Chapter 1: Final Assessment
"Wake up! Come on, you can't sleep the day away! You've got an assessment, remember?"
Mothpaw blinked her eyes open blearily. "What is it?" she mumbled groggily. "Is it time for school?"
"School? What are you meowing about?"
As Mothpaw grew more awake, she recognized Bluepaw's mew. Oh no! Mothpaw thought in alarm, scrambling to her paws.
The blue-gray she-cat was looking at her with impatience and puzzlement in her yellow eyes. "What is school?" she repeated.
Mothpaw shuffled her paws. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "I was having this weird dream, but I'm forgetting it already."
Bluepaw blinked. "Okay. Well, Brackentail says to come on and eat some fresh-kill already, or else you'll have to do your final assessment tomorrow."
"I'm coming!" Mothpaw exclaimed, grooming bits of moss out of her fur. "I don't want to miss this!"
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Her belly full of warm vole, Mothpaw swallowed back anxiety as she approached Brackentail. The deputy was conversing with Hazelfern. The young warrior was nodding as Brackentail instructed her.
Mothpaw cleared her throat purposefully.
Brackentail turned around to face his apprentice. He flicked his tail at Hazelfern, dismissing her.
"Good to see you on time today," he meowed, a faint hint of amusement glimmering in his yellow eyes.
Mothpaw's tail twitched. "I've been on time for the past quarter-moon, Brackentail," she informed him.
Brackentail nodded. "I know. Now, are you ready for your final assessment?"
"Would I be here if I wasn't?"
Brackentail snorted. "No. Please stop with the attitude, Mothpaw. I'm just joking, you know."
Mothpaw dipped her head apologetically. "Sorry, Brackentail. I get edgy when I'm nervous."
"You? Nervous?" Brackentail's whiskers twitched.
Mothpaw nodded with a smile. "Yes! I, Mothpaw, am nervous before my final assessment." She leaned close to Brackentail, as if sharing a secret. "Who isn't?"
Brackentail flicked Mothpaw's ear with his ringed gold-and-brown tail playfully. "I must admit, even I was nervous all those moons ago."
Mothpaw feigned shock. "You're not that old!"
Petaltail, the pale brown tabby-and-white she-cat with her pinky-brown tail that she was named for, passed by the mentor and apprentice. "You two get along well," she commented.
Mothpaw's pelt burned with embarrassment. Brackentail, on the other hand, gave his mate a quick lick on the ear. "We'll be out in the forest soon," he meowed. Petaltail nodded and padded to a sunny spot nearby.
Brackentail turned back to Mothpaw. "Let's get to work," he mewed in a businesslike manner. "Your final assessment. You will have a patrol."
Mothpaw forced her neck fur down. "A patrol?"
"Yes. You will be part of Tawnytuft's patrol. Your mission is to hunt for the Clan. Now, this is important. I am not telling the rest of them this important bit of information. Stay with the patrol. You must stay with the patrol, but do not try to sway their decisions. If the rest of the patrol wants to hunt solo, let them. Just...stay on guard."
Mothpaw's head was reeling from all this information. "O-okay. Where is, uh, my patrol?"
Petaltail rose from her sunny spot and gathered up a few of the watching cats. Along with Petaltail, they were Nightpaw, his mentor Tawnytuft, Acornpaw, and her mentor Fernflower.
"Remember what I told you?" Brackentail asked. Mothpaw gulped and nodded.
Petaltail gently rasped her tongue over Mothpaw's ear. "Don't worry," she murmured reassuringly. "You'll do fine."
Mothpaw tried to look confident as she led her "patrol" out the bramble tunnel. Immediately Tawnytuft took charge.
"Nightpaw, you'll hunt with me. Acornpaw, are you okay with hunting alone?"
The pale brown tabby she-cat nodded.
"And Mothpaw, you'll pair up with Fernflower. Let's head off."
Mothpaw felt helpless as the groups split up. She looked at Fernflower. Her deep green eyes had a hint of pity in them for Mothpaw.
I can do this, Mothpaw told herself.
"The first part of the assessment is hunting in pairs. Where do you think we should hunt?" the dark brown tabby she-cat asked.
Mothpaw thought for a moment. "The old Twoleg nest might be promising," she mewed. "As leaf-fall comes on, some creatures like to shelter there."
"Including foxes," Fernflower added. "A few moons ago, a fox was found living there. It's gone now, but we best be careful."
Mothpaw dipped her head to the older warrior, glad for her experience. As she led Fernflower through the forest, a thought struck her. Maybe Brackentail was warning me to look out for foxes.
