I hope you guys like this chapter. I put a lot of heart into it.

Chapter 14

"Sparrowpaw, Hidingpaw. Step forward." Obediently, the two apprentices stepped closer to the great rock, where their leader sat at its base. It had just been a quarter moon since the selected patrol had made way for the mountains, but he'd lost full control of his hind legs, and had also lost control of his tail. Their noble leader could no longer pull himself up to the great rock, but he hadn't lost an ounce of his energy or authority.

Sparrowpaw held his head high, expression serious. "I, Jaystar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn. Sparrowpaw, Hidingpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

To Sparrowpaw's surprise, it was Hidingpaw who spoke first. "I do," She chirped, holding her head high.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Hidingpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Hidinglight. Despite your roots, you have shown yourself to be a brave and loyal warrior. StarClan honors your growth and dedication, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." Hidinglight's eyes glistened as she stepped forward to lick her leader's shoulder, and he rested his muzzle on her head.

Sparrowpaw realized that, to Hidinglight, this was her true acceptance into the Clan. She had proven herself to be a worthy warrior, just as much as someone who was Clanborn. At that thought, he felt a surge of pride. Jaystar turned his striking blue eyes towards Sparrowpaw expectantly. Sparrowpaw's mouth felt dry as he realized that in watching Hidinglight's ceremony, he'd forgotten to say "I do" as well.

"I do," He mewed quickly. Jaystar nodded, whiskers twitching in amusement. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sparrowpaw, you have survived more suffering than we would ever hope a Clan cat would have to suffer so young. For always rising once you fall, Sparrowpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Sparrowdawn. StarClan honors your independence and resilience, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."

Sparrowdawn stepped forward, crouching a bit so his leader could rest his muzzle on his head. Sparrowdawn licked his leader's shoulder respectfully.

"Hidinglight! Sparrowdawn! Hidinglight! Sparrowdawn!" Their Clanmates cheered, and Sparrowdawn looked towards Hidinglight with pride. He could almost imagine Fawnspring standing behind them, eyes shining with love. Emberfall stood off to the side, eyes glistening, and Sparrowdawn dipped his head to his father.

"At sundown, you shall both stand vigil over the camp, per tradition," Jaystar concluded, dipping his head to indicate the meeting was over.

Hidinglight bounded to Sparrowdawn's side, eyes shining. "We did it!" She mewed breathlessly. Littlemoon touched her nose to the new warrior, and as they chatted, Sparrowdawn scanned the camp. To his surprise, Grassdaze was making her way over to him, her bright green eyes shining with pride. "Congratulations," The black she-cat mewed respectfully, dipping her head. "You two make a great pair. Your names suit you."

Sparrowdawn shuffled his paws. "I'm sorry things didn't work out with us," He began, but Grassdaze waved her tail to silence him. "You and Hidinglight have always been close," She purred. "I was a fool to try and come between that." Sparrowdawn's ears burned with embarassment, and he glanced shyly towards the tortoiseshell warrior, but she was deep in conversation with Littlemoon.

Grassdaze's eyes widened with surprise. "What? You haven't told her yet?" She guessed, whiskers twitching. Sparrowdawn shifted his weight uneasily. "There hasn't been a good time," He muttered. He didn't want to be having this conversation with Grassdaze, of all cats. It had to be glaringly obvious how worried and protective he got about Hidinglight when she wasn't well, but it seemed the she-cat just saw him as a friend. Maybe it's time to change that, Sparrowdawn decided, feeling the thorn twist in his chest anxiously.

Grassdaze blinked knowingly before padding away to talk with some of the other warriors. Wildkit burst out of the nursery, ears and tail perked with excitement as he dashed over to Hidinglight. Butterflykit was short on her brother's heels, and Sparrowdawn felt a lump in his throat as he saw Sunnykit, dragging herself into the clearing, much slower than her siblings without the use of her hind legs. Fidgetkit and Smokekit padded at a slower pace beside the golden she-kit, chatting excitedly to her. Raydawn watched from the nursery, expression dull with grief.

