The Dawn of Night | A Warriors Fanfiction ✔

Chapter 11

Bluepaw woke in the medicine cat den. Her ears perked up as Emberfur walked into the den carrying a small bundle of herbs. Beside her, Tinypaw and Redpaw stirred and woke as well. Bluepaw started to stretch, wincing at the pain in her side. Emberfur padded over.

"Good morning, Bluepaw. Redpaw, how are you feeling?"

"My ear feels like it's on fire, but I'm okay." Emberfur nodded and applied another poultice to his wound.

"It feels better now. Thank you, Emberfur," Redpaw murmured

"Emberfur? My leg feels much better. Can I go out now?" Tinypaw called out from her nest. Emberfur hurried over to her, sniffing and lightly prodding where Tinypaw had been injured.

"Alright, but be careful." Emberfur nodded reluctantly.

"Okay, and Falconpaw will take care of me anyway!" Tinypaw rose from her nest slowly, testing her leg. She limped slightly as she walked out of the den.

"I'll bring some fresh-kill for you in a minute," she called over her shoulder as she pushed out of the den.

Bluepaw and Redpaw finished eating the rabbit that Tinypaw had brought them when Stormshadow walked into the den.

"Emberfur? Can I talk to you?" he asked.

Emberfur nodded, and followed him out of the den.

"I'll be back in a minute," Emberfur told the apprentices.

"How are you feeling?" Redpaw asked once Emberfur had left.

"Fine. Thanks for saving me from Stillpaw." Bluepaw eyes widened from the memory. "I thought she was going to - to kill me." Bluepaw's voice was hardly over a whisper.

"I wouldn't let a scrawny ShadowClan 'paw hurt you." He murmured into her ear. "We're Clanmates, after all."

"I know." Bluepaw swatted him playfully. "I think you Tinypaw, and Falconpaw are going to be warriors, too."

"You deserve it more than I do." Redpaw sighed, and curled back into his nest. Bluepaw licked the tip of his ear, and started grooming herself.

A quarter moon passed, the days passing slowly, when Emberfur finally let the two apprentices out of the den.

"Bluepaw! You're finally out!" Fogpaw rushed towards her. "You were in the medicine den for almost a half a moon!"

"It's good to finally be out," Bluepaw purred, and licked the tip of his ear affectionately.

"Did you hear? Falconpaw, Tinypaw, and Redpaw are going to be warriors soon!" Sunpaw walked up behind her. "I heard Stormshadow talking with Maplestar the other day," she confessed, looking down.

"That's great! I can hardly even wait!" Bluepaw purred, and padded to the fresh-kill pile.

The sun finally came the next morning, the day when their companions were to be assessed.

"Redpaw!" Bluepaw called to him as he left the apprentice den. "Good luck today!"

"Thanks, Bluepaw," He mewed gratefully, then hurried toward his mentor, Oakleaf.

The assessment started. The three apprentices bounded off in separate directions.

Redpaw scented a mouse, and dropped into a hunter's crouch. It was leaf-bare, so every piece of leaf and seed was important in the assessment. Stalking forward, he saw the mouse scratching around in the dirt, unaware of his presence. He jumped, and caught it, taking it quickly. He scraped dirt over it to collect it later.

Tinypaw was worried, the pressure of the assessment haunting her. Scenting a vole ahead of her, she carefully stalked forward...

Falconpaw had caught three small mice and a shrew, when finally, his mentor, Strongheart, fetched him and told him it was time to go back to camp.

Sunrise, sunhigh, then sundown soon passed. The assessment had been over the course of a whole day. Everyone waited in camp - no one was allowed to leave so they would stay out of the way. A dawn patrol had gone out along with the hunting patrol to ensure that the elders and queens could eat.

At last the three emerged from the gorse tunnel looking, if possible, even more tired than the previous day. They dropped their catch in front of them, tiredly.

"Well done," Stormshadow praised them. The mentors stood across from each apprentice, looking thoroughly impressed.

One by one they went to Stormshadow and whispered something in his ear - they were saying if they could be warriors or not, Sunpaw guessed. Finally Stormshadow nodded and faced the apprentices.

"All of you have done well," mewed Stormshadow. "Tonight, all of you will be made warriors."

Sunpaw saw their eyes widen in glee. Maplestar smiled and jumped onto the Highrock.

"May all old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for the warrior ceremony!" she yowled.

Sunpaw and her littermates ran over to the crowd. The others were in front of the Highrock, gazing expectantly at Maplestar.

"I, Maplestar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices." She now looked at Redpaw, Tinypaw and Falconpaw. "They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn." She turned to Redpaw who looked ready to burst with pride.

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

Redpaw bowed his head. "I do," he mewed.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Redpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Redflame. StarClan honors your bravery and justice, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." Maplestar rested her chin on his head, and in turn he respectively licked her shoulder.

She turned to Falconpaw.

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

Falconpaw looked up at Maplestar. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Falconpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Falconwing. StarClan honors your confidence and courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Finally, she turned to Tinypaw.

"I do," Tinypaw meowed in her small voice.

"Tinypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Tinyblossom. StarClan honors your compassion and quick thinking, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

The ceremony now ended, the excited mews of cats erupted from the crowd, chanting their names: "Redflame! Falconwing! Tinyblossom! Redflame! Falconwing! Tinyblossom!" The new warriors smiled while Maplestar and their mentors looked at them proudly.

"The new warriors will now have to keep a silent vigil for the night," meowed Maplestar. The new warriors nodded and took their places in the middle of camp while everyone went to their dens to sleep.