Ravenpaw's farewell

Ravenpaw opened his eyes to find him lying on a rock beside a starry pool.He sat up and looked around.Behind him, the potholed slope swelled up.The stone under him was very cold, but his body was very warm.He walked up and down by the pool, took a sip of the pool water, and felt the pool water pass through his body like a beam of light.He became aware of a cat standing behind him with a tail resting gently on his back.

"Come and sit with me, Ravenpaw," Silverstream snorted.She sat gracefully on the rock, one tail wrapped around the soles of her feet, and waited for Ravenpaw to sit down, moving more slowly because his stomach ached.

Ravenpaw noticed that she was looking at him with concern. "I'm getting old!" he teased.

Yinxi just stared at him with her big blue eyes.

Ravenpaw felt a chill. "I... can I never see my home again?"

"Yes," Silverstream admitted, "don't be afraid to die in a foreign country." Her voice was contagious: "The most important thing is that you are no longer alone. You always know that you are loved."

Ravenpaw felt a pain in his throat. "I'm afraid Barry won't take it," he whispered.

"Barry knows you don't want to leave him. He'll understand, he loves you even when you're no longer around."

Two more cats came to the pool: a dark gray tom with blue eyes, and a second tom with gray and white fur and broad shoulders.Silverstream stood up and nodded to them, then walked up to the high place.

The dark gray tom opened his mouth first: "My name is Guardian," he meowed, "I am the last warrior of SkyClan, before Firestar and Sandstorm come to save my clan. There will be room for Riley and Bella here , I promise. Be patient and you'll help them find their place."

"I'm Yunxing, the patriarch of SkyClan when they first arrived in the canyon." The gray-white male cat hissed, "Before that, we lived in a forest with other clans."

Ravenpaw lowered his head, "It's an honor to meet you."

"I, Mars and Sandstorm have gone through this journey before, but now it's you and your friends." Yun Xing said, "I'm very grateful that you brought new blood into my group."

"But they don't want them!" Ravenpaw blurted out, "Ye Xing won't even let us cross the border!"

"Give them one more chance to see these cats who are capable of joining the Clan." Cloudstar retorted, "SkyClan needs your help. You saw it that night."

Crow Claw straightened his tail: "But the Sky Clan has strong warriors! Ye Xing made it clear without blinking his eyes. What if they can't do us?"

no respond.Guardian walked to the edge of the pool and threw pebbles into the water.With a pop, circles of starlight scattered in all directions.

"Look," Warden ordered, "stones can reach farther than you expect. Right?"

Ravenpaw looked at the trembling Ripple, recalling SkyClan, how they were in the valley, waiting for the pet cat to strike again.He understood and nodded at him. "I see it," he replied.

Yunxing put his muzzle against Ravenpaw's forehead. "Please help us," he murmured, "in the name of the Clan, in the name of the warrior code."

"I will," Ravenpaw promised.

He awoke just as the first rays of sunlight entered the cave.The air outside is very crisp, with a smell of leaves.Ravenpaw pushed Barry: "Wake up!"

"Is it time to go home?" Bella asked sleepily.Riley beside her let out a sigh.

"We're not going home," Ravenpaw announced. "We're going back to SkyClan." Barry half-stretched, and now stopped. "What? They didn't even let us cross the border yesterday." He narrowed his eyes: "You need to go back to the barn to rest."

"I'm fine," Ravenpaw told him. "I dreamed about StarClan last night, and I thought of a good way to deal with pet cats."

"Let's go!" Riley meowed, and he ran to the entrance of the cave: "Those pet cats with fox heads must show SkyClan some respect!"

Ravenpaw greatly admires Riley for his loyalty to the Clan, even when he is considered a stowaway.

Bella nodded: "If we can help them, we will go back."

Barry sighed. "It can be seen that you have a lot of cats." He meowed.The tip of his tail brushed Ravenpaw's spine: "But if you want to stop to rest, you must tell me the number? I know something is making you hard."

"I will."

Ravenpaw led them up the creek again.They stopped in the woods to hunt; Barry let Ravenpaw lie on the moss while he and the young cats teamed up to catch a pigeon at the foot of a tree.After they cleaned their mouths and noses, they continued to march towards the forest.

During the day, Ravenpaw could clearly see the huge, grey-brown pebbles hanging over the creek.The water disappeared behind the rocks, and sun-dappled shadows imprinted on the bottom of the stones.They had barely passed through the holly bushes when figures appeared, running towards them.Meiziliu took the lead.

"We told you to stay away from here!" she growled.A ginger tom walks with her, his collar hair erect.

"leave here!"

"Plum Willow, fire jump, wait!" A silver tabby she-cat with green eyes jumped down from a path at the foot of the cliff and stood in front of them.

"Enough! These cats aren't looking for trouble."

"We don't know yet," muttered Jumping Fire, standing still.A silver-gray tabby came before Ravenpaw and his companion.Ravenpaw smelled the fragrant herbs on her fur, and noticed a scar on her ear that was covered in cobwebs.

"My name is Song of Echo," she meowed. "I'm the witch doctor of the Celestial Clan. Ye Xing and I mentioned you."

