Rookfire's Warrior Ceremony

Mistyfalcon had retired, but the cat he had been entrusted with was ready. Murkystar had never thought of Rookfire as a warrior, she always thought of him in the medicine den, sorting herbs and healing warriors. Now he would sleep among them. It was... Odd, but perhaps the knowledge he gained would benefit him. Stepping to the edge of Jaggedrock, she called out to the clan. "ShadowClan! Gather in the shadow of Jaggedrock."

Answering Murkystar’s summons, Snowfoot limped out of the warriors’ den. Her leg still couldn’t take her weight so she hadn’t really left camp lately. A ceremony was a welcome break from the monotony.

Rookfire felt weak. He could grow to live with the Dark Forest, of course. It reminded him somewhat of Asylum, which was still somewhat comforting. Still, it felt like he could have done more to protect his clanmates at the very least. Sighing, the black tuxedo padded out from the apprentice den. It was much more crowded than the medicine den he used to spend his time in, but he knew that he could be a warrior sooner than later. It was a good thing, too, since two of their best warriors had just retired. Perhaps that meant that his time was coming soon, but the black tuxedo shook the thought out of his mind. There was no way that he would retire just yet. He was feeling great physically, after all.

Staring at Murkystar, he watched as the leader gave out her announcement.

Deerleap padded into the clearing, dipping her head to Snowfoot and Rookfire. she gave a worried glance at Snowfoot's limp. she would have to remind Basilbloom to take a look at it after this.

As the crowd gathered beneath her, Murkystar searched for the very familiar form of Rookfire, spotting him as he joined the rest of the clan and looking up at her. Once a medicine cat, then lost, and now returned... She was proud of the cat she was about to name ShadowClan's newest warrior. "ShadowClan, I've gathered you all here today to act as witnesses to another member of our clan rising to the rank of a warrior. Rookfire, please step forward." She requested, waiting patiently for the tom to do so before continuing. "I, Murkystar, leader of ShadowClan, call upon all those present and watching to gaze upon this tom. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Rookfire, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Rookfire didn't expect his warrior ceremony to be this soon. Perhaps it was the beginning of a new normal - at least until the clans can catch the Dark Forest off guard and defeat them. Stepping forward, his confident grin hid his inner worries. Am I ready? I know how to hunt and fight, and I've done it so much before, but... in this time... The black tuxedo pushed his thoughts out of his head. Murky's giving me this opportunity for a reason. I've earned this, like I earned my position as medicine cat all those moons ago. "Yeah," he said, his green eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "I do."

Murkystar nodded in acknowledgement as Rookfire voiced his agreement, smiling as her head lifted to gaze back at the tom. "Then by the powers granted to me, I am pleased to acknowledge you as a full warrior of ShadowClan. Rookfire, you will retain your name, as it holds far more meaning to you and to us than any I could give. We honor your tenacity and dedication. May you have many more moons of serving your clan before you." She mewed, leaping from Jaggedrock to rest her head gently on the tom's. "Don't forget, you will hold a silent vigil through the day. If something happens, let me know." She mewed softly before stepping away to allow others to move forward.