Goldenpaw's Warrior Ceremony

Dayspring had taken over her duties well enough while she had been ill, but now Lilacstar had recovered enough strength to perform this ceremony. And it was about time, too. She hated being out of commission. It would be her first warrior ceremony since, although not her first act as leader. So she knew she could do this.

Climbing the tall rock, she let out a yowl to her Clan. "Let all cats old enough to run the moors gather beneath the tall rock for a Clan meeting!" Oh it was good to have her voice again. Now she just needed to wait for the apprentice to be named.

Lilacstar’s familiar voice summoned Goldenpaw almost immediately. Her mentor had prepared her for the ceremony by running her through the correct response and the apprentice had taken time groom her white and ginger fur down neatly. She’d pulled tufts of grass from her toes, made sure no bits of blood from her earlier meal remained, and stretched her limbs to make sure she wouldn’t be stiff. With Lilacstar’s call, now only one task remained - be named! Goldenpaw strutted to the front of the crowd. She felt completely ready.

Lilacstar smiled as Goldenpaw readily made her way to the tall rock, and it was clear that she had prepared. Good. She always knew apprentices cared about recieving their name, mostly, but it was nice to see that care put into action.

"Today, we celebrate Goldenpaw as she becomes a warrior. The daughter of a warrior once lost, she has proven many times over that she is deserving of the rank, and today her time has come. Goldenpaw, please step forward."

She did as she was told, but there was a quiet change within her. The leader’s gaze was hard to hold; Goldenpaw’s eyes shifted lower down the Tallrock. She was proud to be Briarthorn’s legacy and she was tempted to look back to find him, however, a chill traveled down her spine at the ghost of the oath she knew she was about to make. It was a heavy promise and Goldenpaw didn’t know if she could live up to it. She knew she was reckless, though surely Lilacstar knew too? If her leader trusted her, shouldn’t she trust herself?

When Goldenpaw had stepped forward, Lilacstar then turned her gaze to yet another cat. Her mentor. "Honeyheart, as Goldenpaw's mentor, do you believe you have trained her to the best of your abilities, and that there is nothing more for her to learn? Do you believe that Goldenpaw is ready to become a warrior?"

Honeyheart had been one of the newer warriors herself, another cat that she had given a ceremony to. Wow, had Lilacstar really been leader for that long? It was actually hard to imagine.

Still, she had complete faith in the cats that stood before her. Honeyheart as a mentor, and Goldenpaw as a warrior. They were both entirely capable, of that she had no doubt.

Honeyheart had been observing the ceremony with great attention. After all, this was her apprentice's warrior ceremony. By the time Lilacstar turned to her, she was so invested that it took her a moment to reply. "Oh! Of course I believe so. Even if I am a newer warrior, Goldenpaw has gone above and beyond to learn in and outside of training sessions. She has done everything to make herself one of the best candidates for a warrior name that, I think, WindClan has seen recently..."

A soft smile went from Honeyheart to Goldenpaw. "And I am proud to have been her mentor."

The apprentice’s ears first swiveled towards her mentor, followed by her whole head over her shoulder as Honeyheart said more than what was expected. Goldenpaw’s smile returned, and she dipped her head in gratefulness at her mentor’s kind and encouraging words. She beamed back up at Lilacstar with a renewed sense of pride. Of course she was worthy! Honeyheart had just said so! Her tail twitched in satisfaction. This warrior ceremony was better in real life than it had ever been in her daydreams.

As Honeyheart spoke her consent for the continuation of the ceremony, Lilacstar's grin grew. Now all that needed to be done was for Goldenpaw to make the oath that so many before her had made, and she would officially be a warrior.

"I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has worked hard to learn the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in return. Goldenpaw, do you promise to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your own life?"

”I do!” She called out, feeling euphoric in the bright sun and with her clanmates’ eyes all on her. Her mind was racing ahead of the ceremony. What would she be named? Goldenfall, Goldensky, or Goldenblaze? Or Goldenclaw or Goldenwhisker? Something cool, something that would be remembered, she was certain of it. She would keep getting stronger and maybe Lilacstar and Dayspring would send her on special secret missions! Her toes kneaded into the soft ground beneath her. The deep rumble of a purr was budding in her chest.

"Then from this day forward, Goldenpaw, you will be known as Goldenfang. With every show of your fangs, you show just how far you are willing to go for your Clan. WindClan honors your tenacity and enthusiasm, and we welcome you as a full warrior."

Making her way down the tall rock, she stopped in front of the new warrior, resting her nose upon her head before beginning the cheer. "Goldenfang! Goldenfang!"

"Goldenfang! Goldenfang!" Swiftspirit joined in chanting the new warrior's name cheerfully. She was glad the golden she-cat had earned her warrior name finally, they hadn't interacted as much as she had with other clanmates, but from the few interactions they did have, Swiftspirit had always thought she was nice.

