Chapter Seven

The air was crisp when Maplepaw woke up the next morning. Taking a deep breath, she walked out into the camp clearing. She was the first one awake, just as she had expected. Excluding the one time she had woken up to go visit Ravenwing, she had slept through the night.

Sitting there, her mind drifted to Goldenmist. Her paws itched to visit her friend in the medicine cat's den, but she thought against it. She didn't want to disturb her, or worse - find out that her friend had passed away during the night. Please let Goldenmist live, Maplepaw prayed to StarClan. If they had kept her alive so far, perhaps they really would save her life. Maplepaw could only hope that would be the case.

One by one, other ThunderClan cats began to wake. Maplepaw could see Rabbitfur sitting by himself just outside the elder's den, while Whitefoot and Sweetbriar sorted through the remains of last night's fresh kill.

Then, she saw Bloomheart heading towards her. Her mentor had a proud smile on his face. "Good morning," he mewed.

Maplepaw dipped her head to him.

"I'm very proud of you," Bloomheart began. "I'm sure you know that already, though. And I'm sure Oakstar spoke with you about your warrior ceremony, correct?"

"Yes. Do you know what time it will be held?"

"I'm afraid I don't. I'm guessing Oakstar will leave it up to you. That's what he did with me, after all."

As Maplepaw stared at him, she realized this was the last conversation she would be having with him as mentor and apprentice. It made her sad to think about. "Thank you for being my mentor," she told him.

"And thank you for being such a good apprentice," Bloomheart meowed.

Maplepaw's eyes widened. "You really think I was?"

"Most of the time," Bloomheart said. "Although you could be a real pain in the tail sometimes! You tend to act without thinking."

The fur on the back of her neck bristled with embarrassment. "I'm sorry," she apologized.

Bloomheart rested his tail on her shoulders. "Don't be hard on yourself. You'll get the hang of it eventually," he promised.

Just then, Oakstar walked out of his den. His attention quickly turned to Maplepaw, before making his way over to her. "Good morning," the ThunderClan leader greeted, his head held high. "Are you ready for your warrior ceremony?"

Maplepaw exchanged a look with Bloomheart and then nodded. "I am," she said.

Oakstar let out a purr. "Excellent." With a mighty leap, Oakstar climbed to the top of the Highrock and called out to the Clan.

It was at that moment Maplepaw realized how shabby she looked. She had never bothered to groom herself after her fight with the fox, leaving dried blood caked into her ruffled fur. "I look dreadful," she groaned to herself.

"Don't worry. No one will judge you," Bloomheart assured her.

Just then, Hazelheart, Rowanfur, and Dawnpaw came to sit by Maplepaw.

"I'm so happy for you," Dawnpaw meowed, covering Maplepaw's ears in a series of excited licks.

Maplepaw smiled. "Thank you. It's too bad you won't be getting your warrior name with me," she said.

Dawnpaw shrugged. "I don't mind. My day will come soon enough. For now, I want to enjoy yours."

Before Maplepaw could respond, Oakstar began speaking again, "As you all know, Maplepaw saved my daughter's life yesterday, when she managed to chase off a fox all by herself." Oakstar leaped down from the Highrock and came to stand before Maplepaw. "You are a hero, Maplepaw. And for that reason, you are worthy of your warrior name."

As Oakstar spoke, Maplepaw could feel the entire Clan's gaze burning into her pelt, making her grow uncomfortable. She silently begged Oakstar to hurry up and finish the ceremony, but the ThunderClan leader continued to talk, going on and on about the future of ThunderClan and all that every cat meant to him.

Finally, he paused, his attention turning back to Maplepaw. "Maplepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?" he asked.

Maplepaw looked up. "Of course," she vowed.

"Then from this moment forward, you shall be known as Mapleshade. StarClan welcomes you as a full warrior of ThunderClan," Oakstar said.

"Mapleshade! Mapleshade! Mapleshade!" the warriors of ThunderClan yowled, causing Mapleshade even more embarrassment.

"Congratulations, Mapleshade," Hazelheart purred, emphasizing her daughter's new name.

"What do you think of it?" Dawnpaw asked.

Mapleshade hesitated. She still couldn't believe this moment was real. She was really a warrior. Mapleshade, she thought to herself, a grin forming. I am Mapleshade. "I love it," she told Dawnpaw.

"So do I. It really suits you," Dawnpaw meowed.

As more cats came to congratulate her, Mapleshade felt weary. She was still exhausted from yesterday. But she would have to suffer through it. After all, she had to hold vigil tonight. It was a tradition going back for generations, and she wasn't about to spend her first day as a warrior breaking the rules.

As if her mother could read her mind, Hazelheart nudged her towards the apprentice's den. "Come on, back to your nest," she urged. "You're about to fall over on your paws."

"I can't," Mapleshade shook her head.

"Forgot the vigil," Hazelheart meowed. "You're hurt, and you need rest. No one will judge you for skipping."

Mapleshade opened her mouth to protest but quickly shut it. She knew her mother was right. It wasn't even sun high yet, and she was already exhausted. There was no way she would be able to stay awake all day and night in this condition.

"We would have made you a nest in the warrior's den, but Ravenwing advised against it. He said it would be best for you to continue sleeping in here until your injuries heal," Hazelheart told her as Mapleshade curled up in her nest.

Mapleshade yawned. "That's fine. I don't mind."

"Are you sure? Because I don't want you to think-"

"Really, I'm fine with it," Mapleshade interrupted.

Hazelheart let out a breath. She then leaned down to touch her nose to the top of Mapleshade's head. "Get some more rest. And remember, I'm proud of you," she meowed.

Mapleshade let out a faint purr. "Thank you," she whispered. Her eyelids were growing heavy now, and she knew she would not be able to stay awake much longer. She stared after her mother as she walked out of the den, before falling asleep.

As she slept, she had dreams of nothing in particular. The river, trees, prey: it all flashed through her mind in a disjointed fashion. But throughout it all, she heard the continuous sound of screams.

Mapleshade brushed it off at first, thinking it was nothing more than a bird somewhere deep in the forest.

But the screams came again.

And again.

They were getting louder now, so loud she could barely stand it. They were cries of pain and anger, coming from several different sources all around her.

Mapleshade's eyes opened. She was awake now. And it was at that moment she realized those screams hadn't been a part of her dream. They were real.

ThunderClan was under attack.