Challenge for SpiritClan.

Enjoy, because we finally have a happy ending!

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Sunscar.

Maybe once, she was a perfect RiverClan cat. Strong, happy, loved by all. But that was before.

Before she was crippled and shunned by everyone, save her friends, Heronwhisker and Mintheart.

But after every storm, there is Sun. And this is the story of how Sunscar was shunned, then accepted.

)()(

"Sunpaw! Look out!" Heronpaw yowled, as a water snake lunged from the depths of the river, sinking its fangs into Sunpaw's foreleg and disrupting their warrior assessment. She shrieked in pain as the venom seeped into her veins, and she tried to claw it off, but that only resulted in the gouging of her own flank.

Heronpaw called desperately for their mentors. Pebblesplash ran back to the RiverClan camp with Heronpaw to get the medicine cat. Voleleap ripped the snake off, killing it, and touched his nose to his apprentice.

"Hold on, Sunpaw."

Sunpaw awoke in the medicine den feeling immense pain. She blinked once, twice and remembered what had happened. She stretched out her paws, golden fur still matted from the water. But there was a problem. One of her paws was gone. Sunpaw reeled in shock, her gaze landing on a bloodied stump where her right foreleg should've been.

Realization dawned. Sunpaw would never have the same skills again. Never be able to run as fast, swim as strong, hunt as good. Her green gaze flicked to her flank. Scarred.

Scars criss-crossed along her right shoulder, right up to the side of her muzzle. She painfully drew herself up, and took a peek at her reflection in the pool of water beside her nest. She cringed. Gone was the radiant she-cat, replaced by a crippled, scarred weakling. Sunpaw sat back down. It's not fair.

Soon, Mintheart, the newly named medicine cat, came over. "Are you feeling okay? I know it must be very hard to process all this, but I had to amputate it before the venom could spread." She pushed a bundle of leaves to Sunpaw. "Eat these, it'll numb the pain." Mintheart spoke softly, like she was far away. Sunpaw nodded, and chewed the bitter leaves. The aching in her stump dulled, and she smiled gratefully at Mintheart, who nodded and left to organize her herb stock.

)()(

Daily visits from the newly named Heronwhisker fuelled Sunpaw, and soon she was ready to get out of the medicine den and re-try her warrior assessment.

She felt confident that she could over come the loss of a limb. After thanking Mintheart, she stood up, and loped out of the den. But her Clanmates gawked at her. Not a single greeting was given to her. No 'Welcome Backs', 'Hellos', nothing. This scarred, disabled cat wasn't the one they knew and loved. Sunpaw began to feel discouraged.

She reached her mentor, Voleleap. Voleleap flashed a smile, but it was fake. His eyes looked disdainful, like he was disgusted by her. "I'm ready to take my warrior assesment." She cast a glance over to Heronwhisker, who was eating a fish, wanting nothing but to be with her friend. Voleleap sneered, his facade of fake kindness gone. "You cannot possibly be a warrior now! Look at you, a cripple who can't even walk properly!"

Sunpaw was hurt by those words. Her mentor had never been that mean. But the hurt sparked determination. "Watch me." She was going to fight Voleleap and show him she could still be a warrior. She jumped at him, but she couldn't fight properly without her right leg. She stumbled and fell back on her hindlegs. Her Clanmates tried to hide their laughter.

"Sunpaw, you can't ever be a proper warrior." Her leader, Reedstar, spoke. Sunpaw was stunned. Crushed. Broken. Nothing.

"Since you cannot fulfill your warrior duties, I have no choice but to send you to the elders' den."

The Clan was silent. Sunpaw's eyes watered. But she was saved. Heronwhisker padded over, followed by Mintheart. "Reedstar, that isn't fair." Heronwhisker lifted Sunpaw up. Mintheart opened her mouth. "Sunpaw can become my apprentice. But she deserves a warrior name. StarClan would frown upon the shunning of a cat, just because she has suffered."

Sunpaw looked at her two lifelines. They smiled at her, the only ones who saw past her disfigured body.

Reedstar reluctantly agreed.

)()(

Her ceremony was held that night. Reedstar sat at the top of a high boulder. "Sunpaw. Come."

Sunpaw made her way through the Clan to get to the rock. She jumped up, but slid back down. A few cats snickered. But Heronwhisker gave her a reassuring nod, and Sunpaw tried again. She made it up, and waited for her name.

"Sunpaw. You were once a great cat. But an accident has left you scarred. For this, your name shall forevermore be, Sunscar. You will become the medicine apprentice. Sunscar!"

RiverClan called out her name half-heartedly. Only Minheart and Heronwhisker called out with enthusiasm.

So there Sunscar stood, sentenced to a alternate life, forever labeled as 'Cripple'

)()(

"Heronwhisker, really! This is the fourth time you've come to me with a thorn in your pad." Sunscar reached for a cobweb with her tail. Sometimes it was hard, having to treat cats with one paw, but it was bearable. She shook her head as Heronwhisker yelped. "Ow! Not so hard!"

"Well, then stop treading through thorns!" Sunscar patted his paw and meowed, "You're good to go."

