Sparkkit's Apprentice Ceremony

Dawnhawk had heard enough from his hidden scouts that had listened to the conversations of Flowerthorn, Foxfire, and their brood. Dawnhawk had thought the look his gave Flowerthorn would have convinced her to wisen up a bit, but as was typical of emotionally charged she-cats, it did nothing to deter her attitude. Very well then. Dawnhawk would remind her of his position just as much as she would be reminded of her's today. Foxfire seemed to have a fairly good head on his shoulders that passed down to Sparkkit. It was the only thing that had convinced Dawnhawk to spare Sparkkit's life. A rabbit pelt infected with a nasty case of greencough very easily could have ended up in the nursery, but Dawnhawk refrained from giving that order for now.

He padded out to the clearing in the camp and let his voice be heard once more. "Let all of those old enough to climb a tree gather before me for a clan meeting!"" The nightstrikers closed in around the clearing as they always had anytime they heard him announce clan meetings. Most of them were no longer here out of curiosity, having seen a few apprentice ceremonies at this point. Now they were once again just here to enforce order, if needed.

Spark-kit fancied himself a thoughtful cat. He wanted to do what was best for Skyclan and his family, even if it meant playing nice with Dawnhawk. Thus, he'd groomed his white and ginger pelt to perfection and even remembered to straighten his whiskers. He may not be here to impress the rogues, but he still wanted to show that he cared and held his head high as he padded toward the center of the camp. He was quite bitter about the Asylum being in their home, but not nearly so much as most of his family. He didn't remember a time when the rogues weren't in the camp...but that didn't mean he would give his loyalty to (or trust) the odd cats. He would play along...for now. If not to remain out of trouble, then to help Skyclan. If they ever overthrew the Asylum, they would need cats on the inside. Spark-kit hadn't put a great deal of thought into it...but perhaps he could be that cat.

For now, however, he needed to focus on what was happening in this moment. He was going to become an apprentice. A brief tinge of excitement shot from his ears all the way to his tail-tip at the thought. Hopefully, Dawnhawk would appoint him to a kind, respectable mentor. A warrior like Foxfire. Spark-kit stopped to look up at Dawnhawk, eyes narrowed ever-so-slightly. He couldn't decide how he should feel about the traitorous cat. His mother said to avoid and distrust him, but his father had told him to remain friendly even if he didn't like the rogues or Dawnhawk...quite confusing indeed.

The crowd gathered, but Dawnhawk no longer cared as much as he used to. He had gotten used to their obedience, and day after day their resistance had become less and less. Dawnhawk's eyes, the color of the sky if it was ablaze, set upon Sparkkit. The young tom had no idea how close he had been to death just last night. No one knew. Just Dawnhawk and one of his guards who knew where the pelt was buried.

"Sparkkit, you have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to become an apprentice. From today until the day you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Sparkpaw." Dawnhawk looked around the crowd, acting as if he hadn't chosen this kit's mentor already. Oh how he loved to force anticipation on others. After a few heartbeats, he was satisfied. He approached Sparkpaw with a dangerous gleam in his eye, more meant for Flowerthorn if she was watching, which he was sure that she was.

"Your mentor will be me." Dawnhawk spoke the words with a smooth, chilling calmness. Not waiting around for objections, he touched his nose to Sparkpaw's. "Your training will begin now. I prefer to hunt while the sun is still fairly close to the ground. I'll give you a moment to let those who wish to congratulate you to do so, then we go." Dawnhawk sat down and waited patiently. His eyes searched for Flowerthorn's once more. Once he caught them, a half smile played across his face like a serpent slithering out of it's crevice. I'll bring you all to heel, one way or another. If I have to take your children from you, I will.

Spark-kit was peering up at Dawnhawk with uncertainty in his eyes. There was something in the older tom's gaze that disturbed him. He wasn't sure what it was. Maybe ambition...maybe something else. Either way, he couldn't judge Dawnhawk's character based on one single meeting. He shuffled forward a bit when his name was called, ears pricked attentively as he received his apprentice name. It was a bit...lackluster to say the least. He's heard about how kits used to be apprenticed and he was somewhat disappointed that he wouldn't get the same treatment. His tail swayed back and forth against the ground as he waited to hear who his mentor would be. His mother would mentor Flashpaw so maybe he would be mentored by Foxfire? That would be nice.

