Sparks of a Fire

Chapter 55

The breeze ruffled her dark fur and her eyes shimmered like jade in the light of the late afternoon sun. Her tail flicked anxiously from left to right as she stared ahead of her in the direction of the medicine cat's den.

Shadefoot sighed and looked over to where she knew her sister, Dreamdust, was now training her own apprentice. The black she-cat was just glad to see her sister happy again. The death of her mentor had been extremely hard on poor Dreamdust (Dreampaw at the time). Dispire the hard times in the months after the elder medicine cat had passed away, Shadefoot knew that her sister was strong and that she would push threw her grief to become a better healer.

And Shadefoot had been right in her assumptions. Dreampaw did become a much better healer during her darkest days and when it came time for her to receive her true name as a medicine cat from StarClan, it was thir leader who had escorted the young silver-furred apprentice to the Starfalls where their ansesgerso could be reached.

Lightningheart was a fantastic medicine cat, and Shadefoot could still recall the days when she would wake up to play with her sister, only to find her with Lightningheart in the medicine cat's den.

Even back then, when they were only three moons old, it was pretty obvious to Shadefoot that her sister hade made up her mind. She could tell from day one that her sister had her heart set on training with Lightningheart to become a healer instead of a fighter.

"Hey Shadefoot, are you alright?" Shadefoot spun around to see her best friend, Springmist, staring straight at her with a worried expression written all over her face.

"Thinking about your sister again?" Springmist asked to witch she got a nod in response from the dark-furred she-cat. Springmist could read her best friend like an open storybook.

Shadefoot blinked and looked up at Springmist with a curious expression. "Yeah, how'd you guess?"

Springmist laughed and playfully cuffed one of her friend's ears with one of her snow-white paws. "Oh come on Shade! I've known you for like your entire life!" Shadefoot laughed quietly to herself at that and twitched her whiskers in amusement.

"That's true."

Silence fell on the two she-cats yet again.

"So now what?"

Shadefoot sighed yet again for like the fifth time and twitched an ear. "I don't know Spring!" she meowed softly. "I've got nothin? How bout you?"

Springmist was about to open her mouth and ask Shadefoot about how her relationship with Swiftstep was going, but she was interrupted by Twilightstar.

"All cats old enough to race with the shadows, join beneath the Duskstone for a SpiritClan meeting!"

Blinking in confusion, the pair of she-cats patted over to the base of the tall bush to see what their leader had to say.

From across the clearing, Shadefoot saw her sister sitting in front of her den with her new apprentice, Bloodpaw, who was sitting patiently and calmly beside her.

Twilightstar waited for everyone to gather before she started speaking.

"Attention, noble cats of SpiritClan!" she began calmly, her green gaze sweeping over the Clan as she spoke. "It has come to my attention that we will need a new replacement deputy until Lemurmist has had her kits!"

The whole Clan fell silent at those words.

But then, one cat spoke up in a small yet clear tone voice so everyone else could hear him properly. "Um, Twilightstar? I mean no disrespect by what I am about to say, but are you sure that we have a cat to fill the position of temporary deputy until Lemurmist has kitted?"

Shadefoot hissed lowly and glaired at the cat who had spoken. "Are you questioning our leader's choices, Darkpool?" Shadefoot mewed with an angry flick of her tail.

Darkpool opened his mouth but no words came out. "That's what I thought, Mr smarty-claws." Shadefoot smirked to herself and turned back to face Twilightstar, who'd been watching the exchange with a calm and amused gleem in her eyes.

Twilightstar cleared her throat and continued speaking to the rest of her Clan. "And so, I say these words in front of both our warrior ancestors and Lemurmist so they may hear and approve of my choice. The new temporary deputy of SpiritClan is Leopardstorm."

upon hearing her name being called, the black-and-gold spotted she-cat steped forward, her water-blue eyes shinning with determination as she met her leader's gentle hazel-eyed stare.

"I will do my absolute best to serve this Clan and to make both you and Lemurmist proud." Leopardstorm meowed softly while dipping her head respectfully toward both her leader and deputy.

"Leopardstorm! Leopardstorm! Leopardstorm!" the whole Clan cheered as loud as they possibly could. They cheated do loud that they were pretty sure that even the other Clans and StarClan themselves could hear them.

"I also have another thing to announce," Twilightstar spoke. "Crowswoop, is Silkpaw ready to become a warrior?"

Crowswoop nodded. "She is."

Silkpaw's eyes went wide with surprise.

"I, Twilightstar, leader of SpiritClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Silkpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Silkpaw didn't hesitate. "I do." "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Silkpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Silkshade. StarClan honors your intelligence and honest, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SpiritClan."

"Silkshade! Silkshade! Silkshade!" the Clan cheered Silkshade's new name.

"As of tradition, Silkshade will sit in silent vigil all night and guard the camp while the rest of us sleep. You are all dismissed!" when Twilightstar was finished speaking, a few cats went to the prey pile to get something to eat before going to sleep for the night.

As Shadefoot was making her way to the warriors den to get some well-needed rest, she caught sight of Silkshade being congratulated by her mother, Ravenwind.

Shadefoot could distantly recall that Silkshade had, at one point, had a brother. His name was Jetkit if she remembered correctly. But according to Dreamdust, poor little Jetkit was just too week, and sadly he didn't survive through the night.

But Shadefoot also new that Silkshade had a sister who had survived the sickness that had taken her younger brother. Her sister's name is Moonpaw. And if the older she-cat recalled correctly, the fluffy silver-and-black dapped she-cat was still in training. But from what Shadefoot has been hearing from many of the other cats in the Clan, Moonpaw would soon be having her final hunting assessment in about a sunrise or two from now.