Bearpaw's Warrior Ceremony

Now this was a ceremony that Bloodstrike had many many reservations about performing. When Wolfstar had asked him to do it, saying that he needed more time to himself, Bloodstrike had argued. He'd argued that Bearpaw's actions at the gathering should be "rewarded" by a demotion and she should be sent right back into the nursery for a few moons. The argument was short lived, however, as Wolfstar insisted that more warriors were important.... or something. Bloodstrike had stopped listening half way through as his own fury made him deaf to any and all words. Begrudgingly and reluctantly, Bloodstrike had pivoted on his heel and stormed out of the leader's den. If his father hadn't been in such horrid condition he would have refused.

The deputy climbed the tree and barely had his paws touch Tallbranch before he called out: "Let all cats old enough to climb a tree gather beneath Tallbranch for a clan meeting." He couldn't hide the growl in his voice. And quite frankly, he didn't care today.

Bearpaw padded out of the apprentices’ den with a slight glitter of annoyance in her eyes. After the events at the Gathering, she and father weren’t exactly on good terms. She specifically made it her task to avoid him as much as possible. She was unbothered, truthfully, and she still believed that… what was the RiverClan apprentice’s name, again? Chivepaw? Sure. She still believed that Chivepaw had deserved the attack. StarClan and Bloodstrike could be as mad as they wanted, but Bearpaw’s opinion wasn’t about to budge.

She sat near the back of the crowd, her tail tip twitching as she stared up at her father. She was eager to return back to what she has previously been doing.

Dawnpaw poked her head out of the apprentice den, looking rather like a startled owl. What was happening? Ah, a kit must be becoming an apprentice! Oooh! She trotted out and then paused, wondering where she was supposed to sit. There- a sad looking she-cat. Others might described her as annoyed or frustrated but Dawnpaw preferred to say sad. She padded over and sat next to her, giving her a supportive smile. Granted, she had absolutely no idea who the StarClan this was, but she was a Clanmate! And if she was a Clanmate, then she was either a. a friend or b. a close relation (the latter was considerably more likely, if she was honest).

Aha. Bearpaw. That was her name…or was it? Was is Barepaw? That would be a rather cruel name to give a kit. Maybe it was Bankpaw, like a river’s bank, or Bendpaw, or Beanpaw, or Bravepaw. The last one sounded good- oh, but, maybe she was a warrior. Braveheart? Dawnpaw mused as she sat next to the she-cat, wondering which one it was and not really paying attention to her mentor- after all, it was hardly likely it was her warrior ceremony.

Bloodstrike's ears rotated back at the sight of Bearpaw. The look in her eyes almost made him call off the meeting. If only Wolfstar specifically hadn't asked him to do this. This meeting could very easily turn into a demotion and she could go back to being a kit until she learned how to act like an adult. However, Bloodstrike took a breath and reminded himself that he was not the leader yet. Who knows what was going to happen to certain members of this clan when he was.

"I have gathered you here to announce that one of our apprentices will be earning their warrior name. Bearpaw, step forward." His tone was far from encouraging, but he would go through the motions regardless.

"I, Bloodstrike, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down upon this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Bearpaw do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

I will be so disappointed in you if you say that you do. Starclan, whatever punishment you think you're going to let befall me, know that I am doing this only because Wolfstar asked me. Let it pass to those who deserve it instead. More importantly, let Beechface live.

Bearpaw glanced over at Dawnpaw as her denmate padded over to sit beside her. She met the she-cat's supportive smile with a sunny smile on her own and flicked her tail in greeting. Her irritated exterior seemed to melt away that very instant, almost as if it never existed in the first place. She and Dawnpaw weren't close, but Bearpaw still enjoyed interacting with her Clanmates as if she had been their best friend for moons, especially her fellow apprentices.

When Bloodstrike's voice shattered the silence, she lifted her gaze once again to stare up at the deputy. That glimmer of indignation had returned, and the she-cat had no intention of hiding it. However, she couldn't help but blink in shock when her name was called. After what had happened, she was still becoming a warrior so soon? Well, it wasn't as if she was complaining. There was only one problem with the promise that she had to make. It was going to be a bit hypocritical to say the ordinary "I do" if she had already broken the warrior code not too long ago, even if she had justified it in her mind.

She glanced to the left, and then to the right, before meeting Bloodstrike's gaze once again.
"Yep." Was all she said, her voice monotone.

The tension in the air was thick. Bloodstrike stared at Bearpaw, his gaze hardening with every moment that passed by. After her disrespectful answer and tone, his claws buried themselves into Tallbranch, leaving large gouges. Splinters o the bark fell from his claws and to the ground below. There was a long, uncomfortable silence that he allowed to pass between them, as if waiting for her to take it back. When it was clear that she had no intention of doing so, he was again tempted to announce that she was going back to the nursery instead for dishonesty and lack of respect. It was on the tip of his tongue to say it, but one glance towards Wolfstar's tired, ragged body in the leader's den stopped him short.

"How lucky you are that Wolfstar is the leader and not me." He growled, not caring that the entire clan was there to see. "One single step out of line and you will be back in the apprentice den, or homeless, before you even realize what is happening." He allowed another moment of tense silence to pass before he stood on Tallbranch and prepared to leave it.