As he left, Mintheart padded over, some catmint in her jaws. "Can you take this to Mothstream? She's been having some coughing trouble."

Sunscar nodded, and took the herbs. She loped outside, and was greeted by a few cats, kindly. She smiled back, heading to the elders' den. The den she narrowly avoided many moons ago, and the one she saved not too long ago.

In doing so, she'd re-labeled herself. Hero.

)()(

"Riverpelt? I've brought new cobwebs." It was a few moons after she had become the medicine apprentice, and the Clan was still giving her the cold, sneering looks. But she had learned to block it out.

Sunscar gently nudged the elder, who had been scratched by a rock that afternoon. The old, greying tom snapped awake.

"Eh!? Whosit! Oh, it's you. Hello Sunscar." Riverpelt was one of the kinder elders, as he had a blind eye, and sympathized her. "Shush, Riverpelt, you don't want to wake Mothstream and Frogclaw." Sunscar tended to the elder, and was just about to leave, when a low growl pierced the silence.

Sunscar turned, her disfigured face fearful. A small badger stood at the entrance, bleeding heavily. Sunscar froze. She didn't know what to do. The elders were all snoring, even Riverpelt had fallen back asleep, and Sunscar doubted her abilities to fight.

For a moment, the badger and Sunscar stood still, the moonlight spotlighting them.

In a quick decision, Sunscar limped forwards, growling. Her job was to heal and protect, and this badger would not threaten her Clan. The badger swiped a bloody paw at the she-cat, almost knocking her to the side. But Sunscar was determined. Hissing and spitting, she forced the badger back, Reedstar, who was just heading to the dirt-place, saw this.

He rushed over, leaping at the badger. With more wounds and gashes, the badger backed off and fled into the territory beyond RiverClan. Reedstar bowed his head in shame. "Sunscar, I am deeply sorry. You are a true warrior. We shouldn't have judged you on the fact that you are different. We can hold another ceremony for you, and change your name." His blazing blue eyes showed sincerity, and didn't shy away from her scarred body. Riverpelt stuck his head out of the den. "Ya should be!"

Sunscar purred a little. But she spoke seriously. "I have no wish to become a warrior. StarClan has made me a medicine cat, and I feel better being a medicine cat then I ever did training. And as for my name, I think I'd like to leave it."

Reedstar nodded. "Of course. Well then, I will hold a gathering tomorrow for your bravery. Head back to your den, Sunscar, and sleep well."

)()(

"Cats of RiverClan, I call upon Sunscar!", he yowled, and the golden she-cat limped over. A few cats gave her glares, but most of the Clan was curious as to why she was being called upon. For the second time in her life, Sunscar reached the boulder, and failed to jump up. But this time, Reedstar had her back. He helped her up and cast his gaze out to the Clan.

"As many of you know, Sunscar was in an accident, and her leg was amputated. Many of us thought she was incapable of anything, especially me. But StarClan had a different plan for her, and she was made a medicine cat. Still we ignored her, even though she treated and healed us with no resentment. It wasn't until last night, when she valiantly protected the elders' den, and drove off a badger."

Riverpelt interrupted. "It's true, it is! Saw it with my good eye! She is a right hero, all you flea-pelts!"

The rest of RiverClan broke out into murmurs, and Reedstar shushed them. "So thank you, Sunscar. May you continue on your own path, and help heal the clan in the ways we can't by ourselves. Help us to accept everyone. SUNSCAR, SUNSCAR, SUNSCAR!"

The whole of her clan shouted her name, wailing, screaming, shouting with all their hearts. The other three clans could hear them from afar. Sunscar grinned, looking in turn at all her Clanmates, finally proud of her scars.

)()(

"Here Mothstream, this is for your cough." She passed the catmint to the black she-cat, and headed back out. There was one more stop she needed to make before going back to Mintheart.

She stopped in front of the nursery. Pebblesplash laid there, sleeping next to her kit. Birchkit. Voleleap stood over them, and came over to Sunscar. "Morning, Sunscar." Sunscar smiled in greeting and nosed Birchkit, who sat up. "Hi Sunscar! Are you here for my exercises? Yay! I was just telling Father about how I can sort of run now, and maybe soon I can play mossball!"

Sunscar grinned and helped him get up. He stumbled a bit on his twisted hind leg, but was soon bouncing out of the nursery. Heronwhisker saw them and smiled at the little grey kit, guiding him to the shade of an oak tree. Voleleap and Sunscar followed, and Voleleap purred at the sight of his only son playing with Heronwhisker. He touched his tail to Sunscar's side.

"Thank you, for giving my son a chance to be a warrior. I regret what happened with you...I loved mentoring you." He nodded respectfully and left to go back to his mate.

Sunscar hurriedly limped over to the two toms, and they spent the rest of the morning training Birchkit to overcome his obsctacle, as Sunscar had done.

With the help of one medicine cat, with three legs and many scars, changed a Clan. She helped them change their views on cats form what's on the outside, to the inside.

)()(

"Mintheart! Heronwhisker stepped in a thorn again!"

)()(

Well, I hope that was enjoyable! I quite like how it turned out.

R and R!

Cat-ly, Clearly.