Chapter Five

I just had to do a chappie with Starpaw telling it. She's finding love…well, you'll see. I needed to put this chapter in. It connects to the rest of the story. 


"All…all right," whispered Fernpaw. "But I must rest."

Starpaw watched Stormpaw's gray body tremble, and her heart ached.

Stormpaw, why did you leave me?

Suddenly he turned to her.

"Starpaw!"

She saw their friendship in his eyes.

Friendship. Nothing but that.

"Stormpaw," she murmured. "I cared for you for all those moons. And you turn to a she-cat from former ThunderClan? I thought you liked me."

"Starpaw, I need help."

Great, thought Starpaw. Help? That's all he wants? He can get that from his former love, Moonpaw.

She thought he switched loves too quickly. Soon it'll be Snowbreeze.

"Starpaw, what if Fernpaw dies?"

Starpaw paid no attention to him, and padded to the apprentice's den. She quickly padded over to Graypaw—named for his likeness to the great warrior, Graystripe—and started sharing tongues with him. Graypaw looked surprised, but pleased, and he began to purr as he licked her ear.

Stormpaw's eyes began to get bright, which meant jealousy wasn't far away. Starpaw knew he wouldn't fall out with Fernpaw, but she could at least make him jealous.

"Graypaw," she asked in a flirty voice.

Graypaw's yellow eyes brightened. "Yeah?"

"Want to go hunting at midnight?"

Graypaw gasped quietly. "But midnight—that's, that's late!"

Starpaw let out a mrrow of laughter. "Silly fur-ball, midnight's a romantic time."

"Okay, then," purred Graypaw quietly. "I'd love to."

Starpaw knew that this was a bad setup. She hadn't expected him to accept. Oh, this was bad.

She was already meeting someone.

Stormpaw gasped. "How dare you do that to my sister!"

He proceeded to leap at Graypaw. Graypaw, however, was a well-trained apprentice, and quickly pinned him down.

"I can do what I want," growled Graypaw. "And Starpaw actually likes me."

Stormpaw was finally let go of and raced off, spitting insults behind him.

"Sorry about that, Graypaw," purred Starpaw.

"It's okay," replied Graypaw.

"I'll see you at midnight, then," said Starpaw.

She padded off. Would she really meet Graypaw at midnight?

Yes. She would.

"Starpaw?"

Starpaw turned around. It was one of her new friends, Greenpaw. The black-and-white apprentice dashed over to her.

"Starpaw, you're having your warrior ceremony!"

"What?" gasped Starpaw.

"Yeah," replied Greenpaw. "Bramblestar just decided. He told Dustpelt, and Dustpelt told me."

Something stirred in Starpaw, a feeling of running through the moors and dozing in the sunlight…and then a feeling of triumph swept over her.

Stormpaw.

"Is Stormpaw becoming a warrior, too?"

"No," replied Greenpaw. "He's having his ceremony in about a moon."

This was Greenpaw's personality. She somehow found out everything that was happening in the camp. It was too bad she hadn't become a medicine cat, for she would have been great at it.

But Greenpaw was an amazing fighter; she had beaten Bramblestar once. She was a good hunter, and her mentor, Dustpelt, was proud of her.

"And guess what?"

"What?"

"I'm becoming a warrior with you!"
Starpaw purred with happiness. "That's great!"
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey come beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"

Starpaw's stomach lurched. This was it…her last moment as an apprentice.

She dashed over to the Highledge and sat down, Greenpaw next to her. The green-eyed she-cat was trembling.

Once all the cats were assembled, Bramblestar began.

"Two cats are ready to receive their warrior names. Greenpaw and Starpaw, please step forward."

Starpaw padded forward slowly, well aware that this would change her life.

"I, Bramblestar, leader of BrambleClan, call upon StarClan to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard in the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Starpaw, Greenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," replied Greenpaw steadily.

"I do," echoed Starpaw.

"Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior names. Greenpaw, from this moment forward you will be known as Greenleaf, in honor of your warm spirit. You are much like the warm season. We welcome you as a full warrior of Thund—BrambleClan."

