Chapter 12, warriors
Ravenpaw stopped, looking around the camp. Many cats looked up from where they were eating prey, and stared at them with their mouths open. Finally Firestar managed to choke out the words, "Why are you here?"
Ravenpaw gave him a confused look. "We were on a journey. StarClan said that we had to go on a journey to find the savoir of the Clans."
"Where is he?" Firestar asked. He looked at Glacier, who hung from Squirrelpaw's mouth.
"She is in Twolegplace," Ravenpaw meowed, "StarClan said great trouble was coming, and she will stay there until the time of trouble. Her name is Surveillance. That-," Ravenpaw swished her tail at Glacier, "Is a kit I found in a den on the mountains, and she had apparently been abandoned there. Her name is Glacier and she is about six moons old."
"Okay," Firestar nodded thoughtfully. "Did…you go alone with Spiderpaw or with somebody else?"
"Hey!" Dustpelt called out, "Where is Spiderpaw?"
Squirrelpaw dropped Glacier. "Well…" she stammered. Ravenpaw felt just as dejected.
"He died," Squirrelpaw managed to spit out.
A hush fell over the Clan.
"I'm sorry, Dustpelt," Squirrelpaw moaned, "It is really dangerous up in the mountains. And…and there was a swollen stream and well…"
Ravenpaw was in a different place. Water swirled around her head. She grasped Glacier in her jaws. The kit was drowning. Spiderpaw was drowning her. Ravenpaw reached foreword and unclamped the kits jaws from Spiderpaw's scruff. He disappeared into the swirling black water.
She shook her head, clearing the flashback. She could never tell Dustpelt that it was her who had killed Spiderpaw. All the other apprentices thought Glacier had let him go.
"I'm sorry," Squirrelpaw whispered again.
Dustpelt didn't look at her. He pressed himself up against Shrewpaw, his other son.
"We did go with four other apprentices," Squirrelpaw went on, "Smokepaw of ShadowClan, Splashpaw and Volepaw of RiverClan, and Owlpaw of WindClan."
Firestar nodded, his eyes narrowed. "Yes," he muttered.
Speckletail, an elder, crawled out of the elder's den. "Let me see that kit," she rasped.
Squirrelpaw picked up Glacier and padded over to the old she-cat.
"That looks like one of my own. He was carried away by a hawk…he was deaf."
"Firestar," she croaked, "Can we let her into the Clan? She could be…" her voice wobbled, "Snowpaw."
Firestar looked up, surprised.
"Alright," he stammered, "Fine. She will be known as Snowpaw, and Cloudtail can be her mentor."
Glacier looked up, confused. Ravenpaw growled, remembering how Firestar had done the same thing with her, brought her into the Clan without her even saying she wanted to. But it had turned out being fun, and she hoped Glacier-or Snowpaw- would find it the same way.
"Cloudtail," Firestar commanded the white warrior, "Show her around, and introduce her to the Clan and Clan life."
There was a rustling at the entrance to the apprentices den and Whitepaw pushed her way through. "Ravenpaw!" she squeaked, "Squirrelpaw! Where were you?"
"You tell her," Ravenpaw muttered, brushing past Squirrelpaw on her way to the fresh-kill pile.
Many cats were looking at her, she realized, and crawled into the apprentices den. Whitepaw soon exploded in after her.
"Wow!" the white she-cat exclaimed, "You look so much different! You have muscles, and you're bigger and more confident and…" she continued talking but Ravenpaw wasn't listening. She did look stronger and older, she realized, looking down at her legs. Well…she thought, I guess mountain climbing can do that to a cat…
OoOoO
"ShadowClan!" a voice screamed above Ravenpaw's ear, "Attack!"
She shot to her feet. Squirrelpaw was above her. With a pang she realized that it would have been Spiderpaw.
She scrambled out of the den to see the clearing thronging with ShadowClan cats. They were hopelessly outnumbered.
She jumped at a brown tom who was scrabbling at Dustpelt, and threw him off. She twisted quickly, digging her claws into his chest. Now she had a firm grip on him. Her teeth lashed out, sinking into his large shoulder. He squealed with pain and shook her off. Ravenpaw fell for a moment, before springing again. She fastened her teeth in his ear, tearing it to shreds.
The tom yowled with pain. He slashed out with massive paws. Ravenpaw ducked, avoiding being thrown across the clearing.
She jumped again, barreling into his side and throwing him onto the ground. She saw her chance and plunged foreword, raking her claws down his underbelly. He screamed and scrambled away, dashing into the bushes.
A hard, small tabby rammed into her side. Ravenpaw jumped into the air, letting the she-cat slide under her. She fell to the ground, smashing the air out of the tabby.
The tabby gasped. Ravenpaw turned and held he down. She gave an angry bite to the she-cat's shoulder, then backed away, making sure the she-cat plunged out of camp.
She jumped at a tom and raked her claws down his flanks. He dug his teeth into her hind leg, then jumped aside, scratching her face. Blood trickled into her eyes, but Ravenpaw ignored it. In one swift movement she knocked him to the ground and giving him a sharp bite to his paw. His hind legs tore her underbelly, and his claws ripped the skin on her shoulder. Snarling with fury, Ravenpaw plunged her teeth into his neck, narrowly avoiding the spine, and sent him wailing out of camp.
"Retreat!" the leader hissed. He looked at the ThunderClan cats who were circling the bloody ShadowClan. Then he turned and whirled up out of the gorse tunnel.
Ravenpaw let out a yowl of triumph as she watched her enemies flee.
"Good job," Firestar told her.
Everything flooded back. Her ambition to become the best warrior in the Clan, to become deputy, and leader after that, came flooding back. She dipped her head, watching with narrowed eyes as Firestar called the other apprentices over. "So," he meowed, "Squirrelpaw and Ravenpaw, you are ready to become warriors."
Squirrelpaw sent her an excited glance. Ravenpaw didn't miss the look of shock on Whitepaw's face.
"What do you think you will be?" Ravenpaw asked Squirrelpaw, tackling her to the ground with sheathed paws.
Squirrelpaw heaved upward, throwing her off, but Ravenpaw was too happy to care. "I'll be Squirrelpelt of Squirreltail or Squirrelclaw or maybe Squirrelheart…" she purred with excitement.
What will I be? Ravenpaw wondered. Maybe Ravenfur or Ravencloud or Ravenheart or maybe Raventalon…
Firestar jumped on the Highrock with Squirrelpaw and Ravenpaw beside him. He didn't need to call the summons, the Clan was already gathered around, waiting to know what would happen.
Firestar looked up at the evening sky.
"I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors, in their turn."
Squirrelpaw and Ravenpaw exchanged an excited glance.
"Ravenpaw, Squirrelpaw, do you promise to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"
"I do," Ravenpaw said, her voice clear.
"I do," Squirrelpaw echoed.
"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names. Squirrelpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Squirreltalon. StarClan honors you for your courage and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."
Firestar rested his chin on Squirreltalon's bowed head. Then he turned to Ravenpaw.
"Ravenpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Ravenflight. StarClan honors you for your loyalty and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."
"Squirreltalon! Ravenflight! Squirreltalon! Ravenflight!"
Ravenflight jumped off the Highrock, her legs wobbly with happiness.
"You must keep vigil until morning," Firestar meowed.
Brambleclaw was pushing through the crowd toward Ravencflight.
"Your back!" he meowed, "I was worried. Congratulations!"
"Thanks," Ravenflight licked his shoulder. She charged over to the front of the camp and settled down next to Squirreltalon.
Ugg…boring chapter…sorry! They needed to become warriors… the next few chapters are exciting! And sorry, I hate the name Squirrelflight…