Stonepaw's Warrior Ceremony

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the willow branch for a clan meeting!" The silver tabby called out for the whole clan to gather, her green eyes scanning the clearing to look for Stonepaw's familiar shape. Another warrior was exactly what they needed in this Leafbare where violence reigned supreme over the feud between RiverClan and ThunderClan. She only prayed that Stonepaw was ready.

Stonepaw settled underneath the willow branch at his leader's call, giving his fur a couple of quick licks.  The grey tom looked around at his Clanmates as they gathered with him. There was so much tension in the Clan lately. Ivystar was a good leader, worthy of respect. But, much of the Clan blamed her for the hostility between RiverClan and ThunderClan. He would be glad when all of that was but a distant memory. Giving his head a light shake to clear it of such thoughts, he instead wondered what this meeting could be about, perhaps it's time for a kit to be apprenticed.

"Stonepaw, you had proven yourself an able fighter and loyal to RiverClan. Therefore, I believe it is time for your warrior ceremony. Please step forward." Ivystar meowed with clear approval, the she-cat had busy engaging Blizzardstar, but she's heard secondhand of his battle against Violetpaw. The apprentice had proven to be a challenge, yet Stonepaw had fought to the bitter end. A sign of bravery and strength, traits she respected and would prove useful in the days to come.

A jolt of surprise at Ivystar's words caused Stonepaw's fur to stand on end. This was the day! Today was his warrior ceremony! His paws tingled with excitement as he stepped forward.

Taking in a deep breath, the leader looked up at the stars to begin to speak the sacred words spoken by several leaders before her for generations. "I, Ivystar, leader of Riverclan, 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... Stonepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

No longer watching the stars, her eyes bore into Stonepaw for any signs of hesitation or weakness. This would be the moment of truth, was he ready for the burden and responsibility of being warrior? He'd earn his clanmates respect in battle, but was he ready mentally?

The grey tom's chest puffed out and posture straightened at the familiar ceremonial words finally being spoken for and about him. He returned his leader's steady gaze, meowing solemnly, "I do."

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name." Ivystar only took a second for a name to dawn on her that suited him well. Stonepaw had always been calm in the face of the chaos that had descended upon RiverClan, not rushing out to speak rashly or meekly yield to everyone in fear of retaliation. He was shy at times, she'd noticed how he seemed to hesitate around she-cats, but he did not allow that to get in the way of his duties. Thus, she chose his name to reflect his inner strength. "From this day forth, you shall be known as Stoneface. RiverClan honours your wisdom and integrity. Let us all celebrate our newest warrior tonight, at least until Sundown. From then on, you will be required to hold a silent vigil over our camp, whilst the night patrol keep an eye on ThunderClan. Good luck, Stoneface. I pray that you serve us well for many moons to come."

The newly named warrior echoed his name internally, Stoneface! He choked back emotion as his head dipped low in a grateful, respectful gesture to his leader, touched by her kind words of praise and at being granted the honor of this momentous occasion.

Tinytip was watching the whole ceremony away from the group of cats and only approached her son when the ceremony was finally over. Running toward Stoneface, she nuzzled him lovingly with a smile. "Stoneface! That's a powerful name! I'm so proud of you! Look how much you've grown since you were a kit." She purred looking up at him with a warm smile. Her son was a Riverclan warrior now... just like her. It was wonderful!