Hawkwing’s Journey

Chapter 20

At sunrise on the following day, Leafstar called the Clan together. A

gentle breeze was blowing, carrying the scents of the forest even into the heart of the Twolegplace. Hawkwing’s pelt itched with restlessness, and he had the sense that something momentous was about to happen.

When her Clan was gathered around her, Leafstar beckoned with her tail to Bellapaw, Rileypaw, Pebblepaw, and Parsleypaw.

The four young cats stepped out of the crowd, exchanging glances that were half excited, half bewildered.

“We must become a Clan again,” Leafstar announced, repeating her words from the day before. “Our journey will be hard, and there are dark times ahead. We will need every one of our warriors.

And so this is the right time to make some new ones.”

“What, us? Now?” Pebblepaw squeaked, then slapped her tail over her mouth in embarrassment.

“Yes, you, now,” Leafstar confirmed, amusement glimmering in her amber eyes. “Come closer.”

The four apprentices padded up to their leader, their eyes shining as they gazed at her. Hawkwing thought that his heart would burst with pride and affection as he watched Pebblepaw take her place.

She’s going to be such a fine warrior!

“Rabbitleap,” Leafstar began, addressing Parsleypaw’s mentor, “has your apprentice trained well, and does he understand what it means to be a warrior?”

“He has, and he does,” Rabbitleap replied solemnly.

“Pebblepaw,” Leafstar went on, “your first mentor, Billystorm, was killed by the badgers on your first quest. And no cat knows what happened to his replacement, Sandynose.”

At her words, Hawkwing saw Sandynose’s mate, Plumwillow, close her eyes in pain. It must be so hard for her, he reflected. She’s expecting kits, and she has no idea where their father is.

“But I have watched you, Pebblepaw,” Leafstar continued, “and I know that you have earned your warrior name.”

Pebblepaw glowed at her Clan leader’s praise, and Hawkwing kneaded the ground in front of him, purring. If any cat deserves this, it’s Pebblepaw!

“Tinycloud.” Leafstar turned to Bellapaw’s mentor. “Are you satisfied that your apprentice has earned her warrior name?”

“Without a doubt,” Tinycloud responded, while Bellapaw shivered in excitement.

“And so has Rileypaw,” Nettlesplash added, without waiting to be asked.

The Clan leader dipped her head in acknowledgment. “I, Leafstar, leader of SkyClan,” she continued, “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.”

Leafstar’s gaze rested on Parsleypaw, who straightened up, his whiskers quivering. “Parsleypaw,” Leafstar meowed, “do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

“I do,” Parsleypaw replied firmly.

“Then by the powers of StarClan,” Leafstar declared, “I give you your warrior name. Parsleypaw, from this moment you will be known as Parsleyseed. StarClan honors your loyalty and your courage, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan.”

Taking a pace forward, Leafstar rested her muzzle on Parsleyseed’s head, and he licked her shoulder in response, before stepping back to stand beside his mother and father.

“Parsleyseed! Parsleyseed!” the Clan acclaimed him.

As soon as the noise had died down, Leafstar turned to Pebblepaw, and asked her the same question. “Do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

Pebblepaw held her head and tail high and her voice rang out clearly across the Twoleg garden. “I do.”

“Then by the powers of StarClan,” Leafstar continued, “I give you your warrior name. Pebblepaw, from this moment you will be known as Pebbleshine. StarClan honors your determination and your intelligence, and we welcome you as a full warrior of SkyClan.”

She rested her muzzle on Pebbleshine’s head, while Pebbleshine responded with a lick to her leader’s shoulder.

“Pebbleshine! Pebbleshine!”

That’s the perfect name! Hawkwing let his voice rise in a joyous yowl as Pebbleshine too retreated to her parents and touched noses with them. Pebbleshine shines like the brightest moon! Then she ran across to Hawkwing and twined her tail with his, her purrs almost as loud as a Twoleg monster.

“I like your new name,” Hawkwing mewed as he gave her ear a lick. “It suits you.”

He was so pleased that he barely paid any attention as Bellapaw and Rileypaw were made warriors, though he joined with the rest of his Clan in chanting their new names.

“Bellaleaf! Rileypool! Bellaleaf! Rileypool!”

The ceremony over, the Clan was beginning to disperse when Leafstar halted them with a commanding wave of her tail.

