Post by ♛ 𝔽𝕒𝕓𝕣𝕚𝕔𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟 on Oct 12, 2019 16:42:07 GMT -5
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when you grow up your heart dies
Bramblesnow
nightclan she-cat 18 moons
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The grazes she had gained during her scrap with the Owl Queen still burned. The scent of the peaty mud and avian blood that splattered her chocolate brown fur pervaded the air, almost disguising the morning scent that warned the cloak of night was finally receding. For once, Bramblepaw was not revelling in the excitement of the legandary battle they had just endured. Her golden eyes did not gleam with mischief or excitement. Her happiness was a dull, blunted edge. The scent suspended in her thoughts was not that of owl or blood. It was of those discarded pellets scattered across the needle-strewn bed beneath the trees where Deathclaw had roosted. It was not the expression of pride on Clovermask’s face as she surveyed the patrol and congratulated them on their victory that was seared into her memory, it was the look on Breezepaw’s face when she told her. Tonight’s victory felt so infinitely pointless if all today meant was that she would never bring her brother home.
Days rolled by. Greenleaf receded. And still Bramblepaw thought of the pellets. Even Roachpaw’s sour, desperate-for-attention demeanor did not annoy her or make her want to tease or torment him. It was so jarring to have gone from hoping to hopeless so suddenly. Her mischief became more forced, a ploy to hide the grief lurking behind her golden eyes. She had never lost anyone before. She found herself staring at Hollowpaw’s empty, cold nest for a long time before she fell asleep each day, the gentle breaths of the apprentices around her little comfort. She didn’t know how to face his loss. So she did the next best thing; she ran from it with every scrap of strength in her legs. She refused to talk to Greywolf about him, no matter what her mentor said. She threw herself into her training with every fibre of her being. Every night heralded the same mundane routine, Hollowpaw’s absence forever waiting in the corner of her thoughts. When the leaves at the edges of TreeClan territory changed from green to golden-orange, she felt shocked. Had so much time passed? She had barely even noticed.
“Let all cats who wear the shadows as their own pelts gather for a Clan meeting!” Darkstar’s voice made her glance sideways from where she stood, about to follow Clovermask out on patrol. Her questioningly raised non-existant eyebrow showed she hadn’t a clue what this was about. There were no kits about to be apprenticed, right? The chocolate brown molly met Darkstar’s fiery orange gaze, remembering just how desperately she had wanted to impress the tortoiseshell leader as a kit. Her throat bobbed as that memory resurfaced with full clarity, Hollowkit and Bramblekit working as a supportive team to encourage Breezekit to overcome her fears. That seemed like it had happened lifetimes ago.
"Breezepaw, Roachpaw, Bramblepaw, Mousepaw, and Hawkpaw," Darkstar said, her tail sweeping as a beckoning gesture. "Please come forward." The realisation smacked Bramblepaw in the face as though a tree branch had dropped on her head. Her mouth fell open, and it took her several moments to regain her composure and force it to close. Her happy demeanor restored, Bramblepaw puffed out her chest, the ghost of a genuine grin drifting across her face. This was what she had anticipated since her days as a kit. This was everything she had worked to achieve, everything she had dreamed of. Her warrior name. "You all have waited long enough to receive your warrior names. You have proven yourselves many times over." Deathclaw flashed through her thoughts. “I, Darkstar, leader of NightClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down upon these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn. Breezepaw, Bramblepaw, Roachpaw, Hawkpaw, and Mousepaw… do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend NightClan, even at the cost of your lives?" The weight of those words truly hit Bramblepaw at that moment. She knew now what that cost truly was. Had this ceremony been taking place moons in the past, she would have answered with mindless autonomy, but now she truly mulled over the severity of her promise, the consequences it would have. “I do.” She answered as Darkstar’s eyes met hers. She couldn’t stop thinking about what her new name might be. Brambleheart! Bramblefang! "Then by the powers of StarClan, I grant you your warrior names." Bramblepaw felt a thrill as she felt Darkstar’s pride like a forceful wave. Darkstar being proud of all of them, including Breezepaw, was all she had ever wanted. "Breezepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Breezewhisker. StarClan honors your determination and your intelligence." Darkstar touched her nose to Breezewhisker’s tortoiseshell head. Bramblepaw looked at her, golden eyes brimming with happiness for her sister. In the slowly growing light of dawn, Breezewhisker looked so much like Echobreeze. Her heart ached. She hoped Echobreeze was proud of her grandchildren, too.
