The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
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Subject: Lightningpaw's Warrior Ceremony Thu 9 Mar 2023 - 5:49
Birdstar
It wasn’t long before another apprentice was ready to earn their full name. There was a bit of bittersweetness to seeing the oldest apprentices finally follow Creamsky into the warrior’s den; pride for what they’d done mixed with a distant fondness, and the familiar shock that time really had passed.
Birdstar blinked herself out of the sentimentality. After a quick look around camp, she padded across the clearing and leaped onto the Tallbranch. When a few cats had already noticed her position and she’d seen the apprentice she was waiting on, Birdstar called out, “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Tallbranch for a Clan meeting!”
Lightningpaw had never really outgrown her fondness for Clan meetings. There was something about everyone coming together to celebrate that made even a simple ceremony into a special occasion- but she supposed that without that context, it wouldn't be ceremony. It would just be life, plain and simple- not that that was bad, either.
(The exception to this was the rare meeting that was more serious; but Lightningpaw liked to believe that she could read her leader at least a little bit. At least, she'd seen what she looked like calling meetings like that.)
She had some hope that this would be her own, her chance to finally race ahead into something new. To catch up with those she'd somehow slipped behind.
Even if it wasn’t, she was ready to congratulate and celebrate her clanmates.
When Lightningpaw joined the crowd, Birdstar kept her attention quietly focused on her as the rest of the Clan picked out their places to watch from. Eventually, when most of them had gathered, she nodded quietly and called down, “Lightningpaw, step forward.” She wasn’t close with the apprentice, though there was a fondness from her being apart of the little bundle of friends their age of apprentices– mostly warriors now, actually –had formed. Lightningpaw was a good cat, too; she’d yet to have a bad interaction with her.
Birdstar was smiling as the moment of quiet passed and the soon-to-be warrior took her place at the head of the crowd. “StarClan, I call upon you to look down on this apprentice. She’s trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in turn. Lightningpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”
Though she'd sort of half-expected it, it still felt strange- almost dreamlike- to hear her own name. Lightningpaw stepped forward when she was called, breathing a silent farewell to the name that had been hers for so long. Soon she would know who she was meant to be, the name she'd earned for herself.
As the ceremony continued, she was tempted to break from tradition- to shout yes; to call out of course. And though she tried to resist the urge, in the end it was her impulse that won out; as it tended to-
"Yes! Of course I do!"
It was, perhaps, more energy and enthusiasm than was particularly fitting of a solemn vow.
(And she couldn't bring herself to feel apologetic, really; after all, it was wholly and entirely Lightning, wasn't it?)
It wasn't hard to pledge her life, to pledge herself, to SkyClan. This was her home, her friends and her family and her leader; filled with cats she loved and respected and generally cared for. Oh, she held tightly to her heritage; the knowledge that she was of somewhere distant and other- but it didn't really matter, in the end, because this was where she was now and it was where she chose to stay with each passing day.
The apprentice wasn’t long to find her place in front of the Clan, and she didn’t leave anyone to wait long for her response to the rites, either. Birdstar’s ear twitched at the non-standard response, and for a moment she held onto the formal composure she kept for ceremonies. But Lightningpaw’s impulse had encouraged her own– and this was a time for celebration, besides.
She snorted, once, then any further words were halted for a moment as she started to laugh. There was nothing mocking in it; it was warm and earnest, filled with appreciation. “Thank you, for that,” she was still chuckling, head shaking slightly as she quieted the rest of her excitement. “Then from this day on, you will be known to all as Lightningbreeze. SkyClan honors your initiative and compassion.” Coming down from the Tallbranch, Birdstar padded over to press her nose to the new warrior’s head. Quietly, she mewed, “Don’t lose that spark as you get older. Keep a quiet vigil.” Then she was giggling again as she backed away, joining the cheers of her new name alongside the crowd.
"Lightningbreeze! Lightningbreeze! Lightningbreeze!" Creamsky's voice was perhaps one of the loudest cheering his friend's new name - but he couldn't help but be excited. They had been friends since kithood - becoming apprentices so close together...There had been a strong regret in his heart of him rushing ahead, focusing so intently on his training that he had gotten his warrior name so much earlier.
But no longer - they would be warriors together. Creamsky and Lightningbreeze - best friends forever.
As the chanting finally started to die down, the warrior was on his paws in an instance to hurry to her side. "Lightningbreeze!" he called out, somewhat tackling her as he wrapped his paws around her, nuzzling his face into the side of her neck. "You did it! You're finally a warrior with me! Stars, I missed sharing a den with you..." A laugh escaped him as he pulled away a little to better meet her gaze. "Rainfrost and Crookedlight are great company but it hasn't been the same without you."
Crookedlight awaited to hear Lightningpaw’s warrior name, and as it was announced, he smiled and joined in the cheers. “Lightningbreeze! Lightningbreeze! Lightningbreeze!” he called. He watched her return to the crowd and let Creamsky speak with her first. He waited a respectful moment before he approached and smiled. “Congratulations on the new name. It will be nice having all of us together in the same den again.”
"Lightningbreeze!” Rainfrost raised his voice high, a proud smile breaking out across his normally neutral face. “Lightningbreeze, Lightningbreeze!” The name suited her. Purrs rumbled from Rainfrost’s chest as he was quick to get to his feet, moving towards the newly named warrior.
He hung back for a moment beside Crookedlight, giving Creamsky and Lightningbreeze a moment, before he moved forward and, just as she had when he was named, headbutted the flank not currently occupied by Creamsky. “Took you long enough,”He teased, eyes twinkling. The whole original group was in the warrior’s den now, something that made him purr with happiness. Creamsky’s prediction was coming true. They’re rapidly occupying a little corner of the warrior’s den together, and now it would feel all the more right with Lightning joining them. He couldn’t wait until Juniperpaw joined them as well, rounding out the group completely.
“You’ve earned this,” He said, giving into the urge to affectionately rub against her once more. “Congratulations.” Lightningbreeze was one of his oldest friends beside Crookedlight. It brought him joy to have her joining him in the warrior’s den. Then he stepped back again, leaning on Crookedlight’s side but the soft smile on his face did not quite leave.
