The Renaissance - Book 2: Eclipse - Chapter 5
Dewpaw gets his warrior name! Yay!
Chapter Five
Sunblaze left the warriors' den around moonhigh and padded over to the dirtplace tunnel. She slipped inside to find Dewpaw waiting for her. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. "This better be worth it, Sunblaze!" he hissed softly.
She nodded. "It will be."
The pair squeezed through the small exit that led into the forest and were finally free. "Okay, what did you want to tell me?" Dewpaw asked.
Sunblaze shook her head. "Not here," she meowed. Without waiting for Dewpaw to reply, she bounded off into the forest toward the ShadowClan border.
"Sunblaze! Wait!" he called after her.
Sunblaze ignored him and continued through the forest. At night, the forest truly came alive with different creatures foraging and wandering around in the darkness. Sunblaze could hear Dewpaw following her, and continued toward the clearing Firestar had given to ShadowClan many moons ago after a useless battle was fought over it. When she reached the edge of the clearing, she turned to the north, slowing and allowing Dewpaw to catch up to her.
"What is your rush?!" Dewpaw panted as he came up beside her. "I shouldn't even be out here let alone going this far away from camp! I have an assessment tomorrow!"
Sunblaze sighed and looked at him. "No one can hear what I'm going to tell you, Dewpaw," she told him simply. "If you want to be my mate, then you will follow me, and you will listen."
Dewpaw looked genuinely surprised by her bluntness, but said no more. He obediently followed her as she led the way out of ThunderClan territory. This was neutral ground—no Clan cats were here, so none would overhear. Nevertheless, Sunblaze wanted to be sure. She led Dewpaw to the old abandoned Twoleg den that acted as Jayfeather's own personal herb garden. He grew catmint and other important herbs inside in case there was a shortage and an outbreak of sickness occurred. No one would be around. Sunblaze was sure of it.
Sunblaze leapt up and into the house through a small window that was about five tail-lengths off the ground. Dewpaw followed quickly and landed beside her in the den with a thud. "Will you tell me now?" he asked, his voice much less whiney.
She turned to him and nodded. "Dewpaw, please listen with an open mind," she implored. "After I was just made an apprentice, I overheard Jayfeather and Bramblestar talking about a prophecy that involved a certain ThunderClan warrior."
Dewpaw's eyes widened. "What did it say?"
Sunblaze took a deep breath. Over her many moons of pondering and fretting about the prophecy, she had memorized its exact words. She looked at him before reciting:
"After the fire extinguished,
A cat of light and flame will rise from ashes.
Kin of fire, leaf, and lion,
Daughter of the incarnations,
The sun will rise to words unspoken.
Sacrifice shall be her meaning,
Only to save the forest from warriors broken and bleeding."
Dewpaw looked at her, just jaw hanging open. "'The sun will rise to words unspoken…'" he quoted the prophecy before looking down. "It's you, isn't it?" he asked softly.
"Yes."
The young tom raised his eyes to hers; they were clouded with pain and confusion. "I… I don't understand… Great StarClan, I mean… I always knew you were special and great, but I never knew this!" he exclaimed.
Sunblaze avoided his gaze. He would hate her. He would refuse to be her mate because of this. iWhy did I have to tell him?!/i she thought with despair. Why?! I don't understand! How could I be so foolish! I've ruined my whole life now! "It's okay if you don't want to be my mate now," she whispered. She was surprised at how strong her voice sounded when she was truly shattered and completely broken on the inside.
Dewpaw looked at her with confused blue eyes. "What do you mean? Why would I not want to be your mate? Sunblaze, this doesn't change the way I feel about you!" he meowed. "I still… I still… Well…" he trailed off, looking at his paws awkwardly.
Sunblaze looked up at him, with longing amber eyes. Say it, Dewpaw, she begged silently. Please say it.
"I love you, Sunblaze," he mumbled, still not looking at her.
An electric shock rushed through her. She suddenly felt as every nerve in her whole body was a live wire; she felt alive. She leaned forward and pressed her muzzle to his softly. "I love you too, Dewpaw. I will always love you."
Dewpaw's chest rumbled with a pleased purr. "Thank you, Sunblaze," he breathed, seeming more than overwhelmed by the whole revelation. "I cannot wait to officially become your mate, even though I think it's safe to admit it now. You are my mate, Sunblaze."
