Flames At Night: Book 1: A Shattered Path

Chapter Fourteen

Dolphinpaw

"Hey, you guys! Listen to me!" Fire Lily stared forlornly after Mistystream, who was walking away with her tail twitching in annoyance. She sighed and returned to sitting near the Driftpile, quietly talking to a few cats.

Dolphinpaw rolled his eyes from where he was watching. Fire Lily had spent the whole morning telling strange stories and insisting they were true. There were a few cats who believed her, though.

A few of them were Shylily, Lightglow, and Lightglow's kits. They all sat near Fire Lily, enchanted by the tales. One of the kits, Troutkit, seemed bored. Spotting Dolphinpaw, her tail lifted, and she trotted over to him.

"Hi!" she mewed. "Marshkit, Hollowkit, and Peachkit won't play with me because they want to listen to the stories, and I'm bored. Will you do something with me?" She blinked at him hopefully.

The gray tom glanced around the camp. The fresh-kill pile was stocked, Needlepaw and Raggedpaw had already cleared out the old moss in the elders' den, and Jasminefur was taking a nap in the warriors' den. "Okay, I'm not busy. What do you want to do?"

"Hide and seek!" Troutkit squealed immediately, dashing off. Dolphinpaw closed his eyes and waited for several heartbeats, before opening them and searching for any sign of the kit.

He spotted an orange tailtip sticking out from behind the nursery, and padded over. Troutkit popped her head out. "How did you find me?"

"I could see your tail," Dolphinpaw explained. He was about to say more, but was cut off by Havenstar calling from the top of the Driftpile.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Driftpile for a clan meeting!" the brown and white tom yowled.

Troutkit bounded ahead of Dolphinpaw, excitedly sprinting towards her adopted mother and siblings. The sleek gray tom walked over to where Cloverpaw and Cinnamonpaw were chatting together.

"What do you think the meeting's for?" Cinnamonpaw asked, licking a light brown paw and drawing it over her ear. Cloverpaw shrugged.

"I don't think the kits are old enough to become apprentices," she meowed.

Once the cats were all sitting before the Driftpile, Havenstar hummed, "Dolphinpaw, step forward."

The gray apprentice exchanged a shocked look with his sister as he stepped towards the huge pile of wood. Havenstar continued, saying, "A few days ago, Dolphinpaw rescued Fire Lily from a...swordfish." He turned to Dolphinpaw's mentor. "Jasminefur, has Dolphinpaw worked hard to learn the ways of a warrior?"

"Yes, Havenstar," replied the yellow and white she-cat, casting a smile in her apprentice's direction. Havenstar nodded and looked back at Dolphinpaw.

"Dolphinpaw, do you promise to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Dolphinpaw held his head high. "I do."

"Then, by the powers granted me by StarClan, I give you your warrior name. From this moment forward, you shall be known as Dolphinshine. WaveClan honors your skill and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full member." Havenstar leaped down from the Driftpile and touched noses with the new warrior.

Cheers rang through the camp as Dolphinshine's clanmates called his new name. Cloverpaw raced up to him, grinning. "How's it feel to be a warrior, brother?"

"Poor Jasminefur doesn't get to boss me around anymore," he meowed. "Pretty soon you'll be a warrior too, don't worry."

"I wasn't going to worry!" Cloverpaw whacked him on the ear with a paw. She sighed. "It's just that I can't have my assessment until Poolheart's better, and he's still in the medicine den."

"I really hope everyone gets better," Dolphinshine agreed. He knew that the medicine cats were up to their ears in work, in all the Clans, not just their own.

Troutkit ran over to them, eyes wide. "I can't believe you're a warrior! You were only an apprentice," she scrunched up her face in thought, "two minutes ago!"

"Troutkit! Time for a nap!" Lightglow called from the nursery. Her other kits were sitting next to her, yawns plastered on their tiny faces.

The orange and black she-kit turned to go. "Play with me again tomorrow!" she mewed.

"He'll be too tired because he has to guard the camp all night!" Cloverpaw teased.

Dolphinshine mock-sighed. "Of course you remember."

His sister was about to fire back, when Fire Lily stepped in front of them. "Congratulations on becoming a warrior," she hummed, turning molten gold eyes on Dolphinshine. What she said next shocked them both. "You know that StarClan isn't real, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Cloverpaw asked, confused. "Of course StarClan exists."

Fire Lily snorted. "Everyone I've talked to says that! Have you ever seen StarClan, or received a sign?" She stared pointedly at the two siblings.

"StarClan only sends visions to the medicine cats," Dolphinshine explained. "And sometimes the leaders. Not to ordinary cats like us."

"Or so the medicine cats and leaders say," Fire Lily countered. "Maybe that's why they are in charge of the clan."

"What did you just say?" A hiss came from behind them. Dolphinshine turned to see Whiterose, a furious look on the she-cat's face. "How dare you accuse Havenstar, or me, or Tinyflame, or Frondnose of doing such a thing?" She whipped around and stalked away, tail lashing hard.

Dolphinshine glanced at Fire Lily. "You shouldn't have said that. She's pretty mad now." He looked around for Cloverpaw, but the tortoiseshell tabby had disappeared. "Bye. I'm going to rest before my vigil."

The sleek gray tom padded into the warriors' den. Picking a nest that was mostly free of scent, he lay down and drifted off into sleep.