Dappleshine's Elder Ceremony

With Hayglow now a full warrior of WindClan, Dappleshine had expressed to Olivestar that she wished to retire. It was now time for this ceremony, and Olivestar traced the path up to the Tallrock once more. This was the first ceremony of this kind that she would conduct, and she hoped that Dappleshine would find many moons of rest and care. She'd served the Clan since well before Olivestar had been born, and the gray she-cat was more than deserving of the chance to retire.
"May all cats old enough to run the moors gather beneath the Tallrock!"

Hayglow had been named a warrior, and so Dappleshine had braced herself for the discussion regarding her retirement with Olivestar. After the talk, she felt lighter than she had in moons, and as Olivestar called the meeting she moved to sit next to Raventail. She hadn't imagined this ceremony would come so soon, really she hadn't even considered it until recently, but as she waited for the words to be spoken she couldn't help but think back to her time as an apprentice in RiverClan, then as a warrior, then uprooting herself in the manner that she had and coming to WindClan. Already the moons had blurred together, and as the wind rustled the fur in her ears she couldn't help but take a deep breath in. If she imagined hard enough, she could picture Dacedream, and little Sedgekit and Smudgekit in the clouds above. Hopefully this would bring some peace to the turmoil that had gripped her mind and heart for the last several moons, and she would have several more to look forward to.

Dappleshine's gray form caught Olivestar's eye as she gathered below with the rest of her Clanmates, and she offered a small smile to the aging she-cat and Raventail, who sat beside her. With the wind blowing around her, the leader waited until the crowd had grown to a sizeable amount before continuing with the ceremony at hand. She knew what the answer would be, but she knew the importance of the words she spoke,
"Dappleshine, is it your wish to give up the rank of a warrior and go to join the elders?"

Olivestar's eyes met hers, and the older she-cat returned the soft smile. As she was addressed, Dappleshine closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in the scent of the clan around her, of her mate at her side. When they opened, she stood and nodded slowly. Olivestar asked if it was her wish.... No, perhaps it wasn't. Her wish was that she had just a little more time. Time to say goodbye, time to spend with her loved ones that were taken far too soon.... But yet.... "It is, Olivestar." She mewed firmly, slightly surprised that her voice didn't waver. She had worked hard, trained harder, and had tried to be the best warrior she could be.... And now she was letting it all go. It was a bittersweet feeling, but the promise of rest and peace was as soothing as a whispering brook to her aching heart.

As Dappleshine's words echoed what Olivestar knew, she dipped her head in acknowledgement, her smile never wavering.
"Then WindClan honors you and all you have done for our Clan. I call upon our Clanmates, so that you may have the many moons of rest that you've more than earned."

Dappleshine lowered her head in acknowledgement briefly before raising it once more. "Thank you." She purred, her voice hardly over a whisper. And just like that, in what seemed like an instant, the lifetime of warriorhood that she had led had come to a close. Suddenly, the she-cat felt rather.... Lost. Without throwing herself into the next patrol or watch, what would she do with herself? Looking back towards Raventail, her smile wavered for a moment. At least he was still there....

Though the cooling weather had called him to the moor since he’d woken up, Raventail had spent the day in camp, keeping one eye on the Tallrock. Hayglow’s ceremony had come and gone. It was time. He and Dappleshine had faced so much, both together and separately; with any luck, this would be the last hurdle. Before Olivestar had even finished her meeting call, Raventail’s paws had carried him to the Tallrock. There, he sat, wrapping his tail around himself until Dappleshine joined him; then he twined it around hers, bumping against her shoulder. Just yesterday, he’d been sprinting across the hills with Barleytuft to meet her, meeting Dacedream at Fourtrees, sharing sunsets with her on Outlook Rock. He’d had plenty of warning, sure, but it was a lot to come to terms with. This was happening so suddenly, so much earlier than either of them could’ve imagined. Most jarring was the fact that he wasn’t holding this ceremony himself—but as Dappleshine stood up beside him, her voice steady as she answered, he found he couldn’t bring himself to regret it. For this, he was glad he only had to be Raventail.

With a few more words, it was over. Dappleshine turned toward him, smile wobbling for a fraction of a moment. Raventail managed a smile of his own, small but genuine, and leaned forward to brush his cheek against hers. ”I’m so proud of you.” He couldn’t imagine how long she’d been turning the decision over in her head, how long she’d hung onto it before talking to him. But that was over now. As the moons passed, both of them would adjust; and he’d hurry to join her, the way he had when she’d become a warrior. With what on a brighter day would’ve been a joking tone, he added, ”Y’know, if you ever want to sneak out of camp…” pulling away only slightly.

Dappleshine purred as her cheek met Raventail's. "Thank you, my love." She mewed, her voice soft and slightly shaky. It was over, everything was. As Raventail pulled away slightly, her eyes flashed with the same mischievous light it had help when she threw a fish at him all those moons ago. "I wouldn't ever dream of it," she whispered innocently before smiling at him, the hesitation from just a few moments ago gone from her expression. "Name a time and place and I'll be there, always." She tacked on, curling her tail with his. Tonight, she would sleep in a very different den, but it would be home.