Dawnskys heart



   Moonpaw kept pace with Silverwing as she ran through the forest in the trees. She was unbeiliavbly excited. Today, she would earn her full clan name! She was happy to be able to see the other Medicine cats too. Darkpool had a new apprentice, Goldpaw. She had introduced him at the last trip to the Moonpool. Moonpaw sniffed the air and stopped, looking down to find Daisytail pelting through the forest, scanning the trees “Daisytail! Up here!” Moonpaw called. Daisytail looked up in the trees, then climbed up to join her. “Hi, Moonpaw. Everything okay?” She nodded “Silverwing’ll give me my full name tonight!” “That’s great, Moonpaw!” Daisytail and the rest of the Thunderclan cats had returned to their camp after the last gathering, where Stonestar seemed to welcome the refuges. Moonpaw, who had been there, had noticed, that, under the calm, collected, intelligent-seeming leader, was a insanity.”How’s Rosestar doing?” she asked. “better, since Windclan has backed off, even if just enough to live in their own camp, mainly. They come and go as they please, and Rosestar doesn’t bother trying to stop it. I think she’s scared Stonestar will take over completely again.” She told Moonpaw. “I don’t blame her. It must be horrible to have your clan swept right out from under your nose like that. Daisytail nodded. Silverwing lept from the trees at fourtrees. “hello, Snowflower” the sleek white riverclan she-cat flicked her tail in greeting. Daisytail and Moonpaw lept from the trees and caught up with her. “Where’s Mossfoot?” Silverwing asked, noticing the old tabby tom wasn’t with her this time. “He retired to the elders den two sunrises ago.” Snowflower answered simply. “I see.” The four she-cats traveled on.



   Darkpool trotted from Shadowclan territory next. She shook her pelt out and turned to look at Moonpaw. “You must be reiceving your name tonight.” She smiled. The observative she-cat didn’t miss a thing. Moonpaw nodded. She saw a shape on the horizon. “There’s Sheepfur.” She commented. Silverwing nodded. The nervous young tom hurried up to them. “Hi.” He said, out of breath. “everythings going well, I hope?” he asked. “Oh, much better now that Windclans backed off. Your doing, I suppose?” She spoke pointedly at Sheepfur. “In part, I suppose.” He said, unwilling to volunteer anything more. After traveling for the better part of an hour, they arrived at mothermouth. Moonpaw flopped down on the sun-bleached rock outside the cave to wait for moonhigh.



   Moonhigh came, and Moonpaw followed Silverwing and the other Medicine cats down into the tunnel. She had come so many times she nearly knew her way. But she stayed in the back of the group, just in case.

She felt her whiskers twitch as the cave opened up in front of her. A light breeze blew form somewhere in the distance. The medicine cats fanned out around the stone, now a dull pillar of rock, and sat, waiting for the moon. Silverwing stepped forward. “I would like to give my apprentice, Moonpaw, her full clan name.” She spoke into the grey darkness. “I bring this apprentice before starclan in the light of the half moon. She had trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat and the ways of your noble code. I now commend her to you as a full medicine cat.” Silverwing spoke strongly, and Moonpaw wondered if she had done this before. “Moonpaw, do you promise to uphold and protect the ways of the medicine cat’s code?” Moonpaw nodded, surer than she had ever been in her life. “then I give you your full name. From this moment on, you will be known as Moonleaf. Starclan honors your kindness and compassion.”



Dawnsky slept in her nest in the warriors den until well past sunrise. It was two moons after their warrior ceremony. When she opened her eyes, both Ambereye and Smoketails nests were empty. She padded outside. Ambereye was lying beside Bluetail near the frozen waterwall pool. He was grooming her head gently. She smiled. She knew that Ambereye liked Bluetail, liked him a lot. She knew that Bluetail liked her sister, too. She hoped they were happy together. Meanwhile, who she liked and who she didn’t was undetermined. Even Dawnsky herself had no clue. She liked Gingerblaze, but she liked Ashclaw too. The question was, which liked her back the most? She couldn’t think on her own any more. She went to the medicine den.



