"Are you ready?" Petalspring's gentle voice echoed through Bramblepaw's voice as he crouched down, wiggling his hips and arching his claws, sheathing and unsheathing them again. His heart raced with barely containable anxiety, and his mouth was completely dry. Petalspring had been encouraging him for days now, but it still wasn't helping him.
"Yeah," Bramblepaw lied. "I think I'm ready." He forced his head to turn and look at his mentor, and he was taken aback by the confidence and joy that glowed in her pale blue eyes. She has faith in me. I should have faith in me, too.
"You've trained long and hard for this," Petalspring told him, running her gray-and-white tail down his spine. "And now your assessment is finally here. You'll do great."
"I've never seen any cat as anxious as you." Bramblepaw turned to see Adderpaw stretching his limbs, his amber eyes focused on Bramblepaw. "Waspberry and Lilystream were nervous, and even Songbreeze was, but you look like you're about to collapse, with the amount of shaking you're doing."
Waspberry, Lilystream, and Songbreeze had become warriors half a moon ago. Adderpaw and Bramblepaw had requested to be present at their assessment, but they had been strictly turned away, and Bramblepaw had been wracked with anxiety ever since. He had been happy for his denmates, and they had wished him luck on his own exam. He couldn't help but miss them, but knew they were much happier in the warriors' den.
Petalspring flashed a sharp glare at Adderpaw. "That's enough!" she chided the ginger-and-white tabby tom. "You don't get to comment on how a cat should feel before your assessment. Are you really going to tell me you're not anxious?"
Adderpaw stared at his mother, his amber eyes wide, seemingly shocked at the thorns in her voice. Petalspring sighed, lowering her head in an apology and softening her voice as she spoke again. "Sorry, Adderpaw. But I'm afraid too much confidence will get to your head. Just because Swiftstar is your father doesn't mean he'll pass you automatically. You have to work just as hard as Bramblepaw does, and the warriors before you."
Adderpaw padded over to his mother and pressed his lithe head into her shoulder. "Don't worry, Mother," he meowed. "I'm going to work even harder than any other cat, I swear!"
"I know you will," Petalspring purred, brushing her muzzle against Adderpaw's. When Thrushwing, sitting near Adderpaw's side, cleared his throat, Petalspring turned away and padded over to Bramblepaw. "It's time."
Bramblepaw nodded, trying to erase Adderpaw's dry comment from his mind. He knew the ginger-and-white tabby was pricklier lately because of Swiftstar, and he couldn't exactly blame him. But he couldn't think about Adderpaw – or Swiftstar – now. Today was the most important day of his life, and he had to give it his all.
"You'll both start by catching the most amount of prey you can until sunset," Thrushwing began. "Then, sometime during your exam, an enemy warrior will ambush you, and you will have to defeat them. Remember that Petalspring and I will be watching you the entire time, even though you won't know we're here. Do well, and you will become warriors today. Good luck." And, with those words, the two WindClan warriors disappeared into the thick grassland, leaving Adderpaw and Bramblepaw alone.
"Good luck, Adderpaw," Bramblepaw told his friend.
"You too, Bramblepaw," Adderpaw meowed. He turned on his heel and darted into the moorland. Bramblepaw watched him go and shook out his pale tabby fur. Right. This is real. I'm actually doing this. He had to pass this assessment. He didn't want to be an apprentice any longer. Bramblepaw lifted his head and tasted the air, hoping to catch the scent of rabbit. When the familiar scent tinkled his nostrils, he immediately began to track it, noticing that it was heading northeast.
The scent became stronger and stronger as Bramblepaw followed it. He made sure his pawsteps were light so the rabbit couldn't feel the vibrations through the ground, and that the wind was blowing in the opposite direction so it wasn't carrying his scent towards the rabbit. As he trekked closer and closer, he could make out the rabbit's brown fur, much like his, against the grassland. The rabbit suddenly shot off, having apparently sensed his presence. Bramblepaw ran after it, moving as fast as the wind, keeping up steadily with the rabbit.
Even as it zig zagged through the territory, Bramblepaw refused to give way, and just as he approached it, he snapped its jaws at it, frightening it. His claws tore up chunks of grassland until he came within pouncing distance of the rabbit. When the time was right, he leaped onto the small rodent and ended its life with a bite to the throat. The rabbit fell, dead to the ground, and Bramblepaw picked it up by its scruff before clawing a hole in the ground to place it in.
Bramblepaw looked around, hoping that Petalspring had been the successful catch. He knew that he would have to hunt for more prey until his assessment was considered anywhere close to done – he would also have to keep an eye out for that "enemy warrior" Thrushwing had warned them about. He stretched out his back legs, preparing for more running as he sniffed out more prey after digging dirt over his catch.
