Squirrelflight's POV, now. ;)

Thanks for all the reviews. 3

Hmm, just to answer some of them: Firestar's just being a bit grouchy, not to mention that he's a bit suspicious of Brambleclaw wanting to leave again. But you're right, I re-read it and he sounded a bit more mean than I might have wanted him too. Remember, he's still grieving for Cinderpelt as well.

Hmm, I know what you mean about it being a bit unclear. But Starclan don't always give us everything they know, just tiny bits sometimes. :P

Squirrelflight sighed. She felt Ashfur's pelt brushing against her as he took in one breath after the other. Up and down. Up and down.

She deliberately moved away a bit and tried to curl up again, but just couldn't fall asleep. Oh, Starclan, I'm being torn in two! Brambleclaw's still acting like a deaf kit, but I can't deny I'm not over him yet. And Ashfur, well, he's definitely a good friend of mine, but, do I really love him? Enough to mother his kits? To run away, only for him? Yes… or then again, maybe no?

Suddenly Squirrelflight felt a warm familiar scent rush through her nose. She opened her eyes a tiny bit and saw tabby fur.

"Leafpool?" she mewed, still drowsy from her, if only brief, sleep.

"Come-on, you hedgehog, Firestar's called a clan meeting." Leafpool prodded Squirrelflight gently with her nose.

Squirrelflight smiled as she got up and stretched, some of her sister's old spirit, before Cinderpelt had died, was finally returning.

She padded out into the clearing. She saw Brambleclaw sitting very close to the High Ledge, watching her, with the first gentle, almost inviting look he had given her in ages. She hessisitated and spotted Ashfur, not too far away, twitching his tail to the spot next to him.

She saw her sister watching her, her eyes filled with sympathy. She motioned Squirrelflight to sit down next to her, which Squirrelflight gratefully did.

"Cats of ThunderClan, there is something very important we have to discuss. But there is something we need to do before that." Firestar's words seemed to echo across the clearing.

His eyes softened and Squirrelflight had the feeling it certainly wasn't bad news.

"Whitepaw, please come up here." Firestar watched with amusement as the young cat's expression changed from clueless to eagerness.

Squirrelflight purred, watching the apprentice stumble up to her leader, remembering her own warrior ceremony.

"I, Firestar, leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your code and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Whitepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect the clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Whitepaw nodded vigorously and meowed loud- and strongly: "I do, Firestar."

Squirrelflight noticed that Firestar looked more taken than at the most ceremonies, but then again, Whitepaw was his kin and as she brightly remembered, hers, too.

"Then by the powers of Starclan I now give you your warrior name. Whitepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Whitenose. Starclan honors your skills and understanding and we welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan."

Firestar stepped forward and rested his muzzle on top of Whitepaw snow-white head and Whitenose quickly licked his shoulder, purring loudly, obviously at a loss for words. She turned back to her clan, her eyes big green pools.

Squirrelflight squeezed her way through the many cats. Brightheart was sitting next to her kit, purring too loudly to speak, and Cloudtail nuzzled her affectionately.

"Congratulations, Whitenose," she purred, "Starclan knows you deserve it."

Whitenose purred back. "Thanks, Squirrelflight. I've waited a long time for this."

Her eyes seemed to be reflecting all the ticks she'd removed from the elder's pelts with mouse-bile, all the moss she had collected, all the prey she had caught.

Firestar's right, Whitenose is understanding. She's had to do more than her share of apprentice-chores and never said a word about it Squirrelflight thought.

Squirrelflight shot a look back at her den, wanting nothing more than to curl up again, but she noticed that Firestar clearly wasn't done yet.

He waited until the clearing was finally silent and Whitenose had gone to sit with the warriors.

"Cats of Thunderclan, we are in need of apprentices more than ever. Birchpaw cannot carry out all the apprentice duties on his own."

Mousefur snorted. "Cats nowadays are so weak. If I were the apprentice, I would've gotten the work done."

Squirrelflight wanted to rush over to the elder and give her a good bit of her opinion, but her mother, Sandstorm was quicker, glaring at the elder and murmuring something to her.

Firestar took a deep breath before continuing, looking at a particular cat in the crowd and only going on after she nodded.

Squirrelflight craned her neck to see who it was, but the cat was too surrounded by her clan-mates.

"As you know, a couple of moons ago Daisy joined us. She has not yet decided if she will stay with us, but she has agreed that she wants he kits apprenticed and taught in the way of the warrior code."

Next to her, Leafpool's mouth seemed to form on 'Oh!" and her eyes were narrowed to slits. But before Squirrelflight had a chance to ask her anything, Firestar continued.

"Come on, Hazelkit, Mousekit, Berrykit!" Firestar called his ears twitching with amusement as the three kits clumsily bounded up to him.

Squirrelflight looked at them all closely. She knew Firestar would've told her to expect the ceremony if he had picked her, but she still wanted to take a closer look at the kits.

The one with long, creamy fur looked leaner and almost stronger than his siblings and his amber eyes shone with obvious delight at finally being made an apprentice.

The other two looked like tiny copies of Smoky, the cat who lived at the horseplace.

