For Castle and Eclipse:
true love can survive through the trials of jealousy and time
only then will it be considered real
Pebblepaw opened his jaws in a gaping yawn, blinking his eyes open. Claypaw snores softly beside him, flank rising and falling steadily. Maybe he would have time for another nest prank on her later during the day, but a call from Icepaw dragged his mind away from it.
"Pebblepaw! Guess what?"
Pebblepaw drew his gaze toward the den entrance. Ah, there she was. Might as well get up now. Stretching, he approached her sleepily, shaking his head to wake himself up.
"Nightspark said I passed my assessment! I'm going to become a warrior once the sun begins to set!" Icepaw's tone was a different kind of peppy, not like the usual. Purrs played throughout her shouts of excitement, which brought Pebblepaw to his full consciousness.
"Really? A warrior? What name do you think you'll get?"
"Well, I was hoping for 'heart,' but I think everyone does. 'Ear,' maybe," she gestured to her silvery ear, "or perhaps 'leaf.' I always thought that was pretty."
"Whatever you get, I'll be happy for you," replied Pebblepaw sincerely, with a hint of envy. She already got to think about warrior names, and where was he? Cleaning out the dens still. She'd be too far ahead of him, and they'd never be friends again!
That's not true, he thought, shaking away the thought. But Icepaw was already continuing her joyful chatter.
"I was thinking we could head out—with permission, of course—on a celebratory walk. Maybe Antpaw could come along, too. He's going to be at the ceremony too."
Antpaw? With a stab of jealousy he recalled how the ginger apprentice gazed at Icepaw just as he did himself. Why did he have to go? The thoughts came more rapidly now. What if, once the two were warriors, Antpaw and Icepaw became mates? Who did that leave Pebblepaw with—Goldkit?
"Let's go right now!"
Pebblepaw snapped to attention. "Yeah, of course!"
Antpaw was just off near the entrance, hiding his head a little by bending over. He seemed a little… lonely. This made Pebblepaw completely rethink his worried ponderings before.
Icepaw, followed closely by Pebblepaw, trotted over to Antpaw brightly. She called to him, making his head raise, features immediately brightening. "Icepaw!"
"Hi, Antpaw. Want to come with Pebblepaw and I on a walk? We're going to ask if we can go out together."
"S-sure!" Pleasantly surprised, the apprentice came to join the pair. After asking Scareye, who was confidently standing nearby and sorting out patrols, the group headed out into the hills.
Pebblepaw instinctively advanced closer to Icepaw, still a little unsure of Antpaw's coming along. But Antpaw didn't seem bothered.
"Let's go by the river. Maybe we'll run into some prey!" Antpaw started off, a few fox-lengths ahead of Icepaw and Pebblepaw. With their friend ahead, a silence came between them. Pebblepaw had a yearning to tell Icepaw, well, everything.
It was like a maze of nettles to Pebblepaw. Each step threatened a sharp sting, and every passage seemed to have an end. "What do you think about Antpaw?"
It was a start, at least; a cautious pad forward. Icepaw seemed caught off guard, though, making Pebblepaw feel as if he had said the wrong thing.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, just—what do you think about him?"
Icepaw paused a moment, blue eyes narrowing in thought. "Well, he's nice. Kind of shy. I feel sorry for him, but he's a good friend."
Friend! Pebblepaw held in a sigh of relief. Thank StarClan! And this was his chance! Taking in a long breath of air, the blue-gray apprentice started to confess. "Icepaw, I—"
"Hey, guys, look at the river!" Antpaw interrupted, beckoning the two with his tail. Pebblepaw didn't pay attention to what was so special about the water—he was too busy thinking over what he had almost said. As the three changed course for camp, Pebblepaw decided he would explain to Icepaw his feelings before her vigil.
It was already sun-high. Only another half of the day and maybe, just maybe, Icepaw would say she felt the same, even if they had to wait another moon to become official mates. The thought made the young tom brighten.
The day seemed to pass slower than most, riddled with little thoughts of rejection and insecurities, but filled with hope. How did he describe how Icepaw made him feel warm and bright inside? How he thought it'd be nice if they spent more time together?
Pebblepaw paced aimlessly around the camp, which caught a couple of strange looks. The apprentice wasn't usually so distant or worrisome. Most cats saw him as smug, mischievous.
It was only when the cry of "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Peak Stone for a Clam meeting" did Pebblepaw look up. Heart racing, he settled beside the tall stone, gaze set upon Icepaw.
"The time has come to announce new warriors. Icepaw, Antpaw, please come forward."
She approached her leader pridefully, sleek from grooming and more beautiful then ever, or so Pebblepaw thought. Antpaw followed after, seeming a little timid at retrieving so much attention—but he didn't matter. Only Icepaw.
"Both Fernwhisker and Nightspark believe that you are ready. I, Sprintstar, leader of RockClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn." Sprintstar looked down upon the two apprentices, settling on Icepaw first. "Icepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do." She nodded, fast enough to appear a little blurry.
"Then I hereby name you Iceshard. May your foes feel the pain of your claws, as well as your wit."
Iceshard. The name felt nice in Pebblepaw's mind, and he was almost bursting with more pride for Iceshard than the new warrior herself. He didn't pay much mind to the rest of the ceremony, focus locked on Iceshard, though he did know that Antpaw came to be known as Antcrest.
Stepping forward to congratulate them, he nodded to the side to hint he wanted to speak to Iceshard. She gave him a questioning look, but followed to him to the entrance.
Pebblepaw had everything planned. He had a set dialogue, multiple responses to her reactions, and an escape if rejected. But once he opened his mouth, everything went spiraling out of control. "Icepaw—I mean, Iceshard—I have something to tell you.
"For a while now, I've watched you—not in the creepy way—and I think… I think I love you."
Pebblepaw wanted to slap himself for being so stupid. Why, all of a sudden, was he so clumsy with his words? He was never like this before!
But the intense sparkle in Iceshard's eyes that grew when he finished astonished him. "You feel the same way? I thought you'd move on, just like you always have. It worried me…"
"I thought you might love Antcrest until this morning! I was scared you'd both grow up without me, and I'd have to mentor your kits… watch you laugh together…"
Iceshard laid a paw on Pebblepaw's, staring him down until he looked up at her. "I'll wait for you. That's a promise."
And as the sun set, Pebblepaw sat the vigil with Antcrest and Iceshard, feeling more at peace than he ever had before in his life.
This one-shot contains elements from the actual roleplay of the ceremony, so if any of you from TGC recognize them, you get a gold star.
When making Antcrest's crush on Iceshard when I joined the forum, I think at first I wanted I her to fall for him over Pebblepaw, but now, I think Pebble/Ice was meant to be. Besides, I think Antcrest would be better off with Claypaw anyway. But that's my own opinion :)