   Moonleaf was mixing herbs sitting in the dappled snowy light under the willow. There was hardly no snow in the small clearing, making it easier to get around. She walked up beside her sister. “Hello, Dawnsky.” The cream-colored she-cat said, looking up. “whats the matter.” Moonleaf could see it in her eyes. Something was wrong. “I-I just came to talk to you about… something.” She said, trying not to cry. “What is it? You can tell me” Moonpaw said, unsure of what was troubling her sister. “Gingerblaze and Ashclaw. I like both of them, but I have no idea who I should choose!” she said quietly. Ahh, thought Moonleaf. “You’re lucky, Moonleaf. You’ll never have to decide between two toms who both really like you.” She nodded. She never would have to make that decision. “it’s all right. Which one do you think likes you  the most?” Moonleaf questioned her littermate. “I don’t know! I thought about that too, but I still can’t choose!” she wailed softly. The willow fronds rustled. Dawnsky groaned. She didn’t want anyone to see her like this. She breathed a sigh of relief at the scent that reached her nose. It was Mapletail. “Moonleaf, Rainkit has a thorn in his paw- what’s wrong?” She had spotted Dawnsky, her kit, hunched behind Moonleaf. “She’s torn between Gingerblaze and Ashclaw. She really can’t choose.” Moonleaf told their mother. “Oh, Rainkits thorn can wait, Fawncloud will have it out quickly, anyway.” She came to sit on the other side of Dawnsky. “It’s all right, sweetheart, you’ll come to a decision in the end. Its hard, but when you do decide, you’ll find out if you made the right choice very quickly.” “I know, but I know I’ll break someones heart, even if I choose the right one.” Mapletail thought for a long time. When she spoke again, she said “Dawnsky, I knew from the moment you were born that you and your littermates have a destiny. One that you take part of and therefore will not be fulfilled with a certain cat. The cat you must choose must be encouraging to you, standing for you and up for you but not on you or in front of you. You will soon learn the meaning of this.” She finished. Moonleaf glanced at her. “Mapletail, you have spoken words worthy of Starclan themselves.” “that’s a mothers job, isn’t it? To spew wisdom from our ears to tail.” She laughed as she got up to leave. “Where are you going, Dawnsky?” Moonleaf asked her. “I’m not really sure.”



   Dawnsky sat beside Gingerblaze. It had been half a moon since she visited Moonleaf and Mapletail. Stormheart, the clan deputy, had been thinking about retiring, after his wound from the battle with Windclan didn’t heal properly. He had formerly stepped down to the elders den, leaving the deputy position free. “I might like to become deputy one day…” Dawnsky spoke thoughtfully. Gingerblaze looked at her strangely. “Well, when I become leader, I’ll be sure to make you mine.” He laughed.” So you want to be deputy?” she asked. “More than anything. I want to be leader one day, and that’s the first step, right? When I’m leader, I’ll make every cat in the forest part of one great skyclan! No one would fight over prey or borders, it would be great! And I would be leader of it all! And you would be by my side, helping me rule the forest. If you could ask Snowstar… he really liked your father. Could you tell him to consider me?” He asked “Is that what you plan to do?” she asked “I still might like to be deputy…” “No, Dawnsky. Please don’t try. I really want this. Really  want this. Please just let me.” He told her. Dawnsky wondered. “but not standing on you or in front of you” She murmered her mothers advice to herself. Was this what standing on was like? It deffinitly felt like he was trying to stand on her to get to the prize.