The sun reached its highest peak in the sky and began to drop down again when Bramblepaw had finally stalked and caught another rabbit. The fresh one he held in his jaws was plump and heavy, straining his neck as he carried it. He traveled towards the spot where he had buried his previous rabbit, and he dropped his second catch near it. Although he lamented over the fact that he only had two catches, the second rabbit he caught was twice the size of the first one. Hopefully Petalspring understands.
Bramblepaw was wavering on his paws as he contemplated whether to search for more prey or try and find Petalspring. Just as he made the decision to hunt more, the scent of a WindClan cat buffeting towards him made him stop. Thrushwing's words echoed back to him. "Then, sometime during your exam, you will be ambushed by an enemy warrior, and you will have to defeat them."
This must be it! Bramblepaw waited until the scent became even stronger, and then when he heard the grassland rustle, he turned on his heel and bared his teeth, seeing the pale gray pelt of Heathercloud lunging towards him. Bramblepaw rose to his back legs and batted her away with a powerful paw, sending her staggering to the ground. But Heathercloud was strong, and she immediately rose to her paws, ready for another round. She lunged at him, slashing her paw across his head. Bramblepaw ducked his head and snapped at her paws with his jaws.
Heathercloud jumped back, turning around and then lashing at him with her hind paws out. Bramblepaw leaped away, having already sensed by the way Heathercloud had positioned herself that it would be her next move. As Heathercloud kicked out her back legs, Bramblepaw grabbed one of them in his jaws and tugged at them, sending Heathercloud collapsing to the ground. Bramblepaw leaped on top of Heathercloud, tugging at her shoulders with only a sliver of unsheathed claws.
"Okay, okay, you can get off me now," Heathercloud grumbled.
"Can I?" Bramblepaw asked, loosening his grip as the she-cat tried to push him off.
"You can." Petalspring's amused voice radiated from behind him, and Bramblepaw scrambled off Heathercloud as the gray-and-white she-cat padded over to the two cats, examining Heathercloud flippantly. Heathercloud sat on her back legs, licking her paw and drawing it over her sullied face.
"Where's your prey?" Petalspring asked Bramblepaw. Bramblepaw stepped to the side and dug out the two rabbits he had buried, pulling them out separately and laying them on the ground, hoping that Petalspring would see just how big they really were.
"Just two?" Heathercloud asked, her face scrunching up.
Bramblepaw huffed in irritation. "Why don't you try carrying this one?" he asked pointedly, shoving his second catch in front of Heathercloud. Heathercloud bent down and grabbed the rabbit's scruff in her jaws, lifting it up. Shock covered Heathercloud's expression, and Bramblepaw smirked as Heathercloud dropped the rabbit. The gray she-cat turned to look at Petalspring, and she gave her a small nod. Petalspring glanced down at the rabbits again, a thoughtful look in her blue eyes.
"Did I pass?" Bramblepaw asked, his voice quivering with anxiety as he studied his mentor. The pensive expression on Petalspring's face caused Bramblepaw to step back and chew on his lip nervously. Was Petalspring not going to pass him? Did she not think his two catches were enough?
"Mentors must discuss with their Clan leaders before they can pass their apprentices," Petalspring meowed, flicking Bramblepaw's face with her tail. "I'll be the first cat to let you know. Let's get back to camp." The she-cat turned away from the two younger cats after picking up one of Bramblepaw's rabbits, heading straight through the moorland and towards the hollow that WindClan lived in. Bramblepaw watched her go, and then as soon as Heathercloud picked up the other rabbit and padded away, he got to his paws as well.
Anxiety made his heart pound and his paws tremor as he made the walk through the moorland. Would Swiftstar be impressed with his catches, or would he dismiss them as not enough? Was there a specific amount of prey he wanted? Was Petalspring impressed by how he held off Heathercloud? The questions made Bramblepaw's mind whirl to the point where he couldn't even see the world around him. He stopped, taking a deep breath until his vision cleared. I'm so nervous! What if I don't pass? What if I have to say behind, and Adderpaw passes?
There was an even worse scenario. What if he passed and Adderpaw didn't? Adderpaw surely wouldn't be happy about that! If Swiftstar passes me and keeps Adderpaw behind, Adderpaw will be livid! He'd never forgive me. A shudder ran through Bramblepaw's pelt. Please, StarClan, pass both me and Adderpaw. We've worked so long and hard for the chance to become warriors. Please. He shut his eyes as he prayed fervently, and then when he opened them again, he spotted Adderpaw's ginger-and-white tabby pelt making its way down the hollow.
