Bluekit's Apprentice Ceremony

Despite how young it seemed Bluekit was, Ivystar knew that it was time. She didn't particularly want to let her kit go in that way- knowing what dangers there were and each risk the she-cat would face throughout apprentice hood- but it was something that she couldn't deny her, even if it felt like she wasn't quite ready. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Willow Branch for a Clan meeting!" She yowled, leaping up onto the Branch herself.

As the words rang out through camp, Bluekit cowered down right inside the entrance to the nursery. Rumors had spread that she would be apprenticed soon, and the idea alone terrified her. Not only that, since the words in Ivystar's summons clearly excluded her, as she couldn't catch her own prey yet, she was reluctant to join the gathering crowd, which as well raised her heart rate another notch. Swallowing hard against the fear rising in her throat, the big kit took a deep breath and pushed her way out of the nursery, thick fur catching on the narrow entrance. Within a few moments, she was out in the clearing, and with paws that shook almost imperceptibly, she joined the crowd, sitting in the far back.

Once the rather large kit had made her way into the center of camp, Ivystar swallowed her anxiety and began, "Bluekit, pease step forward." Once she did so, however reluctantly, the she-cat continued, "Bluekit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day onward until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Bluepaw." Bluepaw. It sounded weird to say, and Ivystar didn't quite like the feeling. Her daughter growing up... She knew it would happen, she didn't entirely understand why she was so surprised... But alas, here she was. Now... A mentor. How exactly should she go about this? Each of her warriors that could handle it had two apprentices already, and she knew she couldn't place too much on any of their shoulders... Plus, she'd much rather have her daughter under her own care. Not that she didn't trust them, but... That was her daughter, after all. "I will be your mentor." She said slowly, leaping down off of the branch. She approached her daughter quickly, touching noses with her and wrapping her tail around the large apprentice's shoulders.

So, the rumors were true... Bluekit thought as she wove, well, almost pushed her way through the crowd to get to the front, where all of the eyes of her Clanmates on her made her anxiety spike further. Still, she looked up at Ivystar on the Willow Branch, where she was given her new name, and she felt a calm wash over her as her mother announced that she'd be mentoring her.

The newly named Bluepaw gave a smile and a small purr towards Ivystar as she jumped down from the Branch to touch noses with her, and thought to herself,
Maybe apprenticeship won't be so scary after all.