Murkypaw's Warrior Ceremony

It felt almost strange to even think about doing a warrior ceremony with ShadowClan being in the state it was in. But...Perhaps it was only a sign of how truthful Iniko's words had been - for as much as they had new, strange eyes watching them...Life was continuing. Somehow... Barely. It was hard to accept, mostly with his daughter's disappearance. He had known Cinderpaw hadn't been pleased with having to take up Mothglow's spot - but to disappear so soon after he had surrendered...It was enough to make him question if he had truly done the wrong thing in trying to keep his Clan as safe as he could. But there was little to think about - he had to focus on the Clanmates still there, as much as his heart ached at the thought of his missing daughter.

"ShadowClan, gather in the shadow of the Jaggedrock."

Everything was so.... Strange. The cat that had spoken to her just a few nights ago, Marshcloud she thought she remembered his name to be, had offered wisdom and advice. She wasn't sure how to take it all, honestly. Asylum cats were still surrounding them, watching ShadowClan's every movement, and she hated it. She walked around, standing tall and performing her regular duties, even taking on extra patrols or aiding with the care of the elders even when not requested, but when she lay down at night her fur prickled with unease. The fear she had felt when the StarClan cat had spoken to her lingered in her mind. Today, she had been preparing to grab a lizard and a frog for the elders from the fresh kill pile when Flintstar's voice resounded through the camp. She hesitated for a moment before grabbing the prey quickly, rushing over to deposit it near where the elders were gathering with a small smile before joining the swiftly growing crowd of clan cats. It seemed the asylum cats weren't going to join, persay, but they were certainly watching. Her fur prickled at the thought before her eyes turned up to look at Flintstar, curious as to what he had to say.

For as...Calming as the takeover was, there had been one thing that had posed a problem - the inability to go to the Moonstone. It had often been the moment that he would know if a cat was ready to become a warrior - it was customary for every apprentice to get wisdom from StarClan before they received their warrior's name. It hadn't been his plan for this moment to arrive, but after quite a peaceful night of rest, he had awoken with a...Feeling. A feeling that it was now time to welcome a new warrior. "I call you all here to witness an apprentice rise to the rank of warrior. Murkypaw, please step forward," he meowed as he spotted the apprentice. He waited a couple heartbeats for her to step forward, before he continued on. "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. Murkypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" The question felt...Odd to say, with events as they were. That...Was the vow that they had all made, to protect their Clan no matter the cost. His choice to surrender was to protect ShadowClan - he had the option, he didn't want to risk lives but yet...

No, he was certain he had might the right choice. They had been outnumbered and outmatched. To surrender was the best choice - there would be no ShadowClan to protect if he had thrown all of his warriors' lives away in such a foolish choice.

Murkypaw blinked in surprise as Flintstar called her name, and for a heartbeat their eyes met. She looked up at him, still a bit shocked - she hadn't told anyone about her dream yet, but perhaps he had his own? That must have been it. What else could explain it? She stood, padding forward solemnly, grateful that she had taken the extra time to groom her tail that morning. When she stood before her leader, the clan, and the Asylum cats, a shiver ran down her spine. She was going to become a warrior. She stood silently as he said the usual ceremonial words, paws tingling with excitement as this unexpected, but welcome development. "I do." She mewed in response, her gaze fixed on Flintstar's. Her voice didn't waver, and though she didn't look at them her answer seemed pointed almost, as if aimed directly at the strangers that watched silently in the shadows. They may be around for now, but she would train harder than she ever had, and be the best warrior. That way, if and when the day came, she would have a paw in ridding ShadowClan of these unwelcome visitors for good.

Flintstar nodded as Murkypaw said the simple words, relieved by the lack of doubt in them. It was a hard time for all of ShadowClan - they were being allowed to continue on with their lives, but that only raised the question for how long it would be allowed like this. Would this be their fate forever? Part of him hoped not, but he wasn't sure what they could do against the large forces of Asylum. It would be thoughts for later, he had a ceremony to finish. "Then by the powers granted to me, I give you your warrior name. Murkypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Murkystrike. We honor your kindness and determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of ShadowClan." As he finished, he hopped down to rest his chin on her head, letting her soak in her Clanmates cheering her new name.

"Murkystrike! Murkystrike!" Mistyfalcon joined in his clanmate's calls for the newly-named warrior, though the shadowy figures around camp still made him uneasy. It was hard to reconcile how much had changed recently, it hadn't seemed all that long ago when he'd met the curious kit who had wanted to help look for the missing kits, although Cinderpaw had shoo'd him back to her den with an aggressive sort of protectiveness before he could do much more than offer to watch over Murkykit's small frame. Now Cinderpaw was gone, so soon after Asylum had taken over, and Murkystrike had been named a warrior. The young she-cat deserved her moment to be untainted by everything that was going on.

"Congratulations, Murkystrike. You've earned this." Mistyfalcon found himself towards the fron of the crowd, stepping forward to congratulate Shadowclan's newest warrior, before seeming to melt back into the shadows.

Flintstar announced her new name, and Murkystrike smiled slightly as the clan raised their voices to welcome her. She bent her head for Flintstar to rest his chin on her head, and as he stepped back she nodded respectfully towards him. Turning to face the rest of the clan, she was pleased to see a familiar face. "Thank you, Mistyfalcon." She purred as he disappeared back into the crowd, slipping into the shadows of the camp. Maybe she should seek him out for a hunt or something when they had time, she thought to herself before turning towards the camp entrance. After the vigil, and catching up on the sleep, I'll talk to him... Maybe.