Something sucked at his body, a sort of cool wind that wanted to take him away, off to a place where stars replaced fur. It's pull was strong, but he felt something pulling him in the other direction, a familiar warmth he couldn't place. He stood, suspended between two forces, waiting for something to change.

Slowly, the wind ebbed and the warmth took over, encompassing his form. It felt fragile; a figment of his imagination or a shadow of a memory he no longer held. The feeling of softness joined the warmth, along with a quiet sobbing. Curious, Frog opened his eyes.

He became aware of the aching of his body first and, immediately after, the touch of a small, pink nose. Shifting, he brought his head to Swanpaw's to give her ear a swift lick.

Her head snapped up, eyes meeting his, and before the tom could stop her, threw herself onto him. She licked his ears and forehead, his nose and hise mouth, and Frog could not help but purr.

"I was so worried," Swanpaw said, pushing her nose into the fur of his chest. Frog rested his head on top of hers, heart beating an eratic rhythm.

"It's alright, I'm still here," he replied softly. They remained in that position until another cat entered the den.

"Frogheart!" Rainberry's joyous voice, muffled by the stack of herbs in his jaws, made Frog turn his head. Behind him, Eggpaw dropped his own stack and rushed towards the injured tom's nest.

"Frogheart?" the tabby repeated, confused.

"Goosestar gave you your warrior name while you were dying," Eggpaw explained. "She wanted you to pass on as a warrior." The newly named Frogheart looked down at Swanpaw, eyes glittering.

"I don't think passing on will be necessary."

She purred, shifting even closer to him. "Thank StarClan."

"I hate to break this up," Rainberry mewed, approaching the pair. "But Frogheart needs something to strengthen him. The Clan will want to know about your recovery." The tom's eyes sparkled as he dropped some horsetail and juniper berries before the tabby.

After obediently swallowing the herbs, Frogheart let Eggpaw retell the story of the battle, resting his head on top of Swanpaw's as he listened. The excited apprentice recounted, in exaggerated detail, how Frogheart slumped onto the ground after the loner plunged his claws into his back and how Sleetstar leaped in to save him, battling the loner to the death. The battle ended with only two loners standing, both running away when they saw what became of their leader.

Though glad they won the battle, Frogheart felt saddened by the news of Sleetstar's death. "It was my fault he died," he said out loud, the guilt pressing down on him.

Swanpaw's response surprised him. "Maybe it was an accident, or fate, or StarClan's wish." They looked at each other, an understanding coming between them, and Frogheart pressed his nose to her forehead, suddenly overcome with emotion.

"Get a cave, you two," Eggpaw said, wrinkling his nose. "That's my sister you're touching, Frogheart."

They ignored him, content to breathe in each other's scent, delighted to be together.

<<>> <<>> <<>> <<>> <<>>

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather below the Speaking Rock!"

Goosestar's voice broke the silence of the medicine den a couple days later, when Frogheart felt well enough to leave. Swanpaw, who spent her nights with him, helped him get to his paws, supporting him as they padded towards the main cave.

His whole body still ached, especially his scratch-covered shoulders. His side and belly, criss-crossed with jagged lines, were beginning to heal, the white tabby fur growing back steadily.

The warmth of the sun filled the main cave and Frogheart close his eyes, revelling in the feel of it. He purred, realizing how lucky he was to be alive. All those trials put before him, all the obstacles and enemies, and, against all odds, he'd defeated each one. With these thoughts in mind, he held his head high as he entered the main cave.

"Frogheart!" exclaimed a surprised Sandblaze as she passed through the cave.

"Welcome back, brave one," said Swiftclaw, looking down at the new warrior.

"You've certainly earned your warrior name," added Poolheart, eyes filled with pride.

Only Gannetfur remained silent, eyes narrowed. Frogheart ignored him, nodding his thanks to the others before turning to the Speaking Rock, where the new leader of SeaClan sat. The grey and white she-cat gazed down at him from atop her perch, eyes glittering.

"He certainly has," she said. Then, raising her voice to address the whole Clan, she said, "We lost many brave warriors in our battle. Mistcloud, Loonfeather and Rockclaw will be missed, as will our great leader Sleetstar." She paused, bowing her head. The Clan followed her lead.

"But we must live in the present," she continued, amber eyes falling upon Swanpaw. "I would like to ask our three apprentices to step forward." Beside Frogheart, Swanpaw jolted to her paws, looking incredulously at the tom. Purring, the tabby nudged her towards her littermates, feeling pride well up inside him.

