Thanks for all your reviews! Chapter 15, it's Goldenhawk's POV again
GOLDENHAWK
Pale gray light seeped in between the thick overhang of ivy and brambles that covered the healing cat's hollow. It was the time of morning where the sun had not quite risen above the horizon, yet it was no longer night time. Warm amber eyes flickered open, and Goldenhawk heard a loud yowl sound, summoning the cats of CoralClan to the Speakingrock. Goldenhawk rose to his ivory paws and shook scraps of moss from his golden tabby pelt. He already knew what the meeting was going to be about. Featherkit and Littlekit had reached their sixth moon and were about to be given trainers. Excitement pricked in his tired white paws as he recalled the events of the previousn night.
Twilightstar had swiftly padded into his dirt hollow, her gray-and-white pelt bristling with apprehension. Goldenhawk had been sorting herbs in the back of his den, and was quite surprised to see her; the CoralClan ruler did not often come to visit the healing cat.
"Featherkit has asked to become your learner," Twilightstar had mewed without preamble, diving straight into why she had come to see him. Goldenhawk had then noticed the little silver kit, standing slightly behind her ruler. Her blue eyes had been stretched wide with hope as Twilightstar meowed, "Will you train her?"
"I'd be honored," Goldenhawk had answered, his tawny-striped tail curling up with amusement as Featherkit let out a yowl of joy and began to chase her silver tail in excitement. Twilightstar had given him a brief nod, and left his den as quickly as she had arrived.
Taking a few laps from the stream that trickled into his den, Goldenhawk blinked the sleep from his amber eyes. Doubts welled up inside of him about his abilities to train a cat in the ways of IslandClan, but he pushed then aside as he padded out of his hollow to join the rest of CoralClan, assembled below the Speakingrock. Twilightstar was poised elegantly at the top of the Speakingrock, her green eyes clear and bright. Cliffstorm sat at the foot of the ancient rock, his yellow eyes clouded with some unreadable emotion.
"Cats of CoralClan!" The gray-and-white ruler yowled, her voice ringing throughout the camp. A hushed silence hung over the Clan, and Goldenhawk realized how afraid they seemed to be of their own ruler. Twilightstar swiped her tongue across her muzzle, as though she was tasting a bit of juicy fresh-kill, before continuing, "We have two ceremonies to perform today. First, we will give three learners their protector names."
Yowls of approval sounded from every CoralClan cat, and Goldenhawk twitched one ear in surprise; he had not known that there would be two ceremonies. His amber eyes surveyed the clearing, and he caught sight of Shadowpaw, Riverpaw, and Rainpaw, their pelts bristling with barely supressed excitement. A twinge of unease filled Goldenhawk as his eyes locked with the amber eyes of Shadowpaw. The sleek black learner seemed to be a loyal member of the Clan, but no cat could deny his likeness to his father, Cliffstorm, and Goldenhawk wondered if Shadowpaw shared his father's bloodthirsty ambitions.
"Shadowpaw, Rainpaw, and Riverpaw have completed their training, and it is time for them to become protectors of our Clan," Twilightstar meowed, her green eyes narrowing as she gazed down at the three learners. "Approach the Speakingrock, all of you."
The three cats crept forwards like shadows, stopping a few tail-lengths before the Speakingrock. Goldenhawk glanced at Cliffstorm, who was staring at Shadowpaw with undisguised pride in his amber eyes. The CoralClan healing cat narrowed his amber eyes in brooding thought, noticing how bizarre it was for Cliffstorm to care about any other cat but himself.
"Spirits of IslandClan, rain down your blessings upon these three cats, who have trained hard in your ways to become protectors," Twilightstar's voice rang out strong and richly across the clearing. The gray-and-white she-cat meowed loudly, "Riverpaw, Rainpaw, Shadowpaw, do you promise to uphold and defend the code of tooth, claw, and compassion, and be a loyal member of your Clan?"
