Lynxpaw's Warrior Ceremony

This was possibly the strangest thing she'd ever done. Redwing leapt up onto the Jaggedrock, feeling the hard stone under her paws, looking down from the almost-nauseously-high vantage point. She hated heights. They made her feel unstable and dizzy and... Firestone. The stocky warrior shuddered, fluffing out her thick russet pelt, and her green eyes flitted around the camp below. All she had to do was finish this ceremony and get out of here. She was giving a ceremony! It was so strange... that was what Scorchstar was supposed to do. And Littlestar before him. And now Thorn- well. She had been told to do this and so she would. By StarClan, she'd prove herself. Now, what had Scorchstar used to say?... "Let all those old enough to catch their own prey gather for a Clan meeting!" she yowled a little shakily, omitting one or two words on accident. Oh well. This would be fine.

The fluffy, muscular apprentice had finally his full size and he could easily be seen as a lion by now. He had trained hard to become stronger, bulkier just for this day. This had to be his ceremony. No apprentice was more ready than him! And after this day... he will prove everyone that he wasn't weak. That his scar, though a painful reminder, it was dark motivation for him to be better... and get revenge on all those who believed they could take advantage of his clan.

Redwing took a deep, shaky breath. This seemed so odd. Her voice didn't have the weight of Scorchstar's, the brash confidence of Thornbriar's... it just resonated throughout the clearing, an uncertain contralto, as her eyes found the apprentice under the Jaggedrock. Lynxpaw. "We are gathered today," she managed, "to make an apprentice a warrior. He has trained for moons and completed his assessments, and so he is ready to receive his name. Lynxpaw.... please step forward." What do I say what do I say what do I say?? After a few deep breaths, panic held at bay, the deputy managed to recall foggy memories of her own ceremony. "I... Redwing, deputy of ShadowClan call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained very hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I... commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Lynxpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Even if he saw how nervous the new deputy was, the tom did not mind. Of course, he would see it as a weakness if it was any other cat from another clan but Redwing was his clanmate, a senior warrior of the clan and he respected it. She was thrown into the position so it was understandable for someone who was not expecting to be deputy... unlike him.

The tom stood up straight, poofing up his already bushy chest and with glimmering, determined eyes, he mewed with a deep, secure voice. "I do."

However, even if he had accepted the ways of the Code and was just a few seconds away from becoming a warrior, something felt off. It seemed like that old voice that had haunted him since the attack was trying to return and that reminded him of his battle, how he was miserably maimed and how weak and powerless he felt because of that. Lynxpaw looked down at his paws for a second and raising one of them, he touched the bare skin of where the wound was inflicted. This... was... a memory. Even if he hated feeling that weak... if he forgot that fear, that way of feeling so small... then he would forget of his goals. He will lose the motivation to become better, stronger, so no other Shadowclan cat has to suffer because of it. The brown tabby blinked twice at the realization and quickly faced the ginger she-cat once more."Excuse me if I'm being... out of place. But I would like to ask... if I can be called Lynxscar. Some may see it as a way to let me remember forever my old wound... and in part it is. But it is also a reminder of my mistake. And I want to fix that. I want to be better and for that... I need to remind what I did wrong. Would that... be possible, Redwing?"

Redwing used the time that the very confident-seeming apprentice was taking to say his answer to calm herself. It was just a ceremony. They were performed all the time. No one was judging her, hopefully. She cast her mind about rapidly, thinking of a name. She had no idea... her eyes searched his frame, looking for clues. Lynxpelt? Lynxtail? She'd decided on Lynxclaw when the tom quickly spoke up again, asking... requesting a name. Lynxscar. Taken aback somewhat, the deputy paused... then nodded. "So be it. By the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Lynxpaw...  from this moment on you shall be known as Lynxscar. We honor your ambition and loyalty, and welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." Thank StarClan that was over. She leapt down and nodded to the tom, feeling a little too uncomfortable to do the regular, leader-ly gesture of resting her muzzle on the tom's head.