Chapter Text
“When four paws walk where strong winds blow, forgotten truths will rise below. Four kin must stand against the night, or watch the forest lose its light.”
ALLEGIANCES
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LEAFCLAN
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LEADER
Applestar - A brown ticked tom with amber eyes and a sturdy frame
DEPUTY
Stonepebble - A white tom with gray spots and green eyes
MEDICINE CAT
Grayfoot - A black she-cat with gray paws
APPRENTICE - Autumnpaw
WARRIORS
Comfreypelt - A brown tabby tom with yellow eyes
Sprigtalon - A white tom with gray tabby and ginger tabby spots
APPRENTICE - Cinder
Spiderfall - A black she-cat with blue eyes
Leopardblaze - A bright ginger and white tom with green eyes
APPRENTICE - Palepaw
Fisheyes - A gray tabby and white tom with blue eyes
Boulderfall - A dark gray tom with brown eyes and a large scar running from his ear to his shoulder
APPRENTICE - Ravenpaw
Amberface - A white she-cat with ginger splotches on her face and legs
APPRENTICE - Quailpaw
Moondust - A silver tabby she-cat with deep blue eyes
APPRENTICE - Echopaw
Addertail - A brown tom with black stripes
Sagebreeze - A white she-cat with gray stripes running from her head to the tip of her tail
Acornflame - A brown ticked she-cat with green eyes
APPRENTICE - Frecklepaw
Fernpelt - A brown tabby she-cat with green eyes
APPRENTICES
Quailpaw - A small golden brown she-cat with blue eyes
Cinder - A dark gray tom with black stripes, former loner
Echopaw - A blue-gray and white she-cat with deep blue eyes
Ravenpaw - A black tom with yellow eyes
Frecklepaw - A golden she-cat with darker flecks and spots
Autumnpaw - A ginger she-cat with darker tabby splotches and dark stripes
Palepaw - A light brown she-cat with black stripes and spots
QUEENS
Daisyfall - A white she-cat with ginger spots, mother of Fisheyes’ kits: Adderkit (now an apprentice)
KITS
N/A
ELDERS
Hawkpaw - A blind brown tabby tom with terrible scars on both eyes
Roseshine - A silver tabby she-cat with hazel eyes
Stormwing - A gray tom with amber eyes
PROLOGUE
The wind whispered through the leaves as Applestar and Leafflurry stood in the clearing of the camp. It was just an hour or two after a battle against BreezeClan that left them with two dead apprentices and an apprentice who would have to be sent to the elders’ den early because they were blinded by their wounds from the battle. “We need more apprentices,” Applestar said. “This Clan will eventually fall apart with no new warriors.” Leafflurry just nodded silently. She kept glancing at the medicine den, clearly worried about the injured warriors and apprentices sleeping inside. “Tallcloud’s kits are expected to be born soon. We’ll have new apprentices in a few moons. I believe it is about three, maybe more.” Leafflurry said with hope in her eyes.
Just then, something flashed in the sky. Applestar and Leafflurry looked up to see a shooting star. Applestar stared at it flying across the sky for a moment. These were very rare. “It’s pretty, isn’t it? I haven’t seen one in a while.” he murmured in awe, but to no response. When he looked at Leafflurry, she seemed to be in some kind of trance. “Leafflurry?” he asked, getting a bit closer. Then, out of nowhere, she suddenly whispered, just loud enough for Applestar to hear:
“When four paws walk where strong winds blow, forgotten truths will rise below. Four kin must stand against the night, or watch the forest lose its light.”
