A Moonless Night || Chapter Seven

Instructions

A Moonless Night Chapter Seven ____________________________________________ As the precious sky gradually grew darker, the clouds began to change to only identical little puffs scattered in lines up against the atmosphere. Birds grew utterly tired as they struggled to make it to their nests, their wings aching from the long day that had proceeded to get warmer as the season went peacefully on. Celestialpaw stood below the Night Tree as Yellowstar strongly spoke. “I, Yellowstar, Leader of Nightclan call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this Apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your code and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. From this moment on, Celestialpaw, you shall be known as Celestialstrike. We honor your bravery and faithfulness. It is my pleasure to accept you as a full warrior of Nightclan.” The black and white tom finished the ceremony with a brisk nod to Celestialstrike, then he leaped down from the Night Tree to attend the annual feast. Itching with excitement, Celestialstrike was hardly aware of Darkcloud bounding towards her, his throat visibly rumbling in a loud purr. Rubbing his head against hers many times over, he complimented her flatteringly. “You did such a great job, Celestialstrike. It must've been hard joining a clan without any family. You've worked so hard, and I'm /very/ proud of you.” He meowed, obviously trying to stop grinning in such an unusually broad way. Celestialpaw smiled back at him, blinking warmly. “Thank you.” She purred, sniffing his ear in a way to show appreciation. Breaking the moment like a thorn to skin, Ghostpaw prodded Celestialstrike on the shoulder. “Congrats! You're name's /beautiful/.” She meowed with a dip of her head. “You really think so?” Celestialstrike asked, her head tilted to the side. Though she was quite fond of her name, Celestialstrike doubted it was 'beautiful'. Celestialstrike swung her head over to see Darkcloud speaking again. “It's gorgeous...” he said, his gaze cloudy like a foggy Leaf-fall morning. “And he agrees!” Ghostpaw said jokingly, bumping her older brother with her tail. Celestialpaw laughed cheerily, unaware of any unsettling thought. With her closest friends, she felt no bad emotion, only empty joy. “How about we get some food?” Ghostpaw asked, gesturing towards the towering fresh kill pile. Darkcloud hastily nodded and trotted over to the pile, grabbing a large hare. “How about we share this? It's a little big for even me.” Darkcloud suggested, placing it on a flat stone. Celestialstrike nodded and started to dig in. Just as she, Ghostpaw, and Darkcloud finished their meal, Redpaw padded over to Celestialstrike. “Err- um... H-Hi, Celestialstrike. I just wanted to say that uh- maybe we could hunting together tomorrow at sun-high?” He said, his head held low and his face flushed. Nettled, Celestialstrike sighed. “No thanks. I promised Darkcloud I'd come with him while he gathers herbs for the medicine cats at that same time.” She said truthfully. Redpaw flicked his tail in annoyance. “How about tomorrow evening?” “Actually, I don't think so. I'm on border patrol then.” She answered, relieved the next day would be purely busy tomorrow. Looking faintly hurt, Redpaw heaved an enormous sigh. “What about tomorrow at dawn?” he asked. Irritated that she had nothing to do, Celestialstrike searched for words. “Erm... I... Well, uh, Darkcloud's on dawn patrol, and I thought maybe I could come along.” She blurted out. “She's /always/ hanging out with him!” Redpaw muttered as he walked away. Assuming he didn't intend for anyone to hear, Celestialstrike looked and Darkcloud and Ghostpaw as she shrugged. “What's Redpaw's deal?” She said. “I don't know... He probably likes you. Do you like him back?” Ghostpaw asked in a whisper, though it was crystal clear Darkcloud was hearing. “Ew! No! He's just a little mouse-brain.” Celestialstrike hissed. ____________________________________________ End of part!