Turtlepaw's Warrior Ceremony

Once again, Ivystar found herself sitting atop the Willow Branch, observing the slight hustle and bustle of camp below her. From where she sat, things felt distant and almost as if she wasn't part of the same world anymore. She was able to watch her Clanmates as they went about their business, see the way things moved and worked when she wasn't looking. It was interesting, and she never quite got tired of it. With a low sigh, she fluffed out her fur and called out, "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Willow Branch for a Clan meeting!" Today, a new warrior would be joining the ranks, after so much time and energy put into his training.

Turtlepaw waited for most of the clan to gather before sitting in the back of the crowd. A while had passed since his return and his skills had been sharpened back to their previous level as an older apprentice, but he still felt... alien. Something terrible had happened to RiverClan while he was gone, and it scared him so much that he dared not ask. The cats he before him were different, even the ones he used to know. They had suffered. And he’d been hiding out on his farm, getting fat on rats and kibble. It was disgraceful. So the little tom doubled, tripled, quadrupled his effort in retraining in the day while nightmares of his clan mates hissing and chasing him away plagued him in the night. Even if they didn’t outwardly say rude things to him, what if they rejected him behind his back? What if he would never be accepted back? The thought paralyzed Turtlepaw. How many clan mates were thinking poorly of him at this very moment?

"I've gathered you all here today to witness the rise of RiverClan's newest warrior," Ivystar mewed satisfactorily when she saw Turtlepaw in the back of the crowd. "Turtlepaw, if you share my belief that you have trained to the fullest extent possible and have earned your warrior name, please step forward now and your ceremony will officially begin."

He was startled to hear is name called, and shrank back when heads began turning. Turtlepaw’s first instinct was to step back. Fortunately, an unrecognizable voice of reason told him that he might lose his chance to finally become a warrior if he did so. Instead, he took a few hesitant, trembling steps forward, then pushed himself to leave the crowd and stand below Ivystar. He remembered doing this as a kit, but back then, it seemed so... hopeful. Now he was just worried someone would yowl from the crowd that he didn’t deserve it. What if his voice trembled when he spoke the dreaded words? What if he couldn’t even speak? He gulped and looked up at her, mouth pressed into a tight, worried frown. It was coming. The end was inevitable now.

With a nod of encouragement, Ivystar continued the ceremony. "I, Ivystar, leader of RiverClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Turtlepaw... Do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend the Clan, even at the cost of your life?" Ivystar mewed, looking into the nervous tom's eyes from where she sat.

“I do!” He blurted out soon after she finished speaking. It was true, or at least he was pretty sure it was true, despite the sudden meow. Turtlepaw was more relieved that he’d been able to speak than he was concerned about the way he said the words. A rare smile crossed his face as he looked up at Ivystar, almost in shock and excitement that he’d managed such a feat. Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad? Maybe he’d actually be a decent warrior?

Nodding and giving Turtlepaw an encouraging grin, Ivystar finished the ceremony. "Then from this day onward, you shall be known to all as Turtlefur. RiverClan honors your honesty and peaceful nature. As is tradition, you will hold a silent vigil tonight while the rest of the Clan sleeps. Until then, however, we will come together to celebrate the rise of a new warrior." Leaping from the branch, Ivystar approached Turtlefur slowly and gently placed her chin atop his head. Pulling back, she gave him a small smile and then backed away so that the rest of the Clan could give him their congratulations and celebrate.

Turtlefur trembled with exhilaration and lingering anxiety when Ivystar placed her muzzle on his head. It was over. Blessedly quick and painless, the new warrior had fortunately made no terrible mistakes and even Ivystar herself seemed to approve of him. A trace of pride burned in his heart. Things would be ok. Things would be ok! He nodded to her when she stepped away. Wait. Did the vigil start now? Was he supposed to stop speaking right now? Better safe then sorry... he nodded politely to all the cats that congratulated him, worried he’d break tradition as it had been too long since he last observed a warrior ceremony.