Willowpaw's Medicine Cat Ceremony

"StarClan wishes to see you..." a voice would whisper in the WindClan medicine cat's ear. "Come to the Moonstone tonight at Moonhigh." Then it was gone.

That had been early in the morning. Now, Willowpaw had taken her traveling herbs, and was padding to the entrance of camp. She paused at the brambles and heather, looking back. This is the last time you'll see it as an apprentice, she thought to herself, and it brought a smile to her face. Taking a deep breath, the tortoiseshell turned away, slipping through the entrance and onto the moor.


~*~*~*


Night had fallen, and Willowpaw had only the light of the moon to guide her. She was surprised at its brightness, but glad of its company. Her paws barely made a sound as she approached the mountain, and she paused momentarily at the bottom. The she-cat stared up in awe, thinking of how many more times she would come to this place. Finally, she began the climb up.

It wasn't as difficult as she had originally thought, and she reached the top without having lost her breath. Willowpaw looked back down, and shivered, inching away from the edge. She turned to face Mothermouth, suddenly feeling intimidated. However, she pushed forward until she could see no more.

Through the tunnels she went with only her whiskers to guide her. Quickly, she began to feel as if they were closing in on her, but just when she had reached full panic mode, she entered the cavern, and her breath was taken away.

A large stone stood in the center, filling up most of the space. There was room around it, big enough for a cat to walk or lay down. A hole in the ceiling let in the moonlight, and Willowpaw could instantly see that when the moon was directly overhead, the area would light up as if it were sunhigh.

Willowpaw stepped towards the Moonstone and lay down. She peered up at the stars through the cavern ceiling, watching the moon steadily get closer until it was nearly directly overhead. Feeling her heart pound, the medicine cat apprentice touched her nose to the stone as the rays of moonlight hit, and closed her eyes, immediately falling asleep.


~*~*~*


A breeze ruffled her fur. Slowly, the she-cat opened her emerald eyes, taking in her surroundings. They weren't much different from the moor that was her home, except they appeared cleaner and brighter. She rose to her paws, apprehensively taking in her surroundings.

The moor before Willowpaw was silent for a few moments, possibly leaving the young she-cat confused or worried. Though, if she looked hard enough, a dim spark could be saw on the horizon. In what could remembered to be hours-on-end or no longer then a few heartbeats, hundreds of cats came pouring into the clearing. Some would be recognizable to the she-cat, such as Mistedstar. Others, perhaps not, Rainstar and Icewhisker were also in the crowd.
But it was, in fact, a ShadowClan she-cat who approached Willowpaw, the one who had been mentor to her near the her whole time as an apprentice.
"Welcome, Willowpaw." she said, many different voices echoing her own. "Are you ready to become a full medicine cat?"

Willowpaw's heartbeat nearly stopped when all of the cats came towards her, but she felt relieved when a cat she recognized approached her. She felt overwhelmed when Ebonyroot asked her the inevitable question, but she knew the answer.
"Yes, I'm ready," the she-cat mewed.

"Very well." Ebonyroot nodded her head, smiling with soft approved. She then stepped back so Willowpaw could glimpse all of StarClan, and they could watch her in return. "I, Ebonyroot, medicine cat of StarClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help she will serve her Clan for many moons." The calico looked at her with shining eyes. "Willowpaw, 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," Willowpaw stated. Her voice quavered from her nervousness at so many cats watching her, but she kept her gaze on Ebonyroot.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your true name as a medicine cat." Ebonyroot said firmly, "Willowpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Willowstream. StarClan honors your kindness and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat of WindClan."

"Willowstream! Willowstream!", all of StarClan cheered.

Willowstream felt slightly embarrassed as the cats shouted her name, but it was soon replaced with pride and happiness. She felt accomplished, as though she had done something no other cat had before. Her green eyes were bright, and she smiled at all the cats around her, feeling big.
"Thank you," she told Ebonyroot. "I'm glad to have had you as a mentor. I hope to improve as a medicine cat thanks to your guidance."

The she-cat dipped her head to all of the cats, and then turned away, closing her eyes. Instantly, she was back in the cavern with the dimming Moonstone. Willowstream removed her nose but stayed down, simply breathing for a moment. Finally, she had become useful. Her life could truly begin...




ooc: le epic end X3