Warriors: Sun and Moon - Into the Town

Chapter 8

  Moonpaw's thoughts were elsewhere during the gathering. She was seated beside Riverpaw, Ravenswoop and Palerose nearby. Finally, Spottedstar began speaking but it wasn't until halfway through his report did Moonpaw listen.

"Unfortunately, our former apprentice, Sunpaw, has found that she does not belong in the clan. We all felt this may be the case since early on in her life, but she has finally decided to move on to be a kittypet." 

No! Moonpaw objected internally. That wasn't what had happened!

He continued on, "In more joyous news, ThunderClan has two new warriors: Littlemud and Slatefur!"  

The cats cheered. Moonpaw forced herself to vocalize with her clanmates to support the sisters, but she felt empty knowing this moment would never happen with her own.  

Riverpaw leaned in and whispered, "Little do the other clans know, they were rushed into their warrior ceremonies because somebody  got turned into a queen!" He giggled.

Moonpaw flicked an ear, "That's true, who wants to report an apprentice as a queen to the other clans? How embarrassing that'd be!"

It was true. Slatefur was pregnant with Cedarheart's kits. No one had expected it; her father, Stonefrost, seemed very disappointed as he had been rather somber, and her mother, Barksong, did not seem willing to share the nursery with her daughter.

"Lilackit and Silverkit had better be apprentices before Slatepaw moves in here!" Barksong had growled, purposely using her elder daughter's former name to snub her.  

Stonefrost had commented, "Why couldn't you be a she's she like your sister? Then this wouldn't have happened."

Slatefur had been humiliated by her parents' comments. She had spent the past few days with her head down and her body pressed to Cedarheart, who was about the only cat who supported her and welcomed their kits.  

Hearing the whispers fly through the ThunderClan cats, Littlemud hissed, "At least her kits are pure of blood!"

Moonpaw nodded, she did have a point. They weren't half-clan or part kittypet, which would be a terrible thing to do to the clan. But there was still the fact their mother was only an apprentice.  

And then, Moonpaw wondered, why didn't anyone shun Cedarheart the way they were shunning Slatefur? She didn't understand.  

The leaders leapt down from the branches, and the deputies from the roots. The cats began gathering to go home to their respective clans. But as ThunderClan neared the fallen tree, Moonpaw saw someone familiar and was filled with rage.

"You!" She cried out to the ShadowClan elder, "It is your fault my sister left the clan!"

Snowlily eyed the apprentice, "And why is that?"

Moonpaw explained, "She became obsessed with that Goddess and those priestesses you made up; those stories you told were like bees in her brain!"

"Those aren't tales," he meowed, "they're true!"

"It doesn't change the fact they ruined my sister's life!" Moonpaw yelled.

Ravenswoop came up behind her, "Hey, calm down. She wasn't right from the very beginning."

Cloudeye added, "The way she yowled when she was born, there was clearly something wrong with her. You, on the other hand, were so silent and content, clearly a true warrior."

Snowlily lashed his bicolor tabby tail, "Look, if your sister wants to be a priestess, I don't care. Goddess is dead and She no longer has any power. Any cat who still follows her is delusional. But I don't care."