Sorry for that long wait, I was moving and my computer got packed away for a month. I will hope to update more soon!

It was a warm morning. Snow-melt had finally passed and the ground had dried up, so each pawstep wasn't as squishy feeling as it was before. Sparrowpaw awoke to dawn light flooding into the den, its sunny rays shining over the sleeping apprentices. She lifted her head, slowly blinking sleep away from her eyes. Heatherpaw soon shot up out of his nest and grinned. "It is such a lovely day" He mewed.

Airpaw climbed onto her paws soon after, "Isn't it?" She gushed, "I can't believe we will made warriors today!"

Sparrowpaw scowled. Not becoming a warrior with every other cat was bad enough, but she also had the stupid prophecy to deal with. "Let's get grooming then for the ceremony" Rileypaw squeaked out excitedly. Why should I bother? Thought Sparrowpaw wryly.

"Come on Sparrowpaw; at least get a little groomed, please?" She heard Airpaw mew. Sparrowpaw staggered to her paws and snorted, "Fine." She reluctantly started to swipe her tongue through her thick fur, smoothing out the tangled lumps.

When she had finished, she left the den and sat down near the fresh kill pile. Hungry, she snatched up a grouse and gulped it down in a few famished gulps. She swiped her tongue around her maps. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the highrock for a clan meeting!" Pricklestar's voice rang across the camp.

Eagerly, Heatherpaw, Airpaw, and Rileypaw bounced up to the foot of highrock and waited to be called up. "Today we have some new warriors," Pricklestar meowed happily, "Heatherpaw, please step forward." The big brown apprentice leapt onto the rock beside his leader and purred with pride. "Heatherpaw, you have proven yourself worthy of becoming a warrior, and will be named by the means of Starclan. Heatherpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend you clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Heatherpaw puffed out his chest. "I do." Pricklestar looked upward, "Then from this day forward, your name will be Heatherstorm. Thunderclan honors your bravery and trust you will be a great warrior for our clan." Heatherstorm bent over and licked his leader's shoulder.

"Rileypaw, please step forward" Sparrowpaw zoned out, endlessly thinking of the prophecy. What can I do? Oh Starclan, why do I have to get this huge responsibility? "Your new name will be Rileyheart!"

Rileyheart licked Pricklestar's shoulder and took a pace backward. "Airpaw, step forward," The apprentice jumped out calmly, gazing down proudly on the cats gathered below. When she turned to Sparrowpaw, she pressed her lips together sympathetically. Airpaw soon said her vows and was renamed Airwing.

"Sparrowpaw, please come up here" The apprentice was jolted from her thoughts as her name was called. "M-me?" She stammered. Pricklestar huffed in amusement, "Of course it's you mouse-brain, now get up here!"

Enthusiastically, Sparrowpaw climbed onto the high rock next to her mentor. "I thought I failed" She whispered. "I said I would have to think about it," He hissed back, soon letting his voice grow into a shout, "Sparrowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?" He questioned. Sparrowpaw gave a little bounce, "I do," She replied. "Then by the powers of Starclan" Not exactly their powers, Sparrowpaw hissed silently, "I name you Sparrowsong, Thunderclan honors your selflessness and compassion,"

"Heatherstorm, Rileyheart, Airwing, and Sparrowsong!" Chanted the cats below. Heatherstorm, Airwing, and Rileyheart stood up beside Sparrowsong, relishing the cheers and chants of the clan mates below. I am a warrior now, Sparrowsong thought happily, finally.

"Dismissed!" Pricklestar finished, leaping off the highrock. Some of the gathered cats retreated to their dens while others stayed and chatted with one another. "Sparrowsong, could you come into my den please?" Sparrowsong flinched at the voice of Pricklestar. "Uh, ok" She mumbled, following him into the den beneath the highrock.

When he went inside, he sat down on his nest almost soundlessly. Sparrowsong let her tail flick, "Why do you want me?" She asked. Pricklestar tilted his head and smiled. "I know you may think badly of me, like I am a bully, perhaps" He meowed, "But really, all I wanted was for you to be great. I needed to push you best I could in order to have you be a great warrior. I only criticized so you would try to work harder next time."

Sparrowsong purred, "So you mean you never meant it?" She asked.

"Well, sometimes I did, other times I didn't." He corrected.

"Why would you want me to be a good warrior, then?" Sparrowsong questioned, "I'm just a normal cat…"

Pricklestar inched closer to his former apprentice, "Oh, just because I want to be known as a good mentor," He dropped his voice to a murmur, "And because I needed a good mate"

"Mate?!" Sparrowsong echoed in disbelief, "You wanted me to be your mate?"

Pricklestar's ears twitched, "Exactly," He meowed, "But, it is really up to you to decide something like that. Would you?"

