Chapter 9, The newest warriors.
"Hey, Icepaw." Mosspaw called. He and Skypaw were eating over at the apprentices den. Icepaw waved with her tail, then after grabbing some freshkill for herself, joined them.
"How was your first day of training?" Skypaw asked. Icepaw shrugged.
"We went to all the borders. Have ether of you ever seen a cat in the old village?" She asked. The two toms shook their heads.
"Never." Mosspaw said, looking at Icepaw with interest, "Why, did you?"
"I might have," she mumbled. She was getting less and less sure of herself the more cats who told her there wasn't a cat there.
"Well, I wouldn't worry about it." Skypaw said, pulling some meat from his squirrel. "If it was a cat, it's probably just a kittypet from the horseplace." Icepaw nodded, and continued to eat. It was nothing to worry about.
The next day, Icepaw woke early again, but not as early as the day before. She waited outside again, and again Mosspaw and Skypaw came to join her.
"What are you gonna be doing today, Skypaw?" Mosspaw asked.
"Aw, probably just some hunting techniques. Snowpelt says I have to work on my bird stalking." Skypaw turned to Mosspaw, "What are you doing?"
"I think Squirreltail said we would be practicing fighting moves." He said, "What about you, Icepaw?"
"I really don't know," she said, "Lionsky didn't tell me."
"To bad." Skypaw said, "I always like to know what we're doing. Well, as much as possible."
Spottedpaw came out right then, and smirked at the three cats.
"Hi, Mosspaw. Skypaw." She had an extra big smirk for the last cat. "Icepaw."
"What, Spottedpaw?" Icepaw hissed.
"Nothing," Spottedpaw said innocently, "just, me and Blackpaw were wondering why you're always talking with two toms, instead of she-cats. It's just kind've odd."
"I don't see what's odd," Icepaw said as Blackpaw came out of the den, "they're the only cats in the den I can get a decent conversation out of."
"Hey," Stormpaw said, coming out of the den and stretching, "What about us?"
"And by 'us' you mean you, me and Rockpaw?" Jaypaw asked, following the stormy grey cat out of the den.
"Yup." Stormpaw said, starting over to the freshkill pile.
"I don't blame you if you include him and Rockpaw in the 'no decent conversation' group of cats." Jaypaw told Icepaw as she followed her friend. Icepaw snickered, returning to her freshkill. Spottedpaw still stood over her, glaring down.
"Well, I just thought it was odd is all." She said in her nosey voice. "I mean, what kind of mouse-brain hangs out with these mouse-brains?" She gestured to Skypaw and Mosspaw. Icepaw stood up, a very snippy answer on the tip of her tongue, but she was inturupted.
"Icepaw," Lionsky called, breaking up a definite fight, "it's time for your training." Icepaw scowled back at Spottedpaw as she left the Camp.
About a week after her first training session, Icepaw was running through the territory, Mosspaw and Skypaw at her heels.
"C'mon, hurry up!" She called back at them, "We'll be late!"
They had finished their training for the day, and were heading back towards the Camp. They had been doing this for the past three days, leaving there mentors far behind.
"Relax, Icepaw!" Skypaw called after her, "We don't even know if the ceremony will be tonight!"
"Never stopped us before, has it?" She yelled over her shoulder, "And besides, I can relax when we have actual room in the den to relax in!"
The three cats burst into the Camp seconds later, and collapsed panting in front of their den. The reason for the hurry was a rumour that had started three days ago, saying that Hawkface, Thornfur and Mouseshadow, (Jaypaw, Rockpaw, and Stormpaw's mentors respectively) had gone to Shinestar, requesting that their apprentices become warriors. If that happened, it would be all the better for the other apprentices. Besides, Icepaw had never seen a cat turn into a warrior, and was looking forward to it.
The three apprentices shared a meal as they waited for Shinestar to call a meeting. Just as they were despairing they would ever have more room in the den, the leader leaped onto the Highrock.
"May all cats old enough to catch there own prey gather at the Highrock for a clam meeting!" The leader called.
"This is it!" Icepaw said excitedly, as she and her friends approached the Highrock.
"I have been reminded, more then once I should add, over the past week that we have a few young apprentices who are more then ready to become warriors. So I would like to call Jaypaw, Rockpaw, and Stormpaw up to the Highrock."
The blue-black she-cat, the rusty orange tom and the grey tabby slowly approached the Highrock, faces exited and solemn at the same time.
Raising her head to the sky, where the first spots of Silverpelt were more then visible, Shinestar said in a clear voice, "I, Shinestar, leader of FangClan, ask my noble ancestors to look down upon these three apprentices. They have trained well to learn the ways of your distinguished code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn.
"Jaypaw, Rockpaw, Stormpaw, do you promise to defend the warrior code and protect and preserve this clan, even to the cost of your lives?"
"I do."
"I do."
"I do."
"Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Jaypaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Jaywhiskers. StarClan honours your strength and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of FangClan." Shinestar touched Jaywhiskers' head with her muzzle, and Jaywhiskers bowed to lick the leaders shoulder. The ritual repeated itself with the newly named Rocktalon and Stormfang. At the end, they had to sit vigil over the Camp all night. That was the part Icepaw figured she'd have the most trouble with, sitting still all night, not talking, watching over her Clan. But, she reminded herself, if it meant becoming a warrior, she would do it when her time came.
A/N: I'm ashamed at myself. So long without an update, and then what is most certainly not my best chapter. I apologize profusely, but in my defense I just got home from a trip, and barely had three hours sleep last night. Plus, I've reached a hump in the story, and I can't think of a good way to continue it. Next chapter will be much better, I promise.