Nettlepaw's Warrior Ceremony

The cold leaf bare air filtered into the air of camp. The ground was cold on the pads of Oakstar’s paws, but his pelt felt warm. For moons he had watched over Nettlepaw and seen her grow… and now it was his daughter’s turn to recieve something long overdue. Her warrior name.

He smiled as he leapt onto Highrock. Joy evident in his amber eyes as he yowled the summoning call.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highrock for a clan meeting!" His voice rang clearly, cutting through the early morning chill easily. His gaze turning to catch Dustcloud as he nodded, then glanced towards Mistwalker.

Nettlepaw walked towards the gathering group of cats at the sound of her father's voice, and looked up at him attentively. She did not know with certainty what the meeting was for, but as she followed her father's gaze to her mother and her brother, she allowed herself a glimmer of hope that it was, finally, for her. She was certainly ready for it to be. So she waited in excited anticipation for her father's next words.

His gaze turned to Nettlepaw. He met her excited green gaze with his joyous one as he flicked his tail. Waited for the clan to gather around before he spoke the words just before he began.

"Nettlepaw, step forward." He called. He felt like his pelt must be glowing with pride, as it had when Mistwalker had been named… when Batbite and Beartooth and Dawngaze has all received their warriorhoods. This however, he realised, was more significant. Mistwalker has been his first blood son to receive a name, and now, his own daughter was receiving hers. She would be leaving the apprentices den.

She would be a warrior. No longer a kit, or an apprentice. Independent, though he had to admit she was already quite independent on her own. The realization burned in him, both positive and saddening. Seeing her… might become as it had with Mistwalker. Only in passing, warrior life left little time to simply enjoy anything.

He choked back the concern, this was meant to be a joyous occasion. He smiled at Dustcloud, a hint of sadness in his gaze, that perhaps she would understand before he took a breath and began.

"I, Oakstar, leader of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend them to you as a warrior in their turn. Nettlepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" He asked the question, though he knew the answer already. She had taken to training in stride, and would be a powerful and worthy warrior.

Nettlepaw smiled the instant she heard her name called.

It is happening. It is finally happening she thought. She stepped forward at her father's call, and stood as tall and proud as she could.

"I do," she answered him, not an ounce of doubt or hesitation in her voice.

As she stood there, waiting to receive her name, Nettlepaw felt stronger than she had in a long time. And yet-- there was still something not quite right. She couldn't shake the feeling that there was something holding her back from being as strong as she could be. But, no. She would just ignore it. It was probably just a bit of nerves.

Oakstar felt a deep purr of satisfaction rumble deep in his chest as he lifted his head proudly to speak the next words. His gaze flickered over all the assembled cats briefly. All the ones he had named, the ones that were named before his leadership… the ones that he trusted and loved. He took a breath to steady himself. To speak the final words, the ones that would lead her into warriorhood at last.
"Then by the powers of StarClan,  I give you your warrior name. Nettlepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Nettle..." He paused, head tilting as she spoke up.

As the ceremony went on, Nettlepaw tried her best to continue to suppress that feeling of something not being quite right.

But she couldn’t hide from whatever the feeling of wrongness. And of course she knew exactly what the cause was.

The burns. Their consequences. The fire that had caused them.

She had been trying her best to ignore them, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t. If she did, there’d always be something missing. Something keeping her from being as strong as she knew she could be.

If she wanted to ever regain all the strength and energy and pride she had had before the accident, she needed to embrace it all, not hide from it.

And here, right now, was the moment she needed to do that.

“I—“ she interrupted Oakstar without fully planning what she was going to say next. “If I could, father, I—”

She took a breath to collect her thoughts, and continued. “I don’t want to hide from my accident. From the thing that has cost me so much time and strength and...so much more. Because if I hide from it...I’ll never get past it. Instead, I want to wear it and my scars proudly, and show the world that I’m not afraid. It has cost me much already, but it will cost me no more. And so, if I could request a name...I’d like to be called Nettlefire. To show I remember what happened. And yet I am still strong.”

Oakstar blinked at the unusual interruption. His gaze flickered in pain as he recalled the fire, the terror that had raced through him when he found out his daughter was in grave danger. He had thought that perhaps she would want to put it all behind her… but instead she was embraced it. Pushed forward to do her best and take on the name of such a dangerous time.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Nettlepaw, from this moment on you will be known as Nettlefire. StarClan honors your Determination, Hard work and bravery." He tipped his head meaningfully as he spoke. "For any cat who would put their own life at risk, and then to face it... deserves the full recognition of their deed. We are honored to welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan." He glanced up towards the sky for a moment, then looked back down with pride as he began the chant that would echo through the clearing before he leapt down.

"Nettlefire..." He purred then licked her forehead in a typically paternal gesture. Trying to hold back tears that stung in his eyes. "I am very proud of you."

"Thank you. And I promise as a warrior I will continue to always try to make you and mom proud," the gray she-cat purred back.

As she stood there with her father and listened to the chants of her new name, Nettlefire felt, for the first time in a long time, that everything was right in the world, and she looked around, smiling.