I've kind of gotten the amount of time lapsed in the storyline mixed up. Let me clarify: All the apprentices have been training for many moons now, and Leopardpaw & Hazelpaw became apprentices about a moon before Shadepaw. BTW: Probably last chapter. Get ready for Book 2: Clash!

The SkyClan patrol went back to camp. As soon as they arrived, Leopardpaw and Hazelpaw ran to Shadepaw, shaking with excitement.

"Guess what!" Hazelpaw exclaimed.

"What?" Shadepaw asked.

"We were training, and then Patchfoot and Rockfall told us that we're ready for our final assessment. We're about to be warriors!" Leopardpaw announced.

"Whoa! Congratulations."

"Yeah, we've worked hard," Hazelpaw agreed, "So, how did the meeting with BloodClan go?"

"Awful." Shadepaw slumped over. "They refused to leave, and the leader, Falcon, gave us one moon to prepare for war."

"They've got some thick skin," Sagewhisker commented.

"Sagewhisker!" Shadepaw yelped in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

Hazelpaw let out a sad sigh and walked away.

"Where are you going, Hazelpaw?" Leopardpaw asked, following her brother.

"I just thought I'd give them some privacy," he replied. He spat out the word 'them.'

Back with Sagewhisker, Shadepaw shifted her paws nervously while she talked. His green eyes were fixed on her every word, his ears perked with interest. All of his attention was focused on her, and it made Shadepaw a bit woosy.

After she explained what had happened, Sagewhisker said, "I hear that your friends are going to be warriors soon. Good for them."

"Yeah. You know, sometimes I wish they were my siblings, that way we'd do it about the same time, and I wouldn't be the only apprentice," Shadepaw joked.

Sagewhisker laughed, "I'm not sure Hazelpaw would like it if you were siblings."

"Why not?"

Sagewhisker looked away uncomfortably, "Um, forget I said anything. Never mind."

Shadepaw sighed, "Crazy furball." Inside, she was wondering what Sagewhisker's comment meant.

They continued to share tongues, but Shadepaw was now aware of Hazelpaw's sad green gaze from across the clearing. However, her friend got excited again when Rockfall and Patchfoot called him and his sister over. Shadepaw was happy for them; they had worked hard and deserved to be warriors.

"I can't wait to find out what their warrior names will be!" she told Sagewhisker.

"I'm sure they'll be great," he replied.

Later, Leopardpaw, Hazelpaw, and their mentors came back from the assessment. Leopardpaw carried a rabbit and two magpies in her jaws. She dropped them in the fresh-kill pile. Shadepaw saw that Hazelpaw carried nothing. Then, she saw that he had long scratches down his side, and he was limping. Behind him, Rockfall had a mouse, probably what Hazelpaw had caught.

"What happened?" she asked.

Hazelpaw's voice was shaky, "We were attacked by a BloodClan patrol."

"Oh no," Shadepaw whispered.

Leopardpaw licked her brother's ear, "Hazelpaw, you're being too modest. You didn't even mention that you killed a BloodClan warrior! Not to mention, you did it to save my life!"

"Whoa! Hazelpaw, that's amazing!"

"Well, to be honest, it was an apprentice," he replied shyly.

Shadepaw purred, "That's still incredible. You've definitely earned your warrior name."

"Yeah..." he said, then, he collapsed onto the ground. Shadepaw's eyes widened in fear, but she was soon relaxed by his breathing.

"Sorry," he gasped, "I'm just exhausted."

Shadepaw and Leopardpaw helped him up, and Shadepaw let him lean on her for support.

Leafstar padded out. "How did the assessment go... Hazelpaw, are you alright?"

Echosong took a long look at the brown tabby apprentice. "Don't worry, you'll live," she assured him.

Rockfall dropped the mouse on the pile. "Hazelpaw deserves to be a warrior."

"So does Leopardpaw. Her hunting was great," Patchfoot added.

"I agree," Leafstar said. She called the Clan together.

"I, Leafstar, leader of SkyClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on these apprentices. They have trained hard to learn the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to be warriors in their term. Hazelpaw and Leopardpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

"I do," they both replied.

"Then, bye the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior names. Hazelpaw, from now on you shall be known as Hazelfur. StarClan honors your loyalty and sense of humor. Leopardpaw, from now on you shall be known as Leopardclaw. StarClan honors your quick thinking and understanding, and we welcome you as full warriors of SkyClan."

The Clan called out their new names. Hazelfur, still weak, leaned on Leopardclaw for support. The sight of the two siblings helping each other warmed Shadepaw's heart. She was slightly disappointed, but she was proud of her friends for becoming warriors.

Ice's patrol burst through the entrance. Splash and Scorch carried an apprentice, Oak.

"How did Oak die?" Storm asked.

"He attacked a SkyClan cat, a young, golden she-cat with brown spots, and another cat, a brown tabby tom, rescued her. He and Oak fought for a long time, and the SkyClan cat was badly hurt, but they kept fighting. Eventually, Oak was killed," Scorch replied. Splash was in tears for the loss of her son.

She spoke up, "If Oak had just fought a bit harder, he could've killed that other cat, and he could have become a warrior. He was so close, so close."

The BloodClan cats mourned the loss of Oak. His father and mentor, Badger, was one of BloodClan's top warriors, and much had been expected of the young brown tom. The death fueled Falcon's desire for war.

"Hello?" a she-cat's voice called, "Is anyone here? We've heard that there is a group of cats called BloodClan that have moved here."

"Yes!" Falcon replied, "We are BloodClan! I am the leader, Falcon."

A group of she-cats came through. They were all beautiful, and there was a powerful aura around them.

The she-cat in the front was brown and white with deep green eyes. She spoke, "Greetings. I am Ivy, leader of the Poison Ivy Sisterhood, and we have a preposition for you."