Return- Hawkfrost x Ivypool

Chapter Twenty-One

"...I, Ivystar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn. Brightpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

As he stood before the Highledge, excitement clear in every hair of his pelt, Brightpaw said, "I do."

Ivystar took a deep breath. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Brightpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Brightcloud. StarClan honors your courage and your resilience, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

Ivystar moved forward and rested her muzzle on Brightcloud's head, letting the new warrior lick her shoulder.

Next to Hawkfrost, Acornfall yowled Brightcloud's name with enough joy to fill the camp, followed by the rest of the Clan. He bounded over to congratulate his littermate.

Ivystar appeared at Hawkfrost's side, watching the two new warriors with a fond gaze. "This is long overdue, isn't it?"

"I'd say... yes," Hawkfrost agreed. "They've certainly been through a lot."

"Poor Acornfall and Brightcloud," Oaksong murmured. "Palmsun, Rosepool and Poolpaw aren't here to see this."

The three of them looked over to the two new warriors, catching flashes of sadness in their eyes as they accepted congratulations from their Clanmates. Once the crowd of cats had cleared, Hawkfrost saw the two toms glance up towards Silverpelt.

They're looking for their kin, he realized. "No, I think

Then Ivystar started padding off. "You two should get some sleep," she meowed over her shoulder. "Acornfall and Brightcloud are supposed to have some silence."

Hawkfrost sighed and glanced around the camp, looking for Spottedleaf. It took him at least ten heartbeats to catch her sparkling fur by the medicine den, watching Leafpool.

Spottedleaf looked up at him for a second and then turned back to Leafpool. "Go sleep," she called across the clearing.

Sighing, he trudged into the warriors' den. His paws met his nest, and then the rest of his body collapsed in the moss. For a moment, he remembered how he had buried Palmsun just... holy StarClan, this was the third night that Brightcloud and Acornfall had sat alone in silence! At least there was no body this time.

With that delightfully morbid thought, Hawkfrost fell asleep.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Oaksong and Ivystar emerged from the camp and made their way to Hawkfrost, the morning sun lighting their eyes and pelts. "Ready?" Ivystar asked.

Her friends gave her a nod.

Wordlessly, they set off with no particular destination in mind, their ears pricked and listening. Ivystar caught the first glimpse of prey and lunged without explanation, somehow landing straight on the mouse.

"Good catch," Hawkfrost praised. "We'll need it, with leaf-bare coming." He was right. Already, the reds and yellows of fall had started to disappear and the chills of leaf-bare had taken their place.

Ivystar flicked her tail and buried her catch, beckoning to her friends as she continued on. The forest remained silent, save for the slightest crunches and rustling as the three cats moved over the scattered leaves.

They continued on for a little bit longer until Ivystar slowed. She scented the air, and then meowed, "Hawkfrost, have you been to the Dark Forest?"

"What?" Hawkfrost was caught off guard. "Oh. Yes, I have. More cats were scared by the Gathering and joined the Dark Forest."

The two cats next to him bristled. "Not any from ThunderClan, surely?" Oaksong bit out, her eyes narrowed.

Hawkfrost shook his head, and she relaxed. "Still, I think Brokenstar's training them like he trained his own Clan in the old forest. It's somewhat brutal, but effective."

"How does he train them?" Ivystar asked.

"It's a lot of mock-battles, but instead of a pair, it's a large group. One might be acting as WindClan, and they have to run away as fast as they can while the ShadowClan warriors chase them. But they get caught in most cases, and their fur gets shredded." Hawkfrost winced, remembering a time when he would practice like that with Brokenstar.

Ivystar tilted her head, deep in thought. "I think we can make that work with a little less fur-shredding," she meowed at last. "What do you think?"

"You're the Clan leader," he reminded her.

"Yes, I know, but seeing as my own deputy is a traitor, I could use some help."

"Point taken. If it's not as violent, you may as well do it. I hate to say it, but it did get results every time he tried one of those practices."

"What if the other Clans stop trusting us because we train like Brokenstar?" Oaksong worried.

"We'll figure that out if it happens," Ivystar replied. "But I think they'll understand. It's like how we trained in the ways of the Dark Forest before the battle that we thought was going to kill them."

"It would've been a lot easier if they all just died the first time." Hawkfrost grumbled.

The ThunderClan leader glanced at him. "If they all died the first time, you would also be dead, you know."

"...Oh."

~~~~~~~~~

"Is Sparrowleap dead yet?" Mapleshade asked, looking bored as she glanced at the pool of water. "It would be better if she joined us to train before the final battle."

"Pretty dead, if I do say so myself." The Dark Forest leaders recoiled, hissing, as Sparrowleap poked her head in between them. "Sorry, sorry. I thought you would appreciate the news."

"Don't do that again," Brokenstar spat while he tried to calm bristling fur.

Sparrowleap tried to look ashamed, but her playful expression remained on her face. "No promises."

"There's no time to joke. Has your sister replaced you?" Tigerstar interrupted them before they could start squabbling.

"My Clan has no idea," Sparrowleap said proudly, her chin high. "There might be a few memory gaps, but they're too mouse-brained to realize."

"You can train your own group tonight, then," Tigerstar meowed, giving her an approving nod.

"I won't let you down," Sparrowleap promised as she turned and started padding away.

Mapleshade grumbled at her retreating back, "You'd better not."

I basically took 6 months to write this what's wrong with my life