Sandykit's Medicine Cat Apprentice Ceremony

Dovesight had been keeping an eye on her nieces and nephews, watching them as they grew up, being well on their way to being warriors.

Except for one.

Sandykit remained in the nursery, unwilling to have her ceremony. She was afraid of warrior life. Much like she herself had been. So Dovesight spoke with Poppyshine about perhaps taking Sandykit on as her own apprentice, and the two agreed. Now all she had to do was speaking to the kit herself.

"Sandykit? Can I talk with you, dear?"

"Well, not if you don't want to."

She was a little offput by Sandykit's question, not sure if she actually wanted to or not. And she also realized she had no idea how to go about asking the kit. She needed to choose her words carefully.

"Your mother and I were talking, and, well..."

This was going to be harder than she thought.

"Let me tell you a little story. Did you know that I used to be a warrior? I knew how to hunt, and I could fight, I even trained Grebedance when she was an apprentice. But a lot of bad things happened, and I was scared. Being a warrior, rushing into battle, it terrified me. Just like it scares you. I learned that I wasn't meant to be a warrior, and your mother actually helped me find my true calling as a medicine cat. Where I am able to serve my Clan without doing all of those things that scared me for so long.

You and I are a lot alike, you know, Sandykit. And I think, well, maybe the reason you are scared is because, like me, warrior life just isn't for you. If you are interested, I think I would like to take you on as my apprentice."

Sandykit was so eager to accept Dovesight's offer, quickly embracing her with glee, to which Dovesight wrapped her paw around in turn. And while on the outside, she seemed affectionate, her mind was racing, knowing all too well what the kits was thinking. It was just as she said, they were a lot alike, those were things Dovesight had thought herself. That being a medicine cat was a way out, if you didn't fight then you wouldn't get hurt. She wanted to tell her niece, warn her of what would come. How she would lose cats, and the pain would be sharper than a million thorns in her heart.

But Sandykit seemed so happy. She couldn't bring herself to ruin that. And it almost made her want to cry, the only thing holding her back was the fact that she wouldn't want Sandykit to see. So she put on a brave face and smiled.

"Well come on then, let's go make it official."

---

The trek to the Moonstone was not much different than any other time she had gone. Luckily Sandykit was older than other kits, so she would be able to handle the journey as well as any apprentice she took in the past. Having arrived at the glowing stone, Dovesight began to speak.

"Warriors of StarClan, I present you with this apprentice. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom and insight so that she may understand your ways and heal her Clan in accordance with your will. Sandykit, from this day forward, until you earn your medicine cat name, you will be known as Sandypaw."

She touched her nose to Sandypaw's, hoping that she couldn't feel her shaking. Silently, she vowed to protect her apprentice as long as she lived. Be a shield from the pain she herself had no protection from.

"Go ahead and touch your nose to it now. I'm sure StarClan will want to meet you officially."

Spiderquill watched with bat-like ears pricked up as Sandykit appeared in StarClan. He had to admit, he was a little bit more nervous than he usually was meeting living cats. This wasn't any old Moonstone, this was a medicine cat apprentice ceremony! Sandykit would remember this for her whole life. He shuffled on the spot for a moment, stalling. Taking a deep breath, he smiled warmly and approached the she-cat. "Welcome, Sandykit! I'm Spiderquill- or Dennis, if you'd prefer. It's shorter." He purred, remembering how his sisters would always call him Dennis. He'd gotten his memories back in StarClan, but the name still held special meaning to him. "I was RiverClan's medicine cat, many moons ago. Your... Great great grandmother was my mother! I started as a kit, just like you did. Warriorhood just wasn't an option in my mind, I'm guessing it was the same for you?"
He sat down with a knowing half-smile. Maybe this wouldn't be as daunting as he thought. "I had two apprentices, in my time. There's a lot of things I failed to teach them, and I hope to impart them in you instead." His smile faded a little, remembering Cloverheart with a pang in his chest. "T-the most important thing, I think, is to keep good relations with your fellow medicine cats. My apprentice Cloverheart and I... We didn't do well in that regard. It led to Cloverheart's death, in the end." He looked away sadly, then suddenly remembered he was talking to a kit and not some wistful elder. "Ah! But the medicine cats are usually very nice. I had a very close friend who was the medicine cat of WindClan. I'm making it seem horrible, aren't I... I promise you've made the right choice! It's a very rewarding role for the right cat, and I agree with Dovesight that you are the right cat." He hoped he hadn't discouraged the young she-cat. This was her first ever encounter with StarClan and here he was, rambling.