Sparrowdawn took a step towards the she-kit to help her, but Sunnykit shot him a warning look, clearly guessing his intentions. Swallowing past the lump in his throat, he turned towards Hidinglight and her growing collection of kits. Her tail was wagging happily.

"You're a warrior now!" Wildkit squeaked, again leaping towards her tail. "Teach us how to fight!" He dropped down into a crouch, bunching up his hind legs and jumped into the air, missing her tail by a mouse-length. Sparrowdawn purred with amusement. Butterflykit stared at Hidinglight with wide brown eyes. "What's it like?" The grey and white she-kit asked curiously.

Sunnykit, Fidgetkit, and Smokekit finally made it over to their littermates. They pounced on each other, tussling and playfully fighting. Sunnykit resorted to swiping and pawing at her littermates. "Since when did you become leader of the kits?" Sparrowdawn joked to Hidinglight, who shot him an embarrassed look. "I like spending time with them," She confessed, "It reminds me of when I was younger. I want them to have a happy kithood." Her expression turned sad as she turned towards Sunnykit.

The kit, however, seemed oblivious to Hidinglight's pity, and was trying to climb on top of Fidgetkit to get a better angle at attacking her littermates. Fidgetkit obliged happily, and she charged towards Butterflykit with Sunnykit on her back. The grey and white she-kit let out a squeal of excitement as she fought back against her attackers.

Littlemoon was watching the kits beside Hidinglight, a longing expression in her gaze. Her belly seemed to grow bigger by the day, though Sparrowdawn imagined that fact enticed just as much fear as it did excitement. Breezeheart spotted his mate and padded over, nuzzling her gently. "Our kits will have so much energy, it will be hard to contain them," He purred.

Seeing a good opportunity, Sparrowdawn lightly touched Hidinglight's back with his tail, gesturing towards a quiet corner of the camp. Obediently, Hidinglight followed, waving her tail in goodbye. She showed no signs of her injury that had confined her to the medicine den for several days, other than a healing scar to show for it. However, if anything, Hidinglight seemed proud of it. She'd called it her "mark of a warrior".

Once the pair were shaded under one of the pines, away from the commotion of the camp, Sparrowdawn sat down, taking a breath. At Hidinglight's curious hazel eyes, however, he found himself at a loss for words; the thorn in his chest threatened to stop his breathing.

"How are you feeling?" He burst out finally, and Hidinglight looked at him with confusion. "I'm fine," She mewed, tilting her head. "My fox bite isn't bothering me a bit anymore." Sparrowdawn nodded awkwardly, shuffling his paws. "Is something wrong?" The she-cat pressed, staring at him with concerned hazel eyes. He felt his heart might burst if he met her gaze, so Sparrowdawn kept his gaze fixed on his paws. "No," He muttered.

Hidinglight's tail wagged anxiously, and with a sinking feeling, Sparrowdawn knew he wouldn't be able to say anything at this rate. He rose to his paws. "Let's go by the lake," He suggested, avoiding the she-cat's eyes. She nodded, keeping close pace beside him as they made their way out into the forest.

Sparrowdawn focused on the feeling of the cool leaf-fall breeze in his fur and the pine needles under his paws, rather than the warm scent of the she-cat beside him. His mind felt muddled, as if a cat had taken a stick and stirred it up. Soon enough, the slope dropped and a cooler breeze signified that they were only a few fox-lengths from the beach. Slowing down, Sparrowdawn stopped at the edge of the trees, staring out towards the light glimmering on the large pool of water. Across the lake, some of the trees were beginning to change colors.

Despite all that was going on with the Clans, the image seemed to be one of peace. He felt incredibly small at that moment. A whole Clan had been wiped out, and they were facing what could be coming for ShadowClan next, but the world around them remained unconcerned. And StarClan? He wondered. Where are they?

"I haven't been down here much," Hidinglight confessed after a quiet moment. "I've only briefly come here for border patrols, but never to just sit. I never realized how beautiful it was." The she-cat pressed her pelt against his briefly, before pulling back, as if she were uncertain. Sparrowdawn steeled himself and fixed her with an intense gaze, meeting her hazel eyes.

