Blackpaw's Warrior Ceremony

It seemed as if every cat in the apprentice's den had made plans to become warriors at the same time. She'd had a healthy pawful of their mentors approach her to let her know they were ready to receive her name, and there were plenty more to be done after this one. This one, though, had been her decision to make. Leaping atop the Tallbranch, she surveyed the clearing for a moment before calling out, "Let all cats old enough to climb a tree, gather beneath the Tallbranch for a Clan meeting!"

Blackpaw looked up at the Tallbranch, tufted ears facing Birdchaser. All the apprentices her age were having their warrior ceremonies, one after the other. She'd hunted, she'd fought, she'd even picked herbs, every day these past few moons. It was about time for her ceremony, she was growing bored of apprenticeship. She itched to leave camp on her own, to protect their territory, to fight predators on her own. Hopeful thoughts filling her head, she loped over to the gathering group of cats by the Tallbranch.

It wasn't long before Blackpaw appeared in the crowd, her usual scowl of boredom missing. Birdchaser watched her for a moment, waiting for her to settle before raising her voice to address the Clan again. "I've determined another cat is ready to become a warrior today– my own apprentice. Blackpaw, step forward." She watched unblinking, waiting for her apprentice to draw nearer. "StarClan, I present to you this apprentice. She's trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in turn. Blackpaw," she paused, the name hanging in the air. Blackpaw had been many things: namely, stubborn and unruly. In a way, she reminded the deputy of herself. Hopefully she would take the vow with grace, and act a bit more solidly with the new responsibility. Shaking away her thoughts, Birdchaser steadily went on, "Do you promise to uphold the warrior code, to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Blackpaw gave a rare smile as Birdchaser called her name. Finally- no more supervised patrols or mandatory hunting lessons! Once this ceremony was over, she could hunt and fight whenever and wherever she darn well pleased. She approached her mentor impatiently, tail twitching not with her usual anger but with anticipation. She tried much harder than normal not to appear irritated as Birdchaser went through the usual ceremonial words, which seemed annoyingly long now that they were being said for Blackpaw. Once her mentor finally got to the all important question, Blackpaw wasted no time in replying. "Yeah, I do."

The way Blackpaw responded was easy and informal, and it earned a chuff from Birdchaser. She hadn't been expecting poise, but the hurried yeah amused her. With the promise made, Birdchaser bowed her head in a nod. "Then I grant you your warrior name. From this day on, you will be known as Blackbear. SkyClan honors your strong will and bravery." Leaping down from the Tallbranch, Birdchaser padded through the crowd to touch her nose to the newly-named warrior's head. "You made me proud. Don't forget, you have to watch over the camp tonight. Good job, Blackbear."