Sunpaw's eyes fluttered open. Greeting him was the early morning sun rising, casting an orange glow across the sky. He groaned, why did he have to wake up so early? The tom turned away from the sun, grumbling to himself. He closed his eyes, ready to return to sleep.
The Briton immediately remembered the barn and how it was the most likely place Leafpaw was. Sunpaw's blue eyes instantly opened and sprang to his paws. It didn't matter how tired he was, he had to get her back!
The gold cat padded out of the temporary apprentice den, an air of urgency surrounding him. He saw Greystripe, Firestar, and other warriors talking. Must be a patrol, he concluded. Sunpaw then remembered he needed permission to leave himself. Groaning, he approached his mentor.
"Greystripe, can I go out hunting myself?" He asked.
Greystripe turned to him, "you can - after you apologise to Firestar for your outburst yesterday," he mewed. The expression on his face told Sunpaw that he wasn't even allowed to move until he said sorry.
"Yeah, sorry," Sunpaw mewed to Firestar. He turned away to head out of their temporary camp. He couldn't have any delays. Every second that wasn't spent finding the medicine cat apprentice was wasted time.
"Mean it!" His mentor hissed.
He froze, I don't have the bloody time for this!, he protested in his mind. The apprentice sighed, "Firestar, I apologise for shouting at you yesterday. I was just stressed out and concerned about Leafpaw," he said, a sincere tone in his voice.
Firestar smiled, "apology accepted," he mewed, "I know you care deeply for the cats in this clan, but try not to let your emotions get the best of you, okay?" the ginger tom lectured.
Sunpaw nodded, "yes, sir," he mewed. The apprentice turned to Greystripe, "can I leave now?" he urged. Time was ticking. The longer he waited the more chance there was of Leafpaw finding herself further and further away from home. From him.
"Off you go," Greystripe smiled.
"Thanks, dad!" Sunpaw called, bounding off. His face turned a deep scarlet when he realised he had called his mentor his father. He muttered curses to himself as he exited the camp.
Greystripe stood breathless, "he sees me as a father," he purred.
"Or you just act like his father," Sandstorm chimed in.
"Do you have to be so blunt?" The deputy grumbled.
Sunpaw raced through the territory, running towards ShadowClan. He skidded to a halt as he approached the thunderpath. Now which way was the farm again? The gold tom began to panic - he had forgotten.
The ThunderClan apprentice took a wild guess, heading west along the road. His lungs were beginning to burn, his breathing quickened and he felt his limbs beginning to ache. Soon, he passed a car, then another and another.
Sunpaw stopped dead in his tracks. His eyes laid on a line of cars, not a single one of them moving. The line extended over a stone bridge and onto the other side of the road. His heart sank into his stomach. A traffic jam?
His paws began smouldering, "are you having a laugh?!" he cried through gritted teeth. This was bad. Very very bad! This meant he was going to have to backtrack through ThunderClan territory and cut through WindClan territory. Hopefully he wouldn't run into any twolegs or patrols.
Sunpaw ran back the way he came, stopping in ThunderClan's deserted camp. The fresk-kill pile was beginning to decompose, giving off an awful stench. He didn't stay for long, bursting through the camp barrier and whipping past oak and birch trees.
His muscles ached, begging him to rest, it was beginning to hurt to breathe, he felt like his throat was full nails. He snorted as some mucous ran from his nose and tears formed in his eyes from the cold wind. But he refused to falter. The only way he would fail was for him to pass out.
Which he felt he was going to, but he remembered that talking or singing while running would help you. So he began to mutter the lyrics to 'Highway Star' by Deep Purple. After a while, his throat felt less pained along with his lungs.
Soon, he came across the stream that separated the territories of WindClan and ThunderClan. It was too wide for him to jump. There was rocks protruding out of the water. He could use them to get across faster than trekking through the water.
"Alright-" Sunpaw muttered, leaping onto the closest stone.
"-Hold tight-" he grunted as he jumped onto another rock.
"-I'm a-"
another rock.
"-Highway-"
another rock.
"-Star!" he grunted as he jumped onto WindClan territory. He faltered, stumbling and almost tumbling to the ground. He paused momentarily, regaining his breath, then running twice as fast as he had been previously.
Sunpaw's muscles were in agony, each one was screaming and begging him to rest, his lungs felt numb, and the feeling of nails in his throat had been replaced with the feeling of saw blades.
His pace slowed and his breathing became ragged. He needed to rest or he would pass out. But the ThunderClan apprentice wouldn't fail Leafpaw the way he failed Star. The thought of her gave him the strength to power on.
The forms of several cats came into view. Sunpaw groaned, "are you fucking serious?" he growled. He prepared himself for the inevitable chase that would ensure. The gold tom sprinted past them, hearing their yowls of surprise.
"Stop!" One of the patrol members yowled.
Sunpaw ignored them, focused on getting as far as he could as fast as he could. He knew WindClan cats were speedy little buggers, remembering how Crowpaw managed to outpace every single cat on the journey with the exception of Smokepaw.
