Wrenpaw's Medicine Cat Apprentice Ceremony

Wrenpaw had been having a good dream. One of those dreams where everything was just right. She was with her siblings, her mother, and the stars had twinkled brightly above their heads. They were playing underneath a willow tree, the flowy vines dancing above her head, and she could hear birdsong from somewhere nearby. And then, she heard a call of her name. ”Wrenpaw.”

Wrenpaw’s big blue eyes fluttered open, and she blinked in confusion as she looked around with blurry eyes. Her eyes immediately went to her siblings first, who she arranged her nest in the apprentices den to be close to. Glancing
over black and silver pelts, reassuring herself they were all there and accounted for, and not the source of the call, Wrenpaw’s eyes went to the entrance.

It was only then that she processed the rest of what Sandyshell had said to her, and recognized who had called to her. Tilting her head at her medicine cat (and unofficial cousin), Wrenpaw shook herself further awake and got to her feet. Crossing carefully over the forms of her sleeping denmates, Wrenpaw waited until she joined Sandyshell outside the den to speak.

“What’s up, Sandyshell?” She asked softly. “Is everything okay?” She yawned, scrunching her eyes closed for a moment before shaking off the last of her sleepiness, blinking up at Sandyshell with attentiveness. She liked Sandyshell. She had taken the time to let Wrenpaw indulge her curiosities about the medicine den when she was still a kit, and Sandyshell was always kind to her and her siblings. She seemed so nervous, but Wrenpaw couldn’t blame her for that much. Caring for the clan all on your own seemed like a big responsibility.

“No worries, I’m an early riser. Early bird gets the worm and all that!” Wrenpaw giggled at her own joke, then nodded at Sandyshell’s offer to talk in the medicine den.“Alright,” She agreed, confused and curious. Leaping back to her feet, she fell quietly into step beside Sandyshell as they crossed the camp in the quiet of the early dawn.

Sitting down politely in the den, Wrenpaw took a look around. She hadn’t been in here for a while, and the sharp scent of herbs made her nose twitch. She looked around curiously before her eyes went back to Sandyshell, and she tilted her head. Whatever she was expecting, it wasn’t what Sandyshell said next.

Jolting in surprise, Wrenpaw stammered. “M-Me?” She repeated, eyes going wide. She had never considered it as a possibility before. She always assumed her path was one of a warrior. It made sense, right? She was the most rough-and-tumble of her siblings, the most brash and hard-headed. Would she even make a good medicine cat? Could she? “Why me?” She asked, mind still reeling to catch up.

It wasn’t necessarily that she didn’t want to. Wrenpaw had just never considered the possibility before. Unusually serious for her, she sat quiet and thoughtful, listening to Sandyshell as she spoke of the risks of the job. She found herself looking around the den again, this time through a different light. Starclan thought she would be good for this? Sandyshell did? She thought about it, learning herbs and their uses instead of fighting. Caring for her clan, rather than fighting for it.

And she thought seriously too about the idea that she would not always be able to help someone. Wouldn’t that be worse? To have the skills to keep someone alive, and then still not be able to in the end? The thought was terrifying. But… The idea of being able to help at all… that was a good one. Wrenpaw wanted to be able to help. Because when Wrenpaw thought about it, while she liked sparring and playing, her first instinct was always care. She always positioned herself as the caretaker of her siblings, even though Willowpaw was technically the oldest. Did that mean she was right for this? It was such a big responsibility, but if Sandyshell, if Starclan themselves, thought she was right for it…

It was scary, but Wrenpaw was never one to back down from a challenge. Wrenpaw was quiet and considerate for a good long while, taking Sandyshell’s advice of thinking it through very seriously. Finally, her eyes returned to Sandyshell’s, uncertainty replaced by determination in ice blue eyes. She straightened herself up, doing her best impression of what she called her mother’s ‘serious leader mode.’ It didn’t last very long, because a smile broke out across her face.

“I’ve never thought about it before,” She admitted. “And I’m scared that I won’t be good for our clan. But if you think I’ll be good, that I can do it-- then I think so too. And I want to. It… it feels right.” She smiled, almost a little shyly, which was strange on the normally over-confident she-cat. “Besides, I’ve always thought being a medicine cat seemed like a lot for one cat all on their own. This way, we can do it together! Well. Once I know what I’m doing anyway. But still.” Wrenpaw chuckled a little, then took a deep breath in, and she reiterated, “I want to.”

Wrenpaw followed Sandyshell with a determined pace. It was a lot sooner than she ever expected to be visiting the Moonstone, and with different circumstances. As they made the trek, Wrenpaw wavered between nerves, excitement, doubt and confidence, and she tried to keep it internal as she walked. She stuck close to Sandyshell, unusually quiet as she processed the changes happening.

Wrenpaw sat quiet as Sandyshell spoke the official words, watching her closely with her breath held in her chest. Her paws tingled and she felt a little light headed. When her mentor pressed her nose to Wrenpaw’s, Wrenpaw met her halfway, matching her purr. She looked up into Sandyshell’s eyes, seeing her own worries reflected there, but also finding comfort in Sandyshell’s belief in her.

