"I, Willowstar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them both to you as warriors in their own right."
Rosepaw trembles with anticipation, rocking back and forth on her paws.
Filled with joy at the prospect of her hard work manifesting itself, she manages to hold in the loudest of her excitement.
To her dismay, though, Nightpaw doesn't seem nearly as enthusiastic about the ordeal; her apathetic, almost tired expression makes that much clear.
"Rosepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do," murmurs Rosepaw dutifully, wanting to shrink into her pelt as she senses eyes burning into her.
"Nightpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do," Nightpaw mutters, sharply glancing away as Rosepaw turns to look at her.
Willowstar nods, carefully hopping down from his perch and trotting up to Rosepaw.
"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you both your warrior names," the ShadowClan leader mews, speaking each word with such a conviction that it makes Rosepaw flinch a little.
"Rosepaw, from this day forward, you will be known as Rosebush."
"We all honor your compassion and tenacity and welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."
Willowstar briefly presses the tip of his muzzle to the new warrior's forehead, pulling away with a congratulatory nod.
Overflowing with joy, Rosebush nods back at Willowstar and beams widely as the crowd cheers for her.
Nightpaw remains unfazed; she casts an unreadable look at her sister from the corner of her eye but says nothing.
Willowstar steps over to Nightpaw, regarding her with an encouraging smile-adjacent gesture that goes unreciprocated.
"Nightpaw, from his day forward, you will be known as Nightwish."
Rosebush tries to smile at her sister, bushy tail flicking behind her.
Knowing that Nightwish is a far cry from the warrior name suggested by her sister to Willowstar, she takes in a breath and tries to ignore the tension.
"We honor your enterprise and skill, and welcome you, too, as a full warrior of ShadowClan."
Willowstar repeats the process of touching his muzzle to Nightwish's head; the black-and-white she-cat's hackles raise as if she wants to draw back.
The cheering starts up again; Rosebush swears it's quieter this time.
"Clan dismissed!" Willowstar calls out; immediately, a ring of cats forms around the two sisters.
Nightwish steps back behind Rosebush, her eyes dark.
Birchstorm comes padding through the crowd, brimming with pride.
"I'm so proud of you two," he purrs, pressing up against Rosebush and playfully bumping her shoulder with his muzzle.
"Couldn't have done it without you," the black-and ginger she-cat replies, leaning against her brother.
Nightwish groans as Birchstorm curls his tail around her.
"I remember when you two were just kits, and now you're grown up," he mews wistfully, plastering on a facetious sappy expression.
"Shut up," Nightwish mutters, swatting at her brother's muzzle in a less-than-playful manner.
YOU ARE READING
𝚂𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚘𝚠𝚜 || 𝚂𝚑𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚍 𝚂𝚎𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚜 #1
AventureForced to assume the position of his mentor after her death, ShadowClan's lonely young medicine cat receives a message from StarClan warning him of a traitor lurking in ShadowClan's ranks. This caution proves grimly accurate in due time- a gruesome...
