(Finished!) Warriors Fanfiction: The Same Fate

Chapter 13

By sundown the next day, everyone had already gotten to know Smokestripe. He had been up all night trying to get food for the clan, although he had been stopped every time by Alderfall, Nightshade, or the medicine cat.

"You need to go back to the camp." Alderfall had said. "Your leg needs to heal."

"B-but-" Smokestripe had stuttered.

"Nope, whatever you say will be used against you." Alderfall said in a serious tone.

"You're making it sound like I'm about to be exiled." Smokestripe chuckled.

"Well you're exiled from hunting." Alderfall joked.

"Fine, I guess I'll have to live in the horrible grasp of the medicine den, because you exiled me." He said dramatically.

"Go on, before I change my mind about letting you live." Alderfall had mewed humorously.

Now Smokestripe was sound asleep in the medicine cat den. Alderfall had stayed up, so her eyes were drooping.

Why am I still awake... She wondered. At that moment, seeing through the medicine den door, she saw a flash of black. Please say that I'm just so tired that I'm seeing things. She closed her eyes.

***

The next morning, everyone was up and running, trying to get as much prey as they could for the leaf-bare that was now here. It looked like it had snowed lightly, as there were a few snowflakes in the shady areas, and small parts of the camp were wet from melted snow. But it still seemed like leaf-bare wasn't going to be there for days, because there were only a few drops of snow, and the sun still made PineClan's camp warm.

Alderfall was sharing tongues with Smokestripe in the middle of the clearing. Ever since last night, everyone had realized that Alderfall had strong feelings for Smokestripe. She realized the broken leg that was wrapped around with cobwebs and bindweed.

If it weren't for me, he would never have gotten that broken leg. She thought. But then again, if he hadn't gotten that broken leg, he wouldn't have needed to come to this clan, so he wouldn't be a part of it.

She sighed happily.

"Alderfall!" Dawnstar's meow came from behind.

Alderfall stood up and turned around. "Yes, Dawnstar?"

"Come to the medicine den with me."

Alderfall felt confused. What could she be talking about? As her flummoxed mind filled with worries about Berrykit, she sped to catch up with Dawnstar, as the leader was already at the entrance of the medicine den. As Alderfall entered the medicine den, pushing past the lichen that was draping from the entrance, she looked around for Dawnstar, and found her sitting near the corner of the medicine den, Waterleaf right next to them.

"Berrykit! Are you ok?" Alderfall fretted.

"I'm fine, mom."

Alderfall sighed in relief. She had thought that her kit was dying.

"Then what's wrong?"

Waterleaf stood, amusement fluttering in her eyes. "Berrykit's fine, Alderfall. I just wanted to tell you that she can be out of the medicine den now."

"She can become an apprentice too?" Alderfall asked.

"Yes." Dawnstar mewed. "In fact, we were planning on doing the ceremony right after I told you."

"So let's do it!" Berrykit's enthusiastic mew echoed in the large medicine den.

They all exited the medicine den, Berrykit running to the spot in front of the clan rock. Dawnstar jumped up onto the rock, Alderfall not too far behind her. Waterleaf sat somewhere in the back of the camp as Dawnstar called the clan meeting words. "Let all cats old enough to climb the bark of the pine gather under Hardrock for a clan meeting!" She yelled.

All the cats that were in the camp gathered around the Hardrock, hearing Dawnstar's call.

"We will be holding a ceremony for a kit that has not yet become an official apprentice, as she had been sick for a few moons." She looked down at Berrykit, who seemed like she wanted to shout happily, but was keeping herself down.

"Berrykit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Berrypaw. Your mentor will be Thistletail." Dawnstar looked at Thistletail. "Thistletail, step forward." Thistletail did as the leader asked. "Thistletail, you were once trained by Hardfur, one of our best warriors. I hope you will pass all of the knowledge he has given you to this apprentice, so that maybe one day she can pass it on to hers." Thistletail and Berrypaw bounced with excitement, and hurried to touch noses to make it official.

Berrypaw is finally an apprentice.

In the group of cats surrounding Berrypaw in congratulations, Alderfall saw that Smokestripe was giving Berrypaw the most congratulations.

Alderfall admired how kind Smokestripe was for a moment, but it was disturbed by a cacophony of pawsteps and yowls at the entrance, and Voleshine yelling, "Dawnstar! The dark cats! They've invaded our territory!"