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Chapter One
❝The Heir Apparent.❞
┗━━━━°.•☆•.°━━━━┛

The black-furred tom took a deep breath, taking comfort in the rythm of the drums that beat out in the clearing. The experienced thuds of the elder's rang out, echoing amongst the valley's walls.

"Are you ready for your warrior ceremony Nightpaw?" said his mother. A beautifully aged black feline with kind green eyes. Of one of those traits he inherited. The blue of his eyes - he knew - came from his father.

"To be honest? A little nervous. I've never had to talk in front of the entire clan at once before."

She helped him put on his mask, he would be getting a new one. One fit for a warrior. The one he wore now was plain with round edges, those for apprentices. "I think you'll do fine honey. As long as you don't trip and fall on your face like your father did you couldn't possibly do any worse than he."

Nightpaw chuckled, his mother always had a way to clear him of his anxieties. "Did father really do that?"

"Yup, as he was walking up the ledge he tripped and fell in front of everyone. The clan had a good chuckle. I don't believe that will happen to you though." Shadowstream adorned her own mask as they walked into the clearing, decorated with the majestic scales of rainbow-coloured fish.

The valley flooded with the joyous cheers of his clanmates. They hooted and hollered as the young tom padded down the path. He spotted his father and littermates up on the ledge looking down on him with proud expressions. He waved up at them and sped up his pace, excited to join his younger sisters.

The ledge jutted out of the valley's wall and ascended to his father's den. That was where the leader called clan meetings. At the base of it was where his mentor stood, ready to cast him his new mask and name. Nightpaw dipped his head and felt the weight of the apprentice's mask being lifted off of him, only to be replaced with another.

"Nightpaw, I give you this mask of an owl for you possess their wisdom of knowing when to strike. I now name you Nightowl!" Windchime joined in with the cheering of his name while Nightowl rolled it off of his tongue like delectable prey. He enjoyed the sound of it. His new mask was full of browns, whites and greys in a camoflauge pattern. Jutting out at the front was the beak of an owl and at the sides of his head it curled up slightly into it's ears. And in the very back were the feathers of one.

The newly named tom ascended again with his mother and mentor by his side. This time meeting the eyes of his father and sisters. "Nightowl eh?" jested his youngest sister, Cardinalflight. "You never sleep so I suppose it suits."

The elder sister, Dappledrose, batted her playfully over the head. "Don't be mean, I like his new name! I suppose flight really meant your words fly away from your mouth."

"Hey!"

Eaglestar placed a tail on his son's shoulders. "Alright, enough bickering from the lot of you. It's time for the branding."

The entire clan hushed down dramatically, eager ears awaiting what the clan leader would say to his firstborn son. All of them thought it pretty obvious that he would become his heir to the throne.

"My son, do you promise to protect our ways from the other clans. Uphold our beliefs beyond anything else and guard our clan even if it could cost you your life?"

Nightowl hesitated, wondering if he could truly be so selfless. Giving up his life for the clan if need be? What if cowardice overtook him? But with all of his clan looking up at him now, proud and even admiring gazes burning his furtips, how could he say no?

"I do."

"Then I, Eaglestar, firstborn son of Branchstar and Lakelily, the fifth leader of SongClan, brand you with the heart of our ancestors."

Eaglestar brought out a strange symbol that had been resting in the fire next to them. His mother told him it was the shape of a note of music. The brown tom pressed it firmly against Nightowl's neck and the pain overcame him for just a split moment as it seared into his skin. But he endured for he felt the strength of his family and his clan flow through - no - within him.

"Now let us celebrate with a feast!" his father yowled and the clan cheered in agreement.

༺༻

Somewhere far from the celebration, was a she-cat. Dull ivory fur that hadn't been cleaned in moons, disheveled and dirty. At that point one could not even describe it as ivory, more of an off-white sheen. Her cheeks had sunken in seasons earlier, barely any meat on her bones. And her eyes were a pit of despair and frozen anguish, swirling together for an eternity.

"Icedrop? Are you all right?" It was another cat, the healer. He cared for her deeply but knew not how to help her. It pained him to see her that way. He felt useless.

Of course he got no response. Icedrop stopped talking so long ago he near forgot the sound of her voice. Lament overtook her, and she was forever lost in it's tides. The only thing he got in response was a blank stare.

"I...I brought a squirrel for you, can you eat it? Blink once for yes and two for no." She didn't blink at all, causing the old healer to sigh. His muzzle grew grey with stress. "So you're just going to stay like this forever then? A vessel that merely watches as clan life goes by? What kind of life is that?! You've...you've wasted your entire life over this! Please don't die without...without at least saying goodbye?"

And then the kind feline walked out of the den, not seeing the droplets that seeped from her oceans.

༺༻

As per custom of newly made warriors, Nightowl and his littermates went on a midday border patrol. Their first patrol as warriors, signifying that they would protect their clan even on the darkest of days. The kind new-leaf breeze fluttered through the beach, the smell of seawater filling their nostrils. SongClan lay at the base of a valley and beyond that is a beach which makes up most of their territory. On top of the valley are some cedar forests which the clan uses rarely unless short on fish.

Cardinalflight ran ahead of her two siblings with ease, for it was speed where she earned her suffix. The young brown tabby had the eyes of their mother as she looked back at them. "Come onnnn you guys are so slow!"

"We were running pretty fast Cardi, you're just impatient," retorted Dappledrose.

Cardinalflight scrunched up her nose. "Am nooot. I'm not impatient, right Nightowl?"

As his two sisters turned to him he backed away in surrender. "Oh no no no. Don't get me involved in this. The last time I sided with one of you I got thrown in the ocean!"

The dappled feline laughed. Her brown and black fur shining in the morning sun. "To be fair, you tripped on your own!"

"No! Birdy tripped me! I felt it!" Nightowl shook his head with a chuckle and nosed his two sisters. "I can't win can I?"

"Nope," they giggled in sync.

Nightowl paused dead in his tracks, a fowl stench burning his nostrils. Judging by the scrunched noses of his sisters they also had scented whatever accosted him. As soon as they reached the border, signified by a fallen branch, there it was. Appearing before them like a wall of death that none dared cross.

"What do you think that is?" asked Cardinalflight.

Her sister responded with a raised tail, barring the younger from getting any closer. "Let me and Nightowl check it out."

"What?! Im not just some kit Dapplerose! I can handle myself!" and with that the hotheaded brown molly walked through the wall. She jumped up on the branch of the fallen tree and the sheer terror that glinted in her eyes was something neither of her littermates could soon forget.

It was followed by a piercing scream.