Warriors: Stripeblaze's Path

Chapter twelve

"Sparrowkit and Speckkit, get back here now!" Doebrook called across the camp from the nursery. Stripepaw smiled as he saw the two little kits scampering around. Sandwhisker stood next to the warrior's den with a proud gleam in his eyes as he watched his daughters playing.
"Stripepaw! Help us! Toadkit and Leafkit are after us!" the little brown tabby, Sparrowkit, cried gleefully.
"Come on over here," Stripepaw beckoned them with his tail. The two kits ran over to him and stood behind him.
"They'll never find us here!" the light brown speckled one, Speckkit, mewed. Stripepaw looked over at the nursery and saw Toadkit and Leafkit bounding out, their little tails sticking up in the air. They both started to sniff the air, trying to pick up their friends' scents. Leafkit looked up and spotted Stripepaw, and quickly bounded over to him with her brother behind her.
"Have you seen Sparrowkit and Speckkit?" she asked, her big green eyes stretched wide open innocently. Stripepaw opened his mouth to reply but was interrupted by giggling from behind him.
"Aha!" Toadkit cried and raced behind Stripepaw. "Found you!" he meowed as he pounced on Speckkit.
"Hey!" the she-kit cried. Sparrowkit giggled and jumped into the tussle.
"Toadkit! You should know better, you're nearly an apprentice," Stripepaw scolded the red-brown and white tom-kit.
"I know! Only two moons left until we become apprentices!" he meowed happily and looked at his sister, Leafkit.
"Will our father be better by then?" Leafkit asked. Stripepaw's smile fell. Cedarfoot had retired to the elder's den a few moons back because his infection couldn't be treated, and his right eye was permanently blind. He had even started to lose vision in his left one too.
"Listen, kits, I'm not sure your father will..." Stripepaw trailed off and looked at the elder's den. He was worried for Cedarfoot, but he knew he wouldn't last much longer. "He'll definitely be at your ceremony, I can promise you," he finally meowed. The two kits exchanged excited glances, then raced back to the nursery with Sparrowkit and Speckkit following them. Stripepaw sighed; he knew how hard it was to lose the cats that raised you, but they didn't even know their mother, who died not long after they were born.
"Stripepaw!"
Stripepaw jumped with fright and whipped around to see Mosssting standing there.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you. I was just wondering, what did you say to them?" Mosssting asked.
"Well, I told them Cedarfoot would be at their apprentice ceremony," Stripepaw replied guiltily.
"You can't make promises like that. You know very well that Cedarfoot won't be with us for much longer," Mosssting meowed with concern.
"Sorry," Stripepaw mumbled. "But they're just kits! I couldn't tell them that!"
Mosssting shook his head. "Are you ready to go to the Moonpool soon?" he asked. Stripepaw nodded.
"Yes, I am."
Mosssting gave him a curt nod and walked off. Stripepaw sighed and looked up at the sky, which had turning a brilliant pink and purple as the sun set. The first few stars of Silverpelt shone in the sky, and instantly Stripepaw thought of Rosepaw. Her death had been nearly four moons ago, yet he still couldn't get over it. He had tried to speak with her every time he went to the Moonpool, but she never showed up. Tonight will be the night I see you, I can feel it.
The journey to the Moonpool was tiring, and wasn't particularly short, so he knew he had to get the traveling herbs ready. He padded over to the medicine den and went in, bathing in the scent of herbs. Mosssting was in there, gathering all of the herbs they would need to take.
"Here you are, eat up," the old cat meowed as he pushed a leaf with herbs on it towards Stripepaw. The apprentice rolled his eyes and lapped them up, cringing at their bitter taste.
"Okay, let's go," Stripepaw meowed once he had finished, and the two of them padded out of the den and into the forest.

