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"This one," Sagewhisker said. "She will be my next apprentice."
"Yellowkit," her mother said.
Sagewhisker dipped her head to the kit, eyes still shut. "Yellowkit."
Yellowpaw, like most apprentice seers, had learned quickly it was better not to think about what could have been.
She didn't know why Brightflower named her Yellowkit. She hadn't asked.
(If she had asked, the answer would have been, "Because I, and my mother, and her mother, and her mother, have yellow eyes, and I want to give you something to remember us by."
Most seers' names are gifts like these. Trinkets and tokens of families they will one day part with.)
Nor did she wonder what it would have been like to train with Nutpaw and Rowanpaw. She didn't ask them what it was like to hunt or fight, what it was it was like to have to hide their presence if they crept along enemy borders.
(If she had wondered, she would have thought of the thrill of suspense and the pride of a catch, the rush of adrenaline in a battle that forever redefines what it feels like to be alive.
Most seers know only the worst parts of the lives they don't have. They have less to mourn that way.)
Sagewhisker kept her busy, anyway. She had identified quickly that Yellowpaw had a sense for when cats were injured, a deep seated intuition and empathy.
"It's why the stars lead me to you," Sagewhisker said.
Yellowpaw, like most apprentice seers, had learned quickly it was better not to think about what could have been.
"We use ivy for wrapping herbs," Sagewhisker said. "But it depends what's available."
Yellowpaw nodded. Her mentor was really saying, "You'll have to learn something new one day."
That day was fast approaching. Her siblings were preparing to be assessed, and she knew everything Sagewhisker was expected to teach her.
"I'm going to ThunderClan, aren't I?" she said.
"Yes," Sagewhisker said. "Featherwhisker needs an apprentice."
That was the crux of being a seer, really. You went where you were needed, even if that meant beyond your Clan.
Featherwhisker was nice enough, though. Yellowpaw had met him at half moon meetings, and it was better than going to Barkface or Mudfur.
She was dawdling, lost in thought. Featherwhisker would be responsible for teaching her to read omens, and while Sagewhisker had covered the basics, she was never quite sure when she was just distracted and when she should be listening.
Sagewhisker spent plenty of time on her own, quiet, and Yellowpaw lurked by their den, ready to treat any injuries.
Nutpaw came by, limping.
"Thorn in my paw," he said.
"You don't need me for that," Yellowpaw said, but she started to work on it.
"Maybe I just wanted to see my sister," he said, laughing.
The tip of Yellowpaw's tail twitched. She snagged the thorn between her teeth, spitting it out.
"Be careful," she said. "Don't get an infection."
"I'll do my best," he said. He touched his muzzle to her shoulder. "The next half moon meeting is soon, isn't it?"
"Soon," she said. "Yeah. A few days."
"Rowanpaw might have a thorn in her paw," he said. "Might need some help."
"I'll take care of it if she needs help," Yellowpaw said, "but don't expect to get any herbs for careless accidents."
He sighed. "We care about you, Yellowpaw. Let us?"
She turned her head. "The thorn wasn't deep. You shouldn't need to wrap it, but keep it clean."
"I'll see you soon," he said, walking gingerly. She watched him leave, selfishly wishing she could let herself care.
But that would only make it hurt more when she left.
"I have given unto you all that I can," Sagewhisker said. "Now, I give you in turn to another, that they might teach you more."
Yellowpaw touched noses with Featherwhisker.
"May the stars guide my paws," Featherwhisker said. "That I teach you as much as I know."
She laid next to Featherwhisker and touched her nose to the Moonstone. She would dream of ThunderClan cats tonight. It was later than she expected — she got to see her littermates become warriors. Sagewhisker hadn't told her it was tonight, but then, Rowanberry and Nutwhisker weren't lingering around their den anymore.
Something about cutting ties.
She woke in StarClan.
It wasn't the first time she had been here, of course, but it was the first time she had been here as a ThunderClan seer. A pure white she-cat stood in front of her.
"Greetings, Yellowpaw."
Yellowpaw tilted her head. "I don't know you," she said.
She laughed. "My name is Cloudberry. I was the ThunderClan medicine cat many seasons ago. I came to welcome you to ThunderClan."
Yellowpaw dipped her head. "It is an honor and a blessing to be met by you, Cloudberry," she said, the ShadowClan greeting familiar.
She wasn't sure what ThunderClan said to greet their ancestors, but it couldn't have been that different.
"And to you," Cloudberry said, sounding amused. "Come with me, I want to show you something."
She walked into the woods, and Yellowpaw followed her. She could feel the eyes of cats on her.
"Seers from days past," Cloudberry said. "Don't mind them."
