I finished the drawing! :D I'm actually really proud of it, though I forgot the leaves on the tree, which is why the branches look really strange. Anyway, tell me what you think of it! If you didn't already know, the link to my Deviantart is on my profile. I'm also changing the format of this before-and-after-chapters writing to hopefully make it easier to read.

ShadowHawk540: Yeah, my old cat used to eat grass and then throw up in our upstairs hallway. I think it also gives cats nutrients because my current cats eat grass, but they don't throw up.

EradrinSkyleaf: Was it all mystical and "oh, we're too important to use your actual names"? Because that was what I was going for. XD And I think you're actually the only person who has seen even parts of Wicked!

Willowdream of ForestClan: Nah, that's fine. I actually haven't had much free time lately because I've started swimming in the morning again which makes me much more tired and makes me go to bed at around 9:30 rather than 10:30-11. I haven't had much time to do much of anything lately. :( Today I will read some of your fanfiction! I promise!

The Age of Awesomeness: BLUEBERRIES! That would be pretty cool if that was part of the cure. :)

QLKwriter: Yeah, I sort of got the idea from Millie and Blossomfall, only Mousepaw, Volepaw, and Heronpaw don't resent their mother as much as Blossomfall did.

Silverkitty16: It's fine if you forget to review a chapter. I don't mind at all. ;) I didn't tell you because honestly I didn't know myself. I just made it up on the spot because it made sense, Foxtooth and Rustpelt being orange tabbies.

Nightfeather: The dress was revealed on the news to be actually blue and black (which is what I saw). The reason you see white and gold is because your eyes blend the colors together. I think the majority of people actually saw white and gold and the picture isn't all that good anyway. And I've also been busy lately, so I understand. :)

Rainpaw's POV

"I'm just so proud of you," Lightwing purred, smiling at me.

I almost rolled my eyes. Cinderpaw must have been rubbing off on me a little. "You've told me that about twenty times already," I muttered sarcastically, though smiling to let my mother know I was only joking. Maybe Cinderpaw was rubbing off more than a little.

"You did so well!" Lightwing meowed, almost leaping into the air in excitement. "Almost the entire group of cats here wants to head back to the lake and fight! Only those cats too old to come to the meeting are staying behind."

"If they're too old to even come to a meeting, then I doubt they'll make it to the lake. Maybe it's better they're stay—"

"Rainpaw!"

I turned to see Aspenpaw dashing up to me, Alderpaw right behind her. "Hey," I smiled, glad to see my friends.

"You were so good up there!" Aspenpaw cried, grinning widely.

"Yeah, if I wasn't already going to head back to the lake with you, I'd be completely won over!" Alderpaw added, stepping forward to prevent his sister accidentally blocking him out.

"Thanks," I purred.

"So when are we leaving?" Aspenpaw asked, kneading the ground with her paws, tearing up bits of grass. "Now?"

Lightwing laughed. "No, not now. Cats have to say goodbye to those who are staying."

"But I thought you said there weren't too many staying?" I frowned.

"Well, there's that but also it's getting pretty late." Lightwing glanced up at the sky, which was turning orange and purple from the sunset. "We'll set out tomorrow back for the lake. But first," she said suddenly, turning to me, eyes shining with sudden inspiration, "I think there's something you have to do."

"What's that?" I asked, confused.

"Well, we can't have an apprentice leading us to the lake, can we?" Lightwing smiled as she saw understanding light my own eyes like twin blue moons. "I believe we have a ceremony to perform."

"Y-you think I… warrior?" I stammered, staring at her, openly astonished.

"I think you're ready. Don't you think so too?" She turned to the brown and white tabby apprentices beside me.

Alderpaw looked as stunned as me, but Aspenpaw nodded eagerly. "Yeah, he totally needs to be made a warrior," she agreed. "I think it's a bit overdue myself."

"Then it's settled," Lightwing said, smiling warmly at my bewildered expression, behind which my mind was utterly blank except for one thought, circling around and around like a blackbird on an earthworm. I'm going to be a warrior!

"But what about my assessment?" The thought occurred to me suddenly and spilled forward out of my already open mouth. Silently, I cursed my thoughtlessness—what if Lightwing decided I needed a proper assessment before my warrior name? What if I got back to the lake and both Sootpaw and Cinderpaw had their names, but not me? There wouldn't be any time for a ceremony on the way back to the lake, and no night I could spare to stay awake, then sleep through the next day.

"I think your speech was your assessment," Lightwing said, sounding a little like she had when I was a young apprentice—as though I was slightly dim. Then, taking on a more serious tone, she leaned forward and whispered so that Aspenpaw and Alderpaw couldn't hear, "Ashthorn would be proud of you, I know it."

I looked at the ground, my mind drifting back to that fateful battle. Then, I wrenched it back. I wasn't going to be a small, scared, grieving apprentice anymore. Silverdapple and Ashthorn were in StarClan and could visit me pretty much at any time. I'd see them again. It was time to put my grief behind me and finally stand tall as a warrior, just like my father. Just like the leader he was.

