Dacepaw's [Thunderclan] Apprentice Ceremony

The last gathering had been eventful. It seemed each moon spurred on more drama, more useless clan nonsense. Nothing seemed to be accomplished there. Most nights were hardly a peaceful endeavor. But this time around had grown their clan and sealed an allegiance. Dacepaw had chosen where she would stay, no longer torn by the choice between two clans. Beartooth couldn't quite relate to the situation. Life had been kind, placing him in Thunderclan, and giving him a place and strong sense of duty. For the young apprentice, time had taken a course to bring her here. He was ready to see her truly begin training and settle into a place she could call home. He was glad he could provide that to her. The bulky warrior made his way to the highrock, leaping up in a far easier manner than he had done during previous ceremonies. After pausing for only a moment, he meowed lowly, just loud enough for those gathered closest in the clearing to hear, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the highrock."

StarClan? Are you watching? Dacepaw asked silently to the ancestors. I need you to see it all so you can tell my daddy, wherever he is. Her round green eyes stared at the sky, looking for a sign, but there were no stars right now; the sun was out. Many cats had told Dacepaw that StarClan was always watching, and so Dacepaw would trust that they would see this ceremony to come and make sure Sparkfrost was told all about what they'd forced him to miss. He had been there in RiverClan for her ceremony then... he would have been here now if he could have been. The little she-cat wasn't so naive to think that she was the only cat in ThunderClan needing a ceremony, but she knew this one was different. She could feel it. She had made her choice, and Beartooth and Oakstar now knew where she chose to devote her life.

The pale multi-colored she-cat glanced around, looking for her dearest friends as she made her way to sit before the deputy. She hoped they were in camp; if Sparkfrost couldn't be there, she prayed Houndpaw was free from his duties, and that Duskpaw hadn't chosen to go find some beasts today. Dacepaw's mother would've been there, too, but pawpa--Torrentstar was angry. He wouldn't have allowed it, no matter how badly Dappleshine wanted it. I'll tell her, Dacepaw promised. I can at least tell her all about my ceremony next time I see her. Her choice to stay in ThunderClan had been given to her mother with soft sadness, but this time Dacepaw's voice was true. She really was following her heart this time... not just the cat she loved and wanted to keep safe.

Another summoning from Beartooth shook the camp, and Duskpaw turned from her daily activity to find a spot to sit. Today had been full of snake catching. A few warriors had told the young cat about Snakerocks and their danger, but sadly Beartooth wouldn't let her journey to the scary stones today. Maybe he was worried a snake would get them. Duskpaw thought this was silly and decided to try and find some snakes in camp instead. So far, her search had revealed nothing but a stray worm, some leaf mulch, and a nest of beetles. Bored with her current circumstances, Duskpaw opted to snag Dacepaw and Houndpaw for an adventure to the rocks herself. If Beartooth was scared he didn't need to come. However her mentor sat atop the ceremony-place instead, and Dacepaw sat below him. While Duskpaw didn't like long talks and boring meetings, ceremonies were always something of an excitement, even if they weren't her own. "Are you coming to watch the ceremony too?" Duskpaw whispered to Dacepaw, finding a seat next to her fuzzy friend. "Maybe they'll make another elder for Emberheart so she doesn't have to play with worms."

✧ Having just returned from visiting the elder's den, which was now only comprised of Emberheart, the short-coated apprentice joined his friends. Thankfully, the mouse bile had been an earlier task and was long washed from his paws. But his nose still twitched as if something smelled off. At Duskpaw's remark, he chimed in, "Emberheart didn't say anything. I doubt it. She would have told me. The elders tell me everything." As he settled down, the large-eared tom looked up at his father and steeled his gaze. It didn't phase him, or rather, what did he pushed aside. Anything maternal or paternal set a particular fear and discomfort in the young tom's heart. The fact that Beartooth was the deputy was glamorous on the outside, but made him feel small on the inside in moments like this. He straightened up with a confidant grin on his maw, "Maybe they realized how great my hunting is and decided to make me a warrior earlier." The cheeky remark to his companions hardly had a moment to hang in the air before the well-muscled warrior spoke in his usual, unimpressive candor. Although it wasn't his name called, Houndpaw's ears perked with interest. What came from Beartooth's maw seemed to soothe a part of his angst-ridden soul. Dacepaw was staying. She had a mentor now. She wouldn't be going anywhere. For a split second, the urge to wrap his tail around her was overwhelming, but instead he kept a neutral expression and meowed a congratulations. There was a flicker of a smile, "I knew you wouldn't go anywhere. We have so much to do here." ✧

