Spiderpaw's Medicine Cat Ceremony

The sun had just completed it's descent, tendrils of swirling hues displaying a mix of magenta, purple, and orange. Leaf-Bare had finally released the forest from its deadly grip, sheathing its claws until the next Leaf-Bare rolled around. It was a relief to see the snow melt away, watering the flowers that were waiting to sprout in their beautiful shapes and colors beneath. The true beauty that surrounded RiverClan was simply ironic, however. They'd just suffered the loss of their dear medicine cat, torn from them by the teeth of a snarling, beastly dog. It had done just enough damage that the she-cat was unable to carry out her duties, and was forced into the elder's den as a result. Ivystar's heart was broken, because she was supposed to be there to prevent such things- to protect the former medicine cat. She'd failed at her job, let down one of her closest friends... And that stung.

As the she-cat herself had said, though, a new dawn was among them. Mistleshine was confident enough in Spiderpaw's abilities to declare him ready to receive his full medicine cat name- Something Ivystar was unsure how to feel about. In her heart, she knew that the tom was more than ready and capable to take the Clan into his loving paws, to heal the wounds left by his mentor. But her heart also ached at the thought of Spiderpaw growing up. The leader knew that there was no stopping it, but receiving his name only made it official- her little spider was leaving the nest, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it. Nonetheless, she knew how much he deserved it. Departing from her place in her best friend's nest, Ivystar approached the medicine cat den slowly, wounds still pulling at her skin a bit. Spiderpaw would be waiting for her, and they could set off towards Highstones together to receive his name and rank as RiverClan's new medicine cat.

Spiderpaw stood anxiously at the entrance of the medicine den, full of anticipation. His paws shuffled restlessly, itching for herbs to sort. He really needed to break out of that habit. His mind inevitably shifted to thoughts of Mistleshine. He would've been making this journey with her tonight if it hadn't been for the injury. Now, she slept soundly in the elders' den. He hoped she'd be proud of him regardless, she'd worked hard to get him here after all.

His eyes darted about the dark, looking for an ever-familiar grey tabby. As he waited, various thoughts danced about his mind. Am I really ready? What if StarClan doesn't show up? What if I disappoint everyone? Did Dewshine really make a mistake all those moons ago? What if-

His train of thought was interrupted by Ivystar's presence. He smiled as confidently as he could given his nerves, brushing his shoulder against Ivystar's in greeting. "H-hi! How are you? Are you r-ready to go? How are your wounds? Are you sure you can travel?" Countless questions came tumbling out of his mouth, egged on by his anxiety and a little spark of elation at the concept of his ceremony. He was becoming a real medicine cat tonight. He'd make his Clan proud. Maybe.

Ivystar's maw curled slightly into a smile when Spiderpaw greeted her, a nervous wreck no doubt. But it was a part of them that she loved, and she always would. "I'm fine, son." It was a blanket statement intended to answer each of his four questions, and she looked at him with proud eyes. "Have you eaten your herbs already? If so, then I see no reason to stand around waiting." Spiderpaw had already given Ivystar a bundle of her own a little earlier, which she'd wolfed down gratefully. She'd proceeded to visit Honeytongue and Stormbringer in their nest (which had quite a ring to it that the silver leader seemed to enjoy- it was their nest now) before setting out for Highstones.

There was the littlest bit of worry in the she-cat's chest, knowing the situation that had taken place at the medicine cat meeting this moon. It was getting warmer now, though, so hopefully, they could still make the journey to the Mothermouth so that Spiderpaw could receive his name.

Spiderpaw smiled at his mom's response. It still felt weird to call her that, but he really had to get used to it one of these days. He gave a small nod at Ivystar's question, gesturing vaguely at the herbs behind him. "Yep, I have! Let's move out then?"

As they began to make their way out of camp, Spiderpaw sticking close to his now-mom for comfort, the usual flurry of anxiety began building up in the pit of his stomach. He was scared, weirdly enough, despite also being incredibly excited. Was this normal? If Mistleshine were here, he'd have been able to ask... A sigh escaped his mouth. He looked up at the motherly green gaze of the RiverClan leader. "Uh, Ivy- er- mom? When you h-had your leader ceremony, were you sc-scared? But like, really happy also? Sorry if I'm being weird, I just..." His voice gave way to yet another soft sigh. He pressed closer to Ivystar, thin pelt meeting her soft grey fur.

Nodding gently, the she-cat began making her way out of camp, with Spiderpaw close behind her. This long walk was no stranger to her, and she didn't mind it. It was good to get out of camp and to see things she wouldn't on a normal day, and to help out in what ways she could. Ivystar had to admit, though, Spiderpaw calling her mom caught her by surprise- referring to him as her son had come so easily, so naturally, but she'd never expected him to truly catch on. It wasn't a bad thing, though- he'd been born right around the time she'd lost her only litter of kits, so perhaps in his own way... He was her blessing in the midst of a hurricane. Listening intently to his question, she simply flicked her tail in acknowledgment, taking a moment to think about it.

Finally, she responded, "I was not ready to become a leader when I did. I didn't know how to run a Clan properly, and I had only been a deputy for a few moons when Torrentstar was k... When Torrentstar passed." Perhaps speaking about StarClan's treachery when they were making a trip to speak with them wasn't the best idea. "I'm sure you recall, everyone was horrified. We didn't know what had happened to him, except that it was awful. So yes, son, I was scared. I didn't know what to expect coming into leadership, especially at such a confusing time. But I knew that I'd chosen this path for myself, and I had a duty to my Clan... To you and all of our Clanmates. I couldn't give that up in the time you all needed me the most." Laying her tail on his back gently, she looked up to the stars for a moment. She'd never spoken such words out loud before. It was strangely comforting, but she also felt awkward about it. "If I had come into leadership under different circumstances, perhaps I would've been... Happy. We can never know." She hoped it would encourage Spiderpaw, rather than scare him even more.

