"Emberpaw, hold on!" a little white she-cat screeched. "I'll go get help! `"
"Be quick, Lilacpaw!" Emberpaw responded as Lilacpaw raced away. The red apprentice scrabbled to keep a hold on the branch. The fire reflected in his green eyes, fear showing in every part of his body. This isn't how it was meant to end… I was meant to be a great warrior, not a StarClan cat who died as an apprentice! The thought scared him enough that he lost his grip and plummeted into the fire. His life flashed between his eyes, and the last thing he could feel was immense pain and the feeling of someone gently gripping his scruff.

Emberpaw's eyes blinked open. He was in the RiverClan medicine den, clearly, but he barely recognised the cats around him, as they were blurred and distorted. He heard some commotion around him, then a familiar scent wafted his senses.
"Ivydawn...?" Emberpaw muttered as his mother entered the den.
"Oh, my precious kit," she sobbed. "We thought you would die…" Die? Emberpaw thought. Oh, the fire… I remember now… Is this StarClan...? As Emberpaw wobbled to his paws, he felt Ivydawn beside him, keeping him upright.
"Emberpaw!" Lilacaw bounded into the clearing. "You're alright!" his friend pressed against him. Feeling dizzy, Emberpaw was aware of all the cats around him, including Blazingfern, his mentor, and Sheepstar mumbling a thank you to StarClan.
"Welcome back, Emberpaw," the clan leader murmured. "You will be a warrior by the time you recover…"
"Emberface! Emberface!" the clan chanted his new name. Emberface had recovered from the fire, but not without permanent scars. He was now half blinded, and the fur on that half of the face would never grow back. Lilacstem, who was now a full medicine cat, chanted his name loudest of all. Emberface glowed with pride, before turning to nuzzle his mother. Sheepstar cleared her throat to get the clan's attention once again.
"I have another announcement. Frostedglare's kits are ready to be apprenticed. Mountainkit, Littlekit, step forwards." Emberface watched as the little blue she-kit and the yellow and blue tom-kit stepped forwards. Mountainkit was glowing, simply unable to keep still, whereas Littlekit was shyer, slower in his movements.
"Mountainkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Mountainpaw. Elkfoot, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have shown yourself to be skilled and loyal. You will be the mentor of Mountainpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to her." Mountainpaw trotted towards Elkfoot, and gently touched his nose with her own.
"I will teach you everything I know," he murmured affectionately.
"Littlekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Littlepaw. Ivydawn, you are ready to take on another apprentice. You have shown yourself to be kind and courageous, and I expect you to pass on all you know to him."
Emberface watched the new apprentice, nostalgia of his own apprentice ceremony overwhelming him. He padded over to his new nest in the warriors den and settled down to sleep.

"Ow!" A yowl could be heard from the medicine den, as Emberface sat there, Lilacstem pulling a thorn out of his paw.
"It wasn't that bad," she teased playfully. "Now come on, the rest of the clan are sharing tongues." Emberface followed his friend out of the medicine den gratefully, and picked up a plump shrew, before padding over to Ivydawn, who was sitting with her apprentice Littlepaw. The small yellow and blue-grey tom was sitting quietly, hovering over a scrawny mouse.
"Hey, Littlepaw?" the Tom lifted his head. "Want to swap prey? You look as if you should need a good meal." LIttlepaw dipped his head gratefully, passing the scrap of prey over. Ivydawn purred, looking from her apprentice to her son.
"Thank you, Emberface. Now go on, I'm sure there are other cats you want to sit with rather than your mother and her apprentice," Emberface laughed, before giving his mother a quick lick and padding over to where Elkfoot, Lilacstem and Mountainpaw were sat.
"Hey, Emberface!" Mountainpaw said, standing up. Her blue-grey pelt was shimmering in the leaf fall sunlight, icy eyes glowing. "How are you?"
"Fine, thanks," he replied, padding to sit next to Lilacstem. He nodded a greeting to Elkfoot and began eating his shrew.
"How's your paw feeling, Emberface?"
"Much better, thanks Lilacstem," he purred. Once everyone had finished, the deputy, Thornyheart, umped onto the wet rock to arrange patrols.
"Elkfoot, Mountainpaw and Amberfang, you can go on a patrol along the WindClan border, make sure that you scent mark where appropriate. Ivydawn, Littlepaw and Lightningcry, you can hunt by the owl tree." All the cats nodded and went off on their patrols. Disappointed at not being chosen for a patrol, Emberface padded back to the warriors' den to rest a bit. He lay his head on his paws and drifted into slumber.

"Emberface," he heard a murmur behind him. He lifted his head, turning to face the starry tortoiseshell.
"Petalclaw!" Emberface exclaimed, racing towards the pretty she-cat. "It's so good to see you, I've missed you," he purred, nuzzling her. The she-cat drew away, a hint of regret in her emerald gaze.
"Emberface, you must move on from me. I am in StarClan, welcomed among our ancestors. I'm sorry I couldn't live long enough for us to be mates, and grow a family together, but there is another cat." Petalclaw stepped aside, and showed a silhouette of a she-cat, cradling her two little kits.
"They will be your family, you just have to open your heart to another," Petalclaw smiled, and began to fade.
"No, Petalclaw! Don't go!" Emberface wailed, as he drifted back into the waking world.