Quietkit's Apprentice Ceremony

Bloodstrike lie in the medicine den, easing his eyes open to the mutterings outside of other warriors. "Who was going to do apprentice ceremonies now?" "Quietkit is old enough!" He even heard something about Dawnhawk among those mutterings, but Bloodstrike didn't quite catch it. So... they haven't named a new deputy have they? Bloodstrike glanced over at Beechface and noted that she was still sleeping. The giant tom quietly got to his feet and ignored the slight spinning in the room. He licked a wet tongue over the chunk of his missing lip and wet his exposed fang to the best of his ability. He crept out of the medicine den and looked around, noting that a few of the Skyclan warriors were giving him nervous looks and a wide berth. Been awhile since you've all seen something this pretty eh? He thought grimly to himself, even allowed a tiny, morbid grin to cross his face. To everyone else it probably looked more like a sinister snarl.

Ignoring the uneasy clanmates for now, Bloodstrike approached the leader's den. He had to think for a moment and remember how to call clan meetings and how to perform apprentice ceremonies. He leaped on top of the den, somewhat clumsily as he got used to the fact that his tail was far shorter than it was when he was born now. Pull yourself together you waste of space! Bloodstrike scolded himself mentally. He then turned his attention to the camp and bellowed out loudly,

"Let all cats old enough to climb a tree gather before me for a clan meeting!" His voice was far more hoarse than he remembered it, but he still managed to project it well enough. That would do for now. Another thing he hadn't considered... he forgot most of his clanmates and didn't know a few. Oh right... apprentices need mentors... Foxdung!

Quietkit glanced up as she heard Bloodstrike call out into the clearing. Wait when was Bloodstrike able to call meetings? Wasn't that Dawnhawk's duty- oh wait, Dawnhawk wasn't deputy anymore. He, the Asylum cats, and her dad were all gone. Never to be seen, quite possibly, again. A shaky sigh came out from Quietkit, as she padded towards the slow gathering of cats.

And then she tripped.

Quietkit let out a meek sigh, as she got back up on her paws. She quickly bowed her head and apologized, before sitting at the edge of the crowd.

Bloodstrike had a brief moment of panic with not being able to remember some of his clanmates. There was Redfall... he remember him just fine. His mother, his father, Smokefeather... but she didn't seem like she'd be up to the task for now. Dawnhawk was gone... though he'd never give that tom an apprentice ever again even if he was still around for some reason. Copperfox had one... Quietkit, he assumed... appeared and gathered below him. She tripped. Maybe this was awful... but Bloodstrike felt a bit of relief that he wasn't the only one having a hard time during this ceremony. What was better was that she looked up at him, not frightened by his appearance or outwardly judging him for it.

Bloodstrike turned his head to the left to hide his torn lip and licked at his exposed fang again, suddenly dry now that he had thought about it.

"Quietkit, step forward. You have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to become an apprentice. From today until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Quietpaw. Your mentor will be me." Bloodstrike named himself in a hurry. He wasn't in the best shape just yet, but he felt like he could handle training an apprentice. He needed to stop laying around in the medicine den. He'd done enough laying around in his cell. It was time to toughen himself back up again and carry the weight of being Skyclan's deputy. He had shirked his duties for too long, being a prisoner of war.

Bloodstrike jumped down off of the leader's den and his elbows and knees buckled under him more than they should have for such a small jump. He grunted and forced himself back up to full height. He took a few steps toward Quietkit and touched noses with his new apprentice.

"We can start whenever you'd like." He tried to smile at her, but then realized it probably looked more like a grimace. He looked away quickly, as if he were distracted by something. Oh what have I done... Beechface is going to love this.

Beechface groaned quietly as she woke, one eye cracking open as she slowly lifted her head from her paws. She was exhausted. Bloodstrike's recovery was something she never hoped to have to experience again. And yet, as slow and agonizing as it had been for both caretaker and patient, he was improving. He was nowhere near 100% yet, and each day he spent in the medicine den had made him grumpier than the last... But he was improving.

And he was not in his nest like he should have been. Panic had the medicine cat snapping awake, ears flicking back as she shoved herself out of her nest and towards the den entrance.

Where she promptly stopped, and stared. What in Starclan's name was he doing on the top of Wolfstar's den?

And then she caught sight of sweet Quietkit... Was this hare-brained tom performing an apprentice ceremony? Dark gaze narrowed, locking on Bloodstrike as he called the kit forward. He gave her a mentor... Himself. Her eyes narrowed even farther, tail lashing back and forth as her feet were able to move again.

"Congratulations, niece." She mewed, lightly nuzzling the top of the newly named apprentice's head before her gaze snapped back towards Bloodstrike. A slow smile spread across her face.

"Excellent idea, dad. I'll even join you." Her tone left no room for argument. If he was going to disobey her orders, she'd at least be there to see that he didn't hurt himself... And she could enact retribution for what he'd put her through the past few weeks. Was she petty? Beechface would happily admit to it. But someone needed to watch over their deputy, and that someone was going to be her.

((OOC: heyyyy let me crash this :D Beech will be following her idiot father around for the time being, assume she lurks like an npc but more annoying [and silently judging every move Blood makes]))

Bloodstrike practically summoned the medicine cat by thinking about her. He stood up straighter, defiantly even. As she announced that she'd be coming along, Bloodstrike stared at her, unimpressed.

"I suppose you'll be good to carry all of the prey Quietpaw and I will be catching. Stars know you're big enough." Granted, Beechface was the same size as Bloodstrike. At this point she was considerably heavier though, as he hadn't quite regained all of his strength back from eating bare minimum for an entire season. Still, his message was clear for his daughter that he knew just wanted to keep an annoyingly close watch on him: If you're going to stay, you're going to work.

Quietkit softly smiled as she gained her new name. Quietpaw. Didn't fit at all with her being clumsy, but she kinda liked it. Sure it wouldn't be her perament name, but might as well the name she'll for the next few moons. She touched noses with Bloodstrike, her new apparent mentor, and attempted to puff up her chest. It looked more like she was meekly breathing in. She quickly nodded at Bloodstrike's words. "O-o-okay, sir!" She stammered out, her attempt at being confident, going rather badly.

She turned her gaze towards her aunt, thanking her. "T-Thank you, Auntie."