"And you are mine, Dewpaw."
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath Highledge for a Clan meeting!" Bramblestar's yowl echoed throughout the camp. Sunblaze poked her head out of the warriors den to see Squirrelflight sitting at the base of Highledge with Snowpaw, Amberpaw, and Dewpaw sitting before her. All three apprentices were looking up at Bramblestar expectantly. They must have passed their assessments.
The rest of the Clan began to gather, and Sunblaze joined them. "Sunblaze!" Lightfoot called from the front of the crowd. Sunblaze purred seeing her friend and padded over. "I feel like I haven't seen you in ages," the gray warrior whispered.
"I know," Sunblaze replied, her gaze focused on Dewpaw.
"Cats of ThunderClan!" Bramblestar yowled. "It is a great day when young cats complete their training and become full warriors of their Clan! Apprentices work hard from the time they are kits to learn the ways of the warrior code and learn how to protect and provide for their Clan. These young cats are to be honored for their dedication and determination to serve their Clan. It is with great pleasure that I, Bramblestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warriors ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I offer them to you as warriors in their turn. Icecloud, has Snowpaw completed his training?"
Icecloud dipped her head. "He has, Bramblestar."
Bramblestar nodded at the she-cat in approval. "Snowpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do," the white tom replied.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name! Snowpaw, form this moment on, you shall be known as Snowfoot. StarClan honors your speed and dedication, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan!" Bramblestar then gracefully leap down from Highledge and rested his muzzle atop Snowfoot's head. In turn, Snowfoot licked his leader's shoulder respectfully.
Bramblestar then turned to Leafpool who sat on the other side of Lightfoot. "Leafpool, has Amberpaw completed her training?"
Leafpool nodded quietly. "Yes, Bramblestar. She has."
"Amberpaw," Bramblestar meowed, turning to the ginger she-cat. "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend this Clan even at the cost of your life?"
Amberpaw nodded swiftly. "I do!"
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Amberpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Amberheart! StarClan honors your bravery and decision-making in battle, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan!" Bramblestar rested his muzzle on top of Amberheart's head and she licked his shoulder.
Finally, Bramblestar looked to Blossomfall. "Blossomfall, has Dewpaw completed his training?"
The tortoiseshell she-cat nodded. "He has."
"Dewpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend this Clan even at the cost of your life?"
Dewpaw puffed out his chest and nodded vigorously. "I do." He said it with such finalism in his voice that no cat in their right minds would doubt his commitment.
Bramblestar dipped his head. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Dewpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Dewleaf. StarClan honors your compassion for your Clan-mates, and your ferocity in battle, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."
"Snowfoot, Amberheart, Dewleaf!" the Clan chanted. Sunblaze found herself yowling loudest of all when it came time to shout Dewleaf's name. He was her mate. She had to cheer for him.
When the Clan was done chanting, Bramblestar raised his tail for silence. "As you all know, tonight is also the Gathering! I want all cats who are attending to gather at the camp entrance within a few minutes!" With that, the brown tabby leader padded over to the bramble barrier that separated the camp from the forest.
Sunblaze rushed over to Dewleaf. "I'm so proud of you!" she purred, nuzzling his cheek gently.
Dewleaf looked up at her when she pulled away, his soft, blue eyes shining. He couldn't speak—it was a part of the ceremony. He would have to remain silent until morning. He didn't need to speak; his eyes said everything Sunblaze needed to know. She looked around to make sure no one was paying too much attention before licking his cheek. "I love you," she whispered. "But I gotta go. I'm going to the Gathering. I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."
Her mate dipped his head. Sunblaze purred and turned around to head toward the bramble barrier. She saw Hollyflight and Finchtail waiting nearby and plodded up to them. Finchtail greeted her warmly while Hollyflight watched, her green eyes narrowed slightly. Sunblaze shivered at her sister's intense look. Is this all about the vision of Firestar? Or is this about Dewleaf? Sunblaze wondered, looking back at her sister. Should I tell her about the prophecy? Hollyflight as always told me everything… so why can't I be honest with her? Or does she blame me for Stoneclaw's death?
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