Halfpaw's Warrior Ceremony

OOC: I’m not 100% sure of if I should keep making the ceremonies, since I had seen Night around a couple times. If I’m no longer supposed to handle them, please just post here / PM me and I’ll stop immediately.

Blizzardshine smiled as she hoped on the Highrock. If a kit becoming an apprentice was enough reason to feel happy, an apprentice becoming a warrior should be more than enough motive for celebration, and this was one of those special days “All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather under the Highrock for a clan meeting!”.

Blacktwig was radiating with pride. He relished the warm sunlight as he stepped into it, its warmth colliding with the frigid air of Leafbare. Blacktwig slipped into the clearing, his pelt a masquerade of dancing colors. Twinkling on his fur were speckles of ginger and white, and his eyes were roguishly handsome in contrast - Blacktwig made sure not to get a swollen head, but this was one of his good days. He looked behind him, and inside he was bursting. No movement or sound came from the apprentices' den, but he expected his apprentice to be out soon. The vividly determined Halfpaw was a blessing in his life, a she-cat who never failed to preform. He had served as her mentor, and in addition, she was his niece. Each time he glanced at her, he could see the spitting image of her mother, the tortoiseshell warrior, Dapplecloud.

There was no doubt that she'd be attending the ceremony - if she knew, of course. He scanned the area for the stormy grey pelt of Stormstrike, his very namesake. Like a weaving thread, his body winded, as he took a seat. His vision was impaired by a curtain of ferns as he had pushed through, but now, he could see everything clearly. The beautiful, modish, and sophisticated form of Blizzardshine standing atop the Highrock, and each den placed delicately in their spots.

Sighing happily, Blacktwig settled in, waiting for the ceremony to start. Halfpaw, the stunning tortoiseshell she-cat, was the only reason that his joy attended the dire, yet comfortable and customary, situation.

There was a call outside, with the very familiar voice of Blizzardshine, and the even more familiar words of a Clan meeting. Immediately, Halfpaw began to think. Could this be her warrior ceremony? She then scrambled to make herself look decent, considering that she had just woken up. And pieces of moss were clinging to her tail and long pelt. However, when padding out of the den, it was the twinkle in Halfpaw's eyes that stood out the most. The tortoiseshell she-cat scanned the crowd of cats, spotting Blacktwig and Morningshine and happily padding over. The apprentice sat down between the two of them, purring softly and looking at each of them in turn.

Was Stormstrike here? Was Dapplecloud here? She had to lift her head slightly to look over at the heads of the cats and see if she could spot her father and mother in the crowd. And even if they weren't here now, they'd obviously be coming shortly.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

Morningshine, even though she wasn't the one who had been mentoring Halfpaw, still felt very proud in her. Every time she looked at the tortoiseshell apprentice, with the two colors of her pelt split directly in half, Morningshine thought of the image of Dapplecloud, and the spirit of her brother, Stormstrike.
"If that furball is late to his own daughter's ceremony, I may just shred his ears off." Morningshine told Blacktwig with a small lightness in her tone to indicate that she was joking. It was then that she saw Halfpaw settled between them. She smiled down at the apprentice, before looking back up at Blizzardshine.

Pinewhisker bounded out of the warriors' den, shaking his fur with a shiver as soon as his paws met the bare snow. "Blacktwig, aye." he greeted his friend with a pur, settling besides him in the snow. He nodded uis chin to Morningshine and Halfpaw, giving the jet black tomcat an amused look. "Was she your second apprentice?" he asked, refering to a rafiating Halfpaw besides them.

Sparkpaw poked her head out of her den to watch. Though she was busy organising her herbs, she thought she could surely spare some time to watch the ceremony.

Blizzardshine waited until enough cats were gathered before speaking again “Halfpaw, please, step forward”

Stormstrike had padded out of the den right when Blizzardshine had beckoned Halfpaw forwards. His pawsteps were quick. Dapplecloud was at his side, and Sheepnose followed swiftly behind. The gray tom sat down beside Morningshine, greeting his sister by flicking his tail so it gently brushed against her shoulder, and looked over at Halfpaw, his daughter, giving her a wink of encouragement.

Blacktwig winked at Morningshine, glad that she had joined him. "No cat could ever not attend their kit's ceremony," he commented playfully. He eyed Halfpaw with a grin as she exited the den, and padded over to join them. He glanced at Pinewhisker, querying his triumphant ambling. "Oh," he mewed. "Halfpaw was my first, but I just got a second." Blacktwig thought happily of Sandpaw, thinking about how the young tom would grow into a fine warrior. He licked his paws, past his wrists all the way down to the tips of his hooked claws.

He saw as Sheepnose and Morningshine padded over, after Blizzardshine called Halfpaw's name. He watched the she-cat's expression for any shock or excitement. He knew the joys of his own warrior ceremony, too. Remembered them as clear as day. He greeted the two with a nod, then turned to Morningshine. "Told ya," he purred.

Halfpaw wasn't nervous at all. With her family and friends all around her, she was excited to gain a warrior name just like them. The step she took was confident and swift, and she looked up at Blizzardshine with shining amber eyes. Looking back at her father, Stormstrike, she returned his wink with a wink of her own.

Blacktwig breathed proudly into the air, a puff of awe dissipating above a powdery white mass. Halfpaw suddenly looked so grown-up... it made him almost long for the kit that she once was. He gave her a delighted smile, and watched as she was to receive the name she had been waiting for.

Blizzardshine took a deep breath “I, Blizzardshine, deputy of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn” Her gentle eyes soon landed on the the she-cat “Halfpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”.

"I do." Halfpaw said, her tone serious, yet her facial expression bright.

An uncontrollable purr rose in the sable warrior's broad chest. He looked huge, but alas, he had emotions. He grinned even wider up at the patchy tortoiseshell apprentice, and looked at the side of her face that was ginger. It looked like the light of a dawn. He noticed it, and was proud of the she-cat's unbelievable beauty.

Blizzardshine smiled and nodded approvingly before she continued speaking “Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Halfpaw, from this moment you will be known as Halfdawn. StarClan honors your thoughtfulness and kindness, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan” With that, she leaped off the Highrock and rested her muzzle on the newly named warrior’s head to conclude the ceremony.

"Halfdawn!" Blacktwig cheered, absolutely euphoric. His claws dug into the ground to keep him from leaping onto his former apprentice and tackling her with unbalanced joy. The corners of his mouth curled into a happy smile, and his eyes lit up. "Eee!" Blacktwig squealed under his breath. He hadn't had an apprentice that became a warrior yet, and this was a wonderful experience. He was the one who had trained young Halfpaw into this magnificent, noble warrior. He grinned at her. "Congratulations!" he cried, giving what would be a feline's version of a standing ovation... if they could clap. He was tempted to walk forwards, but wouldn't do so until she leapt down from the pedestal in which she was named upon.