“Wait,” she meowed. “We still have more to do.” When the Clan had settled again, she continued, “The youngest cats—kits and apprentices—are the future of any Clan. It’s time now for some kits to be apprenticed, and these strong young warriors-to-be should give us all hope. Fidgetkit, Curlykit, come here.”

The two kits scampered up to their leader, their eyes brighter than they had been since Snipkit’s death. Birdwing and Sagenose watched them proudly, though Birdwing let out an exasperated sigh. “I’d have groomed them if I’d known. Look, Curlykit has a leaf in her fur!”

“Fidgetkit,” Leafstar began, “Echosong tells me you have shown a real interest in caring for your Clanmates since the battle, and she thinks you would make a wonderful medicine cat.”

Fidgetkit let out a gasp. “Really?”

Leafstar dipped her head. “With Frecklewish missing, and new adventures ahead of us, SkyClan badly needs a medicine cat apprentice. It’s a difficult and important job, and a medicine cat stands apart from the rest of the Clan. If you take this step, you won’t find a mate or have kits, and you’ll be responsible for caring for your Clanmates and, eventually, passing along the will of StarClan. Fidgetkit, are you willing to take on this responsibility?”

Solemn and with shining eyes, Fidgetkit nodded fervently. With a purr of approval, Leafstar turned to Echosong and beckoned her forward with a sweep of her tail.

Echosong padded up to Fidgetkit and looked down at him, her green eyes full of wisdom. “Fidgetkit,” she mewed, “is it your wish to share the deepest knowledge of StarClan as a SkyClan medicine cat?”

“It is,” Fidgetkit replied. He suddenly sounded much older, and completely certain that he was making the right choice.

Echosong has chosen the right cat, Hawkwing thought. That must mean things are going to get better for SkyClan.

“Warriors of StarClan,” Echosong continued, looking up at the sky, “I present to you this apprentice, who has chosen the path of a medicine cat. From this moment his name will be Fidgetpaw.

Grant him your wisdom and insight so that he may understand your ways and heal his Clan in accordance with your will.”

Fidgetpaw stood blinking in front of her, overcome with awe, scarcely reacting even when his Clanmates began to call his new name. Hawkwing could share some of his wonder. That’s a huge step for a kit to take.

“Before the rogues came,” Echosong meowed when the Clan was quiet again, “I would have performed this ceremony in the Whispering Cave, where StarClan would have greeted you as a new medicine cat. I can’t do that now. But don’t worry, Fidgetpaw.

Wherever we may be at the next half moon, you will meet with StarClan.”

Fidgetpaw dipped his head. “Thank you, Echosong,” he whispered.

The Clan was hushed and serious as Echosong drew Fidgetpaw to one side. Hawkwing knew that every cat shared his feelings: pride in their new medicine cat apprentice, but sadness too that Frecklewish was missing.

M eanwhile, Leafstar turned to Curlykit, who had waited patiently while her brother was apprenticed. “From this day forward,” the Clan leader announced, “this apprentice will be known as Curlypaw. Hawkwing, you will be her mentor. I trust you will pass on to her your loyalty to your Clan, your generous heart, and your courage in battle.”

What, me? Hawkwing thought, shocked to the very depths of his pelt. His heart was pounding hard as he stepped out of the crowd of cats to meet Curlypaw. Am I really ready to be a mentor?

Even though no cat had blamed him, he knew that he should have been a better judge of character, to know what kind of cat Darktail really was. And he could never forget the last words Darktail had said to him: that they were alike. He wasn’t sure he deserved the faith that Leafstar was putting in him by making him a mentor. Will I really be able to guide Curlypaw? She was so brave when the rogues attacked the nursery, and so determined to cross the river…

. She has so much to offer her Clan.

The little gray she-cat bounced up to him and stretched upward to touch noses with him. “I’ll work really hard,” she assured him.

Then so will I, Hawkwing thought, his heart filling with warmth. “I know you will,” Hawkwing responded. “And I’ll do my best to make sure you become a great warrior.”

The next day dawned bright and warm, with a brisk wind that sent white puffs of cloud scudding across the sky. Hawkwing hoped that the fine weather was a good omen for the journey he and his Clan were about to make.

The remaining cats of SkyClan gathered together under the bushes at the end of Ebonyclaw’s Twoleg garden. Hawkwing’s pads prickled with excitement, but there was a hollow feeling in his belly, because he knew that not all his Clanmates would be setting out on this new journey.

“We’ve thought a lot about this, and decided we won’t be coming with you,” Nettlesplash meowed, standing protectively over M intfur and their litter. “The kits are too small to travel.”

