Ravenkit's Apprentice Ceremony

"Let all cats old enough to climb a tree gather before me for a clan meeting!" Bloodstrike's voice rang out across the Skyclan camp once more. So far he felt like he had done an acceptable job of being the deputy of Skyclan, and he wasn't about to let it end anytime soon. He'd had to think for awhile on this apprentice and mentor matching, but once he was sure of his decision he had stood in front of the leader den and called his clan to him. The feeling was still exciting, but he could feel himself finally settling into the role of deputy. He hoped his father would feel the same about his position as leader. He patiently waited for Ravenkit and her mentor to be seen in the crowd gathering in front of him.

Ravenkit bounded out of the nursery, her eyes brimming with excitement. She had already let her mom smooth down her fur, and she felt as spic and span as ever. Her eyes glanced towards the deputy calling the meeting, her excitement only growing as more SkyClan cats showed up. They were about to see greatness unfold, she just knew it!

The crowd gathered and Bloodstrike smiled. Once he spotted Ravenkit, bounding around excitedly, he gave her a smile and a nod as well.

"Ravenkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to become an apprentice. From this day forward, until the day you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Ravenpaw. Your mentor will be Wrenspring. He's an even more experienced warrior than I am and he places the warrior code above all else. You are lucky to have him, and he is lucky to have you."

Bloodstrike's eyes then landed on Wrenspring and gave him an encouraging nod.

Wrenspring had padded over, settling down for what promised to be another ceremony. After his appointment to deputy, Bloodstrike had quickly taken up his duties with devotion and ease. It was respectable and reassuring the way he slipped into the role. The void left by Spottedstar's leave had been filled in a blink, and the gray and white warrior had a hard time placing whether or not that was a comfort. Regardless, he tried to not think much of it.

He settled down and flickered his crooked tail behind him in wait. One of Smokefeather's kits was called forward and presented with an apprentice name. It was good to see the clan growing once more in their territory, even if the forest itself was still hearing. Despite his experience and age, the tom hardly thought about being a mentor. But the words rang from the dark tom that stood before the clan. Wrenspring's ears flicked and he met Bloodstrike's gaze. Even if he had previously held the most mild of reservations about the younger cat's appointment, it had been quickly dashed away and he offered a grateful smile to his clanmate before getting to his paws.

"Congratulations." He meowed lowly to the newly named apprentice, a purr rumbling in his chest as he touched his nose to Ravenpaw's, "I can't wait to start training with you. We will patrol tomorrow, I'll show you the territory."

"Thank you, Bloodstrike," Ravenpaw mewled, barely keeping her excitement contained. It was like she had been hit by a bolt of lightning, and it was coursing across every patch of fur on her body. She was an apprentice now! That meant she got to go out and support the best clan in the entire forest! She wanted to go right that second: to hunt, mark territory, and unsheathe her claws on some dirty trespassers. She shouldn't be hoping that the other clans were stepping onto their territory, but she'd love to show them a thing or two and make them regret every messing with SkyClan!

"Thank you!" She couldn't even contain her excitement once she finished touching noses with Wrenspring. Now she had a mentor, and she couldn't wait to be taught everything there was to learn. "Tomorrow? Why can't we go today?" She was hopping on her paws, staring wide-eyed at Wrenspring. "I want to see every part of our territory! What if there's some dirty rat-faced ShadowClanners trying to encroach on us? We could take them!" Of course, she had no idea about Wrenspring's combat abilities, but if he was her mentor, they were probably the best of the best!

"Patience is key, Ravenpaw." Wrenspring's whiskers twitched at the abundant enthusiasm. He wished that he could channel it into some hunting but it was better to be well-rested since the warrior planned to trek most of the territory tomorrow. At her comment about Shadowclan he tipped his head and chucked lowly to himself. Being raised in the clans meant some obvious rivalry and disdain towards their neighboring foes. As an apprentice, he remembered the many tales of their battles and the strife that had driven a rift between Skyclan and Shadowclan. But it was his mother's friendship with the Shadowclan leader that had taught him there was a delicate balance between rivalry and opportunity. Every ounce of his pelt was devoted to Skyclan but the intricacies of other clanly friendships were not lost to him. Perhaps one day he could pass that down to his apprentice. For now, he dismissed her with a mild flick of his tail and a warm smile, "Rest up. You'll want to learn some battle moves before taking on any of the 'rat-faced' Shadowclanners. It was one of them that lead to my tail becoming crooked. But I'll teach you everything tomorrow."

"Aww..." She pouted for a moment, but she knew he was right. Once they were both well-rested, they could take on the entire territory - and any interlopers - without any trouble. Smiling brightly, her tailtip whisked from side to side as she tried to calm her frantic paws. "I'll take care of whatever rat-face did that to you, Wrenspring! I'll give them a clawing they'll never forget!"