"I promise," Riverpaw mewed in a soft voice, her light gray tabby pelt, so like her mother's pelt, bristling in apprehension. Goldenhawk noticed Cliffstorm gazing at her with a spark of pride in his amber eyes, and remembered that he had trained Riverpaw. She glanced over at her father, Icewhisker, with scared green eyes, and he nodded back at her encouragingly.
"I promise," Rainpaw sounded more confident than her sister, her blue-gray pelt glowing softly in the pale light of approaching dawn. Sunstrike, Cliffstorm's mate, had been her trainer, and it seemed that some of her arrogance had rubbed off on Gentlebreeze's eldest daughter.
"I promise," Shadowpaw murmured in his low voice, his black fur sleek and well-groomed. Goldenhawk saw Icewhisker staring proudly at the young tom, and recalled that he had been Shadowpaw's trainer. Apprehension pricked at Goldenhawk's white paws, and he again wondered if Shadowpaw was as bloodthirsty as his father, Cliffstorm. Twilightstar nodded, and stared up at the quickly-fading stars of IslandClan, as though asking her ancestors for guidance.
"By the power granted to me by our ancestors, who walk in IslandClan, I give your protector names. Riverpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Riverwind. IslandClan commends you for your forethought and your loyalty, and welcomes you as a protector of CoralClan," Twilightstar leapt from the Speakingrock, pebbles scattering as she did so, and touched noses with Riverwind. Riverwind and her former trainer, Cliffstorm, went to stand to the left side of the Speakingrock for the rest of the ceremony. Twilightstar bounded up the Speakingrock again, and gazed at the stars in the pale gray sky, green eyes focused intently on it.
"Rainpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Rainstorm. IslandClan commends you for your courage and your skill, and welcomes you as a protector of CoralClan," The gray-and-white speckled ruler jumped down again to greet her new protector by touching noses with the blue-gray she-cat. Rainstorm's green eyes glowed with pride as she went to stand to the left of the Speakingrock with her former trainer, Sunstrike. The dark ginger she-cat looked ready to burst with pride, and she murmured something into her former learner's ears.
Twilightstar bunched up her muscles and again leapt onto the Speakingrock in one magnificent movement of her limbs. Her green eyes clouded as she glanced at Shadowpaw, and Goldenhawk thought he saw a glimmer of suspicion pass through her eyes. A heartbeat later, it was gone, and the healign cat thought he must have imagined it as she turned to consult the stars.
"Shadowpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Shadowfur. IslandClan commends you for your forethought and your loyalty, and welcomes you as a protector of CoralClan," Twilightstar descended from the smooth, tan rock and touched noses with Shadowfur, whose muscles were trembling with excitement. As the CoralClan ruler leapt back to the Speakingrock to prepare for the next ceremony, Goldenhawk caught sight of Shadowfur with his head raised proudly, his amber eyes closed with joy.
"Shadowfur! Rainstorm! Riverwind!" The CoralClan cats acclaimed the new protectors with rich voices. Goldenhawk noticed that Icewhisker and Gentlebreeze seemed to be among the loudest. Although the CoralClan protectors must have been glad to see their kits finally become protectors, their eyes still betrayed their sadness at the death of Pelicankit. Guilt prickled at Goldenhawk's ivory paws, and he looked away, instead focusing his attention on Twilightstar. Pride filled her green eyes as she gazed down at...Shadowfur? The golden tabby healing cat felt very confused; Shadowfur was the kit of Cliffstorm and Sunstrike, and had no relation to the CoralClan ruler. All those questioning thoughts vanished as soon as Twilightstar opened her maw again to speak.
"Littlekit and Featherkit have reached their sixth moon, and it is time for them to become learners," Twilightstar's eyes narrowed as she gazed down at the two kits. Littlekit wore an expression of pure seriousness, his gray tabby face solemn though his green eyes betrayed his excitement. Featherkit, on the other paw, was bouncing around from paw to paw, her silver tabby fur bristling with excitement and her sky-blue eyes full of pure joy. Goldenhawk sighed inwardly. Great IslandClan, she's going to be a pawful. He thought, though his white paws pricked with apprehension all the same. Twilightstar continued, "Come forwards to the Speakingrock."
