Ashpaw's Warrior Ceremony

Flintstar sat perched on the Jaggedrock, paws kneading at the hard rock beneath him. "ShadowClan! Gather beneath the shadow of the Jaggedrock!" he called, curling his tail to hide his shifting paws. Yet another apprentice was reaching warriorship, their numbers were steadily improving and any worries he once had seemed so far away. In the wake of The Righteous Few, they were thriving. He had done everything he could do protect his Clan, and even if it had come at the cost of bloodshed...They were surviving. They were going to be okay and that was all he could ever ask for. Every new warrior was a little less of a burden on his shoulders, the knowledge that ShadowClan was heading toward a better tomorrow.

But first, a new warrior had to be named.

Ashpaw rose to her paws from where she had curled up in her nest. Shaking out scraps of moss from her pelt, she padded out of the den and to the Jaggedrock, where she sat and wrapped her tail neatly around her paws. Wondering what Flintstar would announce, she quickly groomed down her pelt, smoothing down her fur.

Ebonysong padded out of the warrior’s den, hearing Flintstar’s call for a clan meeting. I have a feeling this is either a warrior ceremony or something serious to be addressed to. Whatever it was, she was going to be joining just in case. She smoothed down her dark grey fur and watched Flintstar attentively, waiting for him to continue.

As the Clan settled into their places, he raised his head to address them all. "I call you all here to witness another warrior ceremony. Ashpaw, please step forward." He was certain it wasn't a surprise to any of the cats that there was another ceremony and he found himself quietly wondering when the last time ShadowClan had been at such strength. Even when he was little it seemed that their Clan was almost just big enough to survive - that they were lucky that they had enough to stand against SkyClan and the few ThunderClan that had lend aid to the tree-hopping Clan. But now, they had both numerous apprentices and warriors. Their size was growing steadily... It was...Nice, to see his Clan thriving.

He shook his head, turning his mind back onto the matter at claw. Ceremony, right. Ashpaw had stepped forward and he spoke the words he had been saying a lot recently - and words he was sure he would repeat again and again in the coming moons. "I, Flintstar, leader of ShadowClan, 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 her to you as a warrior in her turn. Ashpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Of course Redwolf had to be out of the camp at the time that Flintstar called the Clan together for another ceremony, and she trotted into camp, mouth full of prey, to hear the ceremonial words directed at her apprentice. Tossing her prey onto the pile, she quickly joined in the crowd gathered below the Jaggedrock, Ashpaw having stepped forward, about to take the oath that would designate her a warrior. Redwolf felt a little sense of joy fill her as the knowledge that Ashpaw had proven herself to be a capable warrior from her teaching, and despite being a little late, she was glad that she made it before Ashpaw had taken her oath, so that she could witness it herself.
You've made me proud, kiddo.

Ashpaw muttered something quietly when she heard Flintstar say the first words for another warrior ceremony. Another apprentice is gonna become a warrior before me, she grumbled. Then she froze. It's my ceremony. Cool. She stepped forward and waited for her leader to finish speaking. "I do," she mewed solemnly, without hesitation.

There as a flicker of movement that caught his attention as Ashpaw stepped forward, glancing off to the side to see that Redwolf had managed to arrive in camp in time. Ah, good. Perhaps he should have waited until he was certain she was in camp but he hadn't been sure when she had left...At least she would be here to witness her apprentice gain her name. He dipped his head towards Redwolf before he turned his attention back to Ashpaw as she spoke the important two words. "Then by the powers given to me, I give you your warrior name. Ashpaw, from this moment you will be known as Ashflame. We honor your determination and enthusiasm and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan."

With that, he jumped down to personally welcome her as a full warrior, going through the cycle of resting his chin on her head before he drew back and jerked his head in the direction of Redwolf. It was a joyous moment for the Clan but also the pair - to have Ashflame's training complete was a sign of pride for both the newly named warrior but also her mentor. Now they were equals and hopefully that bond would remain strong so that they could help ShadowClan thrive together... The stronger the bonds between Clanmates, the better. He didn't understand feelings but he knew how important they were. He wasn't about to dismiss their strength simply because he had trouble grasping them.

Ashpaw listened intently to Flintstar's words before licking his shoulder respectfully. With that done, she turned and bounded towards her mentor. She wanted to screech to the sky and bounce around the clearing, but that wasn't appropriate warrior behavior. At least, she thought so. "I'm Ashflame now," she mewed instead, unable to express how elated she felt.

With a smile, Redwolf watched as Ashpaw took her vow and became Ashflame. When Flintstar led the chant, the red warrior stood and joined in.
"Ashflame! Ashflame! Ashflame!"