Beetlepaw's Medicine Cat Ceremony

Honeydrop and the other medicine cats had taken turns looking after the training of Beetlepaw, WindClan's medicine cat apprentice. Following the disappearance of Puddlepaw, it was nice for the ShadowClan she-cat to have someone to teach again. After some deliberation, she had decided that the tom was ready for his medicine cat name. Just like her, his mentor had disappeared early in his apprenticeship, and he had been "adopted" by the rest of the medicine cat community. The medicine cat had bonded with he tom in an apprentice-mentor relationship, though not as strong a friendship as she had with Rabbitfoot, and looked forward to finally being able to see eye with the WindClan tom.

The golden dappled she-cat walked nervously into WindClan camp, heading straight for the medicine den where she knew she would find the medicine cat apprentice. "B-B-Beetlepaw?" she stammered uncertainly as she padded in. Though it had only been two sunrises since she'd been rescued from her kidnappers, Wolffang and Bear, she felt no reason to postpone the toms' ceremony any longer. Did he think she'd abandoned him? Would he recognize her, with her scars?

Beetlepaw finished sorting through his herbs early that day, which left him enough time to curl down and get some sleep before anyone else decided to bother him. The small, black tom layed down curled tight in his nest, eyes half closed, yellow orbs peeking over his tail, wrapped over his nose. He couldn't catch any sleep even if he longed for it, because for the first time in his life, he felt lonely. Sooner or later Jayfall was going to grow up and start spending more time with the warriors, and that was exactly what she was doing now. Even when Beetlepaw invited kits to his den to have some company, he knew he couldn't keep them in his powerfully scented refuge forever. He had no family, on.y the medicine cats looked for him, since he knew noone to be related to him, besides Falconstone, his father. who isn't really his father anyway. 

The medicine cat apprentice lifted his head as he recognized a sweet scent approach his den, which didn't resemble WindClan's. The ShadowClan medicine cat stood in front of him scarred after her kidnap, but Beetlepaw urged himse.f to remember Mottleheart and Spottedpaw and tell himself he had seen worse. No use crying over rotten prey. He uncurlred and rose up to touch her cheek with his in a gesture of fondness. "Honeydrop, I'm so glad to see you. Is ShadowClan low on supplies, do you need help with treating some cats? I'm here to help until you have news of Puddlepaw, ask me anytime." he meowed, flicking and ear towards his supply of herbs, graduately growing with the Newleaf weather warming the ground. "Or so you want a piece of prey after your travel?" he offered, wanting to please the older she-cat. Beetlepaw was honored to be visited by another medicine cat, but at the same time wondering why she had come here.

Honeydrop smiled at Beetlepaw's warm welcome, shaking her head gratefully at his offers of herbs or prey. "Th-thank you, Beetlepaw, but that's n-not why I came. The other m-medicine cats and I have decided that you're w-w-worthy of your full medicine cat name. I've come t-to take you to the Moonstone and p-perform your ceremony." Since I won't be able to give Puddlepaw hers... The ShadowClan she-cat shook off her grief. Puddlepaw would be back, she knew it. All she had to do was wait. Turning her mind back to the task at hand, the golden dappled medicine cat waved her tail. "You'll be l-leading the way to H-Highstones, Beetlepaw. We'll start whenever you're r-ready." Leading the way was part of the ceremony, a test implemented by ShadowClan medicine cats. Honeydrop wasn't sure how Cindercloud would have done it, so she did what Dawnflower would have done. Guide me, Dawnflower, Alderheart.

Beetlepaw's ears went up in surprise as a small, kit-like grin etched along his usually quiet features. The small tom shook off his excitement, feeling other things, worry and responsability heavy on his shoulders, choosing an apprentice, having to cure his Clan to the fullest. He dreaded that if he chose an apprentice, it would share Puddlepaw's fate. "Let's go." he meowed dryly, giving one last sweeping look over his den whre he would soon return with his new name. Beetlepaw wondered whether the other cats knew where he was going, but he kept quiet even if the excitement felt like bees buzzing in his ears. The black cat led the golden tabby of ShadowClan out of camp and into the open territory, following the path towards Highstones.

