Sootkit’s Apprentice Ceremony

Goldenfang stood atop the Tallrock once again, taking in a deep breath of fresh air that rolled in from the open moor. She was thrilled to have the privilege of naming apprentices. She let out a loud, clear yowl, her tail tip twitching in anticipation. “Let all cats old enough to run the moor gather under the Tallrock for a Clan meeting!”

Sootkit glanced up at the yowl, face eerily lacking any emotions, odd-coloured hues burning with some deep flame. Looking away he contemplated simply not going, the parent he loathed no longer dwelt within Windclan, one ran off like a coward and the other was killed by some unknown cat and half-devoured. Pathetic, both of them.

His claws flexed, digging into the perch he sat upon to peer over the bowl the camp sat into the scenery beyond. His kin had become apprentices before him, likely because they acted how kits should, whereas he had broken one of the foolish rules his clan clung so desperately to.

Pathetic, all of them.

A low growl bubbled up in his throat as he glared at what he could see of the moor, tail twitching in agitation. He was supposed to become an apprentice tonight, another way to claw his way towards power, towards his ambitions. Unlike his idiotic father and coward of a mother he was going to make a name for himself, he was going to aim for the top so he could bring everything to ruin around him.

He wanted to watch the world burn, to bring the weakness of the clans to the surface and bare them to cruel reality to be devoured.

That is what his heart craved. It was rooted in a deep, smouldering bitterness that demanded blood, and he wasn't going to deny it. His goal was to shred the legacy his father and mother left until he was all that remained.

It was going to take time though, he could be patient for this one thing. Ambition isn't something to be rushed.

After a moment Sootkit jumped down from his perch to the ground and slowly padded towards the clearing in front of Tallrock. Settling as far away from his clanmates as he could, he looked up at the deputy, expression unreadable. There was no excitement in his gaze, he didn't fidget or show any anticipation for what was to come. All that could be seen was some sort darkness behind his contrasting hues.

He was going to get a mentor, and all he could hope was that they weren't incompetent.

Eyes lidding slightly, his ears swivelled so he'd be aware of anyone approaching. Slowly he sheathed his sharp claws, now wasn't the time to bare them against his clan, after all.

Henpaw had been in the medicine den (as usual, no surprise there) when Goldenfang’s yowl summoned her, along with the rest of the Clan. She quickly stashed the poppy seeds far away from the small pile of foxglove seeds and scampered out to join the gathering crowd. To her surprise, she glimpsed a familiar mottled pelt. Sootkit. Her brother. Perhaps she and Timber had left the nursery early, or maybe Soot was held late, but he hadn’t been apprenticed yet. And she hadn’t interacted with him nearly as much as she should… she’d been so busy. Taking care of the Clan wasn’t as easy as it sounded. She padded over to where Sootkit sat, alone, and sat next to him, gently laying her tail over his shoulders. “Timber will have to work real hard now. You’re gonna catch up to him, I know it.” She sat in silence for a moment, then swallowed. “Listen… I’m sorry I haven’t been around much… it’s been a lot for all of us. If you ever need anythin’, I’m here, yeah?” She’d been as bad as Tawnyflare… well, not that bad, but she’d been so caught up in her medicine cat duties she hadn’t had a moment to spare- and looked it. Her fur was mussed and her eyelids drooping, but she was improving. Slowly and steadily, she was finding a groove.

WindClan collected beneath her. Her eyes settled on the star of the show, Sootkit, and she noted how he sat so far away. This ceremony had been delayed. Goldenfang wondered if he had lost hope of even becoming an apprentice after his punishment. “Sootkit, step forward!” She paused to allow him enough time to weave through the crowd. When he reached the front, the deputy continued, “You’ve reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you’ve earned your warrior name, you will be called Sootpaw. Your mentor will be Swiftspirit. She is an intelligent, honorable warrior, and I trust her to teach you with patience and fairness.” Goldenfang dipped her head to the other she-cat, respect for the warrior shining in her eyes.

