following the loner

Cattail—the tom who had brought the she-cat here—puffed out his fur proudly and explained smoothly, "She's a kittypet! She was on our territory, far from the Twoleg nests"—the tom cast a surprised glance at the she-cat—"and besides, I found out that she can hunt! What do you command us to do with her, leader?" Their leader smiled approvingly, then leaped down from his rock and bounded over to the she-cat as lightly as a bird. "A kittypet who can hunt? And do you have a name?" he asked, briskly sniffing her. Murka shyly lowered her gaze and whispered, "Murka..." A ripple of contemptuous murmurs spread through the cats like waves. "What a dreadful name! How did you ever manage to get so far from the Twolegs..." The leader narrowed his eyes and muttered thoughtfully under his breath, "We're short on apprentices and warriors... And here StarClan itself has gifted us a she-cat who knows how to hunt..." Murka raised her tail and spoke indignantly, "I never agreed to this! What makes you think I want to join you?!" Cattail smirked, then whispered in her ear, "You don't want to? Fine then, go out into the unknown forest, where there are four other Clans, far more dangerous than us, who'll tear you to pieces..." The she-cat shuddered. Actually... he's right. That beautiful loner said he wouldn't love a kittypet... But if I become a warrior, he won't be able to refuse me! A thought lit up in her mind like a star. "I—I agree to join the Clan." The leader immediately climbed onto the rock that towered above the camp and yowled, "All cats who can hunt, gather at the rock for a Clan meeting!" After a few heartbeats, the Clan leader stood and continued his solemn speech: "You all know that our Clan is desperately short of apprentices! Therefore, I ask my warrior ancestors to turn their gaze upon this kittypet. By the authority given to me by StarClan, you shall be called Rosepaw." The leader turned his gaze to Cattail. "Cattail, you brought this she-cat to the Clan, and I trust that you can pass on all your wisdom and knowledge to her." The tom finished his speech with a flick of his tail. Rosepaw trotted over to Cattail and barely managed to touch her nose to his. Suddenly, the part of the Clan behind her began to yowl, "Rosepaw!" Like the wind, more and more cats repeated her name, and the she-cat shyly lowered her head. "Rosepaw! Rosepaw! Rosepaw!" Rosepaw sat in the apprentices' den, carefully grooming her gray striped fur. Now I'm an apprentice of this Clan, which means I must train with pride to become a warrior and... The she-cat trembled at the memory of that handsome loner who had saved a weak little kittypet from the dogs. But I'm not that weak little kittypet anymore! I'm an apprentice of WillowClan!