Adderkit's Apprentice Ceremony

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Willow Branch for a clan meeting!"

RiverClan was slowly but steadily recovering from the ordeal that had been the flood. Now that even Jaystar had returned from the mountains, life seemed ready to resume where it had left off. Moonstone journeys, apprentice ceremonies—Scorchclaw was carrying out his usual duties as deputy once more. After the pressure of leadership that he had taken up in Jaystar's absence, it was a relief to be second-in-command again. Most things were returning to the way they had been before the tragedy had struck. If one closed his eyes, tried his best to drown out the memories, he could almost pretend that life was just as it had always been... There was, however, one major detail that had been irreversibly, unalterably changed in Scorchclaw's life. It was a difference that meant heaven and earth to him—the presence of his best friend.

Adderfeather was gone. The large tabby had no idea if she had perished in the flood, or if she had simply been swept off to some land unknown. One thing he knew for certain; he had waited day after day, hoping to see her again. And with each passing day, the hope that remained in his heart dwindled away until he was no longer able to deny the bitter reality. She was not coming back. For all he knew, he would never see her again. The very thought cut his heart to shreds. It suffocated him. He should have been by her side. He had promised himself to protect her. But it was too late now, and there was nothing he could do. If he could scream out his frustration, he would have. Driven by desperation, he had searched RiverClan's territory again and again.

Scorchclaw's best friend had nothing to do with the young kit—the Adderkit who would stand before him today. Scorchclaw knew that the only similarity the two of them bore was the prefix. Still, Adderkit's name brought too many memories to mind. They were memories that had been precious to him and were now also painful to think of. He could not keep from surfacing the dark thought that Adderfeather was already being replaced.

Somehow, the RiverClan deputy seemed colder than usual.

Adderkit stuck his head carefully out of the nursery and simply stared a moment at the camp around him. He looked over at the deputy and noticed the cold edge in his expression. It struck Adderkit with a note of apprehension. Even so, knowing what this meeting likely was, he could not stop his heart from beating with excitement. As he exited the nursery he carried himself with a little more energy than usual.

Ivypaw padded out of the apprentices den at Scorchclaw's call, assuming that this would be an apprentices ceremony since the deputy was calling the meeting and Jaystar was now back from the mountains. Her eyes flickered back to the den, wondering if getting out of her nest was worth it in the end. Shaking her head, she settled a few tail lengths from the den, looking up to the deputy and waiting for his next words. She realized the cold tone of his voice and the expression on his face, but dismissed it... He was likely in mourning.

Before long, most of the RiverClan cats had gathered. From his perch on the Willow Branch, Scorchclaw had a view of every cat in the crowd. The clan was still far from small, but numbers had notably been reduced since the flood. So many had been lost... The RiverClan deputy flicked his tail, green eyes narrowing ever so slightly. Now was not the time to dwell upon such thoughts. A kit was rising to the position of an apprentice; this occasion called for celebration. "We gather today," He began, addressing the gathered clan, "for the first apprentice ceremony since our return to our home. Adderkit, step forward." The name was painfully familiar on his tongue. When the young tom had done so, Scorchclaw continued. "Adderkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day onward, you will be known as Adderpaw. Jaystar will be your mentor. May he guide you well in the ways of the Warrior Code."

Just like that, the ceremony was over. Scorchclaw leaped off the Willow Branch, landing neatly on all four paws. As the RiverClan cats gathered around to congratulate the newly appointed pair of mentor and apprentice, the large deputy padded off to his den.

The newly named Adderpaw's small amber eyes widened a little when he heard the leader's name called as his mentor, and he was suddenly very aware of all the cats looking at him. He shifted and wrapped his awkwardly long tail around himself as a way of trying to make it less noticeable. For a moment he felt a sense of dissonance; he was excited to begin his journey as an apprentice and genuinely grateful for the congratulations, but there was a deep part of him that always wanted to assume the worst, and he could feel it fabricating a hostility in other cats' eyes. He shook it off; he was aware it was coming from him, not from anyone else, and he allowed himself in the moment to stop over-thinking things. He said his thank-yous to the cats surrounding him. A sense of excitement filled him again. There was so much he wanted to do!