A New Beginning

Chapter 3

Shadepaw!!

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The scent of pine needles and sap always made Dawnpaw feel strange inside. It was like her body was trying to tell her something. She didn't know. All she knew was that she didn't like it.

Two sunrises had passed since the gathering and everything had gone smoothly. Dawnpaw had learned how to hunt in the shadows and how to fight in the shadows. But every time she tried she fell straight onto her face.

Yesterday Fishstream wanted her to try and attack him from inside the darkest place in the territory. All she had down was fall on her muzzle and had to go to Cherrystem to fix her bloody nose.

It felt wrong. To hunt and fight in the shadows. It just didn't feel right. Nothing felt right these days. She sighed and went back to eating her mouse beside Shadepaw.

It was now sunset everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. The only commotion was Tigerpaw and Leafpaw explaining exciredly to Rosethorn about how well they did on their assessment.

At dawn the two apprentices had gone out to take their warrior assessment and had come back with lots of prey. Mouseears and Nightpelt had immediately gone to tell Squirrelstar about their apprentices passing the test.

Dawnpaw looked up from her mouse quickly as Squirrelstar suddenly jumped onto the Greatrock. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Greatrock for a clan meeting," she yowled. Dawnpaw gobbled down her mouse before following her brother over to the Greatrock.

"I can't believe Tigerpaw and Leafpaw are already becoming warriors," Shadepaw commented. Dawnpaw nodded, "Yeah but we are right behind them." Shadepaw purred and looked up at Squirrelstar.

"My most favorite thing to do is make hard working apprentices into warriors. Tigerpaw and Leafpaw, please step forward," Squirrelstar meowed. Tigerpaw and Leafpaw both bounded forward excitedly.

"I, Squirrelstar, leader of Shadeclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down onto these apprentices. They have trained hard to learn the ways of your noble code and I commend them ad warriors in their turn. Tigerpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your clan even at the cost of your life?"

Tigerpaw nodded, "I do."

"Then by the power of Starclan I give you your warrior name. Tigerpaw from this day forward you will be known at Tigerblaze. And I did not choose this name after your father, I chose it for your ambitious nature. You are nothing like Blazestar, Tigerblaze. You are so much more. Now we welcome you as a full warrior of Shadeclan," Squirrelstar meowed. She proudly touched her nose to his head and received a lick on the shoulder.

Dawnpaw purred as she saw Tigerblaze lift his chin up with pride. Then Leafpaw stepped forward and received her warrior name as Leafblossom. Dawnpaw joined in with the clan in cheering for the two new warriors. "Tigerblaze! Leafblossom!"

Once the cheering died down they both turned to Squirrelstar expectantly. "Now you tow go begin your vigil," the Shadeclan leader meowed. They both nodded and trotted away together.

As the clan began to go their own ways Dawnpaw let out a huge yawn. Wow I'm really tired! Its probably from all of that new training Fishstream has been teaching me. Dawnpaw yawned once more before walking away to the apprentices den.

Dawnpaw's and Shadepaw's nest were the only two nests in the apprentices den. The two had moved their nests to the center of the den so they could stay warmer during leaf-bare now that Tigerblaze and Leafblossom were warriors.

Dawnpaw sighed and flopped down into her nest. A few moments passed before Shadepaw cane into the den. He yawned and curled up beside her. "Are you having trouble with the new training too?" Dawnpaw meowed.

"No, not really. I think its actually pretty fun," he meowed back to her. She sighed. Why am I having so much trouble with the new stuff? Its like Starclan just doesn't want me to learn it.

She sighed again before closing her eyes and falling asleep.

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Dawnpaw awoke suddenly. She expected to wake up in her nest but instead she opened her eyes to see a wide open green meadow. She jumped to her paws and looked around.

Flowers sprouted out if the ground everywhere while bright orange butterflies danced around the colorful petals. "Do you know where you are?" a voice asked from behind her.

Dawnpaw's muscles stiffened. She turned around slowly to face the cat who was speaking. Before her stood a long furred ginger and white she-cat with green eyes. Her pelt wasn't like Dawnpaw's. It was a pale color with shimmering lights that looked a lot like stars.

Dawnpaw answered the she-cat's question with a slow shake of her head. The she-cat purred, "You are in Starclan. Hi, my name is Gingerspot. I am Squirrelstars sister." Dawnpaw's eyes lit up, "Squirrelstar used to tell me stories about you when I was a kid. She said you helped defeat Blazestar!"

Gingerspot nodded, "She is right. Now, how I would love to talk about my sister all day but we don't have that much time." Dawnpaw cocked her head to the side in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I brought you here so I could give you a message. Even though the two clans are thriving there is still more to be done. Two must turn to four. You and Breezepaw must join together to create and establish the other two warrior clans. Find a home that fits your natural abilities and skills," Gingerspot instructed.

Dawnpaw's eyes widened with shock, "What! How am I supposed to do that? I'm only an apprentice. How am I going to convince Breezepaw, Shadeclan, and Sunclan?"

Gingerspot touched her shoulder lightly with her long fluffy tail, "Don't worry about telling the clans. They don't need to know anything right now. I want you to leave the clan and make them think you died. Starclan has already taken care of Breezepaw." Dawnpaw was now even more shocked than before. "But I can't do that to my family. That's just horrible!" she meowed.

Suddenly, Gingerspot began to fade away. "No! Please don't go! I have so many more questions," Dawnpaw cried out. Before Gingerspot fully disappeared she touched noses with Dawnpaw, "Starclan has chose you for a reason. Please don't let us down. Now you must go now. Leave the Shadeclan in three sunrise and meet Breezepaw on the moor at quarter moon."

Then she was gone. Dawnpaw stood there with her eyes wide and her fur standing on end. What am I going to do!

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I'm so sorry I haven't updated in awhile. I've been SO busy with school and cheer and the fair is right around the corner so for like the next month new chapters will be very unlikely.