✢ "Dacepaw, you have already been given an apprentice name but now you need another mentor. Dawngaze will be your mentor." There was no pause, no hesitation as he named the fairly young warrior as this Riverclan born cat's guide. She had been his own apprentice. Even if they had hardly bonded in the past, Beartooth saw Dawngaze as a cat he could trust and a cat he was grateful had managed to return from the flood. He spared his former apprentice a glance and a nod before leaping down from the rock and away from the responsibility of deputyship to rejoin the crowd. As the bulky tom disappeared back into the throng of Thunderclan cats, he hoped she would continue to be warmly welcomed as a part of the clan. Houndpaw had been sitting near her for the ceremony, something the deputy did not miss. His son. The one who had been an aggravation to the clan and was the last memory of his love for Ridgelight. Beartooth didn't dwell. It only served to hurt. But he wished the young apprentices well. Even if he didn't think much about it, they were the future. And they weren't going anywhere, hopefully. ✢

Dacepaw's hope did not go unanswered; she saw Duskpaw first, the pale brown she-cat making her way from some corner of camp where she'd been exploring and coming to her side. Dacepaw nodded her head enthusiastically at Duskpaw, murmuring wistfully, "Yeah! I like the ceremonies. I get to hear everyone's name." At that point, Houndpaw arrived, and upon hearing Duskpaw's guess that it might be another elder ceremony he shook his head and declared knowledgeably that it couldn't be that - Emberheart would have told him if there was going to be a new one. That seemed like sound logic to Dacepaw, and she nodded vigorously in agreement with his statement. The thick-furred apprentice shifted slightly to make sure that both of her friends could sit comfortably close to her.

Her friend Houndpaw continued, his large ears flicking and then perking up with the rest of him as he posited that maybe he was getting his warrior name. Dacepaw gasped at the realization and immediately turned her head to face him and begin to agree; however, Beartooth's voice suddenly rang out, and Dacepaw turned her green-hazel eyes back to the deputy on the Highrock.

His eyes immediately fell on her, and Dacepaw knew she had been correct. This ceremony was for her - to make her an official ThunderClan cat, and give her a mentor to help her learn the Clan to the best of their ability. Her eyes widened with pride and excitement as Beartooth declared Dawngaze to be her mentor. [n]"Oh! Oh that's wonderful!"[/b] she squeaked, and immediately she turned to her friends, her eyes alight with joy. Houndpaw met her gaze first, and Dacepaw's stomach fluttered as she worried for a moment. Would he be upset that this wasn't his ceremony?

She could see the faintest twist of a smile on his lips, though - sometimes he smiled a little in his sleep, too, and that's when she saw it. "I knew you wouldn't go anywhere. We have so much to do here," Houndpaw told her, and Dacepaw's thunder-purr started up to echo in the camp. She leaned over to ever so gently touch her nose against his neck, quickly pulling away so she didn't rub her oily fur on his. "I'll train the hardest any cat ever trained," Dacepaw promised him and Duskpaw, smiling affectionately between them, "and then we'll always get to be here together."

Then the she-cat turned to seek out her new mentor, the beautiful she-cat who had already taught her to hunt and saved her from a raccoon.

Dawngaze observed the three apprentices from the other side of the clearing, silently pleased about Dacepaw's decision to stay. There would have been a lot of sadness in camp, and a sad clan wasn't focused on survival. That was how the warrior justified her joy at seeing the she-cat, anyway. She turned her attention to Beartooth. Her feelings towards him were... complicated. He respected his strength and his position in the clan, but a bitter seed of disdain had been sowed within her early on in her apprenticeship. He'd deigned to train rogues and hardly spared a moment for her. To be fair, though, it was hard to dedicate much time to a single cat when one had four apprentices at a time.

She watched her former mentor begin the ceremony with an emotionless face. Now wasn't the time for petty internal squabbles. Her ears perked at hearing her name, and she returned Beartooth's nod with her own slow blink of acknowledgement. Yes... it was obviously best if she trained Dacepaw. They had already met and spent time together, even if it had ended a little disastrously. But now Dawngaze could make certain that Dacepaw would be prepared for such future confrontations. She stood and crossed the camp, meeting Dacepaw with a gentle tap on the nose, as was customary. "Congratulations, Dacepaw." She wasn't quite sure why she was congratulating her when she was already an apprentice. It just felt like the only natural thing to say. "We can pick up where we left off last time. Battle training is a good place to continue, I think."