When Darkstar turned to Bramblepaw, her chocolate-colour fur prickled with anticipation. “Bramblepaw, from this moment, you will be known as Bramblesnow. StarClan honors you for your energy and your loyalty." Darkstar stepped forward. The brush of her dark nose against the top of her head felt like she had been plunged into a new identity. Bramblesnow. She felt breathless with amazement at the prospect of having a new name, a new role, a new life. All in one night. The Clan around her raised their voices to the ceiling to chant her new name. “Bramblesnow! Bramblesnow! Bramblesnow!” It was overwhelming. Darkstar stepped away, turning instead to Roachpaw, who stood nearby with his eyes sparking like fire. "Roachpaw, from this moment, you will be known as Roachflight. StarClan honors you for your strength and courage." Bramblesnow found it hard to look at Roachflight with the same contempt she had felt for him as a kit. He was still a tick in the tail alright, but it was hard not to respect the courage he had shown the night they’d both faced the owl together. She flicked an ear. He may be a flea-brain, but he was her clanmate. NightClan. And she knew that no matter what, she could rely on him if they ever had to fight beside eachother again. There was something sobering about the thought that no matter how much you disliked a clanmate, you were bound to them. Like kin.
A dark brown tabby faced Darkstar, his yellow eyes shining in the half-light. Hawkpaw. "Hawkpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Hawkeye. StarClan honors your dedication and your reliability." Bramblesnow hadn’t known Hawkeye well, she had mainly trained with Mousepaw, Roachpaw and her siblings, but even she couldn’t hold back a smile. They’d all come this far together, and now here they all were, warriors of NightClan. A genuine warmth spread through her, ears to tail-tip. Being a warrior would be fun. She knew it was going to be exciting to have so much more independence now. Mousepaw, her gentle, nervous denmate, was the last to receive her name. She looked so small among the burly, muscled warriors, her large ears and eyes distinguishing her from her clanmates. "Mousepaw, from this moment, you will be known as Mousepetal. StarClan honors your sincerity and modesty." Darkstar meowed, and Bramblesnow purred loudly, her happiness spilling over until she couldn’t contain it any longer. But before Bramblesnow could run over to her denmates and brush heads and muzzles with them in congratulations, Darkstar leaped up on the boulder ledge. Bewilderment shone in her golden eyes. What was she up to?
Darkstar fixed Breezewhisker and Bramblesnow with a measured, meaningful stare, her dark muzzle framed by splashed of fiery orange. "There is one cat that should be here today, receiving his warrior name alongside his siblings, but he is walking with StarClan now. However, I believe he deserves to be remembered with a warrior's name." She meowed softly. Bramblesnow choked on a shocked gasp, her eyes round as two moons, her maw parted in a stunned expression. She didn’t know what to do. Whatever she had expected, it wasn’t this. "Spirits of StarClan, I ask that you look upon the apprentice known as Hollowpaw within your ranks. He had learned the warrior code and given up his life in the service of his Clan and I ask that you commend him now as a warrior. By my authority as Clan leader, and with the approval of our warrior ancestors, I grant Hollowpaw his warrior name. From this moment on he will be known as Hollowmask, and NightClan honors him for his fearlessness and his perseverance. We will honor his memory for many seasons to come." That was it. That was all it took. Bramblesnow felt tears brimming in her eyes as she pressed close to Breezewhisker’s side, as much for her own comfort as for her sister’s. Her voice cracked as she raised her voice to join her clanmates, “Hollowmask! Hollowmask!”
Darkstar’s expression was one of ferocious pride as she gazed down at them, and Bramblesnow reached up with a paw to wipe away those stubborn tears. This was her warrior ceremony, she needed to look like a strong and capable NightClan warrior. She swallowed back her grief for Hollowmask, forcing her chin to raise once more to look at Darkstar with determined, if dazed, yellow eyes. "We welcome you all as full warriors of NightClan!" Darkstar yowled, and Bramblesnow hit her tail off Breezewhisker’s side with excitement. We’re finally warriors! It said. "According to tradition, you must sit a silent vigil guarding the camp while the rest of the Clan sleeps. Your vigil begins at dawn." Those next words made Bramblesnow inwardly groan. Toad-dung! She’d forgotten about the stupid vigil. Shouldn’t new warriors get to have a decent day’s sleep? Sighing, she resigned herself to a day of sitting around guarding the entrance to the cavern, listening keenly for something dangerous that would probably never come. “Breezewhisker suits you.” She whispered to her sister, giving her head a proud lap with her tongue.
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