Chapter 30
The warm, salty scent of freshkill wreathed around me as I carried a plump trout towards camp. The fireleaf sun blazed overhead, and I let out a purr, remembering the refreshing swim I had just had with Ripplepaw and Littlepaw.
Ripplepaw had shifted into her semi-aquatic form. She had relished the sensation of being able to swim laps around me and Littlepaw, something that she hadn't been able to do on land since receiving her limp. Watching her translucent webbed paws and glowing blue stripes had been nothing compared to seeing the smile on my littermate's face.
It had been three days since Shadestar and I had returned from StarClan. It would be difficult to ever forget the moment the black tom had returned to his battened form. Almost as soon as his body pulsed with life, his amber eyes had rolled to the back of his head, and he had collapsed to the ground, his first life gone.
' "There's no use remembering something like that," Shadestar had told me when I had, in a rather panicked tone, explained watching him die. "Best to move forward and focus on helping the living."
And so I had.
GladeClan and CaveClan went home, some immensely grateful that OceanClan had fallen, others baring their fangs at ShoreClan for having let a cat so brutal come to power. I didn't even mind the hissed remarks about how we were scarcely better than rogues; the Sea Wolves were 'rogues' and some of them were the best warriors I ever knew.
There had been at least a dozen casualties all around, something I had found shocking. Shadestar had gathered the Sea Wolves and the merger number that remained from ShoreClan, and had given a speech about moving forward.
"If we get stuck in the past," he had meowed firmly, "then we lose sight of the future. The dead want us to move on, and live our own lives, though I know that accepting our friends have moved on will be hard."
Goldspike had hissed once his speech was done. "StarClan really gave a Bottom Feeder nine lives?!"
"StarClan gave Dewstar nine lives," Silvershine had pointed out mildly.
"Well...yes..." Goldspike scowled, irked that some cat was speaking with actual ration. "But him!" She waved her paw at Shadestar. "He's a real piece of mange. He's hardly even a clan cat! He's the kin of that foxdunged cat Night."
"He's also your son," Shadestar meowed calmly, though his eyes were smouldering. "And Goldspike, if you don't change your attitude, I will have to make you leave the clan."
I shook my head, trying to focus instead on the present. I was nearing the barrier to camp, which Puddle and Bubble were actively working on dismembering. That was really what all of us had been doing these past few days, just trying to survive. With so many wounded, the able cats had to work almost constantly, so we hadn't even had time to pick a deputy, let alone get warrior names.
Puddle looked up as he saw me. "Hey, Ferretpaw!"
Bubble whirled around, a bramble in his jaws. My brother dropped it and grinned at me. "Looks like you all got a pretty big haul! Ripplepaw and Littlepaw just got back. I've never seen so much fish! Shadestar's been waiting for all patrols to get back. It seems like he wants to have a pretty important meeting."
"Thanks," I meowed, flicking Bubble's ear with my tail. I glanced back. "Are you two going to join the clan? I bet that's what the meeting is about."
Puddle nodded in ascension, while Bubble added, "yep we're joining. I think a lot of the remaining Sea Wolves are joining. Those who didn't want to have already left."
I was about to turn towards the half-destroyed thorn barrier when Minnow suddenly burst through it. The young she-cat was gasping for air, looking around at all of us with wide eyes.
"It's about to start!" She gasped, then seemed to notice me. "Oh, Ferretpaw! Yay! Shadestar asked me whether I wanted to be an apprentice or warrior but I said an apprentice, even though you're gonna be a warrior. I thought you could be my...metro?...mento?...the word was something like that, anyway. I told him that I wanted my warrior name to be Minnowfern. It sounds super cool, right? Right?"
"Yeah, it does," I purred to the lilac she-cat who suddenly looked nervous. "But as an apprentice your name will be Minnowpaw."
"Coolio!" Minnow purred, doing a few circles around me before racing back through the spiky thorn tunnel. "They're coming! Shadestar, they're coming!"
"I guess it's time then," I glanced over my shoulder to see Puddle eyeing Bubble affectionately. The two mates had their tails entwined. I smiled before turning away.
As I exited the thorn tunnel, I was suddenly met with a massive group of cats. At least half of them seemed to be Sea Wolves; the only non-Sea Wolf cats were Frogstream, Silvershine, Bushpaw, Honeypaw, Stormwing, Goldspike and Shorefeather.
