[Deleted]

Hurrying out of the Moon Tree cavern ahead of the others, even without Kindleflare, was entirely uncharacteristic for Tigereye. But he was far too excited to tell Lynxfire his new name to wait patiently, and he didn’t want to hurry any of the others for his sake either if they wanted to mingle and chat. He would be perfectly alright with waiting outside with his sister, or even rejoining the group inside after he’d shared his news, if they still hadn’t appeared.

He hastily dipped his head toward the warriors waiting to escort their medicine cats back home safely as he made his way past them to where Lynxfire and Icefeather were sitting. By the time he reached the two warriors, he was beaming, which was also entirely uncharacteristic, and he continued forward until he had butted his head under his sister’s chin, a purr rumbling in his throat. He forced himself to take a quick step back, grinning up at her, “Kindleflare gave me my name!” He even lifted his chin in a rare display of pride, “I’m Tigereye now!”

His ears flicked back almost immediately upon the declaration and his head tilted back down, returning to a posture far more normal for the timid tom, “Do… do you like it? Does it sound okay?” There was no changing it at this point, really, but he hadn’t actually stopped to think about it much until now. Tigereye. He had always been quick to notice things, he supposed, so he was sure it was fitting. Kindleflare had probably thought about it a lot before she’d made the decision. It wasn’t something his mentor would have taken lightly.

Taxx

[Taxx]

L Y N X F I R E

I've got the eye of a fighter
Dancing through the fire

She wasn't used to staying up all night, and by the time Tigerpaw had reappeared, scampering from the cavern, Lynxfire had been having trouble keeping her eyes open. She'd just decided it might be better to take a short walk, to keep herself from falling asleep. The heavy paw of sleep lifted quickly enough when she spotted her brother darting from the cave and she shook herself hard, rising to her paws. She caught sight of his bright expression, ears tipping in confusion, but before she could do more than draw breath to ask, he was pressing his head against her chin and telling her the news.

If she'd had a tail, it would have stuck straight up. As it was, she grinned and gave him an enthusiastic purr in return. "Tigereye!" she repeated, and leaned over to rasp her tongue over his ears in glee. "That's a great name, it suits you. Kindleflare knows what she's doing. We made it!" While he was still technically an apprentice, getting his name was a mark that he had learned enough to earn it. Her voice dropped, her head pushing close to her brother's as she continued. "One day, you'll see. I'll be leader and you'll be my medicine cat."

A last lick and she pulled back. "Firesky will be proud. I wonder if Kindleflare told her what she was planning- Mother might be waiting for you when we get back."

And you're gonna hear me roar

@zen    Notes

[Deleted]

A rumbling purr picked back up in his throat as his sister accepted his new name with equal excitement. Tigereye couldn’t help but grin as she told him one day she’d be leader and he’d be her medicine cat. For a moment he let the fantasy of it run away with him. How proud would Firesky and Russetfall be then? He stood a little taller. As Lynxfire had said, they’d made it. In the nursery, he’d wondered if he would ever earn his full name, but that was back when he’d thought he’d have to be a warrior. He humored his sister, “Lynxstar and Tigereye.” His whiskers twitched with amusement, “You just have to decide who your deputy would be.”

When she mentioned that Firesky might be waiting for them to return, he glanced back toward where he’d left Kindleflare’s side, wondering if his mentor had indeed told his mother what she’d been planning, or if it would be just as much surprise to her as it was to him. He would have to ask her. Suddenly a bit nervous, he looked back to Lynxfire, “You… you really think she’ll be proud of me?” He still worried that his mother might see him as a coward. After his horrible defensive training lesson with her, he couldn’t have made it more clear that he would have made a terrible warrior if Kindleflare hadn’t chosen him as her apprentice. He couldn’t help but wonder if Firesky saw it as a coward’s way out. She was so fierce and strong, she’d led cats into battle, and he felt like he’d never measure up properly as her son, no matter how good a medicine cat he might become.

Taxx

[Taxx]

L Y N X F I R E

I've got the eye of a fighter
Dancing through the fire

Tigereye's purr filled the brief quiet at her reply, followed by the name she hoped really would be hers one day. As Lynxfire she was just another warrior- but as Lynxstar? She would rule LightningClan better than any leader before, guiding them to the greatness they deserved. For a moment she was lost in that dream, only to blink as her brother spoke again and refocus on him. With a scoff she didn't bother holding back or being remotely quiet about, she butted her head against his shoulder, hard enough to rock him.

"She'd better!" Lynxfire replied. "She should know how hard you've worked toward this. She should be happy that you're happy. And if she tries to say anything stupid, I'll shove a shrew in her mouth to shut her up." She cast a glance over her shoulder at Kindleflare, who was talking to the TreeClan medicine cat, and then turned back to Tigereye. "Come on, we should get home. Unless you'd rather wait for Kindleflare. I guess my nest can wait a little longer, but I swear I'll claw the ears of any cat who tries to wake me before sunhigh." Another nudge, gentler this time to show she was just teasing him- somewhat. She really would like to have a decent sleep once they all got home again.

And you're gonna hear me roar

@zen  Notes

[Deleted]

He stumbled as his sister butted her head against his shoulder. Lynxfire always reassured him, and he had needed a lot of reassurance in his life thus far. He felt a rush of love for his sister, but his purr cut off abruptly as she threatened to shove a shrew in their mother’s mouth. “L-Lynxfire! You shouldn’t say things like that…,” his scolding trailed off sheepishly. He knew she was only threatening such a thing for his sake, after all. Still, she shouldn’t be disrespectful toward their mother, their former leader. He took a deep breath and tried not to get too worried about how his mother might react. Maybe she would be proud of him after all. Being a medicine cat was no easier than being a warrior, there were just different duties and challenges. More than anything, he hoped she would be proud of him.

“Oh, we should wait. I haven’t even thanked her yet… for everything she’s done for me. I was just so excited to tell you,” his amber gaze flicked back toward his mentor, feeling a bit guilty about rushing ahead without her. But she would understand. She always understood, was always so patient. StarClan had blessed him with an amazing mentor. He couldn’t have asked for anyone better. His success was as much hers as it was his, and he was looking forward to many more moons of learning from her and working beside her. He turned back to brush his cheek against Lynxfire’s affectionately, teasing, “I’m so glad you came with tonight… even if you are gonna be tired and cranky tomorrow.” He purred softly in amusement, “I’ll go see if Kindleflare is ready to head back yet.”

Taxx fin?