Blossompaw's Warrior Ceremony

Spottedstar stepped from his den dutifully, more than a little excited for the ceremony that he was about to start even though he stifled his energy. It had been several moons since SkyClan's last warrior ceremony. His youngest, Juniperpaw, should have had his sometime recently, but a lack of drive and inability to focus kept the black tom in the apprentices' den. Blossompaw, however, had showed wonderful initiative and dedication to learning her role in the clan, and soon she would be rewarded for it. "Let all cats old enough to climb a tree gather beneath the Tallbranch for a Clan meeting!" Spottedstar yowled after ascending the Tallbranch in a single powerful leap.

Blossompaw limped towards the center of camp, the wound at her shoulder still in the process of healing from the chunk the snake had removed. Her pelt was sleek and shone in the sunlight, and she wondered if maybe this summoning was for what she hoped it would be. It had been a long time since a warrior had been named, and a shiver of excitement ran up her spine as she looked around at the gathering cats. If this was her ceremony, would Wolfcall be here?

Wolfcall trotted into camp breathlessly, his ears catching the end of the summons to a clan meeting. Oh, he hadn't missed it! Thank the stars. When Spottedstar mentioned Blossompaw would be having her warrior ceremony today, his first thought was to bring her a gift, and so he'd gone out in search of one. He was returning now with the fattest squirrel he'd ever caught clenched in his jaws - it wasn't as thoughtful a gift as he was hoping, but on such short notice it'd have to do. Besides, she'd need a full belly to sit her vigil, right? And there would be plenty of time in the future for more gifts.

Making his way over to where the clan was beginning to gather, he caught Blossompaw's eye and grinned through a mouthful of squirrel, dipping his head to butt her shoulder affectionately as he approached. The deputy settled beside her, placing the squirrel on the other side of him and swiping his tongue around his jowls. "Wonder what this is about?" he said, not at all convincingly.

Seeing Wolfcall and Blossompaw sitting together made Spottedstar nervous. It was a good kind of nervous, though. He watched the rest of the clan fill up the camp clearing and then cleared his throat, quieting the mumbles from his clanmates. "We gather here today to give one of our apprentices her warrior name and rank. Blossompaw has proven herself worthy to climb the ranks of SkyClan and receive her warrior name. Step forward, Blossompaw." He commanded, looking down at her with a proud smile. "I, Spottedstar, SkyClan's leader, call upon our ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Blossompaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?" Surely they had StarClan's favor after all those seasons of dedication. They would bless Blossompaw this day.

Wolfcall appeared in the camp's entrance carrying a massive squirrel. Her eyes lit up as he noticed her and made his way over, a grin spreading across her face. Purring as he butt his head to her shoulder, she nuzzled his ears gently with her nose as he settled down. Her stomach twisted nervously as she cast another glance towards Spottedstar, and was a little surprised to see his eyes on the two of them. Had he noticed the show of affection? "I'm not sure, but Spottedstar seems in a good mood today, so hopefully it's something good." And maybe my ceremony she thought to herself, turning her attention back to Wolfcall. "I see you finally caught that squirrel though, from the creek?" She teased lightly, brushing her shoulder against his as Spottedstar called the meeting to order.

He started out with the customary words of a ceremony, and hope continued to twist in her belly as he said her name. It didn't register at first, but after a moment of looking up at her mentor and leader her grin widened and she stood, limping slightly despite her best efforts as she moved to stand before the clan and Spottedstar himself. "I do." The confirmation came without any hesitation or doubt, she had worked so hard for this day and she knew that this was what she wanted, what she sought. To be a warrior in SkyClan, and as she cast a glance back to Wolfcall, she hoped that she might be able to do so at his side.

Honeypaw trotted out of the medicine den, specks of herbs still clinging to her pelt from her task she had taken a break from. She always had trouble keeping track of the world around her whenever she was in the zone organizing herbs, but she had made sure to keep an ear out today for Spottedstar's call. Of course, her work had suffered just a little bit as she didn't give her task her total concentration, but she could always rush through the rest of it after the ceremony. She knew she couldn't miss her best friend becoming a warrior.

'Of course you do, Blossompaw. I know you mean it.' Approval shined in the leader's eyes as he looked down at his apprentice. She'd put her own body between Honeypaw and a snake without a second thought. Every warrior ceremony Spottedstar had the pleasure of performing since his appointment as leader had been deeply meaningful and made even the darkest days bright, from Foxfire's ceremony to Basildrop's and now with Blossompaw. Was this what it meant to be leader? To look down upon one of your clanmates on their proudest day and desire to scream their accomplishments to the stars? In any case, Spottedstar would say the ceremonial words calmly out loud but wildly in his heart.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Blossompaw, from this day on you will be named Blossomstep. SkyClan honors your determination and resilience." He called her name out loud and proud. Then he was back on the ground before the newly named warrior, resting his scarred muzzle on her head. "You must have had an excellent mentor, Blossomstep. I'm quite impressed." He meowed with a smirk, then backed away to allow the clan to congratulate her.

Gray eyes gleaming as Spottedstar looked down at her, she was practically shivering with excitement as the ceremony continued. What name would she get, Blossomleap, Blossomfoot, Blossom... Spottedstar's voice cut through her thoughts. Blossomstep. It was perfect. Tears threatened the corner of her eyes as he honored her before leaping to stand before her, resting his muzzle on her head as she licked his shoulder respectfully, a choked purr coming from her throat. "The very best, Spottedstar." As her mentor stepped back, she turned to face the rest of the clan, her eyes finding Wolfcall where she had originally been sitting. Her smile widened as she looked at him, and then her eyes found another familiar pelt in the crowd. Honeypaw had made it! Her purr grew louder as she looked to the rest of the clan, a feeling of completeness washing over her. This was her home, it always had been, and always would be.