"Greetings Mouse-ear," Mosssting meowed and gave a curt nod to the WindClan medicine cat. "How are you fairing without Birchpoppy?"
One moon before when it was still Green-leaf, Birchpoppy died after having a bad reaction to being poisoned by wasp, and Mouse-ear was left to be the medicine cat. Greywing had easily adapted to being the medicine cat for ShadowClan by herself, but Rainsplash still hadn't gotten an apprentice.
"I'm doing well, and we have a new deputy; Dotpelt," Mouse-ear replied. Behind the three cats, there was a crunching sound as Greywing padded forward, stepping on the fallen red leaves.
"Hello everyone," she meowed and smiled at Stripepaw. The ThunderClan apprentice smiled back and flicked his ear in greeting. The four cats waited a little longer, then Rainsplash finally turned up.
"That's everyone, let's go," Mosssting meowed and flicked his tail for the others to follow. They all padded behind him, and the younger cats all grouped together like normal, talking amongst themselves.
"This Leaf-fall has been colder than normal," Mouse-ear commented.
"Well you'd know because you're so exposed to the elements!" Greywing snorted.
"Well WindClan likes it, and you'd never find us anywhere near a horrid pine forest," Mouse-ear retorted.
"At least the leaves look beautiful!" Stripepaw intervened, straying from the their petty argument. They both nodded.
"You know, you should be a full medicine cat by now," Greywing meowed to Stripepaw, flicking her fluffy tail on his flank.
"Yeah, I know, but I don't think Mosssting thinks I'm ready," Stripepaw meowed solemnly.
"Oh please! You're already a great medicine cat! He'd have to be blind and deaf not to know that!" Mouse-ear reassured him, flicking his grey ears.
"Thanks," Stripepaw meowed gratefully. They continued with their small talk all the way to the Moonpool. As they walked through the entrance, Stripepaw placed his paws in the little paw-prints from past medicine cats, and he felt so much closer to them.
The five cats all sat around the glistening pool as the starlight shone on it. Mosssting stood up and looked at them all with a proud gleam in his eyes.
"I have decided it is time I finally give Stripepaw his full medicine cat name," he meowed loudly. Stripepaw gasped with delight and could hardly contain his excitement. "I, Mosssting, medicine cat of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help he will serve his Clan for many moons." Mosssting looked from the stars to Stripepaw and smiled. "Stripepaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?" he asked.
Stripepaw's breathing sped up with excitement. "I do!" he meowed firmly.
"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your true medicine cat name. Stripepaw, you have been through so much heartache, but you blazed through it like a true medicine cat. So I name you Stripeblaze. StarClan honours your kindness and courage, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat of ThunderClan!" Mosssting finished, and placed his nose on Stripeblaze's head. The new medicine cat licked his mentor's shoulder with respect and looked at him affectionately.
"Thank you, you've been like a father to me," Stripeblaze told him. Mosssting smiled and dipped his head.
"Stripeblaze! Stripeblaze! Stripeblaze!" the other medicine cats called his new name to the stars.
"Go on, take your first drink from the Moonpool as a full medicine cat," Mosssting meowed, nudging Stripeblaze. The grey tabby smiled and looked up at the stars, sending a silent prayer of thanks, and lapped up a few drops of water. He hunched down and lay down comfortably with his chin on his paws, and fell asleep.

"Open your eyes," a voice instructed. Stripeblaze snapped his eyes open and looked up. A light grey tabby tom with glistening blue eyes stood in front of him. "I'm Jayfeather, a past medicine cat of ThunderClan, and I am here to personally welcome you to the medicine cat group," the tabby meowed. Behind him were many more cats of all shapes and sizes. They all had the herby scent that Stripeblaze loved. A brown speckled she-cat stepped forward and touched her nose to Stripeblaze's head.
"I am Cherryflower, the medicine cat before Mosssting. He was a great apprentice, and he trained you well. I know you'll do your Clan proud," she meowed with a sweet voice and warm green eyes. Then, the giant crowd of medicine cats parted into two sections, leaving one long pathway in the middle of them, and, running down that pathway, were all of the cats that Stripeblaze had cared for and loved in his life. First came Mistpetal with Cedarkit beside her, then Willownose, Birchsong, Gingerclaw, Stormfeather, Whiteshade, Fernkit and Mousekit. Tears welled up in Stripeblaze's eyes as they all embraced him, lathering him in affectionate licks.
"Oh son, we're so proud of you!" Stormfeather cried. Whiteshade nodded.
"We've been watching you for so long now," he told his son. Stripeblaze couldn't say anything, just sobbed.
"We wish we could've known you!" Fernkit mewed.
"It's hard being a kit forever," Mousekit added. Stripeblaze smiled at them and leaned down so he could look into their blue eyes that never changed colour.
"And here comes Rosepaw!" Birchsong chimed. Stripeblaze looked up hopefully and sobbed as he saw Rosepaw bounding up the pathway towards him, the stars gleaming in her eyes and a trail of stars streaming behind her.
"Stripeblaze!" she cried as she bowled into him, knocking him to the ground.
"Even after death, you're still stronger than me," he joked. Rosepaw looked at him lovingly and rasped her soft tongue across his cheek.
"Well you were always the funny one," she mewed. Stripeblaze gazed into her eyes, then suddenly felt a pang of sadness and hurt.
"Why did you never visit me when I came here every moon?" he asked her.
"Because I couldn't distract you from your true destiny. That's the reason I died. StarClan brought the foxes to the forest. I was never your destiny, I'm not on the path you're meant to take, and I never will be. You needed to be a medicine cat, and that couldn't happen with me there. I strayed from my own destiny as well, I will forever pay for it, but you must remain true to your heart." Tears glistened in her eyes, and the clear, starry liquid dropped to the ground. Stripeblaze's heart longed to be with her, but he knew she was right.
"Thank you," he whispered. They placed their foreheads on each other's and Stripeblaze watched as her ghostly figure faded into the stars, along with everyone else's. He closed his eyes and when he opened them again, he was beside the Moonpool. Everyone around him was awake and staring at him expectantly.
"How was it?" Greywing meowed eagerly with curiosity in her eyes.
"Sorry, I can't tell you," Stripeblaze replied with a mischievous glint in his eyes. Mosssting padded forward and placed his tail on Stripeblaze's shoulder.
"I can finally retire to the elder's den," he rasped. The medicine cats all shared laughs as they made their way back to their camps.
For the first time in four moons, Stripeblaze smiled a true, happy smile, and he rested his tail on his mentor's back as they walked home from the Moonpool for the last time as mentor and apprentice.