Swanpaw's Warrior Ceremony

A generation of apprentices had grown and trained. Now that RiverClan had returned to the forest, Perchstar had known that many would be ready to receive their warrior ceremonies--and sure enough, the first of that group had been deemed ready. Swanpaw, one of the kits that she and Owlcall had found hidden on the territory so long ago. The decision to take them in had been the right one, if only evidenced by the strength they gave RiverClan's numbers. But they all added something else important to the Clan, too. The more diverse opinions and friendships they had, the stronger their bonds would become and the stronger they would subsequently be. And with war looming on the horizon, strength was one of the only things on Perchstar's mind. But that was not the reason for the ceremony. Warrior ceremonies were a time for celebration. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own fish gather for a Clan meeting," she called, her neutral tone ringing through RiverClan camp once again. Oh, it was so much nicer to be back on the Willow Branch.

Swanpaw had recently returned from a patrol, resting near the apprentice den when Perchstar's call signaled a clan meeting. The pale-furred she-cat lifted her head curiously, then pulled herself to her paws and headed toward the willow branch. She had to wonder at what the meeting was for, there hadn't been a ceremony in some time, but Swanpaw wanted to hold out hope that there would be one soon. Specifically, one for her and her siblings. They had been apprentices for a while now, and while Swanpaw had been busy with her duties and tried not to complain now that Riverclan was back home, her thoughts would often turn wistfully toward the warriors and what it would be like to no longer have the 'paw at the end of her name.

Swanpaw sat, tail curling over her paws as she gazed up at her leader, a mixture of cautious hope and curiosity warring across her expression.

Perchstar's light-blue eyes easily caught hold of Swanpaw when she joined the crowd of cats. All of RiverClan had been through a lot recently, but she knew they had borne far more than most of the other apprentices. Pigeonpaw's disappearance, the deaths and retirements of mentors like Drizzlepool and Egretswoop, and many more disasters that kept piling on. But they'd made it through. That, if nothing else, was a testament to their strength and worthiness--and Poppyshine had agreed that Swanpaw's apprenticeship had left nothing lacking. "Today we gather to acknowledge the advancement of an apprentice to a warrior," the leader said, words falling easily from her tongue. It was nice to speak of celebration rather than suffering. "Swanpaw, please step forward."

Once she did, Perchstar continued. “I, Perchstar, leader of RiverClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Swanpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?” It was a tough question. As always, she scanned Swanpaw carefully, looking for surety in her answer. Just because she may not have had RiverClan blood did not mean that she was not fully RiverClan. If she took the vows, then she would be a warrior of RiverClan through and through.

Perchstar began to speak, and Swanpaw, despite daydreaming of this moment, nearly jumped out of her skin when her name was called, excitement shinning in her blue eyes as she stepped forward. It was a struggle to restrain herself, to not bounce forward like an overexcited kit, but she managed save for the twitch of her fluffy tail and the gaze fixed on her leader as she spoke.

Starclan, yadda yadda... But she would defend her clan until the bitter end. That was one thing Swanpaw was certain of. They had taken her and her siblings in, they had trained her and taught her everything she knew. That loyalty was owed and had been earned. "I do!" There was no doubt in her voice at that part of the vow, the excitement she'd been trying to hide seeping through.

The doubts she did have in the back of her mind - Morningpaw, Pigeonpaw, Hawkshriek... Those seemed to fade away in the moment.

Perchstar nodded in acceptance. The determination and eagerness in Swanpaw's eyes suited her well. She would be a good addition to the ranks, and a good warrior. “Then I give you your warrior name. Swanpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Swandive. StarClan honors your tenacity and loyalty, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan.” With that, the leader leapt down from the branch to conclude the ceremony, briefly resting her muzzle atop the newly-named Swandive's head. Then she pulled back. As their eyes met, she offered a blink of congratulation and respect, before backing off to leave more room for the family to congratulate each other.


Dovepaw knew that their warrior ceremonies would be soon, but he hadn't been expecting Swanpaw's to be first. Honestly, a few moons ago, he might've been jealous. But after all they'd been through she deserved a win. He was just glad that they'd all made it back to RiverClan in one piece--and that life seemed to be returning to normalcy. His eyes lit up with pride when he heard his sister's new name. "Swandive! Swandive!" Louder than usual, his voice was the first to rise above the crowd in celebration. Then once Perchstar left he made his way forward, bumping Swandive's shoulder affectionately with a brown paw. "Congratulations! You absolutely deserve it." He would push away the thoughts of the conversation he wanted to have with her, for now. Those weren't warm concepts. Instead, he would be happy for his sister.

She registered Pigeonpaw behind her, though her attention was so focused on Perchstar's next words that Swanpaw didn't hear what her sister might have said. She was becoming a warrior, at long last!

Swandive. She was Swandive, now. The ceremony was concluded with the leader's head resting briefly atop her own, and the newly-named warrior purred up at her. "Thank you, Perchstar."

No sooner had the leader stepped away before she was surrounded by her siblings, grinning fiercely back at Dovepaw and Pigeonpaw. "Thank you! And. Well, yeah, I am special, Pidge! You both gotta keep up!" Swandive lightly butted her head against her sister's shoulder.