Moonpaw’s Warrior Ceremony

The first of her children had earned their warrior name. It was, quite frankly, terrifying to Briarthorn. She knew they’d trained for this and could more than fend for themselves, but she wasn’t quite ready for them to grow up. She loved watching them grow and seeing how they learned, but part of her missed when they were small kits tumbling around the nursery. Shaking out her thick coat of fur, she leaped onto the Tallbranch and called out acriss the clearing, ”All cats old enough to climb a tree, gather beneath the Tallbranch for a Clan meeting!” She gave a quick nod toward her son, Nightpaw, who was sitting just inside the camp entrance. She’d spoken to him before the ceremony… She wasn’t sure Moonpaw would come into camp on her own, and she figured support from her brother would help her out.

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At his mother’s call and signal, Nightpaw turned and padded outside of camp, looking for his sister. ”Moonpaw?” He called out softly, fluffy tail low. When he found her just outside of camp, he approached slowly and gently brushed his tail against her shoulder in a show of support. ”It’s time, sis. I’ll walk in with you.” He mewed. She couldn’t receive her warrior name outside of camp.

Moonpaw found it was time to earn her warrior name, as her training had gone well enough that she had earned the approval. Her mind briefly replayed the night of her moonstone journey, walking so easily beside her mother to talk to the ancestors... She could hear Briarthorn call out to the clan, and she adjusted herself to peer inside. The thought of going in there still made her shake.

It was the sight of her brother that instantly calmed the molly. It seemed silly - she'd be earning her warrior name, but could hardly bring herself to walk into camp. But perhaps it was a testament to the beliefs of the Clan, as the moment family appeared, she felt the strength she needed. Her head brushed against Nightpaw's shoulder in a friendly gesture, and she gave him a nod as she'd go to walk into camp. The only thing was... she had practically attached herself to Nightpaw's side, and each pawstep seemed to shake harder than the last.

You got this, Moonpaw. She told herself, testing her strength more and more by taking tiny steps away from her brother as they walked towards the clearing. Once they finally found themselves beneath the Tallbranch, it looked as if they were just simply sitting next to each other... but Moonpaw still curled her tail so it was touching Nightpaw's pelt. She needed his support.

Nightpaw gave Moonpaw a little encouraging smile as they padded into camp together, letting her stay as close as she needed to. ”Keep it up, you got this.” He sat down with her beneath the Tallbranch, gaze lingering on her for a while before finally shifting up to their mother.

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Moonpaw and Nightpaw padded back into camp side by side, and Briarthorn nodded to them both. Once they were settled, she meowed, ”We are gathered to witness the rise of SkyClan’s newest warrior. Moonpaw, please step forward. I, Briarthorn, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has worked hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Moonpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend our Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

Moonpaw, please step forward.

It was the simplest of tasks, truly. But in practice? It felt nigh-on impossible. Looking down at her paws, Moonpaw took her step forward, moving herself further away from her brother. She still only stepped forward enough that Nightpaw stayed just within her vision, and then, her gaze focused straight on her mother. It was all that she had to keep her breathing, to keep from looking at the spot it had all happened.

"Yes." She stated. She'd been putting it into practice every single night ever since then - staying outside of camp, she guarded it. Any noise that disturbed her too much would stir her from her rest, and if anything, it meant no other apprentices would have to take any type of guard duty with their mentors. She had it covered. Just for a moment, her mind thought back to those very words: Even at the cost of your life. All she could think of was her mother defending her clan when she lept in front of Bloodstar. That action very well could have saved them from a war with Riverclan.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she knew she would do the same. "I promise, I will."

And in an instant, the oath was sworn. Her daughter was officially a warrior, and her siblings would soon follow. ”Then I grant you your warrior name. From this day onward, you shall be known to all as Moonlily. StarClan honors your empathy and compassion. Congratulations.” The large she-cat wasted no time leaping from the branch and making a direct beeline toward the newly named warrior, nuzzling her. ”I’m proud of you, so proud.” Her gaze wandered briefly to Nightpaw, who was making his way toward them. A silent thank you was clear in her gaze.

The newly-named warrior felt a purr rumbling in her chest at hearing her name. Moonlily. It felt fitting, and if anything, she certainly liked the name. Her head bowed as the ceremony finished, and it was hard to ignore the tears that hid in the corner of her eyes at hearing her mother's voice. She'd done what she had set out to do, and it still amazed her she had earned her name first. "Thank you, mom.... Nightpaw. I'll do my best. I promise."