Firekit's Apprentice Ceremony

It has been a couple days since being named deputy, and Wolfblossom had been keeping busy with assigning patrols and participating in them. Living in fourtrees was strange and the twolegs that prowled the forest were strange as well as dangerous. And there were the traps and missing cats... She hadn't seen many smiles on the faces of her clanmates recently and for good reason. A ceremony might give them all something positive to focus on, but Wolfblossom couldn't help the flicker of anxiety that came along with the idea. These were dangerous times for a kit to become an apprentice, but at six moons old, it wouldn't be right to keep them in the nursery as much as she wanted to protect them all from the crazy world they now lived in. And she hadn't ever thought to be holding a ceremony, either. It took her a moment of staring at the great rock, before the thick-furred she-cat eventually settled for standing in front of it. Standing on the great rock just didn't seem right to her.

"Let all cats old enough to climb a tree gather beneath the great rock!" Wolfblossom called out to her clanmates, bright blue gaze searching for the kit who would become an apprentice today

Firekit had been silently watching the wind blow through the trees, the few leaves remaining still falling intermittently when he heard Wolfblossom's call. It startled him, causing his fur to rise along his body. He never knew what the next noise would bring, whether it was news of a ceremony, or twolegs coming to catch them. Regardless, the tom shook his fur, a futile attempt of smoothing it out in anticipation of what was to come. He knew he was old enough to become an apprentice, the true question was if the ceremony was for him, or for another of his peers. Firekit moved to the back of the crowd, in a position where his head could at least peek through the throngs of taller cats. A part of him actually hoped this wasn't his ceremony... he didn't really like the idea of talking in front of a crowd.

As the clan gathered, Wolfblossom found the fiery-pelted kit near the back of the crowd. Meeting his gaze, she offered him a small smile before continuing with the ceremony. "Firekit, step forward," She mewed, "You've reached the age of six moons, and it's time you become an apprentice of Skyclan. From this day forward you will be known as Firepaw, and your mentor will be Moonlily. She's a skilled warrior, and I trust that she will pass down all she knows to you." Her pale gaze found Moonlily, settling on her for a moment as the ceremony concluded. Truthfully, this would be just as much of a learning experience for Firepaw as it was Moonlily, Wolfblossom thought. Crowpaw had been taken too soon, but the younger warrior deserved another chance at being a mentor.

Quietly stepping through the crowd, weaving in and out of legs, Firekit- no, -paw now, made his way to the front. He had to meet his mentor after all, even if having to get in front of everyone was a frankly terrifying experience. He wanted the training though, he wanted to be something more than he was... it was just scary, all the new things. When Moonlily did make her way over, he touched his nose to hers with a gentle tap, anxiously awaiting what she might say about starting his training.

She'd begun spending more time with her clanmates, but it was to her surprise when Wolfblossom called out her name for an apprentice. Moonlily had sworn for it to be her failure that had been the cause of Crowpaw's disappearance, but it was long past that time. The large, fluffy molly made her way to Firepaw, a gentle smile on her face as they'd touch noses. The anxiety that seemed to prickle at the young feline was definitely understandable. "We will start tomorrow. But please, feel free to spend the day celebrating. It's a big accomplishment, Firepaw." Her voice was warm, sweet, like the scent of fresh flowers. She wasn't motherly, by any means, but she was kind.