daypaw's warrior ceremony

Daypaw was his own apprentice. That much was reassuring. He felt like he could trust a cat who he had fully trained - at least Minnowfin had proven to be endlessly at his side. Hopefully, Daypaw would be the same, because it was time for him to become a warrior. A couple moons ago, the tom had been flailing about during a training session. But he had grown out of his kit fluff and was turning into a warrior. Even if Stoatstar had no desire for a ceremony personally, that was no reason to deny the young tom. With a tense sigh, he leaped on top of the highrock and let out a mild call, "Let all cats gather for a clan meeting."

Comfreypaw heeded Stoatstar's call almost as soon as she heard it. Attentive ears led her to the Highrock's edge, her tail swishing side to side from intrigue. The leader's mild tone convinced her this was nothing more than a ceremony. And according to the story his body language told, this quite possibly could be one of his very own apprentices becoming a warrior! Which one? the molly questioned as she sat among the crowd. The idea that it was her ceremony jumped into her head first, but just as quickly bounced out. She didn't feel ready yet. Her paws weren't yet skilled enough to earn herself a warrior name. So, the apprentice pondered her next hope. Could it be Daypaw's? Feeling excited she looked over to wherever her brother was sitting, waiting for Stoatstar's next words just as she was. He's earned it, she silently encouraged, right before their mentor began the meeting.

Stoatstar's familiar voice made Daypaw's ears twitch with interest, and the slender tom lifted himself from the spot he'd chosen to soak up the sun in. The summons were mild, and quietly he wished this would just be a ceremony and not an announcement of something else dreadful. Comfreypaw had already appeared in the growing crowd, darting to sit close to the Highrock, so he trotted over to her side and settled in beside her. It felt weird, almost, sitting next to his littermates now– he'd grown so fast, finally comfortable in the angles of his body, and they were growing up, too. All of them turning into fine adults. "Do you think one of us is going to be a warrior today?" He asked his sister in a low voice, bright eyes flicking between her and Stoatstar's shadow above them.

The little brown and white leader watched as his apprentices joined the gathering and chattered away about something or another. Green eyes falling on Daypaw, he called the young cat forward, "Daypaw, stand before the clan. As your mentor, you have proven you are ready to become a warrior. Do you promise to follow the warrior code and defend the clan, even at the cost of your life?" None of Dawnhawk's kits had shown any real favor to their father but he hoped this promise, this affirmation, would further distance them from him. There mere thought of the otherworldly beast caused his stomach to clench with anger. It was brief before fading back into emptiness. Stoatstar's gaze bore into Daypaw as he waited for an answer. Many emotions swirled behind those eyes but most were tucked away underneath the glassy and hardened exterior.

There wasn't time for Comfreypaw to answer his question. Once Daypaw had made his appearance and settled in, Stoatstar's voice rose up again– and he was beckoning him forward. The same chill he'd gotten from feeling Minnowfin's eyes on him shot through him, but the shock was deeper this time; it went all the way from the tips of his ears through to the base of his tail, forcing his fur on end. Warriorhood was just a breath away. I made it. Willing his hackles to lay flat, the slender tom stood and stepped forward, finding Stoatstar's eyes so he could nod in return. "Of course. Anything. I- I mean– Yes. I do, Stoatstar." It was hard to read Stoatstar's expression, and whether that was the distance or just his stoic exterior was hard to tell. Maybe he was considering pulling warriorhood right out from under him, last minute– but Stoatstar had never been the kind of cat to do that before. Daypaw swallowed, and waited.

The words were full of heart, he couldn't deny that. Stoatstar felt an aching in his chest, dulled and muted by the lack of sensation afflicting him head to toe. He longed to be sated by the response, to be happy for his apprentice, and to wash away the many doubts flickering through his mind. But his fractured state of being could not cloud the rational and logical nature the leader had followed since kithood. Daypaw had fervently sworn himself to the clan - he deserved the title of warrior. Finally, there came an affirming not, stiff but certain, "From now on you will be known as Dayquill. We welcome you as a full warrior of Thunderclan. Tonight you will sit vigil and guard the clan as we sleep." He wanted to say more but it stuck in the back of his throat so he leaped down from the Highrock. Once there, he paused, calling lightly with the rest of the chants but it wasn't as loud as it had once been and he disappeared quickly after.