Dovekit's Apprentice Ceremony

Theoretically, this would be the last of her ceremonies for the day. Usually it would be a cause to celebrate, and go relax with Ashflight or train with Poppypaw or take a moment to eat something. Now, the temporary release from duties seemed cold, lonely, terrifying-- a pit of emptiness where, if she wasn't careful, she might be forced to actually confront everything she wanted to not think of. Lest that happen, she needed to get this ceremony done, and then find something else to jump into, and fast. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own fish gather for a Clan meeting," she called. Nothing showed on her face. She would feel nothing.

"Hm?"

Dovekit had just been sitting outside of the nursery, pawing at a butterfly that was fluttering just out of reach. She wished it wouldn't fly away. She didn't want to hurt it. It was pretty! But of course, with the call of Perchfall, her attention was ripped away, her blue gaze now set upon the deputy. Her head tilted ever so slightly, ears angled towards the branch. Although it was only a mild, fragile interest of the announcement, such as she had with any meeting. It usually ended with her gaze being torn away by something else. After all, her mind never stayed on one thing too long.

She was probably the only kit in the Clan to not speculate on what this meeting could be, but that would make the surprise all the sweeter.

Seeing the innocent little kit made the dark, gaping pit of anxiety yawn even wider within Perchfall's stomach. This poor she-kit. She didn't deserve the terror that they were living in. And yet, it would be cruel to try and hide it from her, or keep her hidden away in the nursery... still. She needed to make sure that these apprentices would be taken care of. That they would have trustworthy mentors. "Dovekit," she meowed, flicking an ear sideways as she took the airheaded young kit's attention, "you have reached the age of six moons and are now ready to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you shall be known as Dovepaw. Your mentor will be Tinypool. I know she will pass down all her knowledge to you." She taught Tinypool, and she knew that the young warrior was competent-- and trustworthy. That having been done, the deputy ended the ceremony with a nod and leapt off of the branch. Hopefully she could find another duty to fill, and quickly.

Dovepaw blinked, having not expected to hear her own name. So.....did that mean she was an apprentice now? Should she have paid attention to the stories saying what that meant for her? Well, she supposed she could go find Tinypool. She was supposed to see them, right? She stood up, wandering through the crowd, although not truly knowing who she was looking for. Had she ever even met Tinypool? She couldn't seem to remember.

Tinypool barely made herself go out of the den when Perchfall called for a meeting. These past few days had left her... wrecked. The dark forest invasion, Darkglow's disappearance and her former apprentice, Mallowmist, had just passed away giving birth. She felt lost, hopeless. Why were her friends dying around her? Was Moon going to disappear from her life as well?... And Perchfall? The she-cat didn't dare to even imagine where Mallowmist and Darkglow went. With Starclan gone... did they find peace somewhere else? Or did their spirits just vanish? The thought of that almost made her cry multiple times during her sleepless nights.

She heard Perchfall's announcement and the name of Dovekit made her get out from her depressed mindset. Her blue eyes shifted to the grey kitten. Though she didn't share Darkglow's pelt, she was definitely her daughter. Memories of Darkkit thanking her for the shell she gifted her during her apprentice days overflood her. Tinypool's paws trembled and she curled her tail around her body for some comfort. Would she ever see her friend again? Will her kits see their mother one day? The warrior wanted to believe she was alive somewhere, hiding from the Dark Forest. But deep down... she feared the worst.

Unexpectedly, Perchfall decided to give her another apprentice. This time, she didn't look up to her former mentor in surprise by the announcement. No, the warrior's eyes were fixed on the young she-cat, who was looking for her. A strange warm feeling came started to fill her chest and tears seemed to escape her eyes. But Tinypool contained herself. The dark-furred molly took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Darkglow... I don't know if you will ever come back... But I will protect your kits as they were my own. I hope one day... you can see how far they will go... The petite she-cat walked to the clearing, finally meeting the just named Dovepaw. She smiled, though there was sadness behind her eyes, and their noses gently touched each other as a way to symbolize the mentor-apprentice bond. "I hope we can get along just like your mother and I did when she was your age. I will take care of you... and I hope I can raise as Darkglow's would have wanted."