Fawnpaw's Warrior Ceremony

OOC: This is going to take place before the deputy ceremony as per Ripped's request to have Fawn a warrior when the deputy was named.

Warrior ceremonies had been held in WindClan since the dawn of time, but this would be the first Lilacstar would be holding herself, and she was both thrilled and terrified. She did not pay much mind as she padded up the tall rock, not wanting to live the memories it held. She had to move the Clan forward, and that meant she could not live in the past.

The cat who would be receiving his name today was definitely an eccentric one, but Eagletalon had said he was ready, and she trusted the warrior's judgement. "Let all cats old enough to run the moors gather beneath the tall rock for a Clan meeting!" Her words rang out through the camp, and for a moment Lilacstar was shocked. She had not known she could be so loud. But she supposed she needed to be heard by her Clan.

The lanky tom padded forward with his chin high, a natural confidence radiating from his handsome coat. In the past few moons, Fawnpaw had grown both taller and leaner, strength obvious. Instead of looking like an unseasoned apprentice the tom was ready to take on the title of warriorhood. Bright blue eyes met their newly named leader. She was young but so was he, perhaps making him a candidate for such positions as well. There was a glint in his gaze as he settled back on his haunches to wait for her to speak once more.

Dayspring (who had... definitely been there the entire time) glanced down at Fawnpaw with a tiny smile on her maw. The she-cat was nowhere close to joining the elders' den, but seeing the soon-to-be warrior in front of her made her feel as old as ever considering the fact that she had been familiar with Fawnpaw since he was a kit. No matter how anxious Dayspring felt in that moment as she stood before the Clan, she kept her expression calm to prevent sharing her fear with anyone else. Warrior ceremonies were one of the most important rituals that the Clans of the forest shared, and she wasn’t about to mess it up for this apprentice.

“Fawnpaw, please step forward,” Dayspring began, desperately hoping that the words she was about to say were correct, “I, Dayspring of WindClan, ask my fellow Clanmates to look upon this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of our code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in return. Fawnpaw, do you promise to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

He looked at the she-cat, a glint in his gaze. For now he was merely receiving the name of a warrior but in the future he would stand where Dayspring stood now. There was no hesitation in his voice as he looked to her then the sky above. Starclan. He'd heard their name whispered here and there, mostly muted in Windclan and stifled by Asylum. But there gleaming power was something he admired with no time to find fear. Great warrior of all clans wore star-studded pelts and he had already spoken to one. There was a flicker of his tail tip as he return her look evenly, "I do."

With a nod to Dayspring, Lilacstar continued."Then from this day on, you will be known as Fawnstep. With every step you take, you have always kept your Clan in your heart, and we honor your enthusiasm and dedication, and welcome you as a full warrior of WindClan."

She bounded over to the newly-named warrior, resting her nose upon his head, before raising hers once more do begin the cheer. "Fawnstep! Fawnstep!"

Fawnstep. His head raised high, stretching to betray the true length of his lean frame. Perhaps the young tom thought if he strained high enough he could touch the stars as he vowed to one day do. There was a broad grin that crossed his maw as he sought out his sister and allowed his eyes to trail through the gathered cats. Each one would have to see the kind of warrior and tom that he was; they would grow to respect or fear him over time. Bright blue eyes were even slates of cold ice as they regarded the Asylum cats. To this day, he still was uncertain of his position towards them. Their strength he both resented and respected. Fawnstep was overwhelmed with a desire to make it his own and strike terror into hearts like nightstrikers did. But he was also churning with the longing to crush them beneath his claws. A growing flame of ambition and lack of direction fueled the tom. He craved something greater than the fractured parts of Windclan to call his own. After a brief pause, the handsome warrior dipped his head to Lilacstar, "Thank you. I'll show you what a true warrior can do."