Tinypaw's Warrior Ceremony

Time slipped away past her paws. It seemed like just yesterday Perchstar had stumbled into RiverClan camp, exhausted and bloodied and starving, carting four small, prematurely born kits with her. Now Mistwalker had received her warrior name... and today, Tinypaw would receive his. Wrenpaw was now a medicine cat apprentice and would be training for far longer. Willowpaw was taking her time and hopefully enjoying the experience of learning and growing under Stormdance. But her other kit apprenticed to Stormdance, Tinypaw, had just been to the Moonstone. He had completed every requirement. Despite being the smallest and the youngest, he had grown, and he was ready. She had no clue how to deal with the fact that they were growing so fast. She supposed that no mother ever really was ready. The ceremonial words fell from her mouth anyway. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own fish gather for a Clan meeting," she called, calm voice belying her inner mix of pride and uncertainty.

Swiftheart heard the call of Perchstar and quickly headed out of the warriors den to go see what this meeting was about. Looking up to the riverclan leader hoping that this would at least be good news and not something bad going on. But she looked pretty calm overall standing up there so maybe this was for a promotion.

Tinypaw made his way toward the Willow Branch, practically beaming with pride. After moons of hard work, it would finally be his time to become a warrior. He looked up at his mother, his eyes shining with happiness. He'd earned this.

Perchstar felt again the gentle heat of pride burning in her chest, a sensation that was gradually becoming more familiar to her. This was not just any apprentice. This was her son, who had worked hard to achieve his warrior name and completed every necessary requirement. “I, Perchstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." She looked down and locked gazes with her son, icy blue eyes meeting a nearly matching shade. Though she trusted him completely, this was always an important question to ask. She had to see that he was being sincere. "Tinypaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

There was no hesitation in Tinypaw's voice as he responded in a resounding: "I promise." He didn't think he had ever meant anything with such conviction before, and he knew he would give his clan his very best up to his dying breath.

Perchstar nodded in approval. She had seen that same fire in the eyes of every warrior she had named so far, but seeing it in the gaze of her own son and daughter had been a strong assurance. He would be a great warrior. “Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name." She thought about what to name each warrior, but her deliberations had been more sincere and prolonged for those names of her kits. She wished for them to know by their names, if nothing else, that she saw them. That she knew them. That she loved them. Her youngest kit, her son, was no exception. "Tinypaw, from this moment on you will be known as Tinyshadow." Not only for the dark color of his pelt, which was an echo of his father's, but for the soft and subtle way that he went around camp. For the emotional intelligence he bore, looking closely at his family to know what they needed. To reassure his potential sense of inadequacy that he was not just always in the shadow of his mother, nor his older sisters, but that he was his own warrior. In his own right. Strong and worthy. "StarClan honors your thoughtfulness and determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan.”

As always, Perchstar leapt gracefully down from the Willow Branch to end the ceremony. But as it had only a few times before, the next gesture meant far more to her than just a simple movement. She stepped up to her son and rested her muzzle atop his head, closing her eyes for a brief moment and breathing in his scent. Her son. Smallest of the litter, born prematurely like the others. Yet he had lived. He had lived, and thrived, and he had become a warrior of RiverClan like he was destined to do. He had worked very hard. She was proud of him. As it had once before, less hesitantly this time due to the slight familiarity of the action, she curled her tail around him in an embrace. It was a rare occurrence, but though awkward, it held all the necessary sincerity of emotion. "Congratulations, my son." Her son. He was her son, and she was his mother. These titles, given by the universe, finally felt worthy of acceptance. With that, Perchstar stepped back, meeting the eyes of the newly-named Tinyshadow. Any feeling that had not been conveyed with the embrace surely would have been held in the raw pride that lingered in her normally icy gaze. But now her eyes strayed momentarily to Mistwalker, knowing that the she-cat she had seen earlier in the crowd would likely come to celebrate her brother's advancement.