Batpaw's Warrior Ceremony

At long last, it was finally time; as Leopardstar scaled his stone, a broad smile encompassed his face, and an unmistakable light shone in his eyes.  Pride, that of a parent watching their child progress in the world, and achieve the dreams they had been reaching towards for moons.  Her brothers had already received their true names, but finally, the last of his three remaining adopted kits would join them.  He still remembered the day vividly when he had found them, hidden within an old dead log half frozen to death.  Two of their siblings had not been able to recover, leaving them as the only survivors, but through thick and thin he had always tried to make sure they knew they were loved, and that they belonged...as Grasswhisker had done for him so many moons ago.  He could only hope that he had succeeded.  Taking a deep breath, he called out, elated voice echoing around the ravine.  "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!"

After sparing a moment to make sure she could spot both Lynxtail and Copperheart, Batpaw approached the gathering of her Clanmates with hesitant curiosity: a part of her held out hope that this would, at last, be her warrior ceremony, now that her family was reunited, but she also had her doubts. Had she proven herself adequately enough to be a warrior? In the time the Clans had been separated, she'd been away from both her mentor and her leader - her father. Still, her brothers had received their full names some time ago now - well before all of these disasters had started. Perhaps it was finally her turn?

Either way, the small black she-cat watched and waited in silence for answers to her unspoken questions.

He was settled at his usual spot, with a sense of pride around him as he watched with a smile as the clan gathered. His gaze caught Lynxtail and Copperheart briefly and he nodded his head a tiny bit. It was Batpaw's turn. His apprentice was now going to be a warrior in full. It struck him how rare that seemed to be for his own apprentices. They didn't always get to be warriors... he shoved the thought aside. True as it was, it had no place here. This was a time for celebration.

His gaze turned to Dustcloud. The scarred she-cat made him breathe in relief each time he saw her. Cherishing the fact that she was alive... he paused for that single moment, all the affection that could be seen in a look quite clear before he returned to a more formal posture. Broken by his smile, but it could hardly be helped.

Lynxtail found a place to sit beside his siblings, purring as his pelt brushed against Copperheart's. He was overjoyed to be home again.
Despite his outward appearance, he felt a small pang of guilt. It was his fault that they'd been abandoned in the forest all those moons ago. He owed them so much for their forgiveness, for their trust in him. His guilt had been somewhat alleviated during the journey; his need to be with Batpaw and Copperheart took up all the space in his mind. Now that he was back in Thunderclan territory, he had nothing to distract himself from the seeds of guilt that had taken root in his mind. The golden-brown tom knew he didn't deserve to be living in Thunderclan with them...
That's enough... He caught Marshstorm's eye and grinned. Lynxtail didn't want anyone to worry about him. He turned his gaze towards Leopardstar, his expression content, his eyes dull.

Once his family had appeared in the clearing along with most of the clan, Leopardstar motioned for silence. "Today, it is my honor to give a brave apprentice their warrior name...and maybe this time there won't be any interruptions." Blinking good-naturedly towards Pricklebush and Mosspaw, he quickly sought out his beloved daughter and met her gaze with a proud smile. "Batpaw, please step forward."

Batpaw followed her father's instructions with pride, stepping away from her Clanmates and toward her father. Her initial thoughts had been right, then - today she would join her brothers in having her full warrior name.

Mosspaw smiled and her tail tip twitched good-naturedly as Leopardstar looked over to her and Pricklebush. She was happy to see Batpaw get to join her brothers, the black she-cat certainly deserved it. She waited, enjoying the sight of her old denmate prepare to get her warrior name.

Taking a deep breath, Leopardstar wasted no time before diving into the old words; “I, Leopardstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Batpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”  His eyes narrowed seriously as he spoke, not allowing his kits to be spared of the importance this pledge held.  It had been moons since Reedheart had broken it and paid dearly for the consequences...he didn't want to see any other of his children follow that path of destruction.

There it was, the thing that challenged her most about Clan life: the warrior code.

Batpaw found that her thoughts racing as she tried not to let them show on her face. Truth be told, she cared very little for the rules that bound the Clans to what they were, but this place was her home and these cats were her family. Where would she go, if not here? Her gaze found her brothers, and she thought about them: where would she be, without them by her side? What would she be then? She wouldn't be herself, she wouldn't be happy.

She wasn't happy with the warrior code, either, but she was happy whenever she was with her family. Wherever she was with her family. She would protect and defend them no matter the cost, follow them to the end of the world and past it into the unknown, and stay by their sides as long as she could.

It was then that she found her answer, resignation to her fate spoken with confidence and pride she only wished she felt. An oath sworn because she felt she had no other choice, but an oath sworn nonetheless.

Leopardstar nodded acceptingly, the blossoms of pride filling his chest as he met his daughter's vivid green gaze.  “Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Batpaw, from this moment on you shall be known as Batbite. StarClan honors your humor and dedication, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan.”  Leaping down from the Highrock, he rested his muzzle against her forehead for a moment, waiting for the reciprocal lick before stepping away and touching his nose gently to hers.  "Congratulations sweetheart...you'll do great." Joining the crowd in calling out her new name, his voice was one of the loudest of all.