"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the boulder for a clan meeting!"

Gladestar called from the clearing, catching Starpaw's attention from where she sat in the medicine den, sorting coltsfoot and marigold. Her heart skipped with happiness. It's time! She followed Silverberry outside and sat with her just outside the den.

The rest of the clan was gathering before Gladestar, who stood on the boulder, looking down on her clanmates. Thunderjolt and Clovernose sat together in the midst of the group. Firetail and Soakedears spoke to each other, looking amused as if one of them had told a joke. They were certainly the clowns of the clan. 

Featherblaze sat near the front of the crowd, looking proud as Blazingpaw and Petalpaw stepped forward. It feels like yesterday we were being made apprentices. Starpaw thought as she watched her siblings stand before the boulder, looking up at Gladestar. And now, they're being made warriors. 

She observed her brother and sister, noticing they were nearly as tall as the other warriors. We've grown so fast! The kit fluff was gone, replaced by thick, sleek fur. Sleek... Starpaw's heart skipped a beat as she realized this for the first time. Because we're half RiverClan... I'm sleek, too.

"Cats of WindClan," Gladestar began, and the cats below quieted. "Our two oldest apprentices have successfully completed their assessments, and it is time for them to become warriors." She looked down at the two young cats.

Blazingpaw stood tall, his yellow eyes lit with pride and excitement. Beside him, Petalpaw's tail was raised high in the air, her eyes glowing. We all have Sunripple's yellow eyes... Starpaw realized uneasily.

"I, Gladestar, leader of WindClan, 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 looked down at them. "Blazingpaw, Petalpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your lives?"

"I do," Blazingpaw meowed, and Petalpaw echoed him confidently.

Gladestar gazed at them proudly as she continued. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Blazingpaw and Petalpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Blazinglight and Petalflame. StarClan honors your skill and loyalty, and we welcome you as full warriors of WindClan."

"Blazinglight! Petalflame!" The clan began to chant their names, and the new warriors looked around excitedly.

"Blazinglight! Petalflame!" Starpaw purred and rushed through the crowd to her siblings. She licked her sister's head, then touched noses with her brother. "Congratulations! You two will make wonderful warriors."

A loud purr rumbled in Blazinglight's throat. "Thanks! I hope so."

"And you'll make a great medicine cat," Petalflame purred, her eyes shining at her. "I hope you'll receive your full name soon."

Starpaw shook her head, feeling a pang of disappointment. "Medicine cat training takes longer than warrior training," She meowed. "I think I still have a long way to go."

"Starpaw!" Silverberry called, and she turned to see her padding toward the nursery, waving her tail for her to come.

"I have to go." Starpaw dipped her head to her siblings before turning and hurrying across the clearing. 

Silverberry paused outside the den as Starpaw arrived. "I want to check on Willowtail," She explained as she slipped into the nursery, and Starpaw followed.

When they entered the nursery, Willowtail was laying in her nest of moss, her chin rested on her paws. When she noticed the medicine cats, she raised her head and purred a greeting.

"How are you feeling, Willowtail?" Silverberry prompted as she sat in front of the queen and felt her belly, which was beginning to round with kits.

"I feel fine," She replied, looking tired. "Just a bit drowsy."

Silverberry leaned over her and sniffed her flank. "No pain?" She asked, and Willowtail shook her head.

"Is everything okay?" Icetail poked his head into the den, his eyes flashing with worry.

Starpaw turned to him. "Everything's alright," She meowed. "We're just checking up on her." Silverberry glanced over her shoulder, giving her an approving nod. 

Icetail relaxed and padded into the den, crouching beside Willowtail. "How much longer until the kits come?" He asked.

"It's very early, Icetail." Silverberry sounded mildly amused. "It'll be at least two more moons."

The white tom nodded and looked at Willowtail happily. "I can't wait. Our kits will be the best in the clan!"

Willowtail purred and turned her head to touch noses with him. "Of course they will."

"We'll leave you two alone." Silverberry dipped her head and turned away as Icetail began to nuzzle his mate's neck fur. 