The sound of several cats chasing him fell on his ears. "I don't need this!" he growled, attempting to gain distance between him and the cats. Soon, one of the WindClan cats was running beside him.
It was Crowpaw, "Sunpaw? What are you on our territory for?" he demanded.
"No time to explain!" Sunpaw responded.
"Yeah? Well, don't take this personally," The smokey grey tom growled, getting ready to barge the ThunderClan apprentice.
The Briton knew that if he slowed down he would be caught by the other cats. But if he sped up Crowpaw would slam into his back legs and send him crashing. Even if the tom missed he would find it easy to keep the same pace as him.
The one advantage the gold tom had was that Crowpaw was lighter than him. He would have to beat him to the punch if he was going to get to Leafpaw in time.
Sunpaw, without a warning, slammed into Crowpaw. The WindClan apprentice gasped, crashing into the dirt and tumbling over his head before tumbling back down into the ground face first.
"Sorry!" The ThunderClan apprentice called over his shoulder.
The other members of the patrol continued their pursuit, relentlessly chasing after Sunpaw. He couldn't do this for much longer. Black swallowed the corners of his vision, threatening to leave him blind. He began feeling lightheaded and his body felt numb.
Soon, the WindClan cats gave up. They watched as the stumbling cat ran off their territory. Crowpaw caught up with the rest of the patrol, spitting dirt out of his mouth. "Why aren't we chasing him?" he inquired.
"Because he's running off our territory," Webfoot pointed out.
Sunpaw ran through trees that separated WindClan from the barn. Coming out on the other side he was greeted with the barn, standing tall. He flopped onto the ground, laughing to himself. He had made it.
The ThunderClan apprentice shakily got to his paws, stumbling over to the barn. The feeling in his body returned, leaving him aching. But it was worth it. He was going to return Leafpaw back safe and sound.
He entered the barn, seeing rows upon rows of cat cages. This could take a while, but it told him that Leafpaw was still here. Sunpaw immediately began searching, looking through the most lower cages.
He eventually found one with a brown tabby cat inside, curled up and facing away from him. The tom's heart began to beat at incredible speeds. Was that her? Only one way to find out.
"Leafpaw?" Sunpaw called softly.
The quiet became deafening and tie seemed to stand still or slow to a crawl. Doubt crept into his mind. What if that cat wasn't Leafpaw? What if she was already gone? The apprentice held his breath.
The cat's ears pricked, then they turned around. Wide amber eyes stared at him, full of disbelief and happiness. He was right. Sunpaw was over the moon. He got to her just in time.
"Sunpaw?" Leafpaw responded. Quickly, she brought herself closer to the steel grid that separated them, "you came!" she cried.
"Of course I did," he smiled, "let's get you out," he muttered. Sunpaw began to fiddle with the lock but was unable to free her. The tom grimaced, he would have to melt the damn thing.
He placed his over the cage latch, transferring all the heat he could. The latch began to glow a dull red, before becoming orange then breaking before it could become any hotter. The lock fell to the ground, sounding with a loud metallic clank.
The brown tabby she-cat embraced him, purring softly. "I thought nobody was coming to save me," she admitted.
"Mate, you hear that?"
"Yeah, think one of the cages are open,"
"Shit," Sunpaw growled. He turned to Leafpaw, "we need to leg it," he mewed.
"But what about the others?" Leafpaw reminded, "we can't leave them here!" she protested.
"We'll come back for them, I promise," The ThunderClan apprentice sounded, "but we need to get out of here!" he urged. The two cats sprinted out of the barn and through the woods onto WindClan territory. They heard as the twolegs cursed in surprise and anger.
Sunpaw and Leafpaw ran through the territory, eventually skidding to a halt as they saw a WindClan patrol. "What do we do?" The medicine cat apprentice inquired, a nervous tone in her voice.
"I don't think that's WindClan," Sunpaw pointed out, seeing the forms of Squirrelpaw, Sorreltail, Greystripe, Brambleclaw, Thornclaw, and Rainwhisker. The ThunderClan cats noticed them too, then sprinted forward.
"Sunpaw! What in StarClan's name were you thinking!" Greystripe barked, "you could've been captured yourself!" he scolded.
Sunpaw opened his mouth to defend himself, but was shushed by his mentor. Squirrelpaw embraced her sister, "thank StarClan you're safe!" she cried.
"I missed you too," Leafpaw purred.
Sorreltail noticed that there were no other cats, despite there being several cats missing from ThunderClan, "where are the others?" she inquired.
The gold tom frowned, "couldn't get them in time or I would've been in a cage with them," he grimaced.
"That means we still have time," Greystripe stated, "follow me," he ordered the patrol. He turned to Sunpaw, "get Leafpaw back to Sunningrocks, and when I get back I'm making you check the elders for ticks for running off on your own. Again." he hissed.
Sunpaw nodded, signalling Leafpaw to follow him. The medicine cat didn't think it was fair, the gold tom had save her - he shouldn't be punished for it. But she knew better than to speak out against a warrior, let alone the deputy.
