Darkstar'smiled. "...And we have two new warriors. Shadowheart and Fernheart." Her chest puffed up with pride. My kits are warriors! She blinked. Well, two of them. I wonder when Yowlpaw will finally master hunting. She closed her eyes briefly. Yowltail had died saving Duskstorm from a snake; the poison had killed the brave senior warrior before she could go to the elder's den. She was honored to name Yowlpaw after her. Her other kit, Sandkit, was almost ready to be apprenticed.

"Shadowheart! Fernheart! Shadowheart! Fernheart!" Shadowheart, a smoky grey she-cat with sparkling green eyes, hid behind her brother. Fernheart flicked his tail, gesturing for her to accept the praise.

"ShadowClan is well. This place has an amazing source of prey." Her gaze locked with the other leaders'. StarClan was right to bring us here. She blinked. Her clan was many now; Dewclaw had become Comfreytail's mate, and they had two kits, Lightclaw and Yellowpaw, who was nearly ready to be a warrior. Darkstar and Arrowheart's kits, Sandkit, Shadowheart, Fernheart and Yowlpaw, were four more members of the clan. Orangetail and Snarlfang's kits, Redfall, Flowclaw, Shardear, Shadeheart and Basilpaw helped, too. 

"ThunderClan is happy to announce that Lightningtail has taken Seedpaw as an apprentice." A light brown she-cat grinned, waving her tail as the clans cheered. "Heatpelt and Mousesong have moved to the elder's den. ThunderClan is happy to announce a new apprentice, Mousepaw. I am her mentor," Strikestar added. "Our new deputy is Stickclaw."

The cats cheered again.

"Birdwing was injured when a branch fell, but she's recovering well. Cloudstorm moved to the elder's den." Darkstar's gaze saddened. She was so kind on the journey. She helped us, me, so well. 

"Cloudstorm! Cloudstorm! Cloudstorm!" Every clan called out for the wise medicine cat. She deserves to be an elder now, being able to relax.

"Starstorm wishes her mentor a good life in the elder's den." Darkstar caught Starstorm's gaze and dipped her head. Those two were good friends.

"Nothing much has happened in WindClan," Quickstar announced. "Soon, I'll be going to the elder's den." His sharp justice had turned slowly into a reluctant mercy, and Darkstar could easily admit that he was a good friend, no that he had accepted the new code. "Ravenfur will soon be WindClan's leader." He took a deep breath. "I am sorry to admit that Stripeflight is dead. He had a good life, as a warrior and an elder, but he was old." Murmurs of sympathy echoed throughout the clans.

"Fishstar is dead," Slithertail announced solemnly. "There was a terrible flood. We also lost Grasswing." Sadness swept among the gathered cats. "Tonight, I will head for the moonstar to recieve my nine lives."

The cats separated into smaller groups, talking to others. Darkstar padded over to Shadowheart and Fernheart.

"How does it feel to be a known warrior?" she asked her two kits. Fernheart's green eyes sharpened.

"Good." He and Shadowheart nuzzled her. She licked their foreheads.

"Hey, wait for me!" Arrowheart mewed, bounding towards them. "I need to know how my kits feel, too." Shadowheart blinked.

"Amazing," the grey she-cat mewed happily. "Right, Fernheart?" The creamy grey tom nodded. Arrowheart purred.

"Good for you." Darkstar held his gaze for a moment.

Our kits have grown up so, so much. I remember when they had just been born, the tiny bundles of fur.

"The gathering is over," Quickstar announced. Darkstar yawned and flicked her tail, gesturing her clan over.

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Orangetail mewed. "To know how responsible your kits are." Darkstar nodded.

I remember when I was just an apprentice, she thought distantly, wrapped in memories. In the lake territory, at my first gathering, so happy just for that.

She announced the news to those who had stayed back, and took a warbler to share with Arrowheart. 

"Arrowheart!" she called. Her mate looked at her and walked towards her. "Let's share this." 

"Sure," he agreed, settling down. "And we can talk." Darkstar ripped a wing of the prey and chewed slowly.

"It makes me feel so old," she admitted, watching Fernheart lick Lightclaw's cheek and murmur something to the tortoiseshell she-cat. "Our kits are warriors now, looking for mates and patrols. I can't believe that they've been made warriors, even though I was the one to give them their names." Arrowheart sighed and nodded.

"It's so weird." His dark blue gaze traveled to Yowlpaw and Sandkit, who were sitting together, sharing a plump toad. "I'm going over to them." He yawned. Darkstar gulped down the last bit of warbler and blinked.

"Then let's go."

"Hey, Yowlpaw, Sandkit!" Arrowheart mewed something else. Darkstar had returned to her duties as leader, since Sandkit would be an apprentice in... 

Wait, now! Darkstar jumped onto the Highstump. Arrowheart watched her, knowing what would happen.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around the Highstump for a clan meeting!" Darkstar yowled. It was late, but not too late for a ceremony. Cats gathered around her.