"Sea Wolves and ShoreClan!" Shadestar yowled from the centre of the semi-circle of cats (he had yet to call the cats by a unified name).
I weaved among the cats, looking for Ripplepaw and Littlepaw. At last, I found them near the centre of the crowd, sitting beside the two other apprentices, Bushpaw and Honeypaw.
Honeypaw looked very unsteady on her paws. Cobwebs were plastered across her flank, and she kept shifting from side to side, as though she couldn't get comfortable. As I sat down beside Littlepaw, Honeypaw glanced up at me sharply. As I met her gaze, she seemed to wince and look away.
Some wounds took longer than others to heal. Honeypaw was young, and she had been manipulated, but she had stuck to Dewstar's side, even going as far as to kill Moonpoppy. Many cats were very angry with her. She had a long way to go to redeem herself, but I could tell that she was trying.
"Is the meeting about to start?" I queried, glancing up at Littlepaw.
My friend ran her tail along my back. "Yes. Shadefa-Shadestar was just waiting for you to get back."
Bushpaw glanced over at me from the opposite side of the row of apprentices. His amber eyes were wide with excitement. "Shadestar said we are going to be made warriors, Ferretpaw. Warriors."
I laughed. "Having a warrior name sounds pretty cool, doesn't it." Bushpaw looked at me nervously, and I added. "You totally deserve it, though, even if you're a lot younger than me. My ceremony got held up, and you did so much for the clan in the battle and even before that you fought against Dewstar."
Bushpaw positively beamed at my praise. Before I had time to say anything else, Shadestar gave a yowl for silence. Almost at once, the clearing was so quiet that a seagull could be heard flying in the far distance.
"Thank you for coming!" Shadestar meowed. He gazed at the crowd of cats with a small smile. "Today is the day we give names to some of our newest members. But before that," he added as the crowd shifted with restless excitement, "another change is in order.
"I have asked StarClan, and they too are in agreement that this is the best choice to make. Our clan's culture is changing." Shadestar glanced at Frogstream. "The idea of having 'Bottom Feeders' is a foxdunged one. Therefore, I terminate it. All warriors are equal."
"WHAT?!" Goldspike shrieked.
Shadestar smiled pleasantly at his mother. "Goldspike, if you have any issues with that, I would prefer you ask me maturely. I do not exist to be yelled at. I understand that change can be jarring, but believe me, this is for the best."
"Thank you!" Frogstream pipped up. The brown tabby looked nervous when all the crowd turned to her. "I'll do my best as a warrior, Shadestar."
Shadestar nodded. "I understand that you will not be able to achieve all tasks of a regular warrior, but I know there are some beneficial tasks that only you can do."
He paused before continuing.
"I hope to involve all new members of the clan in the creation of rules and ranks. Although I would like to know," now he addressed the Sea Wolves. "Which of you would like to join this clan. You must understand that it will be a significant change of lifestyle."
"I WILL!" Minnow exclaimed.
Coriander and Spike exchanged a glance. "We'd really like to stay..." Spike began hesitantly.
"But it's not the way of life I'm looking for." Coriander concluded.
Shadestar nodded understandingly. "I propose a compromise. "All of you here today can decide not to join, but you will always be welcome in and around our territory. Would those who would like to join the clan please stand and come forward?"
Minnow scurried up to the front. Puddle and Bubble followed her, tail still entwined. They were followed by Dijon, Ketchup, Stone, Flow and Bean. I glanced at Littlepaw, and saw the excitement of having so many new members reflected in her own eyes.
It finally felt like ShoreClan might recover.
Shadestar looked astonished at all the cats now standing in front of him. I suddenly realised how young he was, and how even yesterday he had admitted that the weight of leadership was almost crushing him. In spite of that, Shadestar seemed calm and controlled.
"Would you all like to choose your own names, would you like me to choose them for you, or would you like to keep your names?"
"Most unconventional!" Goldspike exclaimed to Shorefeather, who did her best to ignore the cream warrior.
Shadestar continued as though he hadn't heard her. "Dijon?" He prompted. "You would be a queen in ShoreClan. That's someone who cares for kits," he added, noting the she-cat's look of incomprehension. "Would you like a warrior name?"
Dijon nodded. "Sure," and at the same time, Ketchup mewled, "warrior!"
