Newtkit's Apprentice Ceremony

Two down and two to go. This was a good, exciting time for Skyclan. Maybe they had some reservations about where his kits had come from, but alas it hadn't been the clan's decision. Now they were being rewarded with five new members. "Let all of those old enough to climb a tree gather around me for a clan meeting!" He called out from atop the leader's den. Newkit's ceremony was going to be today, and tomorrow, he would have one ready for Bearkit.

Newtkit had been prancing around outside the nursery all morning, stopping any cat that passed to let them know he was finally old enough to be apprenticed. Most of them just offered him a smile and a 'that's nice,' and their lack of shared enthusiasm annoyed him a bit, but oh well, he would be one of them soon! After a while he had gotten restless, but after a while his father's figure appeared and called out to the Clan. With a yelp of excitement, Newtkit raced forward to join the gathering warriors, looking up at Bloodstrike with bright eyes.

Bloodstrike didn't have to wait long before Newtkit... uh... magically appeared there? That kit was fast! Bloodstrike made a note of that before he decided to start the meeting. "Newtkit step forward. You have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to become an apprentice. From today until the day you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Newtpaw. Your mentor will be Lichenblaze." His eyes went to Lichenblaze in the crowd. "Lichenblaze is a courageous warrior. I know he'll teach you well." And with that, the meeting was concluded. He allowed the mentor and apprentice to become acquainted with eachother while he watched for a bit. Hopefully Newtpaw wouldn't pick up the habit of being as mouthy as his brother... but oh well if he did.

Newtkit's eyes sparkled as the deputy began speaking, doing everything he could to keep himself from tearing around in a circle. He was so excited, it was finally happening! He was going to be the best apprentice SkyClan ever had, and someday their best warrior, too. With his new name bestowed upon him, Newtpaw let out a rather informal shout of glee, following Bloodstrike's eyes to his new mentor. Bounding up to Lichenblaze, he skidded to a halt right in front of his chest. "I hope you're ready for me!"

Lichenblaze dragged himself out of his nest at his father's call, shaking out his fur to smooth it a bit. He hadn't been sleeping well, not since he confronted Dawnhawk in that alley. Poor Tigersong...

He closed his eyes to shut that particular memory out and padded into the gathering crowd. Another apprentice ceremony. Peering around, it seemed as if his new half-siblings were old enough to be apprenticed. That also turned his stomach sour. The thought that his father would do that to poor Smokefeather... He knew they had split up beforehand, but it didn't sit right with him. His parents couldn't be those kind of parents.

Yet, unfortunately, they were. Lichenblaze couldn't bring himself to look at Briarthorn, Bloodstrike's new mate. Halting his glance around camp, he sat up straighter and presented himself as nicely as he could. The least he could do was keep up appearances.

Blah, blah, blah, Newtkit, six moons, blah, blah... The same old spiel.

And then Bloodstrike called his name. Lichenblaze couldn't hide his surprise, and the newly-named Newtpaw pushed through the crowd to find him. The scarred warrior blinked, frowning for a moment. Stars, the kid even looked and acted like him. This was going to be harder than he thought.

The young warrior was noticably unlike himself as he greeted Newtpaw traditionally, roughly bumping noses with him as if he hated to even touch him. Pulling away, he placed a paw on top of his apprentice's head, pushing him away a bit. "I should be saying the same thing to you, 'kit. We start tomorrow morning. Don't make me come in the apprentices' den and drag you out by your tail, because I will."