"We passed our assessments!"

Aurorastar flinched when the loud commotion sounded from the camp entrance. Mistpaw, Tigerpaw, and Nightpaw charged in, slowly followed by their mentors.

"We passed!" Tigerpaw screeched.

Aurorastar bounded over, giving the apprentices a friendly wave with her tail. "Congratulations! Now I must speak with your mentors before the ceremony."

Eyes bright, the apprentices nodded and raced towards Brightledge.

Dapplecloud, Searose, and Bluegalaxy walked forward, looking nearly as optimistic as their apprentices.

"Are they ready?" Aurorastar asked.

"Definitely. They passed their assessments without question," replied Dapplecloud.

Aurorastar flicked an ear. "Then let us begin." She trotted over to Brightledge, bunched her muscles, and leaped to the top. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join beneath Brightledge for a Clan meeting!"

Mistpaw, Tigerpaw, and Nightpaw, hearing the call of the meeting, stopped grooming their pelts and fixed their shining eyes on Aurorastar. The rest of the apprentices ran over and sat as close to the soon-to-be warriors as possible.

Petalblossom and her kits sat outside the nursery, the three tiny cats squirming excitedly.

This will be the first ceremony they will experience, Aurorastar realized, gazing warmly at the three little balls of fur.

When every cat had gathered underneath the ledge, Aurorastar began the meeting.

"It is time to welcome three new warriors into SunClan today. Mistpaw, Nightpaw, and Tigerpaw have passed their final assessments." She gazed at Dapplecloud. "Dapplecloud, do you believe Mistpaw is ready to become a warrior?"

Dapplecloud's eyes shined. "Aurorastar, Mistpaw is more than ready."

Aurorastar nodded and turned to Searose. "Do you believe that Tigerpaw is ready to become a warrior of SunClan?"

Searose glanced warmly at her apprentice. "Tigerpaw will make SunClan proud."

"As will Nightpaw," Bluegalaxy meowed, holding her head high. "I've never seen an apprentice so ready to become a warrior."

Nightpaw ducked her head in embarrassment, but exchanged a glance with her mentor.

"Then the ceremony shall continue." Aurorastar beckoned the three apprentices forward with her tail. "I, Aurorastar, leader of SunClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to looked down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to learn the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you warriors in turn. Mistpaw, Nightpaw, and Tigerpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend SunClan, even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do." Mistpaw did not hesitate.

"I do!" Aurorastar smirked warmly at Tigerpaw when she spoke much more loudly than intended.

"I do," Nightpaw replied with pure confidence.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I grant you your warrior names." She turned to Nightpaw first.

"Nightpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Nightshine. StarClan honors your intelligence and will to make the right choices, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SunClan."

Nightshine beamed, licking Aurorastar's shoulder when the leader rested her chin on the new warrior's head.

Aurorastar then turned to Tigerpaw. "Tigerpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Tigerstreak. StarClan honors your courage and tireless energy, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SunClan."

Tigerstreak also licked Aurorastar's shoulder in respect. The leader then gazed at Mistpaw, and a wave of grief washed over her.

"Mistpaw, in honor of you brother who died so bravely to protect our Clan, I now name you Mistsky. StarClan honors your loyalty and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SunClan."

This time, pride did not shine in the new warrior's eyes. Mistsky gazed at her paws, only lifting her head to lick Aurorastar's shoulder.

"Skypaw should have been here with us today," Aurorastar started. "More than anything, he deserved to become a warrior and live out his life for many seasons. Today, we will cheer for not only our new warriors, but the ones that could not be here today."

"Nightshine! Tigerstreak! Mistsky! Skypaw!" the Clan cheered and yowled. Sadness overwhelmed Nightheart's eyes, but she continued to cheer for her lost apprentice. Ravenecho gazed proudly at the new warriors, cheering loudly for her kits and foster kit.

"Tonight, you three will sit vigil," Aurorastar told the three warriors. They nodded, determination shining in their eyes.

Aurorastar was about to head back to her den when she noticed Nightheart, tail drooped, padding out of camp.

I hope she is okay, Aurorastar thought, and decided to follow her.

Nightheart began walking steadily towards the lake. Her head was low, and her black tail dragged along behind her.

She is very upset, Aurorastar realized. I should talk to her. She stopped trying to hide herself and padded over to Nightheart. The black she cat gave her a glance, but said nothing.

"You are troubled," Aurorastar meowed quietly.

Nightheart whipped her head towards Aurorastar. Her amber eyes blazed with anger. "Yes, I am troubled! A kit could see that!" She walked faster. "Just leave me alone."

Aurorastar matched her pace. "It is my job to care for the Clan and every one of its Clan members." She gave Nightheart a friendly look, one that the warrior did not return. "I am here to help, not to hurt."

Nightheart sighed. Her eyes darkened, and her look of anger disappeared. "I just... miss Skypaw so much. He understood me. I understood him. He was like the family I never had." She glanced ahead. The two she cats had reached the sandy shore of the lake.

Nightheart crouched down, staring at the tiny pebbles underneath her. Aurorastar sat next to her, curling her tail over her paws. She sat in silence as Nightheart continued.

"I never had any littermates, and my parents died before I became an apprentice. Though SunClan is my home, I have always felt that I was missing something. Skypaw began to fill that gap. But then StarClan took him." She dug her claws into the rocks. "They took him! He was so young! How could they be so cruel? He never deserved his fate!" She buried her face in her paws, a sob racking her body.

Aurorastar lay down next to her. "Nightheart, you should have come and told me your feelings earlier." She placed a paw on Nightheart's shoulder. "Skypaw didn't deserve what he got. But his death was not StarClan's fault. Cats die when it is their time, and StarClan cannot change that fate. We can only move forward and remember their spirits as they touched us. Skypaw would have wanted SunClan to move on. He always wanted what was right for us."

Nightheart let out a growl. "What about what's right for Skypaw?"

"If I could have died instead of Skypaw, I would have done it in a heartbeat. But he is with StarClan now. We must move on." She licked Nightheart's ear. "SunClan needs you, no matter what you may think."

Nightheart gazed up at Aurorastar. She didn't look satisfied, but she obviously didn't want to argue anymore. She gave her leader a nod, and the two she cats headed back to camp.

Poor Nightheart :( Even writing this gives me sad feelings and sympathy for her. Yay for new warriors! :3 I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review too, I love hearing feedback on my work and how to make it better. :)

~Lunar