Cherrykit's Apprentice Ceremony

Thrushnose wasn’t the type to call early meetings. Holding a ceremony before she’d gotten to wake herself up with a hunt and a meal sounded like a nightmare—something she guessed most of her Clanmates, the youngest ones especially, would agree with. Mornings were meant for sleeping, sharing tongues, and feeling sorry for whoever had been sent out on the dawn patrol. But late greenleaf was merciless. Though the sun had only just managed to pull itself past the trees, a muggy heat already threatened the less-shaded parts of camp, and warmth radiated through Thrushnose’s paws as she crossed the Highrock. As soon as she reached the rock's edge, she gave the customary yowl: “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan meeting!”

Cherrykit was lightly sleeping when Thrushnose’s call woke her up. It’s probably one of my sibling’s apprentice ceremony, but it could be mine, she thought and stood up. While ThunderClan gathered in the camp, she throughly groomed her pelt. Just as she was heading out into the clearing, Cherrykit remembered her flower and carefully placed it in her fur. She sat down off to the side of the crowd, waiting for the ceremony to begin. She smiled a little bit, thinking about finding new treasures out in the forest.

The surge toward the Highrock came slower than usual. As usual, one kit stuck out. Rather, the flower standing bright against her ginger fur did. Thrushnose was no stranger to having plant life caught in her pelt—it was inevitable, given her frequent patrols and the forest’s thick undergrowth—but something about how the flower remained perched in Cherrykit’s fur seemed intentional. Thrushnose stared, wondered. With a start, she realized the crowd had settled into place, probably eager to get back to their nests. “One of our kits has reached the age of six moons,” she called. “Today, she will become an apprentice. Cherrykit, step forward.”

Once the kit had done so, she continued. “From this moment on, until the day you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Cherrypaw. Kestrelswoop will be your mentor.” Kestrelswoop had already proven himself capable of handling a pawful of an apprentice; Cherrypaw seemed much milder in comparison. But then, she didn’t know Cherrypaw. She could only hope her guess turned out to be right. “I trust him to pass everything he knows on to you,” Thrushnose meowed, gaze shifting from mentor back to apprentice. As the crowd began to rise, she turned to make her way back down the Highrock before the heat could sink any deeper into her pelt.

Cherrykit listened as Thrushnose began the ceremony and called her forward. It was my ceremony then, she thought. Cherrykit stood up and walked to the front of the crowd. Once she sat down, the ceremony continued, and she was named Cherrypaw. Thrushnose said her mentor would be Kestrelswoop. She didn’t know who he was, but hopefully would in time. As the cats slowly left to do other things, she saw a tabby tom walking towards her. Cherrypaw made her way towards him and touched noses. “What are going to do first?” she asked.

Starlingflare's apprenticeship had been a decent challenge for the tom but he felt like he managed it well. There was still a lot for Starling to improve on but now that he was a warrior, Kestrel hoped that the younger tom would learn from new experiences. It wasn't just Starling that had grown over the moons. He had garnered quite a lot of experience from training apprentices. They were a pretty good way to nurture his skills and see what areas he needed to improve on.

Kestrelswoop got up from his spot and padded over to his new apprentice. Young Cherrypaw seemed like she'd be a much more gentler apprentice and he hoped that was the case. As he approached closer to her, his green gaze shifted to the flower that was placed in her fur. It appeared to be an intentional choice. It reminded him of when he gifted his mate flowers so she could decorate her nest and sometimes her fur. He thought it was a lovely addition.

He smiled warmly at the newly-made apprentice as he bent down to touch his nose to hers, ceremony now officially over. "Well, I was thinking that we can do some hunting tomorrow morning. That includes me teaching you all the basics of course. For now, go on and celebrate with your friends and family. Be sure to rest well so you can wake up early. It's better going out when it's cooler and it's usually fresh in the morning." He couldn't help his fatherly side coming out. It came out more naturally now that he had kits. With that, the brown and white tabby nudged the ginger she-cat gently and went about his day.