AN: Yay for a fast update! I'm really excited about where the climax of this story is going. Soon the battle will come, and after that... I'm not sure. I'm planning on continuing Rebirth after this because no one is reviewing it right now. So for now it has been put on hold until this is finished. Thanks everyone for your awesome reviews, and enjoy the holidays!
-Chapter 36-
The days were getting shorter. Dovestar could sense that leafbare was in its way. Even the air around them had become more bitter as cold winds from the north pierced through the forest. Cats huddled together to avoid the worst of the cold. Dovestar sat close to Tigerheart each morning so that they could share tongues. She had noticed that Nightfire and Aspencreek were spending more time together as well.
Mintpaw, Stonepaw and Snowpaw had all passed their assessments the other day. Now Dovestar was preparing herself for their warrior ceremony, which would be held at sunhigh. All three young apprentices looked more than happy to become warriors. Even Stonepaw, who had become quiet and distant since his mother's exile, looked excited. Maybe this would be good for the young tom. He would forget about what his mother had done and move on in life.
While she got ready for the ceremonies the border patrol returned with little news on the rogues. Tigerheart was leading the patrol with Pepperfoot and Forestpelt on either side of him. Her mate's amber eyes glowed when he approached her.
"Did you find anything suspicious?" she asked after stretching out her back.
"Nothing out of the ordinary," he replied. "I have a feeling that Lightning is waiting for the right chance to strike."
Dovestar couldn't help but nod in agreement. Lightning was as crafty as Minnowtail. He would wait until the Clan was at it's weakest. She knew that sooner or later he would come out of the blue and strike. A shudder coursed down her spine as she imagined what the rogues could do.
She shook her head and flicked her tail before padding over to the Willowbranch. Stonepaw, Mintpaw and Snowpaw were waiting impatiently beside the apprentice's den while their denmates looked on with jealousy. Soon her own kits would become warriors as well. They would need to learn patience though before she gave them their warrior names.
"Let all cats old enough gather beneath the Willowbranch for a Clan meeting!" She watched with satisfaction as the Clan gathered around her. Nightfire had his own group of friends to sit with; Graywhisper and Aspencreek both looked on as if there was nothing wrong with their little group. Dovestar would have laughed if she wasn't sitting in such an exposed position. Forestpelt sat alone while Smokefur and Flosspelt sat together. Now that the whole Clan was gathered it was time to begin the ceremony.
"Smokefur, Aspencreek, Honeylight, do you believe that your apprentices are ready to become warriors?"
"Snowpaw has learned all she can," Smokefur replied confidently.
"Stonepaw is a keen apprentice; he will make a fine warrior," Aspencreek meowed.
"Mintpaw is intelligent and strong, he too will make a fine warrior," Honeylight murmured.
"Then I, Dovestar, leader of LakeClan, call upon my warrior ancestors so that they may look down upon 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. Snowpaw, Stonepaw, Mintpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"
"I do," Snowpaw replied.
"I do." Stonepaw's voice was barely a whisper, but Dovestar heard it loud and clear. Her eyes narrowed as she wondered what he was thinking about.
This is where having Jayfeather would come in handy, she thought. He would have picked up on what the young tom was thinking. Something about Stonepaw made her nervous as she studied his yellow eyes. He was definitely up to something that would only end in disaster.
"I do," Mintpaw mewed when an uneasy silence followed his brother's words.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Snowpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Snowfire. StarClan honors you for your courage and spirit, and we welcome you as a full member of LakeClan."
Snowfire's eyes glowed with happiness when Dovestar jumped down to touch the young cat's forehead with her nose. Out of respect Snowfire gave her shoulder a lick.
"Mintpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Mintwhisker. StarClan honors you for your patience and hunting skills, and we welcome you as a full member of LakeClan." Again she did the same with Mintwhisker, who seemed more than pleased with his new name.
"Stonepaw..." Dovestar paused when the young tom's lips curled in disgust. "From this moment on you will be known as-" She was cut off by a hiss of fury.
Time seemed to slow down as cats sprang out of the way. Stonepaw lunged forward, his claws making contact with her skin. Dovestar yowled in surprise at the sudden attack. She was pushed off of her perch and landed on the ground.
Dovestar yelped when Stonepaw gave her shoulder a good bite. He had needle-sharp kit teeth that inflicted serious pain. She fought back by pushing him off with her back legs. Stonepaw staggered to one side, recovering from her retaliation.
"What are you doing?" she demanded when she pinned him to the ground.
"Mother deserves to be leader more than you ever will be!" he spat. "You're nothing but a coward who hides behind her warriors!" His fur was standing on end now, making him look twice as large.
Stonepaw was pulled off before he could inflict anymore damage. Disappointment gleamed within Aspencreek's eyes, while the rest of the Clan huddled together for safety. There was no missing the hostility between them as Stonepaw tried to fight off Tigerheart and Duskfur.
"Stonepaw, you tried to kill Dovestar out of cold blood," Mothwing meowed when she stepped out of the crowd. Her blue eyes glowed when she looked at the apprentice.
Like mother like son, Dovestar thought as she forced back a cough.
"Are you alright?" Tigerheart demanded when he approached her. Smokefur had taken his place in holding down Stonepaw, who was struggling to get free from their grip.
"I'll be fine," Dovestar rasped after shaking her head. "My pride has been hurt, but I will recover. Now will we do with him?"
Tigerheart was about to answer when Hollyleaf stepped forward. Anger gleamed within her eyes as she looked at Stonepaw. By now he was too exhausted to fight back. He had spent most of the morning cleaning out the nursery since Emberleaf moved in.
"Banishment is the only punishment I can think of," Hollyleaf growled.
Dovestar's ears flattened when Hollyleaf mentioned banishment. All she could think of was her time away from the Clan because of Minnowtail. And now Minnowtail's son was being punished for what his mother had done.
"Very well," she sighed after realizing that her deputy was right. Banishment was the best and only option she could think of for Stonepaw. "Stonepaw, from this moment on you are no longer a member of LakeClan. You have broken the warrior code and turned on a Clanmate. If you are caught on our territory after sunhigh than you will be treated like a rogue."
The young tom stared at her defiantly for what felt like moons. Snowfire and Mintwhisker exchanged anxious looks as they watched their brother rise to his paws. Pure rage burned within his yellow eyes when he glared at the rest of the Clan.
"This isn't over," he spat.
With those final words he bounded out of the camp, vanishing behind a frond of ferns. Dovestar sighed when she watched him disappear. Nothing would ever be the same since Minnowtail was banished. She knew that sooner or later a war would break out between the Clans and the rogues. And they needed to be ready for the attack.
AN: Le gasp! I bet no one saw that one coming. Stonepaw, my favorite character, betraying the Clan! Yeah, this is going to lead to the ending of the plot. After that I'm going to plan the sequel to LakeClan and maybe work on Rise Of DarkClan later on. Check out my profile for news on DarkClan's story :D