Soon they arrived at the abandoned nest. Immediately Mothpaw heard the rustle of a squirrel in the leaves. It was nibbling daintily on a mushroom. Its eyes darted back and forth, and it occasionally moved quickly to a different spot. Remembering a method for catching nervous prey, Mothpaw signaled for Fernflower to go on the other side of the clearing. While the she-cat worked her way over, Mothpaw found two small twigs and kept them under her paws.
When the squirrel darted near the bush where the warrior was hiding, the dark brown tabby jumped out with a fearsome yowl. Mothpaw balanced on her hind legs with a stick in each claw and hurled them on either side of the clearing. Panicked, the squirrel ran right at her. Mothpaw killed it with a clout to its neck.
Fernflower padded out of hiding. "That was brilliant!" she exclaimed, eyes shining. "I never thought of that!"
Mothpaw purred. "Thanks," she replied. "I wanted to make sure it didn't run away. If you had done it, I would have had my paws free sooner. However, it may have run on a different angle." Mothpaw sized up a tall oak that was nearby. "And it would have gotten away to its nest."
Fernflower looked at her admirably. "It was still very good. Have you ever done that before?"
Mothpaw stared at her paws modestly. "Not really. I was hunting with Bluepaw once, and she bonked into a rock and scared a mouse right in my direction. This is my first time doing it alone."
Fernflower and Mothpaw continued hunting, easily catching two birds, a squirrel, and a mouse. After burying them, Mothpaw opened her jaws slightly to taste the air. "We have to make sure we don't get jumped on," she noted, "but all I can smell is squirrel."
Fernflower sniffed. "You're right, but we would probably notice fox scent..."
Mothpaw froze. "What was that?"
The forest seemed eerily quiet as the she-cats fell silent.
Fernflower turned to Mothpaw. "I didn't hear any—"
A twig snapped in the bush where Fernflower had hidden before.
Mothpaw and Fernflower slowly turned towards the bush, all senses on alert.
Suddenly, something exploded from a bush behind them. Mothpaw whirled around as Fernflower gasped.
The dark brown tabby she-cat was struggling under a different cat. Mothpaw snarled aloud in fury and astonishment as she recognized the cat.
Twigclaw.
"How dare you?" she snarled. "Fernflower's your Clanmate, and so am I!"
Twigclaw stared her directly in the eye and let out a wordless caterwaul.
Suddenly another cat leapt from the original bush. Mothpaw turned around to be instantly smothered by thick gray fur.
When Mothpaw managed to struggle out from underneath the other cat, she yowled as she noticed the black "mask" over his amber eyes.
"Raccoonmask!" she growled. "I thought you were loyal! Have you gone back to your father's Clan? Is ShadowClan more appealing than it seems?"
Raccoonmask looked at her with total surprise and hurt. "I haven't!" he protested. "I'm as loyal to ThunderClan as you are!"
Fernflower had managed to escape from Twigclaw. "Why are you attacking us, then?" she growled. Her claws were unsheathed, and Mothpaw couldn't help but feel sorry for Raccoonmask. Fernflower was a formidable warrior.
"This is your final assessment," he meowed, licking a bleeding paw. "You have to defend yourself against our mock attack. Note the word 'mock'. Fernflower, you don't have a scratch on your pelt. Claws sheathed, if you please. Mothpaw, that was rather unkind of you to make reference to his father."
Mothpaw's tail drooped. "I didn't know that this wasn't real."
Fernflower blinked. "Ready, Mothpaw?" The warrior sheathed her claws.
Mothpaw flicked her tail. "Ready when you are!"
"Attack!" Raccoonmask growled.
He and Twigclaw immediately assumed defensive positions.
"Your move," the pale brown tabby meowed threateningly.
"All right," Mothpaw replied, bunching her haunches. Which one to take down first? She leaned to whisper to Fernflower. "I'm taking Raccoonmask." Fernflower nodded.
She leapt at Raccoonmask. He bared his teeth in a friendly way and sidestepped. Mothpaw landed with a thump. Raccoonmask gently swiped his paws down her back. Mothpaw jumped up and fended off his paws with her own.
"I appear to be winning," Raccoonmask purred, giving her a gentle box over the ears.
"Not for long, you don't!" Mothpaw panted, raking her paws down his fluffy chest. Raccoonmask let out a fake yowl of pain and surprise and retaliated with a controlled swipe at Mothpaw. She dodged and darted around the warrior, dealing a blow to his haunches as she passed. As he turned to keep her in his sight, she leapt onto his back and pawed at it in an imitation of clawing. Raccoonmask shook himself to dislodge Mothpaw, and as soon as she landed she darted underneath the tom's belly. She arched her back slightly to catch him off guard, then gently nipped his belly. She ran out as Raccoonmask let himself fall, intending to land on her. That was close!
