Chapter Six

Goodbye

Today's the day! I think as I trot back in after a particularly long patrol. Today Falconpaw and I get to join Redrise and Blueset in the warriors' den!

I can already hear Sorrelstar summoning the clan.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the StoneLedge for a Clan meeting!" Pause. "It is time we welcomed Falconpaw and Wildpaw to the Warriors' Den."

Falconpaw and I pad into the camp, ready to receive our warrior names. A lot has changed sense we were kits in the nursery. I'm now one of the strongest fighters in the clan, and my black pelt is sleek over my hard muscles. Falconpaw is one of the best hunters I've ever heard of. His pelt is no longer ruffled and fluffy, but instead it's neat and smooth.

Sorrelstar and Sparrowheart are beaming with pride as the last of their kits pad into the clearing to join the ranks of LightningClan.

Falconpaw is first to receive his name. "I, Sorrelstar, leader of LightningClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Falconpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?

"I do."

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Falconpaw, from this moment you will be known as Falconflight. StarClan honors your bravery and strength, and we welcome you as a full member of LightningClan." Sorrelstar rests her chin on hid head as she has done to every warrior before him. Falconflight licks her shoulder in return.

Finely, Sorrelstar turned to me.

"I, Sorrelstar, leader of LightningClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Wildpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." I hold my head high and answer her proudly.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Wildpaw, from this moment you will be known as Wildfire. StarClan honors your skill and compassion, and we welcome you as a full member of LightningClan." She rests her chin on the top of my head now, and I respond by licking her shoulder, as is customary in the clans.

Wildfire! I'm thrilled. I remember when I was a kit and I thought my mother had given me a strong-sounding name. Now I feel even stronger and I'm happier then ever to know that my mother picked my warrior name.

The clan welcomes us as they cheer our warrior names.

"Falconflight! Wildfire! Falconflight! Wildfire!"

I glance at Redrise. She's cheering my name louder then any other cat in the clan. I beam at her.

Next I look at Falconflight. He's smiling back at me.

We did it. I know we're both thinking it. We're warriors!

"Tonight you will hold the costmary silent vigil," Sorrelstar says as the cheering dies down. "We all know we're safe with you two guarding the camp."

Redrise is padding over now. "Congratulations, Falconflight!" She says. She still has as much energy as when we were kits. She turns to me and licks my cheek. "Congratulations," She murmurs. "Welcome to the warriors den."

There are a million things I feel I could say to her right now from a simple 'thanks,' to 'I love you, Redrise,' but I can say none of it.

She smiles knowingly and winks at me. "I love you, Wildfire."

As Redrise turns away and pads into the warriors den, Falconflight nudges my shoulder. He turns and pads over to the center of camp, and lies down. I walk over and join him. We lean against each other as we watch the camp entrance.

I'm almost asleep, and I with a quick glance I see that it's moonhigh through a gap in the ceiling, when we hear a sound outside of camp. Next, we see shadows creeping in and I smell rouges.

JaggedClan!

"JaggedClan are invading!" I yowl as loudly as I can.

The camp bursts to life and my clamates pour from their dens. Real warriors engage fake ones in battle.

I use all my fighting skills as I fight the JaggedClan rouges. I smash into a red-tabby she-cat. She's nothing like Redrise. Her pelt is long and matted, and her eyes are wild and desperate. I dive under her legs, unbalancing her, and I leap away before she can fall on me. I fasten my teeth into he scruff, and pull back so her forepaws are reeling in mid air. I let go and she races away. I look up and see that everycat is moving a kind of slow motion. Falconflight is struggling with a dark tabby tom, Redrise is crashing into a gray she-cat and Blueset is sending a tortoiseshell she-cat racing into the forest.

I notice my father out of the corner of my eye. He's facing the entrance as his opponent races back to Twoleg-Place. A huge tabby tom is sneaking toward him.

Owlstar!

"Sparrowheart!" I yowl, trying to get him to turn.

Owlstar breaks into a run, bounding toward my father with deadly intent.

"Sparrowheart!" But this time, it's not me yowling, it's Sorrelstar.

She leaps forward just in time and smashes into Owlstar, clawing at each other. He leaps away, and rears onto his hind paws. Sorrelstar rises to meet his challenge. They crash into each other, and all the other battles seem to freeze.

Their claws meet each other's throat, and my heart plummets.

"No!" I cry, my voice sound hoarse, as if I haven't spoken in moons.

Sorrelstar and Owlstar crash onto the ground, and Owlstar convulses, seeming to die more then once.

He's loosing the lives of a leader, I realize, I forgot he got nine lives from the Dark Forest.

Many moons ago, Owlstar changed his name from Owlfang. He used to me my mother's mate, before he betrayed her for power among rogues. StarClan doesn't recognize JaggedClan as an actual clan because they don't follow the warrior code, so they wouldn't give him nine lives, like they do to the leaders of the forest clans.

Sorrelstar is on her last life.

Suddenly, Owlstar is unnaturally still.

He's dead. He lost all of his lives, just like that.

Sorrelstar's sides are heaving, and blood is flowing from her neck. I race over, and all of her kits are there with Sparrowheart, though he only fathered Falconflight and me. Owlstar's kits from before he turned evil, Phoenixflower and Dragonblaze, Graystar's kits from when Sorrelstar broke the code and fell in love with the RoseClan leader, Shadowtail, Appleleaf and Blossomtail, and Sparrowheart's kits, Falconflight and me.

Sorrelstar looks up and smiles. She looks at all of us in turn. "I'm proud of you," she says, "All of you."

"Somebody get Swiftpoppy!" Sparrowheart cries.

"No," Sorrelstar says. "Have her treat the cats that are injured worst."

"But that's you!"

"The ones that aren't going to join StarClan."

"No!" I say, I'm sobbing. "This can't be the end! You can't leave us!"

I can hear other cats crying out in despair as they watched their leader for so many moons dying.

"It's okay," She says, "I'm with my mother now. It'll be okay. Jackalclaw will be a great leader, as was he a great deputy."

"No…." I shake my head. "Don't leave us…"

"Goodbye," She says, and she smiles, and closes her eyes.

Her sides fall still for the last time.