"Mosskit, from this moment on, until you get your warrior name, you will be known as Mosspaw. Redheart will be your mentor. Redheart, your mentor was Twigleaf. I hope you will pass on his wisdom to this young kit. Badgerkit, from now on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Badgerpaw. Sleetmane will be your mentor. Sleetmane, you have only been a warrior a short while, yet you have much to pass on to this kit. I trust you will. Littlekit, from now on, until you receive you warrior name, you will be known as Littlepaw. Icetail will be your mentor. She also has been a warrior for a short time, yet she has courage and strength. I trust she will pass these skills on to you."
The cheering was deafening. Everyone had loved those three little kits, except maybe Grayclaw, who didn't like kits.
"Another thing," added Daystar over the din. The clearing was quiet in an instant.
"Windpelt, is it your wish to give up the name of warrior and go join the elders?"
"It is," my mother replied. There were a few gasps from the clan.
"You clan honors you and all the service you have given us. I call upon StarClan to give you many seasons of rest."
Daystar gazed sadly down as Windpelt stood amongst the groans and "Why?" of the clan. I, too mourned, but as I had been told this news earlier, I was not a surprised as my fellow clan members.
"Why aren't you sad?" Seastorm asked me.
"Oh, I'm sad. I was just told the news beforehand," I clarified.
Seastorm nodded like that cleared it up, and I was glad. I didn't want to pursue the subject. We scattered in the clearing again.
Many cats went to share tongues with my mother one last time while she was a warrior. Seastorm and I went with them. My mother looked around the warrior's den.
"Well, won't be sleeping here anymore!"
She tried to sound bright, but I could tell that she was sad. I was too, but I was proud of her decision, and that she decided. If it were me, I would have refused to become an elder to the point where Daystar had to drag me out. I nuzzled Windpelt.
"Don't worry, I'll visit you! And the kits too!"
She nodded, and then trotted out of the warrior's den. I followed her. Iceshadow was sleeping, but Aspenleaf pointed her nose toward an abandoned nest.
"You can sleep there," the old she-cat rasped. My mother padded over to it, sniffed it, and lay down. The nest looked cozy enough, and my mother lay down contentedly, but the fact that it was in the elder's den tore my heart.
Hazelpaw trotted over with Rosesky. Spottedpelt, earlier Spottedpaw but had been made a warrior just before my mother's kitting, came over as well. Her old mentor, Rosesky, came too. Soon most of the camp was gathered around the elder's den in silence, heads hung. The quiet was so complete that I could hear the kits giggling as they played among themselves across camp.
Daystar parted the crowds and sat in front of everyone. "Our deepest regrets," she repeated, before leaving. Everyone followed, and soon talk was restored.
"Windpelt!" Badgerpaw called. His sisters followed. He skidded to a stop at the elder's den.
"Sorry we didn't pay respects, we had to meet our mentors," panted Mosspaw. Littlepaw said nothing.
"We'll pay them now!" said Badgerpaw quickly, dropping his head. Mosspaw copied. Littlepaw didn't.
"What's wrong, Littlepaw?" I asked. She still said nothing, but I saw her jaw clench more firmly and her eyebrows scrunch angrily.
"Littlepaw?" I asked again. There was a pause.
"It's not fair," she finally mumbled.
I lay down, curling my tail around her small body. "I know. After all, she's my mother too. But you've got to accept this. You still have warrior friends. You have me and Redheart and now you have Icetail. Isn't that enough?"
She nodded, but I heard her grumble, "Don't you care about her?"
I suppose I should have been insulted, but right then I felt only love for the kit who was, in a way, losing her mother.
The next day, it rained. I saw a few mentors sneak out with their apprentices, tails drooping. There had been clouds on the horizon yesterday, so we had stocked up on fresh-kill, but there were still a few hunting patrols.
The border patrols had to go out as well, and I found myself walking the ShadowClan territory line with Blackclaw and Suneyes, Seastorm and Smokepaw's mother. Suneyes pretty much left us alone, but Blackclaw and I talked. His apprentice, Hawkpaw, had been in the apprentice den for a while.
