Cloverkit's Apprentice Ceremony

Swiftstep was rather excited for this day. Most of the Barley-Gray kits were to be apprentice throughout the first half of the day. Young Cloverkit was the lucky one of the bunch who'd have his first. He hoped that they would all behave for their mentors.  

The brown tom's thoughts went away when he had hopped up onto the Tallrock. He needed a clear head to carry out the ceremony."Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather underneath the Tallrock for a Clan meeting!" Swiftstep called with an authoritative tone. The deputy couldn't help the tiny smile that tugged the edge of his mouth. He soon began to wait for the clan to assemble.

Goldenkit's ears perked up at the call from the Tallrock, and before she could make her way out Barleytuft, her father, stepped in. She only half listened as he spoke, to excited at the prospect of becoming an apprentice to be able to give him all of her attention. As he finished though, she nodded obediently, and her ear flicked as he licked her one last time before she wriggled her way to the front of her siblings to be the first one out of the nursery. Walking proudly out of the comfort of the den that had been her home for so long, she marched herself forward before suddenly remembering Barleytuft's words, and with a quiet huff she stopped a few tail lengths away from the nursery. Trying to look as mature as possible, she sat up straight, her head held high, trying to mimic how she had seen her father sit at several ceremonies so far. Her head raised up towards the deputy, eyes shining as she ran a quick paw over her whiskers.

Barleytuft had sat in the nursery with each of his kits that morning, along with their mother Graybriar, to share the news that they would be becoming apprentices that day. The nursery had been bustling since they were told, and it had taken all the nudging and hovering and reminding in the world to keep them on task while they prepared and waited for the ceremony. They were each fed and groomed, and Barleytuft thought wistfully about when his kits were only a few licks long - much quicker to groom then, and - he had hardly expected - less wriggly as young kits. Now, their minds were occupied with thoughts of their ceremony and too much excitement resonated in their paws at the prospect of finally becoming warrior apprentices.

When he heard his deputy, Swiftstep, call from the Tallrock, all of the kits were immediately alerted. "Now, remember: you may exit the den one at a time and sit right outside the nursery to wait your turn, and don't scuffle in the dirt or you'll be messy and Finchstar might rename you to Mud- or Dustpaw," he teased. He gave them each one more affectionate lick before mewing, "You'll know when it's time."

Then the tom led the way out of the den, looking as excited as though he himself were getting his apprentice name whenever he gazed at his kits.

---

At last the time had arrived for Cloverkit to receive his name. He'd tried his best to sit and eat his meal neatly and be patient for his groom, but he had, well, apparently failed in his excitement. Barleytuft told him he ate more messily than a dog. The silver tabby kit swore he'd been groomed for the longest, and he kept muttering to his brother and sisters things like, "They're trying to pull all my hair out right before my apprentice ceremony." and "Mom's gonna lick my stripes right off!" In the end he was glossy, as were his siblings, and he wondered how long they thought he'd stay so pristine.

Suddenly the deputy's voice called out, and if not for the fact the Barleytuft had stood barring the exit of the nursery Cloverkit might've tried to dash out first. He gave them instructions which Cloverkit listened to with a huff while glancing impatiently past the cream tabby to the camp clearing outside. At last Barleytuft turned and began to exit, but Goldenkit had spotted him first and dashed into the front. Cloverkit let out a small spit of playful frustration and lifted one paw to bat at her tail before remembering he was supposed to be polite, and so he put his paw back down and submitted to being second.

Graybriar was full of excitement and nervousness, though likely not half as much as that of her four tiny kits- well, not so tiny anymore- who were about to have their ceremonies. Their time in the nursery had flown by, and now they were the age of apprentices, ready to follow in their parents' footsteps. Cloverkit, the intelligent but energetic fireball... his mentor would need to keep him in line while keeping him engaged. Goldenkit, ever enthusiastic and adorable... hopefully her mentor would harness that energy. Mistykit, naive and curious... learning would be easy for her, but retaining the information she was taught might be the hard part. And Quailkit was certain to be an interesting apprentice. She couldn't wait for them all to go out into the world and do great things! They would be the greatest new generation of warriors WindClan had ever seen. "Go ahead," she purred at them, gesturing with her tail when she heard Swiftstep's summons. "Remember, I'm proud of you all."

Graybriar licked each and every one of them until their fur was groomed, satisfying her motherly instincts before she would let them go out to their ceremonies. The two who had inherited their father's fluffy fur were especially difficult to groom- tufts of spiky fur popped up everywhere instead of being smoothed down. But eventually, they were all clean and pristine, and she ushered them out with a parting lick for each kit. When she looked at their eager faces, a warm rush of love returned, and she smiled encouragingly at each one. She had decided moons ago to put her love of them and hope that they would do well above the nagging fears of their death, but it took a little bit of extra effort to shake the nasty feeling away when she remembered Wolfkit and Breezekit. However, she took a deep breath, sat close enough to Barleytuft for their tails to intertwine, and watched happily as her kits began to grow up.

Mistykit had sat beside her parents, Graybriar and Barleytuft, as she was instructed to do by her father. She couldn't help but constantly shuffle about in her seated position. She was so excited!She was finally going to become an apprentice,along with her siblings, after six long moons of waiting. But at the same time, she was scared. What if her mentor didn't like her? What if they were mean to her, or expect her to do things she merely couldn't do? She supposed she had the same fears as any other kits becoming an apprentice. Of course her mentor would like her!All the cats in WindClan were so nice! Why would her mentor be any different? But as much as she convinced herself, that underlying fear still remained....

Swiftstep waited for the clan to settle down before starting the ceremony. He could see young Cloverkit anxiously awaiting the ceremony to begin. The tom couldn't help but chuckle softly. He composed himself quickly so he could start to speak.

