I'm very disappointed in how few votes I had to Emberpaw's warrior name poll; only five?! Come on, guys…
So, instead, I wrote –heart, -wing, and –moon on five pieces of paper each and drew them randomly from a bag, and that will be Emberpaw's name. Yes, she gets her warrior name today! WHOOHOO!
Enjoy.
Emberpaw's battle and hunting assessments went by too quickly. In her hunting, she had to catch three different types of fish, using three different methods; Diving, waiting, and sitting in the shallows. She passed in all three easily. She also had to catch land prey, for the preparation of winter and the freezing of the river. She caught two mice from the abandoned two-leg nest, and a small finch. With Beetlepaw and Troutpaw both also doing this, she was beyond sure the fresh-kill pile would be stocked.
In the fighting assessment, she barely blinked as she demonstrated different types of maneuvers, both by herself and with Reedstar. It wasn't as scary as she thought, fighting with the leader, thank Starclan, it was actually kind of easy. Reedstar had greys on his muzzle, and he was panting heavily as they finished.
"Very… good, Em…Emberpaw. You may go…back to the camp…" he wheezed. She was ashamed to think he looked weak, but he did. She thought of Hailheart, a tan tabby that had been put in charge of deputy duties until further notice. He would become a good leader, if Reedstar would to resign before Robinflight could go back to her duties. There had been talk amongst the elders of Emberpaw's old mentor joining the elders when the four new kits became apprentices. Robinflight was a lot older than she looked, even Stormwater admitted when she asked that she was old for a queen.
"She has many moons yes," Stormwater had spoken around his bundle of borage for the queen, "but she may not be able to carry out her warrior and deputy duties."
As much as this news should have hurt her, how her mentor was getting weak and frail, she didn't really feel any sort of emotion. Sure, she had learned how to hunt from the pale grey she-cat, but she had learned her fighting from her other mentors, Fall and Silverdust in the Darkforest. She pushed her way through the tunnel, startled to find Beetlepaw almost collide into her. Without a word, Beetlepaw yanked her by the tail to a secluded corner near the apprentice and elder's dens, and whispered,
"I'm in love, Emberpaw… with Mosstail." Emberpaw felt a rush of affection for her friend.
"That's great! Are you going to tell him?" Beetlepaw's expression said more than she could've spoken.
"I'm so happy for you! You go get 'em, fish-brain." Beetlepaw nuzzled the calico apprentice and went off in search of the dappled grey and white tom, tail held high. Emberpaw's thoughts drifted to Troutpaw, and how much she liked him. She had come to the assumption that the warm feeling was love. When she had explained the feeling the Beetlepaw a while back, and how she thought it was love, the dark brown cat had snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Took you long enough," and with that, padded off. Emberpaw guessed she had known it all along, but hadn't really addressed it until he had been injured in the battle; since then his fur had started to grow over the slightly suckered scar, and it was hardly visible. Just then, Troutpaw burst from the tunnel and barreled towards her.
"I passed! The ceremony's about to start!" both happiness and nervousness coursed through her fur, making it prickle.
"May all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the rockpile for a clan meeting!" Reedstar's yowl echoed from where he stood on top of the pile of small boulders. Cats streamed out of the dens and from the tunnel.
"We are here today to award many new names, the first of them being Whitekit." Emberpaw had completely forgotten that Whitekit was six moons old, and would become an apprentice. The small white tom padded forward, both Troutpaw and Wetstone shone with pride, chests puffed out and eyes glittering.
"Whitekit, until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Whitepaw. Splashfur, it's about time you have another apprentice. I ask you to pass your experience and hunting abilities."
"I will, Reedstar," Emberpaw's mother declared, padding forward to couch noses with the quivering apprentice.
"Whitepaw! Whitepaw!" they called, Troutpaw by far the loudest. The little tom looked about to burst, not even minding the affectionate licks from his big brother and mother.
"Also, it is my honor today to name three new warriors." Reedstar announced as the clearing quieted down.
"Troutpaw, Beetlepaw, and Emberpaw, please walk forward." The leader ordered.
The three soon-to-be warriors padded forward and stopped when they were side by side, at the base of the rockpile.
"I, Reedstar, leader of Riverclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these three apprentices," Troutpaw kneaded the dry dirt below as the leader continued. "They have all trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code. Robinflight, Pebblethorn, Lilyflower, have your apprentices perfected their hunting and fighting skills?" Reedstar addressed the three mentors.
"Yes, Reedstar," they all answered in union, looking proudly at the three apprentices.
"Troutpaw, Emberpaw, and Beetlepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your lives?"
"I do," Beetlepaw stuttered.
"Troutpaw's excitement showed in his mew, "I do,"
Emberpaw was determined not to let her nervousness show. "I do," she said proudly, relieved at her strong tone.
"Then by the power of Starclan I give you your warrior names." Reedstar leapt down from his perch to pad to the three cats.
"Troutpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Troutclaw. Starclan honors your eagerness and your determination." Reedstar touched noses to the grinning light grey tom, and turned to Beetlepaw.
"Beetlepaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Beetleeyes. Starclan honors your skill in hunting and your courage." The brown and black warrior couldn't have looked happier as she touched noses with their leader. Finally, he stopped in front of Emberpaw.
"Emberpaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Emberwing. Starclan honors your loyalty to the clan and your impressive battle skills."
All of the surroundings seemed to be basked in a soft glow as her fellow warriors and Clanmates' yowls their names into the quickly darkening sky.
"Troutclaw! Beetleeyes! Emberwing!"
The three new warriors turned to congratulate each other, before being surrounded their fathers and mothers. Splashfur was busy with Whitepaw, so she was alone. Emberwing tried not to feel sorry for herself as she padded towards the fallen tree where the nursery laid.
She padded downwards, to run into a little ball of ginger fluff.
"Ow! Watch where you're going, you little…" Flamekit growled as he got up and looked at her paws, where a kit's head would've been. From them, with amber eyes growing bigger and bigger as he progressed upward, his eyes traveled from her paws to chest, then finally head. By this time, his neck was craned so far up that he toppled over.
"Whoa! You're HUGE!"
"Flamekit, don't be rude!" Robinflight called from her nest, surrounded by three other tiny fur balls.
"Congratulations, Emberwing!" Robinflight congratulated her, purring as the remaining three kits looked at her in awe.
"Wow, you're a warrior?" the smallest one, Mistkit, mewed.
"Yup, I became a warrior today, actually!" she replied, purring in amusement as the four kits crowded around her. Mistkit seemed to be stuck to Flamekit, not going anywhere the little tom didn't go.
"I wish I could've seen!" Lightkit pouted. Emberpaw was happy to see the little cream kit, with bright blue, open eyes and such a tiny body.
"Emberwing, can you show us the camp?" Flamekit pleaded. Glancing at Robinflight, who gave a tired but amused nod, Emberwing found herself walking out of the nursery with four little kits on her tail, like ducklings after a mother duck.
The clan, who had begun sharing tongues, all chuckled and purred at the four new additions to the clan, as they stumbled and leapt over each other in their excitement, more often landing on their stomachs with an 'oof!' than on their paws. Emberwing brought them first to the medicine den.
"This is the medicine den, where Stormwater lives and treats cats with illnesses and injuries."
She stepped back to let Stormwater take over, as he showed them the entire den and his stash of herbs, and seemed relieved when Mistkit seemed more interested than the rest of her siblings.
"She may become my apprentice, if she continues to be interested," Stormwater mused as the four kits met the other cats of Riverclan, and all got a firm grooming by Lilyflower, of course.
"Maybe," is all Emberwing said.
"You should go out, before your vigil tonight. You'll be still as a rock for the entire time the stars are visible and the moon shines."
Taking the medicine cat's recommendation, she was padding towards the entrance when Troutclaw joined her.
"I love your name, Emberwing," Troutclaw whispered in her ear, licking her affectionately on the cheek.
As they walked together to the river, they passed Stonewhisker and Lakewillow, Riverclan's two elders.
"Starclan, they get together younger and younger each season, it seems!" Lakewillow muttered, amused, to the grumpy grey and white tom.
Troutclaw and Emberwing both ducked their heads in embarrassment, but didn't say anything. When they reached the river, Troutclaw stood over the edge, looking for a fish.
"You know, you really scared me when the patrol came back and you weren't with them. My… my heart stopped."
Emberwing was surprised. Did he really feel that way about her? She had been questioning herself is she should say anything, maybe just let herself love him from afar.
That wasn't an option anymore.
"Don't worry; it'll be a while before I go anywhere again." Is all she said, almost at a loss for words.
Troutclaw looked up from the river and padded over to her, touching his nose to hers.
"When you do, can I be at your side?" he whispered, and Emberwing almost didn't catch it.
"What are you saying?" Emberpaw blurted, her mind whirling. What he said, it sounded as if he was asking her…
"I'm asking if I can be your mate, fish-brain." Troutclaw looked her in the eyes. His were fearful, almost as if he already thought she was going to say no.
"Do you even have to ask?" Emberwing mewed brightly, pressing her forehead against hers and breathing in his scent, like pine trees and nettles.
As she had said these words, all of the breath left his chest, and he closed his eyes in relief.
They were now warriors. They were now mates. Everything couldn't have been more perfect.
The couple, too absorbed in their shared happiness, didn't see the red eyes glowing from the trees, bathed in shadows and giving a look that could kill.
Yay! They are now mates! They are now warriors! Its going to take me a while to stop typing Troutpaw and Emberpaw, so stick with me please^^
THIS WAS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER it could've been if there wasn't all of the other drama crap that makes this story so much more complicated…
New chapter tomorrow, (95% sure, at least)
Happy 4th of July to my American readers!
Till next time,
Emberfall