ButterflyClan: Monarchwing's Journey

Chapter Five

A moon had passed since Sparrowkit had found the clearing behind the nursery. Neither of them had gone back since that day, and Monarchkit was still giving him the cold shoulder. Swallowpaw and Aspenpaw's warrior ceremony was today, for they had passed their final assessment. They were excited, but no cat was more excited than Dartpaw. She looked up at the older apprentices with shining eyes, though Monarchkit noticed her gaze was mainly focused on Swallowpaw.

"That will be me one day," Dartpaw whispered.

"Are you sure?" she questioned, thinking about what Sparrowkit had said about Buntingflight's apprentices.

Dartpaw looked at her strangely. "Of course. Why not?"

"It's just... Oh, never mind." She stared at her paws.

"The curse?" She spat out the word 'curse' like it was poison. "You don't actually believe that nonsense, do you?"

"No... Of course not."

"Good. I will be a warrior. Just wait and see."

"Yes. Of course." Monarchkit mewed.

"I can't wait until we're warriors together!" Dartpaw was still jumping up and down with excitement.

Dartpaw's mother, Brightflower, suddenly appeared at Dartpaw's shoulder. "Why are you so excited today? It's not your ceremony."

"Yeah, but it's the first one I've ever seen. When Hawkeyes, Lightstreak, and Cardinalflash became warriors, I was too young." Dartpaw replied.

"I've never seen one either," added Monarchkit.

"Yes, but you're not acting like a fox with brambles in its pelt!" Brightflower mewed affectionately and began licking Dartpaw's pelt.

"Yuck! Now you're really acting like it's my ceremony!" Dartpaw exclaimed, ducking her head to escape her mother's tongue. She had just wiggled free and was getting her fur to lie flat again when Swallowpaw walked past. She immediately straightened with a silly expression on her face.

Swallowpaw didn't even notice her. He walked past with a haughty expression and his nose in the air, followed closely by his sister, who was acting similar. If they were excited, they didn't show it.

Dartpaw looked slightly disappointed as Swallowpaw walked away, but barely missed a beat. She continued bouncing up and down, excited as a kit. Which Monarchkit was. And she wasn't bouncing!

Azuredusk walked towards them, with Monarchkit's sisters in tow, followed by Swanfeather and her kits. Including Sparrowkit.

Sweetkit bounded up to Monarchkit, closely followed by Cynakit. "Whatcha doing?"

Monarchkit smiled at her sisters. "Waiting for the warrior ceremony with Dartpaw."

Cynakit wiggled with excitement. "Isn't this exciting? I'm so excited. I can't wait to see what happens in a warrior ceremony!"

"You sure say 'excited' a lot, Cynakit," mewed Peacockkit from behind them. Monarchkit gave a startled jump and whirled around.

"Hi, Peacockkit! Hi Pearlkit! Oh, and hi Sparrowkit," Monarchkit greeted them. They in turn greeted Dartpaw. Brightflower, Azuredusk, and Swanfeather settled down next to each other and gossiped, waiting for the ceremony to begin.

Larkstar's voice filled the clearing. "Let all cats old enough to follow rules gather here underneath the moss-rock for a Clan meeting."

Excited cats gathered closer, milling about and slowly settling down by their friends. Larkstar opened her muzzle to continue. "Today we are gathered here to see the making of two new warriors. Swallowpaw, Aspenpaw, step forward."

Aspenpaw was still trying to appear nonchalant, but her twitching tail tip betrayed her excitement. Swallowpaw, however, just looked bored with it all. She stepped closer to her leader on the rock, her head held high.

"Spottedflower, you were Aspenpaw's mentor. Is she ready?"

"Yes," Spottedflower replied, dipping her head, her wings folded backwards.

"Then StarClan look down on this apprentice. She has completed her training and now must become a full warrior of this Clan. Do you promise to protect and uphold this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," mewed Aspenpaw, and for once in her life the serious apprentice looked truly happy.

"Then from this moment on, you will be known as Aspenfall. StarClan honors your practicality and your intelligence, and we welcome you as a full member of ButterflyClan." Larkstar stepped back, and she and Aspenfall touched horns. They glowed for the briefest second, then faded back to their pearly iridescence.

Larkstar called Swallowpaw forward. Monarchkit had noticed his increasing impatience throughout his sister's ceremony. He shouldered his way past her, without even offering congratulations. He stood next to Larkstar, and sheathed and unsheathed his claws repeatedly in the moss.

"Lapisflight," she gestured to her deputy. "Is Swallowpaw ready to become a warrior?"

"As ready as he'll ever be," she replied firmly.

"Then StarClan look down on this apprentice. He has completed his training and now must become-"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it," interrupted Swallowpaw. "Get on with it."

A hushed silence fell over the clearing. No one had dared interrupt the Clan leader during their warrior ceremony before.

Larkstar was clearly uncomfortable, but she continued, "Do you promise to protect and uphold this Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," said Swallowpaw, but not with the same conviction as his sister.

"Then from this moment on, you will be known as Swallowclaw. StarClan honors your.... Independence and spirit, and we welcome you as a full member of ButterflyClan."

Swallowclaw darted forward to touch horns, and almost impaled his leader in the process. Their horns finally found each other, and when they touched they once again glowed for the briefest second.

"Aspenfall! Swallowclaw! Aspenfall! Swallowclaw!" The Clan chanted, and Monarchkit raised her voice to join in the chorus. Never before did she feel she belonged in this clan as she did in that moment, chanted the names of the new warriors along with dozens of kin and Clanmates. From the look in the other kits' shining eyes, she could see that they felt it too.

This is my clan. And no matter what, through thick and thin, I'll give my dying breath to protect it. No matter what. And she felt this was more than a thought. This was an oath she'd keep with her dying breath.