Bearpaw's Medicine Cat Apprentice Ceremony

Gender: Male
Rank: Apprentice

Bearpaw was absolutely distraught. He'd not seen hide nor hair of Ploverpaw since the great storm and with each day that she remained missing, he grew more and more afraid that the worst had happened, and she'd died or gotten lost during the storm. He could hardly eat, sleep, or do much of anything when the thought of never seeing his sister again plagued every second of his life now. Belly hollow and heart twisting with guilt, the brown and white tom paced to and fro, his tail twitching with aggravation. He knew that Birdstar and Wolfblossom had a lot going on, but was it too much to ask that they send out a patrol, at least, to look for Ploverpaw?

He could see Sunfire's fear mount with every passing moment and at this point, Bearpaw was willing to try anything to have his sister home again. So, when Smokepetal approached him, he nearly jumped at the opportunity to speak to Skyclan's sole medicine cat. He frowned, though, at the sight of Thymepaw, but decided to ignore her for now. She was always getting into his business. What he really wanted to know, though, was if Starclan sent her news of Ploverpaw's whereabouts? Did Smokepetal at least have news on the matter? His hopes, however, were dashed as the medicine cat opened her jaws, revealing the reason for her visit.

Mood instantly soured, Bearpaw flicked his tail, blue eyes icy. Ah, yes, in all of the chaos, he'd very nearly forgotten about that. It felt like seasons ago that he'd spoken with Skyclan's leadership - the day that Smokepetal told him and Thymepaw that they were to become Skyclan's next medicine cats. His nose crinkled at the thought. Were they really going ahead with that? He'd assumed that Smokepetal had forgotten by now or had at least changed her mind. He wasn't fit to be a medicine cat - not by a long shot. He was abrasive, stubborn, and enjoyed the thrill of hunting and battle far too much to devote his life to healing. Ugh.

And to share his new title with Thymepaw? Could it get worse? Sending one scalding glare Thymepaw's way, Bearpaw turned and fixed his narrowed gaze on Smokepetal. He almost couldn't believe that this was really the path Starclan had chosen for him, but it would be pointless to argue. Birdstar, Wolfblossom, and Smokepetal all thought it was for the best, so he had no choice. He hated it - feeling powerless. "Alright - let's get it done with." He muttered; voice low.

Fur bristling slightly, Bearpaw followed Smokepetal into the woods, his attention latched attentively to the older she-cat. Why, exactly, had Starclan decided it best for him to become a medicine cat? Had they seen something in his future that he couldn't possibly discern? Did they think he would be a horrid warrior? Bearpaw scoffed. Of course not - he was easily a strong hunter and fighter...so why? He didn't have much time to think, though, as Smokepetal came to a stop near a muddy puddle of water.

Bearpaw regarded the small pool, his lips drawn back in a disapproving grimace. Really? Was this the best they could manage? A dirty pool of water? Huffing, he fixed a cool look on the medicine cat. "What are we supposed to do?" He glanced back at the pool, taking note of the scattered moonlight reflecting from its still surface, and frowned. "Will Starclan visit us?" That, at least, would be interesting.

Gender: Male
Rank: Apprentice

The young tom flicked his tail, ears pinned back uncertainly. Why was she looking at him like that - like he was a scrawny squirrel on the fresh kill pile? His attention slanted to Thymepaw who was, without a doubt, the perfect cat to fill the peaceful role of a medicine cat. He didn't like it, but she was the best choice when it came to this. He was...not. His body was built to be a warrior - his mind shaped since birth to follow in his father's pawsteps. His claws and teeth had tasted blood and liked it. How could anyone possibly expect him to excel as a medicine cat when his entire life until now had been dedicated to the path of a warrior?

He was a hunter and a fighter, not a healer. However, Starclan themselves had sent Smokepetal a vision and told her to take both him and Thymepaw under her wing. He was no expert in Starclan, but he knew that they didn't do things for no reason. Whatever their purpose for setting him on this new path...he would simply have to trust them. That didn't, of course, lessen his annoyance at not even getting a proper ceremony. He jerked away as Smokepetal herded him to the small pool of water, urging him to lay down. He frowned but did as she asked, regardless of the mud that seeped through the leaves and grass.

She continued to speak, answering his questions, though she seemed uncertain as to Starclan's presence here. He couldn't blame her for that, at least. They were a long way from the forest but, surely, Starclan was able to follow them no matter where they went, right? Sniffing the water, Bearpaw peered up at the medicine cat, tail tip twitching. "One can hope." He muttered. To be honest, he wasn't sure about this. Even if Starclan could see them, would they visit him? Did they really want him to become a medicine cat? What if this was all a mistake?