"Bearflower, may your impulsiveness and lack of forethought be a shining example of what not to do for the entire clan. Away with you, before I change my mind." He leaped off of Tallbranch and walked away from the crowd. No congratulations. No resting his chin on the head of the new warrior. Nothing. She had broken tradition, and so would he.

Beechface lay stretched out beneath the rocky overhang of the medicine den, eye bright and glittering with pain narrowed to a slit as her head rested against one foreleg. Even making it that far from her nest had taken the wind out of the injured she-cat, and she'd laid there for close to an hour, trying to muster up the energy to do anything else. Her heart beat painfully fast despite the fact that she hadn't moved since making herself comfortable... Or about as comfortable as one could be when they'd apparently been struck by lightning. Her fur didn't quite want to lay flat, but that was the least of Beechface's problems. Every muscle was stiff, the burns that wound from behind her ear and down her neck, shoulder and foreleg were bright and vivid against her pale pelt. She'd lost an eye, the side of her face heavily burned. The pain kept her awake while simultaneously shattering any willpower or focus she had.

Her ears caught the rough tone of Bloodstrike's voice, though the words were muffled and she still couldn't make out much of what was being said. It had improved a little, but the ringing in her ears made picking out conversations more of a headache than anything still. Beechface instinctively flicked an ear towards Bloodstrike, probably on the tallbranch. Even that small movement hurt. She didn't bother attempting to move closer, nor did she bother turning her head. If any of the gathering cats bothered glancing toward the medicine den, they could be forgiven for thinking the medicine cat was asleep.

Most of the words said were indistinct, but a few managed to stick in her addled hearing. Warrior ceremony... Wolfstar must've still been holed up in his den. She supposed it wasn't surprising, nor after everything that had happened.

"...Bearpaw..."

Beechface's ears slicked back in spite of the pain, disbelief coursing through her. She was half-dead, and the one responsible was getting a warrior ceremony?

Though she'd stopped listening the moment her brain had parsed Bearpaw's name, Beechface turned her head slightly in Bloodstrike's direction on instinct, though the way her eye had a penchant for watering with every movement meant her vision was foggy. That was fine, she didn't want to see whatever expression was on his face anyways. He'd chosen a Shadowclan murderer and half-clan kits over Behave and her mother before, it made sense to her that today wouldn't be any different. Expecting anything else had been stupid. The disbelief in her expression gave way to hurt, and that quickly gave way to anger, though if anyone was paying attention they would've recognised how flimsy a mask that anger was. She was simply in too much pain to make that anger as convincing as she usually did.

Newtpaw had settled near the edges of the crowd, watching Bearpaw's ceremony with increasing irritation. Bloodstrike was being so needlessly unprofessional and gruff, and he had half a mind to leap onto the Tallbranch and push him off. Somehow, he kept himself in his spot, ears lowered and nose wrinkled.

Bearflower. And then Bloodstrike was off, leaving without a word or a second glance. Newtpaw leaped up, taking three half-bounds in his father's direction before forcing himself to stop. The whole Clan was here, and besides, Bearflower probably wanted him there instead of getting exiled. Turning on his pads, he joined Dawnpaw at his sister's side, bumping foreheads with her gently. "Sorry 'bout dad, Bear." He muttered, a sharp hint of aggravation clear in his soft mew.

Although the ceremony ended quicker than it began, Bearflower was still happy that she had the chance to revel in her new warrior name. Bloodstrike's aggressive outburst on the Tallbranch only amused her, or so she thought, but she forced herself to swallow down the bitter laugh that was bubbling on the surface. When the tom abandoned where he had been standing to address the Clan, the newly-appointed warrior simply rolled her eyes before preparing to rise to her paws. She wanted to have the opportunity to pick her nest in her new den before it was time for her to sit outside of camp for her silent vigil that night.

Bearflower's shoulders relaxed the moment that her brother padded over and bumped foreheads with her. Her tough demeanor vanished almost instantly as her expression gave way to a worried frown. She pressed against him, turning her head to stare in the direction that Bloodstrike had disappeared to.
"Don't worry about it... it's not your fault." She murmured, her voice glazed with both dejection and guilt, but only for that one moment.
Perhaps she was more bothered and regretful about the situation that she believed.

The ceremony was so brief, and so hostile, that Spottedfrog had barely made it before it was over. Frustration and sympathy warred for position at the forefront of her mind as she made her way over to her brother and sister. She remembered how proud she had been at her own warrior ceremony, and she was angry that Bearflower didn't get to have the same. That stupid RiverClan apprentice had deserved what she got, but... her sister had also broken the warrior code.

She made it to her siblings' side and pressed against Bearflower, a nervous purr rumbling in her chest. "And Beechface-" she nearly spat the name "-getting hurt wasn't your fault." She sat down, ears flat. "StarClan had to know she was in that tree... so maybe she did something wrong and that was them punishing her." She glanced at Newtpaw, wondering when his ceremony would be. "Well... I'm proud of you, Bearflower, you'll be a great warrior."