In truth, there was more at play than just respect. Sootpaw’s parentage was well known in the Clan. Fawnstep and Tawnyflare were each powerful and influential warriors in their own right, and they both left their kits behind—Fawnstep had been brutally murdered and Tawnyflare abandoned her family and Clan. No doubt this left a lot of confusion and anger in their children. Goldenfang remembered the seed of resentment that had been planted in her heart the day her mother gave her away with an undetectable shiver. Though there were plenty of skilled and reliable warriors eagerly awaiting their first apprentice, the deputy felt Swiftspirit was the best fit. She was indeed patient and fair, but beyond that, she was formerly a rogue and would be well suited to answering questions Sootpaw might one day have about his mother given their history.

Goldenfang ended the meeting and dismissed the gathered cats with a flick of her tail. Now, on to the dusk patrol…

Swiftspirit had just dropped a hare onto the fresh-kill pile when Goldenfang's yowl rang out over the camp. The lean warrior padded towards the tallrock, glancing toward the nursery as she sat. It was an apprentice ceremony, if she had to guess, and Swiftspirit knew there were few kits left in the nursery. Henpaw's brother was one of them... And he was certainly a troubled kit. Fawnstep had died, he had the misfortune of Tawnyflare for a 'mother' and Swiftspirit truly felt sympathetic for Sootkit and his siblings. Whoever was chosen to mentor the young tom would have their work cut out for them, she thought. Spotting Henpaw sitting near her brother, Swiftspirit offered the young medicine cat a soft smile before returning her attention to Goldenfang.

Indeed, Goldenfang called Sootkit forward, and Swiftspirit blinked up at the pretty golden she-cat as her name was called alongside his. Goldenfang's praise was unexpected, and Swiftspirit found herself giving the deputy a quick grin and a dip of her own head in response before she rose, paws carrying her towards the newly-named Sootpaw. She leaned down, gently touching noses with the tom as she'd watched plenty of other mentors do with their own apprentices.

"Congratulations, Sootpaw." She murmured, "We'll begin training bright and early tomorrow." With guidance, hopefully she'd be able to bring the apprentice out of his shell a bit. She would not be the mentor that Tawnyflare had been to her.

Timberpaw poked his head out of the apprentice's den. The deputy had called a meeting, and that meant a cat was probably becoming an apprentice. He didn't care much for apprentice ceremonies, they weren't that important to him. He was about to go back inside when he saw someone he recognised. Only a little.

Sootkit.

Sootkit was a cat Timberpaw hadn't really interacted with, he was probably just waiting for Sootkit to finally have that ceremony that the brown tabby had just... forgotten all about his littermate. He felt a very overwhelming feeling of guilt come over him as he exited the den fully putting on a half smile as he sat down with his clan. After the ceremony had finished, however, Timberpaw didn't really want to go over there and talk to him.

He took a big breath and finally worked up the courage to walk over there. "Hey there Sootpaw... I'm..  genuinely sorry for um... forgetting about you." He lowered his tail. "I just... Want to let you know that you can be a better cat than I am,  than every other cat in this clan, or even in this forest. Even if that doesnt fill any sort of emptiness you must have with no close relationships with kin.. I just... want you to know I'll be here. Even if you don't want me to. Just supporting you from the side." He backed away, the guilt hadn't gone away completely and he felt a little light-headed, he just wanted to give Sootpaw some space.

Timberpaw didn't deserve a relationship with Sootpaw. He'd probably just ruin it like he did with Henpaw. Not to mention that he forgot about his littermate entirely. So it was best to stay away for now. He couldn't be a good brother. So he'd try to be a supportive acquaintance.

Ashfall had been laying outside the medicine den, watching the camp's movement quietly. She was close at paw if Henpaw needed her, and she could make sure Timberpaw was doing alright when he appeared around camp. She had taken a real liking to those two, but she still hadn't had the chance to speak to the ever-illusive Sootkit, who had been held back from becoming an apprentice for a little while. If she was going to be there for his two siblings, she should be there for the whole set. It was unkind, and unfair to not.

Her eye caught Goldenfang leaping up onto the Tallrock, and Ashfall immediately got up and started padding close, knowing that there was to be an announcement. Probably an apprentice ceremony. So she waited through Goldenfang's call, and the gathering of cats, and then the announcement of an apprentice ceremony. She had been right, and it was Sootkit becoming Sootpaw no less. Then Swiftspirit would be his mentor... she was a good cat, kind and observant. Just what this new 'paw probably needed.