CHAPTER 1
Echopaw had woken up quite a while ago, but it had been very early in the morning then. She laid in her nest, waiting for her siblings to wake up. Ravenpaw was twitching in his sleep again. Must be having a nightmare, she thought. He kept having nightmares lately, and Echopaw was a bit worried. Her siblings and her mother were too. “He’s just nervous about his final assessment, that’s all.” Comfreypelt had told her, but she could tell he was still a bit concerned. Ravenpaw never said anything about his dreams, and when asked about it, he just says he has weird dreams sometimes, but never says what they’re about. Just then, she heard movement somewhere in the den. Palepaw was just waking up. She saw a few other cats starting to wake up. Some just rolled over in their nests. Some shared tongues with their denmates. Others went outside the den to stretch. Echopaw got out of her own nest and quietly went to get Palepaw up.
“Palepaw! Wake up!” she whispered urgently. Palepaw groaned and turned around to look at her. “What? What’s going on?” she muttered. “Our final assessment! Come on!” Echopaw said, nudging her again before turning around to leave the den. Palepaw reluctantly got up and followed her outside. The two friends stretched outside the den in the morning newleaf sun. Echopaw looked around and saw her sister at the other side of camp. Autumnpaw was the medicine apprentice, so she didn’t sleep or train with her siblings. She always seemed to know when something was wrong, especially with Echopaw. Echopaw walked over to the medicine den. The scent of herbs always made her happy. It reminded her of her kithood, of all the times she and her sister snuck in the medicine den together. Autumnpaw looked up, and her eyes immediately lit up. “Echopaw!” she exclaimed. “You were up pretty early, I could tell. Is Ravenpaw still having nightmares?” “Yeah, I think so. I’m a bit worried.” she said, glancing back at the apprentices’ den. Autumnpaw sighed. “I gave him some poppy seeds last night to try and get him to sleep better. Maybe some juniper berries would help.” she said. Just then, Applestar approached the two sisters. Echopaw immediately stood straight and looked up at him. “Echopaw, it’s almost time for your assessment. Go wake up your siblings. Autumnpaw, go see Grayfoot.” Both sisters nodded and followed his orders.
A few minutes later, they were now sitting just outside camp, waiting for their mentors to give them their first task. Stonepebble paced back and forth, watching them closely, then stopped at Ravenpaw. He looked around, then leaned closer and whispered “Don’t be nervous. You’re going to do great.” He gave him a reassuring nod and went to Applestar to talk to him. Echopaw looked at the apprentices around her. Ravenpaw’s chin was held high, his tail tucked neatly around his paws, looking around. Echopaw could tell he was a bit wary. Frecklepaw’s tail was twitching in excitement. Palepaw was staring at her paws with a sad look in her eyes. Echopaw leaned closer. “Are you thinking about your siblings again?” she whispered. Palepaw just nodded silently. “Don’t worry,” she whispered. “They are both proud of you. They still will be no matter how good or bad you do today.” Palepaw brushed her tail against Echopaw’s side, which was her way of saying “thank you”. Just then, Applestar stood in front of the four apprentices. “Palepaw. Echopaw. Ravenpaw. Frecklepaw. Your first task is ready. I hope you are all prepared.” he said. He looked around at all of them, his gaze lingering on Echopaw for a moment. “Your first task is to find and catch as much prey as you can. Good luck. You may go…. now.”
Echopaw, Ravenpaw, Frecklepaw and Palepaw all separated and disappeared into the undergrowth.
Echopaw started heading straight to the Preystones. She could sense during the last Gathering that StreamClan was planning something, so she might as well catch something there before they try to take back the Preystones. She noticed the strong scent of a squirrel nearby. Crouching down low, she slowly inched towards the source of the scent. She saw a gray squirrel, munching on something near some bushes. She stalked closer, eyes locked on her target. It suddenly paused, looking around, its fluffy tail twitching. Echopaw waited patiently. It soon continued to nibble. She pounced, pinning it to the ground as it squealed in fear. Echopaw quickly delivered a clean killing bite. It fell limp beneath her paws. She picked it up carefully and carried it to a nearby tree, where she buried it among the roots. Just then, she noticed the scent trail of a mouse. Not just one — multiple. She followed them to a glade, where she could see all the prey skittering through the tall grass. She grinned and dropped into a hunting crouch, stalking towards a plump mouse nearby.