Greenleaf leaned forward to lick Bramblestar's shoulder. Her green eyes were wide, and she looked admiringly up at him.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Starpaw felt her legs tremble. She was moments away from being a warrior!

But then she realized something. Greenleaf had almost been a warrior of ThunderClan. Almost.

"Starpaw, from this moment forward you will be known as Starfire," continued Bramblestar.

Starfire!

"StarClan honors your perseverance and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of BrambleClan."

"Starfire! Greenleaf! Starfire! Greenleaf!"

Starfire stood, her eyes glowing pride and happiness. Her white fur shone bright in the sunlight, and her blue eyes were bright.

"Congratulations, Starfire," purred Moonpaw, rushing up to Starfire. "Congratulations, Greenleaf."

Starfire nodded bluntly, thinking that apprentices were now lower than she was.

Moonpaw looked crushed. Her bright eyes went dull and dark.

"I've got to go tend to Fernpaw," she muttered.

The second she was gone, Greenleaf turned to Starfire.

"That was mean, Starfire," she meowed. "Moonpaw isn'tlower than you. She's a medicine cat."

Starfire's ears burned. "I swear I wasn't listening," she meowed. "I was in a reverie."

Greenleaf rolled her green eyes but said nothing. She was smart, and she knew what Starfire had been thinking.

"Starpaw!"

It was Stormpaw. The gray tom padded towards Starfire.

"My name is Starfire," hissed Starfire.

"I know, Starpaw."

Starfire shrugged. "I can get away from you now."

"But Graypaw is with me."

That was right, Starfire suddenly realized. Graypaw was still an apprentice.

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Starfire crept through the bushes. It was far after midnight, closer to dawn, but she had come here all the same. She saw a gray form up ahead.

"Graypaw?"

Graypaw turned around, his eyes growing relieved at the sight of her. "Starfire, I was worried!"

Starfire padded to him. She sat down beside him, and he followed her gaze.

To the BlackClan border.

"Starfire?"

Starfire jerked up and looked at him. "Yes, Graypaw?"

"Can we hunt?"

"Oh, uh, sure," responded Starfire, still glancing at the BlackClan border. She flicked her tail. "C'mon."

"But Starpaw—"

Starfire whirled around. It wasn't Graypaw standing behind her, but the gray tom followed her gaze. He hissed.

"What's that BlackClan cat doing here?"

Starfire tried to hide her fear. "Um, he's a trespasser," she invented wildly. "I'll chase him off."

She raced after the gray tom, which had fled when Graypaw had seen him.

"Wait—Owlpaw!"

The tom whirled around. His gaze softened when he saw the white she-cat.

"Starpaw?"

Starfire shook her head. "I'm Starfire now."

"Congratulations," meowed Owlpaw. Then he brightened. "I'm a warrior too!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!" replied Owlpaw. "My name's Owlwing."

"Well, Owlwing," meowed Starfire. "Would you like to come with me?"

Owlwing bobbed his head happily and the two cats set off together, tails entwined. But they didn't get far.

"Starfire, where are you going?"

It was Graypaw.

"Go," hissed Starfire. And she began to run. Owlwing followed her lead. They raced into the moorland. Starfire was running like she had never run before, and Owlwing was doing pretty well, for a former ShadowClan cat.

"Starfire!"
Graypaw's cry was desperate. But Starfire didn't look back.

When the two warriors reached the edge of the Clan territory, they halted for a moment.

"Well," panted Owlwing, trying to catch his breath. "Are we leaving?"

Starfire looked into his eyes, flickering like minnows in an amber pool. She looked back to her territory. Back to Owlwing and the outside. Clans. Love. Clans.

Love.

"Yes," she meowed softly. "We'll be together."

Owlwing nodded. "I understand."

The two cats turned together and padded towards the dawn.


If you reviewed my newest oneshot, Long Suffer, thank you for reviewing. I got a lot of positive responses. But why hasn't anyone else reviewed Moonlit Storm: Nightfall?