sunkit's apprentice ceremony

There was a slight chill permeating the morning air these days, dew settling gently upon blades of grass and greenery that sheltered under the canopy of ThunderClan trees. Thistlemask drew in a long breath, enjoying the way leaves were beginning to gain the familiar warm hues of Leaf-fall, a slight nagging voice in the back of her head worried about prey, something she silenced as she fought the urge to continue to get off topic. Shaking out her pelt, the deputy leapt onto Highrock, feeling out of place and concerned. Mottlestar trusted her though, she could do this. "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!"

Mottlestar heard Thistlemask's voice above her den, and it warmed the molly's heart to hear. It roused her from her mid-day nap, having taken the night patrol the day just before. Emerging from her den, she quickly scurried to the old place she had occupied ceremony after ceremony. She curled her tail around her paws, joining the ceremony as one of the crowd for once. There was no doubt that Thistlemask could do it - it was just a personal note of Mottlestar's that she was sure to go to every single ceremony in her Clan.

Sunkit knew this was the day. The tomkit had been careful to make sure his pelt was clean - which, by his standards, was not very - and he had been eagerly waiting since sun-up for this very moment. He raced out of the nursery as soon as he heard Thistlemask’s call, ears perked and eyes bright, staring up at the deputy with an unconcealed glittering of excitement in his eyes.

Thistlemask waited for a moment, allowing the clan time to pool at her feet before continuing with the words she had carefully practiced, heart warming a little at the sight of today's ceremony focus, Sunkit. His wide eyes beamed up at her, excitement evident in all of his mannerisms and his especially shiny coat. Clearing her throat, she begun. "Sunkit, step forward." The deputy gave the kit a moment, stepping forward a little herself to get a better view. "You have reached the age of six moons and are ready to become an apprentice. From now until the day you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Sunpaw." Smiling at the tom, she continued. "Your mentor will be Nightdancer, may her strong spirit and skills pass onto you." Thistlemask jumped down from the stone, padding up to sit next to Mottlestar, incredibly happy and grateful that she was there to witness her first ceremony.

Nightdancer sat at the edges of most Clan meetings now, not sure what to do with herself. This one hadn't been any exception, nor had it been any surprise- until she heard her own name.

An apprentice?

She willed herself to go through the motions of tradition, stepping forward to touch her nose to Sunpaw's. "We'll start training tomorrow," she said. "For now, you get to move your nest to the apprentice's den."

She'd always thought she would start training her apprentice immediately, or first thing the next day; but she'd been caught off-guard. She needed time to figure out what to do, and how to not be a disappointment- and besides that, Sunpaw would surely be grateful for some time to settle in.

Mottlestar kept a smile on her maw as she watched the ceremony. It brought her back to days that had come and gone long ago, when she would watch every single ceremony that her mate had conducted. She watched with glee as Sunkit stepped forward, only to get his name and mentor, to which Mottlestar dipped her head. As Thistlemask would come to sit by her, she beamed, her head tilted up towards her deputy. "You did great, Thistle!" Mottlestar beamed with pride. Even just a little bit of encouragement would be welcomed by the molly. "It'll be the first of many ceremonies."