Creamfluff's Hope

*/\* Chapter Thirty */\*

"Creampaw, from this moment on you will be known as Creamfluff. StarClan honors your courage and wits, and we welcome you as a full warrior of MistClan." Blizzardstar laid her muzzle atop of Creamfluff's head as the new warrior licked her leader's shoulder in respect. 

"Creamfluff! Creamfluff!"

Creamfluff turned around in excitement as her Clanmates cheered her name. Rainspeck and Aloeheart's chants were the loudest of all alongside Softpaw's. In the season that had passed since the battle with ShadeClan, Creampaw had went back into training, practing and perfecting hunting and battle moves. Thrushwing had also taught her the additional skill of the correct way to climb trees if it was ever needed, and she'd finally been able to step foot at Moss Rocks without drowning. 

Blizzardstar began to pad away. "Creamfluff will sit vigil tonight to guard and protect us. She will also sit vigil to prove she is ready to be a MistClan warrior."

Creamfluff watched Blizzardstar pad away. She had finally done it. She was a warrior. She wasn't a kit, or an apprentice, not even a loner anymore. A warrior. All that training was worth it.

As the warriors broke away from the Clan meeting, Aloeheart and Rainspeck bounded toward her.

"Our kit is all grown up!" Rainspeck mewed, nuzzling her adopted daughter with respect and pride. 

"Creamfluff," Aloeheart mewed, looking softly at Creamfluff. "A unique name for an equally unique kit." 

"I'm not a kit anymore!" Creamfluff smiled. "I'm a MistClan warrior." 

"Can we be warriors too?" Creamfluff looked down as three kits bounded toward her and her family. Nightmoon had her three kits two moons ago in the middle of leaf-fall. Now it was almost the end of a calm leaf-bare and prey would soon engulf the forest by the full moon. 

"Honeykit, don't bother Creamfluff!" Nightmoon trotted behind her three rambunctious kits as a gray and white she-cat sniffed Creamfluff's paws.

"She smells the same!" The kit squeaked as Nightmoon dragged her backward. "How does she have a different name, but she smells the same?"  

"You mouse-brain!" Sweetkit bopped Honeykit on the muzzle. "Getting different names doesn't change your scent!"

Nightmoon licked Sweetkit's ears as the black and white she-cat squirmed. "Don't say mouse-brain, dear."

"I can say mouse-brain!" Luigikit, a gray and white tom, purred as he spun in circles. "Mouse-brain, mouse-brain, mouse-brain!" 

Nightmoon sighed as Sweetkit and Honeykit joined in with Luigikit's chanting. The two she-kits stared up at Nightmoon while repeating 'mouse-brain' in unison. 

"You'll get used to it," Rainspeck purred as she rested her tail on the queen's shoulder. "You'll miss it once they're apprentices."

"I'll have to wait four more moons for that, which also means four more moons of this." She flicked her ear toward her kits who had stopped saying 'mouse-brain' and started chanting 'flea-pelt.'

Rainspeck smiled with amusement at the kits. "I can play with them for a bit to let you get some rest." 

"Thank you, Rainspeck." Nightmoon let out a breath of relief. "I was thinking about convincing Blizzardstar to let the elders take care of them. Cloverpetal has been hunting for moons."

Aloeheart touched his tail to Creamfluff's shoulder and pointed his muzzle toward Softpaw who was sitting by the apprentice's den, scuffling the dirt with his paws. "I think someone might be lonely."

Creamfluff nodded and stood up, padding toward the apprentice. Over the three, four moons that had passed since the battle, Creampaw and Softpaw had avoided each other for a while until Windycloud had noticed and sent them on a patrol together. 

"Why have you been so mad at me lately?" Creampaw wailed after a long walk of silence. Their mentors had fallen behind them to give them space to talk. 

Softpaw had hung his head and replied with a mumble. "After seeing Sunnypaw next to you at the end of the battle, I got jealous."

Creampaw had widened her eyes in shock. She liked Sunnypaw, but he was from another Clan- cats couldn't be mates with other Clan cats! "I like him as a friend! I could never like him more than that!"

Softpaw looked away from Creampaw. "I know, but I still wanted to be next to you instead of him. I like you, Creampaw, more than a friend would."

Creampaw hadn't known what to say after that, but Softpaw had continued. "I was hoping we would grow up together, to be warriors then mates, but then I saw Sunnypaw and... those hopes shattered."

"Softpaw, I never knew you felt that way about me." Creampaw had known about his crush on her, but she thought it was a silly little thought. 

But Creampaw and Softpaw had started talking more after that, becoming good friends again. As Creamfluff sat down next to the apprentice, she felt her heart beating against her chest. Maybe I'm beginning to feel the same about Softpaw. 

Softpaw looked up at Creamfluff and smiled, his eyes twinkling with happiness for his friend. "Congratulations, Creamfluff."

"Thank you," she purred. "Becoming a warrior means a lot to me."

Softpaw opened his mouth to say something but stopped himself. Instead, he looked at Creamfluff's ears as he said something else. "I'm the Clan's only warrior apprentice now."

"I was the only apprentice for two moons," Creamfluff replied with a purr. "Just like you'll be."

Softpaw shrugged. "I guess so."

Creamfluff and Softpaw looked out at the camp.  Leaf-bare had brought the Clans a couple frosts and snows, but everyone had lived through it. Creamfluff couldn't wait for the Gathering coming up. She suddenly remembered Sunnypaw and wondered if he'd gotten his warrior name yet. Creamfluff remembered the feeling she'd get when she looked at the FeatherClan tom; light-headed as butterflies fluttered in her belly. But now, whenever she looked at Softpaw, she got that exact same feeling. 

Creamfluff heard paw steps thrum outside of camp before Cloverpetal led Sageflame and Hawkflight into the camp. They were carrying two pieces of prey; Cloverpetal had a mouse, and Sageflame had a thin shrew. 

"Better than nothing," Windycloud came up to the patrol as they dropped their catch on the fresh-kill pile. "New-leaf is just around the corner, after all."

"I hope it comes sooner than usual," Hawkflight huffed, shaking melting snow from his paws. "I don't know how much longer I can eat shriveled up prey like this." He looked down and nudged his shrew.

Windycloud let out a sigh and nodded. "I think we're all wishing for a sooner new-leaf, Hawkflight."

The warrior shrugged and walked away to where Nightmoon and Snowymeadow were talking while Rainspeck played with Nightmoon's kits. Creamfluff purred when Honeykit rolled over on her back as Luigikit playfully attacked her.

Creamfluff took another look at Softpaw and purred. It wouldn't be long until he was a warrior with her. 

Sorry about how late this chapter was. I meant to continue writing it last night but never got to it. And Luigikit, if you're wondering, was named after a flower. It's not a popular name, and it sounded cute, so I thought I'd clarify it for you.