Moonkit's Apprentice Ceremony

Loonwhisper peered around the camp with ardent curiosity. The inner machinations of his mind were at dutiful work, piecing together every movement that caught his eye. If he interrupted a warrior's supper, or cut an apprentice short in the middle of a well-needed grooming, he was sure they'd be very annoyed. What an awful foot to get off on with RiverClan's newest deputy. Eventually, after what must have been a quarter day spent staring at his clanmates, he finally decided it was time to begin.

He ascended the Willow Branch in three long strides, waiting for a cat to notice him waiting. Why weren't they coming yet? It had seemed so simple when Ivystar did it. Suddenly, Loonwhisper remembered why they weren't coming. "Hoo, hoo!" he gasped before clearing his throat.

In a high, chiming voice, he spoke the invocation: "Let all cats old enough to swim gather here for a clan meeting!"

Naturally Moonkit had been sleeping and due to his long fur, he seemed to be a walking ungroomed tree. He stumbled out of the nursery and managed to snag his fur on branches and let out a little yip.
Once he was past that point of the branches he sat down and looked at Loonwhisper wondering what was going on?
He turned to his mother, Wisteriabloom, and asked what was going on.

Wisteriabloom was well aware that it was Moonkit's apprentice ceremony today, but her mind had been far away. Her thoughts spiralled in circles of how Snakekit still hadn't seen this ceremony, and that they would be very lucky if Echokit ever did. At Loonwhisper's call, she jumped slightly in surprise. Of course! She hurriedly woke her kit, and with a few quick licks, she tried to neaten up his long, tangled pelt. "It's your apprentice ceremony my little Moon! Let me just make you look at least semi-presentable." She did her best, smoothing out his silver tabby pelt with her tongue until it looked alright.

Moonkit looked up at his mother and tried not to squirm as Wisteriabloom groomed him. "My apprentice ceremony?" he squeaked. "Of course, is my siblings getting their apprentice ceremonies as well? As it is clan custom we should be apprenticed together." he pointed out as his mother continued grooming him.

To those who didn't know Moonkit he seemed to be shy, but since the sun was setting and the moon was rising he seemed to be a different kitten under the rays of the silver sun.

"Shh!" Wisteriabloom whispered as her son began to chat. No doubt, Loonwhisper would start soon and she didn't want to miss any of the ceremony. "I'm sure your littermates will join you as an apprentice soon, but for now it's just you." She hoped that the rest of her litter would be able to do this soon, completely freeing her of the nursery and of her worry for their health. Only time would tell. Her yellow-green eyes raised, she awaited for the deputy to begin.

Loonwhisper waited for the whole clan to gather around. When he was sure the last of the stragglers had noticed him, he peered down at the kit, who was now surely too big to crowd in the nursery anymore.

"Moonkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and you will now be an apprentice. From now on, until you are a warrior, you will be known as Moonpaw." Loonwhisper paused for a moment before seeking out the warrior he had chosen (with ample help from Ivystar) to be Moonpaw's mentor. "Wisteriabloom, you will mentor Moonpaw. You are honest and proud. You will push him, I think, to swim deeper and run quicker. Hoo-hoo..."

He wasn't quite sure what he was supposed to say next, and he was positive he had mixed up the words of the ceremony. But... everyone was still looking at him, so maybe he had missed a part. "Erm," he mumbled, shuffling his paws beneath him. "That's all."

And that was as much of a dismissal as anybody was going to get out of him. Loonwhisper leaped down from the Willow Branch and scurried past the gathered cats, off on his own business, leaving the ceremony far behind.

Moonpaw blinked his eyes. He was sure that those weren't the words of the traditional ceremony, but it was whatever. It was only mattered that he was made an apprentice....to his mother? He looked at her slighly confused but then a flash of happiness ran through him that he was able to go outside of the camp without permission. "Where do we start mommy?" he asked with a flicker of exciement in his blue eyes.

ooc: I'll pm you the training topic soon!

"Early tomorrow morning, get some sleep for tonight." Wisteriabloom said to Moonpaw. She had been a little surprised when named his mentor, but she guessed that she would need another apprentice sometime soon. It had been a while since Lilypaw had died. I was so young when I was given her to mentor. It had been mere days after her warrior ceremony, but there had been so many apprentices compared to warriors then that Ivystar and Stormbringer had had no choice. "Hope you enjoy your time as an apprentice!"

Moonpaw nodded and started to turn around but quickly changed his mind. "Mommy, why did the clan seem strange? I heard one of the other warrior's talking about how not having the right words can displease Starclan, but Starclan isn't real right?" he asked. He had never really believed in Starclan and found it silly that other cats that were supossed to be wiser and older than him believe in Nursery Tales.