He felt as if the world around him stopped, and he were sinking into the earth beneath his paws. "I never realized either," Sparrowdawn remarked, voice barely a whisper. The light seemed to shine off of Hidinglight's sleek dark fur, lighting up her orange and brown markings like the light dappled between the trees. He felt dizzy, and the thorn in his chest tightened with fear.

Hidinglight held his gaze levelly. "Are you okay?" She inquired gently. "It seems something's wrong." Sparrowdawn swallowed past the lump in his throat. His heartbeat quickened anxiously. He'd never felt more afraid than he was now. "I don't think I'd be able to make it if anything to ever happened to you," He confessed. "If I could, I'd like to take you away from all of this and go somewhere we'd be safe. I want to protect you so that nothing would ever hurt you again."

Hidinglight's eyes widened, but she remained silent, never once breaking eye contact. "Hidinglight, I..." Sparrowdawn's voice broke, and he found himself unable to say any more. He tore his gaze away, staring back out towards the lake. After a moment, he felt Hidinglight's pelt pressed against his, nuzzling his side. Her scent wafted around him, making him dizzy. "I feel the same way, Sparrowdawn," The tortoiseshell she-cat whispered, responding to what had remained unsaid.

At once, the thorn that had held fast in his chest for so many moons seemed to loosen and disappear, as if it had finally eased its way out of his fur. Sparrowdawn's breathing slowed; the pain in his chest was no more, and rather than tightness, he felt as if he were truly soaring, like the sparrow he was named after.

At that moment, Sparrowdawn knew that no matter what, as long as Hidinglight was by his side, he'd be able to take on anything.

Halfmoon raced to the leader's den, green eyes wide with anxiety. Outside the medicine den, Hidinglight paced anxiously. It was the night of the half moon, but their medicine cat would not be able to go tonight. Raydawn had reported feeling the numbness in her hind paws, and Jaystar was now paralyzed in all four legs. Sunnykit's tail was now paralyzed from the illness as well, and she was starting to feel it in her front paws, and Ravenpaw was struggling to breathe.

Rainpaw and Eagletail refused to leave the apprentice's side. Halfmoon had grimly informed Hidinglight that the young she-cat was not long for StarClan, and it seemed that their leader would be soon to follow. The whole Clan seemed to be holding its breath.

Littlemoon padded over beside Hidinglight, her green eyes darkened with worry. "Halfmoon told me to send for Rainpaw and Eagletail to bring Ravenpaw to Jaystar's den," The small she-cat whispered. Hidinglight nodded, closing her eyes. She knew that Jaystar was going to perform the dying apprentice ceremony to give Ravenpaw her warrior name. With a ripple of pain, Hidinglight remembered the first time she had met the black tabby she-cat, how promising she had been as a kit. "Ravenkit's gonna be the best tracker in the Clan!" Her sister had boasted. It's too cruel for her to die like this, She thought wearily.

Her nightmares occurred less and less, though they held the same frightening message; "You have to help him." She believed with almost complete certainty that the StarClan cats meant Sparrowdawn, and her pelt bristled with the fear that he might become sick as well.

"I'll help," Hidinglight mewed decisively, padding into the medicine den where Rainpaw crouched beside Ravenpaw, who's breathing grew more labored by the minute. "Jaystar wants her in his den," Hidinglight informed them, and Eagletail raised his head, his expression dull with grief. Rainpaw refused to look away from her sister. "Come on, Ravenpaw," The dark grey tabby mewed gently, "Jaystar's got something important to say to you. You're gonna be a warrior." The young apprentice's voice broke with grief at the last word. Ravenpaw's eyes, however, fluttered open and lit up at the prospect, before her expression fell. "Is that possible?" She whispered breathlessly, "I haven't even caught so much as a mouse or a lizard my entire apprenticeship."

