Dewstar watched as Sunpebble led Thornpaw, Riverpaw, and Pebblepaw out of camp. He was taking them on a hunting trip to practice for their warrior assessments. While he was gone she would have to pick someone to fill in as deputy.
Dewstar looked around camp to find someone that she trusted enough to be deputy for a bit. Most of the patrols for the day had already headed out, besides the evening patrol and the later hunting patrols. The number of cats that were left in the camp was strikingly small. She finally spotted Palefur walking out of the nursery after visiting his kits, Pondkit, Rainkit, Flowerkit, and Stonekit. He had been deputy for a few days when Sunpebble had been sick with greencough in the last moon.
"Palefur!" Dewstar meowed as she walked towards him. "SunPebble is out with the apprentices. Can you fill in as deputy for the day?" She said when she had caught up to him.
"Of course, I'd be honored," Palefur said, "Have you met the kits yet?"
Dewstar shook her head, heading towards the nursery. The kits had been born a little over a half a moon ago, but Dewstar had been too busy to visit.
"Hello, Dewstar. Have you come to meet the kits?" Dapplelight said, gently waking the four kits. Three of them were tabbies like their mother, one light brown, one brown, and one cream colored. The other one was cream colored with brown ears. Dewstar nodded and bent down to greet the kits.
"I'm Stonekit!" The cream colored tom said enthusiastically, his yellow eyes wide. Dapplelight nosed the light brown tabby forwards, but the cream colored tabby practically leaped over the other kits to introduce herself.
"And I'm Rainkit!" The kit said, gazing up at Dewstar with large amber eyes. The light brown tabby hurried forwards, determined not to be last.
"My name is Flowerkit. What's your name?" The tabby said politely.
"I'm Dewstar."
"Your name ends with star!" The cream-colored tabby said as Dewstar nodded.
"That means she is the leader of our Clan!" The brown tabby said in awe, bounding forwards to join his littermates.
"What's your name?" Dewstar asked the small tom and turning towards him.
"My name is Pondkit." Dewstar purred as she recognized the names of the Clans in the kits.
"Did you know that you are named after the Clans?" The kits looked confused for a moment and one by one they looked towards their mother.
"I wanted each Clan to be represented," Dapplelight said, as the kit's expressions of confusion grew.
"PondClan is our Clan and we are the only Clan who fish. We share a border with FlowerClan, who lives in the forest with StoneClan. StoneClan has huge boulders they can hunt on. Our other border is with RainClan, who can hunt extremely well in storms." Dewstar touched her tail tip to each kit's nose as she spoke, and felt a surge of pride as she explained the Clans. It was important that their young learn about their ancestors. She was about to say more when she heard yowling coming from the clearing.
"Dewstar! Dewstar!" She recognized the voice of Riverpaw as she hurried outside. The apprentice's silver tabby pelt was bristled, along with Thornpaw's and Pebblepaw's.
"Sunpebble needs help!" Thornpaw cried, her voice a shrill wail.
"We were hunting and Sunpebble scented rogue cats! And...and they attacked him! Three of them!" Pebblepaw wailed, her eyes wide.
"Spottedflower, Frostwing, Mouseclaw, and the apprentices come with me," Dewstar ordered, determined to help her deputy. "Lead us to him." She said to Riverpaw when the cats she had named had gathered behind her.
Riverpaw led them to the edge of the StoneClan border, where it met territory that belonged to none of the Clans. His eyes glittered with worry as the group scented fresh blood scent. As they emerged on the top of a hill Thornpaw gasped with horror.
In a pool of his own blood lay Sunpebble, the blood flowing calmly down the hill. As the group padded closer Dewstar could see that his hind paws were horribly damaged beyond repair, until the point where she could see parts of the bone. His throat had been torn out and blood trickled out of his mouth.
Dewstar rushed forwards until she came to his body. She buried her muzzle in his still warm fur, wrapped up in her grief. The other cats stared silently at the dead deputy's body, waiting for Dewstar's orders.
"Spottedflower. Mouseclaw. Will you help me carry him back?" Dewstar said, dreading the moment that she would have to tell the Clan. The two cats nodded, lifting up Sunpebble's body. Dewstar stepped forwards to support his head, feeling numb. They carried him as the apprentices talked quietly, their eyes full of sadness. Frostwing walked with them, trying to comfort the group.
"It's all our fault!" Pebblepaw wailed, looking guiltily at Dewstar as Thornpaw and Riverpaw nodded. "We left him! We could have fought with him! We could have won! When he told us to fetch help only one of us should have gone!"
"You did what he asked. It was the loyal thing to do." Dewstar mewed, trying to keep her voice steady. Pebblepaw looked at her paws, clearly not convinced.
Sooner than Dewstar would have liked they reached camp. As soon as they padded in cats started to gather around them, asking about Sunpebble. The kits seemed the most curious.
"Is he dead?"
"Who did this? I'll shred them!"
"Can we save him?"
Blossompool padded out looking hopeful, but Dewstar shook her head. There was no saving this cat. Dewstar leaped onto the small overhang that was on top of her den, then called the cats together.
"If anyone does not know, Sunpebble is dead. He died a noble death fighting for his Clan's territory, but it was much too soon. He should have been able to serve his Clan for many moons to come. But the Clan must move on. I need to appoint a new deputy. I say this over the body of Sunpebble so that his spirit can hear and approve my choice. Palefur will be the new deputy of PondClan." The cream colored tom looked up in surprise, clearly not expecting to be picked.
"Thank you Dewstar." Palefur blinked at her gratefully, then retreated into the crowd.
"There is one more ceremony to perform today. Mouseclaw, has Thornpaw earned the title of warrior?" The tom nodded as Thornpaw stepped up to the overhang. "Aldertail. Spottedflower. Are your apprentices skilled enough to be warriors?" The she-cats nodded as their apprentices rushed up to Dewstar.
"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand your noble code and I condemn to you as warriors in their turn. Riverpaw, your warrior name will be Rivershine. Thornpaw, your new name will be Thornheart. Pebblepaw, you will be known as Pebblespot. Serve your Clan well." Dewstar leaped down as the Clan called out their new names. She settled down and blocked out the world around her, ready to begin the vigil.
YOU ARE READING
Warriors: FlowerClan's War #1 - A Clan's Choice
Fanfiction**BOOK 1** On the other side of Highstones, three new clans have begun. StoneClan, RainClan, and PondClan have been peaceful for many moons. A new Clan has come to live with them, but their introduction isn't going as well as the cats had hoped. Can...
