Duskpaw's Warrior Ceremony

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the willow branch for a clan meeting!" The leader mewed loudly, his voice strong yet emotionless. Another apprentice was leaving the den to become a warrior but this time the tom could not find his happiness about that. Even if it was a hopeful thought that more cats were adding up to their ranks now that they had to face Lichenmask, it still brought displeasure and anxiety knowing that that murderer was out there with its followers, plotting to attack the clans. Starclan was gone... yet they had to push through this to avoid genocide.

Duskpaw appeared at the gathering spot, a small frown on her face. Recent events had caused the poor she-cat huge amounts of grief. She had lost Lichenmask and a few clan-mates in a very short period of time. Why had he hid it all from her? Was she not trustworthy enough? Did he not consider her someone close? The apprentice sat down and began to wait for the leader to continue what he wanted to say.

The leader was unaware of the she-cat's feelings for Lichenmask and could only see her as just another apprentice who was ready to become a warrior after a long training. Even if it wasn't the brightest day of all, the day a young cat became a warrior was always a spark of hope for a new life, a new beginning in their lives. "Duskpaw, Wolfsong has confirmed that you are ready to undertake your warrior ceremony. If you believe this to be true, step forward now for it to begin." He mewed, disguising his worries about the red moon above his head.

Duskpaw jumped up with wide eyes and scrambled forward. She was becoming a warrior? The apprentice looked excited as she waited for the ceremony to continue.

The tom somehow relaxed a little by seeing the excitement of the apprentice. Despite all this madness, happiness could still be found. Maybe there was hope after all...

He fixed his green eyes on the eyes of the she-cat and lifting his tail, he said the words all apprentice had to answer if they wanted to become warriors of Riverclan. "I, Jaystar, leader of Riverclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn, Duskpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

The proud female grinned before she spoke, "I do!" How could she contain her excitement if she was this close to hearing her new name? She hadn't felt this joyful since her apprentice ceremony.

With an affirmative nod, the leader let in another apprentice into warriorhood. "Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. From this day forth, you will be known to all as Duskpanther. I have expectations on you and I pray to Starclan you can honour your clan well, especially during these days of darkness."

However, he wasn't happy. Jaystar lashed his tail, his glance too serious to be considered lightly. "Under the current circumstances, I can't allow young warriors to go out on their own to do their vigils. However, you will still guard the camp as per tradition demands during the night, staying in the limits of our home. But for now, let's rejoice for the new ascension of another one of our apprentice."