[time skip]

The two medicine cats arrived at the quiet entrance of Mothermouth. The darkness beyond scared Beetlepaw, but at the same time, the apprentice felt beckoned by it's depths. He wondered whether he should go in before Honeydrop, but he hardly knew his way through the dark maze he had only visited once at a medicine cat meeting. He tried to conjure Sparkflower's confidence as he dove inside the tunnel, into pitch black darkness.

Honeydrop followed quietly behind Beetlepaw, feeling the darkness of the caverns instill her with an odd sense of calm. It was her first time coming back to the Moonstone since her kidnapping, and she got the strange but warm feeling that StarClan was glad to see her. The welcoming sense of approval nearly brought tears to the tired she-cat's eyes as they reached the Moonstone, light from the towering crystal monolith reflecting strange patterns on her dappled golden pelt. In a calm sense of peace, the medicine cat recalled the words Dawnflower had spoken with clarity. "I, Honeydrop, medicine cat of ShadowClan, call upon our ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help he will serve his Clan for many moons. Beetlepaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?" she asked quietly, staring intensely into the young tom's eyes, her gaze seeming to somehow see past him into the starry skies outside the tunnels. She didn't stutter once, despite her speech impediment, getting the feeling that someone else was speaking for her, though the voice was as hers had been before her throat injury.

Beetlepaw turned towards Honeydrop, eyeing the strange pattern of moonlight that covered her sleek pelt before moving his eyes up to gaze into hers, not one hint of doubt in them. He waited for a few moments before he gave an answer, feeling StarClan surround him and urge him gently to speak, to not feel nervous. "I do." the dark-furred tom meowed, his black pelt turned to silver by the reflecting moonlight of the Moonstone.

Honeydrop nodded. "Then by the powers of StarClan I give you your true name as a medicine cat. Beetlepaw, from this moment on wards you will be known as Beetlewing. StarClan honors your dedication and willingness to serve your Clan, and we welcome you as a full medicine cat of WindClan." Honeydrop moved forward and placed her muzzle on top of Beetlewing's head just as Dawnflower had done, signaling the end of the ceremony. "N-Now you can meet with St-StarClan," she said, returning to her regular voice, moving over to give the medicine cat a place at the Moonstone.

Beetlewing was overwhelmed by the sensation of numerous pelts brushing against his, picking him up from where he sat to touch the cold stone with his nose. The dark rom shivered before succumbing into a deep, soundless sleep, into the paws of StarClan.

He awoke to find himself staring around an empty clearing, trees bordering it from every side. The moon and stars glittered above his head, shininh the only light intl the dark night. He looked around, uncertain. A sound like the torrent of a river allerted him, but everything was still. Then he felt a ragged, soaking pelt brush past him and he nearly cried out as he felt a musculous, strong body sit down next to him. The medicine cat apprentice looked over his shoulder to find his brother, sitting with a quizzical smile upon his sharp features. "Yarrowkit?" he asked, feeling alone and surrounded by millions of cats at the same time. His brother scoffed and burst out laughing besides him.

"Yarrowkit?! I'm Yarrowfang now." he meowed, Beetlewing wanting to preserve every last drop of that confidence and give it to himself. His brother burried his face into his shoulder, shaking. "Brother I wish I would have been there for you, I wish I could have been there to help you through all this... mess. Cindercloud misses you." he added, looking into his eyes with a warm look, their eyes perfectly the same as they stared, longingly.

"What about mom?" Beetlewing voice his thoughts with an expectant smile, growing widder and widder until he saw his brother's expression darken and his heart closing up.

"There are a lot of things you don't know about your blood, Beetlewing of WindClan. You belong to more worlds than you can imagine. That is why Me and Foxkit are proud of you."

Beetlewing was puzzled. There were so many things his brother wasn't telling him, but he kept his mouth shut, hping he would just say enough for him to paint a clearer picture. But his brother touched his nose to his and vanished in an instant, leaving behind only the faint scent of water, not quite fitting in with the lush forest around him. He bent his nead and closed his eyes, returning in an instant to the Moonstone. The feeling of the stone against his nose brought him back to life, and he stood to look at Honeydrop as she slowly awoke as well.