Hostile

43

She made way for her mother, and leapt upon the long collapsed tree nimbly. Riverpelt's eyes were closed, but she purred in welcome regardless. Frostcloud perched next to her and rasped her tongue over the backs of her ears.

A purr rumbled from deep within Frostclouds chest. Riverpelt already knew her daughter was expecting- Frostcloud had been bursting at the seems to share the exciting news and had told her mother just the day after the conversation about kits with Buckheart. After telling her mother, she and Buckheart had visited the medicine cats to share the news as well.

There, Dawnheart urged the two to keeps the news of pregnancy quiet until they had moved further along. The grief of losing kits unexpectedly would take an enormous toll on the couple, in particular if the entire Clan anticipated more tiny paws in camp. Though, Frostcloud shoved that thought out of her mind any time it came up. She was a healthy, strong warrior- she would not fail her unborn kits.

Buckheart hadn't decided when to share the news with Warmheart and Crowfur- as he didn't expect Warmheart would keep the news quiet. But certainly, the Clan would know soon.

"Would you like to go hunting?" Riverpelt asked her daughter, breaking Frostcloud away from her thoughts.

"Yes, of course." Frostcloud mewed before the two left camp.

Slowly, the sun crept down the horizon. With it, the air became cooler, and Frostcloud ruffled her coat against the growing chill. She and her mother padded back to camp- each carried several warm trophies with them. They carried their prey to the fresh-kill pile, where Frostcloud noticed Whitestar talking to Dawnheart and Feathertail near Clanrock. She twitched her whiskers as she had an inkling he'd be naming Foxpaw a warrior soon.

And she wasn't wrong, as the noble leader caught her eye and blinked slowly. He took a mighty leap atop Clanrock and yowled.

"Let all cats old enough to leave the camp gather around for a Clan meeting!"

Cats streamed from their dens and sun spots to assemble below Whitestar. Eagerly, they pricked their ears and guessed amongst themselves what news he had to share. Buckheart sat with Mosspool and Slatethorn and caught Frostcloud's eye expectantly. She purred at them in response- though they were much too far away to hear.

"Foxpaw," Whitestar started, "Please come forward."

Frostcloud spotted her apprentice sitting next to Leafear and Ferretpaw at the back of the clowder. The three of them had eyes like saucers and sat together in stunned silent for a moment. Then suddenly, the three began to speak quickly together. Leafear, between excited words, rasped her tongue over the top of Foxpaws head.

Foxpaw stepped forward, and caught Frostclouds eye. Her chest welled in pride as her first-ever apprentice was about to be made a mighty warrior of PineClan. Foxpaw's copper eyes glowed, and her whiskers and tail were raised high in delight.

She made strides as she passed her fellow Clanmates, who murmured eager congratulations to her, and only stopped when she reached the clearing below her mighty leader. His whiskers twitched in pride as their eyes met.

"I, Whitestar, leader of PineClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." He began, "Foxpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Foxpaw said firmly. Her chest was puffed in pride.

"Then by the power of Starclan, I give you your warriors name. Foxpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Foxfang. StarClan honors your unrelenting bravery and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of PineClan."

Surrounding the new warrior, PineCats cheered her name, "Foxfang! Foxfang!"

Frostcloud took a step forward and cried her name from deep within her chest. Many moons ago, the apprentice stood beside her siblings as they were named apprentices- she was much smaller back then. She was angrier, more impatient, and unwilling to learn. But she grew in more ways than one; beyond her size she had blossomed into a stronger and less stubborn cat. She absorbed the advice shared by her Clanmates like moss absorbes water.

Back then, she stood with Badgerpaw and Ferretpaw. Her father and brother weren't here to share this moment, but certainly in the stars above they witnessed Foxfang being celebrated by her Clan. Behind her, Leafear and Ferretpaw howled her name above the roar of the other cats.

When their cheers settled, Whitestar leapt from Clanrock and landed nimbly before the red-black tortoiseshell. He touched his nose to Foxfang's forehead before he and Crowfur spoke words of congratulations to the warrior. The medicine cats approached, as well as Foxfang's kin and Frostcloud herself.

She neared the warrior as the medicine cats stepped away. She spoke to Ferretpaw excitedly now, while her mother rasped her tongue over the backs of both her kits ears.

"Foxfang." Frostcloud greeted with a respectful dip in her head.

"Frostcloud!" Foxfang beamed. She stepped forward, and the two cats butt heads together. "I'm a warrior now! Can you believe it?"

Frostcloud purred loudly, "Of course I can, Foxfang. Nothing can get in the way of PineClan now."

She pulled her eyes away from Foxfang's and met Leafear's proud yellow gaze past the tortoishell. "You've raised PineClan's fiercest cats." She purred gently.

In turn, Leafear gently dipped her head. Not long ago, Frostcloud feared Leafear resented her for having been the mentor of her daughter. Now, Frostcloud was indebted for the opportunity to have molded Foxfang to the warrior she is today.

In all the excitement, Frostcloud hadn't noticed how brisk the evening was becoming until she felt Buckheart press his side into hers. Warmth radiated from his thick coat and into Frostcloud's skin.

"It's late." Frostcloud said to her former apprentice with a dip in her head, "Keep PineClan safe tonight."

Frostcloud and her mate padded in the direction of the warriors den. Tonight, Foxfang would keep a silent vigil as she guarded camp, as Frostcloud once did, and Cricketlegs before her, and his mentor before him.

Before slipping away in her den to sleep, Frostcloud cast a final glance over her shoulder to Foxfang, who sat alone now in the center of the clearing. Her tail was wrapped around her body, over her paws, and she silently watched the twinkling stars above.