Hidinglight swallowed past the lump in her throat. "Ravenpaw, you have the spirit of a warrior," She mewed, pressing her flank against the small apprentice's side. Rainpaw followed suit, and Eagletail trailed behind as they carried the apprentice towards the leader's den.

Hidinglight's heart sank at the state of their leader. Like Snailfoot, Jaystar was only able to lift his head, but his bright blue eyes were still alert and determined. "Bring her to me," He ordered, and Ravenpaw's breathing quickened with excitement as they set her down beside the leader. Halfmoon watched with a heavy form from beside her mate, eyes dull with grief.

"I ask my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has learned your noble code and has given up her life in the service of her Clan. Ravenpaw, your name will be Ravensky, for your openness to any challenges you've had to face, and the hope that you will find peace and joy when you walk our ancestor's skies. Let StarClan recieve her by the name of Ravensky." Determinedly, Jaystar forced himself forward just enough to rest his head on Ravensky's head, and the she-cat sucked in a breath to respectfully lick his chest.

Ravensky fell back, eyes wide and brimming with joy. "Rainpaw," She gasped, "I'm a warrior!" Rainpaw nuzzled her sister. "You are, Ravensky. You deserve it." The grey she-cat's eyes glistened, and after a moment, the breaths from Ravensky sounded more like choking. Hidinglight shuddered as she watched the young warrior struggle for her last breaths, before falling still, eyes open.

Halfmoon padded over to the she-cat, closing her eyes with her paws while Rainpaw's shoulders shook with sobs. Eagletail sat beside his surviving daughter, head bowed in sorrow. Jaystar stared at the white medicine cat with a determination in his eyes. "Halfmoon," He mewed knowingly, "Go get Webpelt."

The white she-cat stiffened, green eyes wide. "Jaystar-" She breathed, an understanding falling upon her eyes. "Now," Jaystar demanded, and the white she-cat hesitated one more moment before racing out of the den. Hidinglight watched with confusion, but her leader swiveled his striking blue gaze towards her. "Hidinglight, help Eagletail bring Ravensky out to the clearing so that we may hold vigil." She dipped her head respectfully to her leader, padding beside the mourning pair, and lifted the dead warrior up to carry her into the clearing. Her black tabby paws dragged in the sand as they walked.

Littlemoon's eyes clouded with grief at the sight of the deceased she-cat. Returning with the hunting patrol, Sparrowdawn bounded over from the Clan entrance with prey in his jaws, and his expression darkened when he saw Ravensky. Quickly putting his prey in the fresh-kill pile, he joined them just as they lay the she-cat down for her vigil. She noticed that Webpelt dashed over to Jaystar's den with Halfmoon close at his heels, but the Clan was gathering for Ravensky's vigil.

"She was so young," Hidinglight mewed hollowly, meeting Sparrowdawn's gaze with grief. He sat down beside her, pressing his pelt into hers, but for once, even he wasn't able to warm the cold in her heart. "I still remember when she tracked us with Rainpaw when they were still kits," Sparrowdawn commented after a moment, expression admiring to the deceased she-cat. "She was always a noble and determined cat, and would have made a great warrior."

"She died a warrior," Rainpaw whispered, eyes burning as she looked towards Sparrowdawn. "Jaystar named her Ravensky." His eyes widened in surprise, but he remained silent. Eagletail pressed his nose into his daughter's pelt. "I wanted to see my kits become warriors," He meowed thickly, "But not like this."

"Runningleaf won't know that Ravensky's gone," Rainpaw realized, eyes wide with worry. Eagletail shook his head, curling his tail around his daughter. "She knew when she agreed to leave that she might be coming back too late to save Ravensky. But she had to try. If she hadn't gone, I would have."

They fell into a hushed silence as darkness fell, their Clanmates slowly dispersing to their respective dens for the night. Hidinglight and Sparrowdawn were one of the last to leave, dipping their heads respectfully to the bereaved before padding, side by side, to sleep.

A rough shaking stirred Hidinglight from her sleep, and she blinked in confusion, eyes adjusting to the darkness to see Sparrowdawn above her, expression grim. "Jaystar died," He mewed quietly. "Webpelt wants to see us."

