A Moonless Night || Chapter Two

Instructions

A Moonless Night Chapter Two ____________________________________________ As the first day of Newleaf in Nightclan started to melt away, it brought way to a sweet-scented evening, close to identical clouds scattered in the sky like leaves on the forest floor in Leaffall. Deer began to take refuge in the shadows of mossy caves, keeping their young close behind in fear that even the smallest creature could hurt them. A warm breeze rushed past Celestialpaw like a memory of the desired past she had once lived. As the golden she-cat stood still as an ice-cold statue in the forest, she inhaled the easeful wind, her amber eyes glowing like the fading sun she had been staring at through a longingly melancholy gaze. With an abrupt crack of a twig, she whirled around to see Darkpaw. He was standing in a tree, his black pelt identical to the burnt oak he camouflaged finely in. “Were you /spying/ on me?!” Celestialpaw hissed at the apprentice. He leaped down gracefully, his long fur blowing in the evening wind. “The sun's going down, which means my Warrior Ceremony will be taking place any moment now. You're not invited, you know?” He said, shaking off his coat. Celestialpaw's eyes widened. How could she not be? “You're not invited, Celestialpaw, you /have/ to come.” He grinned before gesturing for her to follow him with his tail. She sighed in frustration, regretful for believing his joke at first. “All cats old enough to catch their own prey, please gather around the Night Pine!” Yellowstar called. Darkpaw bounded forward, not giving a moment to spare. Within less than a few heartbeats, he was below the large Night Pine, looking up at Yellowstar who was not only Nightclan's leader but also Darkpaw's father. “Darkpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and protect your clan at the cost of your life?” Darkpaw nodded seriously before saying, “I do.” Celestialpaw noticed a slight grin and a touch of happiness in her leader's expression. “Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your Warrior Name. From this moment on, you will be known as Darkcloud.” The black tomcat said. Celestialpaw grinned, a rush of happiness flooding over her. “Darkcloud! Darkcloud!” The entire clan chanted his new name, their voices louder than an eagle's. Darkcloud leaped down from the tree and walked over to Gorsenose, his mother. “Hey, uh, Celestialpaw?” A voice broke into her thoughts as Redpaw spoke to her. She looked behind her shoulder to see the dark red tomcat, his green eyes full with stars and hope. Suddenly another voice could be heard; it was Yellowstar's. He had jumped back up onto the Moon Pine, his tail lashing. “Silence!” he yowled. The clan went quiet turning to look at their leader. “I have one more announcement to make. You are all aware of the rouges attacking the clans, correct?” All the cats murmured in agreement, nodding their heads. “Well, I ran into Infernostar, their leader. The only way to keep our clan alive is to join them. The rouges aren't actually evil. They just need land to raise their kits! Tomorrow we will send multiple Warriors to their camp, which will make them more powerful.” He explained. /How could you do that!?/ Celestialpaw hissed inwardly, digging her claws into the ground. Anger was smoldering through her- he couldn't just give up the fight and let Starclan be forgotten in the minds of Moonclan! ____________________________________________ End of Part!