Woohoo- now we get to the fun bit. I hope you enjoy and please feel free to leave reviews!
Mandatory disclaimer: I do not own anything or anyone from Warriors by Erin Hunter and the original theme was created by TheSkyClanCat.
As the day progressed, Alderpaw kept to the medicine den and stayed quiet as he worked through his tasks. The chores helped keep his mind off the upcoming events. All too soon, however, night came and Jayfeather ordered him to his nest.
But sleep wouldn't come. He tossed and turned but nothing helped. Giving up, the medicine apprentice crept quietly out of the den. So engrossed in his thoughts, he didn't notice as he wandered out of camp until he found himself in the forest. When he did finally take stock of his surroundings, he wondered why no one stopped him until-
"Couldn't sleep?" He jumped as Bramblestar emerged from the woods, enormous paws treading over the leaves without making a sound. Alderpaw mutely shook his head.
For a while, it was quiet, both cats simply enjoying the calm, clear night.
"You know, Halloween used to scare me too." Bramblestar mentioned casually, tail swishing idly behind him.
"But why?" Alderpaw didn't understand. According to the elders, his father had always excelled at the martial skills a warrior needed so what did he have to worry about?
"You know my sire was Tigerstar, right?"
Alderpaw had to hide a shudder. The stories of the tyrannical tabby had terrified him as a kit. He must not have fully succeeded as Bramblestar nodded understandingly.
"When I was old enough to celebrate, I took his charm. The tiger charm. For many reasons, I figured that as his son, it was my duty to bear it. But" and here he smiled "Umbra came back. She told me that that amulet didn't suit me and gave me a different one. It helped me realize that I'm my own cat and my father's legacy didn't make me unworthy of enjoying Halloween or participating in clan life just like any other Thunderclan cat."
Alderpaw stared at him with wide eyes. Before he could respond, a shimmering light caught the corner of his eye. He spun to the left, feeling Bramblestar stiffen behind him.
A cat gazed warmly at the pair. Quite a strange cat, in fact. Not only was his orange fur (at least Alderpaw thought it was orange) studded with starlight, but great white wings also stretched from his back. If that wasn't enough, the strange cat was surrounded by gentle golden flames. He was so bright, Alderpaw almost didn't notice an odd circle hovering over the cat's brow.
It almost hurt to look at him, and yet Alderpaw found he couldn't look away.
The figure flicked his tail at them and stalked away. Alderpaw scrambled after him. He didn't need to be told twice that following this cat was important. The ghost (and it had to be a Starclan cat) led him deeper into the territory until they reached-
Thunderclan's graveyard. One of the spookiest areas in Alderpaw's rather biased opinion. The Starclan cat paused at one specific mound and waited. Alderpaw soon saw why.
The ground suddenly began to rumble, dirt tumbling from the mound. Alderpaw's fur stood on end and he shut his eyes tight, praying he wasn't about to witness a decaying corpse.
As abruptly as it started, the shaking stopped. A breath later, he felt a light tap on his forehead. Opening his eyes, he jolted back as the specter was RIGHT IN FRONT OF HIM! In hindsight, he would realize that the ghost's expression could have almost been called playful (almost like when Squirrelflight would pull a gentle trick on him and his sister while they were still in the nursery to keep them on their toes).
The ghost turned and gestured towards the mount. To Alderpaw's enormous relief, no bones were present. Instead, a small rock had appeared and was glowing.
Before he could quite stop himself, Alderpaw stepped forward and picked it up. A ghostly purr echoed around him, but when he looked up, the spirit had vanished.
"That was Firestar." Bramblestar's awed whisper caused the apprentice to jump for the third time that evening. Maybe it was the fourth, he was having a hard time keeping count.
"And that," he continued in a slightly louder tone "was his charm. He must want you to have the option to change your mind."
Alderpaw stared at the token he now carried. Dangling from a vine like his sister's, this charm looked like a hollow circle. In fact, it almost looked like-
"A kittypet collar?" Alderpaw asked, trying not to cry. Did Starclan think he was that wimpy?
Bramblestar stared at him for a moment before letting out a rather uncharacteristic guffaw. His rumbling purr helped ground the trembling apprentice as his father wrapped himself around his son in comfort.
"Not at all." He paused, clearly trying to decide how much he should reveal. "Your mother will kill me if I ruin the surprise. But I will say" and here his whiskers twitched in amusement.
