Darkpaw rolled her eyes at Orangepaw. "You'll do fine,"

"But will I really? Orangepaw fretted. Darkpaw nodded.

"Don't worry." Orangepaw sighed and sat down. The apprentice's den was cozy and smelled of mice. "Oh... Grassfang wants me to check Badgerleap for ticks. I'll see you later!" She padded into the medicine den. "Can I have mouse bile, for ticks?" Shadeflight nosed some towards her. She pulled away at the stench, squeezed her eyes shut, and grasped it in her jaws. She ran into the elder's den.

"Darkpaw? Is that you?" Badgerleap asked. 

"Yeah." She began to check the old cat for ticks and fleas, biting a fat one near her ear. "How are you?"

"Good." Badgerleap closed her eyes. "ShadowClan needs more young ones."

"Yeah. Everyone's been telling me to get a mate when I'm a warrior."

"But who? All the toms will have had mates, and maybe some will just not want one. And my hope was Orangepaw and Shadeflight, but now that's not a possibility... Maybe the prophecy meant that ShadowClan will find more young toms? Right now, what we need is an outsider. An outsider to be taken into the clan. Your assessment is in two moons, yes?" Darkpaw nodded.

"You don't have anymore ticks. I'd better go train with Orangepaw. She really needs support- her warrior name should be Orangefright." Badgerleap smiled.

"I'll have to pay my kit a visit. But what worries me..." Darkpaw looked up at Badgerleap. "What really worries me is that ShadowClan will completely be gone." Darkpaw froze. She hadn't thought of that. "Do you have any toms in mind? Even outside ShadowClan?" Darkpaw's thoughts raced to a tom, identical to Shadeflight... As if it was a sign that they were meant to be together... 

"No," she lied. 

"Oh, there's someone." Badgerleap flashed her a mischievous grin. "Anyways, you'd better get going. I'll see you later."

...

Is Arrowpaw going to come? Darkpaw wondered. She looked at the night sky. He was late. He has to come. The ferns rustled. "Darkpaw?" a voice asked. She purred.

"I'm here." She looked at him. "My assessment will be in two moons."

"Mine will be in two moon rises," he bragged. "So soon. Huh. I wonder what my warrior name will be. And yours, too." Darkpaw shivered. 

"Isn't it cold?" she asked. Arrowpaw shrugged. 

"Not really." He closed his eyes. "I should go back."

"It's only been heartbeats."

"The longest heartbeats of my life," Arrowpaw mewed. He sighed. "But really, Coralstar has suspicions." Darkpaw blinked.

"Okay. I'll see you..."

"In a quarter-moon?" She nodded. "Okay." She watched as he ran off and looked in the direction of the ShadowClan camp.

...

Darkpaw closed her eyes. "So the apprentice could be anyone," she mewed. "Great job, us! We really narrowed it down!" Shadeflight snorted.

"Yeah, so great. Anyways, really, who could it not be?"

"I guess me... And not you. And not Orangepaw; we're almost always together."

"The keyword is almost," Shadeflight mewed. "We have to include her. And me. Beside Tree and Half Moon, you don't meet cats from StarClan, or at least supposedly StarClan. Maybe the Dark Forest is tricking me."

"There are so many options!" Darkpaw groaned. "It could be anyone! I guess not me, though."

"What about Arrowpaw?" Shadeflight suggested. "He seems like the obvious choice; he's strong and smart, and if someone succeeds to trick him, he's a valuable piece on their side. And plus, what about that ginger warrior he mentioned?"

"He's not!" Darkpaw spat. "The ginger warrior could be Firestar for all we know! The legendary Firestar! Just because Arrowpaw's from a rival clan doesn't me-" she abruptly shut her mouth. "Never mind." She looked to Orangepaw, happy for a distraction. "Hey, Orangepaw!" she yowled. "When, exactly, is your assessment?"

"A quarter-moon!" Orangepaw shivered visibly. "I'm going to go to sleep. It's late." Darkpaw remembered suddenly. I have to meet with Arrowpaw! But just for a heartbeat... It's better than nothing. As ShadowClan fell asleep, Darkpaw slipped out of the camp. Wait for me! I know I'm late! 

"Arrowpaw!" she called. An answering yowl filled her ears. "Did you pass the assessment?" Darkpaw asked eagerly. 

"Of course!" he puffed out his chest proudly. "I'm called- wait, guess!"

"Uh... I don't know! Arrowflight? Arrowfall? Arrowfern?"

"I'm Arrowheart now," he boasted. "And what do you want your warrior name to be?" Darkpaw shrugged.

"I don't care, not really. I can't believe you're a warrior already." Arrowhearrt lowered his head, his eyes darting to the ground. 

"I know," he mumbled. "There's so much responsibility all of a sudden." He sighed. "When should we meet again?"

"The gathering. That's when the half-moon will be, and Orangepaw's ceremony will be in a quarter-moon. I'm sure she'll pass."

"Okay. I'll see you then." Darkpaw nodded and turned to the forest, walking through it to her camp. She quietly padded to the apprentice's den and collapsed. She was tired. She closed her eyes and dreamed of grey-furred toms from RiverClan.

Darkpaw looked eagerly at Treestar and Yowltail. The ShadowClan cats had been gathered. "Did she pass?" she yowled. Orangepaw paced around in circles.

"Did I?" 

"Yes." Yowltail answered. Orangepaw jumped up.

"Really? I did! I did!"

"Orangepaw, come here," Treestar ordered. Orangepaw ran and leaped in between Yowltail and Treestar. "I, Treestar of ShadowClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn.

"Orangepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your territory, even at the cost of your life?" Darkpaw let out a breath as Orangepaw answered determinedly.

"I do."

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Orangepaw, from this day on you will be known as Orangetail. StarClan honors your determination and agility, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." Treestar rested his muzzle on Orangetail's head, and she licked his shoulder.

"Orangetail! Orangetail! Orangetail!" the cats yowled in celebration. Darkpaw could hear Badgerleap's proud caterwaul over the rest of the voices. Orangetail leaped down gracefully and nuzzled her mother's cheek. The two she-cats were identical, now that Orangetail had grown, and Darkpaw could hardly make out one from the other. But she could see that they were both happy. So was she- and so was every cat in all of ShadowClan. This just goes to show, Darkpaw thought, that even with the hardships, life by the lake is the best it could be. And it will never change.