Adderpaw's Warrior Ceremony

Tonight, he would be going to the Moonstone with Beechpaw, but before that, Wolfcall had one last thing to do. To no real fault of her own, Adderpaw's warrior ceremony had been long delayed. Her mentor's spottiness, the fire, and being displaced from their home for so long was mostly to blame, but his daughter was well overdue to become a full-fledged member of SkyClan. Perching near the entrance of the leader's den, on the stone near where the Tallbranch had once grown strong and thick, Wolfcall raised his voice. "Let all cats old enough to climb a tree gather before me for a clan meeting!"

They would be sick of hearing his voice soon, he was sure... there had been so many ceremonies, so many announcements lately, but SkyClan was on its way to healing, and that was what mattered.

Adderpaw sent a sideways glance towards her father. A Clan meeting, huh? She was about to look away again, assuming that it was the warrior ceremony of one of her nieces or nephews, but then noticed that Wolfcall was looking directly at her. With nothing better to do and her curiosity piqued, she sat down just behind the crowd.

Soon enough, the clan had gathered before him, and Wolfcall continued. "We gather here today to give one of our clanmates their warrior name, and rank - Adderpaw, please step forward," he began, smiling down at his daughter. "Throughout everything, Adderpaw has proven her resilience, independence, and tenacity, and is long overdue to become a full-fledged member of SkyClan."

Wolfcall sat, his tail twitching. "I, Wolfcall, 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 as a warrior to you in turn. Adderpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Adderpaw hesitantly stepped forward, shooting a half-baked glare towards an unfortunate kit who was staring at her scar with its mouth wide open. Brat. She stood before her father, head raised to meet his eyes.

She almost shrugged in answer to his question, but realised in the nick of time that that wasn't the answer he was looking for. She wasn't so sure about this pledge. At the cost of her life? Hardly. But embarrassing herself in front of the future leader of SkyClan wasn't on the top of her priority list if she was being honest, so she played along. Trying to look genuine, she slowly nodded. "I do," she mouthed.

He noticed her hesitation, and contributed it to nerves, which was normal. He nodded slowly as she agreed. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Adderflare, SkyClan honors your skill and loyalty." He slid down from the rock and padded forward to touch noses with his daughter, then rubbing his cheek along hers affectionately. "Congratulations."