Sparrowsong flinched, "I-I'll have to think about it" She stuttered, blushing, "I'd better go,"

"Wait" Pricklestar stopped her, "The empty nest in the middle of the warrior's den is yours. I know you aren't a senior warrior, but because you worked your hindquarters off training, I thought it would be nice"

"Thanks!" She called, rushing out of the den. Two toms liking me now, Firepaw and Pricklestar, who would I choose between them? I don't exactly like either. Besides, how awkward is it that they are father and son...

When Sparrowsong reached the warriors den, she saw few cats in their nests. Airwing and Rileyheart were sitting in nests near the den's entrance while Heatherstorm was in a nest near the back, next to Lilyfeather. "Oh hey, Sparrowsong!" Heatherstorm meowed, "Guess what?"

Sparrowsong looked over at the two cats, which were both chuckling and purring. "What?" She asked, thinking she already knew the answer. "Lilyfeather and I are mates now!" Heatherstorm purred.

"Good for you, but, why so early after becoming a warrior?"

"We just really liked each other, I guess," Heatherstorm answered. Lilyfeather flicked her ears. "And we couldn't wait anymore!" She put in.

"Where is your nest, by the way?" Heatherstorm asked. My nest, I almost forgot, she looked around until she spotted a nest in the center of the den. It didn't have much scent left, besides the stale smell of Mosspelt, so she decided it was meant for her. "Here it is," She meowed, sitting down on the dry moss. Heatherstorm had a confused expression on his face. "But you only just became a warrior, how do you get a nest there?"

"I guess I just got lucky, or something," She purred teasingly. Heatherstorm shrugged and went back to talking with his mate.

A little while later, Sparrowsong decided to leave the den and head outside. She went into the cool crisp air outside. "Hey, Sparrowsong," She heard Oceanfall call, "Turtlemoon is leading a border patrol and I want you and Shimmerpaw to go with,"

"Okay," Sparrowsong replied. She found the two cats and let Turtlemoon lead them into the territory.

It feels great being a warrior, especially now that Shimmerpaw can't act like she's in charge of the apprentices anymore

…

The patrol went by quickly, no signs of trouble besides a very stale scent of falcon. When they got back to camp, the sun was nearly set. Turtlemoon went off to report to Pricklestar and Shimmerpaw bounced off to the apprentices den.

Hungry, Sparrowsong decided to get some food from the fresh kill pile. There was nothing but a slimy frog. "Are any patrols out hunting?" Sparrowsong asked aloud, "Our food supply seems low."

Dawnheart was the one to answer, "I just saw Twistedear take Lilyfeather and Firepaw out, I'm sure they will come back with something soon,"

"Alright, thanks," Sparrowsong mewed gratefully. She took the frog and stated to eat the chewy skin. When she finished the frog, it was already dark. The hunting patrol still hadn't come back. Suddenly remembering Oak, Sparrowsong went to Pricklestar. "May I go out and hunt tonight?" She asked.

Pricklestar nodded, "And I'll come with you,"

"What? No! I mean, I'd rather just go alone"

Pricklestar tilted his head, "How come?"

I can't tell him about Oak, "Nothing, never mind, you can come with"

Pricklestar looked confused, but merely nodded. He started to pad away, flicking his tail to beckon Sparrowsong, and she followed her leader uncertainly. "Why don't we hunt over there," Pricklestar suggested, flicking his tail to where Sparrowsong had hunted during the previous assessment "No cat has hunted there since your warrior assessment, and you didn't catch very much,"

"Are you sure?" Sparrowsong asked, trying to steer them away from the place, "I think I scared all the prey away with all my noise,"

"Oh come on, that was dawns ago," He insisted, heading into the area, "I'm sure even if you did that they would be back by now,"

Sparrowsong flattened her ears, Oh please don't let Oak see us, she thought. Ironically, she heard a voice call out, "Hey, Sparrowpaw, I thought I might see you around!"

Pricklestar whipped around, his dark pelt barely showing up in the dark. "Who said that?" He demanded.

"I didn't hear anything…" Sparrowsong mewed, trying to sound innocent.

"I know I heard a call, if you didn't hear it you must be deaf!" He growled, "Show yourself now!"

Sparrowsong could still see the glint in Oak's eyes through the shrub he was in. She gave a little shake of her head.

"I scent loner, very fresh," Pricklestar reported, starting to move closer to Oak's hiding place. He uncovered the young loner, and let out a growl. "What are you doing in Thunderclan territory?" He demanded.

Oak lifted himself onto his paws and met Pricklestar's gaze. "My name is Oak, and I know you don't take kindly to strangers," He told him, "But I came here because," He stood up proudly,"I would like join Thunderclan, your traditions interest me and I believe with a little time, I could fit in well."

