Jaypaw's Warrior Ceremony

Nettlefire watched the camp from the Highrock. There was a light breeze blowing, just barley enough to lightly move her fur. It was quiet for the most part, save for the ever-present sounds of the forest.

Nettlefire was doing something she rarely did-- hesitating. With Oakstar still sick, it still fell to her to conduct warrior ceremonies for the time being. It wasn't that she was worried about messing up the ceremony-- she had already done one before, so she wasn't worried about that. But this was-- an apprentice who had lost their mentor, their parent. And Nettlefire was sure that would impact the tone of the ceremony. And she just wasn't very-- very good with these sorts of things. Her father would be able to handle it-- she wasn't sure she'd be able to. But she couldn't not do it. So, taking a breath, she made the call.


"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highrock for a clan meeting!"

Jaypaw was sprawled, half-awake, in a patch of sunshine, near the warriors' den. The past several days had passed in a haze of grief and pain... he couldn't sleep, not without seeing the faces of the StarClan warriors who had appeared at the gathering, wondering if it was those very same cats who'd killed his mother, who'd ended her life without mercy or regard for what it'd do to him, his siblings, the rest of ThunderClan. He'd wake, panting and frantic, unable to even attempt sleep again for hours and hours. He hadn't eaten, and the gnawing pain in his stomach had long since faded dully into the background.

On this particular day, he'd been up late again, and was managing to doze... if only slightly. Nettlefire's voice registered as distant background noise, and he almost disregarded it, but the minute chance that this could be something about StarClan - about the murderers who had taken his mother from him - made him lift his head. He was a bit too far away to easily hear what the meeting would be about, so he dragged himself to his paws and padded to sit near the back of the gathered cats, forlorn gaze fixated on Nettlefire's form.

Nettlefire watched Jaypaw approach. The look in his eyes was most certainly not that of an apprentice excited for his warrior ceremony to begin. She didn't know if he'd even registered that this announcement could be his warrior ceremony.

"We are here to welcome another apprentice into the warriors den," she said, her pacing as slow as she could make it without it sounding off, hoping that Jaypaw would notice her eye contact as she spoke and understood that he was about to be called forward. She didn't think she had the power to make this ceremony feel less...solemn, but she realized completely springing it on the young tom would probably make it worse. So she hoped he saw her acknowledgement, and had a moment to ready himself before she called his name.

She allowed a small, natural pause to rest between her words.

"Jaypaw, please step forward," she began, then continued on, "I, Nettlefire, current deputy of ThunderClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Jaypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

He caught the deputy's eye. Oh. This was for him. His warrior ceremony. This was supposed to be a joyous occasion, his achieving the biggest goal he'd had in his short life so far. From apprentice, to warrior, and from here, the next chapter of his life was to begin.

Nettlefire called upon their warrior ancestors to look upon him. And just then he swore he could feel their burning, starry gazes on his pelt. Jaypaw's gaze hardened at the question posed then. Defend his clan. Uphold the code. Could he do that? Could he swear himself to the code created and upheld by the cats who had murdered Dacedream? No. No, he couldn't. The warrior code... StarClan... had failed her. And he would no longer go above and beyond for either.

But necessity demanded he answer one way. And so Jaypaw dipped his head, doing his best to look humbled despite the burning rage in his gut.

"I do."

Nettlefire watched the light in Jaypaw's eyes harden for a moment as she spoke the words of the ceremony, and worried for a moment he was going to say No, and then she'd have to figure out how to respond. Nettlefire was a big proponent of the idea of "honesty", but whatever the tom was thinking...she had to admit she was glad he'd just said I do and let her move on with the ceremony.

"Then by the powers of StarClan," Nettlefire continued the ceremony, having to restrain herself from wincing at the mention of StarClan. She was sure that wasn't sitting well with Jaypaw.

With everything going on...the words of the ceremony ring a little false, don't they?

"I give you your warrior name..."

Names were important. Nettlefire knew that better than anyone. Her name was the thing that had freed her from the grips of the anger and frustration she'd felt in the aftermath of her accident as an apprentice. It had been her way of taking the thing that was causing her pain and showing the world that she wasn't afraid of it. She didn't know what Jaypaw's thoughts were like. She didn't know if a name could help him like it had helped her. But still, she figured: names were important.  

"Jaypaw, from this moment you will be known as Jaydream. StarClan honors your tenacity and determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan,"


As the ceremony wound down, and Nettlefire left the Highrock, she debated whether she should approach the new warrior and more personally offer-- what, her congratulations? Her condolences? Both? She just didn't know how to approach something like this. So she stood, stuck in her place, just...watching the crowd disperse.

A tiny, shocked gasp came from the pale tabby apprentice as Nettlefire gave Jaypw the warrior name of his mother. Dacedream. This was her best friend's son; it was only right to cheer for him, no matter how badly she wished to denounce the stars he'd sworn 'loyalty' to. "Jaydream, Jaydream, Jaydream..!"

He could almost read the pity in Nettlefire's eyes, and Jaypaw averted his gaze as she continued her dialogue - the same words that rang out at every apprentice's warrior ceremony since the dawn of the clans. To Jaypaw, they were sweetened lies. He knew StarClan didn't care about him, or any other cat.

"Jaypaw, from this moment you will be known as Jaydream..."

The rest of Nettlefire's words faded as he tuned out. Jaydream. That was his warrior name. He couldn't decide whether or not the rush of feeling that overtook him then was pleasure or pain. He knew he'd never supersede his mother's shadow. And he didn't want to. But now, at least, he had a part of her with him always.

He closed his eyes, took a breath. Opened them to stare at the deputy, dipped his head in thanks. And then the typical chanting of his new warrior name started, led by Stormpaw. Jaydream stood and turned to look at her, then brushed past, his head nudging her shoulder in thanks.

And then he exited the camp.

Cherryblossom had been out hunting, and it was of course, right at that time that Nettlefire called a Clan meeting. Tossing her prey onto the pile, she hurried over to the group to catch Jaypaw's "I do."
This is his warrior ceremony! Of course I was out of camp when this started...

She watched intently as Nettlefire continued talking, and named her brother Jaydream. She felt tears well up in her eyes at the new name, and chanted as loud as she could,
"Jaydream! Jaydream! Jaydream!"