Olivepaw's Warrior Ceremony

A light drizzle was all that remained of a thunderstorm that had raged on all night, leaving the camp with a cold, damp chill as the sun began to rise. Wolfstar had woken in the night, chest heaving, as a particularly violent clap of thunder raged above him, and, shivering, he'd curled closer to Juniperlight. He'd never asked his little brother to move in to the leader's den with him, and Juniper had never asked permission, either, but Wolfstar found himself exceedingly grateful for the younger tom's presence as the days went on. This morning was no exception, and the dark striped tom uncurled from Juniperlight's side, rasping a tongue between his ears just as sunlight began to peek into the entrance of the den.

Stretching his stiff limbs as he walked, Wolfstar yawned, peering down into the camp where activities were just beginning to start. The dawn patrol was leaving, but luckily, the cat he sought today wasn't a part of it. "Let all cats old enough to climb a tree gather before me for a clan meeting!"

Olivepaw had been awake for most of that morning, having heard the storm thundering down onto the camp last night she was eager to bask in the aftermath. With a deep breath of rain she purred with contentment, it was one of her favorite kinds of weather. She wondered when the next downpour would be. Her ears and head turned towards Wolfstar's call. Her brain quickly sifted through who's warrior ceremony this could be. Dandelionpaw, Beetlepaw, oh I hope it's Beetlepaw's, then Dawn will tell him. Maybe Pigeonpaw, or it's a regular meeting. And of course, there was always the chance it was the ragdoll's turn, she wasn't ignorant to that. Olivepaw padded over from her spot in the camp over to the leader. She looked through the crowd, taking count of who was present and who wasn't. Turning her cobalt eyes to Wolfstar she patiently waited for him to proceed.

Dawnfeather hadn’t been on the dawn patrol, for once. She’d risen late, today, cats already stirring around her. That was alright, today. She was refreshed, ready to… whatever she was going to do today. Wolfstar’s call reminded her vividly of her own warrior ceremony, how wonderful it was to earn a name. She bounded over, skidding to a halt next to Olive. “Do you know what’s happening? I don’t think anycat’s about to retire, and Wolfstar doesn’t have a too serious-prepare-for-war look. Somecat must be becoming a warrior! Ooh!” She looked over at her friend excitedly, mischief twinkling in her eyes.

“You ever going to tell me about you-know-what?” The young warrior asked, remembering their conversation at the Moonlit Creek. “Is it…” she trailed off, thinking of the eligible cats. Hmm. Looking up, she tried to catch her… great-grandfather?’s gaze, wondering what was happening.

Dandelionpaw trotted out of the apprentice's den. Wolfstar had just called a clan meeting, which meant it was most likely a warrior ceremony. She hoped it would be her own, but she would be just as happy for any of her friends. She scanned the gathering crowd and found Dawnfeather and Olivepaw. She ran over to them and meowed, "Hey Olivepaw and Dawnfeather! Who do you think this ceremony is for?" She felt a cool morning breeze and looked up at Wolfstar.

Though it was early, his call roused the clan quicker than he expected, and Wolfstar sat back on his haunches, offering a pleased but tired smile as the cats gathered below. Olivepaw had been one of the first, and after a few short moments, he called out, "We gather here today to give one of our clanmates their warrior name and rank. Olivepaw, please step forward..."

Once she had, he continued. "I, Wolfstar, 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. Olivepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Olivepaw turned her head to find Dawnfeather beside her, smiling as she begun her words but it turned into an awkward thing similar to a squiggly line as she brought up that topic. She was impressed at how determined the molly was, but half amused as well. Even though she would have just ignored her somewhat intrusive friend Dandelionpaw showed up just in time. "Good morning Dandelionpaw, I think it will probably be one of our's," she answered honestly.

As if saying words could make things happen, Wolfstar called Olivepaw's name. The soon-to-be warrior gave a slight grin, a sparkle of excitement in her gaze once she stepped up in front of the crowd. As her tail swayed back and forth Wolfstar continued the ceremony. "I do," she said, the reason being both custom, and a promise. Starclan knew she would protect her clan, with her life.

Wolfstar started to speak, and Dawnfeather snapped her attention back to him, sitting gracefully on her haunches. What it was Olive’s ceremony aaaaaaaaaah yaaaay! Dawnfeather let out an excited squeak, nearly toppled over backwards, and put her paws firmly over her mouth, trying her hardest to not spoil this for Olive. If it was up to her, she would’ve started whooping and calling out, but Olive, she thought, would appreciate a more serious ceremony.

The young warrior’s eyes practically glowed with happiness, and she nudged Dandelionpaw gently, tail snapping with suppressed energy. “Olive deserves it,” she whispered, eyes fixed on her ragdoll friend. What would her warrior name be? Olive…uh… shine, maybe? But that didn’t really sum up who she was… hmm…

Dandelionpaw listened as Wolfstar called Olivepaw forward and she started to smile. Her friend would make a great warrior! As Wolfstar continued the ceremony, she noticed Dawnfeather having trouble keeping still. Dawnfeather must also be super excited for Olivepaw, she thought. Dandelionpaw heard Dawnfeather’s remark and gave a small nod in agreement. Olivepaw totally deserved it! She thought about when her own ceremony would happen. Hopefully it would be soon.

"Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name: Oliverain, SkyClan honors your hard work and level headedness." He slipped down and approached the newly named warrior, resting his chin upon her head.