Brookstar stood on top of the EagleLedge with four she-cats at her side. "Cats of FalconClan!" She yowled. "We have four new cats joining us today. Dark, Holly, Winter, and Leaf." She gestured to the new cats, and the clan cats smiled at him, some of them a little cautiously. "Dark, Holly, Winter, and Leaf, do you four promise to defend and uphold the warrior code and your clan, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do," Leaf and Holly said at the same time.
"I do," said Winter.
"I do," Dark mewed last, firmly.
"Then by the powers of StarClan I name you Darkwing, Hollysplash, Winterpelt, and Leafsong. We welcomes you all as full warriors of FalconClan." Brookstar meowed, and the clan erupted in cheers.
"Darkwing! Hollysplash! Winterpelt! Leafsong! Darkwing! Hollysplash! Winterpelt! Leafsong!"
There was a moment of yowling and "congratulations!", then Brookstar waved her tail for silence. "And I would also like to announce some sad news." She hesitated, glancing at Moonblossom, Leafpaw, and Darkflame, who were looking especially sad. "Silverpaw is dead." There were gasps from the cats below her. Nightclaw, the deputy, lowered his head to hide the tears threatening to spring out of his eyes as he mourned his dead apprentice. Brookstar glared at them all for silence before continuing. "He was hunting large birds of prey with the rest of Moonblossom's patrol when he slipped and fell into the Cloudy Gorge, where they thought would be the best place to find these birds. So, may we all take Silverpaw's death as a warning - the rule of apprentices under nine moons, kits, queens, and elders being strictly prohibited to go to the Cloudy Gorge will be reinforced, and we should all be careful when hunting this type of prey. Silverpaw died young, with a life that should have stretched farther along the lines of time. We will all mourn his death. Tonight those who were closest to him will hold his vigil, and tomorrow morning at dawn the elders will take him out of camp to be buried." Brookstar finished, and then added as a bit of an afterthought: "But let us not be too saddened by this event; life must go on. Return to your duties. Meeting dismissed!" With that, the silver, white, and black leader leapt off the EagleLedge and into her den.
Nightshadow bowed her head in honor for the young apprentice, then stood up and padded over to the warrior's den.
ReplyDelete"Nightclaw," Darkwing bows her head in respect, "I am sorry for your loss."
ReplyDeleteHe nods, knowing that she can say no more, Darkwing trods off; paws heavy with sorrow.
Nightclaw nodded, hiding the tears at the brim of his amber eyes. He padded to the shade of a tree, clawing at the ground. "Why StarClan...?"
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Leafpaw pads over to Silverpaw's former mentor and sits beside him in silence. "He was a good cat," Leafpaw mewed. "He was my best friend and little brother. I-I'll miss him."
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Nightclaw brushed his tail over the ground. "I'm sure you will. Sorry for your loss."
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"I'm really sorry Nightclaw," Leafsong mewed gently, touching his shoulder softly with her tail. "Even though I didn't know him."
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Nightclaw nodded, standing up. He paused, glancing swiftly up at the sky, then headed toward the warriors' den.
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Leafsong's belly clenched in pity for the deputy; she would have loved to meet Silverpaw, and she knew the pain his family must be feeling; her mother, father and brother had died under the paws of a twoleg monster. Shaking her head sadly, she padded towards the warriors den.
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Berylmist padded up to Nightclaw, stopping him from entering the den. "Nightclaw," she whispered, looking sadly into his amber eyes. "I'm... so sorry." She bowed her head, then pressed into his side. "Are... are you okay?" She asked him quietly.
ReplyDeleteNightclaw glanced at Berylmist, brushing his tail over her ears. "I'm fine. But he didn't even get a warrior name..."
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"I know," Berylmist replied in a whisper. "He deserved it." She paused, then looked back up at him. "You wanna come to Sunnystones with me? Maybe I can cheer you up. I don't like watching you being upset," Berylmist told her friend... or maybe something more.
ReplyDeleteTalonstrike padded to Leafpaw, the young sister of Silverpaw. "Are you alright, Leafpaw?" He asked her, concern in his eyes.
Nightclaw gave Berylmist a faint smile. "Sure. That'd be nice."
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(comment there next?)
ReplyDelete(Yep. Who's first?)
ReplyDelete(I'll go.)
ReplyDelete