Ospreykit's Apprentice Ceremony

At long last, Ospreykit was going to claim his place in the Apprentice Den. His ceremony was long overdue, put off mainly by the illness that had plagued the young tom for literal moons. It was almost pitiful to look at him now; he bore the suffix of "kit" while being the same size as some of the larger apprentices. Indeed, some in the clan certainly seemed to think so. If one were to look at the situation from another angle, however, there was also the age-old adage of "better late than never." Scorchclaw was one of those who saw this situation in the latter manner. It would do no good lamenting the time that had already been wasted, for not a single second would be reclaimed in such a manner. The only thing Ospreykit could do now was move forward. As deputy of RiverClan, it was Scorchclaw's duty to keep an eye on the younger generation and meddle in their issues if necessary.

Standing tall on the Willow Branch, he let out the cry that had summoned the clan together since ages past. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Willow Branch for a clan meeting!"

Dappleshine padded out of the warrior den, pausing to stretch out her limbs just outside of it. Her tail fluffed up in the breeze before she straightened, trotting over to take up a position under the Willow Branch. Scorchclaw was perched up there, she noted with a smile, which usually meant a new apprentice. How exciting! Her mind strayed to the current kits and wondered silently who the ceremony might be for, and who their mentor would be. She wrapped her tail around her paws and waited for everyone else to gather.

Upon hearing Scorchclaw's call for a meeting, Ospreykit lifted his head and prepared himself for another ceremony, another ceremony that he doubted would be his own. After being stuck as a kit for countless moons, he doubted his ceremony would be any time soon, but every time a new ceremony was called for he couldn't help but feel a small kernel of hope that it would be his ceremony.

And with that in mind, the fluffy tom trotted towards the gathering crowd, and plopped himself down, hoping that today would finally be his lucky day.

From his perch on the Willow Branch, Scorchclaw saw Ospreykit rise to his paws and approach. As usual, it did not take long for the clan to gather. He waited until he judged it was time to begin. Then, he lashed his tail for silence. "Ospreykit, step forward." When the young tom had done so, the large deputy continued. "Ospreykit, you have long reached the age of six moons, but your long bout of illness has kept you from reaching the rank of apprentice. Last night, Mistlepaw assured me that you have made a full recovery. From this day onward until you gain your warrior name, you will be known as Ospreypaw. Dappleshine will mentor you. May her kind heart and bold spirit guide you well. RiverClan welcomes you as a promising apprentice, Ospreypaw." With those last words, the ceremony officially drew to a close. Scorchclaw leaped off to the ground, landing neatly on all fours.

Scorchclaw called Ospreykit forward, and Dappleshine beamed a smile at the much older kit. She had heard of his illness which held him back for so long, and was overjoyed to see that he was finally becoming an apprentice. She settled in, prepared to watch the ceremony and congratulate the tom afterwards when her ears perked at the sound of her name. She looked up to Scorchclaw in shock, he wanted her to be Ospreypaw's mentor? Meeting his gaze, she nodded, if Scorchclaw had chosen her, he must have confidence that she could do it. Bolstered by his decision and words, she stood and made her way over to stand next to Ospreypaw. Extending her nose forward towards the tom, she purred. "Congratulations, Ospreypaw. I look forward to training with you, I know you'll do well. Training will start tomorrow morning, so make sure you get plenty of rest, okay?" Once their noses had touched and she heard his confirmation, she stepped back to allow the new apprentice's friends and family step forward to offer their own congratulations and well wishes, thinking fondly back to her own ceremony. This would be quite the adventure, she thought as she met Scorchclaw's gaze over the heads of the gathered cats, giving him a nervous smile.

Ospreykit could of jumped up with joy. Finally! His blood sang with excitement, and his heart rate soared. Today was the day, his day. The tom let out a joyous purr as he made his way though the gathered cats. A smile danced on his muzzle, the first one since Finchstream had passed. His gaze travelled skyward, wondering if Finchstream was watching over him and if she was proud of him. It didn't matter, he'd make her proud. He'd become the best warrior in all of RiverClan.

The tom lowered his gaze, meeting Dappleshine's blue eyes. His mentor, that's who she was. Ospreykit, no Ospreypaw, offered the warrior a crooked smile. His eyes swept over her, and his smile only broadened, when he realised that he wasn't too much shorter than her. "I look forward to training with you, Dappleshine." he purred in response "I wouldn't miss our first training session for the world." and with that, the newly named apprentice touched his nose to his new mentor's.

For the rest of the day, he seemed to buzz with joy and excitement. he was an apprentice!