Berrykit was bigger than Hazelkit and had a white underbelly and legs. He yawned, as if the whole procedure didn't really interest him. Hazelkit was smaller and darker, her fur almost black with only a small white dab of white on her chest. She poked her brother, frowning mewing something to him.

She looks a bit like Ravenpaw! Squirrelflight thought mrrrowing with laughter at the thought of what the loner might've said if he saw the kit.

"From this day until they have earned their warrior names these apprentices will be known as Berrypaw, Hazelpaw and Mousepaw."

The apprentices looked at each other with shared delight and even Birchpaw's ears were pricked, he was certainly looking forward to not being the only apprentice anymore.

"Brightheart," Firestar began, looking at the white she-cat with ginger patches as he spoke, "Whitestorm was a good mentor to you, and you have an incredible warrior spirit. You shall be a mentor to young Berrypaw. Pass your knowledge and skills on to him."

Brightheart dipped her head and walked forward to her new apprentice. They touched noses, like all mentors and apprentices did, a bit awkwardly at first because Berrypaw kept staring at Brightheart's injured side, but when he saw the warmth in her remaining eye, he relaxed.

Squirrelflight brightened; having an apprentice would definitely do Brightheart good. Since Cloudtail had been busy training Daisy, she knew Brightheart had been lonely.

Firestar silenced the clearing with a yowl and turned his head to look at the two remaining cats.

"Thornclaw, you were a good mentor to Shrewpaw, and you are an incredible fighter and hunter. I'm sure you will make a good mentor for Hazelpaw."

Thornclaw's expression was mixed; there was grief, for his lost apprentice, but determination, too. "I'll do my best, Firestar," he meowed, his voice trembling a bit.

Hazelpaw padded forward to her mentor, hurriedly touched his nose and started questioning him. Thornclaw laughed and silenced her, there was still one apprentice left without a mentor.

Firestar's eyes dulled a bit as he spoke: "Rainwhisker, you've known a lot of loss," Squirrelflight knew Firestar was referring to Rainwhisker loosing his mother Willowpelt, and his brother Sootfur, "but you've overcome it and have shown a lot of strength and courage in these past days. You shall mentor Mousepaw."

Rainwhisker looked a bit worried about his new responsibility, but his eyes softened as he met those of his apprentice.

Squirrelflight noticed that a few cats looked a bit troubled, as if they were remembering that these apprentices weren't clan-born. She wanted to snarl a few words, after all, she had some kittypet origins, too, but one look from Firestar silenced her.

"Now that that's done," Firestar meowed almost a bit more cheery, "I'd like to speak to my senior warriors and Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw alone in my den, please."

Squirrelflight's eyes narrowed. Did Firestar want to ask them to stop bickering? But he wouldn't need his senior warriors to do that.

Squirrelflight began to pad over to her father's den. Ashfur shot her a much asking glance, but she just shrugged, she knew no more about this than him.

Squirrelflight was the last cat to arrive and took a seat in the back.

Firestar saw her, blinked and started speaking. "We've decided you two can go. It's going to be hard, but Starclan's will should be ours, too. I'm going to talk to the other leaders about it tomorrow at the Gathering; we all agree that it wouldn't be safe at the moment for you two to go wandering into other clan's territory. If they say no, well, you'll have to travel on your own with Stormfur and Brook."

Squirrelflight blinked apologetically. "Umm, Firestar, what are you talking about?" she meowed questioningly.

Firestar looked at Brambleclaw than at her and then back at Brambleclaw. "You didn't tell her?" he asked, stunned.

Brambleclaw dipped his head, but Squirrelflight, as much as she wanted to jump at his throat, meowed confidently. "Ohhhh, that. Of course he's told me about it."

Brambleclaw's ears pricked in surprise and confusion, but he remained silent.

Squirrelflight tried to look as innocent as possible as the other senior warriors looked at her quizingly. "I was just testing you," she meowed quickly looking at the ground.

"Weeee-heell, if you're done 'testing' us, I guess everything is cleared up," Cloudtail meowed, barely stifling a yawn.

Firestar nodded, still looking at Squirrelflight suspiciously, but letting her go.

&&&

As soon as they were away from the other cats, especially Firestar, Squirrelflight meowed through gritted teeth: "So, are you planning to clear me up, or not?"

Brambleclaw turned to her, his eyes flashing excitedly. "Feathertail spoke to Stormfur. She told him 'The journey is not yet over, that he'd have to travel with four cats to find what's still missing'. He came to us because he thinks we all have to go.

Not excitement, but fury and anger spread through Squirrelflight. "So you think you and Stormfur can go trotting off on your own without even telling me?"

Brambleclaw lowered his head. "Well, Feathertail only mentioned four cats, so I assumed she meant me, Crowfur, Tawnypelt and him."

Squirrelflight's lips were pinched tightly together but she managed to growl: "Don't tell me tales fit for kits, Brambleclaw. Starclan never included me in their first prophecy and you probably wouldn't be here if it weren't for me. I'm coming with you and there's nothing you can do to stop me.

Her eyes narrowed at this new betrayal from Brambleclaw and she stalked off, her tail high. If Brambleclaw thinks he can just go running away on a new journey from Starclan and leave me here, he's wrong, she thought bitterly really wrong.