Yellowpaw shivered, staying close to Cloudberry. She was more solid than the others, starlight shining through her pelt, and still almost smelled like herself, instead of wildfire.
They stopped in another clearing, a shining black stone laying flat on the ground. It radiated warmth, and Yellowpaw stretched past Cloudberry to look into it.
"This is the Sightstone," Cloudberry said. "It's in ThunderClan territory; Featherwhisker will show it to you once you mention it to him. It's a secret, but some seers can read omens in it."
Yellowpaw could see nothing but her reflection.
"You don't need to be able to read it," Cloudberry said, "but by having seen it, you are the next seer in a line unbroken who knows of the Sightstone."
Cloudberry touched her nose to Yellowpaw, cold and hot at the same time. She shook with energy, something beyond her flowing through her paws, stretching to the tip of her tail.
"One day, you will choose a ThunderClan kit to train, and they will never know of this place," Cloudberry said. "And one day, an apprentice will come to you, and they will be made into a ThunderClan seer, just as you have."
Yellowpaw stared back into the stone. Ripples from leaves and wind cast into it, she could almost make out pawprints and shapes of passing cats, but nothing clear.
Her eyes fluttered shut, and then she woke. The other seers were gone, and Featherwhisker was watching her carefully.
"What did you see?" he asked.
"Cloudberry," Yellowpaw said. "She showed me the Sightstone."
Featherwhisker purred. "They accepted you on the first half moon and everything," he said. "Good. Very good. I'll show it to you soon, but it's a bit out of the way."
She followed him through the forest. It was drier, and the trees were different than the ones she was used to.
"Do they know I'm coming?" she asked.
"They know you were going to come soon," he said. "Pinestar will be able to guess. But everyone will give you space to adjust."
He brought her to a ravine. "Camp is down here."
As she walked into camp, Yellowpaw felt them inspect her.
"Featherwhisker!" the ThunderClan deputy said. "You brought her back?"
"Yes," he said. "But let's do introductions later. She's tired, and it's a lot to adjust to."
The deputy nodded. "I'll tell Pinestar, he'll probably want to hold a Clan meeting today or tomorrow."
As they hashed out a plan, Yellowpaw inspected the rest of camp. She could tell where the nursery was, and the seer's den. Two she-cats were huddled, gossiping and glancing at her; Yellowpaw assumed they were warrior's apprentices.
Featherwhisker pushed her gently. "You're asleep on your feet," he said. "I'll show you your nest, and we can start properly tonight."
She yawned, and followed him, curling up in a nest of bracken and moss, the scent of herbs familiar among all of the novelty.
"You're new," one of Moonflower's kits said.
"I'm a seer," Yellowpaw said. "We go where we are needed."
"We don't need you," the kit said.
"Bluekit!" Moonflower said. "Hush and be good." She turned to Yellowpaw. "I'm sorry."
"It's alright," Yellowpaw said. "Kits are honest."
"I, Featherwhisker, seer for ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice."
Yellowpaw's heart was pounding. She had known, intellectually, that this day had been coming soon, but Featherwhisker had given her no warning.
"She has trained hard to understand the ways of the stars, and with your help, she will serve the Clan for many moons."
Sagewhisker was watching her, fondly. She would have another apprentice soon, but even though they had barely spoken since Yellowpaw had left, it warmed her to know her old mentor was still watching her.
"Yellowpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a seer, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"
"I do," she said. Her voice rung out in the hollow of the Moonstone, ringing with sincerity.
"Then by the powers of the stars, I give you your true name as a seer. Yellowpaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Yellowstorm. We honor your skill and intelligence, and we welcome you as a full seer of ThunderClan."
Featherwhisker placed his muzzle on her head, and she licked his shoulder as the other seers called her name.
"I'm proud of you," he said. "You've done well."
"You two stay with me," Yellowstorm said. Bluepaw and Snowpaw were young. She didn't know if bringing them on this battle was wise, but she wasn't in charge of those decisions.
If she was, they wouldn't be here to begin with.
"But...there's a battle!" Bluepaw said. "We can help."
"Yes. You can help by staying with me."
They looked unconvinced.
"You said they didn't need our help," Bluepaw said. "But now Moonflower is dead."
"I said you could help by staying with me," Yellowstorm said. "So we all do our part."
Featherwhisker stepped between them. "Bluepaw, why don't you take Snowpaw and visit the elders?"
"Fine."
He turned back to Yellowstorm. "She's barely more than a kit, you could be gentle."
"She's right," Yellowstorm said. "She's right, they needed our help."
"You couldn't have done anything," Featherwhisker said. "Nor could they."