"It's time for us to have a new apprentice," she mewed, meeting Sandkit's yellow gaze. The pale yellow-and-black she-cat sat upright. "Sandkit, from this moment and on you will be known as Sandpaw. Your mentor will be Redfall." The young warrior gasped. "I trust that your new mentor will pass on loyalty and courage to you." Redfall bent her head to touch noses with Sandpaw once the apprentice had licked Darkstar's shoulder. The new mentor stepped back and the cats cheered, then went to their dens. Sandpaw rushed over to Darkstar, Arrowheart, Yowlpaw, Fernheart and Shadowheart, her ears pricked with excitement.

"I'm an apprentice!" she mewled happily. Fernheart grinned.

"And we're warriors. And soon, Yowlpaw will be, too." The black apprentice sighed.

"I hope so. But I just can't get it... The stalking! I can do everything but the stalking! And Orangetail keeps trying to teach me, but even my mentor can't." Her voice quieted. Shadowheart licked her littermate's shoulder. 

"Why don't we try together?" Darkstar offered. "And Arrowheart will help, too." Yowlpaw blinked.

"Would you? Thank you!" Arrowheart purred.

"Why don't we go to the Fox Swamp?" Darkstar suggested. Fox lived there now, the white dog fox barely touching the prey and somehow hanging on well. Yowlpaw nodded excitedly.

"Yes, please!" Darkstar led her and Arrowheart to the swamp, sitting down once they got there. Yowlpaw blinked.

"Watch me," Darkstar mewed. "Arrowheart, you pretend to be a toad." Her mate sunk to the ground, his tail curled up.

"Okay, I'll be the hunter," Darkstar explained quickly. "First, I have to crouch down. Copy me." Yowlpaw obeyed, crouching down. Darkstar winced; her weight was completely on her paws. "Put your weight on your haunches, like this." She demonstrated the position quickly. Yowlpaw sighed and tried to do the same. She succeeded, her balance wobbly.

"Put your tail out to help you balance," Arrowheart suggested. "I mean, croaaaak." Yowlpaw snorted and then nodded, deep in concentration as she slowly unfurled her tail. Darkstar watched as her legs wobbled less.

"The rest will come with practice," the leader promised. "Now, I have to move forward, without making any noise." She moved to one direction and stalked forward. Yowlpaw did her stalk well, but went straight. Darkstar winced. "Move downwind, so that it can't smell you. Frogs and toads don't really smell cats, but some prey does, so you should be downwind whenever you can. It's also important for stalking an enemy patrol."

"Okay," Yowlpaw mewed, moving behind her mother and stalking towards Arrowheart. The grey tom twitched.

"I don't want to be hunted," he complained, grinning to show it was a joke. Darkstar rolled her eyes.

"You're a grown warrior. You can be hunted." She snorted and prepared to leap. "Yowlpaw, show me your leaping stance." Yowlpaw lowered, ready to kick off the ground. Darkstar nodded approvingly. "Now, move from your prowl to your leaping stance."

Yowlpaw slunk back to her stalking form, then smoothly crouched her legs, silent as night, and bared her teeth to bite prey. She showed Darkstar her leap, unsheathing her claws in the air to strike the back of big prey, and landed quietly, nipping Arrowheart.

"Hey, I'm not actual prey! You know, you're way better at this than you think," he mewed, more seriously. "All you need to do is keep going over these moves, every moonhigh and sunhigh. Then you'll soon be able to become a warrior." Yowlpaw grinned.

"Really?" Her silvery-blue gaze sharpened. "You're telling the truth?"

"Would I lie?" Arrowheart reprimanded. "I'm telling the truth. Right, Darkstar?" His mate dipped her head.

"He's right." Yowlpaw's eyes brightened. 

"That's great!"

"You should sleep now," Arrowheart suggested. "It's really dark." They walked, together, towards their dens and slept peacefully until the morning.

...

Darkstar looked down proudly at Yowlfur, Sandscar, Fernheart and Shadowheart. Then her gaze traveled to Arrowheart. His eyes met hers, full of compassion, and he padded besides her.

"We have kin," he mewed. "It's so amazing. It seems like a sunhigh ago that they were all kits, yowling their dreams to the world." Darkstar's nose gently touched his.

"Now, they're all warriors," she mewed quietly. "We had this talk seasons ago, remember?" Arrowheart purred and nodded.

"But it's so amazing. And our kits have kits." Darkstar glanced at Silverkit, Foxkit and Badgerkit before Arrowheart continued. "And now the clans are at peace. I remember the Journey. You changed the code and led the clans." He licked her cheek. "I still love you."

"And I love you," Darkstar replied with no hesitation. The mates sat there, deep in memories, their kits and the setting sun behind them. Darkstar breathed out. We've come so far.

"I love you."