Blossomkit's Apprentice Ceremony

Wolfcall stared up at the Tallbranch, the tip of his tail twitching in thought. Blossomkit was six moons old now, and it was time for her to be apprenticed. As deputy, that duty now fell to him, although there was a heaviness in his heart as his eyes fixated on a crook in the branch, remembering his own apprentice ceremony, and how Foxfire had stood there, looking down at him. Wolfcall knew the ex-deputy held no ill will, after all, he had stepped down voluntarily, but Wolfcall couldn't help the guilt that clawed at him. Was he the right choice for deputy? The dark warrior let his gaze drift down to his paws, and his eyes narrowed in resolve. He would be... no... he had to be. He'd do it for Foxfire, and for Spottedstar, and for StarClan themselves. He was going to be the best deputy SkyClan had ever seen if it killed him.

He sucked in a breath, tensed, and then sprang to the Tallbranch, claws digging for traction as he landed on the branch. "Let all cats old enough to climb trees gather beneath the Tallbranch for a clan meeting!" He'd heard the phrase a hundred times in his short life, but it felt weird to hear them in his own voice. This was real. He was deputy and this was his job now. And as the clan began to gather below him, he realized how much he enjoyed it. He turned and met Spottedstar's eyes, gratitude and pride evident in his expression, before he switched his attentions back to the clan.

Blossomkit was in the nursery when the summons came, and she looked back to her mother. With a smile, her mother nodded, nudging her out of the nursery and into the main part of the camp. Taking that as permission, Blossomkit stood straight and looked around, finally spotting Wolfcall where he sat in the Tallbranch. Fluffy tail waving as she padded to join the gathering crowd of cats, searching for her father, she wondered mildly what this meeting was about. Why wasn't Spottedstar up there? She was the only kit in the nursery still, and had been for a while it seemed. What was going on? Was something wrong?

Everyone seemed so calm, happy almost, so if there was something wrong no one else knew about it either. A low hum sounded in her throat as she settled next to her father, having finally located him in the crowd. Her gray eyes lifted to Wolfcall, shining with curiosity.

As the clan settled down below him, Wolfcall's eyes settled on one figure in particular - Blossomkit. He smiled, dipping his head in greeting to the striking little kit. "Blossomkit, please step forward." Wolfcall waited for her to do so, and then lifted his head to let his voice carry. "As you are now six moons of age, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Blossompaw."

He paused, letting that sink in before continuing. "Your mentor will be... Spottedstar."

Wolfcall smiled down at her. He had been tempted to mentor the little she-cat himself, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made for his father to. Spottedstar had seemed down lately, and perhaps a new apprentice would help. He looked over his shoulder again to lock gazes with the leader, and offer a short nod.

Suddenly, Wolfcall looked down at her, meeting her gaze. She blinked once before looking to her father, sure that she was mistaken and the deputies eyes were on him, but no, she was sure it was her he was looking at. Especially when he then smiled and dipped his head. Smiling brightly in return, she raised her tail slightly in a silent greeting, mimicking his action and dipping her head in return. He must just be happy to see her joining the clan, after all, she would be named an apprentice soon. As Wolfcall spoke once more, her head tilted as her name was called. She gazed at him for a heartbeat before everything clicked in her mind, and her smile widened as she stood and stepped forward until she was at the front of the clan, looking up at Wolfcall with bright, excited eyes. 

As her new name, Blossompaw, was bestowed upon her, her tail swished behind her slowly. In the pause that followed her name, she nodded to the deputy, curious about what would come next. Who would be her mentor? Wolfcall didn't keep her waiting long, calling the name of the cat who she would be entrusted to, and her eyes widened in surprise and honor. Spottedstar? As in, the leader? Her smile had faded as the ceremony continued, falling into a happy but serious expression. Now, however, it burst into a brilliant grin once more as she tilted her head, aiming it towards the deputy before turning to face her mentor. Meeting the tom's gaze, she waited until he approached before raising her nose to meet his. "I'll work really hard, Spottedstar. I won't let you down."

The leader watched his son carefully, nodding in approval whenever Wolfcall looked back at him. He was doing just fine as deputy, eager to please and quick to tend to his duties. Things would all turn out fine despite the recent shift in leadership. Spottedstar sat with his thick tail curled loosely around his paws, observing the deputy's first apprentice ceremony. His appointment as the new apprentice's mentor wasn't shocking considering that his latest apprentice had recently been made a warrior. He would have appreciated more time to nap, or perhaps sulk in his den under the guise of a nap, but he wasn't going to object to Blossompaw. She seemed so excited, after all.

He stood, padded to the youngest apprentice, and then tapped his nose gently to hers. "I expect nothing less from a bright young thing like yourself." It was half a challenge and half a compliment. So far, his she-cat apprentices had been more interesting than his single tom apprentice, although Foxfire had fallen out of a tree and broken his leg on their first outing. Spottedstar shrugged the thought away, figuring there was no one of a higher rank to punish him if he accidentally broke this next one, too. "We'll start in the afternoon tomorrow. I have something to attend to in the morning."