"There shouldn't have been a battle. I knew that. You knew that."
"Goosefeather is a talented seer," he said. "Even if he's retired, he's never been wrong."
"How is this not wrong?" Yellowstorm hissed. "How is this right?"
Featherwhisker looked at her with pity. "Death is a part of life, Yellowstorm. It is the way of the world to change; The trees grow, but the earth turns over."
"That doesn't bring Bluepaw and Snowpaw's mother back."
"No," he said. "It doesn't."
"There's a seer in the nursery," Yellowstorm said.
Featherwhisker dipped his head. "We'll find them at moonhigh."
(She might as well have told him he was dead, because if the stars chose her to mentor a kit, it was almost certainly because he would be unable to do so, soon.)
The queens presented their kits nervously.
Swiftbreeze and Robinwing sat next to each other, while their kits are arranged neatly in a row. They could sense the severity of the moment, with even Swiftbreeze's litter, barely a half moon old, quiet.
Featherwhisker had assured her that choosing the right kit would be easy.
"You were given the sign," he said. "You will know who to pick."
She could easily dismiss Robinwing's litter. Frostkit and Brindlekit were nearing their apprentices, and had shown no signs of a connection to StarClan. But Yellowstorm didn't dismiss them. The others would only grow nervous at being isolated.
Yellowstorm made her choice.
"This one," she said, bringing her muzzle level with the calico she-cat. "Spottedkit."
Swiftbreeze closed her eyes. "It is an honor," she said, and there was heartbreak in her voice, already smothered by stoicism.
"She is a gift to the Clans," Yellowstorm said. "The honor is mine."
Swiftbreeze and Robinwing ushered their kits back into the nursery. Yellowstorm watched them, wanting to apologize. To take it back.
But this was Spottedkit's destiny.
"Fennel is for hips," Spottedpaw said. "Right?"
"Very good."
Yellowstorm swept the herbs into the center of their den. "Can you pick out the ones that are too stale to use?"
"Sure, why?"
"I'm going for a wander."
Featherwhisker was getting older, and his sight was growing cloudy. He had been receiving fewer and fewer omens, and Yellowstorm was beginning to feel drawn to the forest, walking quietly, consumed by her thoughts.
"Alright." Spottedpaw turned back to her task.
(She never complained. Yellowstorm remembered her apprentice days, how much she longed to spend time with her littermates in the forest. But Spottedpaw seemed happy, here. At peace.)
"Hello, Yellowstorm!" Redpaw said. "Can I see my sister?"
"Spottedpaw is busy," Yellowstorm said. "She can speak to you when she's done."
"I can do this later!" Spottedpaw called. "Can't I?"
She looked longingly at her brother. Their training schedule had forced them to spend more and more time apart, and Yellowstorm had certainly kept Spottedpaw busy. She was only a moon or two away from moving on, and it did her no good to strengthen ties with her littermates.
But Yellowstorm couldn't say that to her face.
"As long as it's done when I get back," she said.
"Thank you!" Spottedpaw raced from their den, bunting her head against Yellowstorm.
"And you'd better help Redpaw take care of the elders."
Redpaw scowled, but Spottedpaw nudged him, and they fell into easy conversation.
"I shouldn't be encouraging this," Yellowstorm muttered as she left.
"They'll be alright," Featherwhisker said. She jumped.
"Where were you?"
"Gathering herbs. I got some more poppy seeds." He carried a leaf in his mouth, poppy seeds stuck to the sap, and Yellowstorm grimaced. She had always disliked that particular method of collecting them.
"We have plenty of those."
"They don't go bad," Featherwhisker said. "I'll sort the herbs."
"It's Spottedpaw's job, you know."
"I know. But let her have some fun."
"You're growing soft in your age," she said.
He laughed. "ThunderClan is blessed with two talented seers beyond me. I think we all have time to rest."
Yellowstorm shook her head, amused by her mentor's antics. The forest was welcoming, and she breathed deep.
She walked aimlessly until sunset. As the moon rose, clouds covered the sun, turning the sky a dusty blue.
"I know," she said. "I've encouraged it." Yellowstorm sighed. "She's grieving her kits. Sunstar knows my opinion, but I can't force them to act."
The sun set, and Yellowstorm shivered.
StarClan was clear: If Bluefur was not the next deputy, ThunderClan would suffer.
Yellowstorm pressed her nose into Featherwhisker's pelt.
"May the stars receive you well," she said.
If there was any part of ShadowClan that still lingered in her, it was this. She couldn't accept how quickly they moved on.
"We can't keep their spirits from StarClan," Featherwhisker had explained. "I know it's hard, but we will see them again."