As if able to read his thoughts, Smokepetal leaned down, touching her nose to the top of his head. He blinked back surprise and nodded slowly, his mouth dry. He wouldn't admit it - not out loud - but he was nervous. He'd always striven to be the best of the apprentices, and, in his opinion, he'd succeeded. But this was all new territory. He'd never paid much attention to medicine or herbs and certainly hadn't cared much for Starclan...not more than the usual cat anyway. Swallowing, Bearpaw lowered his face to the water. He hesitated for a few moments before finally, he closed his eyes and touched his nose to the icy surface of the pool.

It happened fast - faster than when he'd gone to the moonstone - and before Bearpaw even realized it, he had been transported to the starry forests of Starclan. Unlike last time, he was actually in Skyclan territory or, at least, the starry reflection of it. Humming approvingly, Bearpaw got to his paws, blue eyes scanning the familiar forest for the Starclan cat that had been sent to speak with him. Hopefully, they would be able to tell him why all of this was happening.

Gender: Male
Rank: Apprentice

Bearpaw turned, blue eyes finding the Starclanner in moments. He examined the fluffy tom, his expression cold as he listened to whatever introduction the dead tom was spouting off. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that this Starclanner was also not a Skyclanner - not fully anyway. Birdsong had defected from Skyclan but at least this tom had defected to Skyclan. And to go from a medicine cat to a warrior? How funny, that was the opposite situation as he was in...kind of.

He held back a scornful scoff at the last part, though, and looked away. It hardly seemed to have been his choice, but again, he wasn't going to criticize Starclan or Smokepetal. After a moment of consideration, the white and brown tom turned back to the Starclanner and shallowly dipped his head. "Dovefrost..." He began, "I find it interesting that Starclan keeps choosing to send me cats like you." Were they trying to tell him something? Was it so much to ask that he spoke to a normal Skyclanner who didn't at some point live with a different clan?

Whiskers twitching, Bearpaw sat down, tail curled around his paws, and studied Dovefrost for a moment. Starclan must be trying to soften the blow by having him talk to a former medicine cat. "I wouldn't say that I chose this path." He meowed finally. "More that it chose me." It was ironic, really, that he - one of Skyclan's most promising apprentices - was about to dedicate his life to herbs and healing. Had this happened before?

"I have my own question, actually. Why me? Why now and not before I began my training as a warrior?" Bearpaw narrowed his eyes, unable to mask his ire. It was annoying, he had to admit, that he had wasted so many moons and would have to remain a 'paw for much, much longer than he'd anticipated. "And another thing, why two of us? Is something going to happen to Smokepetal?" That was, easily, the most important question. He wanted to know now if one of his clanmates was in danger. Maybe he could help protect her from whatever it was?

Gender: Male
Rank: Apprentice

Bearpaw's tail swayed idly behind him as Dovefrost spoke, but his entire body froze at the mention of Windclan. He had been...selected to go to Windclan? The fur along his spine prickled, a shiver running down his body as dread clawed its way into his chest. It was bad enough that he was being made to abandon the life of a warrior - but to have to leave his clan...he family? Starclan was asking too much of him. Everyone he loved was in Skyclan! His sisters, his father, Wolfblossom and everyone else...what would they do without him!? Bearpaw blinked, still frozen with shock. Dovefrost continued regardless, each word driving deep into his head like a thorn.

Was it already decided? Did he truly have no choice in the matter? How could Starclan do this to him!?! Finally, Bearpaw found the strength to speak, his mouth dry, but curled into a snarl anyway. "With all due respect, I can't leave my clan. They need me." He meowed, a touch of desperation creeping into his voice. "Why not Thymepaw!?" There had to be some other way - he just needed to find it! "Windclan would hate me, I would hate them! It would never work - and my sisters...they need me to take care of them!"

Surely, Dovefrost would understand that he couldn't leave Skyclan...he hadn't even met a Windclan cat before! A-And besides-" He stammered, "Thymepaw practically loves the other clans. I don't even like any of them." He hissed. Support, what load of bird-droppings. Sunfire would never support this. In fact, Bearpaw was certain that his father wouldn't let this happen! Eyes narrowed, he met Dovefrost's gaze, ears pinned back against his head. "My dad won't let this happen, you know? He hates the other clans more than I do probably, this will just make him hate them more!"