Hey guys! Sorry for not updating, but I took on a bunch of contests at the same time and have been frantically writing to get them all finished by their due dates. I wrote this fic for my friend @TigerShadow24_SC and wanted to post it somewhere. I know its a Warriors fic, but hey, its a short story and I did write it based only off of the prompt Warriors and Birthday Surprise, so I'm counting it as an exercise. I also finished it in one night, so I'm proud because it is pretty long. So enjoy, and hopefully I'll post more soon!

This story is for Warriors, and features all of the WattyWarrior's admins as well as some personal Warriors facts for Shadow. I did my research before writing :)

Short Story: The Gift

"Tigertail! Tigertail! Tigertail!" The Clan rained praise upon the proud ShadowClan she-cat. The brown tabby stood in front of the highbranch, head raised high and chest proudly puffed. Blazestorm's loud cries joined the din as she cheered gleefully for her friend.

Blazestorm pushed through the crowd, joining the small circle of family around Tigertail who were eagerly congratulating her on her promotion.

"I did it, Blazestorm! I'm a Warrior too!" Tigertail squealed upon seeing her friend. Blazestorm nudged her friend happily.

"It was only a matter of time! All we have to do is wait for Whitepaw and Shadepaw to become a Warrior, and then all of us will be extra-awesome!" Blazestorm said. Her cheerful exclamations had Tigertail giggling, still riding on her self-congratulatory high. Tigertail's parents moved away from the two of them to allow the rest of their group of friends to join their happy circle. Silentstorm, Shadepaw, Whitepaw, Lightningstrike and Tigerheart padded forward with exclamations of congratulations.

"Hurry up and grow already, you newbies!" Blazestorm teased their apprentice friends. The other cats of the Clan stared fondly at the strange group.

Blazestorm and Tigertail had been friends since Tigertail was a kit. Blazestorm remembered their first meeting fondly, when Tigertail, then Tigerkit, had pounced on her while she was cleaning the nursery. The fierce she-kit had demanded that Blazepaw teach her the battle moves that she was learning, and of course Blazepaw had agreed. A few sessions later, Lightningpaw, Tigerpaw, and Silentpaw had joined the group, and soon they were inseparable.

Funnily enough, after Tigertail became an apprentice, she took a liking to newly born Whitekit and Shadekit, and quickly added them to the group. The odd Warrior-apprentice-kit group had been inseparable in the Clan ever since, defending each other, teaching each other, and loving each other fiercely.

"Blazestorm, stop daydreaming!" Lightningstrike mewed sharply, knocking Blazestorm from her reminiscing.

"Sorry! I was just thinking about how we all became friends." Blazestorm admitted. Lightningstrike's ears perked fondly and she purred.

"Oh Lightningstrike, leave Mom alone. We all know how sappy she gets when thinking about us, her little kittens, all grown up." Tigertail teased. Blazestorm sighed and rolled her eyes even as she began to purr as well. For some odd reason, the group had taken to calling her 'mom' after seeing her keep them on task and focused.

"I just can't believe you're finally a Warrior!" Blazestorm pretended to sob happily, wrapping her tail around Tigertail and burying her face in her shoulder. "You all just make me so proud!" Tigertail let out a little giggle.

"Tigertail, say goodbye to your friends. It's time for your vigil." Mousewind, Tigertail's previous mentor, said from behind the group. Tigertail nodded, eyes still shining even as she stepped up to the Clan entrance in preparation to keep watch during the long, cold night.

Their group slowly scattered, each cat heading to their respective dens. Blazestorm was about to follow Lightningstrike, Silentstorm, and Tigerheart to the den when she paused, thinking. The amber eyed she-cat stopped just outside the den and perked her ears in thought.

"Blazestorm are you coming or what?" Tigerheart called from inside the den. He was already curled up in his den, readying for sleep.

