Blossompaw's Escape
Part Three: The Clan
"Well done Blossompaw. You have found my clan," Ashstar greeted the apprentice. Blossompaw stared at her paws in silence for a moment before looking up at the ancient leader with worry in her crystal gaze.
"They are mere rogues in an old twoleg den with no knowledge of you or warrior life. They don't even want to learn," she said fiercely, the fur on her shoulders rising. How could anyone not want to be a part of such a noble community like a clan?
"Make them listen," Ashstar said simply. "You words yield more power than you realize."
The leader and apprentice sat side by side on the cliffs overlooking the sea.
"I want to go home," she said, voice little above a whisper.
"You made your choice. You are no longer a cat of Ravenclan, you are a cat of Ashclan. You found them, you have followers already. Teach them how to be warriors, build my proud clan up once again from the dust. But don't forget your enemies as you make friends."
"I will rebuild your clan," she said with a final nod of her head, trying to convince her more than Ashstar that she could.
"I know, but not as an apprentice. It is time for your warrior ceremony, it is long overdue."
Blossompaw was too stunned to speak. Ashstar rose to his paws and she copied immediately. Her father Adderfang pushed his way out of the treeline and gave her a reassuring smile. She turned her crystal gaze back to the leader.
"I, Ashstar, leader of Ashclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and will continue to train. I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Blossompaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code to protect and defend you Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Ashstar repeated the sacred ceremony words.
"I do," Blossompaw vowed without batting an eye.
"Then by the powers of Starclan I give you your warrior name. Blossompaw, from this moment you will be known as Blossomfang. Starclan honors your gentle nature and sharp wit, carry your fang with you like your father before you. We welcome you as a full warrior of Ashclan," Ashstar finished and rested his muzzle on her forehead. She licked his shoulder respectfully and they drew apart. More Starclan warriors appeared from the forest, Adderfang lifted his muzzle to the sky to start the chant.
"Blossomfang! Blossomfang!" they chorused. The gray furred leader gave her one last imploring look before the dream faded.
Blossomfang opened her eyes, feeling reborn. She stood up slowly and looked down at her legs, they looked the same but she knew inside she had changed. She was no longer a meek apprentice serving Ashstar's whims. She was a warrior serving her ancestors on a mission to rebuild the lost clan.
"Everyone get up, we are going to speak to Fawndapple and Foxtooth again," she announced, startling the others from their sleep. They shook the stiffness from their joints before following her as she all but ran to the twoleg nest. Foxtooth and Fawndapple were waiting for them as if they expected Blossomfang would come back.
"You aren't welcome on our territory anymore, you've outlasted your visit!" Foxtooth growled at the approaching group.
"Blossompaw take your friends and go, we aren't interested in being a clan," Fawndapple added with a guarded look.
"My name is Blossomfang now, last night I was awarded my warrior name to help me convince you to be a clan."
Her friends looked at her dubiously. Flint gave a small shrug and turned his attention back to the two cats. Fawndapple and Foxtooth didn't look impressed in the slightest.
"I'd like to introduce you to everyone, if that's alright," Blossomfang suggested. Foxtooth glowered at them but granted them entry to the twoleg den.
"This is Chance, my deputy if you will," Blossomfang said and motioned to the dog sitting beside her. Fawndapple and Foxtooth stared slack jawed at the dog but didn't comment. Chance dipped his head respectfully. "Flint Shiver and Sylvester are my friends. Whisper is sort of our guide, he can interpret the stars."
"These are our three kits," Fawndapple introduced and three small balls of fur crawled out of hiding from underneath the wooden beams.
"Doveheart is the white one with gray spots on her back. Pebblenose is the brown one with a white underbelly. Tansyfoot is the light brown one with the gray foot," Fawndapple said and looked down at her kits lovingly.
"They are beautiful," Blossomfang complimented. Fawndapple looked away from the three kits and back at Blossomfang. Foxtooth sat next to his mates side, his gaze darting from cat to cat.
"You didn't come here to meet my kits though," Fawndapple said and nudged the liter back into their hiding place.
"Correct," Blossomfang nodded. "I came here to strike a bargain."
Blossomfang dismissed her companions to wait outside so she alone could converse with the last descendants of Ashclan. Fawndapple and Foxtooth remained mildly curious to hear what her proposal would be.
"How old are Doveheart Pebblenose and Tansyfoot?" she asked.
"Five moons, why?" Foxtooth demanded. Blossomfang stared at him blankly.
"Give me two full moons to get you to consider becoming a clan. Two moons is all I'm asking for. Your kits are nearly old enough to become apprentices, they'll change their suffixes to 'paw and be assigned mentors. You will train as well to hunt and fight like warriors."
"And at the end of the two moons what if we still don't want to be a clan? We are making a deal...a bet, what's in it for us if we put up with you for two moons?" Foxtooth crowed with a sly grin.
"At the end of the trial if you don't want to be a clan we will leave your territory for good," she vowed.
"Not good enough. If you haven't convinced us at that point you must promise to track down the cats who left us for dead and make them pay," Fawndapple said coldly.
"I can't promise that. It's the way of a warrior to forgive and only kill if absolutely necessary!" Blossomfang objected.
"Then you better hope you've convinced us to join your clan," Fawndapple retorted and sat back. Those were the terms, Blossomfang knew the negotiations were over take it or leave it. She closed her eyes, willing Ashstar to show her what to do but she only saw the blackness of her mind.
"Alright. But for two moons you must do exactly as I say, no objections," Blossomfang said slowly. Fawndapple and Foxtooth exchanged a look before nodding. Blossomfang sighed deeply and stood up.
"Tomorrow at dawn meet us at the cherry grove. We will begin your training then," Blossomfang instructed and left the twoleg nest. She guided her friends back to their makeshift camp in silence, preparing to explain to them what she promised. She knew they wouldn't like the idea of hunting down the cats who betrayed Fawndapple and Foxtooth if they failed in two moons, but there was no other choice.
Besides that she had much bigger issues in front of her. Not only would she be training Fawndapple and Foxtooth, but their kits and all of her friends as well. She had to teach everyone the warrior code and impress its importance upon them. They would have to lay down borders and construct dens for everyone. And they would need to find a meeting place with Starclan. But first Blossomfang just had to get through the night knowing there was no room for error.
"Are you going to take the name Blossomstar now?" Chance asked as they settled down.
"Of course not, you need nine lives to be a true leader," Blossomfang rolled her eyes. Chance knew the warrior code almost as well as her, he and Sylvester both listened to her stories at the facility.
"Your deputy is a dog. If we were really following the warrior code I would driven away," Chance snorted.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Blossomfang snapped. Ashstar had never given her permission to do as she pleased with his clan. He had asked her to restore it to its former glory. That meant it remained a clan that didn't change rules whenever they felt like it.
"I'm just saying we have a delicate situation in our paws. I don't mean we trash the code completely, just tweak it a bit," he shrugged and settled down. The other cats were all fast asleep except for maybe Whisper, who no-one could tell if he was really asleep. Blossomfang kept her voice low as she answered Chance.
"The warrior code has been around as long as the clans. We will not be changing it," she said with a note of finality. Chance wasn't keen on arguing and nodded before curling up to sleep. "Besides," Blossomfang added. "It isn't like there is an actual rule forbidding dogs from joining the clans."
A. What do you think of Blossomfang's new name?
B. Think the deal will work out?
