Lavapaw awoke, once again to Leafpaw's yowling.

"WAKE UP SLEEPY FURBALLS! IT'S OUR WARRIOR CEREMONY!" Leafpaw yowled at the top of her lungs, though Lavapaw wondered how she could talk after yowling that loud every day, "IF I WEREN'T HERE YOU WOULD BE ASLEEP UNTIL SUNHIGH!" she continued.

"I'm up," Lavapaw mewed, jumping onto her paws, "If you didn't yell, Clawsleepy would sleep forever."

"Yeah," Leafpaw agreed, "Clawsleepy would-"

"I'm up!" Clawpaw interrupted, "But I'd rather be sleeping, I suppose I could make this one exception for this warrior's ceremony."

She spoke boredly, but Lavapaw could tell she was excited. Streamripple came over, to groom them probably.

"You need to look nice for your warrior ceremony," Streamripple chided. "Look at you."

After she finally decided they were clean, they went into the clearing, just in time to hear Birchstar yowl,

"Let all cats old enough to swim gather by the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

Once all the cats had gathered she began, "Leafpaw, Lavapaw, and Clawpaw."

Leafpaw padded towards her, and Lavapaw followed, not glancing at Clawpaw.

"I, Birchstar, leader of RiverClan, 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. Leafpaw, Lavapaw, and Clawpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Leafpaw replied calmly and clearly. I hope I don't sound terrible. Lavapaw thought.

"I do," Lavapaw mewed excitedly.

"I do," Clawpaw mewed last, sounding bored.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Leafpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Leafshine. StarClan honors your thoughtfulness and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan."

Leafpaw stepped forward, and Birchstar rested her muzzle on Leafpaw's head. Leafpaw gave a respectful lick in return, then stepped back.

"Lavapaw," she began, "From this moment on you will be known as Lavapool. StarClan honors your speed and agility, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan,"

Lavapaw felt like she was buzzing with energy, but a thought crossed her mind. Riverecho isn't here to see me become a warrior.

Birchstar must have seen the sadness in her eyes because she added, "And we honor Riverecho for teaching you and many others."

"Thanks," She mewed quietly to Birchstar. Then she let Birchstar rest her muzzle on her head and gave it a respectful lick. Stepping back she joined Leafshine as they watched Clawpaw get her warrior name.

"Clawpaw," she began, "From this moment on you will be known as Clawstorm. StarClan honors your fighting skill and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan,"

Clawstorm let Birchstar rest her muzzle on her head and gave it a respectful lick. Lavapool kept thinking about how Clawstorm had killed Riverecho.

Leafshine seemed to sense her anger, because she hissed, "Lavapaw–I mean, Lavapool, meet at the river, after this,"

Lavapaw gave no response but she sensed Leafpaw was determined, and she couldn't stop that.

The ceremony ended, and the Clan cheered: "Leafshine! Lavapool! Clawstorm! Leafshine! Lavapool! Clawstorm! Leafshine! Lavapool! Clawstorm!"

Lavapool bounded over to the river, to find that Leafshine was already waiting.

"We must talk," Leafshine mewed, her tone deadly serious.

"Yes," Lavapool agreed, unnerved to see Leafshine like this.

"You must not blame Clawstorm," Leafshine mewed.

"She made too much noise," Lavapaw retorted, "and then the SkyClan patrol…"

"You must not blame her," Leafshine insisted, "If the SkyClan patrol weren't there, Riverecho wouldn't have…" She trailed off, not wanting to say it.

"Yes," Lavapool mewed simply.

"Then you are going to talk to Clawstorm." Leafshine mewed, determined to make them friends again. Before Lavapool could protest, Leafshine swished her tail in a wide arch and Clawstorm came in from the direction of the camp.

"Lavapool" Leafshine prompted, but it was Clawstorm who spoke first.

"I'm sorry that I complained too loudly," Clawstorm mewed.

"I… I… I didn't… I mean… it wasn't your fault." Lavapool stammered, taking a breath she continued, "It must have been hard feeling guilty that you killed Riverecho, and I didn't help. It was SkyClan's fault."

"It.. It's okay," Clawstorm was the one to stutter this time.

Leafshine rested the tip of her tail on Lavapool's, then Clawstorm's shoulder.

They returned to camp relaxing and eating prey together in a comfortable silence. When dusk arrived, Doveripple came over.

"Remember, you must keep vigil tonight," Doveripple reminded them.

"Yes," Leafshine replied.

As Leafshine, Lavapool, and Clawstorm kept vigil that night, they saw the stars twinkling in the sky above them. They noticed how peaceful the night was, and the sounds of the forest around them seemed to lull them into a sense of calm.

As the night wore on, Clawstorm kept dozing off, so Leafshine decided to have Clawstorm sit near her in case she needed to wake her. They stayed close to each other throughout the night, ready to defend their Clan if needed. The bond between them grew stronger with each passing moment, solidifying their trust and loyalty as they faced the darkness together.

As dawn broke, they felt a sense of pride and accomplishment at having completed their vigil and becoming full-fledged warriors of RiverClan. With their vigil complete, Leafshine, Lavapool, and Clawstorm felt a deep sense of satisfaction and fulfillment as they basked in the early morning light. They knew that their journey had been worth it, and they were ready to embrace their new roles as proud warriors of RiverClan.