turtlekit's apprentice ceremony

A ground still marred from falling debris and long-settled snow had been a welcome sight for the molly, finding the aching knot of anxiety slowly unravelling and allowing her a sense of freedom and stability once more. Breathing in the cold air softly, exhaling it out into a puff of visible air, the deputy made her way to the top of the rock she had not stood upon in moons, beaming with slight excitement. With that, Thistlemask called out the first ever summons she had learned, "All cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!"

It had seemed only fitting on a day where the ground seemed to hold an endless dusting of snow, a rare treat from days of near nonstop rain, she would finally be called for her ceremony. The last of her siblings, too - something she had begun to pout about, especially as her other siblings seemed so far into their training. It wasn't fair, how could Thistlemask do this to her? The calico had regarded her aunt with nothing but peace and love, but was rewarded with such blatant disrespect in the form of a lack of ceremony. After all they had been through!

Still huffing and grumbling to herself, the kit padded out and placed herself almost immediately under the stone, a silent gesture of annoyance at the deputy as Turtlekit knew the older molly would have to crane herself over the rock awkwardly to properly lay eyes on her. And truly, it served her right.

It only took a few moments for a crowd to gather, eager eyes gazing up at the deputy, her twitching tail-tip betraying that the molly may have had the capacity for feeling anything but neutrality. Taking in a deep breath, she sought out the focus of today's ceremony by sight, finding she had to move incredibly far forward on the stone to do so - claws slipping out slightly to keep hold of the stone. She frowned lightly, wondering why one of her nieces seemed to be in such a mood today. "Turtlekit, step forward." The words came as a default, as anyone could have noticed the kit need not step forward, lest she collide with the stone. "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 Turtlepaw. Your mentor will be Clouddream, as I believe her experiences and good nature will teach you well." Thistlemask bowed her head as she dismissed the meeting, jumping down from the stone to watch the warrior and the young calico meet.

Clouddream? That was a name she had little familiarity with, although she knew one rumour about the older Thunderclan warrior - that she had formerly resided in Riverclan, finding herself at home in the trees mere moons before her aunt. I wonder if she'll teach me how to swim... It was a burning question in the young molly's head, something she left unspoken for now, despite the excitement visible in her twitching tail and whiskers. Her previous negativity towards Thistlemask had begun to fade for the moment as she touched noses with the warrior, beaming with elation.