"I, Leafstar, leader of SkyClan, 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 warriors in their turn," Leafstar meowed from Rockpile, the sunlight shining down on her sleek tabby pelt.
"This is so exciting!" Rosekit meowed with a small hop by my side.
"Shh. Your Mom is talking," Brackenstorm said, curling his fluffy white tail around Rosekit and Wrenkit.
Leafstar bounded down to stand in front of Creampaw and Seedpaw.
Both of their eyes were shining. Creampaw's long grey tabby and cream fur was carefully groomed. Seedpaw's white and tabby patched short fur was sleek and she stood with her head high. I felt a sort of pride while watching them; a soft warmth glowed in my chest to see how grown up, strong, and confident they looked.
"Creampaw, Seedpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your lives?" Leafstar asked them.
"I do!" Creampaw said first, her blue eyes bright with excitement.
"I do," Seedpaw echoed, sounding a bit calmer than her sister.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names," Leafstar meowed.
"Creampaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Creamclaw," Leafstar meowed to her. "StarClan honors your bravery and enthusiasm, and we welcome you as a full member as SkyClan."
Leafstar rested her muzzle on Creamclaw's head. Creamclaw licked her shoulder before withdrawing, her head and tail held high.
"Seedpaw," Leafstar said, turning to the other sister. "From this moment on, you will be known as Seedheart. StarClan honors your loyalty and thoughtfulness, and we welcome you as a full member of SkyClan."
Leafstar touched her muzzle to Seedheart's head, and then Seedheart licked her shoulder before stepping back next to Creamclaw.
"Seedheart! Creamclaw! Seedheart! Creamclaw!" I yowled, raising my voice along with the rest of the Clan.
I noticed Bouncefire's eyes were bright with pride as he cheered for his first apprentice, and he was one of the first to go congratulate the sisters. Their parents Waspwhisker and Fallowfern were close behind, along with their older siblings. I padded up to them too, giving them both a friendly nudge with my muzzle.
"It'll be good to have you two back in the den," I purred to them.
"We were getting awful lonely in the apprentice den all by ourselves," Creamclaw purred.
"Congratulations!" I added, before withdrawing to make room for others.
As I disentangled myself from the crowd, Wolfshade came up to me, having already given his congratulations.
I purred at the sight of him. He sat next to me and I leaned against his shoulder.
"The apprentice den is empty now," he commented.
"Ripplekit, Adderkit, and Owlkit will be six moons old soon enough," I meowed.
I moved my head to bury my face in Wolfshade's shoulder. I breathed in deeply, his scent rushing over me.
"I've got to head out soon. Sharpclaw wants me on the sunset patrol," he meowed.
"Aw," I whined into his fur. "Can't you go for a hunt with me instead? I feel like we haven't gone out together in forever."
"Fine, but you have to be the one to tell Sharpclaw that I'm not going on patrol, so I can hunt with you instead," Wolfshade said with a snort.
"Um…" I said, pulling my face out of his pelt.
I sighed, thinking of the big, dark ginger deputy's unamused and uncompromising eyes.
"Just get someone to take your place on patrol," I said, eyes brightening as I realized if Wolfshade found a replacement for himself, we wouldn't even have to talk Sharpclaw into letting him off.
"Yeah, I guess I could," he said, eyes lightening as he followed my line of thought.
"Hey, Sagewhisker?" I meowed, spotting the grey tom walking across camp as my clan mates dispersed after the warrior's ceremony. "Are you busy?"
"No," he meowed, padding over to me, eyes bright, but then his gaze flickered to Wolfshade and I thought I saw a bit of the spark go out of them.
"What's up?" he meowed, sounding his normal cheerful self as he gave a nod of greeting to me and Wolfshade.
I must have imagined it.
"Wolfshade and I want to go hunting," I meowed, tilting my head towards Wolfshade. "But, he's on the evening patrol. Would you mind taking his place?"
Sagewhisker's eyes flickered from Wolfshade and back to me.
"It's totally up to you," I added quickly. "I don't want you to have to go on patrol if you're tired or just don't want to."
"No, it's fine," he said, giving a soft purr. "I'll go."
He looked over at Wolfshade again and gave a nod.
"Have fun on your hunt!" he meowed, turning away and giving a wave of goodbye with his grey tabby tail.
"Thanks!" I said.
"Thanks," Wolfshade echoed in his deep meow.
"See, that was easy," I purred, turning back to Wolfshade.
I leapt to my paws.
"Let's go!" I said, running out of camp before he could even say anything.
Wolfshade ran after me, and as we entered the forest, he lengthened his stride, eating up the ground to catch up to my side, matching his pace to mine. I shot him a challenging look out of the corner of my eye, then I bent over, stretching my long legs out as I doubled my speed, sprinting ahead of him. The wind whipped through my fur, and the sun dappled tree canopies flew by above me. I heard Wolfshade's paw steps behind me. I turned my head and I saw him close behind, his paws flying and his fur slicked back by wind as he ran. I turned my eyes back forward, my chest heaving in great breaths of the sweet new-leaf air. I soared over a fallen tree without breaking stride, then ran through the border of the trees, coming out of the forest and onto the fields above the cliffs of the gorge.
