Thrushpaw's Warrior Ceremony

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

It always felt good to be welcoming a new warrior to ThunderClan’s ranks, even more so when that new warrior was one’s own apprentice.

Thrushpaw would be Nettlestar’s second apprentice to earn her warrior name. Second out of three, which the silver-gray tabby supposed wasn’t too terrible a rate. Still, she very much wished she could have seen all three of them earn their warrior names. And it was not without a touch of grief that she remembered that of her three apprentices, the one who had passed on was her own little brother.

But she couldn’t think of that now. What mattered was that Thrushpaw had made it, and would be getting her warrior name, not that someone else hadn’t and wouldn’t.

Nettlestar stood with a glimmer of pride in her green eyes as she waited for the crowd to gather. Thrushpaw had been a good apprentice, and she would surely make a good warrior in turn. This was a good day.

Thrushpaw had woken to an electric energy in her stomach, sparking through the rest of her body with each breath she took. Though she lingered by the fresh-kill pile, she didn’t touch it. The bundle of emotions in her gut made her doubtful she could keep anything larger than a finch down, much less focus long enough to finish it. Her mind was on one thing, just one thing. It was time for the inevitable. She’d spoken to the stars; she’d passed every test; she’d been the third of her litter to enter the apprentices’ den, and today, she’d be the first to leave it. To put her nest beside those of her parents and Pinefrost. To hear what “Thrushpaw” would become as it changed for the final time, turning as solid as “Mermurr” had always been.

Before long (too soon, at last), a voice rang out from the Highrock. Nettlestar had taught Thrushpaw well in motions and mindset, but Thrushpaw had picked up some other things along the way—namely, how to recognize the glow of pride in her mentor’s face. She thought she could see it now as she approached the towering stone, gaze fixed on the cat atop it. At first, the idea of being a deputy’s apprentice had been intimidating, but she felt she’d risen to the challenge, and this was proof. She sat, curling her tail around her paws, and waited.

As Kestrelpaw took a step back into camp, a nice squirrel hanging from his jaws, he was just in time to hear Nettlestar's voice sound throughout. His head tilted in curiosity before he hurriedly deposited his catch on the fresh-kill pile and joined the rest of his assembling clanmates. He searched the leader's face for any indication of what the meeting could be about. He found something akin to soft delight on the she-cat's face. Perhaps even pride? The only thing he could think of that would garner such emotions would be a ceremony. Specifically a warrior ceremony. It could even be Thrushpaw's. It made sense since she was the leader's apprentice and had been due for her's. He couldn't help his own pride swell in his chest. His sister might be receiving her warrior name today and Kestrel couldn't be happier for her. He had a long way to go before obtaining his but he didn't mind. He wanted his family to succeed.

The apprentice settled down and anxiously awaited for Nettlestar to reveal what this meeting was about. He secretly hoped his speculation was right. His sister definitely deserved to join the warriors. She had worked very hard to be where she is now. If this was really her ceremony, this'll be one of the very few occasions he was willing to make some noise, cheering Thrushpaw on and being the supportive brother she deserves.

The stately gray she-cat's eyes swept across the gathered crowd until they landed on Thrushpaw herself, whose gaze was locked on her as she stood on the Highrock. For a moment, her green eyes met with her apprentice's, and then she launched into the familiar words.

"Thushpaw," she said, calling out to the she-cat, "Please take a step forward. I, Nettlestar, leader of ThunderClan, 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. Thrushpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

For all the time Thrushpaw had spent thinking about this moment, it took hearing her name from Nettlestar’s mouth to truly make it real. Her heart skipped and started up again, thumping twice as fast as before. At her mentor’s instruction, she pushed herself up and stepped forward on frost-white paws to stand alone at the foot of the Highrock. What felt like every set of eyes in camp settled on her shoulders. Still—or maybe because of that—she refused to look away from Nettlestar. The words drifted through her ears, registering just beneath her awareness the way they had for every other ceremony she’d witnessed. Her name and the vow pierced through the fog in her head. Then, silence.

Behind her, a sea of ThunderClanners waited. Somewhere in that sea sat her family.

Thrushpaw, Mermurr, closed her eyes. She was many things, excited and nervous and, yes, even afraid—but before any of that, she was ready. Looking up at Nettlestar once more, she spoke, more aware of the sound of her voice than she’d ever been in her life: ”I do.” As she said it, she realized it was true, and so it came out steady.

Nettlestar nodded at her apprentice's steady response. Their gazes met again as Thrushpaw looked back up at her.

"Then, by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Thrushpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Thrushnose. StarClan honors your curiosity and determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan,"


As the chanting of Thrushnose's warrior name began to fade, Nettlestar left her place on the Highrock to offer her now former apprentice more personal congratulations. She truly was proud to welcome the she-cat into the ranks of ThunderClan's warriors.

