Eaglekit's Apprentice Ceremony

Little drifting snowflakes danced through the air, dusting the ravine white beneath the overcast sky - one of those oddly luminescent days, despite the cloud cover overhead. Everything seemed oddly light - whited-out, almost. The cold stung his paws, the lightly dusted surface of the High Rock looming above as he approached. Sadly, all that whiteness didn't get rid of the shadows lingering in the corners, their eyes as always fixed on any movement by the Clan cats. A cold touch landed on his nose, wrinkling it slightly, and he let his gaze focus resolutely back on the rock, his muscles tensing and then pushing off, scatters of frost disturbed behind him.

He could see his own pawprints trailing away from the rock, in the light cover of snow. Like the ghost of some cat had wandered through the camp, breaking off from other pawprints to approach the forbidden lump looming into the sky. His eyes sought the entrance of the nursery, half-obscured in the all-consuming dusting of white. How many more kits were there, again? A part of him jokingly played with the idea of taking them out to a different Clan and giving them to some other deputy to assign mentors to. Of course, the Asylum would hate that.

Maybe that was part of the reason he'd bothered to give it a thought.

A hint of a smile passing over his maw for a moment, he shook little crystals of frost out of his pelt and called the summons, fog misting from his mouth and wisping away into the air. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the High Rock for a Clan meeting!"

Eaglekit trotted out of the nursery with his head held high, freshly groomed tabby pelt gleaming in the dim leaf-bare sun.  After some of his younger siblings had gone ahead of him to become apprentices he had been starting to get anxious; would his turn never come?  Had that Asylum she-cat ordered that he stay a kit forever?  No, he knew it wasn't that; Minkstream would never listen to those fox-hearts!  A broad smile appeared on the young tom's face as he caught sight of the ginger and white tabby deputy on the Highrock, and he heart suddenly did flip-flops.  This is the moment I've been waiting for...I'm finally going to get to go outside!  I can start training, hunting, fighting...I can be a warrior, no matter what Asylum says!  Taking a seat at the very front of the crowd he waited, golden eyes shining bright.  He was ready!

The kit came out with his held held high, confidence in his pawsteps and gleaming in the gold of his eyes. A twitch pulled the corner of Minkstream's mouth up. This one's a strong kit. He'd heard of the incident a few days ago with him, his siblings, and one of the nastier Asylum pelts. Of all the cats they needed right now, one who was willing to stand up against Asylum and not be taken in or beaten down was in hot demand.

Hopefully the mentor he had in mind would be able to cultivate that.

Opening his maw, he let his voice ring, calling the young tom forward, "Eaglekit, step forward."

When the bi-coloured tabby had done so, little dustings of snowflakes floating down heedlessly onto his pelt, Minkstream continued. "Eaglekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and are now ready to join ThunderClan's ranks as an apprentice. From this moment until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Eaglepaw." For just a moment he paused, the floating white turning the clearing almost into a ghost of its former self making his words steam from his maw. "I will be your mentor."

Leaping down from the rock, the celebratory cheers ringing all around - oddly muffled in this white world - he padded forward through the light dusting of snow and touched his nose to the newly named apprentice's. A faint smile lilting one edge of his maw up, he mewed more quietly, "I'll begin your training at dawn. For now, settle in with your new denmates and enjoy your new status."

"Eaglepaw! Eaglepaw!" Songpaw changed, a purr rising in her throat. Apprentices! They were both apprentices at last!

When Minkstream called his name Eaglekit wasted no time trotting forward to stand before the crowd, the feeling of all eyes fixed on him exhilarating him rather than intimidating him.  This was his big moment, the start of his new life outside of the camp's walls, and he was ready to show ThunderClan how strong he really was...and Asylum as well.  As the ceremony began the bicolor tom's face never left the deputy's form; though it was snowing, the chills that ran down his spine when he was awarded his new name were not from the cold.  "Eaglepaw..."  He whispered the title to himself and smiled; it felt right on his tongue, more so than 'kit' ever had.

However, when Minkstream announced that he, the deputy himself, would be his mentor, Eaglepaw couldn't hold back his astonishment.  Mouth hanging wide open, he listened to the crowd start to cheer his new name as Minkstream leaped down to greet him, but he quickly managed to pull himself together. Don't just stand there like a moonstruck rabbit, you're the deputy's apprentice! Be confident!  His face dimming back down to a certain yet excited state, Eaglepaw touched noses with the ginger and white tom before pulling back, puffing out his chest a bit with an enthusiastic grin.  "Yes sir Minkstream, I'm looking forward to it!"  Dipping his head politely before he trotted away, he greeted his family with a proud smile and touched noses with Songpaw before flicking her with his tail.  "C'mon, give me the grand tour of the apprentice's den!  I want to find a good nest spot."