Giving Sandyshell a lopsided smile, Wrenpaw obediently moved forward and laid down in front of the stone. “Here goes nothing,” She whispered, before she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and pressed her nose to the cold stone.

Cloverheart

“Wrenpaw!”

Before the she-cat had a chance to gather her bearings, semi-solid weight rushed to press against her side. The cat that came to greet Wrenpaw was only as big as her, and she wore a fierce smile when she knocked her forehead against the apprentice’s. The star-pelted cat pulled back after only a moment, taking a few steps away to allow Wrenpaw space to soak in StarClan’s dazzling expanse for a few moments. “I’m delighted Sandyshell chose you. You remind me a lot of myself— I’m excited, to watch you come into your role as a medicine cat. And-” the StarClan’s grin brightened again, “you’re Perchstar’s daughter. I never thought I’d say those words together.”

Holding herself a little more formally, “My name is Cloverheart. I was RiverClan’s medicine cat, before Sandyshell’s mentor. I worked with your mother as a deputy longer than I knew her as a leader… I regret not living to see more of it. You’ll have to tell your mother I think she’s doing far better with RiverClan than her predecessor.” A barking laugh left her and Cloverheart slowly shook her head. “We’re not here to talk about Perchstar, though. We’re here for you.

“If my excitement wasn’t enough to tell you, then: StarClan happily welcomes you as Sandyshell’s apprentice. But as happy as we are to have you or as happy as you are to be here… well, it isn’t all happy. At least, I’m sure you have questions, concerns.” Cloverheart paused, leveling a more serious expression on Wrenpaw. “I won’t tell you what Sandyshell already has. I’ve done enough of talking at cats, not that I learn my lessons. So, Perchstar’s daughter,” the title came with a soft purr of endearment, “what do you want to know, before your paws follow this path?”

Wrenpaw’s eyes opened, and immediately she heard a joyful cry of her name. It startled her, her head turning to the source of the noise before there was a warmth pressed against her side. Wrenpaw stumbled, a startled laugh escaping her at the warm greeting. Normally so chatty, the apprentice was struck dumb by the combined force of the unexpected joy at her presence and the beauty around her. Her big blue eyes took in Cloverheart’s beautiful, starry pelt, the gorgeous field she found herself in, and Wrenpaw almost felt dizzy in her awe. ‘So this is Starclan…’

All of Wrenpaw’s nerves melted away as Cloverheart’s words reassured her that she was making the right decision. She tucked away Cloverheart’s message to her mother against her heart, planning to take it home with love. Wrenpaw took a deep breath as Cloverheart offered her answers to her questions. And upon trying to speak, Wrenpaw stumbled over her words for a moment. “I, uh, well--” Then, she laughed at her own fumbling, ducking her head and shaking it. “Sorry, I just-- I didn’t expect to be meeting Starclan when I woke up earlier today, that’s all, and-- wow. Oh, wow. You- you’re amazing. This place is amazing. Wow.” Another stunned laugh, and finally Wrenpaw gathered her wits again.

She offered Cloverheart a big, warm smile. “Well, I guess I’ll start with this. It’s really nice to meet you, Cloverheart. I’ll tell Ma what you said; I bet it’ll make her happy. As for what I want to know..?” She paused, and then looked down at her paws. She curled them gently in the soft grass beneath them, almost kneading.

“I want to help my clan. I want to give back to them, and do whatever I can for my clanmates. I’m scared I won’t be good for this. I’ve never thought of myself as a healer. But Sandyshell believes in me, and it seems like you do too, and I want to believe in you guys even if I’m not quite at believing in myself yet, if that makes sense? I want to do my best!” She puffs out her chest, then releases it in a heavy breath.

Sandyshell’s earlier words echo in her mind. “But I guess,” She pauses. “I guess, if I’ve got an open opportunity to ask anything, I’ve got a bit of a heavy question. I know Sandyshell is scared pretty often. I don’t blame her. She’s got so much weight on her shoulders. I wanna help carry that weight with her, y’know? I know she must’ve had her own mentor, but as long as I’ve known her she’s been doing this on her own. And I think she’s pretty brave, because she’s scared, but she does it anyway, you know? And I know I'll be scared too. I already am. But I'll do it anyway, just like her."

“But what do you do, you know, when the worst happens? When your fears come true and you can’t actually help somebody? I mean, I thought about it, on the way here, what Sandyshell said. I thought about what I’d do if I couldn’t help any of my clanmates, or, even worse, if something like, like one of my siblings got hurt. What if Willowpaw got hurt, and I couldn’t save her? The thought of that is so awful. Like, it’d be bad no matter what, obviously, but to have the skills… and still not be able to do anything?” Wrenpaw shuddered.

“And I tried to think of what I’d do, you know?” Wrenpaw tilted her head to the side, focusing on a spot on the grass with a serious little frown. “And I just came up blank. I don’t know what I’d do. And I know there’s no point in worrying about things that might not come to pass, but I like to be prepared.” She pulls her eyes up to look at Cloverheart. “So… so what do you do?”