"Adderpaw," Bramblepaw called out, bounding over to his friend. Thrushwing was behind him, and he gave Bramblepaw a crisp nod before melting through the crowd and heading towards Swiftstar's den, which Petalspring was right at the entrance of. Bramblepaw swallowed nervously and turned away, not sure if he could watch Swiftstar come out. Adderpaw dragged his gaze over to Bramblepaw.
"Do you think you passed?" the apprentice asked, stretching out his limbs.
"I hope so," Bramblepaw replied, but he couldn't quite shake away the quiver in his paws as he replied. "I tried really hard. Who ambushed you?"
"Aspenstep," Adderpaw replied, licking his ruffled fur. "I defeated him in seconds."
Seconds? Heathercloud was harder to fight, and he was starting to wonder if he was going to really pass, if Adderpaw had defeated his enemy so easily and he hadn't. "What did you catch?"
Adderpaw looked up. "What's with all the questions?" he asked, arching an eye whisker. "Are you afraid you didn't pass?"
"Me?" Bramblepaw scoffed. "No way."
"Oh, come on." Adderpaw rolled his eyes. "We've grown up as kits. Don't think I don't know you by now. You're fine, Bramblepaw. I'm sure you passed." The WindClan apprentice flicked Bramblepaw's side with his tail. "Stop worrying."
Bramblepaw was about to reply when Swiftstar's call resonated throughout the clearing. "Let all cats old enough to run gather underneath the Tall Branch for a Clan meeting!"
Oh, gods! Bramblepaw's fur pricked on the back of his spine, and he bounded into the crowd, trying to spot his parents. Spottedwing's pale dappled fur was brushing against Oakcloud's dark tabby fur as they sat on the edge of the clearing. Bramblepaw bounded over to them, hoping to seek their reassurance.
Spottedwing's eyes glowed as Bramblepaw approached them. Oakcloud nodded to him, and the glint of pride in his eyes was enough to melt all of Bramblepaw's worries. Spottedwing ran her tail down Bramblepaw's spine.
"So, do you think you passed?" she asked him.
"Gods, I hope so," Bramblepaw replied. "I don't know what I'll do if I didn't."
"You'll just have to work harder," Oakcloud meowed.
Spottedwing flashed him a hard glare as Bramblepaw flattened his ears. Oakcloud sighed and padded over to Bramblepaw, touching noses with him. "You'll be fine, son." His father's gaze traveled to his mother's belly, and Bramblepaw's eyes widened as he realized that it was swollen.
"Mom…" Bramblepaw meowed, his voice trailing off. "Are you…?"
"Expecting kits?" Spottedwing finished his sentence, a broad, pure smile on her face. "Yes, I am. You're going to be a brother, Bramblepaw."
A brother! Bramblepaw gaped at his mother, staring at her with his jaw dropping. His only brother had died at birth, and he hadn't known him. Spottedwing had never talked about him before – he had only heard about it from the other queens in the nursery at the time. But now, Spottedwing looked full of life and joyful. Excitement flitted in Bramblepaw's paws as the news finally set in. I'm going to be a brother!
"Almost time," Oakcloud mewed, his gaze skipping towards Swiftstar, who sat, hanging precariously on the Tall Branch. Bramblepaw recalled back to when Swiftstar had been attacked by a fox and had lost a life, when Scorchpaw had brought him into camp. Now he looked well and better than ever. The wound on his throat had turned into a scar, and the fire in his yellow eyes was brighter than ever. Bramblepaw sat down next to his father, taking deep breaths as the rest of the Clan began to gather.
Hawkfeather and Grayflight sat near the foot of the Tall Branch, while Violetheart exited her den and watched the gathering cats with piercing blue eyes. Songbreeze didn't move from her spot at the edge of the clearing, while Waspberry talked in an excited tone with her sister, Lilystream. Hollyfrost and Cloverwhisker exchanged a few words, and Thrushwing padded up to join his mate, Patchshine. On the other side of the clearing, Bramblepaw spotted Adderpaw sitting with Petalspring, and farther away from him were the younger apprentices. Scorchpaw was talking excitedly to Russetpaw, and Gorsepaw and Wildpaw were whispering to each other animatedly. Only Blackpaw seemed alone, and for a moment, sympathy tugged at Bramblepaw's chest at the dour expression in her gaze.
When the entire Clan gathered under the Tall Branch, Swiftstar began to speak. "Clanmates, it is my greatest honor to announce two new warriors today – Bramblepaw and Adderpaw. As you all know, they are excellent apprentices and are sure to be good warriors, but I am most proud of my son, Adderpaw." Swiftstar's green gaze focused on Adderpaw, who straightened up to his full height and held his head high. "He is an ideal warrior and should be learned from. And so, it is my honor to make him – and Bramblepaw – warriors today. Petalspring, is Bramblepaw ready to be an apprentice?"
