Chapter 27-

Sagepaw sits excitedly beside Cracklight, purrs swelling in his throat. The tom's tail quivers, going back and forth before stilling, and then starting up again. Cracklight steadies the tom's tail with a paw, whiskers twitching in amusement.

"Stay still, Sagekit," Cracklight says, though he can't hide his purrs. Sagepaw huffs, trying to still his vibrating body. Excitement surges through him, and then nervousness. What if he says the wrong thing? Looks the wrong way? What is he supposed to do? Just walk up?

Without his tail to fidget with, Sagepaw turns to his paws and shuffles them. Aloestar smiles brightly. Her eyes lock with Sagepaw's, a goofy grin spreading quickly across the she-cat's slightly scarred face.

"Sagepaw and Smoothpaw have trained hard, and finally have completed their assessment. Starclan has given you new names to honor this achievement," Aloestar purrs, "Sagepaw, please step forward."

Sagepaw is shaking as Cracklight pushes him to his paws, and whispers in his ear. "Go on now." Sagepaw rises, shaky paws somehow managing to carry him to the front of the crowd. Aloestar is smiling, and Sagepaw is grinning, vibrating with excitement. Get on with it! I'm ready.

"I, Aloestar, leader of Thunderclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn," Aloestar purrs, "Sagepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Sagepaw can't believe it's even a question. Of course he will! Who would say no? But somehow, Sagepaw's words don't really meet his lips. He has to nod before the words finally squeeze out, all squeaky and high. "Y-Yes."

"Then," Aloestar smiles triumphantly, "From this day on you will be known as Sagesong. You are honored for your determination and decisiveness."

Sagesong doesn't like his new name, not at all; it's too fluffy, too calm, not like him at all. But as the clan's wave of cheers call his new title he doesn't mind it so much. Instead, the tom puffs out his chest and basks in the praise, and like sunshine, it sinks in in great amounts.

Sagesong scampers off, sadly out of the spotlight, as Aloestar calls for Smoothpaw to step up. Her eyes glisten with something unreadable, but it might be excitement or pride. Either way, her paws can't stop moving either. Sagesong waits patiently for her name to be called, and after a bit, Aloestar's lips push out the word, 'Smoothpearl.'

Smoothpearl giggles like a kit and does a little hop, smiling like the whole name is a joke. She spins, tail raised in the air, chin high, daring for anyone to challenge her.

No cat does.

Sagesong turns, hiding the tiny smile on his face. His eyes scan the crowd for Cracklight, but the orange tom has disappeared into the massive wave of cats. There are too many voices to pick them all out, but all of them hold 'congratulations' and 'good job.' Where did Cracklight go, or even Smoothpearl? Both of them have blended into the quilt of pelts.

"Good job up there," A squeaky, mocking, voice calls from below Sagesong. A pain lights the tom's ankle, and Sagesong lifts his hind paw. Little Whitepaw grins up at him.

"I needed to know if it tasted as bad as it smelled," he explains with an innocent look, before spitting out a bundle of white fur and turning to his siblings, "It does." Sagesong fumes, itching to leap at the white tom. He's only a little bigger, and if he only uses a single claw it might be minor, he could get away with it. But no, he's a warrior now. They're basically kits. He can't get payback, sadly.

"Sorry, Sagesong," A meek voice calls from behind the apprentices, who scatter at the sight of Ferretsqueak, giggling like kits, "I can never get them to stop doing...well anything." The she-cat voice is soft and docile, her eyes giving Sagesong her pain. Sagesong opens his mouth, to ask something, anything, but the she-cat wheels around too quickly. She doesn't want to talk about it.

The rest of the 'congratulations' feel wrong.

                                                                     ~~~

                                                       Flick's POV

Flickerpaw blinks his eyes open as a paw steps purposely on his tail. The tom recoils with a hiss.

"What are you staring for?" Tumblecry says pointedly, before turning back to Fringestrike. The pregnant she-cat laughs awkwardly. Flickerpaw looks away, into the pure black blanket of night. Why isn't he a warrior yet? Was it a mistake to become a medicine cat? Flickerpaw can't decide, but right now it seems it was the wrong decision.

The lean forms of Smoothpearl and Sagesong move slowly out towards the camp entrance. Flickerpaw almost laughs. He can imagine their faces, grumpy and regretful.

"Quit. Staring."

