Hello! Emberfall here! So far, Emberpaw's poll has a ten-way tie .-. so please vote?! Hehe, I like the ones ppl have voted for, though

A special thanks to these awesome viewers and supporters:

Bluebellcat—thanks! I love how you've come to help me a lot in the stories!

Bellaluna18142—I laughed at what you said, about if u were Emberpaw! Although she is stubborn, if I had her do what you would, the story wouldn't go anywhere :p and thanks for the cat name! You'll come up either in this chapter or the next!:)

Bramblewhisker88—glad you think that about my story! Oh, and your cat Thunderpelt sounds sorta cute :3

Blazing Ice Dragon- Thanks! Your words made my day :)

Got any funny or too-personal questions you want to ask Emberpaw? What about Stripepaw? Coming up soon will be an interview skit, so just post your questions you want me to ask!

Okay, ENJOY!

Emberpaw woke with horrible hunger pains. With an irritated jolt, she realized she hadn't eaten since before she had her apprentice ceremony, and that had been a small mouse because she had been too nervous. But then, even as her stomach felt as if it were eating itself, she didn't want to eat Riverclan fish. That would mean she was one step closer to becoming a Riverclan cat, and she wasn't sure if she wanted that, yet.

Or ever, for that matter.

Her heart ached for Stripepaw and his annoying snore, of her mother's comforting breathing in the small nursery, and of Nightkit and Redkit's small mewls. Her mind then wandered to Stripepaw's prophecy. What was it, she wondered. Only Starclan knows, she thought sourly. Starclan, her warrior ancestors, which tore apart her peaceful life. Why couldn't the prophecy had included her? If it had, she would be with her brother, warm in the apprentice den and sleeping peacefully.

Although, Emberpaw noticed, she wasn't that uncomfortable. Troutpaw wasn't even a tail-length away from her, in the small cave. His face was peaceful, his nose twitching every heartbeat, and his paws churned restlessly. Was he having a bad dream? She pondered waking him, but she didn't wasn't to annoy her only denmate. Just then, his eyes flickered open, saving her from her surely rash actions.

"Oh, good morning, Emberpaw! Did you sleep well? Was the nest I made for you okay?" he looked at her, giving her a sleepy gaze.

"Has the dawn patrol left yet?" he inquired, stretching his long limbs.

"I don't know, I just woke up, also." She mewed, starting to groom her pelt.

Her stomach growled, loud enough for Troutpaw to hear.

He purred. "Let's go grab something from the fresh-kill pile!" and hopped out the hole, into Riverclan's hollow, which was beginning to fill up with cats. She hopped out after another couple of licks to her flank, and quickly found Troutpaw.

The fresh-kill pile was heaped with fish, big and small. Emberpaw saw minnows, carp, and so many other types, her head swam. Troutpaw took a small fish that reflected off the rising sun, and waited for her to make her choice.

The smell of the fish was starting to make her feel sick. Just then, the dawn patrol came back, among them a huge silver tom with lighter grey markings on his face. He padded over with thr rest of the parol towards the fresh-kill pile, but as the warriors dropped off their fish, he continued padding over to where Emberpaw was. She then noticed a plump mouse in his jaws. He dropped it at her paws.

"It practically jumped into my paws, and I thought you might want it more than the elders would," he mewed, his deep voice hinted amusement at my relieved and grateful expression. "my mother, moved from here to another clan, when she had another litter. When I first saw her, I sort of understood how it can be hard to make the transition." He continued. A deep, uncontrollable purr came into my chest, and I licked his shoulder affectionately.

"Thank you…?" I released I didn't have his name.

"Thunderpelt" he supplied for me.

"Thank you, Thunderpelt." He padded off, and I soon finished the mouse, deciding to watch Troutpaw devour the rainbow fish.

Robinflight made her way over to Emberpaw, and sat down next to her.

"I have plans that I couldn't get out of, could you fend for yourself today? I'll show you the territory tonight." Her mew was apologetic, and Emberpaw understood immediately.

"Yes, that's okay. I told Emberpaw I would teach her how to swim today!" Troutpaw interrupted before she could answer for herself. Robinflight looked pleased by this idea.

"Great! I'm glad to know you want to learn already! No offence, but I thought you would just sulk in your nest all day! That's what I would've done under your situation, anyways."

With that, she padded away, not hearing Emberpaw's grumble: "Swimming isn't anything I opted willingly to do…"

"What was that, Grumpypaw?" Troutpaw purred. He got up and nudged her towards the entrance, effortlessly fighting her locked limbs. Emberpaw wasn't ready for this, not nearly, but his face, filled with excitement, was enough to just barely, overcome her fears.