Petalspring nodded. "Yes, Swiftstar. Bramblepaw has proven himself time and time again." She met Swiftstar's gaze steadily, and the ginger-and-white tom gave her a stiff nod. The tabby did not ask Thrushwing's opinion before speaking again. Bramblepaw exchanged a glance with Adderpaw, and the crowd parted to let the two apprentices take their spot at the bottom of the Tall Branch. Adderpaw's amber eyes glowed with excitement, and his strides were fast and true, while Bramblepaw nearly tripped over his paws trying to bound over to the tree.
"I, Swiftstar, leader of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." Bramblepaw shuddered as Swiftstar's burning glare focused on his pale pelt. "Adderpaw, Bramblepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do," Adderpaw meowed, his conviction strong as he spoke the words firmly and loudly.
"I do," Bramblepaw whispered, feeling his voice shake.
"Speak up." Swiftstar's voice was harsh, and Bramblepaw froze in his tracks.
"I do!" Bramblepaw exclaimed, this time louder. Swiftstar's reprimand had nearly made his heart stop, but the WindClan leader went on.
"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you both your warrior names. Adderpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Adderstripe. StarClan honors your loyalty and honesty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan." The WindClan leader leaped from the Tall Branch, landing on the ground and rested his chin on Adderstripe's forehead. Adderstripe licked Swiftstar's shoulder, excitement gleaming in his amber eyes.
"Bramblepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Brambledusk. StarClan honors your resilience and independence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan." Swiftstar padded over to Brambledusk, and the pale tabby nearly stepped back as the massive, powerful warrior came within mouse-lengths towards him and rested his chin on his forehead. Brambledusk tried to stop himself from shaking as he stuck his head out and licked Swiftstar's shoulder. Brambledusk.
"Adderstripe! Brambledusk! Adderstripe! Brambledusk!" The cheer rippled through the WindClan cats excitedly. Brambledusk beamed at the happiness on Spottedwing and Oakcloud's faces, and his former denmates – Waspberry, Hollyfrost, and Lilystream – shouted his name the loudest. Even the younger apprentices cheered him on. The cheers were loudest for Adderstripe, though, and it made sense since he was Swiftstar's son. But Brambledusk had become a warrior and had the support of the cats that meant the most to him. That was all he asked for.
"Congratulations, Brambledusk," Adderstripe purred.
"You too, Adderstripe," Brambledusk meowed, elbowing Adderstripe playfully. "After this, maybe—"
"Swiftstar!" The piercing voice ceased the cheering immediately, and Swiftstar lifted his head, his yellow eyes narrowed as he leaped in front of the two new warriors to locate the source of the voice. Driftberry had entered camp, her fur on edge, while Aspenstep and Sandfall had trudged behind her. Aspenstep was holding the scruff of a light ginger tabby in his jaws, and Driftberry kicked him to the ground. Brambledusk immediately recognized the tabby. That's Finchwing from ThunderClan!
Brambledusk cast a glance at Adderstripe, who stared at Finchwing with round orange eyes. He knows, too! Finchwing caught the glance of Adderstripe but said nothing. Driftberry walked over to Swiftstar, her green eyes hard as she flicked her tail towards Driftberry. "I caught this cat talking about how WindClan would be better off if you weren't our leader!"
Adderstripe's amber eyes widened in horror. Brambledusk unsheathed his claws and dug them into the ground. Oh, no! Were they discussing the rebellion, and Driftberry heard them? What else did they hear?
"Oh?" A growl rumbled from Swiftstar's body as the ginger-and-white tabby tom padded over to the captured warrior. Finchwing's head was down, staring at the grassland, but Swiftstar shoved his paw under his chin and forced him to look at the leader. "Is that right?"
Finchwing's ears flattened and his tail lashed, but he said nothing.
"You really think WindClan is better off without me?" Swiftstar asked again, a loud chuckle escaping his lips. "Well, maybe we should see if ThunderClan is better off without you."
"Wh…" Finchwing's green eyes widened in shock as Swiftstar clicked his tongue, looking around camp.
"Father…" Adderstripe's voice was so light that there was no possible way for Swiftstar to hear it. Only Brambledusk heard the pain and agony shattering Adderstripe's voice. Swiftstar examined Finchwing flippantly, his amber eyes sharp.
"So?" Swiftstar asked. "Who sent you? What's this about me not being a good leader? Do you have any plans to get rid of me?"
