Scarletpaw's Mentor Reassignment Ceremony

There was much that Perchstar had missed. The death of Hawkshriek, when listed among the things Poppyshine told her, had given Perchstar a moment of grief-heavy pause. The news of Mistwalker's retirement had sandbagged her further. To miss a ceremony of her kit, and for it to be an elder, for one so young--Perchstar still could not quite bear the thought. She had to push it away for now lest it consume her just when she had begun to be capable again. So much... so much over the past few moons. And for what? Some semblance of peace that she was about to shatter? It was a lot to bear. But those awful things had at least come in tandem with more joyful news of Scarletpaw and Pigeonpaw's return. Which then, unfortunately, made a mentor reassignment necessary. Scarletpaw had returned to the retirement of his mentor. Thankfully, there were now more able-bodied cats in RiverClan who were able to assist in training him. So it was that Perchstar made her way to the highest point of their temporary camp, calling out once again the usual summons, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own fish gather for a Clan meeting."

Perchstar inspected Scarletpaw when he walked out. Certainly a little the worse for wear for his unintended detour, but he had also grown. A little bit of his immaturity perhaps had been subsumed by the sudden onslaught of responsibility, caring for himself in the wilderness. But he was still an apprentice--and he still needed assistance. She thought she may have the perfect pairing. "Many things have changed in RiverClan recently. One of our warriors, Mistwalker, has retired due to injury." The words tasted interminably sour in her mouth. She swallowed and continued. "That leaves an apprentice without a mentor. But thankfully, there are plenty of able-bodied warriors who are able to step up to the challenge. Scarletpaw, please step forward." Ice-blue eyes scanned the small crowd of cats. "Scarletpaw, in order to complete your training, you will be assigned another warrior to continue your teaching where Mistwalker left off. Murkyriver will now be your mentor. I trust that she will be able to pass what she knows onto you." Perhaps a strange idea, since Murkyriver had recently gained her name and had been from ThunderClan, but the she-cat was extremely capable. Her speed through the ranks and the ferocity of her strength might be just what Scarletpaw needed to get back on his feet.

It had near-literally taken the strength of two toms to drag the tortoiseshell from what may as well have been her death-nest in order to cram herbs into her body, and since then, she had taken to sulking. Truthfully, it was because all she could keep the energy to do was to force herself to the fresh-kill pile and back, plagued by her body taking longer than most to react to the concoction of herbs that had promised to cure all others who came across it. It had been entirely of her own doing, especially as she had pushed her body well beyond its sickly limits. It did not matter to her, though, as Perchstar's summons finally lifted her from her nest. She would always heed the call of her leader, and such was apparent as she prowled out to the gathering crowd, finding her place among the edge.

As her name was called, her immediate reaction was to stare. A blink of surprise, followed by her gaze honing in on the tom who had been placed under her tutelage. Mistwalker's retirement had been a heavy blow, but life still carried on. A particularly lethal look of unamusement registered in her amber eyes as she simply watched the apprentice's squabbling outburst, and had she any hint of his former mentors patience, she would have perhaps laughed. Unfortunately for the tom, the only resemblance she had was her stoicism, and even that was far more frigid. His retorts were that of a petty kit, and for a moment, she almost swore she saw her sister Turtlepaw, complaining in the exact same manner.

"Yet, I have earned my warrior name twice in a span of which you have yet to even do so once." Her words were delivered on a matter-of-fact tone, delivered with the quick precision of a strike that would leave no room for argument. "Do you wish to also discredit the fact that Perchstar was my mentor? Do you deem her unable to properly rear a warrior on her own?" Her ear flicked, and her head tilted as she seemed to earnestly ask the question. After all, it was no small blow to insinuate that she couldn't teach a Riverclan cat. She had been deemed worthy of the -river suffix as well; one she considered particularly sacred.

Prowling once more towards the young tom, her eyes did not leave his own for a singular moment. It was a target chosen and locked on. "Training begins tonight. Clearly, you need a demonstration of the standards a leader's apprentice is held to. The same standards you will be held to." Was it harsh? Yes, it was brutal, even. But this sort of stubbornness wouldn't be resolved with words, Murkyriver knew that much. Even as fatigue threatened to pull her right back to her nest, the same resolve that had led her to sparring against Larkspring now fueled her veins. She never backed down from a challenge, and if she was going to teach Scarletpaw in a trial-by-fire? He'd chosen his own fate.