Dewpaw's Warrior Ceremony

"All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Willow Branch for a Clan meeting!"

Ivystar's voice was clear, yet held very little emotion. These days it seemed like feeling no emotion at all was better than feeling the intense misery that so often filled the hole in her chest. Joy seemed to be a hard thing to come by, between her own son not remembering a thing about her and her Clanmates disappearing left and right. Hope was even more scarce, the tabby she-cat thought. Despite that, Clan life... well, Asylum life, she thought bitterly, had to continue with at least some observance of routine. So, she found herself sitting atop the Willow Branch, waiting as her Clanmates gathered around her.

Dewpaw pushed her way out of the apprentice den, eyes bright and feeling light as a feather as she joined the gathering crowd. She had watched from afar so many times as a kit, but now she could stand among the gathered cats! It was exciting, and Dewpaw was looking forward to whatever Ivystar had to say.

A sizeable crowd had moved into the clearing below the Willow Branch, and when Dewpaw's familiar pelt finally appeared among her Clanmates, Ivystar began. "Today we gather to celebrate the rise of a new warrior, despite the challenges and adversity faced throughout her training. Dewpaw, if you believe you are ready to rise to the rank of a warrior, step forward now and your ceremony will begin." Ivystar mewed, feathery tail twitching every few seconds.

Dewpaw blinked as her name was called, and her eyes met Ivystar's green ones. Her mind whirled as she thought about what was now before her, and she briefly wondered if she was ready. The moons of training, of hard work, of joy and triumph and bitter failures flashed through her expression in the blink of an eye. Her weightlessness had dissipated as she stood, stepping forward to stand tall before her clanmates. She kept her eyes on Ivystar, and a grin started to spread on her face. She may not be totally confident in what would come, but that wouldn't change the fact that it was coming regardless. She would face it head on and take it in stride, as she always had, as a warrior. I'm ready.

Ivystar nodded as Dewpaw stood, admiring the seemingly confident look in her eyes. "Then I, Ivystar, leader of RiverClan, call upon our ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of a warrior, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn." Ivystar had begun to doubt the ways of the Code and StarClan herself, and in a bitter attempt to get back at them in her own way, she excluded the sacred words concerning StarClan's noble Code. "Dewpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a warrior and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" The fluffy leader mewed, gazing down on the soon-to-be-warrior from her perch on the branch.

A shiver ran down her spine as Ivystar mewed, gazing down at her. She took a breath, taking a moment to relish the way the cool air lingered on her tongue, the scents and tastes that something so simple brought. "It is my greatest honor to say that I do, Ivystar." She mewed, a wide, warm smile gracing her features as she waited for what would come next. Hopefully Applefang would be right, and Ivystar would choose an awesome name for her, one she would wear proudly for the rest of her days.

"Then I grant you your warrior name. From this day onward, you shall be known to all as Dewlight." The she-cat mewed, her tone seemingly bland. Not quite uninterested, but more... tired. Yes, that was the right word. Tired. "RiverClan honors your passion and energy. Tonight, you will hold a silent vigil as the rest of the Clan sleeps. However, until then, we shall celebrate the rise of RiverClan's newest warrior." Leaping from the branch, Ivystar approached Dewlight and gently touched her chin to the she-cat's head. "Congratulations, Dewlight. Wear your name with honor and pride."

Dewlight. The name filled the new warrior with such overwhelming emotion that tears started to form in the young she-cat's eyes. She couldn't speak as Ivystar completed the ceremony and jumped from the branch to place her head on her own. "Th-thank you.... Ivystar." She croaked around the lump in her throat. "Applefang was right... You are good at picking names. I will, I promise you that." She murmured softly for only the leader's ears to hear before turning to the rest of her clanmates.