Chapter 17

    It has been a moon since Nyghtkit's vision had gone. The weather began to warm up, and prey began to wake up from their hibernation. Nyghtkit had visited Cherrystar many times in her dreams, but only for a short moment. Cherrystar would only ask how Nyghtkit was doing, and then immediately send her back to reality, where she slept soundly.



    Nyghtkit lay outside next to the elders den, gazing up at the sky. The sun was going down, causing all the cats in the clan to yawn with tired eyes. The fresh kill pile had dramatically risen, offering plenty of food for everyone in the clan.
    It hadn't taken Nyghtkit long to get used to only having half of her vision. She lived most of her life being trapped behind a layer of cobwebs. She closed her eyes, enjoying the cool wind blow onto her once-hidden face. She felt free again. 
    Nyghtkit looked among her clanmates, who still ignored her. Occasionally they would glance down at her, but that didn't mean anything. Why did Nyghtkit always look up to the warriors if they neglected her? Did they not think she was worthy enough to be protected?
    Her friends were growing up without her. Maplepaw and Specklepaw were very muscular and looked almost full-grown. They both sat under the shade of the Clanrock with their mentors, Hawkstrike and Frecklepelt. Sunfall and Fireshadow sat a good distance away, sharing a mole and gazing at their kits with pride. They both purred happily and groomed eachother, obviously love-struck. 
    Petalwing had herbs spread out in front of the medicine cat den, quizzing Emberpaw. Nyghtkit heard her sister murmuring and watched as she pointed her paws at certain piles of herbs.


    Nyghtkit's thoughts were interrupted by a loud yowl. Every cat in the clan perked their ears and looked on top of the Clanrock. Miststar sat proudly atop the boulder, her thick white pelt ruffling in the wind. 
    "Newleaf has finally arrived," she announced. "I must thank all of those who worked to provide prey for us all. We all are very lucky to have you in this clan." Miststar dipped her head gratefully. All of the warriors puffed out their chest in pride, their eyes shining in success.
 
    "I have a lot to announce today." Miststar continued. "First, I'm happy to say that we will be graduating two apprentices! Please, come forward." Copperpaw and Echopaw emerged from the crowd, gracefully padding to the front. Copperpaw's rusty brown fur was messy and untouched, his serious golden eyes gazing up at his leader. Echopaw's white and silver fur, neatly groomed, shone in the light of dusk. Both of their muscles rippled under their pelts.
    Their mentors, Dustwind and Foxtail sat behind them, eyeing their apprentices. The two she-cats glanced at eachother and twitched their whiskers, obviously feeling accomplished. 

      Miststar leaped off the Clanrock and stood in front of the two apprentices.  "I, Miststar of Dewclan, call upon our Starclan ancestors to look down on these two apprentices. They both have trained long and hard to value your noble code," Miststar meowed, her voice echoing in the camp. 

    "Do you, Copperpaw, promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your clan at all costs?"

    "I do," Copper announced proudly, his voice deep.

    "Then by the power of Starclan, I give you your new warrior name. From this moment on you will be known as Copperpelt. Starclan honors your bravery and we welcome you as a full warrior of Dewclan." Miststar leaned closer to Copperpelt and rested her nose on top of his head. After a moment, she leaned back, watching as Copperpelt dipped his head in gratitude. Miststar's pale green eyes shifted to Echopaw.

    "Now, do you, Echopaw, promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your clan, even at the risk of your life?"

    "Yes," Echopaw murmured, her voice trembling with anticipation.

    "Then by the power of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. From now on you will be known as Echosong. Starclan honors your skill and we welcome you as a full warrior of Dewclan," Miststar said proudly. She repeated the same process with Echosong as with Copperpelt. "Both of you will sit and guard the camp in silence all night."

    "Echosong! Copperpelt! Echosong! Copperpelt!" 

    The clan cheered loud enough for Starclan to hear. The two new warriors gazed around their clanmates, their eyes dancing with happiness and success. Nyghtkit murmured their names even though she knew they wouldn't hear.


    After a small moment of celebrating, all the members of Dewclan began to retreat to their dens. Miststar yowled, catching the attention of everyone.
    "We aren't done yet," Miststar meowed, a slight tinge of humor in her voice. "Smokekit, please come forward." 
    Nyghtkit's heart hammered in her chest as she watched Smokekit struggle in his mother's paws. Morningdew groomed his fur and scowled as he broke free, ramming into anyone he could to get to the front of the crowd. The warriors narrowed her eyes down at the energetic ball of fur. Nyghtkit could have swore she heard Miststar sigh in annoyance.

