Dawnkit's Apprentice Ceremony

Well this was going to be an interesting one. Bloodstrike and Wolfstar had been notorious for bad naming... but Primroselight had beaten them all in one fell swoop. She couldn't have named one of the Bloodkit, or Smokekit, or even BurningdownthetreesohnoherecomestheAsylum-kit. That still would have been a better name choice... Alas... Dawnkit was the name she chose. Bloodstrike hadn't discouraged it, but he'd given Primroselight the most unapproving and shocked stare that he'd ever given anyone. At least she couldn't see it.

"Let all cats old enough to climb a tree gather under Tallbranch for a clan meeting!" He shouted out, then sat on Tallbranch and waited for the clan. Oh boy... this will be fun...

OOC: BurningdownthetreesohnoherecomestheAsylum-kit. Yes.

Dawnkit had been curled up in a little ball of golden fluff. Although she was six moons old, her fur was still largely kitten fluff, and she was quite a bit shorter than the apprentices. A late bloomer, the queens had called her, which didn’t quite make sense. Dawnkit was many things, but a flower was not one of them. Moma could see better than any of them. Dawnkit was not a flower. She was a kit, although she was going to be an apprentice soon.

As if summoned by her thoughts (but, of course, it didn’t work that way, at least not for Dawnkit), the deputy yowled out and climbed the Tallbranch. Dawnkit stayed where she was for a moment. She wasn’t old enough to climb the trees. Why should she co-

Oh. Right. Moma had mentioned her apprentice ceremony coming soon. Was this it? Was this it!?! Dawnkit rose to her small paws and stood, watching her grandfather. (But she didn’t think of him that way, no. He was Angrybriar’s mate, not Smokema’s, although it didn’t sit well with Dawnkit.) If it wasn’t her ceremony, well and good, but if it was, she was ready. The tiny kit didn’t look six moons by any means. She was the size of those two moons younger than she, and covered in kitten fluff. Still, she was ready. Ready to be the best warrior apprentice the forest had ever seen.

Bloodstrike watched as that bright fur came out into the clearing. He knew that Primroselight and Dawnhawk were siblings and had even looked very similar... but Dawnkit's resemblence to the last Dawnkit to have lived in Skyclan territory almost made Bloodstrike snarl. It wasn't her fault... she wouldn't be treated poorly for things that she had no control over.

"Dawnkit step forward." He was surprised that he managed to keep his voice neutral as he spoke. "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 called Dawnpaw. Your mentor will be me."

With that announcement, Bloodstrike dropped to the forest floor in front of Dawnpaw. Their sizes were in stark contrast. Dawnpaw was small for her age... and Bloodstrike had been the average size of an adult cat when he was apprenticed. Now he shared the size and build of a bobcat. Even his ears had been torn and cut in a way that they were more pointed like a wild cat than a domestic one. His tail too, had been reduced to a nub.

He leaned down to touch noses with his new apprentice. He wanted to keep a particularly close watch on this one.... just in case names had a lot to do with how someone turned out.

"I will be gone tonight... and I want you to stay in camp since you have no training yet. When I return, our training will start shortly after. For now, sleep in the apprentice's den and be ready when it's time to start." Tonight, they would be meeting the so-called Windclan informant. The idea put a bitter taste in his mouth. They were using a traitor to catch their own. While he didn't approve of Lilacstar's actions at all, he couldn't advocate for one traitor while hunting another. They were both equally guilty, as far as he was concerned.

Dawnkit had been surrounded by her thoughts, head tilted back to look at the deputy. She could almost see Moma's apprentice ceremony: Wolfstar leaping onto the Tallbranch, Moma trotting forwards, the magical words being spoken...

Maybe if she'd been paying closer attention she wouldn't have let out a small squeak as Bloodstrike appeared in front of her, out of nowhere. Gazing up at him in awe, she realized anycat would've let out a cry. He was a lot taller than her. A whole lot taller. He could probably just sneeze and she'd fly half-way across the territory. Dawnk- Dawnpaw held in a giggle at the thought.

Oh dear. Maybe she should've been paying closer attention. One did not giggle at a cat who could've passed as a Sharptooth. Well, most cats did not giggle at a cat who could've passed as a Sharptooth. Dawnpaw had to practically jump to touch noses with him.

"Please do not sneeze. I am a cat, not a dandelion." Dawnpaw gave her new mentor a bright smile. Starting at dawn made a wonderful amount of comfortable sense. Her name was Dawn. They started at Dawn. Comfortably perfect, not like some queens who called her a flower.

Cats murmured a bit amongst themselves. The kit hadn't so much as blinked at being apprenticed to the deputy. Some thought it entitlement- Dawnpaw didn't so much as notice as she walked off to the apprentice den. At dawn, her training would begin. It made sense.

Bloodstrike also had to hold back a chuckle when the apprentice jumped to touch his nose. Good thing his nerves had been deadened somewhat or that might have made him sneeze... as she just requested him not to do. A dandelion? Bloodstrike smiled at her, though it was a small one, as his exposed fang made a lot of his expressions seem threatening if exaggerated too much.

"The only dandelion in Skyclan is Sunflower. You'll be fine." He whispered to her, and gave her a teasing wink before watching her leave.