That was the case, until they reached the river.

It rushed past, crystal blue and dangerous looking. The stepping stones were a couple of tail lengths away, and a tree trunk hung over the moving water a little farther down.

"Okay, do you know anything about swimming?" Troutpaw asked, slightly amused by her wary glances to the water.

I looked at him blankly. "What do you think, frog-brain?"

He looked embarrassed. "Sorry, land-lover. Well, first, look at which way the current is going. I chose here so if you get swept away, you can hold onto the trunk farther downstream. Okay, so you you know that, you hop in!" and with that, he jumped in and popped up a moment later, churning his paws effortlessly through the water, not moving at all.

He them brought up a paw and splashed her. Straight in the face.

"Get in, land lover!" he called, and Emberpaw warily made her way up to the water's edge.

"Don't worry, its shallow at first, and I'll be right here."

With those words, she jumped in before she could fret over it even more. The water was warm, not freezing like she had thought it would be. Her fur was getting heavier, and she had a harder time keeping her paws under her. Her fur was tugged by the swift water, but she was elated that she hadn't died yet.

"Good job! Now, I'll stay close to you, but begin to move your paws. Keep your head above the water, and push your hind legs hard."

Emberpaw did as he told her, struggling to keep her head above the sloshing, crystalline water. Her paws soon began to ache, and water started to go up her nose. She sneezed, and her head went under.

Panic gripped her tired body, and her head became light from lack of air. She felt the sensation of moving, and of a large, brown object just above her coming fast. With the last of her consciousness, Emberpaw hooked her claws into the soft bark of… the tree stump! Her head swam as she gulped down air, and she dragged herself up onto the log.

Troutpaw swam over, and looked at her with a worried gaze. "Emberpaw! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She shook her head. "Can we try that again?" she asked, adrenaline rushing through her. She had found a new energy resource, and she wanted to use t before she could regret it again. The sun was right about their heads, and as they walked back towards their starting point, she began to get excited. She wasn't dead! All of the stories told in the nursery, about drowning cats and kits being whisked away, they weren't true in the slightest!

When they came back to the shallow waters, she jumped right in, and padded deeper than she was before. "Emberpaw! Be careful!" Troutpaw warned, but she was too excited. Her paws found a good rhythm, and just like that: she was swimming! Pushing harder, she began to go against the current and back to the trunk that surely saved her life.

Suddenly, a glimmer of white caught her eye. Fish! Before she could think, she swam down and opened her eyes to find the piece of Riverclan prey. The water stung, but she ignored it as her jaws clamped down on the silver fish. It struggled a lot more than she expected, the scales making it hard to sink her teeth into it.

Then another body, lithe and well-muscled, came into her vision, and with the cat's help she brought the struggling fist to the shore, gasping for air around the heavy piece of prey. She caught it! She then looked for the cat that helped her. Reedstar! Reedstar was the one who helped her!

He looked at Emberpaw, pride and astonishment in his gaze. "Did you catch that on your own?" he asked, still with a surprised tone.

She nodded, unsure whether he would praise her or scorn her. His eyes glistened, and he said nothing, just beckoned her and Troutpaw back to the camp. Oh no, she thought worriedly, she was in trouble on her first day!

When she came in, the now dead fish in her jaws, every cat looked bewildered. Reedstar hopped on top of the rockpile that was the apprentice and elders' dens, and yowled

"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey come beneath the rockpile for a clan meeting!"

Most cats, which had been eating or sunning themselves, sat up and stopped talking.

"It seems that Emberpaw here has officially become a Riverclan apprentice! She has learned how to swim, and also, she caught a decent-sized trout. Emberpaw, please step forward"

Emberpaw, wary more than anything, stepped forward, all too aware of every eye on her calico pelt.

"Welcome to Riverclan." He nodded his head, and Emberpaw couldn't hide her embarrassment at the yowls of congratulations that came from throughout the hollow. Her name, chanted by the cats, began to fade, and they soon dispersed when they realized that was all Reedstar was going to say.

"go enjoy that trout, Emberpaw. You've earned it." Reedstar encouraged, and she and Troutpaw padded towards the base of the rockpile. Several cats congratulated her on the way.

When they got into the shade, she immediately plopped down onto her haunches and took a bite of the fist, she was so hungry-

She just took a bite of fish. Emberpaw was about to spit it out, when she noticed it actually tasted good. She soon took another bite, then another. Troutpaw watched in amusement as she devoured half of it before she could take a full breath. Embarresed, she pushed it over with her nose to Troutpaw, and they ate, the trout sitting happily in her full stomach as she shared tongues with her best friend.

Thanks for reading!

'Till next time!

~ME