"I, Goosestar, leader of SeaClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as warriors in their turn." She spoke the traditional words slowly, with an air of authority that sent chills through Frogheart.

"Eggpaw, Hailpaw and Swanpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do," the three siblings chimed in unison.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names," Goosestar said, turning to each apprentice in turn as she spoke. "Eggpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Eggstripe. StarClan honours your warmth and enthusiasm, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SeaClan."

The newly named Eggstripe practically knocked Goosestar over as she rested her head upon his, giving her shoulder a lick so energetic that it unbalanced her for a moment. Recovering, she turned to Hailpaw.

"Hailpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Hailpelt. StarClan honours your courage and strength, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SeaClan." The white tom dipped his head respectfully before moving out of the way so that Goosestar could approach Swanpaw.

"Swanpaw," the she-cat said softly. "From this moment on you will be known as Swanstream. StarClan honours your intelligence and spirit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SeaClan." Frogheart watched as Swanstream accepted her warrior name, joy-filled heart leaping when she turned to pad back to his side.

Then, the tabby noticed that Goosestar's eyes had settled on him. She followed behind Swanstream, stopping only once she stood directly in front of the tom.

"Frogheart," she greeted him. "You have already received your warrior name, but were unable to experience your warrior ceremony. We believed that your injuries were too great and that you would pass on to StarClan. Since that is not the case, you will be receiving your warrior name before the Clan today."

All around him, the cats of SeaClan drew closer, watching the tabby's ceremony curiously. The tom kept his head held high, waiting for Goosestar's words.

"Frogheart, StarClan honours your determination and bravery, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SeaClan." As Frogheart licked the leader's shoulder, the Clan erupted into cheers around him. All four warriors names echoed about the cave, a constant ripple of Eggstripe, Hailpelt, Swanstream, Frogheart passing through the air.

The cats all around him - his Clan, he realized - pressed up against him, congratulating him on his successes. Somewhere further off, Eggstripe and Hailpelt received the same treatment, but Swanstream was nowhere to be seen. Twisting about until he caught sight of her, he found her amber eyes glittering at the entrance of the cave, before she disappeared with a flick of her white tail.

<<>> <<>> <<>> <<>> <<>>

He found her sitting at the edge of the Sunset Cliffs, watching the sun sink below the horizon. Settling down beside her, he leaned over to lick her ear, their fur brushing for a brief moment.

"Swanstream," the she-cat said quietly, testing the name out on her tongue.

"Swanstream," Frogheart repeated, speaking the name with a sort of finality. He liked the way it sounded; delicate and soft, yet strong and fierce at the same time. And beautiful, just like her.

"Determination and bravery," Frogheart added, remembering the two virtues named by Goosestar.

Swanstream purred. "You sound surprised."

"I just never thought those two words would be used in the same sentence as my name," he said honestly, turning to look at her. "Remember when you first caught me on your border?"

"Our border. And how could I not?" Frogheart shoved her playfully. Not ready for the impact, Swanstream toppled over, dragging the tom down with her so that the two were a tangle of limbs, white fur on the bottom and striped brown on top.

Gazing down at the she-cat, the idea of how different they were now than when they first met struck Frogheart. Back then, the possibility of sitting on these cliffs, in the place where a trial almost ended his life, in love with the very she-cat who captured him, would have been ludicrous.

And yet, it did not feel strange. It felt right, as if this was exactly where he was meant to be.

"I'm glad I caught you." Swanstream reached up, giving his whiskers an affectionate lick.

"I'm glad you let me in," Frogheart replied.

"Of course I did. I love you." At first, the tom thought he misheard the words, but the look in her amber eyes told him otherwise.

He let out a deep purr. "I love you too, Swanstream." He touched his nose to hers, breathing in the sweet scent of her breath and feeling the softness of her fur beneath him. They stayed entwined until the sun just peeked over the edge of the sea.

The she-cat stirred first, unintentionally knocking Frogheart to the side. It made him aware of how tired he was and how much his bones still ached, his injuriees forgotten during his moment with Swanstream.

"Come on, brave one," she said teasingly. "Rainberry will feed me to a seal if he finds out I've been keeping you out instead of letting you rest." She offered her shoulder to him and he took her offer of help gratefully, limping along beside her as they made their way back to camp.

"I think he already knew," Frogheart said. "I think they all knew."

Swanstream look at him, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, who stays up all night, every night, just keeping each other company?" He nudged her playfully, licking her cheek.

She considered this for a moment before replying. Licking his ear affectionately, she said: "Someone who's found their place."