Leafpaw looked over to Sunpaw, expecting to see his face contorted in an expression of outrage. But he didn't even care. Her heart started pounding and she started blushing, he was so brave. And handsome too. But the fact they could never be together devastated her.
The two apprentices strolled through WindClan territory without encountering any problems. They soon found themselves padding through ThunderClan's forest, still as silent as it had been the day before.
Sunpaw knew this was his chance. He had to tell her. "Leafpaw," he mewed, "can I say something?" he inquired. His heart was beating rapidly, thoughts of rejections plaguing his consciousness. But he ignored them - he had to say what he was going to say.
"Um, s-sure," Leafpaw stuttered. Her heart skipped a beat. The tabby she-cat began to fantasise about what he was going to say. Each thought made her purr softly.
"I. . .um, I wanted to say. . ." Sunpaw stammered awkwardly, "that I really like you," he admitted. His face blushed a deep scarlet.
Leafpaw's breath hitched. He said it. He really said it. Her lips tugged into a small, sincere smile, "I really like you too," she admitted shyly. Words couldn't describe the happiness she felt. But a part of her nagged at her that this was wrong, that she shouldn't have a mate.
The two cats began to lean closer into each other. Suddenly, the she-cat pulled away and averted Sunpaw's gaze, "we can't," she stated, "t-the code says medicine cats shouldn't have-"
Leafpaw's words fell short as she felt Sunpaw's tail underneath her chin, guiding her back to face him. The brown tabby she-cat felt as her face began to heat up, a soft blush covering her face.
The two cats leaned in slowly, small smiles on their faces. Their muzzles press together as they both purred softly. They pulled back then went in again, this time Leafpaw entwined her tail with Sunpaw's.
They sat purring, loving smiles on both their faces. "I love you," Leafpaw spoke, nuzzling underneath her mate's chin.
"I love you too," Sunpaw purred, giving the brown tabby she-cat a lick on the head. They stayed in their embrace, rocking back and forth slowly.
After a brief silence, the medicine cat apprentice pulled away. "We need to get back to camp," she reminded.
"So we do," The gold tom mumbled, disappointed that their embrace was short lived, "we need to keep this secret, don't we?" he mewed.
Leafpaw nodded solemnly, "we just need to be careful," she sighed, leaning against her mate, "I hate keeping secrets," she grumbled. Sunpaw gave her a reassuring nuzzle, telling her that everything would be fine.
The two cats returned to Sunningrocks. Every cat's jaw dropped upon seeing Leafpaw again, soon they began rejoicing and praising Sunpaw for returning her home safely. Sandstorm, Cinderpelt, and Firestar bounded over and embraced her.
"I thought you were gone!"
"Thank StarClan you're safe!"
"I won't ever let that happen to you again!"
Sunpaw watched the reunion with a smile on his face. Today had been great; he had a mate now, he returned Leafpaw home safely, and now he had undoubtedly earned the respect of ThunderClan. The only thing to make this better was if he became a warrior.
Firestar pulled away from the embrace, padding up to the apprentice, "Sunpaw, I cannot thank you enough for returning Leafpaw home safe and sound," he purred. Pride was evident in his voice and eyes.
"Och, it was nothing," Sunpaw dismissed. He felt flattered, avoiding the leader's eyes with a sheepish grin on his face.
"Come," the ginger tom beckoned, "now is the time you become a warrior," he stated, padding away and up the Sunningrocks. The called the clan over and they gathered, forming a crowd around the stones.
"I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." The ginger tom recited.
The apprentice watched in awe, he was becoming a warrior. He wondered what his name would be. He didn't care as long as it wasn't something stupid like Sunface or Sunmoon. It all seemed surreal to him, like it was dream he would wake up from just before his warrior name was revealed.
The ThunderClan leader looked down at Sunpaw, "Sunpaw," he bellowed, "do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" he inquired.
The gold tom sat in shock for a brief second, "I do." he replied confidently.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Sunpaw, from this moment you will be known as Sunblaze. StarClan honors your courage and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Firestar stated, concluding the ceremony.
The whole of ThunderClan began chanting his name, "Sunblaze! Sunblaze! Sunblaze!" they cheered. The newly made warrior stood, grinning like a complete idiot. He felt like he was on top of the world. This was the best day of his life!
Suddenly, the ThunderClan patrol burst into camp, panting as if they had sprinted back without stopping once. The clan looked over confused, then started chatting amongst themselves about whay the patrol had returned and why they were in such a state.
Sunblaze noticed something, all the cats on the patrol were present along with Brightheart and Cloudtail. Sunpaw concluded that they must have been taken along with Leafpaw. Except for one. Greystripe. Where was he?
The ThunderClan leaned pounced down from the Sunningrocks, "Brambleclaw, what's the problem?" he inquired.
Brambleclaw attempted to regain his breath, "Gr. . .Greystripe has been captured by twolegs!" he yowled.