frondkit's apprentice ceremony

Anxiety pricked at the leaders' claws as she made her way towards the center of where her Clan resided. They'd survive this chaos - somehow. She just knew it. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather around for a Clan meeting!"

Now.

Frondkit was quite sure of the fact that he wasn’t old enough to catch his own prey yet. He was definitely old enough to eat meat, he wasn’t a newborn anymore- but he didn’t know how to catch anything! His mother would bring over a mouse from the pile, or, if he had been particularly good, recently, she’d been letting him pick out the prey- and he’d felt very very proud of that fact, to be sure.

The point of the matter was this- he wasn’t old enough to answer the leader’s call. Yet, for some reason, his mother was shepherding him over to the Highrock! Why? She had gone out of her way to lick down his fur this morning, too, although he knew how to do so well enough, even for her standards. Frondkit was always the best-groomed kit in the nursery, and he felt some pride in that fact. He liked looking neat, orderly, and presentable.

Frondkit sat down next to his mother, dipping his head respectfully to Mottlestar. He hadn’t interacted with her, really, not that he could remember- but she was the leader! And so he’d listen. Not that he wouldn’t listen to anyone else- just that he had to listen extra hard to her.

They needed the joy, they truly did. It was all she could think of. As the young kit made their way nearby, Mottlestar wasted no time in starting the ceremony. "Frondkit, come forward, near me." She called, so that way her Clan could recognize the soon-to-be new apprentice. "We continue to grow despite what the Forest brings us. Frondkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and you are now to become an apprentice. From now until you become a warrior, you shall be known as Frondpaw. I trust Starlingflare as your mentor, as his wisdom will serve you well." A dip of her head served to allow the new apprentice to celebrate. It had been some time since Starlingflare had taken an apprentice, but the senior warrior had much to teach.

Oh.

It was his ceremony! Suddenly self-conscious, Frondkit stepped forwards, green eyes shining. The young tom-kit listened attentively to Mottlestar’s words. He was now Frondpaw… now an apprentice. Wow. It seemed like just yesterday that he’d been cowering in Fourtrees, such a small, scared kit… time really did fly, didn’t it?

Starlingflare… Starlingflare… the newly named Frondpaw couldn’t quite match the name to the pelt. He’d spent so much time surrounded by cats from all the other Clans, and then they’d moved to the Sandy Hollow and so many of the warriors were always out hunting… he dipped his head to Mottlestar. “Thank you,” the young tom mewed, his tail rippling behind him. He then turned, scanning the crowd for his new mentor and meeting his mother’s gaze, for a just a moment. She seemed proud- and so she should be! He was an apprentice!

Despite the mild worry of something so utterly new, Frondpaw couldn’t help but feel excited as well for what was sure to come.