Of course, when Dawnhawk announced that he would be Sparkpaw's mentor, the world almost dropped from under the newly named apprentice's paws. What? That...that couldn't be right. Why would Dawnhawk choose to mentor him? Was it because he was more tolerant of the Asylum than his littermates? Sparkpaw hesitated before reciprocating Dawnhawk's action, noses touching. He leaned back, still shocked. What would Flowerthorn think? Would she be mad at him?

It wasn't ideal, but the tone Dawnhawk held didn't give room for negotiation. So, with a determined set to his jaw, Sparkpaw took the news with stride and nodded. "Thank you Dawnhawk...I look forward to training under you." He spoke in a clear, friendly tone, but without much enthusiasm. It would be painfully obvious if he pretended to be overjoyed by the news, so he didn't bother trying to lie about it. Hopefully, that wouldn't come back to haunt him later. Slowly, Sparkpaw turned to accept the congratulations from his clanmates. He smiled throughout it all, despite the worried looks. He would have to tread carefully with Dawnhawk as his mentor. That is...if anything Flowerthorn told him as a kit was true.

Flashpaw's jaw dropped as his brother's mentor had been decided. He would never say it to his face, but Flashpaw though Sparkpaw was the weakest of the siblings, so he had taken the role to protect his brother. How was he supposed to do that with this piece of fox-dung (pardon the language) as his mentor?? Dawnhawk said that the Asylum wanted to help, but this was CERTAINLY not the way to do it!

Shooting daggers at the deputy-wannabe, Flashpaw made his way over to his brother, resting his tail on his back. "I'd say congratulations, but I am finding it hard to see any good in this. Promise me you'll take care of yourself, bro, okay? And let me know if you need me to claw any throats out." His voice was barely loud enough to be called a whisper, but he was pretty sure Dawnhawk knew what he was saying to his brother. Flashpaw had made his dislike of the traitor very clear.

Leafpaw sat and stared at Dawnhawk. What could he possibly want with my brother?

Leafpaw gave a lick to her brother. Whether his mentor was a traitorous train wreck or not, she was proud of him becoming an apprentice. She wouldn’t let this foxheart take that from her.

Sparkpaw accepted the lick from Leafpaw and ran his tongue over the top of her head in return. He smiled slightly at his sister before turning to Flashpaw, eyes wary. He knew just what his brother thought and while he appreciated the worry, it sometimes made him feel that Flashpaw thought he couldn't handle things on his own. He relaxed at Flashpaw's tail on his back, muscles going slack. He snorted softly and shrugged. "I have to agree...but I'll just have to make the most of the situation." His eyes softened and he gently butted his head into Flashpaw's shoulder. "I will. Take care of myself and keep you updated I mean...same goes to you, y'know?" He and his more headstrong brother didn't always see eye to eye, but he stilled loved Flashpaw regardless. Flashpaw would have his back and he would do his best to have Flashpaw's.

OOC: omg late sorry, accept this edgy post))

Mistykit glared at her siblings who had been apprenticed before her, and then still as she watched the last of them become an apprentice. Looking downwards at her paws, she couldn't help but notice her smallness compared to those who were her direct blood. Why am I not an apprentice yet? She recollected her younger moons and remembered how much she succeeded, but why was she not good enough now?

The words of her mother rang back in her mind and so did the words of her worried clanmates; the Asylum and Dawnhawk were at the root of it all. She did not believe they were as big a threat that everyone else did, and still believed that she would be able to survive in the world of the Asylum. "what are you even worried about?" she muttered under her breath quietly, and scornfully sent glares to the back of their head's. She knew they didn't hear her and it didn't matter if it had, there was an inherent divide between flashki-paw, leafpaw, sparkpaw and her. Thinking about it led her to unsheathe her claws, digging into the earth, the hatred didn't feel natural but yet something pushed her to employ that way of thinking.

Sighing, she sheathed her claws and returned to the nursery, the weight of her shame pressing down on her shoulders as she slunked into it's dark depths.