You all have four more days in the contest to get your OC be SkyClan leader, deputy, or medicine cat. Once the contest is over, I will make random OCs and have them get these roles.
Anyways, I don't really know what else to put in this author's note so... onto the chapter!
Redpaw woke up to have a heavy weight slam down on him. He yelped and threw off his attacker to see his sister Owlpaw, panting heavily.
"Remember when you finished collecting herbs and went to take a nap? Well guess what happened while you were sleeping?!" she was talking so quickly like a chattering squirrel that Redpaw found it hard to keep up with all this.
"What?" he asked.
"Guess!"
"Shadowedpaw wants to kill me?..." he muttered.
Owlpaw blinked. Her quick excited tone was gone. "Why would your own brother want to kill you?"
Redpaw cursed: "Fox-dung" under his breath, why'd he have to say his suspicions that he felt as if Oakpelt and Shadowedpaw were teaming up to kill him? He had noticed Shadowedpaw was always whispering to his mentor, as if they were planning something. And they kept giving him hateful glares when they thought he wasn't looking. He looked back up at Owlpaw. "Whatever. What happened?"
"Well while you were sleeping, we found out we'd done great on the battle assessment yesterday! And then we did the hunting one and we brought back so much prey!" she squeaked.
"'We'?" Redpaw asked, confused.
"Duh, me and Shadowedpaw and Ashpaw! Our mentors and Sunstar have to make us warriors!" Owlpaw yelled.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Sunstar's yowl echoed outside.
Goldensun, Redpaw, and Owlpaw all stumbled out of the medicine den, tripping on each other's tails and ending up in a pile. They walked single file line over to the meeting, Oakpelt and Shadowedpaw keeping a good distance from Redpaw. The tension was stronger than ever, only Redpaw seemed to notice. He couldn't catch the two cat's whispers from here.
"Shadowedpaw, Owlpaw, Ashpaw, step forward." Sunstar ordered.
The apprentices obeyed. Shadowedpaw stopped whispering.
"Ashpaw, you have shown bravery and loyalty to your Clan, even when your leg was injured and your mentor killed, you kept fighting for you and your Clan. Even when your warrior ceremony was delayed because of this. You kept going forward. Ashpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?" Sunstar asked.
"I do." Ashpaw answered.
"Then I name you Ashpelt, new warrior of ThunderClan. StarClan honors your bravery." Sunstar leaped off the rock and touched noses with Ashpelt as the Clan chanted her new name.
"Ashpelt! Ashpelt! Ashpelt!" they yelled. Ashpelt's ears turned red with embarrassment and she fled, Sunstar laughed.
When Sunstar got back on the Highledge, she looked down at Owlpaw. "Owlpaw, you have shown speed and courage to your Clan, and have fought hard to protect your Clan and the warrior code. Owlpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do."
"Then I name you Owlflight, new warrior of ThunderClan. StarClan honors your courage."
Sunstar touched noses with Owlflight and went back on the ledge as the Clan chanted Owlflight's new name, Ashpelt came back as well, hiding in the back of the crowd.
Finally, Sunstar set her gaze on Shadowedpaw.
"Shadowedpaw, you have shown skillfulness and quick-thinking in your apprentice training. Doing some battle moves I have never seen before. Shadowedpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do."
Something in his tone bothered Redpaw. He glared at his brother, looking deep into his eyes… Seeing nothing but darkness and hate. Something he only saw in Oakpelt or other cats he feared evil.
"Then I name you Shadowedheart, new warrior of ThunderClan. StarClan honors your skill." Sunstar said.
The Clan started to chant his name, all except Redpaw, still searching for the brother he once knew… But only saw nothing.
Another wail sounded from the nursery the next morning.
"What in the name of StarClan is going on in there?" Redpaw hissed, covering his ears.
"Windflower's expecting Firegaze's kits." Goldensun sighed.
"Didn't even know the two liked each other." Redpaw muttered. He usually ignored everything in the Clan and hid in the medicine den, fearing Oakpelt would attack him or Shadowedpaw would rat out to everyone about the prophecy.
Then Firegaze burst into the den, about to start yelling-
"Yes, yes, I'll be there in a minute! Let me get the herbs!" Goldensun snapped at him, and he retreated out of the den.
They walked into the nursery. Goldensun sat down with Windflower, who groaned when she put a paw on her belly.
Goldensun gave her a stick. "Bite down on it when you start feeling pain. If it snaps, I'll get another one. Now, push!"
