Sunhigh had come and gone while the cats, full-fed, drowsed in the sunlight or withdrew to the cool shade of the caves. Every cat in the new Clan was there; Firestar had even spotted Sky padding quietly down the gorge and curling up in the shadow of a thorn tree.
Firestar lay beside Sandstorm, his tongue rasping over her shoulder in long, rhythmic strokes. Sandstorm’s eyes were green slits, and a purr rumbled deep in her chest.
“I’m sorry I lost my temper with Scratch,” she murmured.
“You handled him much better.”
Firestar gave her another lick before replying. “Scratch is going to make a fine warrior. But he has to see that the warrior code is about more than just strength. He’ll learn, given time.”
Sandstorm sighed. “Just as Clover has to learn that a Clan is more than protection.” She butted Firestar’s shoulder affectionately with her head. “We’ll have to show them.”
“True. And I think I know how to start.”
He rose to his paws and arched his back in a long stretch.
Then he bounded up to the top of the Rockpile and yowled out the familiar words: “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join here beneath the Rockpile for a Clan meeting!”
Sky started and sat up straight, gazing around as if he wasn’t sure where the call had come from. Leaf and Patch, who had been drowsing together at the water’s edge, raised their heads, then sat up to listen. Scratch popped his head out of his cave. Cherry and Boris came racing down the trail from the cliff top, while Clover’s kits bundled excitedly out of the warriors’ den and bounced down to the gorge, followed more slowly by their mother. Within a few heartbeats the whole
Clan had gathered and sat around the Rockpile looking up at Firestar.
“Cats of SkyClan,” Firestar began. Pride rippled through his fur as he addressed these cats by their Clan name for the first time. “Last night you committed yourselves to this Clan and the warrior code. Today the Clan will honor you with your Clan names. Scratch, Leaf, Hutch, Clover, and Patch, please come to stand at the bottom of the Rockpile.”
Exchanging bewildered glances, the five cats rose to their paws and drew closer to the bottom of the rocks. Clover’s kits tried to follow her, and Sandstorm gently halted them with a sweep of her tail.
Firestar picked his way down the rocks to stand in front of the group of cats. There had never been a warrior ceremony like this before, and he had to get it right so that it had meaning with their warrior ancestors—if there were any watching.
“I, Firestar, leader of ThunderClan and mentor to SkyClan, call upon their warrior ancestors to look down upon these cats,” he began. “They have a true desire to learn the ways of your noble warrior code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn.” Padding up to Scratch, he went on, “Scratch, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”
Scratch hesitated; Sandstorm slipped up behind him and whispered, “Say, ‘I do.’”
“I do,” Scratch meowed, his eyes fixed steadily on Firestar.
“Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Scratch, from this moment you will be known as Sharpclaw. StarClan trusts you will give all your courage and strength to the new Clan.”
Sharpclaw blinked, then dipped his head. Firestar bent to rest his muzzle between the new warrior’s ears.
“Lick his shoulder,” Sandstorm directed.
Sharpclaw obeyed, and stepped back.
“Now we welcome him to the Clan by calling out his name,” Sandstorm meowed. “Sharpclaw! Sharpclaw!”
The rest of the Clan echoed her, Cherry yowling, “Sharpclaw!” at the top of her voice and bouncing up and down enthusiastically.
Firestar gave Patch the warrior name of Patchfoot, and Clover became Clovertail. When he turned to Hutch, he saw doubt and fear in the kittypet’s eyes, and was half-afraid that when he was asked to take the oath he would back out.
“Hutch, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”
Hutch swallowed; his voice shook as he replied, “I do.”
“Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Hutch, from this moment you will be known as Shortwhisker. StarClan trusts you will give all your strength and wisdom to the building of this new Clan.”
As he spoke, he saw the doubt fade from Shortwhisker’s eyes, to be replaced by determination. Firestar knew he would be a fine warrior when he had learned to trust himself.
Finally he turned to Leaf. She had waited quietly, acknowledging each of her new Clanmates by their warrior names, and he was struck by the intentness in her eyes when he spoke to her. There was no hesitation as she meowed, “I do.”
“Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your warrior name. Leaf, from this moment you will be known as Leafdapple. StarClan trusts you will give all your intelligence and loyalty to the building of this new Clan.”
Leafdapple’s amber eyes glowed as Firestar rested his muzzle on her head.
When the Clan had finished calling Leafdapple by her new name, Firestar raised his tail to beckon Cherry and Boris.
Cherry dashed forward at once, eyes sparkling with eagerness, but Boris was hesitant, as if he realized more clearly than his sister what a massive step they were about to take.
“It’s time to add two new apprentices to the Clan,” Firestar mewed. “From this day forward,” he began, touching Cherry on the shoulder with his tail tip, “this apprentice will be known as Cherrypaw. Sharpclaw, you have much to teach an apprentice, so you will be her mentor.”
Cherrypaw’s head whipped around and she stared at Sharpclaw. “Does that mean I have to do what he says?”
“Yes, it does,” Sandstorm replied, an edge to her voice.
“Touch noses with him.”
Sharpclaw stepped forward; Cherrypaw stretched out her neck, gave him a quick dab on the nose, and moved back again.
“What if she doesn’t do what I tell her?” Sharpclaw asked, eyeing his new apprentice. “What do I do then?”
Sandstorm’s eyes sparkled. “Whatever you like.”
“Within reason,” Firestar added hastily, twitching his ears at his mate. “To start with, you’d better ask me or Sandstorm if you need to punish her. We’ll tell you what usually happens in our own Clan.”
Turning to Boris, who had been listening apprehensively, he touched the young tabby on his shoulder. “From this day forward, this apprentice will be known as Sparrowpaw.
Leafdapple, you will be his mentor and share your experience with him.”
The newly named Sparrowpaw stepped forward to touch noses with Leafdapple, but for a heartbeat the she-cat held back, her eyes troubled.
“I’m sorry, Firestar, but I don’t think I can do this,” she meowed. “I’m so new to living in a Clan. How can I train an apprentice properly?”
“Don’t worry,” he replied. “Sandstorm and I will help you.
For a while, every cat will be learning together.”
Relief shone in Leafdapple’s eyes, and she stepped forward to touch noses with Sparrowpaw. “I’ll do my best,” she promised him.
The rest of the Clan welcomed the two apprentices by calling their names, while Cherrypaw and Sparrowpaw listened with shining eyes.
“What about us?” Bounce sprang to his paws from where he sat beside his mother Clovertail. “Why can’t we be apprentices?”
“We want proper Clan names, too,” added his sister Tiny.