Waspkit's Apprentice Ceremony

Another day, another apprentice ceremony. With large strides, Scorchclaw crossed the clearing and arrived before the willow tree. Any clan-born cat, upon catching sight of him, would be able to guess the significance of his actions. The large deputy swiftly ascended unto the Willow Branch. Standing tall above the camp, he instinctively dug his claws deeper into the bark in an attempt to steady his stance. The rising sun would see Waspkit, one of Swanpetal's recent litter, claim her place in the Apprentice Den. She was an energetic young one who was quickly outgrowing the Nursery. For a brief second, he hesitated, allowing his green gaze to sweep the small island they all called home. Countless shells, woven into the roofs of dens, flashed iridescent beneath the leaf bare sun. Drawing a deep breath, he then called out the words that had been repeated for ages past. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Willow Branch for a clan meeting!"

From his perch up in the willow tree, Scorchclaw had a perfect view of the camp central. As one RiverClan cat after another left the dens, heading towards the usual gathering spot, a certain hyper little calico dashed into the crowd. The fluffy deputy had seen Waspkit many a time in the past moons, and he easily recognized her now. Beneath his somewhat critical gaze, the she-kit fell and tumbled across the sandy ground. In a completely natural manner, as if nothing had happened at all, she leaped right back to her paws. Perhaps she had not notice the disorderly state of her pelt. Perhaps she had, but she had simply chosen to ignore it. Either way, the apprentice ceremony was about to begin. Scorchclaw could not help but raise one nonexistent eyebrow in disapproval. For a second, his usual solemn expression seemed to grow harsh. The excess emotion was gone in a flash, and one had to question themselves if it had ever been present. If she saw fit to attend her ceremony in such an appearance, so be it. Having arrived at such a decision, he called her forth. "Waspkit," His voice rang out low but clear, "step forward." When she had obeyed, he proceeded. "Waspkit, 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 Wasppaw. I will be your mentor."

Leaping off the Willow Branch, Scorchclaw approached his new apprentice. As ordained by tradition, he leaned down to touch his nose to hers. "You have the rest of the day to get settled in. Training begins tomorrow at dawn." He informed her sternly. The brown tabby was not the type of mentor who would be soft with his apprentices. Rather, he would see to it that she was properly trained and raised into a strong warrior of RiverClan.

Unfortunately for Scorchclaw, he would soon grow to regret taking Wasppaw as his apprentice. By that time, however, it would be too late to change his mind.

Swanpetal watched her daughter with amusement, even as she tripped over a Clanmate's tail and rolled forward. She was about the right age to be apprenticed at last, and finally give her some peace. She had a decent amount of respect for Scorchclaw, but when he declared that Waspkit - Wasppaw, now - would be his apprentice, she couldn't hold back her laughter. He had no clue what he was in for, did he?

Wasppaw wasted no time, she noted, in questioning her new mentor. Finally, she could pester someone else with her endless questions (though she was sure she'd still hear her fair share of them), and Swanpetal could get other things done. "Good luck with that," she laughed. "She's your problem now."

Scorchclaw froze, startled. Pale-green eyes clashed with bright blue, and he blinked. In his lifetime, however short it might have been, he had already mentored four different apprentices and witnessed dozens of apprentice ceremonies. This was the first time he had ever received such a reaction. Dissatisfaction he supposed he could more or less deal with. While moons had passed now, the death of Blackpaw still hung heavily in a corner of his heart. In no way had he ever thought of himself as a perfect mentor. He simply did his best when it came to training the younger generation, feeling his way along in a manner that could sometimes be described as rather clumsy. As he knew his own weaknesses, some cat picking at his faults would not usually come as a surprise to him. Still, to ask him why? This question he had not expected. For a few seconds, he was at a loss for words. He studied the little calico's features, trying to read her intentions.

Swanpetal's voice sounded to his side, and Scorchclaw flicked one tufted ear in response. Her words served as a signal of sorts. Once again, he had shown an emotion apart from the calm solemnity he usually wore. He frowned, green gaze growing sharp and cold. The large tabby was the kind of cat who only appeared calm. The reality was very different, as anyone who observed him for a while would quickly find out. "Do you have a problem with being my apprentice?" He inquired, an edge in his tone. "If there is any other warrior you would rather have as your mentor, you are welcome to state their name right here and now. If there is not," His fluffy tail flicked rhythmically back and forth, "I do not see any issue with my mentoring you." It was clear; he was annoyed.

An understanding was beginning to dawn upon the RiverClan deputy. Scorchclaw stared incredulously down at Wasppaw. In the back of his mind, he could almost hear another voice. It was the voice of a certain ThunderClan she-kit he had met once before at Sunningrocks. "So how do you swim? Do you get cold in the water? What about fishing? If the water is cold, is your prey cold? What about those big things sticking out of the river over there, what are they?" Great StarClan. He had to resist the urge to groan aloud. Agitation prickled through his pelt. He now had a better idea of what he had gotten himself into. Of all the apprentices he had mentored to this point, she would definitely be the most troublesome one if she kept this questioning up. Briefly closing his eyes, he took a deep breath to calm himself. When he opened them again, his expression had grown severe. "You are an inquisitive one." He growled. By this time, most of the crowd had dissipated, but a few cats were still hanging around. Most likely they felt unable to leave in the face of the ongoing exchange. Scorchclaw had a short fuse, but even he would go easy on a newly-apprenticed youngster. Right? He had that much self-control. Impervious to the stares of his clanmates, the large tabby spoke sharply. "My name is Scorchclaw, deputy of RiverClan and your mentor. Based on titles alone, you have no need to fear losing out to your littermates." Within the depths of his pale-green gaze, a cold flame seemed to dance. "Has your mother not taught you anything? Tradition has always decreed that clan meetings be held from the Willow Branch. It is not a position that every cat can simply claim. You ask why I have chosen you as my apprentice? No reason in particular. There was nothing really special about you that prompted me to make this decision. You are energetic and quick-witted. I decided that I would train you into a warrior befitting of your RiverClan blood, but that was all. If you liked the name of Waspkit, you can simply go back to being a kit. We'll forget this whole ceremony even happened, and you can spend the rest of your life in the Nursery. I will warn you, however, that I see no point in caring for some cat who has not contributed and does not intend to contribute to this clan." The large tabby flicked his tufted ears against his head, and a low snarl slipped from his parted jaws. "It was partly out of generosity that I gave you the rest of the day off. Did I not tell you to get settled in? If you are assuming that I have plenty of free time, you are sorely mistaken. As the deputy, I have more duties and responsibilities than you can begin to comprehend. I do not intend to let these interfere with your training, but it would do you well not to waste my time any more than you already have."