Tigerpaw's Warrior Ceremony

It seemed like since he had left, the apprentices had begun to work harder. Quite a few of them were ready to earn their names and a place in the warrior's den. Thankfully, they sensed the urgency that hung over their clan. Cats, not necessarily Skyclan, had been attacked by rogues. The vicious monsters stalked Skyclan territory at their leisure and then skulked back to the twolegplace. The attacks had not been too frequent, but with Windclan also threatening war, the leader did not want to be too careful. None of them needed a repeat of the dogs. His blue eyes glanced over the somewhat empty clearing. Cats milled around but no doubt many would be in their dens. Soon, all would stand below and welcome Tigerpaw as a warrior. That thought drove him to let out the call. It was time.

"Let all cats old enough to climb a tree gather below the tallbranch for a clan meeting!"

At the call of SkyClan's leader, cats from all corners of the camp began to stream towards the Tallbranch. Tigerpaw was one of those cats. Accompanied by the rest of the apprentices, she sat down on a sandy patch of ground where she could see Rippedstar clearly. It was relieving to know that the black and white leader had returned unharmed from Twolegplace, but that did not mean that the threat was gone. The rogues were apparently still very much at large. As she waited for the tom perched in the tree to begin speaking, she briefly wondered what he had experienced in Twolegplace. Perhaps this would be a meeting to explain that, or perhaps it would be a ceremony of some sort. Speaking of ceremonies, perhaps it would be her warrior ceremony. It felt like she had been an apprentice for way too long now.

"Once again, another apprentice is ready to earn their warrior name. Tigerpaw, please step forward." His blue gaze flickered softly, hinting at what involvement he did have in the ceremony. The black and white leader waited as she came to the front of the throng of gathered cats and only spoke again once she was before him. For a moment, he looked down at Tigerpaw, already seeing a warrior. She was more than ready for this. In that time, Rippedstar nearly forgot to tear his gaze away and towards Starclan as he meowed, "I, Rippedstar, leader of Skyclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this cat. He has trained hard to learn the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Quietpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

The striped she-cat's eyes widened when she heard her name. Wait. Huh? Really? Had she heard that wrong? This really was her warrior ceremony? Out of instinct, she glanced around. No one was stepping forward. Instead, her clanmates were staring back at her in whichever direction she turned to. Apparently she had not been dreaming, and there was only one Tigerpaw in SkyClan. Rippedstar did not say Quietpaw. Nope, he definitely did not. That was not what he was supposed to say. Struggling not to appear flustered like she really was inwardly, the dusky brown apprentice took a few pawsteps forward. As Rippedstar continued to speak, what rang out were the familiar words of the warrior ceremony that she had heard so many times before. This was real. The words suddenly had a lot more weight to her. As the realization sunk in, Tigerpaw felt an unexpected courage welling up from within.

"I do." Her voice came out a lot stronger than she had thought it could. The firmness behind her tone was startling. There had never been any question about that.

He nodded with approval. The weight of the words, the oath she was pledging, were not lost on this young cat. She knew what she was devoting herself too and was declaring it in front of her clan so that they would be able to hold her accountable. Rippedstar had been right; she was ready. Allowing his own tone to fill with strength, an equal reflection of the apprentice's declaration, he spoke the final words. "Then by the powers of Starclan, I give you your warrior name. Tigerpaw, from this day forward, you will be known as Tigerleaf. Starclan honors your patience and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of Skyclan." With a flick of his tail, the black and white leader ended the ceremony as the voices rose up into the air. Another warrior would sleep in the den tonight.

Tigerleaf. Tigerleaf. Tigerleaf. Her new name.

Another piece in the puzzle that was her life had fallen into place. This was her identity now; it was who she was. Even as the voices of congratulations rose up from the clanmates surrounding her, the ringing within her head refused to cease. It was a wonderful name. She had earned her place in the ranks of SkyClan's warriors at last. The goal she had striven for and looked forward to most of her life was finally accomplished. With a start, the striped she-cat realized that a wide grin had stretched from to corner to corner of her maw.

Foxhunter, Palepaw, I really did it. Can you see me now from up in StarClan? A new page in her life had begun.