Featherpaw raced to where Echosong had indicated, the others hard on her heels. She was glad that she had made it back to SkyClan in time to see Tinycloud's kits, but she remembered that she still needed to be angry at Leafstar and the others for lying to her about her true mother.
Tinycloud let out a yowl of pain as Featherpaw entered the medicine cat's den. Thorntail was crouched over his mate, Bouncestep close by. Featherpaw crept beside the large ginger warrior and peered over his shoulder at the scene displayed before her.
Echosong whacked her on the head. "Focus, Featherpaw!" she hissed. "You're a medicine cat apprentice. Now go fetch some borage from my stocks."
Featherpaw blinked. She had almost forgotten her role in SkyClan! Without hesitating one more moment, she shuffled past Bouncestep and crept into Echosong's herb stock. She pawed out some borage leaves, picking up the dry crackling leaves with her jaw. She quickly brought them over to her silver mentor and watched her work.
"Come on, Tinycloud," Echosong murmured, brushing her belly with her front paws gently. "Featherpaw! Juniper leaves!"
"Juniper leaves?" Featherpaw echoed, dazzled. "We don't have any!"
"I got some while you were gone!"
Guilt and anger surged through Featherpaw's veins. Why had she been so mouse-brained and left Echosong alone to deal with everything from gathering herbs to sharing tongues with StarClan alone?
Shoving all thoughts of anger away, Featherpaw brought some juniper leaves over to Echosong and watched her chew them hastily.
"Echosong!" Thorntail yowled suddenly. "I see one!"
Featherpaw dashed away quickly. She didn't know why she was a medicine cat when she didn't like blood very much, but she coped through. She hid her eyes behind Bouncestep once more and waited for the terrified and pain-filled yowls to silence.
"Featherpaw?"
Featherpaw looked up wearily from her sparrow. It was only nibbled on, hence Featherpaw's sudden lack of hunger. She blinked as her mentor approached her, concern clouding her eyes.
"Featherpaw, Tinycloud wants you to see her kits," Echosong meowed softly, sitting down next to her. "But first you need to tell me something."
Featherpaw blinked up at the silver tabby she-cat.
"What made you come back home?"
Featherpaw sighed deeply before explaining her entire stay in GroundClan. She spoke of Jaystar's words and how the rest of the Clan had treated her. She mentioned how she planned to return to GroundClan by Rushingpaw and Riverpaw, and how Forestfoot found her sleeping just inside SkyClan territory.
"I still can't believe you'd keep something that important from me," she finished up.
Echosong sighed and rested her tail on Featherpaw's shoulders. "Featherpaw, it was only all for the better," she mewed. "If you had known all along that you were the daughter of Puddlefoot and Silverheart, then we thought you'd want to run away back to GroundClan."
"And you didn't think I would after you told me?" Featherpaw asked sarcastically.
"I personally thought you would," Echosong meowed. "But StarClan told me you'd come back…just after they left."
Featherpaw shot up and gazed at her mentor with green eyes wide as moons. "They left? StarClan…left?" she stuttered.
Echosong brushed her tail against her apprentice's mouth. "No other cat knows, mouse-brain!" she hissed. "Keep it down."
Featherpaw didn't need to hear this now. She was just recovering from the shock of being back home; she realized now just how homesick she had been while at the GroundClan camp. She didn't want to hear of StarClan leaving.
Echosong stood up. "Go see Tinycloud's kits and then come talk to me," she meowed. "I have much to tell you, since you missed the half-moon."
As Featherpaw trotted over to the nursery, she felt guilt sweep over her. She hadn't intentionally missed the half-moon, but now she wouldn't be able to hear of her ancestors, leaving the gorge. It was simply devastating! She would quickly drop in and see Tinycloud's kits before going straight to Echosong to hear about StarClan.
"Tinycloud?" she murmured as she ducked around the boulder. She was only slightly surprised to see Stormcloud in the nursery, mainly because she had noticed how much the dark she-cat and Brackenpelt had been close to each other lately.
"Featherpaw," she heard Tinycloud mew softly from a dark spot in the nursery. Featherpaw trotted nimbly over to where the sound came from.
Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Featherpaw could see Tinycloud's three beautiful kits.
"Oh, Tinycloud!" she gasped, instantly forgetting all her anguish. The three kits' pelts were beginning to dry, and their colours stood out among Tinycloud's distinguished white fur. "They're beautiful!"
"Aren't they…" Tinycloud's voice was lost in purrs as she gazed at her kits.
Suddenly, Thorntail entered the nursery. He nodded briskly to Featherpaw before sitting down next to his mate. "They're just amazing," he murmured.
Featherpaw nodded.
"I've thought of some names," Tinycloud mewed.
Thorntail purred with her. "Let's hear them."
"I was thinking the lighter brown one could be Cavernkit," Tinycloud purred, looking down at the tiny light brown tabby tom.
"That's a nice name," Thorntail meowed. "I was also thinking Amberkit for the bracken-coloured one."
Featherpaw looked at the one Thorntail had indicated. She was the only she-kit, and was suckling carefully beside her two brothers.
"I like Bramblekit," she mewed unconsciously.
Tinycloud's eyes lit up, but Thorntail narrowed his golden eyes.
"I'm sorry," Featherpaw rushed, standing up and taking a step back as to leave. "I was only voicing my opinion."
Tinycloud stopped her with her tail. "No, wait," she meowed. "That's a great name. For the dark brown tom with the white belly. He could be Bramblekit."
Thorntail looked down at the tom-kit. His expression softened eventually. "Yes, Bramblekit suits him well."
Featherpaw left the nursery feeling completely different from how she entered. She felt surprised and bewildered that the couple had actually decided to name one of their kits Bramblekit. She hadn't intended for them to use the name, but she wasn't stopping them.
Featherpaw remembered her meeting with Echosong and hurried down the Highpath to the medicine cat's cave. Unfortunately, as she was sprinting over to the den, Leafstar leaped atop the Rockpile.
"All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Rockpile for a Clan meeting."
Featherpaw watched as Echosong padded slowly out of her cave and came to sit beside her. "We'll talk after the meeting," she whispered into Featherpaw's ear.
Featherpaw nodded and waited patiently as the rest of the Clan gathered. To be honest, she was extremely glad to be home.
"Featherpaw has returned," Leafstar announced boldly, and all eyes fell on Featherpaw. She scuttled her paws in the earth in embarrassment. "And I say this with only the stars of Silverpelt as my witnesses: I apologize on behalf of the Clan."
Featherpaw blinked up at her leader. "I am sorry," Leafstar meowed, dipping her head.
"Er…it's okay," Featherpaw stammered, unsure of what to say.
With that, Leafstar went back on with the meeting. "Now that we have our medicine cat apprentice, there is one ceremony to be performed. Barkpaw, Brushpaw, please come forward."
As the two apprentices came forth, Featherpaw saw Barkpaw's eyes gleaming with silent excitement. She could tell he would be excited, but Barkpaw was a cat not to be very expressing. Why was he this enthusiastic?
Leafstar hopped down from the Rockpile. "I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard in the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." Leafstar looked down at the two trembling siblings. "Barkpaw, Brushpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"
Barkpaw nodded eagerly. "I do."
"I do," Brushpaw mewed softly.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names."
Unease clenched Featherpaw's heart as she glanced up at the sky. To her pain-staking horror, clouds were covering up the stars of Silverpelt, and Featherpaw glanced at Echosong to see her gazing upward as well.
"Barkpaw, from this moment you will be known as Barktail. StarClan honours your strength and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan." Leafstar rested her head on Barktail's head and he licked her shoulder in turn.
Leafstar then turned to Brushpaw to see her trembling slightly. She laughed once before meowing, "Brushpaw, from this moment you will be known as Brushbelly. StarClan honours your eagerness and agility, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan." The two followed the customary actions before Leafstar backed up.
"Barktail and Brushbelly will hold silent vigil tonight for their ceremonies," Leafstar announced. "That is all."
Featherpaw turned to Echosong, who whispered simply, "Come," and the two disappeared into the medicine cat's cave.