We tore through the tall golden grass, the scent of honeysuckle in my nose and the heat of the sun on my back. Wolfshade had caught up to me now, and he ran at my side, disappearing and reappearing in the fronds of the grass. I turned slightly, climbing the big hill on the field. I slowed as we crested the hill, finally coming to a stop at the top of it. Wolfshade padded up to my side. I panted as we looked out over our territory. In front of us, the fields stretched on for a while longer before ending at the two-leg place.
I turned, and behind me, the fields rolled until it reached the gorge. I could see the jutting of Skyrock, then beyond that the top of the cliffs on the other side of the gorge, topped with trees, and the setting sun behind them.
I sighed, closing my eyes, and letting it all wash over me.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Wolfshade murmured.
I opened my eyes and looked over at him. He gazed out over our territory, his green eyes sparkling and full of the reflection of light from the setting sun. His head was held high and his long fur blew in the new-leaf breeze. His face was creased with a solemn wonder as his gaze scoured the land.
"Yeah it is," I meowed softly, gazing at him.
He looked over at me. Our gazes met, and he purred, stepping forward to press his cheek to mine.
"You look so beautiful, in the setting sunlight," he murmured softly to me before pulling his head back.
He looked so shy after he said those words, ears pricked in an hesitantly hopeful expression as he gazed at me, waiting for my response.
My heart was hammering in my chest. Standing here, with him on this beautiful day, I couldn't imagine anything more perfect. I felt like I could fly. I wanted to tell him how I felt. How my heart ached when we were apart. How just the brush of his fur against my fur sent lightning bolts across my skin. How all I wanted was to lose myself forever in his beautiful eyes.
How all I wanted was him.
"Wolfshade, I…" I meowed.
His eyes flickered to mine, and I couldn't get the words out.
I stepped forward, burying my face in his fur. I closed my eyes and just breathed.
"…Thank you," was all I managed.
"Let's watch the sunset," he meowed.
"Alright," I said taking my face out of his fur.
"No. Let's get a better view," he said with a soft purr. "I know the perfect tree for it.
Wolfshade led me back to the forest. He walked purposely though the trees, finally coming to a stop at a tall pine.
I let out a short purr of laughter when I recognized it.
"Really?" I purred.
"You probably remember it from our first hunt together," Wolfshade meowed.
"The tree we caught the squirrel in during my hunting assessment. I remember," I purred.
"Funny. I never thought of you as so sentimental, Wolfshade" I added teasingly.
"This tree also happens to be the best tree to watch the sunset from in the whole forest," Wolfshade meowed, ignoring my teasing for the most part, but I could hear a faint purr in his voice.
"I'll show you," he meowed, starting to scale it.
I followed him up the trunk. I watched him climb, admiring how he moved so effortlessly up the trunk, and how he leapt from branch to branch with ease despite his large size. We climbed very high, higher than I've ever climbed before, breaking through the tops of the canopies of the other shorter trees that surrounded the pine. I turned my head while my claws still clung to the trunk, looking over my shoulder to see the setting sun behind me. I wasn't sure where Wolfshade was taking me. The branches here were questionably thin; I wasn't sure if they would be able to support our weights.
"Almost there," Wolfshade called from above me.
I turned back towards the trunk and continued to climb. Wolfshade only went up a few more tail lengths before disappearing suddenly in the shadows on the trunk. I blinked in surprise, then his head poked back out of a hole in the tree trunk that I hadn't noticed before. I climbed up to him, entering the hollow of the trunk. It was dark and cozy inside. A soft moss grew on the floor and up the walls, and there was just enough room for me and Wolfshade to sit side by side. When I turned around to look out of the hole, I could see a great expanse of green leaves stretching out in front of me. The sun was setting, dipping into the sea of shadowed green leaves below, and, above, the sky was a swirling blend of purples and reds.
"Holy StarClan," I whispered, eyes widening at the magnificent sight.
"I found this hollow about a moon ago, when I chased a squirrel all the way up this tree," Wolfshade meowed.
"I lost the squirrel," he admitted. "But, I stumbled across this. I don't think anyone else knows about it. I've been wanting to show you, but we've both been so busy."
Warmth blossomed in my chest, thrumming through me from my nose to my tail. I almost couldn't believe how great he was, and how lucky I was. He found this stunning place, and he wanted to show it to me.
"It's amazing, Wolfshade. Thank you," I meowed, tearing my gaze away from the sunset to look at him.
"I'm glad you like it," he purred.
I blinked up at him, happiness drumming in my chest as strongly as my heart.
I love it.
I leaned against his side, twining his tail with mine. Then we turned back and watched the sun dip beneath the trees together.
