is looking forward to meeting her siblings
You can see that brindle wish is not that over soft paw as she seems but like most she's moving on
Sky tail and gentle mist are thinking of starting a family soon
Pale stars humour has returned
Owl fang feels very guilty leaving mellow paw in the area with the swan and he beats himself up about it, but if she wasn't there who knows what would have happened to brindle wish