Starpaw followed her mentor out of the den, then hesitated, looking over her shoulder at the happy couple. Could Dreamwhisper and Sunripple really have loved each other like that when they were from different clans? She wondered with a stab of despair. How could they have?

***

It wasn't long before the sun set, and the sky grew dark, revealing the stars of silverpelt. Starpaw was the only cat left in the clearing, eating a rabbit from the fresh kill pile. As she gulped down the last of the meat, she looked toward the gorse tunnel. It's time to meet Dewpaw. She rose to her paws, licking her lips before she padded over and headed through the tunnel.

"Starpaw?" 

She nearly jumped out of her fur and turned to see Blazinglight sitting beside the mouth of the gorse tunnel. On the opposite side was Petalflame. Starpaw remembered that as newly named warriors, they needed to guard the camp in silence for the whole night.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to-" Blazinglight began.

Petalflame leaped over and slapped her tail over his mouth, shooting him a glare. Blazinglight's yellow eyes grew wide with alarm as he realized he had broken his silence, and the night had only just begun. 

As Petalflame sat back down, narrowing her eyes at her brother, Starpaw couldn't help but chuckle. "It's alright, I won't tell anyone you spoke," She promised, and Blazinglight relaxed. "I'm just going out to collect herbs."

Petalflame tilted her head, and Starpaw imagined what she wanted to ask. In the night? Why? Are you crazy? But her sister simply shrugged and nodded.

Starpaw padded away from the camp and continued across the moor toward ShadowClan territory. Ever since last night when she'd learned the truth about her father, she couldn't stop thinking about it. Everything felt wrong and confusing. She hoped that talking to Dewpaw about it would put her at ease.

As she neared the dark treeline, she hesitated, wondering if any other ShadowClan cats were around. They probably wouldn't approve of me and Dewpaw meeting. They don't understand medicine cat bonds. She scanned the undergrowth, staying a little ways back from the border.

"Starpaw!"

She heard a hiss and spotted Dewpaw's yellow eyes glowing from the bushes. He stepped out, and she padded forward to meet him. "Hello," She meowed quietly.

"Hey." Dewpaw touched noses with her and sat down, looking at her with eyes full of concern. "Are you okay? I've been worried about you all day."

Did I look that uneasy at the moonstone? She blinked at him in surprise. "You have? I'm alright." She sat down and wrapped her fluffy tail around her. 

Dewpaw didn't look like he believed her. "I don't know about that. Do you still want to talk about it?"

She hesitated. Now that she was here, she didn't know where to start. She had so many thoughts and emotions spiraling through her like a wild snowstorm, and they needed to escape her. "I... I just can't believe that my mother would take a RiverClan cat as a mate. It's against the warrior code! It's against everything that our ancestors have set down as laws! How can anyone disobey the will of StarClan?"

"There are worse things a cat can do," Dewpaw pointed out hesitantly. "Your mother must have really loved him."

"But she shouldn't have." Starpaw shook her head miserably. "Why couldn't she have loved Weaselnose? I loved and looked up to him so much, but now..." She looked at her paws. "I don't know what to think of him. He's not my kin. This Sunripple cat is, and I don't even know him!"

Dewpaw looked thoughtful. "There's no reason for you not to love Weaselnose, is there? He may not be your real father, but you still had that relationship. Maybe you should get to know Sunripple. You'll meet him every quarter moon, won't you?"

"I don't know if I want to." Starpaw's heart sunk. "I just wish I never knew the truth. I wish Weaselnose was my father." There was no response, and she assumed that Dewpaw didn't know what to say. "I shouldn't exist," She murmured. "I'm the result of a mistake, a crime against our ancestors, and StarClan means everything to me. How can I possibly honor them while knowing what I am?"

Dewpaw shifted closer to her and rested his tail around her. "There's nothing wrong with you and no reason why you shouldn't exist," He assured her. "I've never met any cat so devoted to StarClan. And if they had a problem with your parents, surely they wouldn't have allowed you to become a medicine cat?"

Starpaw hesitated as she considered this. "I suppose..." StarClan has always been kind to me. They would have sent a message to Silverberry by now if they didn't want me to be a medicine cat.