"What makes you think you are good enough to join us?" Pricklestar asked demandingly.

Oak swished his tail, looked down, and then up again. He shifted his paw awkwardly on the ground. "Well, I'm considerably good at hunting, and I've fought many cats before and-"

"Then prove you're worthy," Pricklestar interrupted.

"Prove I'm worthy?" Oak echoed silently. Sparrowsong nudged Oak gently and bent over so her muzzle was near the side of his face. "He means you will do something like my warrior assessment, or so I think," She whispered. Oak gave a small nod of his head. "What would you like me to do?" He asked aloud.

Pricklestar's whiskers twitched. "Well, first of all, you could start by hunting something. Any warrior must know how to hunt skillfully."

Sparrowsong moved so she could face her former mentor. She tilted her head a little and opened her mouth to speak, "Isn't a bit late to-"

"Not at all," The leader interrupted again, "We were originally out to hunt anyway, or was it something else that you were keeping a secret…?

"No. You're right, it isn't that late."

"Good," Pricklestar meowed, turning back to Oak, "Now you had better catch something. Sparrowsong and I will be waiting here for you when you return,"

"Sparrowsong?"

"Yes, that is my warrior name," Sparrowsong mewed cheerfully, "I passed the assessment!"

"That's delightful to hear," Oak said, "Now, I'd better get hunting. I'll see you both quite soon,"

Sparrowsong gave a smile of gratitude for the compliment, hoping that Oak had seen it. The brown rough padded to the left of Sparrowsong and began to scent the air for prey scents.

Once Oak disappeared into the undergrowth, Pricklestar put his tail around Sparrowsong. She stiffened, instantly feeling nervous and awkward. "Did you know this cat before?" He asked her. Sparrowsong shifted her paws, "No, well yes, I mean, sort of. I saw him near the border during my assessment," She mewed. Well, at least I'm not exactly lying. Leaving out a few things can't hurt anyone, can it?

"Oh, I see," Pricklestar nodded. There was another silence, and Sparrowsong felt her leader's tail beginning to twine with hers. Heat filled her cheeks and she was sure Pricklestar could hear her heartbeat. "Don't you already have a mate and kits?" Sparrowsong blurted out awkwardly.

Pricklestar grunted, "Biologically they are," He stated, "But I don't treat them like family. I was much too young when I had them. I was only just made a warrior when those kits were born, you know. And me are Turtlemoon aren't exactly in love anymore"

"Oh, so how many moons are you then…?" Sparrowsong asked.

"Around 26, if I counted right." He answered. He is quite young, in fact, how was he made a leader so fast?

"Okay," She mewed. Just then the bushes rustled and out stepped Oak, carrying a hare. "I'm back" He reported.

Pricklestar grunted, "We can see that. Now show me your fighting skills"

Oak straightened, "On you?" He asked. Pricklestar nodded his head slowly, "Precisely,"

Sparrowsong took a few paces back to avoid being in the way of the toms. She pressed herself up to a bramble bush and watched as Oak began to batter Pricklestar with his claws. "Pretty good," Pricklestar commented, "But you best do a little better than that,"

"I'd rather not hurt you," Oak mewed. Oh he's so sweet, thought Sparrowsong.

"Fine, you can keep your claws sheathed then,"

Oak leapt and landed square onto Pricklestar's back, despite the leader's movement to avoid being hit. He demonstrated a few more moves and eventually Pricklestar motioned to stop "You seem good enough to join us," He reported hastily, "But is it truly your wish to join us?"

There was silence, until finally Oak responded, "It is."

Pricklestar flicked his tail, "If it is what you want, then you may return with us to our camp," He meowed. Oak nodded in gratitude, soon following his new leader further into the territory. Sparrowsong ran to catch up and slowed her pace when she was walking side-by-side with Oak.

"What was that?" She hissed, "You never said anything about wanting to join the clan before."

"I wasn't planning too at first, but being that I had nothing else to make an excuse for, I felt as if I had too." He whispered in reply.

"Do you even want to join us?" Sparrowsong mewed.

"I really do" Oak concluded.

"Then I guess that makes us clanmates now," Sparrowsong purred, eyeing the tom happily.

I know this feeling! I felt like this when I first met Cherryclaw…

Alright so I have planned a little writing schedule for myself. Also congratulations to happyascanbe83 for guessing the name correctly!

Monday: Brainstorming

Tuesday: Planning

Wednesday: Prewriting

Thursday: Writing

Friday: Revising

Saturday: Posting

Sunday: Break taking

Also, I still need OC's for the next story. It will not be much longer until I will use them!

~Lisa