After a bit more hunting, all four apprentices returned to the clearing near the entrance of camp, where Applestar, Stonepebble, and the apprentices’ mentors were waiting. Echopaw proudly dropped her haul of fresh-kill: three mice, a squirrel, a sparrow, and a bird she didn’t quite recognize. She looked over at the others. Frecklepaw, for some reason, caught mostly just birds. Palepaw had caught a pretty good haul, with four mice, two squirrels, and a robin. But Ravenpaw, on the other hand, approached with heavy paws and his tail drooping. He only caught (messily) a finch and a small mouse. His pelt was covered in feathers and there was still a bit of blood from the prey around his mouth. His mentor, Boulderfall, approached him with a stern glare. “Only two pieces of fresh-kill. I expected better than this, Ravenpaw. You’re usually a great hunter.” he sneered. Ravenpaw said nothing, just stared at his paws and his measly haul of fresh-kill. Boulderfall moved onwards to Palepaw. He looked at the fresh-kill she caught, then gave her an approving nod. He moved on to Frecklepaw. He looked at the pile of birds with a slightly puzzled look, but still nodded. Then he looked at Echopaw’s fresh-kill. He stared at it for a moment. Then back at Echopaw. Then back at the prey. “Where did you find this bird?” he asked. “It was near the BreezeClan border.” she said confidently. Boulderfall nodded. “Do you know what this is?” he asked. Echopaw shook her head slowly. “This is a lapwing,” he explained. “They don’t usually show up around here. And they’re not very easy to catch. Good job.” Echopaw smiled and watched him go talk to Applestar. She looked over at Ravenpaw. He was still staring at his paws, clearly upset. But before Echopaw could say anything, she saw a flash of golden fur, and someone bumped into her suddenly, nearly knocking her over. “You caught a lapwing?! That’s amazing! I could never catch something like that! All I caught was a pile of birds. I really hope I can make it! But you’re definitely going to get your warrior name! What do you think it will be? Echotalon? Echoclaw? Echowing?” the cat exclaimed. It was Frecklepaw, still full of energy as always. As Frecklepaw rambled on about possible warrior names for all four siblings (and Palepaw) Echopaw noticed Stonepebble approaching the four apprentices.
“Alright, alright, that’s enough chit-chat. It’s time for your second task. You are going to have to spar with your mentors. Claws sheathed, please.” he announced. Ravenpaw finally lifted his head and approached Boulderfall. His paws trembled slightly as he made eye contact with him. Frecklepaw bounded over to Acornflame, who smiled as she approached. Palepaw padded over to Leopardblaze, who whispered something to her and gave her a nod. Echopaw stood up and approached Moondust. “Ready?” she asked. “Yep.” Echopaw replied. Applestar led them to a flat clearing, where they would be sparring. Moondust lead Echopaw to a spot with enough light to see, but not so much that they were blinded by the sunshine. Echopaw lowered slightly to a battle stance. Moondust followed suit. Applestar stood on a rock, where he could see everyone clearly without getting in the way. “You may begin… now!” he shouted. Echopaw lunged, but Moondust swiftly dodged to the side. Her paws caught nothing but dirt in her fur. “Too predictable. Try again.” Moondust said. Echopaw turned to face her. She circled slowly, waiting for the right moment. Moondust gave a quick glance towards something else nearby, and Echopaw took the chance. She lunged, landing on top of her mentor. Moondust yelped in surprise, and shook her off. Echopaw landed with a soft thump on her paws. Moondust tried to lunge at her, but she swiftly ducked under her and raked lightly at her belly. Moondust was caught off-guard and landed in an awkward way, allowing Echopaw to pin her to the ground. Moondust was stuck with Echopaw on her back. She thrust her paws into the ground. Echopaw yelped in surprise as she was launched off. They started to circle around each other. Moondust lunged again. Echopaw dodged to the side, just like Moondust had done earlier. Moondust quickly spun around to face her. But suddenly, Applestar stood between them. “That’s enough for now. Great job, Echopaw.” he said calmly before walking away. Echopaw and Moondust followed him to a shaded spot where Stonepebble, Boulderfall and Ravenpaw were waiting. Echopaw sat next to her brother. His head was hanging low again. “Are you alright?” she asked. Ravenpaw shook his head.