Featherkit let out a squeak of happiness and rushed forth to the Speakingrock as fast as her little legs would carry her, and almost tripped over her own paws as she did so. Embarrassed, she licked her ruffled chest fur, her blue eyes sparkling with joy. Littlekit followed more slowly, his ears flattened to his head as though slightly ashamed of his sister's behavior. Goldenhawk half-wished that Featherkit's personality was more like her gray tabby brother's, but he also knew that her enthusiasm would help her when things weren't going the right way.
"Ragingfire, you will train Littlepaw," Twilightstar announced, and Goldenhawk twitched his whiskers in surprise. Perhaps he had not been the only cat to notice how desolate the brown tabby tom had been since the death of his learner, and his son, Branchpaw. Maybe what he needed to get over his son's death was a new learner. Ragingfire got to his paws, his amber eyes brimming with gratitude as Twilightstar mewed, "Ragingfire, you were an excellent trainer to Branchpaw. I know you will train Littlepaw well and make him a protector the Clan can be proud of."
"I will, Twilightstar," Ragingfire meowed solemnly, padding over to touch noses with Littlepaw. Littlepaw's green eyes glowed with excitement as he padded to the right side of the Speakingrock with his new learner.
"Goldenhawk, you will train Featherpaw," Twilightstar continued, her green eyes narrowing as she looked at him. Goldenhawk shuffled from paw to paw anxiously, lashing his golden-striped tail. Featherpaw's blue eyes gleamed as the CoralClan ruler mewed, "Goldenhawk, I know you will train Featherpaw in the ways of IslandClan well."
"Of course," Goldenhawk replied, padding over to the silver tabby learner. Featherpaw's sky-blue eyes blazed with enthusiasm as they touched noses, and he felt optimistic about the future of CoralClan for the first time in moons. She was bright, and keen to learn.
"Shadowfur, Riverwind, and Rainstorm will sit their protector's vigil tonight and guard the camp. This meeting is over," The CoralClan ruler meowed, and leapt down from the Speakingrock. Goldenhawk expected her to congratulate her new protectors, but Twilightstar only padded into her den, her gray and white tail drooping in the sand. Cliffstorm rose to his paws and followed the CoralClan ruler, his amber eyes flashing as he disappeared behind Twilightstar.
"Featherpaw! Littlepaw!" The Clan greeted the new learners by their new names, and Featherpaw let out a rumbling purr, her silver tail swishing with excitement. She turned to Goldenhawk, and excitement washed over him again.
"I've already prepared you a nest," Goldenhawk meowed awkwardly, wondering if Featherpaw would be content with sleeping in the dirt hollow, away from her brother. But Featherpaw did not seem fazed, and nodded enthusiastically. Feeling enlightened, the CoralClan healing cat padded to his den with Featherpaw close behind him.
He felt eyes boring into him from across the clearing, and the golden tabby tom turned around, his pelt prickling. He saw the green eyes of Dovefeather staring at him accusingly. Guilt prickled his pelt, and he licked his white chest fur, fazed by the long-haired white protector's accusing stare. Goldenhawk knew exactly what she was thinking; You're the healing cat, it's up to you to stop your ruler from doing such horrible things. But the great golden tabby did not turn to go speak with her, only let his long tail droop in the sand behind him as he disappeared into his dirt hollow to teach Featherpaw the basic herbs.
Twilightstar needs them alive, Goldenhawk tried to convince himself as he showed Featherpaw what poppy seeds looked like, the pale light of the rising sun seeping in through the acacia leaves. She wouldn't really kill any MeadowClan cats.
But as the sun rose higher and higher, casting its bloodred light into his dirt hollow, he found that he could not believe his own thoughts.
A/N: Lame chapter, I know. I promise the next one will be better, though! And I wrote the epilogue to this fic last night, isn't that exciting? R&R, please!