"Let all those old enough to swim the rapids gather here for a Clan meeting!" Silverstar called. Jaypaw's head shot up. She was having a rest after eating a bit of prey from her catch. She shot out of the apprentice den and was ready to take her place, but her mother Hawkfeather sat her down for a wash.
"Mooooom!" She grumbled.
"You must look nice! You're going to be a warrior, little flower!"
"Ooookaaaay…" she said. Jaypaw slumped, letting Hawkfeather tame her messy forehead tuft.
"Alright, Hawkfeather, I look good now! Could I go sit with Ochrepaw?" Hawkfeather smiled and nodded, then watched her daughter take her place next to Mothpaw and Ochrepaw.
Jaypaw's brownish cream fur took on a gold shine in the sunlight. She glanced at her sister and her best friend.
"Whatever happens, we'll always be with each other." She thought with warmth.
"I am proud to announce that we have new warriors in RiverClan today," Silverstar began.
"Ochrepaw, Mothpaw, Jaypaw, step forward." They did, and the leader continued.
"Apprentices, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do," they said in unison.
"Ochrepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Ochreheart. StarClan honors your skill and bravery."
Ochreheart beamed and tried to hold back his immense pleasure.
"Mothpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Mothwings. StarClan honors your intelligence and generosity."
Mothwings dipped her head, well hiding the excitement hidden beneath.
"My turn!" She thought.
"Jaypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Jayflight. StarClan honors your passion and kindness."
Jayflight dipped her head like her sister but could not hide her smile.
"We welcome these apprentices as full warriors of RiverClan!" Silverstar called.
"Ochreheart! Mothwings! Jayflight! Ochreheart! Mothwings! Jayflight!" The entire clan was cheering and whooping. Jayflight could barely think, she was so overwhelmed. It wasn't uncomfortable, though. She felt immense joy.
At sundown, Pikefin led Jayflight to where Mothwings and Ochreheart were already sitting.
"You will sit here, silently, until we tell you that you are done. Stand guard and think deeply about your new responsibilities," Pikefin said.
"We are all very proud of you, and it was a joy being mentors to you," Troutsplash said. She nuzzled Mothwings.
Jackdaw brought his son close, whispering things and nuzzling him.
"Thank you, Pikefin," Jayflight said, trying to be official. Pikefin beckoned for her to come closer, smiling. Jayflight touched her nose to his, signifying her appreciation.
"Good luck to you all," Jackdaw said once they were all finished. "Goodnight, Ochre," he added to his son.
"Night," Ochreheart replied. The three older cats turned and left, leaving the three new warriors alone. Mothwings was staring off into the distance, no doubt thinking hard about all she was going to do as a warrior. Ochreheart could not focus but seemed determined to make his father proud.
Jayflight could not think of anything but the first time she met Ochreheart.
"I win again! Ha!" Mothpaw teased. They had just recently been made apprentices and were now training with their mentors.
"Aww, no fair!" Jaypaw breathed. Mothpaw had pinned her. She got off and Jaypaw stood back up.
"You need to get a little quicker," Pikefin said to her.
"I know, I know…" She grumbled.
Suddenly, Mothpaw looked in another direction. She seemed to have heard something.
"What is it?" Jaypaw said, confused.
"Come on!" Mothpaw said, dashing off.
"Wait!" Jaypaw called after her. She followed, with their mentors in close pursuit. Mothpaw had stopped, far ahead. The river contained two… logs? Branches? Jaypaw couldn't make it out from that far away. They looked more like creatures the closer she got. Dogs, small dogs, cat-sized dogs… cats!
"Who are those guys?" Jaypaw said once she arrived at her sister's side. They were both unconscious and weirdly positioned on a log. Both were a warm brown color, and the smaller one had a darker pelt. The larger one had many wounds, still bleeding.
"Help me get them out of the water!" Troutsplash said once she had arrived. Pikefin stepped forward and the apprentices moved out of the way. They pulled the strangers up, and then they were on the ground, soaking wet. Suddenly, the smaller one coughed. He stood up and shook himself, then gasped.
"Jackdaw! Jackdaw! Are we safe? Where are we? Where's the garden?" He took one look at Jackdaw, then his eyes went wide.
"Jackdaw! You're hurt! We have to-" He turned to the others.
"W-who are you?" he stammered, hiding behind the limp shape of Jackdaw.
"I'm Mothpaw, this is my sister Jaypaw, and these are our mentors, Troutsplash and Pikefin," Mothpaw said quickly, although she was staring at Jackdaw.
"Such weird names…" The small one said. "I'm Ochre, and this is my father, Jackdaw."
"Well, we had better get back to camp. His wounds look bad," Troutsplash said quickly.
"Camp? Ooo, what does it look like?" Ochre said eagerly. Jaypaw filed in beside him, and they began talking about the clans. Mothpaw was still staring at Jackdaw.
Jayflight snapped back to reality when she heard a paw step. Mothwings immediately turned in the direction of the sound, and Ochreheart did too.
Mothwings narrowed her eyes and started slowly moving towards the paw step. She beckoned for the others to follow. Jayflight picked up a cat-shaped thing from the direction of the sound. She didn't recognize a scent, until they got closer.
ShadowClan. The cat was now aware of their presence, although they didn't seem to have any intention of leaving.
Finally, the cat slipped into view, in direct moonlight. He had a silvery dark gray pelt and icy blue eyes. He was tall but thin and looked like he had come from WindClan.
"New warriors on their vigil," he observed cooly, but there was an urgence behind his smooth demeanor.
"What is your business here in RiverClan?" Ochreheart growled, taking a step forward.
"ShadowClan's medicine cat sent me," he replied.
"At night?" Mothwings sniffed.
"It is very important," he said, shifting his tone.
"Sure… okay. What do you need?" Jayflight piped in.
"I need to speak with your leader."