CHAPTER 13
“This way,” Stormfur hissed quietly. Rockstar turned to where Stormfur signaled with his tail. So far all he could see were vast forests. Could this really be the way to the clans?
Shrugging off the doubts, he followed Stormfur into an alcove of trees. The trees were almost bare, showing the signs of leaf-bare. Rockstar felt an ominous lump in his belly. What about his kits? Woulod they cope with the rest of the harsh journey? A feeling of fear swallowed Rockstar for a heartbeat, then he shook it off. Taking a deep breath, he called to Stormfur.
“We should stop here, Stormfur,” he meowed, raising his voice over the howling wind. Stormfur nodded, and the clan dispersed. The warriors that carried kits settled them down in a sheltered part of the alcove, where moss still grew thickly. Nodding his thanks, Rockstar crept over to the kits. They were all asleep except for the kit they found, who was wailing in hunger. Cherrytail rushed over to the kit, and gently pushed him over to her belly. The kit’s squealing stopped, to be replaced with a purr.
Rockstar turned around to see Flamefoot staring at him.
“S-some cat told me he was Tinywhisker’s kit,” he whispered.
“That’s what we think,” Rockstar mewed. Flamefoot’s eyes lid up.
“That must mean he’s my kit!” he gasped. “What’s his name?”
“I haven’t thought of that yet,” Rockstar mewed. “but I think a good name for him would be Whisperkit.”
“Whisperkit,” Flamefoot echoed. “It’s perfect.” Flamefoot passed his leader to sit with the tiny kit. Feeling overwhelmed, he padded to the center of the alcove. In a flash Rockstar remembered what he wanted to do since he got into the mountains.
“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here,” he yowled, the familiar words comforting him. Clearly the cats were surprised, for they crawled to their leader slowly.
“Nightpaw, Sunpaw, Snowpaw, and Barkpaw,” he called. “Come here.”
The apprentices exchanged surprised glances as they reluctantly padded over to their leader.
“I, Rockstar, leader of SkyClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices.” The four apprentices exchanged excited glances and looked back up at Rockstar.
“They have trained hard in the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Nightpaw, Sunpaw, Barkpaw, and Sunpaw.” He looked down at the excited apprentices. “Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect and defend this clan, even at the cost of your lives?”
“I do,” they mewed together.
“Then by the power of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Sunpaw, from this moment you will be known as Sunstreak. StarClan honors your courage and intelligence, and we welcome you as a full member of SkyClan.” He turned to Barkpaw.
“Barkpaw, from this moment you will be known as Barkclaw. StarClan honors your bravery and sense of honor, and we welcome you as a full member of SkyClan.” Next Rockstar turned to Snowpaw.
“From this moment on you will be known as Snowshine. StarClan honors your loyalty and skills, and we welcome you as a full member of SkyClan.” Finally Rockstar turned to his own apprentice, Nightpaw. His tail was quivering with excitement, and his eyes burned into his like fiery embers. Suddenly a name flashed into his mind.
“From this moment on you will be known as Nightflash. StarClan honors your quick thinking and fighting skills, and we welcome you as a full member of SkyClan.”
In turn he rested his muzzle on each newly named warrior, and they licked his shoulder.
“Sunstreak! Barkclaw! Snowshine! Nightflash!” The clan yowled loudly. The cats may have just been apprentices, but they were popular in the clan. Rockstar waited until the yowls and purrs died away.
“The kit we found earlier will be named Whisperkit,” he meowed. “He will be raised in the clan.” He turned to the new warriors.
“You will sit your silent vigil tonight,” he mewed.
“I also need to name a new deputy,” he whispered. “I say this before the spirit of Tinywhisker, that she hears and approves my choice. Bouncefoot will be the new deputy of SkyClan.”
Bouncefoot stared at his brother in complete shock, and dipped his head. All cats around him called his name. Rockstar waited for the purrs to die down until he concluded the meeting.
“This meeting is over.” Rockstar flicked his tail to dismiss the SkyClan cats. Muttering excitedly to each other, they padded away in search of shelter.
Watching them go, Rockstar felt a strange sensation prick at his paws. It was as if the had made a mistake, and a major one. Rockstar kept thinking about it, but it made no sense. Rockstar tried to shake the feeling off, but even as he drifted into sleep, he felt as if he made a fatal mistake.
Fatal??? Is Rockstar predicting something bad coming to his clan???