Chapter Two

The next morning, Maplepaw woke to the sound of hushed voices. She sat up, blinking her bleary eyes, before looking around the den. Birchpaw and Goldenpaw huddled by the entrance of the den, their heads lowered as they whispered to one another. "What's going on?" Maplepaw asked.

"Our warrior ceremony is going to start soon," Birchpaw replied. There was a strange gleam in his eyes, one that Maplepaw couldn't quite place.

Focusing on what Birchpaw had just said, Maplepaw frowned. So Goldenpaw had been telling the truth after all. "Oh," was all she managed to say. It wasn't that she was jealous; she would just miss sharing a den with Birchpaw. Despite the fact she wasn't very close to the brown tom, she still enjoyed his company. She even enjoyed Goldenpaw's company to a degree, even if the golden she-cat could be arrogant at times. The apprentice's den would be a lot lonelier without them.

Goldenpaw gave Maplepaw a sympathetic look. "Don't be sad. You'll get your warrior name soon enough."

Maplepaw said nothing as she turned away from the older apprentices. She didn't feel like talking anymore. The battle last night had left her exhausted, and her sprained paw throbbed. All she wanted to do was curl up in her nest and go back to sleep, but she couldn't miss her denmate's ceremony.

"Hey, how is your paw?" Birchpaw asked, almost as though he had read her mind.

"It hurts."

Birchpaw frowned, his eyes filled with concern. "Do you want me to take you to see Ravenwing?"

She nodded, staggering to her paws. Birchpaw pressed against her and gently led her out of the den and across the camp. As they walked, Maplepaw grimaced. She had never been in so much pain in her life. Even the scratches the RiverClan apprentices had inflicted on her were nothing compared to this.

"Ravenwing!" Birchpaw called as they neared the medicine cat den.

Ravenwing appeared moments later. He eyed Maplepaw, his gaze unreadable. "I'll be right back," he meowed, darting back inside of his den.

Maplepaw pressed against Birchpaw as she waited. "What if my paw never heals?" she whispered.

"It will. Don't worry," Birchpaw assured her.

"What if I never become a warrior?" Maplepaw continued, ignoring him. "Then what will I do?"

Before Birchpaw could respond, Ravenwing slid out of his den with a bundle of herbs in his jaws. "Eat these," he ordered as he placed the herbs down in front of Maplepaw.

Maplepaw lapped up the leaves, wrinkling her nose at their bitter taste. Ravenwing sniffed at her pelt as she ate, examining her for any signs of illness or infection. "You're clear," Ravenwing meowed as Maplepaw swallowed the last of the herbs.

"Thanks," she rasped. She pressed closer to Birchpaw as waves of exhaustion crashed over her.

Birchpaw's eyes glistened with fear. "Are you sure she's okay?" he asked Ravenwing.

"She's fine," Ravenwing promised. "She's just tired. Get her back to her nest immediately."

"But I'll miss Birchpaw's warrior ceremony," Maplepaw protested as she fought to keep her eyes open.

"Don't worry about that right now," Birchpaw meowed as he led her back to the apprentice's den.

"But I-"

"I said don't worry about it," Birchpaw interrupted.

Maplepaw let out a yawn, too tired to argue. Once they were inside the apprentice's den, she hurried towards her nest and flopped down.

"Don't worry about the ceremony," Birchpaw repeated as he hovered over her. "I'll ask Oakstar to postpone it for a couple of hours, while you take a nap. Meanwhile, Goldenpaw and I are going to go hunting, so get some rest. I'll wake you when it's time for the ceremony." Without saying another word, Birchpaw turned and slid out of the den.

Maplepaw sighed as she watched him go, her eyelids heavy with exhaustion. The den seemed to spin around her as she laid her head down in her nest, before drifting off to sleep once again.

"Wake up!" Birchpaw's voice sounded in her ear as he prodded her awake.

Maplepaw sat up, her head pounding. "How long was I asleep?" she mumbled, rubbing a paw over one of her eyes.

"A few hours. How do you feel?" he asked.

"Okay, I guess. Just tired," Maplepaw said. "When is the ceremony?"

"In a few minutes," Birchpaw mewed as he hurried out into the clearing.

