Flame's Apprentice Ceremony

Murkystrike wasn't entirely sure how she felt about Flame - the tom was young, certainly, but he was no kit... With Vea and her rogues still a threat, she was hesitant, but Flintstar had agreed to let him stay. It was because of that agreement that she was climbing up Jaggedrock now. Standing at the edge, she called out to the clan. "ShadowClan, gather in the shadow of Jaggedrock." Her voice echoed through the camp as she prepared to name the young rogue as an apprentice and assign his mentor.

Flame had spent the last few days "recovering" from his wounds. Basilpaw, the medicine cat, was kind and gentle...he almost felt bad about leading her on like that. His stint in the medicine den gave him time to observe the Clan, however, which he thoroughly enjoyed. It was so strange that they slept during the day, that was the one thing he hadn't gotten used to yet. Why they did that, he had no idea, and had stopped trying to dwell on it too much lest he give himself a headache.

When the mottled molly gave a cry, he raised his head from his paws, blinking. Her name was...Murkystripe. Or was it Murkystrike? Ah, who cared. She, from his understanding, was the second in command under Flintstar. Flame frowned, eyes narrowing as he watched the Clan gather underneath that weird rock. Was he supposed to go too? He...honestly had no idea.

The orange and white tom rose to his paws anyway, hesitant, standing in the mouth of the medicine den to wait and see.

The clan gathered beneath her, and she spotted Flame at the entrance to the medicine cat den. She had been unnerved at the idea of her daughter being alone with him, given her own reservations towards the tom, but so far things had been okay. With him present, she continued with the ceremony. "ShadowClan, we have recently offered shelter and training to a young tom. Now that his wounds have healed for the most part, it is time to assign him a mentor and proceed with his training. Flame, please step forward." She mewed, gesturing for the tom to step up in front of the clan.

She waited a few heartbeats, watching what he did before continuing. Flame, now that your wounds have healed, it is time for you to become an apprentice. From this day forward, until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Flamepaw." She mewed, eyes narrowing slightly. Flintstar had usually let her chose who she thought would be best to mentor the apprentices, but he had spoken to her privately the night before regarding the mentor choice for Flame. She hadn't necessarily agreed with the reasoning behind it... But perhaps Flintstar had a point. "Frostgaze will be your mentor. He is finishing the training of Mistlepaw, but I trust that he will give you the attention and devotion you need to hone your skills." She mewed, ending the ceremony with a jump down from Jaggedrock.

Ah, so he was supposed to go over there. His ears pricked as the warrior called his name. Blinking a couple times, he did as he was told after a moment, padding with his head lowered to the front of the gathered cats. His fur tingled uncomfortably, their eyes were on him, piercing his skin...This feeling was no ruse. He genuinely was wary, unsure if the Clan would truly accept him. But Murkystripe, no, strike, continued. She dubbed him "Flamepaw", as he understood was customary for apprentices, and informed him his mentor would be Frostgaze.

Frostgaze was the white tom that had helped him originally. Interesting. Murkystrike leapt down from the rock and Flamepaw gave her a nod of respect, tail lashing behind him. "Thank you for your trust and compassion, Murkystrike," he meowed in her direction, loud enough for others to hear.

Murkystrike paused as she passed the newly named apprentice, acknowledging his nod. "You're welcome, Flamepaw. I look forward to watching your progress as you learn the ways of a clan cat, and excel in your training under Frostgaze's guidance." She mewed, lowering her head slightly in farewell as she left the young cat to properly greet his mentor and discuss the next steps.

When Murkystrike called the clan together, Frostgaze never wasted time. It served no purpose to dally, when he could sit and wait patiently. So sit and wait he did, flicking his ear in surprise when it was announced that Flame would be becoming an apprentice. Not to say that Frostgaze had forgotten, but that he hadn't quite expected Flame to decide to stay. They were a clan, and with the kits he had found, Frostgaze knew they would be able to adapt easily. Older rogues though... often it seemed that their habits had a way of sticking with them.

So when Murkystrike said that he was to be Flamepaw's mentor, he was still slightly surprised. It made sense logically, he was one of the warriors who found Flamepaw in the first place. Shaking off whatever shock lingered, he approached silently, reaching up to give a short tap on the nose. "We will begin training tomorrow Flamepaw. Find a place in the Apprentice's Den, you will need to be rested." With that, he padded away with a sweep of his tail. This would be... fascinating.

Frostgaze's expression remained neutral, noting the alarm in the rogue's posture as he turned back to face him. "I apologize for startling you. I would do better to remember that you are not Shadowclan, at least not quite yet. You will adapt... and yes, evening. Another thing you will learn. You will simply find an empty nest in the den, there should be a few. If not, you may create one, and place it in an empty spot." Frostgaze stood there a moment longer, ensuring that Flamepaw had no more questions before moving on to his own duties once again.