Long Shadows

Though Jaypaw couldn’t see the moon, he could imagine its silvery light washing over his fur as his paws slipped into the paw-shaped hollows on the spiral path. Did I come here before, when I was Jay’s Wing? Are any of these paw prints mine?

He could feel deep satisfaction coming from all his fellow medicine cats, because Littlecloud had joined them again.

Mothwing had made the journey with Willowshine this time, too. Well, I suppose cats would start asking questions if she missed every time.

He padded forward to the edge of the pool, and heard the other cats take their places around him. But as he was stretching forward to lap a few drops of the icy water, Leafpool meowed, “Wait.”

Surprised, Jaypaw sat up, aware of his mentor’s barely contained excitement.

“Before we share tongues with StarClan,” Leafpool continued, her voice coming from the other side of the pool near the waterfall, “I have a task to do. StarClan has shown me that it is time I gave Jaypaw his full name.”

Jaypaw couldn’t hide his astonishment. Leafpool must be referring to the catmint that he had found. For a heartbeat he felt ashamed that he had used Kestrelpaw and Lionblaze to get the herbs, and then lied to Leafpool about where he had found them.

But ThunderClan will survive, he reminded himself. He didn’t care what he had done to achieve that. Warmth spread through him from ears to tail-tip as he remembered the joy and relief of the sick cats when he and Leafpool had delivered the precious herbs. They were already sleeping more restfully, and there was plenty of catmint left to go on treating them.

“Well, Jaypaw?” Leafpool’s voice was full of amused affection. “Badger got your tongue?”

“I… no… thank you!” he stammered.

“Then come here to me.”

Jaypaw padded around the edge of the pool, setting his paws down carefully on the slippery surface. He didn’t want to begin his naming ceremony by falling into the Moonpool.

As he passed Barkface, the old medicine cat grunted, “Well done,” and Kestrelpaw rested his tail lightly on Jaypaw’s shoulder.

At last Jaypaw stood in front of his mentor, startled by the depth of the love and pride that flooded out of her. It was even stronger than the emotion he had felt coming from Half

Moon. Did he really mean so much to Leafpool?

“I, Leafpool, medicine cat of ThunderClan,” she began, “call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice.

He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help he will serve his Clan for many moons.”

Every hair on Jaypaw’s pelt pricked as he listened. He forgot about the watching cats; it was as if he stood in a high, remote place with no cat but Leafpool, and the endless voice of the falling water.

“Jaypaw,” Leafpool continued, “do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between

Clan and Clan, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?”

“I do.” Jaypaw spoke the words clearly and confidently.

For a moment, he caught a trace of movement behind him, a lingering scent that wasn’t quite Clan but carried hints of ThunderClan’s territory. Half Moon! Had she come to watch him become a full medicine cat? Jaypaw hoped she understood what this meant, how he could never have belonged to her in the way she had wanted. In the way they might both have wanted, if things had been different…

“Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat.”

Jaypaw’s belly lurched. Don’t call me Jaywing. He could just about cope with the weight of knowledge his dream had brought him, but he didn’t want to go through the rest of his life sharing the name of his ancient counterpart.

“Jaypaw, from this moment you will be known as Jayfeather.” Leafpool’s voice shook with feeling. “StarClan honors your skill and your thirst for knowledge. You have saved the lives of many cats.”

In the midst of his pride and relief, Jayfeather wondered whether his mentor would ever explain exactly what he had done to deserve this ceremony. With so much uneasiness between the Clans, he guessed she would prefer to keep quiet about the outbreak of greencough. Otherwise, as he had told

Lionblaze, she could simply have asked Barkface for some catmint.

He felt Leafpool’s muzzle rest on his head, just as Clan leaders would do when they made a new warrior. In response, he rasped his tongue over his mentor’s shoulder.

“Jayfeather! Jayfeather!” Littlecloud called out. All the other medicine cats joined in, even Willowshine.

She hasn’t got anything to be snooty about now, Jayfeather thought.

“Now it’s time for you to share tongues with StarClan as a full medicine cat,” Leafpool told him.

“And may they send you a good dream,” Barkface rumbled.