Maplepaw followed after him, her pelt prickling with anxiety. She was just as nervous as he was. Stop it, she scolded herself. He's only becoming a warrior. He's not going away forever.

Birchpaw sat at the edge of the camp, warily scanning the clearing as though he expected RiverClan to come crashing through at any moment. The fur on the back of his neck bristled, and he dug his claws into the sandy earth. "I'm so nervous," he confessed. "From the moment you're born, this is all you dream of. And now it's finally happening. What if it's not worth it?" Birchpaw averted his gaze, a flash of shame crossing his face.

"It will be," Maplepaw promised him, pressing close.

"But what if it's not?" he repeated once more, this time looking up. "What's the point in becoming a warrior, if you can't even defend your Clan properly? How many cats have died throughout the Clans history, only for nothing to change? Their Clan mourns for them for a time, before going right back to fighting over prey and territory until the next unlucky soul shares the same fate. It's an endless cycle, and I'm not sure I want to be a part of it," Birchpaw growled.

Maplepaw stared at him in alarm. "What's gotten into you?" she demanded.

"I'll tell you later," Birchpaw sighed.

"No, I want you to tell me now!" she insisted.

"I said I'll tell you later," Birchpaw growled. He lifted his gaze towards Goldenpaw, who was racing towards them, tail high.

"I just talked to Father. He said our ceremony will be starting in a few moments. I'm so excited!" Goldenpaw beamed with happiness, her golden fur sleek and shiny. "I wonder what our names will be."

"What are you hoping for?" Maplepaw wondered, trying to forget about her conversation with Birchpaw. He's probably just nervous, she decided.

"To be honest, I'm not really sure," Goldenpaw admitted. "I was thinking something like Goldendapple after Deerdapple, but I feel like that's a bit of a mouthful. I was also thinking about Goldenheart, Goldenwish, Goldenfur..."

Maplepaw tuned out as Goldenpaw rambled on, her attention now on Oakstar. The ThunderClan leader appeared at the mouth of his den, before leaping up on top of the Highrock.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather for a Clan meeting!" he yowled.

The three apprentices stood to their paws and made their way over to the center of the clearing. Maplepaw hung back, allowing for Birchpaw and Goldenpaw's mother, Dovesong, to sit beside them. Dawnpaw and Hazelheart came to sit beside Maplepaw, while Rowanfur wasn't far off.

As soon as the Clan had gathered, Oakstar leaped to the ground. His eyes gleamed with pride as he made his way towards his kits. "Today I would like to make Birchpaw and Goldenpaw warriors. They have proved themselves worthy after last night's battle. Beetail," Oakstar called out, turning towards Birchpaw's mentor, "has Birchpaw proved himself worthy of earning his warrior name?"

"He has," Beetail purred.

"And Deerdapple, has Goldenpaw proved herself worthy of earning her warrior name?"

"Yes," Deerdapple meowed, puffing out her chest with pride. "It was an honor to train her."

Oakstar let out a pleased purr. "I, Oakstar leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They have trained hard, and I commend them as warriors in return. Birchpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code to defend and protect your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Birchpaw hesitated for a few moments. "I do," he finally meowed, his voice dry and emotionless.

"Then from this moment forward, you shall be known as Birchface." Oakstar turned to Goldenpaw. "Goldenpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code-"

"I do!" Goldenpaw interrupted, unable to contain her excitement.

Deerdapple shot her a stern glare, but Oakstar didn't seem to mind Goldenpaw's outburst. The leader's gaze betrayed nothing but pride and happiness towards his kittens.

"From this moment forward, you shall be known as Goldenmist in honor of your beauty and grace. StarClan welcomes you both as new warriors of ThunderClan," Oakstar said.

"Birchface! Goldenmist!" Maplepaw yowled out, the rest of her Clanmates joining in.

Birchface looked around the clearing nervously, while Goldenmist submerged herself in conversation with several of their Clanmates.

"What's wrong with Birchface?" Dawnpaw whispered.

"I don't know. Perhaps he's just nervous?" Maplepaw shrugged. She tried not to worry too much about Birchface. He's wrong about what he said earlier. Being a warrior is worth it.

Thank you for all of the support. It truly means a lot to me. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Until next time ~