    "Smokekit, you have reached the age of six moons and are ready to be apprenticed," Miststar spoke, her voice bland. Jealousy exploded in Nyghtkit's veins. How could such a mousebrain that doesn't think before he speaks become an apprentice before her?

    "From this day forward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Smokepaw. Your mentor will be Graymask," Miststar paused as Graymask pushed past the crowd and sat next to Smokepaw. Nyghtkit wrinkled her nose in confusion. Why would Miststar have Smokepaw's father also be his mentor?
    "Graymask, you are ready to train an apprentice. I expect you to pass on all you know down to your son." Graymask nodded briefly. He certainly didn't seem to be surprised about this. Morningdew looked extremely worried.
    Smokepaw puffed out his chest and faced the crowd, his pale green eyes scanning the crowd, waiting for them to chant his new name. Nyghtkit rolled her eyes in pure annoyance. 
 
    "Smokepaw! Smokepaw!" The clan chanted in unison. 

    Nyghtkit stayed silent and trudged over to the medicine cat den. She stepped over the herbs that were left out in the clearing by Petalwing. She couldn't stand these ceremonies anymore, she couldn't watch herself get left behind anymore. 


    "Nyghtkit," Miststar's familiar voice cut through the forest. Nyghtkit froze, wondering if she was hearing things. She slightly turned her head, her heart beating faster as she saw the whole clan gazing at her. "please, step forward."

    She felt her pads begin to sweat. Shyly, she turned around. "M-me?"

    "Yes, you," Miststar mewed, her whiskers twitching in amusement.

    Nyghtkit feared her heart would explode. Her blood pulsed so quickly she almost felt faint. She asked herself many questions as she slowly made her way in front of the crowd. She felt every eye in the clearing burning onto her fur and skin. Her sister stared at her, her amber eyes shocked and happy at the same time. Specklepaw gasped and squealed with joy, Maplepaw trying to calm her down. She wondered how unkempt and messy her fur looked at the moment. She probably looked like a fool, but that's the last thing she worried about. Her mind swirled with new thoughts and fears, but they all went silent as she sat down in front of Miststar. Her eyes were warm and inviting.

    "Many moons of watching you suffer, many moons of watching you heal. I'm thrilled to say that you are ready to take apprenticeship today," meowed Miststar. Nyghtkit could barely hear her due to the blood roaring in her ears. 

    "From this day onward, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Nyghtpaw," Miststar proudly meowed. The camp was dead silent. "and your mentor will be Clovertail." Her heart leaped out of her chest. Clovertail! This really is the happiest day of her life!
    Clovertail quickly padded over to the scene and sat down next to his new apprentice, his bright green eyes shining with excitement. This was the best mentor Nyghtpaw could have asked for. 

    "Clovertail, I have passed down all my knowlege to you. It is time you pass down what you know to an apprentice," Miststar leaned in a little and smirked. "plus, you've been begging me to apprentice Nyghtpaw to you."

    "Y-you didn't have to mention that last part..." Clovertail huffed. Nyghtpaw's mentor kneeled down and buried his nose into the top of her head. Warmth spread through Nyghtpaw's body, her heart swelling with joy. This is the moment she's been waiting for for so long. Almost eight moons of waiting, and it all turned out right.

    "Nyghtpaw! Nyghtpaw! Nyghtpaw!" The whole clan cheered happily. Even Smokepaw rejoiced, but Morningdew must have forced him. Their chants echoed in Nyghtpaw's mind. Gazing around her clanmates, she finally felt she was a part of something. Every face around her was something entirely new. 

    "Dismissed," Miststar mewed before retreating into her den. Nyghtpaw was surrounded by her clanmates and almost everyone congratulated her. Most of the warriors nodded their heads in approval and left. Sunfall and Morningdew told her her mother would be very proud, causing Nyghtpaw to feel slightly emotional. Halftail and the other elders smothered her in an embrace, telling her how happy they were for her. 

    "You'll have to rise up bright and early tomorrow if you want a tour from yours truly," Clovertail purred, giving her one last glance before disappearing into the warriors den.

