Warriors, The Next Chapter; Spiderpaw's Journey

Chapter 14

Sparkpaw padded quietly through the undergrowth. She restrained a hiss as a droplet of dew hit her nose. She let out a purr of satisfaction as she lunged forward and snapped the neck of a wren. She picked it up and added it to her pile at the base of a tree. The wren slid down the pile of two mice and a starling.

She looked to see if she could find Needleshadow but gave up when she didn't see her mentor in the bushes. Sparkpaw spotted a squirrel on a low branch of a nearby willow. Without another thought, she leapt, her paws extended. She landed on a short branch and dug her claws in. Sparkpaw scrambled up the remaining length of the tree to the squirrel. It was too busy tearing at some leaves to notice the hungry cat sneaking up behind it. She reached out with her neck and snapped its backbone. She tossed it down to the pile and smiled proudly as it landed next to the starling.

As she leapt down, she spotted sandy colored fur among the brambles. Sparkpaw desperately attempted to rotate but she landed right on Shrewpaw.

"Watch where your flying from!" Shrewpaw snarled and disappeared back into the undergrowth.

Sparkpaw began to look around for more prey. Unable to see anything, she tasted the air, catching stale scents of fox, Shrewpaw's smell, and the delectable aroma of vole. She leapt, pinning it, and slit it's tiny throat with her claw. She added it to her pile and checked how long she had left, looking for the sun. She found it directly above head and when she looked back, Needleshadow was striding out of a bush.

"Wonderful catches Sparkpaw! That vole is big enough all five of Cherryspirit's kits!" He praised. As Sparkpaw reached to gather her prey, he stopped her, "The hunting patrol is coming, they'll bring it back."

Sparkpaw's mind flooded with joy. I passed! I think-, I wonder what my warrior name will be. Sparkfur? Sparkdawn? Sparkshade? So many choices!

As she followed Needleshadow back to camp, mind whirling, she spotted Shrewpaw appear with Buzzardswoop. The four cats entered the camp and were met by Wrenpaw, Sparrowpaw, and Lionpaw.

"What was the assessment like?"

"Did you pass?"

"Where's your prey?"

Sparkpaw ignored the three excited apprentices, instead making her way to the elders den. Springpuddle was waiting outside, "How did it go?"

"Amazing! I passed!" She purred, nuzzling her father gently.

"Mothwood's inside, her cough got worse," He mewed grimly, "Go tell her though, she'd want to know."

Sparkpaw nosed aside the vines to creep into the den. Mothwood was lapping water from a wet moss ball in her nest, "How was your assessment?"

"It was great! I passed," Sparkpaw told her happily, touching her nose to her mother's ear.

Mothwood lapped her fur quietly, "My little warrior, shame Spiderpaw won't see your ceremony."

"Spiderpaw will have his own when he returns I hope, he was so unlucky, being the only cat swept away by the flood," She mewed.

"Spiderpaw's destiny was not to grow up beside you all the way Sparkpaw, it must have been different," Her mother purred as she groomed Sparkpaw's ear.

"Let the cats of MoonClan gather around the Flat Rock for a clan meeting!" Dappledstar yowled.

Sparkpaw got up and hurried into the clearing, sitting beside Shrewpaw at the front of the crowd silently. The Clan gathered quickly, murmuring about the new warriors.

Once the Clan was silent, Dappledstar began to speak, "Needleshadow, Buzzardswoop, are you satisfied with your apprentices' skills?"

"I certainly am," Needleshadow mewed proudly.

"Me too," Buzzardswoop added.

Dappledstar nodded, "I, Dappledstar, leader of MoonClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these young apprentices, they have trained hard to understand the way of your noble code and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn."

"Shrewpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan even at the cost of your life?" 

"I do," Shrewpaw mewed.

"Then from this moment onward you will be known as Shrewface."

"Shrewface! Shrewface!"

"Sparkpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend you Clan even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," Sparkpaw mewed.

Dappledstar smiled, "Then from this moment onward you will be known as Sparklight."

"Sparklight! Sparklight!"

The Clan began to cheer loudly, "Shrewface! Sparklight! Shrewface! Sparklight!"

Sparklight smiled proudly, then she looked to her right where Spiderpaw was supposed to be sitting, celebrating their warrior names together. Fresh grief washed over her until Springpuddle bounded up to her, licking her ears, "Oh Sparklight! What a wonderful name dear."

Sparrowpaw, Wrenpaw, and Lionpaw tackled each other as they pretended to fight. Only when Sparklight spotted Flowertooth come separate the apprentices did Sparklight notice that Cherryspirit was sitting at the entrance of the nursery, gazing proudly at her while Fidgetkit and Myrtlekit nosed her legs. Shiveringkit, Runningkit, and Dreamingkit were laid across their mother's tail while Shellkit and Brightkit play fought behind them. Sparklight smiled at her former mentor, happy that Cherryspirit still got to see her become a warrior.

Halfwhisker was laid nearby, relaxing with Blackleaf while Tawnyflower's kits pestered Shrewface about being a warrior.

"Congrats Sparklight!" Rainyflight's voice jolted Sparklight from her thoughts, the gray she-cat had joy glowing in her one non-blind eye.

"Thanks Rainyflight," She mewed.

Sparklight walked toward the warriors den, making her nest in a gap between Cloudytuft and Rockyspots' nests. Primroseshine was still relaxing in her bed of moss, "Welcome to the warriors den mouse brain."

"Thanks fox heart," Sparklight retorted as she lined her nest with blackbird feathers.

"Missing your brother yet?" Primroseshine mocked, her voice sour, "Petalberry heard you crying in your nest last night."

"Don't you dare talk about Spiderpaw like that!" Sparklight hissed, clawing Primroseshine's flank with her claws unsheathed.

A stream of dense red blood spilled onto the ground, staining Primroseshine's nest. The warrior got up, "Now look what you've done."

As she left to the clearing, Sparklight followed. "Dappledstar! Sparklight hurt me!" Primroseshine wailed.

Sagepaw was the first cat to reach the stuck up she-cat, "Why did you do that Sparklight?" The young tom wiped away the blood and patted cobweb into her cut. Dappledstar and Needleshadow walked over, the rest of the Clan behind them.

Needleshadow gave her a concerned looked but Dappledstar's eyes just blazed with pure rage. "Sparklight! This is very un-warrior like, why did you hurt your Clanmate?" The leader spat, her purple and green eyes sparked with anger.

"She was making fun of my brother!" Sparklight told her, still angry.

Springpuddle fought his way through the crowd, standing between his daughter and his leader, "She has a point. Primroseshine shouldn't have made fun of a Clanmate."

Dappledstar pushed him aside, "Springpuddle, don't try to save your daughter from her punishment, she deserves it. Sparklight, you will sit night guard tonight, not a word, and Shrewface will return to the den, you alone will be in charge of the vigil for both of you."

"What! That's unfair, I want to be proper warrior too!" Shrewface retorted, leaping out of the circle of cats.

Dappledstar paused to think for a moment, "Then Sparklight, after your vigil you will help Heatherpool and Sagepaw clean out their herb stores."

Sparklight gave up, just striding to the entrance and sitting down without a word. Oh Spiderpaw, this wouldn't have happened if you were still here!