The moon hung full above the trees, silver and heavy with promise.
The forest held its breath as the Clan gathered beneath the Highbranch. Warriors lined the clearing, pelts sleek and eyes bright with curiosity. Apprentices shuffled near the back, whispering.
Tonight, one name would be carved into the history of their Clan.
Alderpaw stood in the center.
Her posture was rigid but calm, eyes fixed not on Owlnose, who stood above her, but on the shadows between the trees - watching, as always, for what might came next.
Stormfern sat near the front, his flank still bandaged, but his chin lifted with quiet pride. Barkclaw beside him gave no expression but nodded when their eyes met.
Owlnose’s voice rang clear into the cool night.
“Cats of the Clan, we are gathered under the light of StarClan to name a new warrior.”
He turned to Alderpaw, gaze unreadable but steady.
“Alderpaw, you have proven yourself through unshakable strength, not just in battle, but in duty. Your silence has never meant absence. Your presence has never needed noise. You have stood like a stone against the wind of sorrow and fear, and you have become more than we could have shaped.”
The wind stirred the leaves overhead.
“From this moment forward, you shall be known as Alderidge.”
A beat of silence followed - something deeper than awe.
“StarClan honors your endurance and your courage. May you serve your Clan for many moons, as unyielding as the tree for which you were named.”
Alderidge dipped her head.
Not in pride.
Not in triumph.
But in solemn recognition of what had been lost to bring her here - and what she now carried.
“Alderidge!” the Clan began to chant.
“Alderidge! Alderidge!”
Some called it with joy. Some with awe. Some, like Stormfern and Barkclaw, with something heavier - respect, hard-earned and long-held.
She did not smile.
But as she turned her gaze upwards to the stars, her eyes burned brighter than the moonlight.
Somewhere in the trees, perhaps, Bramblekit and Sleetkit watched.
