Houndkit's Apprentice Ceremony

It was Beartooth's first time being tasked with the care of an apprentice ceremony. He still wasn't quite sure that he would remember all of the traditional words relayed to him by Oakstar, even if he had heard them dozens of times himself. The thought of leaping onto the high rock was a foreign thing. Moving beyond the invisible barrier between where the clan sat and where the leadership went to address them all felt comparable to breaking the code. His whiskers twitched slightly as the sensation caused his paws to hesitate. But only for a moment. This was just a series in another long list of tasks; this was his duty to the clan. Perhaps it would make everything else seem a little easier. More to do meant the days would slip by faster. There was a little effort needed to scramble up the side of the rock, a motion he wasn't quite used to that became a little more challenging with his bulky frame. One he sat atop the rock, the deputy hesitated. This ceremony would be different, both in practice and situation. Houndkit, his own biological son was to be named.

The tom had yet to engage with the younger cat despite their leader's attempts to reunite the pair. Ridgelight had driven a rift between their kinship, it seemed, and Houndkit in his age was as perceptive to see that already. Beartooth simply did not know how to act. He hadn't learned or grown alongside the kit. Other than the blood that ran through their veins, there was little bond between the pair. He had simply settled with admiring the growth of his offspring from afar. This would be no different. After sitting for a moment, the warrior considered the clan below. His call was not loud, or impressive. In fact, the gruff words probably just hardly reached the dens at the edges of camp, "Let all cats join below the highrock for a clan meeting."

If it weren't for his ears, the young tom likely wouldn't have ever heard the weak call of his father towards the clan. But he did. Although he had little desire to deal with many things, namely the coddling of his adoptive parents, but the prospect of being an apprentice was an enticing one. Houndkit would be able to tread his paws outside of the camp's walls without having a warrior yowl after him. Granted, there would still be a mentor. He hadn't thought much about that though. The lanky kit nearly galloped from the den, only composing himself when he caught sight of Galepaw and settled in at the apprentice's side. As he looked up at Beartooth, the tom felt nothing. Even the distant knowledge that the deputy was his father was something that hardly drew to the front of his conscious. Someone had mentioned that his six moons were almost there and the time had come. The pits of his gray eyes shown something more than his usual disdain--there was excitement.

And there he was, the apprentice, his kit. Houndkit, as his mate had named him. Beartooth couldn't help the momentary pause of his gaze as it passed over the lean kit. There was a duty to be done. Although he was a cat of few words, Beartooth had never found himself anxious in speech. He just simply did not see reason to speak more than necessary. And this would be a case no different from any other, "Houndkit has reached the age of six moons and is ready for apprenticeship. From now until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Houndpaw. Harefoot will be your mentor." It was short, and simple, but it got the job done. Harefoot would make a good mentor to his son, to the kit. With that, he leaped down from the highrock as the names chorused the new apprentice's name. Beartooth retreated back to the warrior's den for now. Later on, perhaps a patrol. Who knew?

Harefoot joined the rest of his clan beneath Highrock, looking up at Beartooth with admiration. His friend had always been so much cooler than him, right from the very start. Now he looked downright leaderly with his new power and responsibilities, and the younger warrior was proud to call the deputy his best friend. He glanced at the kit to be named, recognizing Houndkit as Beartooth's only surviving son, and Harefoot's wide smile quickly dropped into a somber frown. The whole situation had been relayed to him by a clanmate, and it made him sad for Beartooth. He must have been awfully emotional up there on the rock. Harefoot looked back at the deputy, wondering how he could be so stoic all the time, and listened to his words.

To say he was surprised at having another apprentice was an understatement. Beartooth knew he wasn't particularly gifted as a mentor... Honeypaw was a sad testament to that. Now he had Beartooth's son as an apprentice and he desperately hoped things wouldn't be the same. He hesitantly approached Houndpaw, wishing Beartooth had stuck around instead of walking away, and looked at the young tom with some concern. 'StarClan, those ears are big. Is... is that what I looked like? Do I still look like that?' Without thinking, his ears flicked back flat against his head. His own self-conscious thoughts receded as he realized he hadn't yet said or done anything. "O-oh! Houndpaw! Ah, prepare yourself for training tomorrow... I'll get you at sunrise..." He meowed and then awkwardly tapped his nose to his apprentice's. He was sure he did that out of order. The scattered tom quickly fled the scene before anyone could laugh at him for his incompetence.

Dustcloud's ears perked out Beartooth's call, words that had never been voiced by the cat before. The sound was strange not coming from Leopardclaw or Marshst- Oakstar, but she circled to the center of the camp anyway. She watched as Houndkit stepped forward, excitement clear in her eyes. It was always hard to watch a kit be welcomed into the apprentice's den, and even harder to watch her own kit- blood or otherwise. But, nonetheless, she joined the celebration as Harefoot was named Houndpaw's mentor.