Meanwhile, Twigclaw and Fernflower were on their hind legs, combating with their paws. The two warriors were closely matched in skill, but Twigclaw had the upper paw. He continually swiped at Fernflower, and his hits landed. Despite their sheathed claws and controlled moves, Fernflower couldn't take much more of it.
Mothpaw cast a quick glance at Raccoonmask. He was advancing towards her. He was going to pounce! Mothpaw waited until he was airborne, then dashed out from underneath him, heading for Twigclaw. She heard Raccoonmask's surprised "oof" as he landed, and Fernflower's sigh of relief. Mothpaw crashed into Twigclaw and soon had him underneath her. She planted her paw gently on his neck.
"I win," she purred.
"Let me up!" Raccoonmask grunted from behind her. Mothpaw continued purring. Fernflower must have him in the same position that she had Twigclaw.
"Very good," a voice mewed.
A creamy ginger-and-gold tabby emerged from the undergrowth. Mothpaw and Fernflower let their captives up, and they shook themselves off.
Fernflower dipped her head. "Dawnstar."
The ThunderClan leader was purring. "You did great, both of you. I expected Fernflower to do most of the work, but it was the other way around. Mothpaw, we'll hold your warrior ceremony this evening!"
Mothpaw gave a little hop of excitement. "Yes!"
"However, it was not very nice of you to accuse Raccoonmask of disloyalty," she continued.
Mohtpaw stared at her paws. "I didn't know it wasn't real."
"Don't worry about it," Raccoonmask panted from behind her.
Dawnstar peered behind Mothpaw. "I'm glad to see that you had fun, too," she commented.
Mothpaw turned around. Twigclaw and Raccoonmask were wrestling on the ground in a mock fight. At Dawnstar's mew they broke apart, panting.
"It's good for practice," Raccoonmask meowed defensively, licking a scrap of leaf out of his fur.
Dawnstar turned to Mothpaw. "We'll hold your warrior ceremony this evening."
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Mothpaw watched as Dawnstar conversed with Brackentail, Fernflower, Raccoonmask, and Twigclaw. She nodded absently as Glowpaw chattered to her.
"Didn't you hear me?" Glowpaw's irritated mew interrupted her thoughts.
"Uh, what?" Mothpaw turned to the pale gold cat. "No, sorry."
Glowpaw flicked an ear, dismissing her mistake. "I said that I chased a fox off of the territory today."
Mothpaw was suddenly more interested. "Oh, cool! Did you get hurt at all?"
Glowpaw shook her head. "I just treaded on a thorn. One question: why did you say 'cool'? It wasn't that cold, after all."
Mothpaw shrugged. "I'm not really sure. It just felt right."
"Let all cats old enough to catch their prey join beneath the Highledge for a Clan meeting!"
Mothpaw couldn't suppress a wriggle of excitement as the Clan gathered. Her father, Seedflash, sat nearby with a proud look on his face. Leafsky padded out of the nursery, heading for Mothpaw. Mothpaw hastily began grooming herself; she didn't want her mother to dote on her. Even though I was the only one in my litter. When she has her kits, she'll have other cats to love!
Leafsky just licked down a tuft of fur that stuck up on Mothpaw's head, then went to sit by her mate. The Clan fell silent.
Dawnstar dismounted from the Highledge and stood in front of Mothpaw. "I, Dawnstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Mothpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
Being made a warrior alone made Mothpaw feel as if the whole of StarClan was watching. "I do," she mewed bravely.
"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Mothpaw, you shall be known as Mothdapple. StarClan honors your skills and your kindness, and we welcome you as a full member of ThunderClan."
Feeling the weight of the ceremony, Mothdapple licked Dawnstar's shoulder as the leader rested her muzzle on the new warrior's head. Dawnstar stepped back.
"Congratulations, Mothdapple."
"Mothdapple! Mothdapple!" The whole of ThunderClan yowled her new name to the stars twinkling above.
And they seemed to be celebrating, too, as they glittered in the darkening sky.
Sob...that made me cry. As soon as I typed 'Mothpaw, you shall be known as Mothdapple', I started crying. Almost. I got a lump in my throat. Since this is a human-to-cat story, I really feel like I'm in the story. I'm surprised I didn't make Mothdapple burst into tears. Just kidding!
Before you click the happy review button, I have one thing to say. I was listening to iTunes while I wrote this, and there is a perfect song for the feel of the ceremony. On YouTube, it's called "Greatest Battle Music of All Times: Dream Chasers". Listening to this helped me not cry, because it took my mind off of the magnitude of the situation.
Please review! Thanks to my reviewers! Specifically Lightningstar of Leafclan and Momstar! My first two reviewers! :D And thanks to Phantomfur and Goldenstar!
~Mothy