"Come on." Dewpaw gave her a friendly nudge. "You're going to be a great medicine cat. It doesn't matter who your parents are." He paused and looked toward the thunderpath. "I want to show you something I found a few moons ago." He stood and waved his tail. "Follow me!" He raced off.

Starpaw blinked in surprise. "What-" She broke off and ran after him until she caught up to him. "Where are we going?"

"You'll see," Dewpaw meowed as he ran alongside her, looking startled as he began falling behind. "You're fast!"

She let out an amused purr. "I'm a WindClan cat," She reminded him. "You're the slow one." 

"Yeah, well, I'll race you to the thunderpath!" Dewpaw purred as he picked up speed. "Then we'll see who's slow!"

Starpaw sped over the grass like a hare with a hoard of enemies at it's tail, and she easily kept ahead of Dewpaw. When they reached the thunderpath, she skidded to a halt and spun to face him, catching her breath. 

The ShadowClan apprentice stumbled as he reached her, panting. "Great StarClan, you're fast!"

"Sorry," She purred and flicked his shoulder with her tail. "So what are we doing here?"

Dewpaw padded alongside the thunderpath, sniffing the grass, and Starpaw followed him as he ventured further into the ditch. Eventually they reached a strange black hole, and he looked back at her as he stepped toward it. "Come on."

"Under the thunderpath?" Starpaw's fur prickled uneasily. "Why? Is it safe?"

"Of course," Dewpaw promised. "Don't worry." He padded into the tunnel and disappeared in its shadows.

Starpaw hesitated, but decided to trust him. She followed him into the darkness, blinking a few times as her eyes adjusted to the dark. They were in a dirty, mucky tunnel, littered with twoleg trash. She wrinkled her nose in disgust at the scent. "This is no patch of lavender." She commented. "What could you possibly have to show me here?"

"Believe it or not, something beautiful." Dewpaw padded through the tunnel toward the ShadowClan side, and she warily followed, cringing as the muddy ground sunk under her paws. 

He paused and crouched by a pile of strange, broken twoleg objects. Starpaw stepped closer and studied them, puzzled. They looked like little hollow logs made of colored ice, but most were broken with jagged sides. "What are they?" She asked warily. 

"Hawkfeather said twolegs drink out of them," Dewpaw explained.

Starpaw tilted her head. "This is what you wanted to show me?"

"Sort of." His yellow eyes gleamed with amusement. "Just watch." He carefully used his paws to gather the broken objects and push them toward the edge of the tunnel, and Starpaw started a little at the strange clanking noise they made. She took a step back. What is he doing?

Dewpaw pushed the objects out into a shaft of moonlight and took a step back. Light flashed in Starpaw's eyes, and she shut them, turning away. "What-" She opened her eyes and gasped.

A rainbow of lights had been cast upon the wall of the tunnel, bathing the once gloomy place in an aura of colors. Starpaw turned fully toward it and took a step back, staring at them in amazement. "Wow!" 

"Isn't it cool?" Dewpaw meowed as he stepped to her side, admiring the lights with her. "I found it by accident one day."

"It's incredible!" Starpaw purred. They stayed there for a while, watching the rainbow of lights until they became aware of the passing of time. "We should get back to our camps."

The ShadowClan apprentice nodded, and the two of them padded out of the tunnel. "Thanks for showing me," Starpaw meowed. "That was amazing."

"I thought it might cheer you up," Dewpaw purred. "Are you feeling better?"

Starpaw nodded happily. "I am. Thank you." She enjoyed spending time with Dewpaw. If only we could see each other more often. The thought crossed her mind, and she looked at him. "Would you like to meet again tomorrow night?" She suggested hopefully. 

Dewpaw's eyes shone. "That sounds great!" As they headed along the border back the way they came, he added, "We can meet around the same place as we did tonight."

"Alright," Starpaw purred, already looking forward to their next meeting. She padded onto WindClan's side of the border and hesitated, looking over at him as he moved onto ShadowClan territory. "Goodbye, Dewpaw!"

"Goodbye!" Dewpaw purred. They gazed at each other for a moment longer before turning and heading toward their own camps.

What a great night. Starpaw thought warmly as she headed through the moor. Dewpaw is so much fun! I can't wait to meet him again.