Her voice was very gentle, and Raven Claw smoothed the hair on his spine: "I need to talk to Ye Xing. Please, this is very important."

Echosong sized him up, then turned back, her shaggy silver tail standing on end. "Follow me." She led them past plum willows and low-neighing fire jumps.She stopped and turned around and said, "I'm sorry," she meowed, "Ye Xing's lair is a bit small. I can only go there with Ravenpaw, can you stay here?"

Barry glanced at the warriors coming out of the lair and behind the rocks.

"Don't worry, you'll be safe," Echosong told him. "Talon will take care of you."

A slender, robust kitten with yellow eyes and gray fur was emerging from a den and nodded at them. "Absolutely safe," he promised.

"Thank you." Echo Song meowed: "If Ebony Palm has any assignments for you, let me know." She continued to Ravenpaw, "Ebony Palm is a warrior of the sun, so she is not here now. Eagle Claw is hers apprentice."

"He looks cute," Ravenpaw commented.

Echosong nodded. "Indeed. Just stay away from Billywind's apprentice Pebblepaw. The two of them never get along!"

They left Barry, Riley and Bella, the three cats standing awkwardly beside the gray apprentice.They walked up the path.The path leads to a number of small caves—the warrior's lair, Ravenpaw guessed from the smell inside—and all the way to a terrace where three cats sit: Leaf Star, a handsome, broad-shouldered ginger-white tom and a dark ginger tom who has been staring at him since he arrived.

Ye Xing lowered her head: "Crow's Claw. I didn't expect to see you again." She pointed to the cats beside her, first of all the dark ginger male cat: "This is Sharp Palm, my deputy patriarch. This one It's Billy Wind. You can tell me in front of them."

Ravenpaw took a deep breath, hoping the warriors wouldn't hear his heartbeat: "I wanted to help you deal with those pet cats', uh... problems. We saw what happened last night, and I thought of a good way to stop them."

Sharp Palm stood up, and the hair on his neck stood up. "So you crossed the border?" he growled.

"We're at the top of the cliff, on the other side of your scent marks," Ravenpaw replied, trying not to tremble.

"Sit down, Sharp Palm." Ye Xingmiao said.

The ginger tom sat down slowly. "These pet cats are a piece of cake, nothing to worry about," he said in a low voice. "We're not afraid of them."

"But they should learn to respect your boundaries." Ravenpaw said, "You can't just let them enter and leave the heart of the group at will!"

"We don't welcome them to do that either!" Billy Wind pointed out.

Ye Xing raised the sole of his foot: "You said you have a way, Raven Claw?" Her voice was very soft, as if she was ready to listen carefully.

Ravenpaw stood up and stretched out his front paws to trace an outline in the sand.A few quick strokes draw a circle, with ripples circle after circle, just like the scene in the dream last night.

"This is your camp," he explained, pointing to the circle in the center, "but the border is much larger, this is to ensure that those who cross the border are far enough away from the camp." He raised the sole of his foot and pointed to the outermost circle: " This is where you need to defend, the midpoint between the Twoleg lair and the camp. If you make a border, make sure the pet cats don't cross the border, and your homeland will be safe."

"Are you discussing borders with me?" Sharpclaw snorted. "You're not even a Clan cat."

But Ye Xing nodded, she was looking down at the mark on the sand. "You mean we should move the border back, not at the edge of the canyon? Well, it's useful. It's hard to patrol there so there are few scent marks, but it does keep the canyon safe." She looked up. Looking at Raven Claw: "Then how do you teach those pet cats a lesson so that they don't bother them anymore?"

Ravenpaw swallowed.ThunderClan memories flooded his mind: patrols, inspections of border markers, training with Tigerclaw...

"Send patrols to the new border at regular intervals, all night long, until the pet cat knows where the border is." He meowed. "Your samurai need to rest during the day, but maybe a daylight warrior can do the job. Right? You should only need A patrol patrols all night, if you fight hard."

"We've always been brave and good at fighting!" growled Sharpclaw.

Ravenpaw blinked. "Before Ridge, you must set a new boundary. Leave nothing from tree branches to stone piles. Then rest at dusk, and apprentices and warriors can patrol the boundary. Pet cats dare not set foot again." Come on." He paused, taking a breath.His stomach cramped, and he tried not to roll into a ball against the pain.

Ye Xing looked at Crow Claw thoughtfully. "Once again, ThunderClan helped us," she meowed.

"Oh, I'm not a ThunderClan cat anymore," Ravenpaw replied.

Ye Xing didn't answer, but stood up and walked down the path to the bottom of the canyon, standing solemnly on the boulder.

"SkyClan cats gather here!" she yelled.

Ravenpaw slowly joined Barry behind Sharppaw and Billywind, the black and white tom watching him with concern, but Ravenpaw just nodded at Leafstar, who was explaining to the Clan about Boundary plan.Her Clan cats listened quietly, glancing at visitors now and then.When Ye Xing finished speaking, she signaled Ravenpaw with her tail, and Ravenpaw swallowed.

"Go up!" Bella jumped up excitedly and squeaked.