Ooc: apologies for the late post!
Spiderpaw nodded along, not really understanding but nevertheless calmed by Ivystar's soothing voice. So, she wasn't ready when she became a leader. That wasn't altogether surprising, he thought to himself. Torrentstar's mur- uh, death was sudden. He didn't see it coming, nobody did. He understood why his mom didn't feel prepared. But she had a reason. Why did Spiderpaw feel so unprepared? This wasn't sudden, it was going to happen no matter what Mistleshine's situation was. He knew it would happen from way back when he was a kit. Back when--back when Torrentstar was still alive. He sighed for what felt like the billionth time. He really needed to stop doing that. Just another habit to add to his list. As he pondered, they walked briskly through the twilight in the direction of Highstones. The little tom was grateful for the long journey, as it gave him time to think about things. What was, what is, what could be. He just hoped nothing would go wrong.

OOC again: time skip, if that's alright :3

Spiderpaw's feet ached as he climbed the last few steps towards Highstones. He sat almost instinctively as he did during medicine cat meetings and looked at his leader, awaiting instructions or encouragement.

Ivystar gave the tom a little nod of encouragement, taking in the silence as they walked. It had never bothered her to walk silently alongside the apprentices, as it gave her time to actually think about... whatever she wanted to. Sometimes that wasn't the best for her, but she supposed in those times it was better than having to speak with the apprentice she was escorting, who was usually dying to know what was on her mind. Looking briefly up to the stars, she uttered a small prayer practically inaudibly, hoping the best for her son when they finally arrived.

When they approached the Mothermouth, she simply ducked through the entrance and beckoned for the tom to follow closely behind her. When the duo finally reached the Moonstone, Ivystar wasted no time on beginning his ceremony, as she knew that the poor tom was nervous. "I, Ivystar, Leader of RiverClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice, as he has trained hard to understand the ways of the Medicine Cat, and with your help, he will serve RiverClan for many moons." Offering a small grin of encouragement, Ivystar continued the ceremony, her whiskers twitching as she spoke. "Spiderpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of the Medicine Cat, to stand apart from rivalry between Clan and Clan, and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?" Emerald green eyes met the amber ones of her son before her, patiently awaiting his answer so that she could complete the ceremony, and he could speak with StarClan.

Spiderpaw followed his mom through the familiar dark tunnel leading to the Moonstone. His thoughts had finally settled, leaving only a faint sense of anticipation for what was to come. Once they reached the glowing blue stone, Spiderpaw sat down and listened intently to Ivystar with his ears pricked and a nervous but excited smile on his face. It didn't take much thought to answer her question. He wasn't sure there was even more than one response at this point. Just as he had done all those moons ago, he took a deep breath and answered. "I do, I promise."

Nodding her head, the she-cat excitedly presented the tom with the new name she'd chosen for him, knowing the significance behind it and hoping that he would approve. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your full name as a Medicine Cat. Spiderpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Spiderquill. StarClan honors your perseverance and kindness, and you are welcomed as a full Medicine Cat of RiverClan." She smiled as she gently touched her chin to the tom's forehead, settling down next to the stone and urging him to do the same, before falling into a deep sleep.

Spiderquill's heart swelled with joy at hearing his new name. It carried immense nostalgia, a reminder of what he had gone through and how far he had come to get to this point. Spiderquill. Spiderquill. He repeated it in his head, trying to get used to the feeling. It didn't feel real yet. He grinned at Ivystar, trying to resist the urge to cry with joy. Just about keeping it together, he clumsily bumped his nose into the Moonstone and settled down next to Ivystar. He hoped he'd see Dewshine again, she was nice. An ever-so-familiar hot-cold sensation ran down his spine as his eyelids fell shut.

Spiderpaw's eyes sprang open as soon as he awoke, eager to take in the beautiful glimmering plane he had grown so accustomed to. Instead, he was met with a misterious, cold mist that sent a shudder down his spine. He looked around the grey expanse in search of anything not covered by mist, heartbeat quickening when it turned out to be in vain. Was this meant to happen? Did Mistleshine go through this too? His breathing rate rose with his heart rate; it felt like there was no air to breathe at all. Which, he supposed, there wasn't. He managed to choke out a quiet "H-hello?"

Satisfaction glimmered in the fluffy RiverClan leader's eyes, and after a few moments watching the newly named medicine cat squirm, she stepped forward slowly. "Congratulations, Spiderquill." Vixenstar's voice was practically dripping with satire, her feathery tail waving lightly behind her. A few more steps forward and the she-cat found herself nearly nose-to-nose with RiverClan's newest healer, narrowed amber eyes locked on his. "You have an easy job, little one," Vixenstar curled her tail around the smaller tom's body, bringing him closer to her starry form. "Listen, and heed." Her words were hushed to a whisper, yet it seemed like they echoed through the small clearing in the mist where the two cats stood. "Good luck." With those words she rose to her paws, walking away from the tom and back into the mist from where she'd first appeared, leaving him to interpret her seemingly meaningless words on his own.