Winter Nights (Newer One)

[NightGaze666]

Snow fell on his white pelt. Even the snowflakes seemed darker than his pelt to him. He had finally reached 12 moons old and received his warrior name, but yet was exiled the next second. With each step, he could feel his paws becoming numb and number. Sadly, he hadn't inherent his father's long, flowy pelt that help his mother keep him warm when he was born.

The word 'runt' rang through his head as his nose was getting as cold as ice. 'Just one more step' he thought, seeing a small burrow in front of him. He reached out with a paw until he collapsed on the ground.

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He opened his green eyes to meet wide, blue eyes. ''H-Hello?'' he managed to say before shivering. The cat in front of him seemed to watch him carefully before laying down beside him, fluffing his fur out.

''What's your name,'' the cat asked while laying his head down on his paws, laying his head on the snow white cat's chest.

''Brightsnow,'' he meowed to the cat beside him. That seemed to make the tom happy, as he started to purr, his eyes closed.

''I'm Owlpaw, but I'll be getting my warrior name soon!'' The gray tom looked at him with a happy expression.

''How did I get here?'' Brightsnow looked around. This wasn't a place he knew about.

''I found you in the snow, so I brought you to the medicine den before Juniperberry told me to drag you to the apprentice den, which we're in,'' Owlpaw meowed in, another purr staring up. That only made Brightsnow smiled before leaning into the fluffy tom, burying his head in the apprentice's shoulder.

A shiver came from the apprentice. ''StarClan you're cold,'' Owlpaw joked. A small smile played on his face, and added to sentence. ''So, anything you do for fun?''

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"I, Whitestar, leader of LeafClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this Apprentices. They has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a Warrior in their turn."

"Owlpaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" The leader turned to him, her eyes trained on the fluffy tom.

"I-I do," he stuttered out, his fur fluffing out.

''Cherrypaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?'' Whitestar's gaze fixed on a calico tom.

''I do,'' Cherrypaw smiled up to her.

''Jaypaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?''

''I do, mam,'' the light grey tabby said, bowing her head to her mother.

''Hollowpaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?''

''I do!'' The excited apprentice said, her tail wagging.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your Warrior names. Owlpaw, from this moment you will be known as Owlbranch . StarClan honors your kind personality, and we welcome you as a full warrior of LeafClan. Cherrypaw , from this moment you will be known as Cherryfern. StarClan honors your skills at hunting, and we welcome you as a full warrior of LeafClan. Jaypaw, from this moment you will be known as Jaysong. StarClan honors your will and determination to push the borders, and we welcome you as a full warrior of LeafClan. Hollowpaw, from this moment you will be known as Hallowflake. StarClan honors your skills in battle, and we welcome you as a full warrior of LeafClan.'' The calmness spreed over then clan as she rested her head on each apprentice's head.

Shouts came from the clan as they welcome the new warriors, only to be silence by Whitestar holding her tail erect.

Staring at Brightsnow, she kinked her tail over her back. With soft steps, he padded up to her.

''Although he isn't from our clan, I have decided to hold a ceremony for him as well. Within a moon, he has learned a lot. And with this, I name him one of us. Brightsnow, do you want to get rid of your old name?'' The question sprang from her mouth. With a quick look at Owlbranch, he shook his head.

''Very well. Due to this, you are demoted to an apprentice for this. Brightpaw, do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?''

''I do,'' he bowed his head.

''Brightpaw, from this moment you will be known as Brightsnow. StarClan honors that you are a part of this clan, and we welcome you as a full warrior of LeafClan,'' she meowed and rested her muzzle on his head.

Brightsnow smiled as he heard his name being shouted. He smiled at Owlbranch who smiled back.

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Sunlight started to crawl in, bringing some warmth to the camp. A small elder lifted up his head. His once bright gray fur was dull and rough. His bright blue eyes still held innocents, even after many seasons of bloody battles and even hundred times of being mated by his mate.

His smile dropped at the thought of his mate. Brightsnow was already fully grown when he first meet the beautiful white tom. And Owlbranch had barely even thought of having a mate when he first met him.

But the green eyes had his mind racing. He knew he loved Brightsnow with his heart after he got to know him. Slowly, they became closer and closer. They had apprentices at the same time.

Then Brightsnow was made deputy. Owlbranch was proud and swatted down anyone who dared to insult his mate.

Whitestar died later on. Owlbranch, Brightsnow, and Jaysong were crushed, as well as the clan. Green cough had took her last life. Owlbranch comforted Jaysong when they first found Whitestar dead, passed peacefully in her sleep. He cried with her, as she was his adoptive mother.

Brightsnow became Brightstar, which suited him well. He tried to make Owlbranch his deputy, but Owlbranch always refused, saying Jaysong was a better fit. He was right, as she made a good leader for the clan after Brightstar died in battle on a leafbare sunrise. His neck was snapped with no blood, and he looked peaceful, just like Whitestar, as he laid in snow, his eyes closed.

A cough racketed Owlbranch's body, as he inhaled some of the yellow power in the air, thanks to the flowers that had weaved themselves in the bramble walls of the den. He could hear Jaystar play with the kits. He dragged himself out of the den, watching his friend and adopted sister play with Cherryflake's kits.

''It's nice that she plays with my kit's kits. I knew Cherryflake would make a good mother, just like her mother,'' Hollyflower said, an elder he shared the den with.

''It is. And I can remember when you were just a kit,'' Owlbranch purred, gaining a huff from the black and brown tom. He watched as Jaystar apologized to the kits, remembering to over see the apprentices train, like she always did at this time.

It was a lovely thing that Owlbranch felt warm his heart.

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A yowl rang out against the camp as everyone ran out to see what happened. The guard, Sunwave, sat slumped at the entrance, his amber eyes holding fear. He could feel Bloodclaw bolt over to the body, her own body racketing with cries as she burred her head into her son's fur.

Owlbranch could feel something off, and knew everyone else felt it too. The queens rushed the kits into the dens, the other elders rushing back into their dens. The two medicine cats turned heel and ran to their den, ready to protect the sick. Warriors and apprentices alike stood guard, Jaystar at the front.

Owlbranch felt himself walk to a small apprentice, and started to crouch, like he always did whenever he had battled. The apprentice, Waterpaw, looked at him with surprise but got back on guard.

Suddenly fights were everywhere. Owlbranch didn't know what clan was attacking, his mind going back to when the same thing happened to him as an apprentice. He watched as Waterpaw fought. But a small moment caught his eye. A warrior was racing to get to him, a warrior he didn't know.

He launched himself at the cat, his joints flaring up in pain. He bit into the cat's ear while clawing at the cat's underbelly with his back claws. He didn't bother to pin the cats front paws down. He should've.

Pain flare in his neck as the cat under him clawed his throat out. He fell to the ground, closing his eyes in pain.

He opened his eyes again, looking down at his body. 'I'm dead,' he thought with alarm.

Looking behind him, he saw Brightstar, a happy smile playing on his face. ''Hello Owlbranch,'' he purred, cocking his head. Owlbranch leaped at him, pinning him down before cuddling into him.

''Hello Brightstar,'' he purred, happily. The two toms got up and walked, tails twined, as they headed to Starclan.