Silverpaw's Warrior Ceremony

Stars... how long had it been since she had last stood atop the Highrock to conduct a ceremony? When was the last time she had stood atop the Highrock? ... When was the last time she had simply done a ceremony? The questions swirled her mind as she made it to the top. Many thoughts lurked beneath the surface in her mind, but none of them would muddle the worth of this moment. There was something special about this ceremony to Mottlestar: it felt, in a way, as if she were a grandmother again. Quailprowler had been an apprentice under her guidance, and the apprentice who had proven their worth enough to earn their name had been apprenticed to the same molly. Generations of teaching were flourishing, right before her very eyes. It was with that in mind as she made it to the top of the rock, calling,

"Let all those safe from the bramble's thorns gather beneath the Highrock for a clan meeting!"

Whatever it had been that Silverpaw was occupying their time with, it was quickly disregarded as Mottlestar called for a clan meeting. Dutifully, Silverpaw approached the base of the rock settling between the cats she knew most. Green eyes gazed up at the tortoiseshell leader expectedly. This was the first true clan meeting since returning, and there was certainly a hopeful buzz around the clan. Things were returning to normal, or mostly normal... Clanmates were still ill, Wiggleworm was still ill, and there was that tension between the clans, but... But things were getting better, At least for Silverpaw they were. The tall apprentice knew their training would be ending soon, the sickness had hindered her progression, but their own resilience had seen them through it - no thanks to StarClan. Silverpaw's tail twitched as they pondered on StarClan, but they weren't worth their time, and she quickly dismissed them as they had her and her clan. Attention now on the present, and the molly upon the rocks, Silverpaw listened attentively, ears perked for Mottlestar's decree.

So much bad news had swirled through the Clans as of late, a small frown almost tugged at her maw as she looked at a few of the apprehensive faces of her clanmates. Knowing one more bad declaration was soon to come, too...

Shaking her head, the Molly once more called. "We gather for good news, my friends. As you know, we have seen many things on our journey. One of those being the growth of our apprentices. Now, it is time to give one her full warrior name. Silverpaw, please step forward." It had taken the leader's well trained eye no time at all to find her in the crowd. "Starclan, I ask you to look upon this apprentice, as she has trained hard in the ways of your noble code. Silverpaw," Tail swishing behind her, she asked, "Do you promise to defend the warrior code and serve Thunderclan, even at the cost of your life?"

Soon being now, at the mention of her name, Silverpaw rose to her paws and quickly scaled the High Rock to join their leader. It was so different from their apprentice ceremony. When her name had last been called Silverpaw had arisen unsteady, and meekly made their way forward. Not patricularly an impressive show of strength, nor an indication of the cat she would become. This time there had been no hesitation, or doubt when she stood before Mottlestar. It was not cocky to be self assured of your capability, and from Quailprowler's teaching the tall she-cat knew they were competent. Her eyes graced over the ground, admiring the view from the High Rock, before quickly returning to the small she-cat in front of her.

They knew how these ceremonies went, the eons old words passed from leader to leader, instilled into them to repeat. It was a tradition, but the pang of resentment at the mention of StarClan was not softened by that. No, Mottlestar still needed their approval and their permission to make them a warrior. If it were not for the occasion Silverpaw would have scoffed.  The apprentice had spent moons rotting and starving, clinging on to anything to survive. Had clawed their way back from the grave, and still trained until she felt like the earth would collapse from beneath them, and yet her dedication was to be proved by an entity that did not care for her. Where had StarClan been when Brightsplit had attacked them, when he had broken the code they were sworn to live by? Nowhere, and he had still been made a warrior. There was nothing, but lies to their feux-benevolence, lies that Silverpaw would never be apart of. Their code was not worth more than the dirt made by a rat to Silverpaw. She had come this far by their own volition not StarClan's.

StarClan and ThunderClan were separate entirely - the latter noble and the former dishonourable. It was ThunderClan and ThunderClan alone that Silverpaw would serve with their life. So when Mottlestar asked the question, there was no hesitation only stoic clarity when Silverpaw answered "I do."

Her observant gaze waited for any moment of hesitation or doubt that may have crossed her younger clanmate's face, but she found that none seemed to come to pass. If anything, that was simply a clear indication to the tortoiseshell that the apprentice was in fact ready to move onto the next phase of her life: warriorhood. Delivering a curt nod in response, her gaze turned from being so scrutinizing to being much more friendly. She scanned over the crowd, waiting to see any inclination of dissonance as if her clanmates would oppose this ceremony. There was nothing but kind reception and renewed hope.

"Then, let it be known that I call upon our ancestors once more. She has trained hard in the ways of our noble code, exuding nothing but loyalty and dedication. With her promise, we commend her as a warrior in turn. It is my honor to then welcome you, Silverdusk, as a full warrior of Thunderclan. You shall uphold your vigil tonight while the clan sleeps, but for now, we celebrate."

Pushing herself off of the Highrock in an easy leap, the tortoiseshell approached the newly-named warrior. In ceremonial rite, she reared slightly onto her hind legs to place her nose atop the apprentice's head, before stepping back to allow Thunderclan to celebrate its newest warrior.

The subtle shift in her leader's features was echoed on the newly named warrior's own. A smile broke out across their face as they bent down, bowing before Mottlestar so she may complete the ceremony. "Thank you, Mottlerstar." they mewed quietly.

Silverdusk arose, a fully fledged warrior now. A true member of the clan they so dearly loved, a sworn protector. Her eyes met Mottlestar's with a promise to continue the dedication they had shown during their apprentice hood. With a final dip of their head to the tortoiseshell she joined their clanmates.