Tumblecry must look twice as grumpy. Flickerpaw gingerly tears his gaze away from his littermates. Tumblecry isn't grumpy. She looks more annoyed, and turns back to Fringestrike. "Look," she orders, paw on Fringestrike's stomach, "Put your paw here." Flickerpaw doesn't want to. He wants to feel pitiful for himself, to look out and dream of being something more than an apprentice. But he can't. Instead he puts his paw on the she-cats stomach, right where Tumblecry's had been.

The little bulge of a kit instantly sticks out to Flickerpaw. A little kick presses on the tom's paw, surprising him. Fringestrike smiles blissfully. Tumblecry looks pleased, and Flickerpaw raises his paw off the she-cat's large stomach.

"I hope I have two kits," Fringestrike rises to her paws, yawning, "One she-kit, one tom. I don't want more kits than I have front paws!" Tumblecry nods.

"Your kits will come soon," she says, "and that might not happen." Fringestrike offers a nervous smile, dipping her head. Flickerpaw almost rolls his eyes. He didn't think the she-cat could be so anxious.

"I know," Fringestrike says softly, grinning up at Tumblecry, "As long as they're healthy I'm happy." Flickerpaw notices his tiny smile is sad as he thinks about his birth. Did Aloestar hope they all were toms? Was she sad when Smoothpearl was born? The questions pull his smile into a frown, and then a neutral expression.

As Fringestrike waddles into the comforting blanket of night, Flickerpaw allows his eyes to find his brother and sister, who stand rigidly next to the camp entrance and dirt place. Sagesong's tail flicks back and forth in clear annoyance. Flickerpaw almost laughs as he turns around.

Vigil is the part of being a warrior Flickerpaw will never be jealous of.

                                                              ~~~

Light floods the spacious medicine cats' den as Flickerpaw wakes, mouth expanding in a wide yawn. Tumblecry's long, thin, shadow casts over the stone, and Flickerpaw blinks his eyes open to see the she-cat pacing nervously.

"What...What's wrong?" Flickerpaw yawns again, trying to force his sleepy, droopy, body up. Tumblecry pauses, as if she'd just noticed he was there. She blinks at the tom quickly.

"I've seen Mantisstar and Funnelstar," she says blankly, "Standing over a white she-cat. With a crooked paw. Dead, rotting. They were mouthing something... 'be careful' I suppose?" The she-cat stops pacing, but her eyes are still panicked. She blinks it away again, and instead locks eyes with Flickerpaw.

"Dead," Flickerpaw repeats, fear sinking in as he leaps to his paws, "Is...Is..." The tom breathes, but the breath is shaky and barely reaches his lungs. His voice slides out in a whisper. "Is... Is Aloestar dead?"

"No," Tumblecry shakes her head, "She's fine. Now, it could be any dead white cat there in the soil. White symbolizes peace. The death of peace. But it could be Aloestar. What do you think?"

What does Flickerpaw think? Flickerpaw doesn't know what to think, so instead he says, "The death of Aloestar is the death of peace. Sagesong will be the leader then." Tumblecry looks at Flickerpaw for a long moment.

"Do you have no trust in your family?" Tumblecry asks Flickerpaw, eyebrows raised, "You look scared to talk to Aloestar, you only give Cracklight a glance, and you ignore your cousins. And of course, you treat Sagesong like an overgrown kit." Flickerpaw looks down with a tiny growl, because she is right.

Flickerpaw doesn't answer, paws shifting uncomfortably. His mind searches for words, but all he can see is Voidflicker's dead body, glass eyes staring up at the morning sky. Before the tom can stop himself, he blurts out, "I think I know something." Tumblecry pricks her ears, looking intrigued. Flickerpaw feels his pelt burn. "Some cat killed Voidflicker and...and...I thought it was Aloestar." Tumblecry looks surprised, and then a little confused. Her mouth opens, then shuts thoughtfully. Finally, it opens again after a long few moments.

"No, Flickerpaw, she didn't," the she-cat says, "The night before you ran off to chase your nightmares, Aloestar came in here just to fret about you. You becoming a medicine cat worried her, and she might still be worried, who knows? But it couldn't be her. Aloestar was fussing all night about her kits, almost until daylight, before you woke."  Tumblecry's eyes find Flickerpaw's, and she breathes shakily. 

"It couldn't have been her."