"Go ahead. I actually wanted to do something first." Blazestorm muttered. She peered at Tigertail, who was already watching the entrance of the camp, and then let out a little grin. Silently, she slipped through the dirtplace and into the wild beyond.

~~~

Blazestorm blinked in confusion, wondering what had woken her up. It was only then becoming daybreak, and she normally slept until sunhigh.

"Budge over, fatty." Tigertail muttered, dropping into the nest that Blazestorm and the other Warriors had made for her last night. Blazestorm stared at her.

"What are you doing in here? Shouldn't you be in the- oh wait. Heh." Blazestorm dragged a paw down her face as she recalled that Tigertail had indeed become a Warrior the night before. Tigertail let out a little tired laugh, dropping her head.

"You forgot already?" Tigertail murmurred. Blazestorm's tail flicked.

"No, I just can't think in the morning." She excused. Tigertail sleepily snorted, eyes already shut. Blazestorm watched her sleep, longing to join in her slumber but knowing that now she was already awake and would not be able to get to sleep again. With a sigh, the brown she-cat stood and padded out of the den, stretching her muscles and watching the sky turn slowly brighter.

"Blazestorm, do you want to share this prey with me? I don't want all of it." Tigerheart asked her. The she-cat stared at the vole at his feet for a moment. Then her eyes widened.

"OH!" She exclaimed. "Hey thats a good idea!" She mewed. Tigerheart tiled his head in confusion. Blazestorm waved it off. "Never you mind! Yeah, lets eat!" Tigerheart shrugged, already used to her strange antics.

After they ate the vole, Tigerheart left with Lightningstrike on a hunting patrol. Blazestorm, to her great joy, was allowed to help Whitepaws and Shadepaws mentors with their fighting training. Yet still Blazestorm waited for Tigertail to wake from her slumber.

Blazestorm jumped with enthusiasm when Tigertail finally emerged from the Warriors den around midday. She bounded happily up to her friend.

"Hey Tigertail! How was your vigil? Good, I assume, because there was no attack on the camp and you came to rest pretty early in the day. I hope your nest was comfortable. We all worked really hard to make it." Blazestorm rambled. Tigertail eyed her with suspicion.

"You are acting really hyper. Who are you, and what have you done with my friend?" Tigertail teased. Blazestorm shrugged. When Tigertail began heading towards the fresh kill pile, Blazestorm jumped to her paws and darted in front of her.

"Hey, I want some breakfast! Or, well, lunch at this point." Tigertail mewed. Blazestorm nudged her away from the pile.

"Come with me. I want to show you something first." Blazestorm said. Tigertail pulled back.

"Let me eat first!" She whined. Blazestorm pushed her towards the camp entrance.

"All in due time, Tigertail. Just come on!" Tigertail followed Blazestorm through the camp, grumbling good naturedly. Blazestorm led her through the forest and towards the twoleg den where the annoying kittypets live. From there she headed beyond the den and into the forest outside of the territory.

"Uh, Blazestorm? Where exactly are we going?" Tigertail questioned. Blazestorm turned her head to look at Tigertail.

"It's a secret. Just follow me!" Blazestorm led Tigertail over to a group of large pines. They grew in an unnaturally straight line, branches and leaves interwoven in a thick, impenetrable wall. The most interesting thing, however, was the purposeful gap that existed between the leaves and the ground. It was just large enough for a cat to crawl underneath.

Blazestorm crept forward and waited for Tigertail to follow. When she got through, her blue eyes widened and her ears pricked in surprise.

"Blazestorm, what is this?" She asked? Blazestorm just grinned.

"Our new hidey-hole!" The wall of trees had led to an abandoned twoleg garden. It was filled with orderly, prospering plants of many colors and types, ranging from pretty flowering plants to sweet smelling herbs. Between the rows of plants is a path leading deeper into the garden, where Blazestorm led Tigertail. There, she unearthed a freshly hunted squirrel and a nice sized mouse.

"I hope you like it. I found this area about half a moon ago. The twolegs haven't been gone for that long, but the yard was in disarray and I wanted to fix it up for our group. Because it's your first day as a Warrior, I wanted to show you this place first. I was hoping it could work as a little getaway spot for us, when the Clan gets too cramped and we just want to relax or have a private moment to ourselves." As Tigertail simply stared, Blazestorm dropped the squirrel at her feet. "Also, I got you some food. I know how much you love squirrel."

Blazestorm was unprepared for Tigertail's happy leap. The enthusiastic she-cat bowled her over, nuzzling her and purring with joy.

"This is so cool! A cute little place for us to stay, and it's not even in the territory so no other cat has ever been here!" Tigertail stood and bounded around in a circle, taking in the garden once more. "No wonder you're the mom! You fixed this up for us? And let me see it first, and got me food so I wouldn't be hungry." She nuzzled Blazestorm again, squealing like a kit in its first snowfall.

"So you think it's nice? I did want a second opinion before I showed everyone else, and I thought you were the best one to ask." Blazestorm received a warm purr in reply, and felt a responding rumble through her own body.

"It's awesome! Thanks for showing me first. I really do appreciate that." Blazestorm finally pushed Tigertail off of her and nudged the squirrel forward.

"Come on! Lets eat! A little toast, to your new life as a Warrior, and my present to the group." Tigertail giggled, biting into the squirrel and letting out an appreciative sigh.

The two she-cats spent the rest of the afternoon in the garden, talking and exploring and watching the sun slowly set, signalling that it was time to return to the camp. They returned home, settling into their nests with a strong sense of excitement and the warm fuzzy feel of friendship.