Warriors: Rainfeather's Honor

Chapter Fifteen

"Why can't I play with Papa?" Poolkit whined. Her blue-green eyes were beseeching, and Rainfeather found it hard to say no to her half moon old kit.

Rainfeather licked Poolkit's gray-and-white kit's head. "Wolfheart is training Sunpaw and Thunderkit and Lightningkit have their apprentice ceremony today. Don't you want to be there to cheer them on? I'm sure Thunderkit will want you to watch him get a mentor," Rainfeather added teasingly. She had noticed Thunderkit and Poolkit getting closer, the way Wolfheart and herself had when they were both apprentices.

Poolkit ducked away from the silver-blue queen's lapping tongue. "Fine, fine! As long as Papa promises to play with me today."

Rainfeather gazed lovingly at her lively she-kit. "Of course he will."

"All cats gather under the SpringTree!" Rainfeather tilted her head at the odd calling. Blossomstar's voice was raspy. Over the past half moon, the SpringClan leader had been sick on-and-off. Her last bout of whitecough had weakened her immensely. Beesting had taken on most of the Clan leader's jobs, watching over the apprentice training and making Clan-wide decisions.

Rainfeather left Poolkit at the den entrance with Waspwing, who was due to give birth any day now, and walked beside Thunderkit and Lightningkit. Swiftsprout padded on their other side. Blossomstar stood weakly below her usual branch, her fur patchy and her limbs trembling.

"Lightningkit," she rasped. "From this day on, you are Lightningpaw. Rushwind is your mentor. Guide him well," she croaked to the cream-and-brown warrior. The new apprentice touched noses with his mentor.

"Thunderkit, you are Thunderpaw now. Cedarwhisker will be your mentor." Surprise rippled through the assembled cats.

"Cedarwhisker is an elder!" Shadepaw called out.

"I knew that," Blossomstar snapped. Shadepaw flinched, and Stonefall stepped closer to her. "I meant Reedflow. He will be his mentor." After the new apprentice and mentor pair touched noses, three cats stepped forward; Stormpaw, Floodpaw, and Torrentpaw. Rainfeather felt sad for a second. Her littermates were still not speaking to her. The fact that she was made a warrior before them did not help any.

Blossomstar went on with the ceremony. "Floodpaw, Torrentpaw, Stormpaw, do you promise to defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do!" The apprentices pressed close to each other. Rainfeather's eyes grew blurry from tears as she realized that her brothers and sister were experiencing something together that she had done alone.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Floodpaw, you will be called Floodfern. Torrentpaw, you are Torrentshade. Stormpaw, you shall be known as Stormcloud."

The Clan began chanting the new warrior's names, but they were cut off by Stormcloud. "Actually, Blossomstar," he interrupted. "Rainfeather is named after our mother, so I would like to be named after my father. I would like to be called Stormstrike."

Strikepelt twitched his ear smugly. Blossomstar dipped her head. "Very well. I name you Stormstrike. Sunpaw, Shadepaw, your turn."

Beesting stepped up. "Blossomstar, Sunpaw and Shadepaw aren't ready to be warriors; they've only been training for half a moon." His eyes glanced around nervously.

"SpringClan cat's are warriors the moment they are born," Blossomstar hissed. "Besides, if they aren't ready now, then are Wolfheart and Stonefall training them right?"

Stonefall glared at his leader. "I've been training Shadepaw perfectly fine. I think she's ready to be a warrior."

Wolfheart stood defiantly. "I'm a good mentor. If Sunpaw thinks she's ready then she can be a warrior." Rainfeather felt a flash of pride in her headstrong, caring mate.