"It does something really cool."
With that, Bramblestar gently nudged Alderpaw to his paws and the pair made their way back to camp. The scares of the night finally caught up with the youngster and he stumbled, utterly exhausted. He was so tired that he was unaware of Bramblestar of taking him by the scruff and gently depositing in his nest.
He was thus also oblivious to Bramblestar promptly summoning Leafpool, Squirrelflight and Sandstorm to his den.
Halloween dawned bright and clear, shafts of sunlight pulling Alderpaw from his sleep. He lay in his nest for a heartbeat, enjoying his comfortable grogginess before surging upright. Why didn't Jayfeather wake him up?! Were his mentors busy with an injury he should be helping with?
Alderpaw tumbled out of his nest without bothering to straighten his fur. It had to be an emergency after all!
However, to his shock, the medicine den was deserted for once. Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he set to grooming his fur. His morning groom was interrupted when his nose bumped into a small stone on his chest fur.
The previous night's events slammed into him like an angry badger. His talk with Bramblestar, Firestar's ghost, the amulet-
He hurried outside, hoping some fresh air would settle his nerves. And he was correct to some degree, the cool leaf-fall air refreshing him. He also basked in the rays of the morning sun and the warmth of the charm.
His eyes snapped down to the amulet on his chest. A soothing warmth radiated from it, and he couldn't suppress a pleased purr.
"It looks good on you." Sandstorm padded over from the elder's den, a rueful smile on her muzzle.
"Oh, um, thank you." He stammered. The tan queen snorted.
"Even from Starclan, Firestar can't stop meddling." She murmured fondly. "The big furball."
Alderpaw noticed that she wore no charm, unlike the other adults. In the same moment, he also realized that Sandstorm would certainly know what disguise his charm would give. He had just opened his mouth to ask when he noticed that almost everyone in camp was staring at them. No, at him.
Sandstorm noticed it too. "Well, what are you all staring at?" She snapped testily. "Don't you all have duties you should be doing? Then get to them!" Most of the warriors, who were young enough to have been mentored by Sandstorm at some point, had enough self-preservation to get moving.
"Alderpaw, get over here!" Jayfeather called from the camp entrance. And it was too late to ask as Sandstorm was picking her way through camp as cats scattered to clear her path as she still looked moody. Heaving a sigh, he trotted over to the senior medicine cat, ready to begin his day.
For the most part, Alderpaw's day was normal. Harvesting some catmint before the harsh cold of leaf-bare set in, sorting daisy leaves from milk thistle, a quick break for the mid-day meal and checking in with the queens and elders- all part of Alderpaw's normal routine.
Except…except for the awed looks from the adults. Except for the warm weight of the amulet and overall, a growing sense of peace. At first, he simply thought his newfound contentment was simply due to the token's warmth. But as the day wore on, he found that he was finding peace from an increase in the knowledge of the world around him.
Everything that would normally cause him to fret (Did he identify this herb correctly? Would that berry combination cause harm?) ceased to be worrisome due to an expansion of confidence- both in himself and in the world.
Finally, the sun began to set. Usually, at this time, most of his clanmates would just be finishing their evening meal and going in search of their nests (or the evening patrol if they were on duty). Tonight, however, everyone milled around the exceptionally large fresh-kill pile and gave eager looks towards the leader's den. Sparkpaw bounced over and gave an excited chirp at the sight of Alderpaw's charm.
"I'm so glad you changed your mind! Now we can do this together!" She gushed.
Before she could continue, the ferns barring the leader's den parted as leader and deputy exited. In a single bound, Bramblestar was atop his usual spot.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather!"
Privately, Alderpaw felt this wasn't necessary as everyone was already there.
"Thunderclan," Bramblestar boomed. "Starclan has seen fit to grace us with a glorious night for our Halloween celebration!"
Alderpaw glanced around at the excited mews that arose around him.
"Before we begin, however, let me clarify how to activate the charms for our younger clanmates." He gave both of Thunderclan's apprentices a warm look.
"Get on with it!" Dustpelt's grumpy yowl came from the entrance of the elder's den. Bramblestar harrumphed.
"Simply lift the amulet into the moonlight and it will do the rest. Now, Thunderclan- the night is yours!" He finished triumphantly.
Sparkpaw didn't hesitate, almost yanking the vine loose in her haste to thrust the cat head (Lioness something whispered to him) forward. He watched in stunned silence as she rippled and grew, her light purr deepening into a rumble not unlike their father's.
