Flashkit's Apprentice Ceremony

"All cats old enough to catch their own fish, gather beneath the Willow Brach for a Clan meeting!" Ivystar yowled, already perched on the branch. Her fluffy tail dangled below her as she watched the Clan gather, waiting for a sizeable amount of them to approach before starting the ceremony. Things had definitely been... uncertain recently, with SkyClan still missing and the river still parched, but life kept moving, it seemed.

Flashkit was still a kit, but just barely, and she certainly wasn't going to let that little detail keep her from seeing what Ivystar had called a meeting for. She joined her swiftly gathering Clanmates, looking up at her leader with unrestrained curiosity. Would this be a warrior ceremony? An apprentice ceremony? Some other sort of announcement?

A tiny hint of hope passed her thoughts. What if it was her apprentice ceremony? She and her siblings were just about old enough now, right?

When the young she-cat padded out confidently, Ivystar nodded her head and began the ceremony. "Flashkit, please step forward." When the she-cat did so, Ivystar glanced around camp, trying to decide who would be best the best fit as Flashkit's mentor. Once she had someone in mind, she continued, "Flashkit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day onward until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Flashpaw. Addershade will be your mentor." She said, and with a flick of her tail she leaped off the branch, joining her Clanmates in celebration.

Addershade pulled himself  up to go greet his new apprentice. The warrior was thinner than normal, though with his already naturally thin frame, it was hard to really notice the difference. He hadn't been eating very well lately, and not just because of the dry river-- the death of his son had taken a toll on his already fragile psyche, and he'd found it difficult to muster the energy to do much other than grieve.

Still, he found himself feeling oddly pleased about being made a mentor again, and found himself filled with a small burst of energy as he walked up to Flashpaw. True, the dark-pelted tom hadn't much enjoyed being a mentor in the past. He had always worried about whether he was going to fail his apprentice, and he felt that too often he had ended up doing just that. But it would be good to finally have something to worry about other than Applefang's death.

"Hi, Flashpaw," he said as he reached the she-cat. "Congratulations on becoming an apprentice. I look forward to training you-- we'll start soon, okay?"