Hidinglight blinked in confusion. "Died? He's okay now, though, right?" She asked, knowing the answer already with a coldness along her pelt. Sparrowdawn shook his head. Silently, she rose to her paws, and they padded out of the warriors den so as not to wake the other warriors.

The half moon still hung heavy in the sky, and Hidinglight suspected they had many hours before sunrise. The pair barely exchanged a word as they padded into Jaystar's den. Halfmoon lay with her nose in the silver tabby's side, her bright form shaking with silent cries. She made no effort to hide her pain for her mate. Webpelt looked on with grief, barely noticing the two as they entered.

"What happened?" Hidinglight whispered, staring at their unmoving leader. Webpelt raised dull eyes towards the tortoiseshell warrior, blinking as if only just remembering where he was. "After Ravensky died, he called me into the den and told me that he'd never recieved his nine lives. StarClan had given him an ultimatum that night, and he'd refused to give up Halfmoon. No cat knew, not even her." He closed his eyes with grief. "I have no idea how we're going to explain this to the Clan."

Sparrowdawn stepped forward, tail lashing in irritation and pelt bristling. "Tell the truth!" He hissed, causing Hidinglight to jump at his conviction. "Enough of the lies! Perhaps this illness would have gone differently if they had followed the warrior code in the first place. Now's the time to free ShadowClan from these secrets." He tore at the earth beneath his paws.

Hidinglight nodded in agreement. "He's right, Webpelt," She mewed. "Even if they made a mistake by becoming mates, they had several choices; Halfmoon to give up Jaystar, or to step down as medicine cat, and Jaystar to give up Halfmoon or step down as leader. Who knows what other ways StarClan will deny ShadowClan if the lies continue?"

Halfmoon rose shakily to her paws, green eyes glistening. "I said it before and I'll say it now," She mewed. "I never once regretted becoming Jaystar's mate. We knew it was wrong, but we loved each other. We couldn't turn our backs on one another. But..." She looked towards Webpelt dully. "I was selfish in wanting to remain a medicine cat while taking on a mate. I wanted to help my Clan in the way I knew how. I will continue to practice healing as much as I can for my Clan, but I'm ready to let the secrets out." Her last words were a whisper as she glanced towards the still body of her mate.

Though Hidinglight knew it was the right choice, she felt her heart sinking to her paws. Littlemoon will be heartbroken, She thought. Webpelt stared at Halfmoon for one more moment before turning to the young warriors. "Very well then. We shall hold vigil for Jaystar tomorrow and I will make an announcement to the Clan. But that's not why I brought you two here." His expression fixed on Hidinglight with fierce determination. "Hidinglight, I want you to come with me to the Moonpool."

Her jaw dropped to the floor. Beside her, Sparrowdawn bristled. "What nonsense are you going on about? She's not a medicine cat!" He hissed before she could say anything, pressing his pelt against hers protectively. Webpelt's gaze did not waver. "Hidinglight, you are the only one StarClan has spoken to in moons. I know that you have followed the path of a warrior, but we can't deny that you have a connection to our ancestors that Halfmoon doesn't. I'm certain there's a reason for this. I want you to try and speak with StarClan while I recieve my nine lives, to see if you can learn anything about this illness that might help us fight it. They may have refused to help Halfmoon, but perhaps they will help you now that Jaystar's debt has been repaid."

Hidinglight's mind whirled. She wasn't quite sure what Webpelt meant by "Jaystar's debt", but she felt terrified to face the whole of StarClan at the Moonpool. She may have earned her place in the Clan as a warrior, but she wasn't Clanborn; what could StarClan want with her? And yet, as sure as she was of her fears, she was also certain of Webpelt's place in her Clan as leader. Hidinglight knew that he wasn't asking her to go. He was ordering her to. Per the warrior code, she had to follow her leader.

Hidinglight dipped her head. "I'll go," She mewed decisively. Let's just hope StarClan recieves us, She added silently.