I had to lead the Peace Cats to the lake.

"You're right," I said, looking Lightwing right in the eyes. I noticed how she seemed to have shrunk a little in the last few heartbeats, so that her eyes were now on a level with my own. "You're right. It's time for me to receive my warrior name."

"What happened to my humble little Rainpaw?" Lightwing teased. "Come on, if we hurry, most of the cats should still be at the clearing. You can sit vigil tonight and rest a little in the morning before we go while the rest of us hunt."

I almost dashed off immediately, but hesitated. Lightwing should probably go first. Yes, I was becoming a warrior, but that didn't mean I shouldn't still give my mother my full respect. Dipping my head to her, I allowed her to go first, setting my pace to hers even as I wished she would go faster. Now that I'd accepted the prospect of finally becoming a warrior, I wanted to more than anything in my entire life, though possibly excluding the safety of those I knew and loved. For a moment, I realized this was what it must be like to actually live in a Clan—to be an apprentice excited for their warrior ceremony, feeling as though they obviously deserved it, wanting to finally be an equal with other warriors and never clean out the elders' den again.

The clearing was in sight. My legs ached to dash off as fast as I could, bursting into the clearing and shouting for all StarClan to hear, "I'm becoming a warrior!" But I held myself back, focusing instead on Lightwing's tail, swishing slowly back and forth. It was oddly hypnotizing.

"Cats of the Peaceful Forest," Lightwing called as she emerged from the foliage. She paused, blocking me from view. I stayed still and kept my head down, though I itched to leap out into the midst of my fellow cats. "I have an announcement to make." Finally, she stepped aside and I almost leaped forward in joy, but restrained myself at the last minute so I only half-jumped forward to stand by Lightwing's side.

"Rainpaw, my son, has proved his right to be made a warrior. He has passed his final assessment and I believe he is ready." She looked over at me, and I saw her eyes shining as much as mine surely were. "I'm sure his father would agree."

Together, Lightwing and I padded through the quiet clearing. I looked around to either side, straining my neck to see all cats present, but I couldn't make out a single furry face not split with a wide grin. I caught Rowanpaw's eye and he winked. Good for you! he mouthed. I grinned back.

Lightwing leaped up onto the rock I'd stood on to make my speech. I sat at the base, hearing the soft thumps of paws on grass as cats gathered in a semicircle behind me, gathering to watch me be made a warrior. My eyes burned and I blinked several times—these cats I'd only met the previous day actually cared about this momentous turning point in my life.

"Rainpaw, you have shown great courage and inner strength in leaving the relative safety of the lake, leaving your littermates, for the good of peace. You have overcome your fears of loneliness and being watched by an unfamiliar crowd for the same reason. For these reasons, I believe your warrior name is long overdue. It is time you finally received it."

Lightwing smiled so widely at me I half wondered how it was possible she hadn't exploded from pent-up pride. "Rainpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior and protect and defend the peace of the lake, even at the cost of your life?"

It was strange that, however many apprentices made this vow, they never really stopped to think that they might actually die. I knew there was every chance I could die—if not for Silverdapple I would have already done so. I lifted my chin, gazing solemnly up at Lightwing, and meowed, "I do."

"Then by the power invested in me as your mother, I give you your warrior name. From this moment, you will be known as…" She hesitated for a moment before continuing. "Rainsky."

My heart seemed to swell to three or four times its normal size, choking me as I heard my new name for the first time. It was absolutely perfect. Rainsky. I'm Rainsky.

"This name represents your desire to cover all those you love with a protective layer, shielding them from hard. Whenever they look up, they'll see you standing there, protecting them in every way you can." Lightwing smiled wider. "Let StarClan honor your caring spirit and your selflessness and we welcome you as a full warrior of the Clans."

Leaping down from the rock, Lightwing approached me, touching her nose to my forehead. I bent to lick her shoulder, then, a grin breaking out across my face like a rash, I turned to face the group of cats behind me, all of whom began chanting my new name.

"Rainsky! Rainsky! Rainsky!"

I spotted Aspenpaw and Alderpaw yowling my name to the darkening sky, their eyes glittering in happiness. Glancing upward like them, I saw the stars had begun to appear. For a heartbeat, I thought I saw two gray tabby faces outlined in the stars, smiling down at me, and I knew in my heart that Silverdapple and Ashthorn were up there, looking down on me, sending me their warm love in a gentle breeze that passed through the clearing, surprisingly warm and gentle for the Leaf-fall season. With it were carried five words:

We're proud of you, Rainsky.

How did you like that chapter? I really liked writing it. :)

AOTD: Yes, I've watched Wicked and I definitely recommend seeing it to all of you. It's a musical that came out several years ago about the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz and how she became wicked.

QOTD: Do you like Rainsky's new name?