“I messed up again.” he sighed. “Boulderfall said I might not pass.”
“It’ll be okay, Ravenpaw.” she said, leaning against him. “No matter what happens, I’ll be there for you.” Ravenpaw remained silent, but there was a glint of hope in his eyes as he watched the others. Palepaw’s movements were swift and precise. She calculated every step, every lunge, every strike. Meanwhile, Frecklepaw darted quickly around her mentor. Acornflame found it difficult to keep up, giving Frecklepaw a great advantage. She lunged suddenly, making Acornflame yelp in surprise as she was pinned to the ground. After a few more minutes, Applestar stepped forward. “That’s enough!” he shouted. They immediately stopped sparring. Palepaw shook the dirt out of her fur, and Frecklepaw bounded over to Ravenpaw and Echopaw in excitement. “Alright, now, here is your final task: Me and your mentors will all find somewhere within the territory to hide. You need to follow our scent trails and follow hints to find us.” Applestar explained. “We will get a short head start, then you need to find us. The rules are simple: don’t overthink it, don’t ask a friend for help, and do not leave LeafClan territory. We will meet back at camp once you are finished.”
Echopaw watched as Applestar, Boulderfall, Acornflame, Moondust and Leopardblaze disappeared into the forest. The four apprentices waited for Stonepebble to allow them to chase after them. The air was tense. Ravenpaw was looking around nervously. Stonepebble suddenly turned and shouted “Go!” Everyone rushed down a path. Ravenpaw followed Boulderfall’s trail, Palepaw searched for Moondust, and Frecklepaw decided to find Acornflame. Echopaw had a decision: find Leopardblaze, or find Applestar? Leopardblaze would definitely be easier to find, because of his bright pelt. But Applestar is more important. "What if something happens to him? she thought. She found Applestar’s scent trail and followed it. Echopaw was right — it was very difficult to find Applestar. His scent trail looped and twisted and went over and under branches, and even went straight through a stream. But going through a stream wasn’t the best idea, since Echopaw could see his pawprints left behind, and tiny spots where water dripped off his fur. She followed the scent and the prints to a puddle of mud. It was splattered everywhere, and Echopaw struggled to find his scent. He must have covered it up in the mud puddle, she realized. She checked every branch and bramble until she found a muddy tuft of brown fur stuck in a bramble bush. It was Applestar’s fur. She confidently ran down the path, following muddy pawprints and tufts of fur until she found something suspicious. A bush was just slightly off, as if something was hidden inside. Or… someone. Echopaw lifted one of its large leaves to see a pair of amber eyes staring back at her. “Congrats. You found me.” Applestar said. “I honestly didn’t expect to be found so quickly.” Echopaw smiled and lifted her head in pride. “Now, go see if you can find someone else. I’m going to head back to camp. Stay safe, Echopaw.” he said before turning away. He disappeared into the undergrowth once again. That’s when Echopaw noticed a second scent. It was coming from upwind. Echopaw hurried over to find an abandoned fox den. She cautiously stepped inside to see a gray tom staring at her. Boulderfall was hiding there. Just when Boulderfall opened his mouth to speak, Ravenpaw burst inside, panting. “What’s going on with you?” Boulderfall snapped. “I left so many hints, and your sister already found two cats! While you passed by here three times! Three! And you barely bat an eye!” Ravenpaw looked down in shame. “I’m sorry.” he murmured. “I guess I just… didn’t sleep well.” Boulderfall gave him one last glare before leaving the fox den. Ravenpaw followed him, although he was clearly distraught. Echopaw followed behind him as they went back to camp. She couldn’t help but feel bad. Maybe I should have slowed down, she thought. She looked back at the abandoned fox den. She hoped that Ravenpaw would be okay.
