Pheasantkit's Apprentice Ceremony

There were many places Thrushnose liked more than the Highrock. As pretty as the view could be, especially under a clear, blue greenleaf sky, it had been permanently spoiled by how her stomach prickled every time she stood up there to address her Clan. Even so, as she strode across the stone again, something inside her clicked into place alongside the nerves. For the first time since the Gathering, something was…normal. Ordinary. She’d never put much stock in omens, but she could almost believe this—two apprentice ceremonies in a day, with more on the horizon—was a good one. Almost. Her tail thumped as she took a seat at the rock’s front edge. “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!”

Pheasantkit gulped down the last bite of her thrush, licking her muzzle. Birds chirped above her head, hiding in their nests where she wouldn't be able to reach them. Cowards. Her ears flicked at Trushnose's call. Ah, an apprentice ceremony. About time. The calico rose and stretched before trotting to the Highrock, her pawsteps soft and quick. She hoped it was her ceremony, she was the right age. Yet if it was one of her siblings she wouldn't complain, probably congratulating them in fact. Pheasantkit found a spot and layed down, slowly blinking up at the deputy. Who is becoming an apprentice today?

Once again, ThunderClan gathered before her. It took several moments for Thrushnose, squinting, to spot Pheasantkit among her taller Clanmates. So many kits made a point of racing to the Highrock and fidgeting while they waited; in contrast, Pheasantkit seemed perfectly calm. “One of our kits has reached the age of six moons; today, she will become an apprentice.” Thrushnose straightened, her broad paws pressing against the stone. “Pheasantkit, step forward.

“From this moment on, until the day you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Pheasantpaw.” Her gaze shifted to a different face in the crowd. To be honest, she had her reservations about the cat she’d chosen to mentor Pheasantpaw, but it wasn’t fair to judge a warrior by the horror stories of their kithood. He’d grown up enough to earn his full name, hadn’t he? “Your mentor will be Starlingflare,” she meowed, attention turning back to Pheasantpaw. “I trust he’ll pass everything he knows down to you.” With those words and a wave of her tail, the meeting was over; Thrushnose turned to make her way down the Highrock once more.

Pheasantkit flicked her ears, Trushnose had called her name. She went to stand beneath the Highrock, yet she'd rather stay amongst the crowd. The thought that everyone had their eyes almost made her skin crawl, it didn't though. No, she kept her posture while sitting underneath Trushnose. The deputy continued with the ceremony. Now her name was Pheasantpaw, and her mentor was Starlingflare. The apprentice turned to her clanmates, looking quite pleased. Padding up to her mentor, she tapped his nose with hers. "You'll do great, I can tell," she whispered to the warrior, making her tone as comforting as she could.

Pricklepaw (take that, Sagekit and Applekit) had been watching from the back as his favorite sibling was apprenticed. Now that Thrushnose was finished, he padded up and laid his tail on Pheasantpaw’s back. “Good job, Pheasantpaw. We should definitely go hunting sometime.” Pheasantpaw was his favorite sibling by far. He actually rather enjoyed her company, and hoped this Starlingflare would be a good mentor to his sister. If he didn’t… well… Pricklepaw would make sure he did. Hopefully now that they were both apprentices he and his sister could spend more time together.