Dovepaw's Warrior Ceremony

The morning after sleeping in the medicine den with Dovepaw, Perchfall ascended the Willow Branch to perform her ceremony. There was no good reason to wait any longer. The more strong warriors filling RiverClan's ranks, the better off they would be. Despite her shyness and discomfort with the current state of the Clan, Dovepaw was a good apprentice, and she would be a good warrior. At least, Perchfall could hope so. She had to admit that there had been a few risks taken recently, appointing the younger cats to warriors like Kitespring. They might have benefited from another moon or so of apprenticeship. However, RiverClan couldn't afford to wait around. Not when the shadow of the Dark Forest still lingered heavily over their forest. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own fish gather for a Clan meeting," the deputy called.

Dovepaw was groggy walking out of the medicine den. These dark forest cats were really getting under her skin, and she was honestly scared. Ever since that one dark forest cat had leaped out at her, she didn't know what could happen next. She was wary of every shadow around her, and last night proved she could not even escape them in her sleep.

Still, she sat in with the crowd, thankfully her eyes were always wide so maybe her fear wouldn't be too obvious. Although she definitely sought out her kin, just in case.

Perchfall spotted the silver apprentice in the crowd, and settled herself on the branch. While she had gotten slightly more comfortable with performing ceremonies, there was always an element of anxiety to them. What if Dovepaw said she didn't want to be a warrior? What if Vixenstar suddenly appeared? What if she said something wrong? But despite the nagging fears that hovered in the back of her mind, the deputy spoke. "We gather today to make an apprentice a warrior," she said, her gaze meeting Dovepaw's wide eyes. "Dovepaw, Tinypool has spoken highly of you, and I believe you are ready to advance to warriorhood. Please, step forward."

Dovepaw should have known this was coming up, two of her littermates had already become warriors. But it still caught her off guard. She had only just had her night in the medicine den like all the others, this had to have been a last-minute decision. Still, she stood, if a bit clumsily, and made her way forward. She might not feel as ready to be a warrior as Tinypool said she was, but it did mean she would be denmates with her siblings again. Maybe this was how she got her safety again, if anything. Maybe it was selfish, but she couldn't be alone in that apprentice den anymore.

Perchfall nodded in approval. That was the most important part about the more reluctant cats-- they still made the choice to step up. And she trusted Tinypool's judgement. "I, Perchfall, deputy of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice," she began, letting her voice ring throughout the clearing, not overly loud but still easy to hear. "She has worked hard to understand the ways of the code, and I recommend her as a warrior in her turn. Dovepaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?"

The ceremony went on as expected, with the ceremonial words being said. Although at the mention of her warrior ancestors, she cringed a bit. What would the dark forest cats do at that mention? She hated how even the thought scared her. She hated being so scared at all.

Still, the ceremony continued, so far uninterrupted, to Dovepaw's relief. So she would go on with her part as well. Even if she was not fully certain it was a promise she could make.

"I, uh, yeah, I guess I do."

The uncertainty around Dovepaw's face made Perchfall waver slightly in her conviction. She trusted Tinypool's judgement, and she knew that RiverClan needed a strong batch of warriors-- especially after Bearspirit's death and Turtlefur's disappearance-- but the hesitant tone the apprentice took was likely a bad sign. Their circumstances right now were scary, it was true, but anycat had to be able to get over that, and defend their Clan. Like you're doing so well at that right now, huh, Perchfall? Doing ceremonies under Vixenstar's authority? How are you keeping your warrior oath? The doubting voice returned again, and for a moment, the deputy paused. What if she was making a mistake? But then, despite herself, she pushed through. "Then, I give you your warrior name. Dovepaw, from this moment on, you will be known as Dovesight. We honor your empathy and intuition, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan." Leaping down from her branch, Perchfall briefly rested her muzzle on the newly named warrior's head, finishing the ceremony. Then, with a nod of respect-- and a light note of warning-- she backed off, returning to her other duties.

Kitespring stepped out of her den as a warrior to watch another ceremony. Hearing her sister's name being called, the young warrior smiled at her. Stars, she had felt so unsure of herself when she stepped forward. She couldn't fathom how Dovey was feeling, being put on the spot. The feeling rushed over the russet she-cat again. The fear, the anxiety, the unsureness of her worthiness. It seemed like Dovey was just going through the motions right now to try to cope. Eventually, Poppyshine gave her a warrior name: Dovesight. Smiling at her sister, she chanted into the sky. "Dovesight! Dovesight! Dovesight!"

After Perchfall backed off, the russet warrior ran up to her sister. "Congratulations, Dovey!" she said, smiling warmly at her sister. "You'll be a great warrior, I'm sure of it." Honestly, she thought that Dovey was feeling the same way that she had when she got her warrior ceremony, scared and unsure. Honestly, Kitespring still couldn't see herself as a warrior to be proud of. But when Poppyshine seemed to see it within her, it made her happy and quelled her worries, at least for the time being. Was she doing this right? Should she say a little more? A little less? Was she repeating Poppyshine word for word? Should she try to be more supportive or would that just come out awkward? Anyways, she couldn't delve in her own insecurities now, right? This was Dovey's ceremony, her big day. She needed to... postpone it, at least until later.