"I…," I swallowed, voice trembling. "I'll go back with you. I'm going to be a Sunpride lion."
I lifted my head, tail high with pride.
Her whiskers twitched, and she turned. I followed.
The ache in my chest was sharp… but beneath it, something stronger bloomed.
Belonging.
Willowclaw nodded once. "Brave choice, Amberkit," she said softly. "Come on. Let's go home."
And for the first time, I followed without hesitation.
Droppaw pressed his nose to my flank, his touch light but warm.
"Impressive," he purred, green eyes gleaming with that familiar teasing glow. "I was sure you'd go dashing back to the loner place, tail between your legs."
I flicked my ear—half in annoyance, half in amusement.
"Shows how much you know," I muttered, though my voice lacked any real bite.
My heart still thudded in my chest, the weight of my decision pressing down on me like a heavy leaf.
"Guess you're full of surprises," Droppaw meowed, falling into step beside me as we padded through the undergrowth. His lean frame moved effortlessly through the forest, while I stumbled once or twice over loose roots and uneven ground.
He didn't comment—just flicked his tail against my side, as if to say, You'll get there.
Willowclaw led the way, silent and swift. Her white fur stood out against the earthy forest, the black spots on her shoulder and back shifting like shadows. Every now and then, she glanced over her shoulder, her gaze unreadable.
"Do you think Sunmoon will really let me stay?" I asked quietly, more to myself than anyone else.
Droppaw snorted. "She already gave you a name, didn't she? Amberkit. Not Whisper."
He hopped over a fallen branch with ease, waiting as I scrambled over it behind him.
"Sunpride doesn't hand out names for nothing. You're one of us now—well, almost."
"Almost?"
"You've still got to survive training."
He grinned, eyes bright with mischief.
"And trust me, if Ravenscar gets his claws into you, you'll wish you'd gone back to the loner place."
I bristled—more at the doubt in his tone than the jab itself.
"I'll manage."
Droppaw paused, then gave a slow, approving nod. "Yeah. I think you will."
The forest opened ahead, sunlight dappling the ground where the bramble walls of the camp rose in a protective ring. The heartbeat of Sunpride pulsed from within—soft voices, the scrape of claws against stone, the warmth of a life I'd barely glimpsed… but already wanted to be part of.
Willowclaw glanced back at me one last time before slipping through the entrance.
"Welcome home, Ambercub," she murmured.
Home.
My chest swelled with something fierce and new as I followed her inside, Droppaw's steps falling in beside mine.
I wasn't Whisper anymore.
I was Amberkit.
Sunpride's Ambercub.
And this was only the beginning.
Sunmoon sat near the smooth, weathered rock at the heart of the clearing, her golden pelt catching the sunlight like rippling water. She had been speaking quietly with Redfur, whose tail flicked impatiently behind him. But as our small patrol entered the camp, her sharp amber eyes locked onto me.
Willowclaw stepped aside, offering Sunstar a curt nod.
Without hesitation, the Sunpride leader rose to her paws, muscles shifting beneath her thick, golden fur. In a single, powerful leap, she sprang onto the Highrock, her claws clicking softly against the stone.
"Let all lions old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Highrock for a pride meeting!"
Her voice rang clear through the camp, slicing through murmured conversation and the rustle of leaves above.
Cats stirred from their nests, blinking sleep from their eyes or abandoning half-eaten prey to pad toward the clearing's center. A lean gray tom stretched, yawning wide before trotting over to join a cluster near the fresh-kill pile. From the nursery, Whitetail emerged, her blue eyes narrowing the moment they landed on me.
Droppaw nudged my shoulder. "Breathe," he whispered, his whiskers twitching with amusement.
I hadn't realized I was holding my breath.
As the last few lions settled, Sunmoon stood tall atop the Highrock, her gaze sweeping over her pride. Ravenscar lingered near the back, his dark pelt melting into the shadows. Redfur sat closer, green eyes sharp and unreadable.
Sunmoon's tail flicked once before she spoke.
"Sunpride, I bring news that concerns us all. This morning, Willowclaw returned from the edge of our territory with a cub—not one born of the forest, but from loner."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the crowd. A mottled tabby queen whispered something to her denmate, and an older tom lashed his tail.
"Quiet," Sunmoon commanded, her voice firm but calm. The camp fell still.
"This cub, Ambercub, has chosen to leave her loner life behind and walk the path of a pride lion. She has already shown heart and courage, and I will not turn away a young life willing to learn our ways."
Her gaze softened—just a little—as she looked down at me.
"From this day forward, until she is old enough to be apprenticed, she will be known as Ambercub and will be cared for in the nursery alongside our other kits."
Whitetail's ears flattened, though she said nothing. The black-furred queen beside her let out a low growl.
Redfur rose to his paws, his expression unreadable.
"Sunmoon, are you certain? A loner in the heart of Sunpride? What will the other prides say when they scent loner on our borders?"
"I will not let the opinions of others decide what is right for my pride," Sunmoon replied coolly, amber eyes locking with his. "Ambercub will prove herself by her actions—not by the scent she once carried."
Silence stretched across the clearing.
Then Droppaw, tail high and eyes glinting with mischief, called out, "Well, she's already got more spirit than some of us!"
A few chuckles rippled through the gathered lion. Even Sunmoon's whiskers twitched in amusement.
"That settles it," Sunmoon meowed, raising her chin. "Ambercub, welcome to Sunpride. May you grow strong and wise beneath these trees."
The meeting ended, and the Clan began to disperse, though not without curious glances cast my way.
Willowclaw leaned down, voice low but not unkind. "No turning back now, Amberpaw. This is where your story begins."
My heart pounded in my chest, but I held my head high.
Let it begin.
A sharp, scornful voice cut through the murmurs like claws through fur.