"How can you say that?" she had protested. "How can you ask me to just move on?"
"It is the way of the world," he said. "Do you remember that one?"
"It is the way of the world to change," she recited. "The trees grow, but the earth turns over."
Spottedpaw was huddled by her side, her ears flat.
"We'll see him again, right?" she asked.
"Yes," Yellowstorm said. "He will walk to the stars, and then we will be visited by him."
This was the hard part.
"Don't be sad," she said, swallowing her guilt. "We don't want to call him to us."
She startled, looking at Yellowstorm. "What do you mean?"
"His spirit walks to StarClan," she said. "But he can still hear us. If we call him too loudly, he'll be brought back to us."
Spottedpaw accepted this easily. Of course she did, she was raised on stories of speaking with ancestors.
"He was born in RiverClan, wasn't he?"
"I think so," Yellowstorm said. She knew he was, but it wasn't good to encourage young seers to speak about their history. Featherwhisker, like Yellowstorm, belonged in ThunderClan.
"I'm going there, aren't I? Mudfur doesn't have an apprentice."
"Probably, yes," Yellowstorm said.
Spottedpaw nods. She pressed her nose close to Featherwhisker's ear.
"I'll see you some day," she said. "Don't wait around here for us."
She sat up straight. "What do I say?" she asked.
Yellowstorm looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"You said something, before. What do I say?"
She was looking at Yellowstorm with startling intensity.
"I asked the stars to receive him well," Yellowstorm said. "It's...it's an older phrase."
"From before," Spottedpaw said. "I understand."
She sat next to Yellowstorm, the silence stretching between them as Featherwhisker was mourned. They were his only kin in the Clan, but as seers, they had to set a good example.
Still, Yellowstorm wondered how long it would take for him to make it to StarClan.
They walked to the Moonstone alone.
"I'm leaving tonight, aren't I," Spottedpaw said, and it wasn't a question.
"Yes," Yellowstorm said. She wanted to stretch out her training, but Spottedpaw was gifted, and Yellowstorm had run out of excuses. "To Mudfur."
Spottedpaw nodded. "Were you scared?"
"No." Yellowstorm paused, indicating to Spottedpaw she should stop. "It is a scary thing, Spottedpaw, but remember you are leaving because you are ready. You will find your place — your true place — in RiverClan."
"I thought seers weren't supposed to have a place."
"We're not," Yellowstorm said. "But that doesn't mean we don't."
"Tonight," she said, looking at Mudfur.
"She's ready?" he asked.
"She's my apprentice," Yellowstorm said. "Of course she is."
Yellowstorm returned to ThunderClan alone for the first time in her life. Redpaw and Willowpaw looked at her, waiting for their sister to appear behind her.
She went to her den without talking to Sunstar.
Yellowstorm sat next to Bluestar. She was worried for her Clan, and Yellowstorm couldn't blame her. Tonight's defeat was brutal. They might have regularly fought over the Sunningrocks, but the battles rarely turned this bloody.
"How is Mousefur?" she asked.
"Her wounds are deep," Yellowstorm said, "but she's got spirit. She'll recover soon enough."
"And the others?"
Yellowstorm thought of the warriors gathered in her den. She had waited until they were all mostly settled to report to Bluestar.
"Their pride is hurt more than their body," she said. "It was hard to lose territory so definitively."
"We are lucky not to have lost any warriors," Bluestar said.
"We are blessed," Yellowstorm agreed.
The breeze blew between them, still leaf-bare cold, despite the lateness of the season.
"I am deeply troubled by tonight's defeat. ThunderClan has not been beaten in its own territory since I became leader." Bluestar lifted her head, examining the sky. "These are difficult times. The season of new-leaf is late, and there have been fewer kits."
"Frostfur's litter is strong," Yellowstorm said. "They will make fierce warriors."
"Perhaps. But training our young to become warriors takes time. If ThunderClan is to defend its territory, it must have new warriors as soon as possible."
Yellowstorm lifted her head, hoping for answers. She knew now, more than every, why the seers must have no Clan allegiances. Her kin were in ShadowClan, and her apprentice, now a full seer, was in RiverClan.
Knowing that Spottedleaf would be responsible for the cats ThunderClan injured in tonight's battle was another reason to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
"Has StarClan spoken to you?" Bluestar asked.
"Not for seasons," Yellowstorm said. They had been silent, visiting with her only at the Moonstone, and the barest hints of prophecy in the Sightstone. She hadn't even received a message to take on another apprentice.
As she was saying this, a star blazed across the night sky.
An omen.
Bluestar watched her, waiting for her to speak.
"The stars have spoken," Yellowstorm said. "Fire alone can save our Clan."