Daypaw's Warrior Ceremony

With each new warrior to grace WindClan's ranks, Olivestar could feel her pride in her Clan growing more and more. While the Asylum continued their reign over the Clans, the gray leader was trying to come up with plans as for how to oust the intruders, and so far, the only things she could come up with were plans that involved lots of catpower that they didn't yet have. Still, each new warrior was one step closer in the direction that her, admittedly, undeveloped plans were going, but that was a matter for another time, she mused, as she made her way up to the top of Tallrock via muscle memory. As had become the trend for the late-season Clan meetings, the leader skipped her customary moment to admire the place she called home and the cats that she shared it with, opting for brevity so that she could escape the biting cold more quickly.

Taking a deep breath of cold air, she called out the very familiar summons.
"May all cats old enough to run the moor gather beneath the Tallrock!"

While Daypaw's long fur did act as a small barrier against the weather, she could still tell that the days were getting colder as time went by. She shivered a bit as she shuffled over to join her Clanmates under the Tallrock upon the leader's command. Olivestar was a cat that Daypaw admired. Despite everything that was happening in the Clan between handling the Asylum, holding ceremonies, and engaging in regular leader duties, Olivestar seemed to be carrying that weight on her shoulders well. The apprentice wished that she had almost half of the courage that her leader did. A sigh left her maw as she sat down amongst the crowd of WindClanners and Asylum cats and lifted her head slightly. She couldn't help but wonder what this meeting would be about. It couldn't be an apprentice ceremony, so would one of her denmates be receiving their warrior name today?

After his talk with Daypaw, he'd been certain. She was ready. He'd made a beeline towards Olivestar's den that night once Daypaw was out of sight, and informed her he felt she was ready. But even now, as Olivestar stood calling out to the Clan, Downtuft had his worries. Would Daypaw still obey him the same in battle if she was no longer his apprentice? Stars, he hoped so. She was still inexperienced and he didn't want her to get hurt. What if he was wrong? What if she wasn't ready? But as she stood there, her brown and white fluff blowing in the wind, he knew she was ready. Finchstar would think so as well.

"Stand tall, Daypaw. You wouldn't want to slouch on a day like this," Downtuft could hardly mask the excitement in his mew, and as bold green met soft green, he grinned. He never was good at keeping secrets.

The Clan gathered below Olivestar at her call, like clockwork, and with a smile, picked out the apprentice in question, and her mentor beside her in the crowd. When Downtuft had come to her, letting her know that Daypaw was ready for the next step, and she couldn't be happier to be the gateway into her next chapter in life. When the crowd had grown to a good size, she continued.
"Daypaw, step forward."

Giving the apprentice in question time to heed her words, she kept speaking.
"I, Olivestar of WindClan, ask my fellow Clanmates to look upon this apprentice. She’s trained hard to understand our ways, and I commend her to you as a warrior in return." she looked down at Daypaw, pride in her gaze. "Daypaw, do you promise to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Daypaw silently looked over at Downtuft as he joined her below the Tallrock. She was unsure as to why he seemed to be bubbling over with excitement, but disobeying him was the last thing she planned on doing. She quickly fixed her posture and straightened herself up. To say the least, it wasn’t the most comfortable position, and the she-cat was almost certain she was drawing unnecessary attention to herself. Hopefully this meeting would end as quickly as possible.

Hearing her name come out of Olivestar’s mouth was like an awakening. No wonder Downtuft had seemed so joyful today... this was her own warrior ceremony. With the eyes of her Clanmates and the Asylum cats focused on her, she was in no position to stumble and act nervous. She was becoming a warrior, not an apprentice, and she had to act like it. The apprentice rose to her paws and took the necessary step forward after she was asked to. She had heard these words a few times before when some of her former denmates had been ranked up to warriorhood, and she was well aware that she would have to listen to those words herself one day, but she didn’t think that it would be today.

She felt unfit to be a warrior. No matter how still she remained, it felt as if she was shaking. It wasn’t as if she could turn down her own ceremony, though. There was no time.
“I do.” Daypaw nodded, trying her hardest to raise her voice despite the fact that she was naturally quiet.

Offering a reassuring smile to Daypaw below as Olivestar picked up on the apprentice's nerves, she watched as Downtuft murmured to her, and though the leader couldn't hear the words, she knew that they were words of encouragement. She could sense the warrior's excitement regarding his apprentice, and she knew that he'd trained Daypaw well. When the two little words of her vow graced the air, a little uncertain, but strong, the leader continued speaking.
"Then with the approval of my Clanmates, I give you your warrior name. From this moment on, you will be known as Dayspring. Like the light that springs up with the sun every morning, we honor your kind nature and the endless patience you have for everyone and everything, and I am proud to welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan.”

She then leaped down to the ground to stand beside the new warrior and her former mentor, and with a reassuring smile, began the traditional chant.
"Dayspring! Dayspring! Dayspring!"

Dayspring couldn’t help but smile as Olivestar announced her new name. She absolutely loved it. In that moment, all she could focus on was the sound of her new echoing through the air and being chanted by her Clanmates, but the back of her mind was racing. There was more to being a warrior than having a fancy name. There were new responsibilities, worries, and even the possibility of an apprentice. It was all terrifying to think about, but all she could push herself to do at the moment was smile and nod for her Clanmates. There was no point in ruining the mood of her own ceremony. There would be plenty of time to overthink later on that night when she joined the warriors to sleep.