Fogkit's Apprentice Ceremony

It had come to her attention that Fogkit had reached her sixth moon, and it was time for her to be apprenticed. The sun shone brightly despite the tense times they'd fallen under, and Olivestone hoped that the warmth and sunshine would be able to dispel the gloom that had seemingly fallen over the camp over the past moon. As she hopped up on the Tallrock, she felt a little thrill at knowing she was about to conduct her first ceremony, and she looked down at the camp, searching for the kit in question today. For a moment, she felt like she could take flight, and that thought brought a smile to her face. Without further hesitation, she called out, ”Let all cats old enough to run the moor gather beneath the Tallrock!”

Clovertwist raised his head, pausing with a half-chewed bite of bird in his mouth, as he heard his friend and new deputy's call over the camp. I wonder if she's doing a ceremony. We have a few kits. I bet she's excited. It was weird not hearing Raventail... painful thinking of why. So he didn't. He swallowed his bite and pushed the rest of the bird towards the gorse wall for later, standing to cross the camp and answer Olivestone's call. He smiled at her briefly and sat to wait for whatever was to come.

Having returned from a short patrol only a few minutes before, Raventail was rooting through the fresh-kill pile in search of something to share with Dappleshine when the call went out. His head snapped up as he drew his paw back. A different voice, gray-striped fur in place of ginger and white. He’d asked Olivestone to be his deputy, yet at the sight of her on top of the Tallrock, the knot in his stomach tightened just a little. He shook himself down to the end of his tail. If he forced himself to ignore the obvious, it was plain to see Olivestone had taken to her new position far faster than he had. In any case, he couldn’t let himself dwell on it. Olivestone’s presence meant this had to be a ceremony; there were only so many six-moon-old kits in the nursery. Raventail hurried toward the growing crowd and seated himself somewhere in the middle, peering over his Clanmates’ heads in search of his mate and Fogkit.

Fortunate for Raventail to have popped in at the time like this, the oh so special kit in question had forgotten what was to come. Her stay in the nursery had provided her enough chances given her current, frazzled state of her white pelt. Bits and pieces of the walls clung to the tips of her thin fur the kits adventures had suddenly come to a stop. "Dad!" Fogkit squealed seeing the deputy? Was that what they called the bossy cats? Cats like coming up names for things but it felt wrong to say out loud.

Well, for one, Raventail was fun to play with he'd never force her to get back into the nursery. "Is it time already?" Time had past since her last outing out to the heart of the camp. The funny, sleeping body of Finchstar came to mind. Haykit acted weird but that's Haykit from what she knew. Even with consideration of the latest events her heart could have flown over to the tall rock. Her paws wobbled in relief unsure of how to take the news of being called up. If her father was here than what about mama? "Could I gooooo?" Fogkit was all too chipper, the kit bounded up to her mother the clouded eyes she'd been name for shown a pleading glint to them. Something about today had ignited the spark that was the dread for many queens which some may find welcoming relief or the dread their wards would be handed off to someone else's prudent watch. "I'll act good I promise."

Olivestone watched as her Clanmates gathered below her, and she found that she actually quite liked the view from above, and smiled when Raventail entered camp, Fogkit bounding up to him. She watched as the leader led his kit over to the crowd, and when she was satisfied with the size of the crowd, she began to speak once more.
"Fogkit, please step forward."

She paused to let her respond, and continued, "You have reached your sixth moon, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From now until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Fogpaw."

She knew exactly who she wanted to be Fogpaw's mentor, and she searched for his ruddy pelt in the crowd. "Your mentor will be Ferretdance. May he pass all that he knows to you."

With the final words spoken, she hopped down from the Tallrock, and padded over to her brother.

Morningpaw had just returned to the camp as the call went out, dragging a plump bluebird behind her; as the call went out, she placed it on the fresh-kill pile and moved to the crowd, looking up at her mentor atop the Tallrock with pride. Olivestone was taking to her new duties wonderfully, she thought; she spoke with confidence and purpose, and seeing her on the rock, with the sun shining down from above, felt right. Raventail couldn't have chosen a better deputy.
The apprentice had a feeling she knew what this was about - she'd been following the progress of the older kits closely for when they joined her in the apprentice's den - and remembering her own ceremony (and the confusion that had shot through her at the time), she gave Fogkit a reassuring smile, conveying one simple sentiment: You got this. And as Olivestone spoke the words, and declared Ferretdance as the new apprentice's mentor, Morningpaw knew that the cat would be in safe paws.