"A bit like me," I said slowly.
He looked at me, grinning. "But you're a lot prettier than Hawkpaw."
I laughed, thinking about the shabby, light brown tabby tom. "I suppose."
"How's Smokepaw?" he asked.
I smiled at the thought of my impatient, energetic apprentice. "Oh, she's fine. Getting into trouble every other day, but fine."
Blackclaw laughed. "Well, you can teach a cat to hunt quietly, but you can't quiet their spirit. How old is she now?"
"Eleven moons. She'll get her warrior name any day now. I'll ask Daystar about Smokepaw and Hawkpaw as soon as possible."
"Thanks. I'm really sorry about Windpelt, you know. She was my mentor, you know."
I bit my lip. I had almost forgotten. Blackclaw had almost enough connection to Windpelt as I did. "Yeah, she was great. Best mother ever."
"Especially to Mosspaw, Badgerpaw, and Littlepaw. Feistiest kits I've ever seen. Who's your favorite?" There was no need for hesitation.
"I'd have to say Littlepaw. She's like a huge warrior in a kit's body. Or should I say, apprentice's body."
"Yeah, they're getting so big! But on the line of favorites, I rather like Badgerpaw. He's a bit like me, if you will, and he copes well with being the only tom in the litter."
I nodded, agreeing. "I think Daystar put him with Sleetmane for a reason, don't you? Calm his spirit a bit."
Blackclaw grinned. "I hate doing this, but I'm going back on what I said before. You can teach a cat to hunt quietly, but you can't quiet their spirit."
"Agreed. But I, too, have to go back on what I said before. He's like a huge warrior in a kit's body."
"Now, now, we're repeating ourselves," Blackclaw grinned. I laughed. This was what I liked about Blackclaw. He was smart, funny, and he understood.
Suddenly I lifted my head, scenting the air.
"What is it?" Blackclaw asked urgently.
Suneyes was sniffing a nearby bush. "ShadowClan," she said gravely.
"It's fresh. And there's squirrel scent, too, and blood, though the rain blurs it. They hunted here. Barely in our territory, but enough to tell them off."
Blackclaw nodded. "We should warn Daystar. There's a gathering coming up; she could tell the other clans."
I was doubtful. "Robinstar would deny it."
Blackclaw shrugged. "Maybe. But who could trust ShadowClan?"
That afternoon, it stopped raining, but thick gray clouds still hung in the sky. The air was wet and my coat stuck to my body, even though it wasn't raining. Even though it was leaf-fall, it was hot, and yet it was cold at the same time. The kits were huddled against their mothers, and the apprentices slunk around camp, rolling over each other half-heartedly.
I visited my mother, who was grave.
"It's an omen," she murmured. "StarClan is unhappy with my decision, and makes the clan unhappy in return."
I pushed my nose against her flank, telling her it was just bad weather, but she insisted for me to talk to Dawnflower, to see if she had gotten a sign. I nodded agreeably, wanting some purpose today, but I still didn't feel like living.
Seastorm was sleeping, and Smokepaw told me snappishly that she didn't feel like practicing today and I could just 'mind your own business, fox-dung.' She had trotted off angrily. The weather was affecting all of us. For the worse.
I padded halfheartedly into Dawnflower's den. The tortoiseshell she-cat was organizing the herbs on her shelf. She turned around slowly when I came in.
"Oh, hello, Rainpath? Is something wrong?"
I sighed, biting back a snappish reply. "Sort of. Windpelt thinks that StarClan is unhappy with her decision to become an elder, and sent this sad weather. She sent me to ask if you had received a sign," I told her.
She shook her head. "Prophecies and omens don't come when you want them to. They come when StarClan sends them. Don't worry. Your mother will be fine. Oh, and Rainpath!" she called after me. I turned.
"Please tell Daystar that I am interested in taking on an apprentice."