Ryepaw's Warrior Ceremony

"Let all cats old enough to gather their own prey gather beneath Tallrock for a clan meeting!" the grey and white deputy meowed as he jumped up to the rock. Today, his odd little son would become a warrior and he was impressed that even though Ryepaw had some challenges, he was still going to receive his warrior name. I should've never doubted him, the lean, grey and white tom thought to himself as he waited for the clan to gather.

Another thing he found interesting was the fact that Ryepaw was technically older than his two sisters, yet they treated him like a little brother. Well, besides his actual age, he acted like a little brother, and Smokepelt guess that everything was alright, seeing that Ryepaw didn't mind things being that way. When it came down to it, the deformed apprentice may have seemed like a pawful for other cats, and although he wasn't the best at being social or talkative, he still had a mind like every other cat and Smokepelt assumed that he still had feelings too, but just had a difficult time expressing them.

Nobody's perfect, he thought to himself with a smile, as he looked around the growing crowd, trying to spot his son's shorter and stockier figure making its way towards the Tallrock, though he assumed that Ryepaw was still in the apprentice sleeping area, scared out of his fur and nervous.

~~~~~~

And sure enough, that was exactly where Ryepaw sat, crouched down against the ground and ears pinned against his head. It was obvious that today he'd be receiving his warrior name and although most apprentices were ecstatic, he couldn't have been more terrified. Getting his warrior name meant that he would have to stand in front of the whole clan and swear an oath in order to be a warrior of WindClan, could he really do that?

Burying his muzzle into his paws that were placed in front of him, he could already imagine the snickers and side comments that would come from members of the clan, mocking him for his weirdness as he'd stand before them. For a while, he thought that he'd gotten over all of it, but in reality, he'd just pushed his worries to the side of his mind while he focused on training, but now that his nerves were at their peak, he wasn't able to deny the truth of how they felt towards him any longer. He was weird, he was different, and no matter how hard he tried to be as normal as possible, he knew that nothing he did would change who he was, and he was going to be forever cursed.

Letting out a soft whimper, Ryepaw stayed where he was, not daring to leave where he hid. All of it was just too overwhelming for the disfigured cat and even though he knew what being a coward like this meant for how everyone looked at him and thought about him, all he wanted to do was curl up against Hazefur's warm and comforting side, where ever she was, and forget about the world around him.

Hazefur approached the little area of camp where the apprentices slept, Ryepaw had yet to appear at his own warrior ceremony. So knowing the young tom best, Hazefur had gone to look for him. There he was, crouching in the corner of the little area, pressing himself into the ground. The she-cat let out a sigh, a small smile appearing at the corners of her muzzle. Hazefure padded over to him, crouching down his his height. "Hey, it’s alright to be worried, but don’t you want to receive your warrior name?" She questioned, her voice soft and smooth as she spoke. The warrior was quiet for a moment as she figured out what else to say.

"You’ve worked awfully hard to get here, to get your warrior name, why cower from it?" Hazefur purred gently, speaking to her son in a calming tone. "Come on, I’ll walk with you. I’ll always be there for you," she mewed finally, pulling away from her son, hoping her leave would get him up.

Hearing his mother's soft voice and feeling her pelt brush against his, Ryepaw's head shot up, a wave of relief washing over him. Although her words brought him peace, he was still quivering where he sat. "But..." he started quietly, although he shut his jaw when she continued to speak, and he had to admit, she had a good point. He had worked really hard to get here, and to let it go all to waste just because he was too scared, it was foolish. Besides, if she was with him, everything would be fine, right?

Looking back down to his paws and feeling somewhat ashamed of himself, he thought about the whole ordeal for a few moments, but before he was able to make a decision, her sweet and calming scent didn't feel so close anymore. Looking up, he caught sight of her leaving and his heart started to race. Don't leave me! he wanted to yell, but instead stood up and quickly hurried after her, dragging his limp leg behind him. Well, there was no going back now.

~~~~~~

Seeing Ryepaw appear from the apprentice den with his mother, Smokepelt let out a sigh of relief. Thank StarClan the apprentice had a mother as gentle and patient as Hazefur. As they approached the Tallrock, the deputy decided to start. "Ryepaw, please step forward." Once his son did, he continued. "I, Smokepelt, deputy of WindClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. He's trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in return. Ryepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" the tom asked, looking down to the apprentice with a soft smile.

Hazefure lead her son through the crowd, eventually reached the front of the numerous gathered cats. She cast him a small smile before shifting to the side a bit, sitting at the front of all the other cats so she could still be close to the young tom, but not right at his side and make it look like he couldn't do anything without his mother. This way, Ryepaw looked strong and independent.

She listened quietly as her mate's strong words rang out over the camp.

Standing a little ways from Hazefur, the meek tom glanced around the crowd of cats, trying to ignore everything. Just stay focused, stay... focused, he reminded himself. Upon his father's question, Ryepaw's attention snapped back to the deputy. "I-I boo!" Ryepaw choked, not letting his eyes leave his father, his ears were pinned to his head, and he was positive that the whole clan could see him shaking under his pelt.

~~~~~~

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Ryepaw, you will be known as Ryecloud. StarClan honors your loyalty, determination, spirit, and we welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan." With that, the tom jumped down from the Tallrock and padded over to his son, leaning down and giving him a quick lick on the forehead. Looking to him with a smile, he gave a small dip of his head towards the newly named warrior and then stepped back so that the rest of the clan could greet him, listening as they chanted the tom's new name. Good job, Smokepelt thought to himself, so proud of his kit for making past his challenges and getting so far.

Hazefur got to her paws, standing in place. "Ryecloud, Ryecloud!" She chanted alongside her clan mates, making sure her voice was loud enough for them all to hear how proud she was of her son for making it so far and becoming a warrior.

<<>>

Furzethroat had been been observing the ceremony a few paces away from the front of the crowd. Once his father announced what Ryepaw's warrior name was, he also got to his paws to chant his younger brothers name. "Ryecloud, Ryecloud!" He called among the others, a smile breaking his neutral expression from before.

Receiving his warrior name, the newly named Ryecloud's ears perked when the clan started to chant his name. Turning around, he watched as cats shouted and meowed his name, and although all the noise was overwhelming, he drained it all out and looked into the crowd, seeing his mother and siblings cheering for him. All that time he'd spent worrying over possibly not becoming a warrior was for nothing, and he'd actually made it! Well, apparently anything was possible now and days.

~~~~~~

"Ryecloud! Ryecloud!" Kindleblaze shouted, a large smile on her face as she sat next to Furzethroat. She was so proud of her little brother and although she used to despise her odd brother, she'd learned to accept him for who he was and couldn't wait to go on more patrols with him and spend time together as warriors.

"Ryecloud, Ryecloud!" Quailfeather cheered, sitting near him and giving him a friendly nudge. Her "little" brother was finally a warrior.