I'm back with another chapter! This one is short and sweet so I hope you'll enjoy it.
Adapting to his new life had been less of a hurdle than Buzzardpaw had thought. Of course, being a loner meant having to be ready for pretty much anything, and he had done his faire share of roaming around before ending up in the Clan. The leader's speech had been enough to quell his doubts, temporarily at least.
There were some things that he still couldn't grasp. Wrapping his mind around the idea of StarClan was still nearly impossible. Before they got separated, Obi Wan had spent so much time teaching him and Porsche that they were on their own that being told that some cats could see and talk with their ancestors was king of unbelievable.
Of course, his mother had been betrayed and so she had wanted them to be careful, almost to the point of obsession, but still, the gap between that and ghosts…
Anyway, Buzzardpaw had settled rather well. His mentor had helped him work on his shortcomings, both for fighting and hunting skills, and had taught him how to patrol properly. The rest of the Clan had welcomed him easily and thanks to everyone, he knew most of the habits and customs that would rule his life from now on.
But there was one thing that stressed him out more than anything else. The one thing the other apprentices talked about excitedly. The warrior ceremony. At first, he had seen it as a new fun thing to discover about this new family he had found – thoughts of Obi Wan and Porsche hurt less now. Still, as it became increasingly clear that, since he had missed Hootpuddle's ceremony for a patrol, the first warrior ceremony he would take part in would be his own, worry gripped at his soul.
"I wonder what name Blossomstar will give me," Olivepaw mewed from where she sat next to the den's entrance.
"You have at least four moons before it happens… Maybe more if you keep on frightening every mouse you come across!" his sister quipped from the opposite site.
"Yeah, but still… Don't you want to know, Mousepaw? I wonder if Silverpaw and Skypaw know anything about it."
"Know what?" Springpaw interrupted, poking her head in the den. "Are we sharing tongues? Is there any good gossip?"
"Nothing," Pigeonpaw mumbled, his head on his paws. "Olivepaw's trying to divine in warrior name in the most of his nest again."
"Oh, so nothing new? Too bad."
"You young kits have no respect…"
"You're like a moon older, fuzzball! But if none of you have anything, I shall be the bearer of news!"
All the ears turned towards Springpaw and even Buzzardpaw, faking sleep as he had been, couldn't resist.
"Baypaw told me that when her and Pricklesong were checking on the kits, Blossomstar called for Webhollow!"
"… And?" Mousepaw snorted.
"And, it means something's happening! Maybe she'll become a mentor soon!"
"No way, she's still a queen."
"Actually, that's not stupid," Pigeonpaw cut in, looking distinctly more awake. "I heard Hootpuddle argue with her because she wanted to go back to some of her warrior duties."
"But why would she do that? Four kits, that's already a lot of work."
"Yeah, but leaf-bare was harsh and now, the beginning of newleaf is rather cold… I think she might not have enough milk?"
"I'll ask my sister tomorrow, she'll definitely know. If she doesn't, can she really be called a medicine cat apprentice? Who do you think is going to be the other mentor?" Her eyes narrowed slyly. "Buzzardpaw?"
Caught off guard, he blinked slowly.
"How would I know?"
"Well, if Snaildapple were to suddenly be free… Any signs of an assessment soon? You're already twelve moons old after all."
"If you want to know so badly, why don't you just ask him?"
With a sigh, he turned away from Springpaw, curling up in his nest.
"Meh, you're no fun. What about you Olivepaw?"
Trying his best to ignore them, Buzzardpaw almost missed the rustling of the neighbouring nest and a sudden puff of air on his cheek nearly scared him to death. Mousepaw had gotten closer, practically cuddling with him in order to speak in a low voice. He felt a bit shy as her cold snout brushed the sensitive edge of his ear.
"Don't worry about it, they're just eager to have a friend become a warrior. If you want, I can ask my mentor to talk about the whole thing with you. Alderwhisper told me that he was so nervous that he barely answered when Blossomstar called him!"
"Hey, what are you two lovebirds whispering about?" Springpaw suddenly exclaimed with a glint in her green eyes. "Deciding how many kits you want?"
Buzzardpaw was desperately aware of the shameful warmth spreading through his body at the idea, but before he could stammer an embarrassing answer, Mousepaw yawned and retorted without missing a beat.
"Projecting much? Don't think I haven't noticed how you stare after Honeypaw."
The sound of their bickering lulled him to sleep. If he dreamed about asking Mousepaw to be his mate in a beautiful clearing, not even the revered StarClan had to know.
And a few sunrises later, after the leader summoned him to ask if he wanted to get back his old name – conversations with his mentor and Mumblepond had made him confident enough to say 'yes' – during the warrior ceremony, Buzzardpaw saw Snaildapple and Webhollow waiting for their turn. He weighed his options before snickering.
For his last night in the apprentices' den, he could quench his friends' thirst for gossip, as a gift…
They chanted his name so loud at the end of the ceremony that his ears were ringing and jostled him from side to side in their excitement, every apprentice trying to congratulate him at the same time; to the point that Snaildapple had to use his deputy voice to calm them down.
Buzzard's former mentor licked him behind the ears and finally sent his to his vigil.
As the frenzy wore down, he happily purred to himself. He wouldn't have changed this day for anything in the world.
How was it?
I have special feelings for Obi Wan and Porsche, two cats that I got in another save and lost when the game crashed...