He continued to gape as the clan changed around him, his mouth literally hanging open when he saw his mentor rear up on his hindlegs and sprout feathers.
A paw nudged his shoulder, and he jerked his gaze away from the rest of the clan only to find his mother gazing fondly at him. Unlike most of the clan, she remained unchanged.
"Where's your charm?" Alderpaw blurted out in confusion. Squirrelflight gave a self-conscious chuckle.
"I used to wear Sparkpaw's, but I won't be needing it tonight." She finished hurriedly at his incredulous stare. "I'm just going to check in with Leafpool-" her gaze flicked to a tiny green light dancing around the medicine den, "and with Sandstorm, then I'll be with Bramblestar the rest of the night." He noticed her ears redden for some (he wished) unfathomable reason before shrugging it off.
"But I wanted to check on you and your sister first." They watched the newly minted lioness wrestle a snow-leopard for a moment.
"Have you had second thoughts about changing?" She asked, her tone carefully non-judgmental.
With a start, Alderpaw remembered that he also had a charm. "Oh, uh, no, I was watching everyone else change and forgot about it." He admitted sheepishly. Squirrelflight looked amused.
"Well, get on with it then!" Jayfeather snapped in exasperation. Alderpaw looked at the hawk that had hopped over to scan him with a sharp avian gaze. He realized that this was the first time his mentor had seen him as his sharp gaze took in every detail of the apprentice and landing on the unused charm. "We haven't got all night!"
Alderpaw steadied himself and, with only the tiniest of shivers from nerves, lifted Firestar's charm into the moonlight.
He gasped. It felt as though someone had turned starlight into warm water and was channeling it into his blood. He noticed his fur becoming wispy at the edges almost as if it were made of clouds. The watery feeling surged to his back, and he gave another gasp as it heralded the arrival of two enormous growths.
"Wings" that tiny voice he had been hearing all day murmured. Reaching a curious paw upward, he found his ears were covered by smaller wings though his hearing was not affected in the slightest. There also seemed to a source of light from above his brow that he couldn't quite see no matter how he tilted his head.
Though his physical changes had finished, the watery sensation did not subside. Suddenly, he was flooded with what he could only call knowledge, and he KNEW.
Well, not everything. For starters, he wasn't entirely sure what he looked like but, given everyone's stares, he was curious. And he knew how to find out.
He stomped a forepaw to the ground, eliciting a small golden cloud and ignoring the clan's amazed murmurs. A mouse-length in front of him, water rose out of the earth and coalesced into a rounded, shimmering surface that reflected his surroundings.
"A mirror" that little voice, his Knowledge, purred. He took a good look at himself in the mirror.
Indeed, two great white wings that would have looked at home on a swan rested comfortably between his shoulder blades. The wispy fur he had noticed earlier was not only on his paw but also his torso, tail and even his facial hair. Though he radiated a gentle white light, a slightly stronger light came from a circle that floated above his head, one that mimicked his amulet (not a kittypet collar as he had feared, but a halo).
The biggest difference, for Alderpaw at least, wasn't the wings or halo, but this cat's expression. This cat was calm, serene and most of all, confident. All together, these changes made him into a different cat entirely. All together, these changes made him-
"An angel" his Knowledge proclaimed, the tone triumphant and heraldic all at once.
Squirrelflight gave her son a pleased purr and he wasn't sure (even with his Knowledge) if he had ever heard her sound so proud before.
"You look amazing!" Sparkpaw roared and the rest of Thunderclan yelled its approval. Alderpaw couldn't speak, too overwhelmed by his changes and the response. Instead, he focused on his wings.
"Go on then!" His mother urged. He needed no further prompting.
Beating his great wings, he rose into the night (out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jayfeather also take flight). He rose to the treetops, allowing an unimpeded view of the entire camp.
He gazed at the sight below. The larger cats wrestled, the kits clambered over each other to catch the moss balls levitated by a three-tailed kitsune and he could just make out the tiny green dot that was Leafpool renewing their herb supply (he'll probably help her with that later). He also noticed Bramblestar now sporting bat-like wings and a sly grin that were aimed at a giggling Squirrelflight.
The breeze carried him, the light buoyed him, and the Knowledge sang to him.
And he was content.
Stay tuned for a short epilogue!
