Daisykit's apprentice ceremony

As the sun shone down on High-rock, Marshstorm felt a surge of happiness. A swift bound, and he was on top of the sunwarmed rock. His paw pads relishing the heat as it sank down into his pelt. Today, was a good day. One for joy among the clan as he had the duty he loved the most. A little calico tom was going to get the joy of recieving his first mentor. He smiled meaningfully at Birdflight as he called out the familiar words.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath High-rock for a clan meeting!" His yowl echoed through the clearing easily for the first time since the flood had occurred. This would be the first apprentice named since, and a true testiment to the strength and perseverance of ThunderClan as a new warrior began their journey to rise.

Out of the corner of his eye, Daisykit saw a dark shape ascend the Highrock, immediately drawing his attention. Was Marshstorm looking at him? No, he couldn’t be— Daisykit tipped his head back, trying to follow the deputy’s gaze, but only found his mother behind him. While Birdflight was a comforting presence, she was also unremarkable—part of what made her comforting. Maybe "normal" was a better word for it. Daisykit's eyes swept over Birdflight's face as the call went out; she looked the same as ever.

He hadn’t caught something for himself yet—that would mean leaving the camp, something he wouldn’t dream of doing alone—but he decided he was old enough. He certainly felt old enough. Since his first day in ThunderClan’s camp, the nursery had seemed to get smaller and smaller. Sooner or later, he'd be out of it entirely, and, though the idea of a new den and new denmates was intimidating, Daisykit couldn't wait. The calico kitten strode to the Highrock and sat before it, holding his head high as if this meeting was for him and him alone. Even if it wasn't, a kit's first meeting was a big deal.

Marshstorm watched as the crowd of cats gathered beneath him. His amber eyes roamed the crowd briefly before returning to Daisykit each time. He watched with amusement as the kit marched right up to high-rock. Amused smile still on his face, he looked up towards Birdflight before his gaze returned to the kit in question, carrying on without the usual affair of calling the kit forward. There was hardly any point when he was so close!

"Daisykit, you have reached the age of six moons. It is now time for you to become an apprentice. From this day on, until you recieve your warrior name, you will be known as Daisypaw." His head turned towards the red tabby she-cat. "Emberheart is a well experienced warrior, with plenty of experiences to share. I hope that you will learn much from her." He gave Emberheart a nod of approval. The she-cat was well trusted, and he knew she could handle the responsibility of a young mind.

Emberheart was among the first to gather at the call of a meeting; a mixture of dedication to her Clan and curiosity about the news ThunderClan's leadership had to deliver. Today, she watched as a kit - Daisykit, she recalled - walked right up to the base of the Highrock. Marshstorm seemed amused too, if the look on his face was any indication.

An apprentice ceremony, she noted, as Marshstorm continued to speak. Those were always pleasant - they carried with them fond memories for most Clan cats, of their own and those of their kin, and Emberheart was no exception. Recalling not only her own apprentice ceremony, a faint and distant memory that felt like it belonged to someone else, but also those of her past apprentices. Her gaze flitted toward the medicine den, where her last apprentice currently resided. She should stop by and visit Mosspaw later.

It took her a moment to register her name being spoken. A well-experienced warrior, with plenty of experiences to share, she thought with a small smile. That much was certainly true, and as she approached the newly-named Daisypaw, she was ready and willing to teach this young apprentice all she'd learned in her moons as a ThunderClan cat.

"Training starts tomorrow morning," she told him. Normally she'd have said dawn, but even now the Clan was still recovering from all they'd been through. A little extra sleep had never hurt anyone.

Mosspaw padded out of the ferns leading to the med den just in time to hear the tail end of the meeting. Emberheart, her beloved first mentor, was assigned another apprentice. Her heart swelled with happiness and pride at the idea of her mentor getting a new apprentice, and of another apprentice training to be a warrior. She made her way to the front, and when she reached the pair she nodded to Emberheart warmly. "Congratulations, both of you. I'm happy for you!" She turned to look at Daisypaw with a kind smile. "Emberheart is a brilliant mentor, just wait until she teaches you to fight using the trees in the forest! She's brilliant." Her eyes shone with respect as she spoke of her previous mentor, and when she turned back to Emberheart she flicked her tail to her shoulder. "You'll have to come visit me, we can exchange stories! Don't be a stranger either, Daisypaw, I trained as a warrior myself so don't be afraid to come talk to me if you want to." The last sentence was directed to the new apprentice, and with a final cordial flick of her tail Mosspaw headed back towards the medicine den.

Despite the confidence that had gotten him to the Highrock, Daisykit twitched at the sound of his name, a spark of fear in his eyes. Was he in trouble? He ran through everything he’d done since his first day in camp. Trespassing on other territories was impossible, he hadn’t disobeyed Leopardstar, he clearly hadn’t been mingling with kittypets… What rule could he have broken? When he actually listened, however, he realized Marshstorm wasn’t scolding him at all. My apprentice ceremony! Just like that, he relaxed, ears swiveling forward. Free from the nursery at last! No wonder he’d been so sure it was getting smaller.

As the ceremony came to an end, a ginger she-cat emerged from the crowd. Her words confirmed his assumption: This was his mentor, Emberheart. Daisypaw’s eyes lingered on the ragged end of her ear. He wasn’t sure what could do that to a cat—wasn’t sure he wanted to know, honestly—but he took it as proof that Emberheart was as experienced as Marshstorm claimed. None of his denmates (or, well, former denmates) had anything like that. His head dipped in a sharp nod. ”Got it.” Morning. Well, it could be worse. As light a sleeper as he was, he wasn't worried about waking up; falling asleep in the first place would be the bigger problem.

Another she-cat, a calico this time (like me, he noted once he’d turned toward her). It took Daisypaw a moment to realize who this was, a moment longer to wonder what it meant that ThunderClan’s medicine cat apprentice was here for his apprentice ceremony. Hopefully, it wasn’t an omen. ”Thanks—what do you mean, trees?” he meowed at Mosspaw, who was well on her way back to the medicine den. How was he supposed to fight using the trees when he had yet to climb one? I guess that's what mentors are for...