Stag's Warrior Ceremony

Another hot greenleaf day, another well-deserving apprentice joining the ranks of the warriors. Or, well, former Asylum cat turned apprentice. Minkstar felt the end of his tail twitch as he leapt to the top of the Highrock, just the barest hint of unease crawling under his pelt. The tom had proven his worth, had become a valuable member, and yet... sometimes all he could see were the hints of scars under the thick pelt, and the memories of a less fuzzy time came back, a time that abruptly shattered into fragments and pain, and struggling. He almost winced as he shook his head slightly, half-expecting to feel a pain throbbing back there and finding a deeper sense of guilt instead. He's proved himself. He's a part of ThunderClan, not Asylum. Besides, he couldn't treat him with suspicion after just announcing his own origins; although the situations were different, there were still similarities - acceptance being one of those.

Taking a deep breath, he called out firmly, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the High Rock for a Clan meeting!"

This may have been the most excited Stag had ever felt. For the entire day, excluding any patrols, he had been taking time to groom his pelt, his excitement obvious in the way he seemed to bounce with every step. All of his hard work had finally paid off, today was the day every apprentice looks forward to; his warrior ceremony. Every free moment he had, he would try catching Minkstar's pelt, waiting for the tom to climb the Highrock. When he saw the flash of ginger and white in his peripheral vision, he knew that is was time. When Minkstar opened his mouth and called across the camp, Stag followed the rest of his clanmates, gathering beneath of the Highrock. With wide, amber eyes, he looked up to Thunderclan's leader.

A small smile touched his maw as the big tom joined the crowd, looking up with wide eyes. Yes, the Asylum was no more - he was a Clanmate now, no longer marred by the shadow of that particular trauma. Minkstar let his tail stream out behind him, loose and relaxed as the lingering tension and darkness bled away with a breath of wind rustling the leaves above. "ThunderClan, it is time for another apprentice to join our ranks in his rightful place as a warrior." His eyes closed briefly, searching for a spark of memory that had slipped away from him despite his efforts at making it stick. He had to remember that the tom didn't have a normal Clan apprentice name.... A mental nod, his eyes and mouth opening again, and he met the dark-pelted tom's gaze. "Stag, step forward if you agree to go through with the ceremony."

He had no doubts the younger tom would take it, continuing when the other had stepped forward, an anticipatory tingle running through his paws. "I call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to learn and understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in turn. Stag-" He had to fight off the urge to add a "paw" to the end of the name - "do you promise to uphold the code; defend and protect your Clanmates no matter their origins or who they might be to you, even at the cost of your life?"

Stag had heard these words many times before while attending other apprentice's warrior ceremonies. It felt amazing to finally hear his name called to step forward. He did so without hesitation. This is what he had been working to hard for, he had changed everything he had ever known to get to this point. This would be the day he was fully accepted as a Thunderclan cat. No, a Thunderclan warrior. As Minkstar spoke the sacred words, Stag listened to every one, even if he had them memorized by heard. "I do." He responded when the leader had finished.

None of them ever seemed to hesitate. A slightly wistful smile flitted across his maw for a moment, memories of rivers and sleek-pelted Clanmates flashing through his mind and fading away pride welled in his chest and he announced the final part of the ceremony. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Stag, from this moment onwards you will be known as Stagleap. We honour your diligence and kindness, and welcome you as a full warrior of ThunderClan."

The clearing erupted in cheers, calling the new warrior by his name, and Minkstar joined in, leaping down from the rock and giving a nod to the other tom with a smile on his face.

Stag- now Stagleap- looked up to Minkstar with wide eyes once the leader had finished speaking. It was official, Stagleap could finally say that he was a warrior! His clanmate's cheers filled his ears, causing a wide smile to spread across his face. But as he looked around, he couldn't help but feel as if something was missing. Every time he had seen another apprentice receive their warrior name, another cat had run up to them. A father, a sister, even a close friend. Stagleap had nobody. So even while he smiled and cheered, surrounded by the entire clan, he couldn't help but feel like he was alone.