Lilacpaw's Warrior Ceremony

Day by day, the Asylum cats' constant presence was something that Olivestar was slowly getting used to, though, no matter how much time passed, she didn't like the predicament any more. Despite that, though, the occasion was one to celebrate, and that it was time for one of her daughters to finally become a warrior. With a recently-uncharacteristic smile on her face, the leader made her way up to the top of the Tallrock, the path up no more than muscle memory at that point. The chilly wind blasted the leader as she stood there, the wind blowing her fur the wrong way and making her shiver, and she kneaded the rock, as to avoid the cold rock leeching too much of the heat out of her paws.

Her mood better than it has been since the takeover, she called out the familiar summons.
"May all cats old enough to run the moor gather beneath the Tallrock!"

Lilacpaw trotted over the the tallrock with her tail held high. Olivestar looked so happy! She knew these were hard times for the Clans, but she really wished her mother would smile more. Olivestar looked so pretty when she smiled. Although Lilacpaw couldn't blame her for the lack thereof, even she had struggled to find reason to be truly happy.

Making her way through the gathering crowd, Lilacpaw sat down with her tail curled neatly around her paws. She made sure that she had surrounded herself with WindClan cats, as she did not want to be near any of the Asylum cats (although there were some she got along with fairly well, they still made her uncomfortable.)

With her blue eyes shining, she watched her mother, and her leader, in anticipation for what was to come.

When her daughter had joined the rest of the Clan gathering below her at her call, the smile on Olivestar's face grew a little wider. The new name that the leader had decided for Lilacpaw rested on the tip of her tongue, and she couldn't wait to bestow it on the deserving young she-cat. The leader had been ecstatic when Zinnia had told her that their daughter was ready for warriorhood, and she'd jumped at the chance to do the ceremony as soon as she could, and now, she stood above, the Clan gathered below, and she could hardly contain her excitement as she said the next few words.
"Lilacpaw, step forward."

When her daughter had done so, she continued.
"I, Olivestar of WindClan, ask my fellow Clanmates to look upon this apprentice. She’s trained hard to understand our ways, and I commend her to you as a warrior in return." she looked down at Lilacpaw, love abundantly clear and evident in her gaze. "Lilacpaw, do you promise to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Lilacpaw stepped forward as her mother had instructed, her eyes gleaming. This was it, she was finally going to be a warrior! Although she had to suppress a flinch at the notable change of words due to the onlooking Asylum cats, it was still just as exciting. They could watch all they wanted. She still had her mothers here with her, there was nothing else she could ask for.

"I do!" The words hung in the air around her. A promise she intended to keep. And even though they were not mentioned in the ceremonial words, Lilacpaw hoped StarClan was watching her. That Wildflower was watching her. She hoped that her former mentor was proud of her, and how far she had come since the troubling times before.

OOC:Why do I always find a way to make myself cry when writing?

Downtuft sat nearby, keeping a close eye on the Asylum cats that shadowed the crowd. Lilacpaw deserved this, and as long as the Warrior was around, no cat would spoil this for her. Shyfawn was grinning from ear to ear, lovingly gazing at the young warrior the she-cat had become. "She'll do great things," The queen commented, and Downtuft nodded. She would.

Shyfawn winced at the pain in her hip, her old age finally catching up with her. This would be the third time this moon she'd gone to Softbreeze for the arthritis in her legs. Regardless, Shyfawn was happy to be out in the sun, enjoying the daily life of the Clan as she watched Olivestar begin the ceremony.

The enthusiasm in which Lilacpaw took her vow made the pride in Olivestar's chest swell more, and despite the watching eyes of the Asylum, she continued the ceremony, love and pride filling her.
"Then with the approval of my Clanmates, I give you your warrior name. From this moment on, you will be known as Lilacsong. Like the wind that sings across the moor with every moment, we honor your kind nature and your sympathy to those around us, and I am proud to welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan.”

With Lilacsong's new name in place, the leader beamed as she leaped down to stand beside her daughter, nuzzling her with so much unspoken love in the gesture, before staring the chant, a purr evident in her voice.
"Lilacsong! Lilacsong! Lilacsong!"

Lilacsong! She was Lilacsong! Such a beautiful name! Grinning from ear to ear, she returned her mother's gesture. Her heart swelled with pride, although she ducked in embarrassment, as the Clan had begun to cheer her new name. She was making her family proud, and there was no better feeling than that.

As everything died down, Lilacsong padded off, preparing for the silent vigil every newly-named warrior had after their ceremony. she passed Downtuft and Shyfawn with a smile on her face, whispering thanks for attending her ceremony as she scampered off. She knew most of the Clan often attended these kinds of ceremonies, but it felt special for them to be there, with Downtuft's usual attitude and Shyfawn's aching bones. It was nice that they had gone out of their way to attend such an important moment for her.

"Lilacsong! Lilacsong! Lilacsong!" Amberfluff usually wasn't one to cheer during others' Apprentice ceremonies, usually sticking to sitting there silently. This time, however, she simply felt like she wanted to. Why did she want to? Well...emotions are weird. Amberfluff appeared to be experiencing this bout of warmness in her chest. Was it excitement? Pride? But how could she feel proud for someone she had met a total of once, during a hunting patrol?

Amberfluff sighed mentally. Why couldn't emotions work a little more logically? She didn't have the time to be debating over what she was feeling! Why couldn't emotions be more cut-and-dry, just telling her what she's feeling instead of having her analyse her symptoms in hopes of figuring out what she felt? She had no answers to that. The only thing she knew was that right there and then, she was cheering for Lilacsong.