Once the rest of the Clan had gathered, Olivestone looked out over the camp again, and Clovertwist wondered who or what she was searching for. He followed her gaze to Raventail where he stood with Fogkit, and suddenly the cause of the ceremony was revealed to him. Oh, yes, of course, it's about time! he thought, Fogkit's ceremony. He turned his head back to Olivestone as she confirmed it, calling the little tom-kit forward. Surely he'd be excited, and it would be good for WindClan to have a little good news. Not a moment later Fogpaw was given his new name, and he was given Ferretdance as his mentor. Clovertwist looked swiftly aside to seek his friend's face, offering him an excited nod. He'll be a great mentor, Clovertwist thought warmly, and he mrrowed his approval aloud before departing from the meeting to let the new apprentice and mentor meet.

Dappleshine emerged from the medicine den, where she had been seeing Aspenheart about a sudden cough that had developed seemingly overnight. Rushing to her mate's side, she purred roughly as she settled next to him and nuzzled their adopted daughter's shoulder gently. Just as she went to reassure the kit that it was almost time, Olivestone called the she-kit forward. The she-cat was doing a magnificent job, and as Dappleshine watched their kit was apprenticed to Ferretdance. A good choice, Ferretdance would have their paws full with Fogpaw. Twining her tail with Raventail's lightly, she purred as she raised her voice with the clans, chanting her daughter's new name to the sky.

Fogkit found him first—and brought part of the nursery with her, Raventail noted as he turned. A small but genuine smile rose on his muzzle. It might have been rabbit-brained to say as much, but…maybe she’d gotten that from him. He leaned down to pick one of the larger bits of gorse out of her fur. ”Well,” he meowed, drawing out the word, ”you’d have to ask Olivestone to be sure, but—“ By then, Dappleshine had settled beside him. Fogkit promptly scurried over to her, chirping excitedly.

Olivestone spoke again, calling Fogkit forward, and the dark tom’s expression sobered. Since Dappleshine had told him she was having kits, he’d been picturing this moment and the ones that came after: his kits’ first adventures across the moor, their first patrols, the first prey they brought home. He’d always been the one on top of the Tallrock, the first to call their new names before all of WindClan; the same pair of mottled, mismatched pelts had always been the ones beneath. But Fogkit was as much his daughter as Sedgekit and Smudgekit had been. Though the world had shifted beyond what he ever could’ve imagined, this was real.

Pride flashed through him, warm and bright as fire. When Dappleshine’s tail wove around his, Raventail leaned against her, letting his eyes fall shut. Then he joined the chant: ”Fogpaw! Fogpaw! Fogpaw!” No doubt Ferretdance would be the first to guide Fogpaw around the moor, but once this was over (because it had to be; WindClan couldn’t, wouldn’t live in the Righteous Few’s shadow forever), Raventail had every intention of showing her the best parts of it.

Fogkit's paws practically floated off the ground not long after the now appointed deputy called out to her. Her gaze flickering between her parents peering into their expressions gleaning a rather pleased reaction to the clan meeting. The she-kit's thoughts distracted by the sudden gathering of cats some more familiar than others. It was different in tone by a landslide, her clanmates both thrilled and excited for her? Let alone most of the cats but her parents especially! "Okay! I'll try my best for you." Whatever she had brought along had fallen off but not the feeling of something out of place. Where where the other kits? Surely Haykit would be at her side sooner or later.

Olivestone's clear voice came once again attracting the kit to come up to the tall rock letting her head clear itself of any worry. Enough time had been spent pondering as she gave one last look towards her new kin. At that moment she walked past those who had seemingly wished her well for what would await her. Her head held up high Fogkit strided on over her quick pawsteps would make any moor runner envious of what the youth could do. Even so, she nearly bumped into a cat whose ruddy, ginger pelt shown brightly in the camp's sunlight. A wave of awe flooded her as she looked at the warrior whose name eluded her. "I do!" She squeaked now realizing it had taken time for the ceremony to begin, her naive vow now rang out throughout WindClan's camp.

Let alone the pause in her reply the newly made apprentice gaze met with Ferretdance's. A flush of embarrassment and excitement washed over her she began to purr in regards to the warm reception. As her clanmates cheered her new name - silly but acceptable - tradition that raised their gloom and doom spirits. Just like that she found herself gliding off the tall rock emotions high in the air.

Ferretdance had answered his sister's call, excited to support her for the first time leading a ceremony. He hadn't expected the honor that she would bestow upon him, by naming him Fogpaw's mentor, but the tom's eyes brightened considerably when his name was spoken. He would do his very best to be a great mentor.

"Congratulations, Fogpaw." He purred, touching noses with his new apprentice.

Fogpaw turned her head around when Ferretdance had called out her name. Part of her was shocked the other half happy that she'd been apprenticed to a good warrior. "Thanks Ferretdance!" She spoke brightly padding towards her new mentor. The apprentice stopped in her tracks when they were close enough, touching noses with the warrior who just then been appointed to train her.