"Congratulations, Thrushnose," she said, greeting the new warrior. "You were a good apprentice. ThunderClan is certainly lucky to have you among our warriors,"

Ah-ha! He had been right! Kestrel couldn't be more thrilled! He settled down and watched intently as Thrushpaw's ceremony commenced. When the big moment arrived, he couldn't help but look on in awe at how ready she looked to be. She was steady as she stood and for a moment, she seemed just as regal as Nettlestar. He held his breath but immediately let it out as his sister's voice came out just as steady as she herself. Nettlestar thought well too by the way she gave an approving nod when Thrush had spoken the two little words that would change her life forever.

As soon as she was given her warrior name and the leader's voice rang out one final time to signal the end of the ceremony, he jumped to his paws and hurried over to the newly-named Thrushnose. His excitement and pride clearly evident on his normally stoic face. "Thrushnose! It suits you. Congratulations dear sister! I'm proud of how far you've come." His soft voice held an infectious amount of joy. He pressed himself against the she-cat, clearly wanting to offer his support to his beloved sibling. She was going to do great things. He had the feeling.

Hidden under the ceremony’s final words (curiosity and determination, things she was more than proud to be named for), the tabby murmured her new name to herself, testing how it felt on her tongue. It would be an adjustment, as all things were, but she liked the sound of it. Thrushnose. Something strong. Something she could live up to. As the crowd erupted into cheers, a wide, slow smile spread across her face. She remained where she stood, alone at the Highrock’s base, as Nettlestar leaped down and padded toward her. With Nettlestar standing so close, the look on her face couldn’t be mistaken for anything less than pride. Thrushnose’s smile softened. “Well, I’m lucky to have you as a mentor.” She bumped her forehead against the older she-cat’s shoulder. “Thank you.”

Hardly a heartbeat after she pulled away from her mentor, Kestrelpaw broke free from the crowd and dashed toward her, pressing himself against her side. He’d never been particularly expressive—something Thrushnose could relate to—but his excitement was obvious to her long before he opened his mouth. ”Thanks, Kerath.” Purring, she rested her chin between his ears. It would be lonely not sharing a den with her siblings anymore...but they'd catch up to her before long. Besides— ”Just think, we might get to patrol together soon.” Maybe she could even lead that patrol, now that she was a warrior.

Daris slinked out of the apprentice den right in the middle of the ceramony. He was sleeping but luckily he managed to his sister become a warrior. Thrushnose. That sounded like a good name.

He quickly ran besides brother, batting Mermurr playfully with his paw. "Congrats! Just what I'd expect from my older sister!" Pride welled in Daris' voice, his eyes wide with happiness. Soon he'll be able to join his sister and they could be warriors together!

Pinefrost watched from the side with a smile as Thrushnose's siblings offered their congratulations. While he'd beaten his best friend in the race to warriorhood, the she-cat was still older than him, and therefore his senior. There was a quiet respect in the tom's green eyes as he padded his way through the crowd, a handsome grin on his maw. "I was worried you'd never find your way to the warrior's den. It's been boring without you, I've had to listen to the oldies talk for days!" Pinefrost bumped his head into Thrushnose's, gazing once again into the scars on her back. It hadn't been too long ago when she'd saved him from that dog... but there was more adventures to come ever still. He was glad he could share them with her. "Finish your vigil early tonight, eh? We can put spiders in Beecloud's nest. He's been way to contemplative lately." With a wink, Pinefrost pulled his head away to stare into his best friend's eyes, glad to know such a grounded and intelligent cat as Thrushnose.

The call rang through the camp, and Minkstream's head rose from the prey at his paws, his ears coming to attention as they landed on his leader and flicked to his daughter quickly abandoning the fresh-kill pile. A flicker of electric eagerness sparked in his chest, and he felt a smile pull at his maw as he abandoned the shrew he'd taken. There was no doubt in his mind, this was his daughter's ceremony.

He watched as she stepped forward, his heart filling with pride, a rumbling purr vibrating through his frame as he caught his mate's eyes, brushing her pelt with his own. Just a hint, just a flicker of melancholy ran through the liquid pride in his veins, a current of sadness that somehow made the sweet sweeter as Mermurr took up her warrior name - the name she had always been destined to have, his own yowls mixing with the voice of the crowd rising to the clear sky. "Everything moves so quick," He murmured, the bittersweet memory of his own warrior ceremony - not quite the same as this - coming back to mind. Some part of him still ached at the thought that it should have been RiverClan, it should have been the river and the reeds that he had taken his own for, but.... It's not worth thinking about. Not now.

As her friends and mentor crowded around her, he waited for a moment and then padded forward, his white paws pressing softly against the grass. A purr rumbled in his chest as he came up and nuzzled the top of her head - now a lot taller than the little kit in the nursery. "I'm proud of you, warrior. Thrushnose. It's got a nice ring to it, huh?"

He threw a quick sideways look at Pinefrost as the other tom came up, a hint of wry humour in his eyes as he grinned. "Careful what you say about those oldies - last I checked they had a habit of growing their own bugs."

Almost anyone could see the connection between the two young warriors - co-conspirators to the very end, and maybe something more. Almost like me and Bat, The dry thought ran through his head. But that was for the future, distant days. Whenever those might be.