“They’ll be safer here, on familiar territory,” M intfur added.

“But we’ll miss you all terribly. And who knows what StarClan has in store for us? M aybe one day we’ll all be together again,” she finished with a sigh.

“I’m afraid we have to stay with our Twolegs.” Ebonyclaw was standing beside Harveymoon, who murmured agreement.

“We’ll miss you all,” he told his Clanmates. “And we’ll always be SkyClan warriors at heart. But this decision is right for us.”

Listening to them, Hawkwing felt as if his life was splitting into two parts. There was Before, where he had lived in the gorge, played with Duskpaw and grieved over his death, trusted Darktail and then been betrayed by him. Now, from this point forward, his life would be After. After Darktail and his rogues took the gorge, and SkyClan was forced out. Hawkwing had no idea what After would hold, but he knew that he was unlikely to see the gorge or these cats again.

Am I being selfish to want to leave with Pebbleshine? he asked himself, glancing over at Blossomheart, Cloudmist, and Cherrytail.

Do I owe it to my father to attack Darktail and avenge his murder?

A hot, sick feeling gathered in Hawkwing’s chest and throat, and he slid out his claws as if Darktail were right in front of him.

While he hesitated, Curlypaw scampered up to his side. “This is so exciting!” she mewed. “Hawkwing, will you teach me to hunt while we travel?”

Hawkwing dipped his head, his feelings of rage dissipating like fog when the sun broke through. “Of course.”

My duty is to my Clan now. And if I’m going to be loyal to my Clan and to Leafstar, I have to follow where she leads. I have to be the best mentor to Curlypaw that I can be.

Then his gaze met Pebbleshine’s. Her eyes were bright with excitement and hope at the thought of setting out into new territory. He realized, staring at her, that there had never been any real question of what his decision would be. Wherever Pebbleshine goes, I go.

Leafstar nodded understandingly to the cats who were staying behind, though Hawkwing could see sadness in her amber eyes.

“We will miss you,” she mewed. “But wherever your paws lead you, may StarClan light your path.”

The Clan cats called out their good-byes as Leafstar led the way toward the Twoleg fence. But before any cat reached it there was a sudden scurry of paws from outside the garden. M acgyver appeared, leaping up to the top of the fence and tottering there for a heartbeat before he half fell, half jumped down beside his Clanmates.

He’s a bit of a show-off, Hawkwing thought, amused.

“I thought I’d never find you!” M acgyver exclaimed. “M y stupid Twolegs wouldn’t let me out. What’s happening?”

“We’re leaving,” Waspwhisker replied, and explained to the daylight warrior everything that had happened since the battle in the gorge.

“Then I’m coming with you,” M acgyver stated without hesitation. “I’ll miss my Twolegs, but, well… I’m a SkyClan cat!” He paused, and his Clanmates let out yowls of approval.

Hawkwing joined in, glad that at least one of the daylight warriors had decided to stay with SkyClan as they searched for a new home.

Twitching his whiskers happily, M acgyver turned to Leafstar.

“So… ,” he began, “where are we going?”

“Rileypool and Bellaleaf are going to lead us back to where they came from,” Leafstar told M acgyver when she could make herself heard. “Barley may be able to point us in the right direction to find ThunderClan. He’s our best hope, since Ravenpaw died.”

Hawkwing’s fur tingled with excitement. This was a good idea.

The old farm cat who had visited SkyClan territory with Ravenpaw had seemed kind and sensible—if any cat knew where the other Clans had gone, he would.

The SkyClan cats followed Leafstar out of the Twoleg garden and began their careful journey through the Twolegplace.

Pebbleshine and Blossomheart padded alongside Hawkwing, with Curlypaw hard on his paws.

As they set out, Hawkwing felt his heart lift a little. Gazing at Pebbleshine and Curlypaw, he knew that these cats were giving him real purpose. Moving into life After isn’t all bad. It was as though he was making a fresh start, as if he was leaving behind all the mistakes and sorrow of the past. I will be a different cat, he decided. I will think before I speak or act, and I will put my Clan before anything else.

But then, as they approached the corner where two

Thunderpaths met, Hawkwing glanced over his shoulder and saw his former mentor, Ebonyclaw, sitting on the garden fence, with the other cats Hawkwing had known all his life, watching their Clanmates go.

Hawkwing let out a long sigh. I’m leaving such a huge part of my life behind here.

But he knew that the cats beside him were his kin, and his future.