   Dawnsky, Gingerblaze, Ambereye, Ashclaw, and Ashclaw’s apprentice, Poplarpaw, were out on border patrol. They skirted down the Riverclan border when Ambereye stopped, sniffed the air and said “I smell windclan.” Gingerblaze looked toward the Riverclan border. “It’s coming from their territory.” Dawnsky listened closely. She could hear the screeches of fighting cats coming from the riverclan camp! “Theres fighting down there! And I think Riverclan is losing!” She yowled. “Are you sure?” her sister asked. Dawnsky nodded. She knew Ambereye was thinking of going to help Riverclan. Crossing a boundary line was a big deal. If nothing turned out to be wrong, there would be trouble. If something was wrong, and Skyclan went to help, Riverclan would be thankfull. “Alright. Lets go!” the Skyclan patrol charged into enemy territory.



   Ambereye and her patrol waded through the river towards Riverclans camp on the island. There was deffinitly fighting in the camp. The patrol climbed on dry land and lept into battle without bothering to shake the water from their pelts

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<p class="MsoBodyText">   Dawnsky leapt into battle. She sunk her teeth into a bracken-colored tom and pulled him from a Riverclan she-cat. Her fur was so matted with mud and blood she had to study the cat for too long to recognize her. “Briarstar!” She screeched. The Riverclan leader was lying in the mud. Dawnsky grabbed her by the scruff and dragged her into the ferns in the corner of the clearing. She spotted Mossfoot, the former Riverclan medicine cat, and called him over. “She’s fine. She’s lost a life, but I’ll sit with her until she wakes. Thank you for coming, Dawnsky. We still may loose this fight, but not as bad as we would have. Dawnsky nodded, then leapt back into the fighting. She saw Ashclaw struggling with a tawny she-cat. Attacking a black apprentice, she bit into his ear and sent him howling out through the bushes. Dawnsky whirled around. A massive tortheshell tom jumped on her, squashing her flat. Dawnsky didn’t miss a beat. She wriggled from under his claws and sprang on him, nipping his shoulder, then jumped away out of reach. Dashing back in, the tom reared on his forepaws, trying to land on her back. Dawnsky ducked under him, shredding his belly with her claws. The tom landed on his side, bleeding heavily. Dawnsky backed up to the edge of the clearing, panting. Her leg hurt terribly, she realized the tom had clawed her. Gingerblaze appeared in front of her, just as she was preparing to fling herself back into the fray. “Don’t go back into the fight, Dawnsky,” He told her “your hurt. You should go back to camp.” She shook her head “Your hurt to.”   A powerful white tom growled and charged them. Gingerblaze whirled, snarling. “Don’t touch her.” He slashed the cat on the face and he backed into the fight. “I can fight my own battles, Gingerblaze” she told him, getting mad. “NO. go back, Dawnsky! Don’t keep fighting!” Ashclaw stopped beside her, tired and bloody. “Let her fight, Gingerblaze.” He said. “No. She won’t be able to keep up!” Dawnsky snarled. “Let her Fight, Gingerblaze.” Ashclaw snarled. “No!” Ashclaw lashed out at Gingerblaze, slashing his muzzle. He fell, yowling. “Come on. Lets win this thing” Ashclaw told her. Dawnsky nodded, and they leapt back into the fight.

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<p class="MsoBodyText">   The battle ended as the last of windclan retreated. Dawnsky smiled and flopped down next to Ashclaw. “he must be encouraging to you, standing for you and up for you, but not on you or in front of you” she mumbled her mothers words under her breath. Gingerblaze had stood in front of her today, trying to protect her. He had proved that he could stand on her for his ambition, as well. Today, Ashfur had stood up for her by taking on Gingerblaze. She smiled. She Liked Ashfur much more than Gingerblaze. “Ashfur” She started “let me guess. You want to thank me for how amazingly I handled that idiot bully, Gingerblaze. You wondered what you ever saw in him, and want to admit that you loved me since we were kits.” Dawnsky looked at him strangely. “Dead on.” Ashclaw seemed surprised. “You mean, really?” She nodded. “I don’t know what I saw in that loser. I like you, Ashclaw. I think I might love you.” And there, under the ferns of the Riverclan camp, Ashclaw licked her head gently, they settled in for the night together. Their first night as mates