The leaving

The remembered

Morning flittered through the mapleclan camp and cats woke more and more, "Have you seen snakepaw?" "Yeah, where is snakepaw?" Snakepaw! Hollypaw's heart dropped , he hadn't seen her last night after the battle and he came into camp exhausted, sleeping right away in the darkness. He quickly left camp to go search for her, as he thought about barkpaw and blossompaw his littermates. He went through a grassy patch until he heard rustling, in which he crouched down about to leap until snakepaw came out, "Hollypaw!" The she-cat smiled and touched noses with the tom. Was she okay? She doesn't smell like blood and I don't see scratches Hollypaw thought. He sighed "Let's get you back to camp, everyone is worried sick! Are you okay?" The two walked through the forest, slick moss beneath their paws, his tail touched hers and he smiled at her, relieved she was okay. They entered the camp entrance and cats were doing their own thing. Finleap came rushing out of the warriors den, smiling. She touched noses to snakepaw "You're okay! Where did you go?" Goldenslate followed behind and touched paws with snakepaw. Snakepaw sighed and explained how she tried to help in the battle but then got lost when she tried to return home.

The two apprentices slept in the sun together on the silky cold moss. Rowanclaw and Beewing exchanged glances, Goldenslate was getting his wounds check on and some of the other warriors gossiped about what had happened the night before. Jayclaw had been quiet about the fight, he limped into the medicine cat's den. Toadstep smiled as he finished up with Goldenslate, he began to put cobwebs on his wounds, Mist's words rang through his head on repeat You didn't think we'd be alone, right?  It made him shiver as he remembered the sunclan cats who fled in, blood in their eyes. I know you aren't leader of mapleclan. You haven't received your nine lives, hah. Another phrase of hers went through his head again, he snapped back to reality when toadstep mewed something "Do you really think sunclan has agreed to help them?" Jayclaw sighed "I don't know. I hope lionstar returns home soon.." he looked at his paws "Berrystar is gone. Do you really believe peachpelt agreed to form an alliance with the rouges?" Toadstep meowed once again. The clans had never had gatherings and rarely discussed with each other. Jayclaw left the medicine den and decided to send a patrol out to search for the missing leader. Hollypaw had been quiet with Jayclaw ever since the battle, how could Jayclaw not allow barkpaw to join mapleclan? But he was almost relieved, then Hollypaw wouldn't have to hold barkpaw's paw through the transition.

"Snakestrike! Snakestrike!" Snakepaw, now snakestrike had received her warrior name and whole of mapleclan cheered for her with her new name. Hollypaw was next up, he stepped into the clearing where cats stood around, he and snakestrike brushed pelts as he sat down, Jayclaw stood upon the highrock and looked down on the broad grey and white warrior "You will now be known as Hollyfleet." Hollyfleet felt pride with his new name. He was a warrior now, no longer an lousy apprentice who had to clean the warriors den. Snakestrike and hollyfleet touched noses and the clan cheered "Hollyfleet! Hollyfleet!" He smiled with happiness as cats came up to the two newly made warriors and congratulated them.