#talonkit

Talonkit loved to be noisy and play pretend with Morningkit about fighting off all the monsters in the woods. He loved winning against fake badgers and fake foxes in the shapes of Barleywave, Iciclepool and Hopechase. But the Woods were real. And he heard whispers when Lakestar was still alive. He heard what ForestClan does to new apprentices - before they could be given a mentor.

"Redstar will keep her promise, won't she?" Cloudthunder whispered to Iciclepool, looking at her expectantly. Iciclepool did not look at the she-cat, her eyes focused on the leader's den as they waited for Redstar.

The crowd grew silent as Redstar finally emerged from the leader's den and padded up onto the High Rock. The gentle wind filled the void left behind by gossiping voices. It left a thick tension in the air, like a dark fog at dusk. Despite that, Redstar's voice rang clearly.

"Talonkit. Please come join me."

Talonkit trembled before reluctantly climbing up onto the High Rock. He stared at his paws.

He didn't expect Redstar to lean in and whisper to him personally.

"Hey. It's going to be okay."

Talonkit hesitated. "Y-You can't...promise that," he said meekly.

"But I can."

Confusion ran through the young cat. What did she mean? Before he could ask, Redstar placed her tail on his shoulder.

"Talonkit, from this day forward until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Talonpaw." she declared loudly to the Clan. "And by my rule as the new leader of ForestClan, I seek to adjust the Code we follow. I call upon our ancestors in StarClan to hear my decision, and approve my choice. From this day forth, no apprentice shall be forced to seek approval from the Woods. Apprentice trials are now outlawed - and mentors will be appointed right after an apprentice is named."

Shocked and delighted murmurs rose from the small crowd below. Barleywave shoved Cloudthunder playfully and said, "See? She kept her promise."

Talonpaw's eyes were wide, shining with wonder. "Really?!"

As Redstar nodded, Talonpaw let out a screech of joy as he leapt off the rock. Hopechase laughed as she rushed to stop him, grabbing him by the scruff.

"Wait! Your mentor, dummy!" Hopechase let go of him, pushing him back towards the rock. "Wait for your mentor to be named!"

Talonpaw had just enough sense to pretend to be embarassed, climbing back up to a now very pleased Redstar. Her eyes shone with a light that few had ever seen from her when she was a deputy - like a spark of life had been returned to her from the stars. She passed on that look to Iciclepool, who shared in her joy.

"Iciclepool, you have been a wonderful mentor before, when our numbers were greater. I hope that with this new apprentice, you will welcome a wonderful new warrior to our Clan in time."

Iciclepool did not hesitate to approach Talonpaw, who bumped noses with her enthusiastically.

The small crowd below them chanted Talonpaw's new name with joy in their hearts - "Talonpaw! Talonpaw! Talonpaw!"

Redstar felt her heart sing. When she was young, this chant felt like a eulogy - a somber prayer to the youth who may never come back from their initiation. But for the first time in her life, an apprentice ceremony finally sounded like a celebration, a graduation - as it always should have been.

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As Windfur and Talonpaw watch some shooting stars together, Talonpaw asks him for reassurance about the trial ban. Windfur doesn't have the heart to tell him that nor StarClan, nor the Place of No Stars are responsible for the woods' hunger. Talonpaw didn't like that Windfur avoided his question.

(Talonpaw, apprentice, male, 6 moons) (Windfur, medicine cat, male, 16 moons)

Shiverkit is oddly observant of her surroundings, and Cloudthunder learns something very important from her. Redstar watches this interaction from across camp.

(Shiverkit, kitten, female, 2 moons) (Cloudthunder, warrior, female, 35 moons) (Redstar, leader, female, 61 moons)

Redstar is surprised at how much Shiverkit intuitively understands about Deep Roots. ForestClan never told kits how they could rarely enter dens - it gave them nightmares. Shiverkit thinks Redstar is acting weird. Morningkit overhears their conversation and gets really scared.

(Redstar, leader, female, 61 moons) (Shiverkit, kitten, female, 2 moons) (Morningkit, kitten, female, 4 moons)

Hopechase gets a running nose. She has a nice chat with Barleywave, making light of her situation. Windur tries, and fails, to get her to respect her symptoms.