Waiting until Sootpaw's siblings had dispersed, Ashfall limped over to the newly named apprentice. "Sootpaw, congratulations. I'm sure you'll be a great apprentice. Swiftspirit is a great warrior, she will train you well. When you have a moment later, I'd like to talk to you, but for now, you should get a nest in the apprentice's den before nightfall." With that, she left Sootpaw to his own devices. She could ask him how he had been holding up later, no need to ruin the joy of becoming an apprentice now.

Both expectedly and unexpectedly someone did approach. His nose twitched with the familiar scent of kin, and his contrasting eyes slid over mutely as the medicine cat apprentice walked towards him. Her coat, so similar to their coward mother's, made his eyes narrow into a cold glare that wasn't fully intended for the good-willed she-cat, though looked like they were.

Her words of kindness were met with impassivity, and he looked away dismissively afterwards. He didn't often speak, but when he did it was often sharp with cold cruelty. "The only time I'll need you is if I'm injured, Henpaw. Nothing more nothing less." The blunt words were backed with his cold gaze, his orange eye seeming to burn with a distant, dark intent.

When he was called he didn't give a backward glance to his littermate. He padded towards the space just in front of tallrock, head hunched below his shoulders as if he were preparing to hunt prey. Settling he looked up as the permission given to learn basic necessities of survival were given to him, the words seeming to echo through the clearing with a sense of finality. Through it all, he gazed at the deputy with a flinty stare, eyes narrowing. That was one obstacle in his path towards ambition. He supposed he'd have to get on her good side if he wanted a shot of climbing the path to leadership. UNless she died before he'd met the requirements to be a candidate, that is.

His mentor was chosen, a pale she-cat that seemed to have the respect of the deputy, and they touched noses. Her affirmation of training was met with a mute stare, and a slight flick of an ear signalling he had understood.

Without a word, he padded back, preparing to return to his perch as the ceremony concluded. Instead, he was interrupted by another of his kin, Timberpaw. More words were spoken, the tom was rather meek, weak-willed, another type of pathetic different from that of their parents. At least Henpaw largely had confidence in her abilities and tried to live up to the title of 'medicine cat', but his brother seemed to be giving up before he even started on his path to warriorhood.

How pitiful.

"I have no doubts of my potential to outstride the best in our clan, so your attempts at encouraging that are pointless. Support me from the side if you want, but with such weak willpower I'm sure you'll be the next in this cursed family to die." The small tom's narrowed gaze drilled holes into his brother's hues as he let that statement simmer between them. He then looked away dismissively, "Do what you will, with the genetics we have and that sort of attitude, I'm sure you'll live up perfectly with how pathetic our parents were." The dark-furred tortoiseshell began walking away, pausing to throw one last comment over his shoulder.

"Good day, Timberpaw."

With that the harsh tom padded away across the camp, throat a bit scratchy from how much talking he had done that day. He settled in a far corner of the camp, secluded from everyone as per usual. Methodically he began to groom his pelt, eyes shut but ears alert. Again, he heard someone walking towards him, his tail twitched in faint irritation as he wondered why everyone decided that he suddenly wasn't a ghost walking among the living. Did they all suddenly remember he existed now that Goldenfang called out his name?

How annoying. If this is what existing was like he would've preferred to remain a shadow that no one looked twice at.

He cracked open his orange hue, gazing at the limping form of the she-cat he had noted took his siblings in. She had a rough appearance that spoke of experience, idly he wondered what stories were behind such scars.

He said nothing as she spoke, closing his eye when she finished and tilting his face away slightly, showing none of the joy she might've expected from him. Being an apprentice was just another stepping-stone to future ambitions, nothing special or monumental in his perspective.

"Fine." She could drag him away to talk about whatever she wanted later, if she remembered, that is.

He listened to her paw steps fade, and finished grooming himself. Then, he turned his back to the camp, leaping back up on his perch and settling down. He'd try to sleep eventually, but he'd prefer to wait until his brother had effectively fallen unconscious before entering the warzone known as the apprentice den.

No matter, he had gone without sleep before, so he was hardly concerned now.