Icekit's Apprentice Ceremony

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Willow Branch for a clan meeting!" Scorchclaw's pale green gaze swept the camp's central clearing. Alerted by his call, his clanmates were quickly assembling below. This was the day that Icekit would have a place in the Apprentice Den.

The white-furred tom stuck his face outside of the nursery, eyes alight with curiosity. He knew he was six moons now, and he was of age. He could become an apprentice like Berrypaw. He quickly licked his chest, feeling as if it would finally be his turn to become an apprentice.

The scent of rain was faint, but perceptible. A curtain of gray clouds hung low over the forest. Wrinkling his nose, Scorchclaw dug his claws into the branch's bark. He wanted to get as much as possible done that day before the bad weather set in. Fortunately, the ceremony was ready to begin before too long. Gazing down into a crowd of upturned faces, the fluffy deputy spoke, "Icekit, step forward." When the pale-furred tom had done so, he proceeded, "You have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day onward until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Icepaw. Your mentor will be Lilytail. She has done a good job training her apprentices thus far, and I'm sure that she will do the same for you." The ceremony over, he leaped off the Willow Branch.

Lilytail got up and walked over to Icepaw with a gentle expression. The poor she-cat had been through a lot of tough times recently but she wasn't going to give up. She then touched noses with the tom. "Your training with me starts tomorrow early. You may want to rest up!" she purred before walking away.