Bearpaw's Medicine Cat Ceremony

There was no Moonstone here, and the puddle that she'd been using to speak with StarClan was now dried up and hidden beneath a layer of fresh snow, but Smokepetal knew that StarClan was with them. They'd proven that - in guiding the clans here in the first place, in continuing to appear for apprentices to speak to despite the lack of a conduit... and as she gazed towards the sky, the bright moon reflecting back in gray-green eyes, Smokepetal knew they would be here for this, too.

But, still... the medicine cat didn't want to hold this ceremony here, in camp, even if it may have worked. Her apprentices had already been robbed of the same experiences she'd had - visiting the Moonstone to become an official medicine cat apprentice, learning where the best herbs were in SkyClan's territory, getting to be a (mostly) carefree young cat... the famine, this sickness, had stolen that from them. Smokepetal didn't want any of that to steal the magic from this, too. So she'd find a way to make it.

"Are you ready, Bearpaw?" Smokepetal turned to look at him, her gaze softening with affection. She'd grown to quite like the tom, and even though she remembered his initial reluctance, Bearpaw had grown into a fine young cat... and he'd be a great medicine cat, too. "Come along, now."

Together, they left SkyClan's camp.

Their journey was not terribly long. Through the snow, Smokepetal led Bearpaw south from camp and towards a meadow she'd found half a moon ago. Here, a massive tree had fallen, ripped from the earth by the wind, or age, perhaps, long before the clans had set paw in this territory. She'd explored it previously, curious to know if any herbs could be found growing in the shelter of the fallen boughs, but instead of herbs, she'd found a hole in the ground where the roots had once been, large enough to fit two or three cats comfortably.

It would be a poor den in permanence - which is why it was vacant, she imagined - but for this? It was perfect. "In here," she said to Bearpaw, leading him beneath the tangle of thick, exposed roots and into the shelter. Snow had managed to blow in through a few of the holes above them, but most of it was clear,  and more importantly, significantly warmer than outside.

"At least we won't freeze in here," she breathed, curling her tail around her paws and shivering slightly as her body adjusted to the warmer space. She looked at Bearpaw, voice soft when she spoke again. "I'm proud of you, Bearpaw. I know this isn't what you expected... or what you wanted, but... you've done well." She would be the first to admit that at first, she thought she'd made some sort of mistake in interpreting the dream she had. But through and through, the tom had proven steadfast and willing to learn, even if it seemed begrudging at first.

"You know... I was a warrior, before I was a medicine cat. I even had a different name." Smokepetal said to him. "There was a time in my life where I didn't know what I was supposed to do, where I was supposed to be. How I could make myself most worthwhile to the clan. I just want you to know, it's okay to feel those things, Bearpaw. But just know that in the end, I have the utmost of faith in you. You will be a great medicine cat."

The confusion across Bearpaw's face drew a smile to Smokepetal's, and she dipped her head, nodding in confirmation. "It's true... Wolfblossom was my mentor, and I did warrior training just like you." Well, maybe not just like him, but close enough. "When I was named warrior, Birdstar called me Smokestep. And then, when I became a medicine cat in truth... like you're about to do now, Wolfblossom saw the change in me, how my name no longer reflected the cat I had become."

She flicked her tail across the ground, reminiscing that night, when she had finally gotten everything she'd ever wanted. Or... almost everything, at least. "If you feel like the cat you were when you were named Bearpaw is not the cat you are now..." she met his gaze warmly, trailing off into an obvious finishing statement.

"But that can wait, I imagine. After you speak with StarClan again, you may see it differently." Another smile, and then, "Shall we begin?"

Clearing her throat, Smokepetal recited the words that Wolfblossom had said to her so long ago. "I, Smokepetal, Medicine Cat of Skyclan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of a medicine cat, and with your help, will serve his clan for many moons. Bearpaw, do you promise to uphold the ways of a medicine cat, to stand apart from rivalry between clan and clan and to protect all cats equally, even at the cost of your life?"

Hemlockpaw. Smokepetal stared at the fluffy tom affectionately, and then nodded. It fit him. Hemlock was rarely used in medicine, but when it was, it was death... mercy. The worst decision any medicine cat could ever have to make, and yet the one requiring the most strength of mind. "Very well... Hemlockpaw. By the powers of StarClan, I give you your full name: Hemlockfox... for you are as steadfast as one and as cunning and fierce as the other."

She leaned forward to touch her nose to his forehead, a low purr rumbling in her chest. "May you serve SkyClan for many moons to come."