I pressed against Littlepaw as Shadestar went and gave the former Sea Wolves their warrior names, cheering when it was necessary. Dijon became Dijonshine, Ketchup became Ketchupkit, then there was Minnowpaw and Flow who chose their own names and Stonesong and Beandapple decided their own names.
"Puddle and Bubble," Shadestar turned to the last two cats, eyes gleaming with warmth. We had all spent so much time together these past few moons, and I could see how much Shadestar respected the two toms.
"We're going to pick each other's warrior names!" Bubble announced brightly. "I'll start. Puddle, from this moment forward, you shall be known as Puddleheart in honour of your love and compassion."
"And Bubble," Puddle meowed, staring deep into Bubble's eyes, "from this moment onwards, you shall be known as Bubblesplash, in honour of your spirit and passion."
Every cat in the clearing erupted into cheers as Puddleheart and Bubblesplash touched one another's noses. I cheered out the names of my new clanmates as loud as I could. I even heard Goldspike grudgingly muttering a few names.
All the new warriors looked so excited. They nodded happily to Shadestar before returning back to the crowd. I kneaded my paws into the sand, the sun shining brightly overhead. Suddenly, Shadestar turned his piercing amber gaze to me, and nodded.
"It's time to give some long overdue warrior ceremonies to five young apprentices who have fought bravely for ShoreClan time and time again. Bushpaw, Honeypaw, Ripplepaw, Littlepaw, Ferretpaw, I ask you to step forward."
When I heard my name, a sudden rush of exertion flowed through my pelt. I couldn't believe it. I was actually becoming a warrior. I stumbled to my paws, trembling as though I was on a raft in the middle of the ocean. I'm really doing this...
I got to my paws, and followed Littlepaw's flicking brown tabby and white tail as I made my way towards Shadestar. The eyes of all the warriors of the clan seemed to rest on me as I padded forward. My chest felt lighter than air. I felt a sort of nervous excitement bubbling up in me.
"Can you believe it?" Littlepaw breathed as she turned to face me. "A warrior."
"This is what I've always dreamed of," I said.
It was true.
Even as a one moon old kit, I had dreamed of this day. Never did I realise how much turmoil I would have to go through to get to this point. The number of cats who had died...Seastar, Bubbleburst, Wolfwhisper and so many others.
But there were so many other amazing moments. I had become an apprentice, met Littlepaw, now my closest friend, I had hunted, patrolled, made up with my littermate, became friends with Puddle and Bubble, learned the secrets of the Shimmer rocks, met my mother, rallied cats to fight against Dewstar, and finally, destroyed her.
"Ripplepaw, step forward," Shadestar meowed, flashing us a smile.
I almost jumped out of my pelt as my littermate turned to receive her warrior name. Her scarred white pelt glowed in the sunlight, but nothing was brighter than her shining eyes.
"Ripplepaw, from this moment on, you shall be known as Ripplebreeze," Shadestar murmured, touching noses with Ripplepaw. "We need not ask whether you will defend this clan at the cost of your life, for your actions in these past moons speak louder than words. StarClan honours your determination and bravery, and welcomes you as a full warrior of ShoreClan."
The clan erupted into cheers, as Ripplebreeze stepped back. My littermate seemed on the verge of jumping on her paws or erupting into song, but at last, she sat down beside Littlepaw. It was my pale brown tabby friend who Shadestar called forward next.
"Littlepaw, from this moment onwards, you shall be known as Littleshark. StarClan honours your creativity and passion, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShoreClan."
"LITTLESHARK!" I yowled the name as loudly as I could.
Littleshark's expression was as bright as starlight before she padded back to sit beside Ripplebreeze. The two new warriors touched noses before turning to me. I glanced at Shadestar as he opened his jaws to speak once more.
"Ferretpaw."
It was finally time...
I stared up into Shadestar's amber eyes before slowly getting to my paws. The whole clan was watching me, but at that moment I felt as if myself and the clan leader were the only cats in the world. I felt the steady beating of my heart in my chest, the warm sand under my paw, the ocean breeze. I was ready.
Once I was standing before Shadestar, I glanced at him once more. A thousand emotions seemed to be whirling in his eyes. I wondered if he was thinking about all the moments we had spent together in the past few moons.
"Ferretpaw..." Shadestar breathed out the word. "You have been one of the most valuable members of this clan in taking down our tyrannical leader. It is an honour to give you a warrior name. From this moment on you shall be known as-"
"Ferretfang."