"We all gather here today to make one of our kits an apprentice. Cloverkit, please step forward." Once the tom did, Swiftstep nodded approvingly at Cloverkit's self-assured nature, then, he continued on, "Cloverkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Cloverpaw. Finchstar will be your mentor. He has wisdom beyond his years and is adamant as well as honorable in nature. I'm certain that he will pass down everything he knows on to you."

Swiftstep hopped down from the Tallrock to congratulate Cloverpaw once the ceremony had ended and the cheering began. Finchstar would undoubtedly shape Cloverpaw to become a great warrior. The apprentice was in good paws.

"Congratulations Cloverpaw! I'm sure you'll become a fantastic warrior under Finchstar's guidance. I can't wait to one day see you get your own apprentice. You'll do great sport." Swiftstep gave the young tom a reassuring smile before turning to Finchstar. He gave the leader a warm smile while bumping his shoulder to his. He then started to chant the apprentice's name along with the rest of the clan.

When Cloverkit was called forward, Goldenkit brushed his shoulder with her tail. She couldn't help but feel a quick moment of foreboding, she knew her brother would never let her live it down that he had been the first to become an apprentice. She was still excited for him though, and knew that hers wouldn't be long after - and besides, their adventures through their apprenticeships were what mattered. She waited patiently, trying to remain still as her brother received his new name, and was appointed his mentor. She blinked in surprise and shock, and maybe a little dismay in the flickering depths of her eyes as Finchstar was named to be Cloverpaw's mentor. Well, she was definitely never going to hear the end of that for sure.... The thought didn't, however, prevent her from raising her voice along with her clanmates, her meow echoing as loudly as she could calling Cloverpaw's new name to the sky.

Finchstar had been fond of Barleytuft's kits from the moment he laid eyes on them, he remembered Graybriar speaking to him softly in the nursery, whispering their names as they slept. It was no secret that Cloverkit had been named in honor of his late mate, Brookclover. Finchstar smiled then, and it seemed to further confirm that Brookclover resided in everything. And now for Swiftstep to make that same kit his apprentice... perhaps fate was kind after all. The orange and white tabby padded through the crowd towards the new kit, giving him a wide smile as he did.

"Cloverpaw. You will do wonderfully, I know." He reached forward to touch noses with the tom, excitement jolting through his veins as he did. This would certainly be a new adventure. Finchstar wondered how gently the wind would carry them, and he reminisced for the smallest of moments on where it would take them. "I am honored to be your mentor." Finding Swiftstep's eyes after they knocked shoulders, Finchstar gave him a slight nod, saying a silent "thank you" to his second in command. He was sure both Barleytuft and Aspenpaw were watching as well. Raventail sat in the crowd, too.

Finchstar meant Barleytuft's eyes next, giving him a wink, to promise he'd care for his son. And Aspenpaw, Finchstar's first apprentice, who had decided to take the path of a medicine cat. Finchstar would never be able to give him his warrior name, and hoped the gray tabby could find it in his heart to forgive him. No matter how many apprentices Finchstar would receive, Aspenpaw would always be his first. Cloverpaw would be a change, a stroke of uncertainty, and the road ahead was blurry, yet bright. Another grin, and the future crashed down.

Cloverkit stared wide-eyed with anticipation up at the Tallrock where the pale brown tom, Swiftstep, stood. The Clan's deputy, he knew; he'd seen him pop his head into the nursery a few times, and Barleytuft had said that Swiftstep was his mentor. My dad's mentor was the deputy! Cloverkit had thought with awe for the rest of that day, and for a few days after, but today the thought was barely on his mind. All he could think of was who he would be receiving as a mentor. Or, more pressing: which of his siblings would get their name first? Swiftstep opened his mouth to speak and Cloverkit was enraptured by the very first words of the deputy's commanding voice.

His name was spoken and he gasped. He hardly believed his eyes could get any wider, but the sharp amber glistened with excitement as he glanced from Swiftstep to his parents, and then his sisters, a joyous grin on his face. No smugness - not yet - just pure excitement. Barleytuft gave him an encouraging nod and gestured him forward. The pale silver tom strode forward as regally as he could, but he was certain he was bouncing in place.

The moment came, and Cloverpaw received his new name. The next words that followed drew a shocked gasp from the pale tabby: "Finchstar will be your mentor." Cloverpaw felt as though he would burst with joy, and he turned his head to gaze with wonder upon the ginger-and-white tom who approached. The leader greeted him with a charismatic voice that made Cloverpaw beam even harder. His paws worked the ground as he touched his nose to his leader's and purred in confident reply, "I'll be the best apprentice you've ever had!" Then Finchstar had stepped back and all the Clan joined in to praise him and chant his new name. He felt like he would burst with excitement.

---

The first kit was called forward: Brookclover's namesake, Cloverkit. He looked nothing like her. Time would tell if he'd act anything like her, but Barleytuft suspected he was a bit more reckless and outgoing where Brookclover herself was simply bold and charismatic and - more importantly - tactful. Cloverkit still lacked that. When Swiftstep named Finchstar as Cloverpaw's mentor, the pale tabby warrior's brows raised lightly with surprise, but he felt more excited than he could say. What an honor to be trained by the Clan leader, and he would likely never let his siblings forget it, the tom suspected. Barleytuft purred and joined in the chanting, watching with pride as his first kit greeted their mentor.

Graybriar felt like the smile on her face would never go away. Cloverkit's determination but unhidden awe at his ceremony made her heart almost want to burst with joy. Her excitement rivaled her kit's when his mentor was named- Finchstar himself. Though the tom was young, he had a good heart, and certainly was growing into an amazing leader for WindClan. Her lookalike son was in good paws. A purr rose through her when they touched noses, and she joyfully called out his name alongside her mate and the rest of the Clan.