After the ceremony was concluded, Swiftspirit padded over, offering the newly-named warrior a warm smile. "Congratulations, you've earned this, Goldenfang."

"Yeah! Goldenfang!" trilled Ryepaw, bouncing on his front paws with excitement for his denmate. She looked nervous for only a second, but after her mentor's glowing recommendation, the doubt seemed to melt from her shoulders. She was christened "fang," a traditional and honorable suffix denoting her skills... as justly deserved. If he were not so engulfed in the celebration, he might have noticed how jealous she made him. Her mother was Hollyhock, a loner, which made her half-blooded like him. And yet, Goldenfang was lengthy, swift, and incomprehensibly enduring on the moor. Their equally competitive spirits made for some playful apprentice games, but ever since he found out about Dawnhawk's true nature, things felt much more serious. She was an apt warrior. Her ceremony marked her last victory in their last childhood game. It wasn't so fun to be in last place this time.

He felt it for a moment, the twisting feeling in his belly. Ryefang. It could have been, but it won't be. Swiftspirit brushed passed him as she moved to congratulate Goldenfang personally, and the twisting unraveled. Again, his eyes became bright, and he chanted some more. "Gold-en-fang! Gold-en-fang!"

Ashfall watched the ceremony take place in her familiar silence, mostly curious about what Goldenpaw would end up named. Goldenbreeze, Goldenblaze, Goldenclaw... They all fit Goldenpaw, but not quite, Ashfall wasn't very good at names. Of course, her thinking got the better of her, because Ashfall nearly jumped in the air when the sudden chanting of Goldenpaw's new name began. With a startled look on her face, the warrior began chanting along with the rest of her clan. "Goldenfang! Goldenfang! Goldenfang!" It only took her a moment to settle down again, thinking about the new name. Goldenfang...yeah that fits her I think. With that, Ashfall swept her tail across the ground as she waited for the crowd to disperse a bit. Once most were done speaking to the new warrior, Ashfall got to her paws and swiftly padded over to give her own congratulations. "Goldenfang is a good name! Congratulations!" She offered these words up with a small, happy smile, eyes looking tired yet thoughtful. "Maybe we should go on patrol sometime...or just hang out. I don't know whatever you would want to do I guess..." Her final words trailed off awkwardly, Ashfall scrambling to find more words and finding none. Had she really gotten this bad at talking? When had she gotten this bad at talking? Ashfall gave a curt nod in farewell and promptly padded away, annoyed and a bit embarrassed that she couldn't hold a simple conversation anymore. She really needed to get out of her own head more often.

It was true that the last couple of days have been hard for the clan, in more ways than one. Silverpaw was no exception. His mother's sudden illness certainly did not help and the apprentice had spent most of his days juggling his chores, training, and all of his wayward feelings and he'd never felt more exhausted in his life. However, he was instantly alleviated somewhat once he saw his mother hop up onto the Tall Rock, looking much stronger and healthier. Silverpaw couldn't keep the teary grin off his face as he settled with the rest of the clan and gave Lilacstar his attention for the meeting.

What better way to celebrate the leader's return than to promote a worthy apprentice to warriorhood. Goldenpaw was the lucky one this time. From what he'd seen and heard of her as well as the times he's interacted with her, she absolutely deserved to be given her warrior name. He couldn't be happier for his denmate as he watched her step up as she'd been instructed to. From the glances he snuck of the rest of the clan, most of them shared the same thoughts. It was going to be one of the brighter days for the clan.

Goldenfang. What a great name! The apprentice excitedly watched the clan hurry over to celebrate her big day. He allowed a few more to go before him then hurried over himself. Among the clan he saw Swiftspirit, Ashfall, and Ryepaw showing her support. He grinned a greeting at them and then turned his focus back to the newly-made warrior. "Goldenfang! Gosh, that's such a cool name! You've definitely earned it! Congrats!" he said enthusiastically. He nudged her shoulder with his in a friendly manner before turning away and leaving, a small spring in his step.

She licked her leader’s shoulder and beamed when Lilacstar began the chant. Goldenfang! This was a much better name than she could have thought of, she decided. Her friends stepped forward and shared a few words of encouragement. Goldenfang purred as Swiftspirit told her that she deserved the ceremony, and she offered a grateful dip of her head in return. ”Thanks!” She meowed, addressing the crowd in general. To Ashfall she said, ”Yeah! Oh - whenever you have the time!” She ended up calling the rest after Ashfall as she escaped the crowd. Silverpaw gave his congratulations as well, and she returned his nudge with a flick of his tail along his shoulder as he brushed past. He’d be a warrior too, soon enough, and maybe they could patrol together as well. Through the dispersing group she saw Ryepaw cheering as well and gave him a grateful smile. So many cats to support her, and plenty of time to return the gestures. They’d had a friendly rivalry for a while now, and while there was a slight temptation to tease him, she held back. They could continue their games on equal footing when he earned his own warrior name.