Blizzardkit's Apprentice Ceremony

Now that one was done... one of three... he only waited a few hours before his voice rang out once more across the camp. "Let all cats old enough to climb a tree gather beneath the Tallbranch for a clan meeting!" He sat, now very comfortably now that there was no stars-cursed snow to freeze his bum off. One more after this one, though he was hardly excited for it.

Blizzardkit flicked his ear and yawned as he pushed out of the nursery. Leaves stuck to his mane of white-tabby fur, as he did so — snaring a little tightly in places — but he just shook them off. Absent-mindedly, he stepped near the other cats, and only after sitting did he wonder where his mom was. Must be off being mad at things again…

With a shrug, he sank simply onto his forelegs and laid his head between his paws, not really paying attention to Bloodstar. It was his mom who insisted Blizzardkit start showing up to these things…

"Blizzardkit step forward. You have reached the age of six moons and it is time for you to be an apprentice. From today until you earn your warrior name, you will be called Blizzardpaw. Your mentor will be Beechfang. She will train you well." Bloodstar jumped off the Tallbranch, concluding the meeting. He'd made it brief, but there was much to be done. He was sure Briarthorn could handle the extra responsibility. The scarred leader had more on his mind right now than he cared to share with everyone else.

Beechfang's ear twitched as her name was called, and she strode towards the young tom that had just been named her apprentice. He could have been her miniature... Perhaps she would make a real Skyclanner out of Spottedfrog's kit yet. She was a little uneasy about training an apprentice after the absolute dungshow that had been Mountainkit's demotion at his own warrior ceremony, but it didn't show on her face. Reaching down to touch noses with the newly-named Blizzardpaw, Beechfang spoke. "Get settled in your new nest. We begin training at dawn."

Someone said his name.

Blizzardkit… slowly looked around. The mew was deep and commanding — so, not unlike Mama’s, but she certainly didn’t sound so much like rocks. The white tabby raised his head… and then, barely, got it. Oh. I’m gonna be an apprentice now. Fun. He guessed that was a good thing.

It must have been too obvious Blizzardkit wasn’t that young anymore. Quail wanted to be a warrior, so he got a mentor first — which suited Blizzard fine. (It didn’t look that exciting.) But it was his turn now. And he eventually got there, beneath the Tallbranch. Spottedfrog’s black and white fur didn’t seem to be here, though. Uneasily, he flicked his ear.

Especially when his granddad spoke. He hadn’t really spoken to Blizzardkit before. But the first time he did, Beechfang was going to be his mentor? He blinked. The ugly one Mama hates…?! The announcement was met with silence: a sure sign Mama wasn’t here.

Blizzardpaw’s first act as an apprentice was to look up at the sky. And with a glare. Really? “Mama’s gonna be so mad,” he muttered. Not that that was new…

But he only let out a deep sigh. The molly that came out to greet him looked… scary, he guessed. To other kits, probably. Beechfang was a force of nature, and their noses touched a little icily, and without much warmth. They started training at dawn?

“…Okay.” Right. Maybe she would.

He was still sitting there, thinking about how mad his mother was gonna be, when the crowd dispersed.

Oh, well. It was what it was