When they returned to camp, Leopardblaze and Moondust were waiting, along with Applestar, Stonepebble, and Autumnpaw. “Ravenpaw! Echopaw! I passed! I’m getting my new name tonight! I’m going to the Moonstone!” she exclaimed. Echopaw smiled and gave her an affectionate nudge with her shoulder. Autumnpaw went back to the medicine den, head held high with pride. She watched Autumnpaw disappear into the entrance, where Grayfoot was waiting.
A while later, as the sun set, Applestar climbed up onto the Sunbranch, where he sat to call meetings and ceremonies.
“May all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Sunbranch for a Clan meeting!” he yowled.
The camp filled with activity. Daisyfall poked her head out of the nursery. Warriors sat calmly in the clearing. Grayfoot and Autumnpaw sat next to Tallcloud and Comfreypelt. “Echopaw, Frecklepaw and Palepaw, please come forward.” Applestar called. The crowd of cats made way for the three apprentices to step forward. Echopaw stood proudly, two of her siblings to her right, and her best friend Palepaw to her left. But she couldn’t help but realize that Ravenpaw wasn’t called to come forward. The crowd filled with whispers. “But Applestar, what about Ravenpaw?” one cat shouted. “Ravenpaw, unfortunately, did not pass his final assessment.” Applestar declared. The crowd filled with gasps and whispering. Tallcloud looked like she’d just seen a ghost. Echopaw looked around at her siblings and Palepaw. They were just as surprised. Applestar cleared his throat loudly to get everyone to pay attention.
“I, Applestar, leader of LeafClan, 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 a warrior in their turn.”
“Echopaw, Frecklepaw and Palepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?” Applestar asked.
“I do.” said all three apprentices in unison.
“Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names.”
“Frecklepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Frecklefoot. StarClan honors your energy and enthusiasm, and we welcome you as a full warrior of LeafClan.”
“Palepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Paleclaw. StarClan honors your intelligence and dedication, and we welcome you as a full warrior of LeafClan.”
“Echopaw,”
— Echopaw eyes lit up when she heard her name being called —
“from this moment on, you will be known as Echowing. StarClan honors your courage and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of LeafClan.”
Applestar jumped down from the Sunbranch and rested his muzzle on Echowing’s head, and she licked his shoulder. He did the same for Frecklefoot and Paleclaw as well. The whole Clan erupted in cheering. Echowing chest swelled with pride as she looked at all the cats around them, smiling and shouting. “Echowing! Frecklefoot! Paleclaw! Echowing! Frecklefoot! Paleclaw!” they chanted, with Tallcloud, Comfreypelt, Ravenpaw and Autumnpaw shouting the loudest. She looked up at the first few stars appearing in the sky and smiled. She always dreamed of becoming a warrior, and now, her dream had come true. Echowing saw Paleclaw’s face buried in her mother’s fur, and Fernpelt crying happy tears. Autumnpaw ran towards them, with Ravenpaw right at her heels. “Echowing! You did it!” Autumnpaw cheered. She beamed with excitement. “Echowing! We’re warriors now! I knew your name would be Echowing! I had a feeling it would!” Frecklefoot exclaimed. Tallcloud rushed towards Frecklefoot and Echowing with tears in her eyes. “Echowing! Frecklefoot! I’m so proud of you!” she cried, resting her head on Echowing’s with her long tail wrapped around Frecklefoot’s paw. Frecklefoot smiled and leaned against Tallcloud. Comfreypelt rushed over to join them, with Ravenpaw following slowly behind. Autumnpaw ran past him to get to them. The six cats huddled together, purring loudly.