Elmpaw's Warrior Ceremony

"Let all cats old enough to climb a tree gather here for a clan meeting!" The leader called out to his clan. Elmpaw, the first to become a warrior out of his mates betrayal. There were times he had to remind himself that it wasn't the apprentice's fault.

Sleek ruddy fur practically glowing in the early Leaf-Bare light, Elmpaw sauntered towards the Tree that marked SkyClan's ceremonial gathering place. Finally! His Warrior Ceremony! After countless days of training, it seemed like this day would never come. Tail giving a leisure flick, the young tom carefully settled himself in Crowstar's line of sight, his own amber gaze gleaming with anticipation.

"Today we are gathered to turn another apprentice into a warrior." The leader told his clan before looking down at Elmpaw. "Elmpaw please come forward." Warrior names where always tough to come up with but it was another one of his favorite parts. The leader was ready to give this apprentice his new name.

The ceremonial words seemed to spark a fire deep within Elmpaw's bones, which in turn caused his sleek nape fur to prickle ever-so-slightly in excitement. Finally! Tilting his chin upwards slightly, the apprentice impatiently waited for his adoptive father to speak once more. At Crowstar's ceremonial words, the young tom eagerly took a step forward- unable to keep the coy and eager look off of his face as he continued to gaze up at his Leader.

Echopaw sat close to the brown tom, peering at him with her love-sick eyes. Maybe when she became warrior too, he would notice her...

"I, Crowstar, leader of Skyclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Elmpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Crowstar asked.

Echopaw's lovesick mooning was lost on Elmpaw as he became even more engrossed in this moment- his heart felt like it was practically soaring in his chest at the prospect of finally being freed from the mundane and tedious duties that were bestowed upon Apprentices. Puffing out his chest as Crowstar doled out the ceremonial praise, Elmpaw took a brief moment to revel in the moment before speaking clearly. "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Elmpaw, from this day forward you shall be known as Elmcloud. Skyclan honors your calm and creative nature. Congratulations." Crowstar said. He thought this name fit Elmcloud best due to his laid back nature. He hoped the tom would take pride in his name.

Elmcloud!

At Crowstar's words, the newly-named Elmcloud felt as though he might actually burst with pride. A Warrior at last! Now he was finally free of painfully boring tasks and being ordered around all day. Puffing out his chest even further, the young tom let out a satisfied purr as he quietly repeated his new name to himself several times over.

The blind apprentice went up to her childhood friend and congratulated him. "Elmcloud! I'm so happy for you! You're name sounds very cool! Maybe one day we can go out as warriors together." Mallowpaw exclaimed. She soon began chanting his name with the rest of the clan.