Clearpaw's Warrior Ceremony

After what seemed like and probably had been moons of not conducting a warrior ceremony, Tinystar sat upon Tallbranch, looking down upon the decimated camp. Cats milled about, each one having their own task to preform, and even the kits kept themselves busy in helping their mothers. Through all of the destruction that had happened, the little leader was surprised that Tallbranch was still in tact and presumed he had StarClan to thank for keeping such a symbol of SkyClan safe and dry, though, he couldn't say he was able to thank StarClan for much more...

Having lost his beloved mate, Moonlight, to the horrors of the disaster that'd swept through the territories and followed the clans to Highstones, it felt as though the flame that once kindled his pride and satisfied soul had been snuffed out and now, there was only a dark, empty pit. Why StarClan took her from him, he would never understand, nor did he know if he'd ever get over her death. But even so, he had to keep chugging forward, or at least look as if he was doing so, for his clan needed a leader, not a depressed widower. 'Fake it till you make it,' he thought over and over again, though he doubted he'd ever "make it", whatever in Silverpelt's name that meant.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Tallbranch for a clan meeting," the abnormally small leader called, his voice noticeably weak and lifeless. He tried to hide his emotions, but there was only so much one could conceal from the outside world.

Clearpaw hadn't been completely there a while. His normally calm and optimistic self couldn't find a way to deal with the troubles the clan had faced, so he ended up just being half there. The rest of his mind wandered to what SkyClan had looked like before, of cats who were no longer there. He tried to find beauty in the hardship, but whenever he thought about it, he inevitably asked himself the question of why he had been spared. So many other cats had died, and yet he lived. That had been enough to shock him into a state of only partial awareness until they had returned to their territory. Now he felt back at home, among the trees and the cats that he knew he could always find the beauty in. Now the feeling of optimistic hope had returned. The hardship had proved him to be capable. If he was correct, this was his warrior ceremony. The last step to becoming his own cat.

"We gather here today to give one of our apprentices their warrior name and rank," he began, looking out upon the gathering clan bellow, his face expressionless besides the blank look that sat on his muzzle. "Clearpaw has proven himself worthy to climb the ranks of SkyClan and receive his Warrior name," Tinystar spoke and then paused for another brief moment before continuing.

"Clearpaw, please step forward."

Once the apprentice stepped forward, the short tom continued. "I, Tinystar, leader of SkyClan, 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. Clearpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Clearpaw stepped forward upon instruction, making direct eye contact with Tinystar. A while ago he had lost a bit of his respect towards the leader, but still recognized him as a cat trying to do the best for his clan. There was no reason to dislike him for that. It wasn't until then that he fully thought of the promise he needed to make. While he would lay down his life for the clan without hesitation, he knew he couldn't ever raise claws against another cat again. Would that go against his promise to  protect and defend his clan at all costs? No, there were other ways to protect the clan without violence. And he had already made another promise. With all that in mind, he said the words. "I do."

Once the apprentice replied, he went on with the ceremony. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Clearpaw, from this day forward you shall be known as Clearshine. SkyClan honors your loyalty and bravery. Congratulations," he finished. With that, Tinystar leaped down from Tallbranch, and making his way over to the newly named warrior, offered a soft bump of his muzzle to the newly named warrior in a quiet form of congratulations as the rest of the clan flocked forwards as well.

Clearshine liked his new name. It brought to mind an image of sun filtering through ice or water, and shining even more brightly on the other side. It brought a smile to his face, and he was able to dismiss Tinystar's apparent lack of interest in his ceremony. Being a warrior was an honor that he now held, and he looked forward to both the freedom and the responsibility.