Ravenpaw didn't move—he didn't think he could jump up with the pain in his stomach—and turned to face the cats. "You're stronger than you think," he began, raising his voice against the pain in his stomach.

There were some indignant murmurs among the cats.

"You have no idea how capable we are!"

"If you think we are cowardly, come over and compete for who is better!"

Ravenpaw continued: "Unlike pet cats, you have your own warrior ancestors, and your belief in the warrior code makes you stronger. You must set an invisible boundary—make them pay—let them know What is respect?" He took another deep breath. "They are not warriors! Victory never comes to them!"

"They are not warriors! Victory never comes to them!"

The cats repeated, and Ravenpaw dropped his shoulders in relief.Ye Xing met his gaze and nodded.

Sharpclaw jumps onto the rock to assign the cats to patrol, ready to set a new boundary.To Ravenpaw's surprise, he stopped and said loudly to Riley and Bella, "I thought you should come over and help?"

The young cats nodded so emphatically that their ears wobbled.Sharpclaw wagged his tail at Riley. "You and Cherrytail, Hornetwhiskers and Dustpaw collect the marking stones." Riley ran to join the patrol.Sharpclaw signaled to Bella, "You can help Jumping Fire and Plumpaw find branches."

"What about the Sunlight Warriors?" Mei Ziliu called out among the cats, "When they are on duty, do we rest before the battle breaks out?"

A slender black-and-white tom poked its head out. "We do it all and stay and fight," he declared.The cats around him nodded: "We are SkyClan cats just like you! This is our battle too!"

"Thank you, McGyver." Sharp Palm meowed.

"I'm joining the hunt, Ravenpaw." Barry whispered to Ravenpaw, "Rest."

Ravenpaw opened his mouth to retort, but Barry continued, "Seeing your situation. Don't lie to me, okay. Take care of yourself while I'm away hunting."

Ravenpaw nodded. "I'll always be here," he promised.

He watched as the black and white tom followed Firefern into the hunt.The ginger she-cat greeted him coldly, but the tan tom seemed kinder as he walked out of camp beside Barry.

Echosong appears next to Ravenpaw. "Can you still climb the hill?" she asked. "It's not too far, I swear it's worth going."

"Of course." Ravenpaw meowed.He followed Echosong along a winding path through the canyon all the way to the top of the cliff.Ravenpaw heaved a sigh of relief as he climbed onto the flat ground.

"Not very tired," Echosong told him, and she didn't sound like she was out of breath.She pointed her tail at a rocky flat. "This is a special place for SkyClan," she explained. "We gather here when the moon is full, and this is where I talk to StarClan." She stepped gently up the rock, beckoning him Nest by your side.

"I like it here." Song of Echo murmured, looking at the canyon and the forest above: "It's so peaceful, you can see everything."

Wo Zai nodded.He could see Barry's black and white figure jumping among the trees; Riley was twisting a rock on a cliff in the distance.He suddenly heard footsteps behind him, turned around and found three cats.He vaguely found that the Echo Song had disappeared and was alone.

These figures made him feel very familiar, and his heart tightened.He blinked to see clearly.Blue Star, Bai Feng and Lion Heart were standing in front of him, they all bowed their heads in respect.

"We are honored to see you again." Lanxing Meow said, "No need to stand up." She added when she saw him struggling to stand up.

"I'm the one who should say that," Ravenpaw purred.

"We haven't forgotten you," Bai Feng told him, "We've been watching you, and we're happy to see that you and Barry are living happily." the suffering of the tribe.”

"I have no regrets," Ravenpaw promised. "If everything had been different, I wouldn't have met Barry. I've had a lot of fun in life, more than any other cat can imagine."

Lionheart stared at him, and Ravenpaw felt the warmth of his fur. "We're here for a thing that should have been done a long, long time ago," the golden tabby explained. "We want to give you the title of warrior. Your accomplishments are long overdue, and You show courage, fairness and loyalty to other cats, to every cat that passes your path."

Ravenpaw took a deep breath.It was something he had dreamed of as an apprentice, and he really wanted to know what his warrior name was!But he's no longer an apprentice, and he's no longer part of ThunderClan.He looked at the noble cats in front of him.

"Thank you," he purred. "But I already have a name. I'm proud to have Ravenpaw with me all my life, and there's no need to change it now."

Bluestar said, "I think so." She brushed the soles of her feet across the ground. "You should know your time is coming, I think. Would you like to join us in StarClan? You'd be very welcome."

Ravenpaw turned and looked down the canyon.He could see Barry standing on the edge of the forest, looking up at him.The black and white cat wagged its tail in greeting, and Ravenpaw responded with a wag of its tail.Then he turned to face the StarClan cats.

"I can't join you," he meowed softly. "Here's a cat I need to wait for. I hope there's a place for the two of us, even if he's not a Clan cat."

Lionheart nodded: "We understand. Rest assured, there will be. But you can come to StarClan anytime. You will find your way, I promise."

He stepped forward and placed his muzzle on Ravenpaw's forehead.Ravenpaw felt his gentle breath brush his hair, and fell asleep in an instant, without a trace of pain.