Windflower held in a grunt as she bit down hard, gasping. Firegaze paced around outside the den, worried and always poking his head in. Until Goldensun shooed him off.
Redpaw turned back to face Windflower as Goldensun picked up a newborn kit. "Lick its fur the wrong way to warm it up." she gave the kit to Redpaw as she continued helping Windflower.
The queen gave another gasp of pain as another kit came.
Firegaze came back in the den. "Is-"
"Just one more. Now patient!" Goldensun told him as the kit finally came out and she gave it to Redpaw.
Firegaze frowned. "Are you sure she's alri-"
"I SAID BE PATIENT!" Goldensun hollered, waking up the remaining of the Clan that hadn't woken up from Windflower's howls.
Just when it looked like she was about to faint, Windflower's final kit came and she exhaled in relief.
Firegaze poked his head through the brambles and Goldensun nodded. He walked over to Windflower and gazed at the kits. One was an orange she-cat with black spots, the second was a ginger tabby tom with darker orange stripes, and the third a white and orange she-cat.
"What are we going to name them?" Firegaze purred. But Windflower fainted. Firegaze yelped-
"Stress." Goldensun muttered grumpily, failing to wake her up until she had enough and gave her a slap, Sandbreeze's kits: Bluekit and Flowerkit, trotting over to the newborns.
"Hello!" Bluekit squeaked to the white and orange she-kit, who started mewling loudly.
"Leave the new kits alone, Bluekit!" Flowerkit dragged her whining younger sister back to their mother.
Windflower and Firegaze looked down at the kits when Windflower woke up. "Blazekit." she pointed at the orange she-kit with black spots. "Stripekit." she nodded at the tom. "Brightkit." she flicked her tail at the white and orange she.
Blazekit sneezed next to Brightkit, who started to mew loudly. Goldensun gave Windflower some borage and she and Redpaw walked out of the den.
A moon or two had passed, the half-moon shone yellow in the air as they leaped across the stepping stones. When they finally reached the Moonpool, Redpaw sat with Moonpaw to his right and Goldensun to his left.
"Before we begin, I'd like to announce something." Goldensun meowed.
Every cat turned to face her.
"Redpaw, step forward."
Redpaw gasped, knowing what was happening.
"I, Goldensun of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help will serve his Clan for many moons. Redpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do." Redpaw said.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your true name as a medicine cat… Redpaw, from this moment on…"
Please, don't name me Redshadow… Redpaw pleaded in his mind.
"...You will be known as…"
Redpaw could tell Goldensun was having the same thoughts as him. Finally, she stiffened.
"Redshadow."
Redshadow opened his mouth to scream but held it in, in too much of a shock as Goldensun continued: "StarClan honors you for your hard work and loyalty…"
The medicine cats chanted his name: "Redshadow! Redshadow! Redshadow!" Redshadow was still in shock, knowing what his new name meant.
It confirmed he was the Shadow of Red that would destroy ThunderClan.
"I, too, would like to make an announcement."
They turned to face Silentsky, his voice that was normally quiet and calm was now deep and powerful.
"Moonpaw, step forward."
Moonpaw hopped over clumsily, almost stepping on Redshadow's tail in the process.
"I, Silentsky, medicine cat of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help will serve her Clan for many moons. Moonpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"
Redshadow stiffened, remembering Moonpaw didn't trust StarClan.
"I do." Moonpaw surprisingly said.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Moonpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Moonbreeze. StarClan honors your care and kindness towards others."
They chanted Moonbreeze's new name, and how Moonbreeze had chanted the loudest for him, Redshadow cheered the loudest for her. Moonbreeze caught him looking and smiled.
They then touched their noses to the Moonpool and fell into a deep slumber…
Redshadow and Moonbreeze are now medicine cats. Shadowedpaw is now Shadowedheart, Owlpaw is now Owlflight, and Ashpaw is now Ashpelt.
I was going to at least give some clue in the earlier chapters that Firegaze and Windflower were in love, but the chapters were focusing on Redshadow, Moonbreeze, and Shadowedheart and Oakpelt. Redshadow spent most his time in the medicine den, at medicine cat Gatherings, or other places where I didn't get the chance to show that Firegaze and Windflower were close friends and likely mates.
Shadowedheart is suddenly friends with his mortal enemy: Oakpelt, is Shadowedheart with the Dark Forest?
Chapter Fifteen in which Emberpaw makes a big old mistake and the whole Clan hates her.
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-MoonStar