    Nyghtpaw caught Darkfury staring at her from the opposite side of the camp. His olive green eyes were sad and pained. His dark gray pelt was matted, and he looked tired as ever. He quickly looked away and stood up, awkwardly shuffling to the warriors den. Nyghtpaw tilted her head, curious why he wouldn't interact with her.

    "Nyghtpaw!!" a voice screeched behind her. Nyghtpaw flinched and whirled around, coming muzzle to muzzle with Specklepaw. "Nyghtpaw, I'm so so so happy for you! You're finally one of us," she screeched happily. "I've been waiting for this for so long!"

    "You have no idea," Nyghtpaw laughed quietly. She couldn't wipe the smile off her muzzle. Maplepaw and Emberpaw quickly joined Specklepaw.
    "Congrats, Nyghtpaw," Maplepaw said smoothly. His brownish eyes were glinting playfully. "I hope we can spar together sometime, yeah?" Nyghtkit nodded in response, accepting his challenge. Maplepaw nodded and curled his tail around paws neatly. He glanced over at his sister and nudged her shoulder, causing her to slowly nod and give Nyghtpaw a final glance before going into the apprentice den. Emberpaw sat in front of her, her amber eyes mixed with sadness and joy.

    "Sorry, I, uh," she stammered, fidgeting with her tail curled around her. "I just wanted to say something..." Nyghtpaw eyed her, waiting for her to speak.
    Emberpaw closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I-I didn't want to leave you behind like that, and I know you wanted us to grow up together as warriors. B-but, when you were in that coma, I got so stressed and I didn't know what to do. Petalwing started to teach me about herbs, because I was always next to you, waiting for you to wake up," Emberpaw's voice shook. "and when you did I realized I wanted to help and save cats like Petalwing did to you."

    Nyghtkit frowned. Petalwing may have healed her scars but not her vision or confidence. She left that behind, though. She didn't want to ruin this moment with her sister. 

    "I couldn't sleep next to you at night anymore because Petalwing said I could get sick from it, and that would interfere with my apprenticeship. Please, Nyghtpaw, forgive me-"

    "It's okay," Nyghtpaw soothed. She curled herself around Emberpaw, trying to comfort her. She could slowly feel her bond with Emberpaw recovering. Emberpaw quickly relaxed into Nyghtpaw's pelt. Nyghtpaw stared straight ahead, trying to think of something to say, when she saw a glint of light come from a brance of a tree. Nyghtkit followed the light until she saw a figure that looked like a she-cat watching them. Its eyes slowly blinked at Nyghtkit and vanished into thin air. Nyghtpaw shook her head, wondering if she was beginning to see things.

    "I'm so glad this is off my shoulders, Ny," Emberpaw sighed into her fur. Nyghtpaw choked back a laugh.    

    "Ny? Is that a new nickname you're giving me?"

    "Yes, now accept it," Emberpaw laughed.

    Nyghtpaw rolled her eyes. "In that case, I'll call you Em," she laughed jokingly. 

    "Okay!" Emberpaw said happily. Nyghtpaw widened her eyes. She was just kidding. She shrugged, letting her sister have this. They broke free from eachother and went into the apprentice den. Nyghtpaw nodded at Copperpelt and Echosong, who was doing their silent vigil for the night, earning a happy nod back.


    The apprentice den was smaller than the medicine cat den, but it was much warmer. Smokepaw was already asleep in a nest in the far corner of the room. Specklepaw and Maplepaw lay in nests that were next to eachother. Specklepaw's eyes lit up when she saw Nyghtpaw pushed herself through the entrance. 
    "It's a good thing two apprentices graduated today," Maplepaw nodded towards a free nest that was pushed against a wall. "That was Echosong's nest."

    Emberpaw sunk her jaws into her nest that was in the middle of the den and dragged it next to the empty nest. Specklepaw immediately stood up and did the same thing. Maplepaw rolled his eyes and eventually gave in as well. The four nests made of moss now lay very near eachother. Nyghtpaw climbed into her new nest, claiming it. It was already much more warm and comfortable than her old one. Her friends all did the same, quickly falling asleep. They all said their goodnights before falling into slumber. Nyghtpaw's heart swelled. She wasn't as alone anymore.

    Nyghtpaw felt a paw slither into her nest and rest on top of her paw. She narrowed open her eyes and easily recognized the white paw of her sister. Nyghtpaw quickly licked Emberpaw's paw and closed her eyes again, eventually falling to sleep. It was different this time; she could fall asleep happy. And she did.