"Cerberus's" Warrior Ceremony

Today was a unique day, to say the least. She was sure every cat would be keeping a wary eye on this cat in light of recent events, but she would not turn away a cat because of events completely unrelated to them. After all, this cat had done absolutely nothing wrong, so what reason did she have to refuse him? So today a new cat would be joining WindClan.

"All cats old enough to run the moors gather around for a Clan meeting!"

Sitting at the base of the tall rock, she found herself rather excited for this ceremony. The Clan was finally moving forward after moons of hardship under the tyrannical rule of the Asylum. It was like a weight was lifted off of the territories, an the old wounds were finally, FINALLY, starting to heal. She could not be any more thankful

Dawnhawk hadn't been in Windclan for more than a day or two... but he knew enough about being in a clan to know what a clan meeting sounded like. Run the moor... this is going to take some getting used to... It was weird, even if it did make sense for Lilacstar to say it. He approached the rock where she sat and plopped his own rump down on the ground to hear what she had to say. His feelings were mixed... This was the polar opposite of what Skyclan was, did and stood for. There was no way an outsider would have gotten inside Skyclan camp. Not alive anyway. Then there Windclan was accepting whatever story came along.

The more the thought about it, it was poetic in a way. A wide open moor was welcoming of anyone... whereas the claustrophobic forest only kept to itself.

I'm making myself sick thinking of Windclan like this... His eyes trailed over the cats that had gathered... on the she-cats in particular. I suppose Windclan is alright... as dirty as that makes me feel to say that.

"The winds have changed on the moors, and so have we. And I know it might be difficult to trust the cats who arrive on the moors looking for homes. But we must learn to welcome them as we have always done in the past. And we are going to welcome such a cat today." Her blue gaze traveled down to the black cat, Hollyhock's brother.

"Cerberus, you had approached me asking for a place among our ranks. Is that still your wish? Will you be willing to learn the ways of our noble code, and defend your new Clan, even if it is to cost you your life?"

Dawnhawk listened as Lilacstar spoke. He managed to keep his face neutral, but he almost couldn't believe what he was hearing. They were going to keep accepting outsiders... that was great for him, but if he were part of Windclan as a long term member, he'd be more than a little furious. Oh Windclan... oh Lilacstar... you are so trusting...

"It is my wish, and yes I am. He said simply, though he allowed a grateful smile to cross his face.

Softbreeze couldn't help but feel disgusted as.. Cerberus looked around, eyes resting on the WindClan she-cats in particular. There was something... Something... Something almost familiar about him, but she couldn't place it. She'd... Seen his face before. A face similar to his? Something... Something was off. But it wasn't her place to judge him, nor undermine Lilacstar. If he was to be believed, he was a loner. Softbreeze had absolutely zero problems with loners; she was half SkyClan herself, and many of her closest friends were former loners.

Still, she couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was.... Wrong. His pelt wasn't familiar, nor was his voice (though she had to admit, the accent was nice) but presence... Softbreeze shook her head, shrugging it off as paranoia. That's all it was. She was just anxious, and that was perfectly fine. Asylum had only just left, and she'd been impacted severely. She... Wasn't sure if she'd ever be okay again, honestly.

Cerberus had done nothing wrong; she was just nervous. He probably was a good cat, and Lilacstar clearly believed him. He wasn't Asylum, they were gone. Roe had took them and left and Eris was dead, so was Theron. WindClan was safe and Theron would never hurt another cat again.

Looking up, she gave Lilacstar a small nod. Even... Even if she wasn't Olivestar, she was doing great.

"Very well. Then with the approval of my Clanmates, I name you Nightwind. You have an iron-will and an independence that can mean great things in a cat. Use those traits to serve WindClan well. While you learn to navigate the moors, Shrikestorm will act as a mentor for you. May he teach you well."

As Lilacstar looked at her Clanmates, she was not surprised that they were not fully comfortable with this tom. Although the reason for this feeling went right over her head, as she simply assumed it was due to their very recent past. And so, she raised her head, beginning the cheer and hoping the Clan would follow suit. "Nightwind! Nightwind!"

Shrikestorm was not comfortable with this ceremony. They had just removed the Asylum cats from their lands, and they were already letting more loners in? He knew nothing of Cerberus, but how could Lilacstar so easily trust him? He sat near the back of the gathered clan, his expression neutral yet tight. Lilacstar was his leader, and he trusted her, but just like with Olivestar, he couldn't agree with what was going on. Imagine his surprise when the newly-christened Nightwind's mentor was called out.

His eyes were wide as he stared at Lilacstar, wondering if he had heard her wrong. No, she didn't know yet. After Olivestar had brushed him off all those moons ago, he hadn't yet gone to their newer leader with his misgivings, and the signs StarClan had given him during his Moonstone journey. This wasn't the time to do so, however. He wasn't one to make a scene where everyone else could hear. This was the kind of thing to speak of privately. Trying to shake off his misgivings, he stood up and padded over to the Tallrock, though he didn't chant Nightwind's name.

"Hopefully you will be true to your word," he murmured, cutting an intimidating figure next to the admittedly also intimidating Nightwind.

Dawnhawk was surprised with his new name... Nightwind... From Dawn to Night... Someone is messing with me... But it seemed genuine. It very well literally could have been purely due to his pelt color. He supposed it was a popular way to name kits, as Bloodstrike had named him Dawnkit entirely because of his brighter fur color. The announcement of a more or less mentor was even more surprising. Shrikestorm? He glanced around and saw a tom come forward. A bit of relief swept through Dawnhawk, though he was absolutely certain he was being messed with. Shrikesong had been a Thunderclan she-cat he had made friendly acquaintances with at one point... then they fought at Fourtrees.

When Shrikestorm spoke, Dawnhawk hardly reacted aside from a small half smile. So Windclan did have some smarter cats among them. "I eagerly await the day I can prove myself to Windclan." He dipped his head once as a sign of respect, then let the silence seal his lips.