Finchwing said nothing. His eyes spoke for him – a pale green fire blazing in them.
"Not going to say anything?" Swiftstar asked. "We'll see about that. Why don't you come with me? We'll discuss what you think is wrong with my leadership and see if we can come to an agreement." Swiftstar grabbed the scruff of Finchwing in his jaw and dragged the young warrior out of camp. The WindClan cats watched him with horror.
Adderstripe got to his paws and started to shoot off, but Brambledusk grabbed him just before he could go and hauled him back. Adderstripe hurled on Brambledusk, baring his teeth and hissing at him.
"Where are you going?" Brambledusk demanded.
"He's going to kill him!" Adderstripe exclaimed. "I've got to stop him."
"Adderstripe…" Brambledusk felt his voice breaking as he stopped his friend from pursuing his father. "You can't stop him."
"Why not?" Adderstripe hissed, his tail lashing from side to side.
"Because then he'll know you're in on it. And then, he'll kill you, too. You know that as well as I do." Brambledusk faced Adderstripe calmly. "I don't want you to die."
"So, I'm supposed to let Finchwing die?" Adderstripe snarled.
Brambledusk chewed his lip. "If you try and stop your father, your father will kill you alongside Finchwing." There's no doubt about that. "If what you say is true, and that your father's ultimate motive is to kill Finchwing, there's no stopping him. Do you think he won't strike you down if you try and stop him?"
Fury blazed in Adderstripe's eyes. "He would," the new warrior growled. "That's what's so wrong about this entire situation. Finchwing is just trying to do the right thing, and he's going to die for it!" The raw agony in his voice made Brambledusk flinch, and the pale tabby was grateful that the cats were gossiping about Finchwing and Swiftstar rather than paying attention to the new warriors.
"I…" Brambledusk had no idea how to comfort his friend. He found himself scanning the clearing for Rabbitfur, but there was no sign of the white-and-gray tom. Where is he? Does he know about ThunderClan and their involvement in the whole thing? Adderstripe was staring at the ground, his breath coming in ragged gasps, until a tempestuous, blood-curling cry split the clearing into two. Brambledusk snapped his head up and gasped. The scream continued on, and the anguish in it made Brambledusk nauseous. This is… this is a cat… being tortured… isn't it? Or a cat… dying?
The scream went on for countless heartbeats until it finally ceased. Adderstripe's yellow eyes were round in horror, and Brambledusk had no idea what to say to him. His own blood was cold, and he could barely move from shock. There was nothing in his stomach for him to vomit, but he was sure he would've if there was. If the screaming stopped, did that mean the cat was dead? Or did they simply lose the ability to scream? Brambledusk waited for Finchwing to reappear, but when a cat came into the clearing, it wasn't Finchwing.
Swiftstar padded into the WindClan camp, his ginger-and-white fur splotched with crimson blood. He stalked over to Berrysplash, his amber eyes feral and blazing. Berrysplash stared at her leader, saying nothing. Swiftstar tossed his head to the side, snorting, his tail twitching back and forth.
"That ThunderClan cat knows not to speak," he growled. "He's no longer a problem. And if any other ThunderClan cat wants to try to usurp me, they'll get the same punishment he got."
Punishment? Brambledusk stared at Swiftstar. If Finchwing was dead – which, from Swiftstar's wording, it seemed so – how did he die? From the screaming, it clearly wasn't a quick or painless death. Was he… tortured to death? He cast a glance at Adderstripe, who was staring at his father with venom and hatred blazing in his flame-colored eyes.
"Swiftstar," Berrysplash began, her voice trembling as she stared at her Clan leader. "Is Finchwing dead?"
"Yes," Swiftstar growled. "Happy?"
"What are we going to tell ThunderClan?" Berrysplash asked, panic in her blue eyes.
"Nothing," Swiftstar replied, his voice gruff.
"Nothing?" Berrysplash echoed, visibly puzzled.
"You heard me." And with those words hanging in the air, Swiftstar, still covered with blood, disappeared into the den underneath the Tall Branch. Brambledusk watched him go, horrified. The screams of Finchwing replayed in his mind, over and over. They had made his stomach turn and his blood freeze. He had met Finchwing once, and although he hadn't been Brambledusk's favorite cat, did he really deserve to be tortured to death? Swiftstar had admitted to killing him, but any honorable death would not result in endless pained screaming.
Brambledusk glanced at Adderstripe again. Adderstripe met Brambledusk's gaze, his amber eyes dark with hatred as he hissed out, "My father just tortured a cat in cold blood because he caught him gossiping about him. What kind of future is he setting in store for us? Something must be done."
What will you do, Adderstripe?