Elmpaw's Warrior Ceremony

Time marched onward as it always did, and while a lot of things were pushed aside during the time of mourning, one thing kept ringing in the back of Poppyshine’s mind. Scorchlight had come to Perchstar just a couple of days before her death to inform them that Elmpaw was deemed ready for promotion to being a warrior. Perchstar had mentioned offpaw to Poppyshine that she agreed and he seemed more mature following his punishment earlier into his apprenticeship, and she would provide him his warrior name within a few days.

Well…those few days had passed, Perchstar was now gone, and Poppyshine kept thinking of that conversation every time she spotted Elmpaw head out on his duties with Scorchlight. If Elmpaw had been deemed ready for promotion…then he was. Poppyshine idly wondered what name Perchstar would have given her grandson, but there was of course no way to know that now. She would have to choose one for him, and perform her first warrior ceremony as a leader…She had yet to find the time to get her new lives—and stars, she still needed to choose a new deputy; perhaps in the morning—but this could be one of her true first acts as leader.

Poppyshine stepped up onto the Willow Branch and cleared her throat. Here it was; it would be official. She announced, “Let all cats old enough to catch their own fish gather for a Clan meeting.”

Among the gathering crowd sat Elmpaw. At first he had thought this was to be an apprentice ceremony. That was usually what Poppyshine would call meetings for. Perchstar typically handled other matters.

Then he remembered Perchstar wasn't here, and his heart sank the same way it had when she first passed. He had half a mind to just go back to his den. He loved his grandmother, and he was sure she would be a great leader, but at the same time, he didn't want to accept it.

Still, Elmpaw stayed where he was, ready for the meeting to continue. He'd do his sulking after Poppyshine said what she needed to.

Poppyshine searched the gathering crowd for the cat in question. No one seemed particularly eager to attend the ceremony, and she could not blame them. Things were heavier after Perchstar’s death, and while Poppyshine had been on the branch several times for deputy duties, there was a change now that she was leader. Eventually her eyes landed on Elmpaw and he didn’t even seem eager; perhaps he did not know that this was to be his ceremony, or perhaps he was downtrodden enough that it did not matter to him. She hoped it was the former. Even though things were depressing, he deserved some joy on his special day.

“I know that things are difficult for us right now, but time moves on grief should not interfere with the joys that can still bless our clan. Perchstar told me before her passing that she believed there was an apprentice ready to join the ranks of warriors and I agree. Elmpaw.” She met her grandson’s gaze and offered him a small smile. “Please step forward.” She waited for him to make his way forward. Unlike other times he received attention, such as when he received his punishment moons ago, this would be a happy occasion and good attention.

Poppyshine took a deep breath and gave Elmpaw her undivided attention. “I, Poppyshine, l…leader of RiverClan, call upon the stars and the warriors before us to look on this apprentice. He has trained hard to learn the ways of our clan and the Warrior Code, and I commend him to the stars as a warrior.” Her heart swelled. She hoped Perchstar was looking down from the Silverpelt at them, granting Elmpaw the same approval for warriorhood as she had in life. “Elmpaw, do you promise to uphold the code, and defend and honor RiverClan, even at the cost of your life?”

Elmpaw listened as his grandmother spoke of a new warrior to join their ranks. What he did not realize was the cat that she was talking about was him.

Perchstar had thought he was ready, too. Something about that brought a smile to his face as he stepped forward. It truly was bittersweet, but he was not about to prove her wrong now. Poppyshine went through the ceremonial words, and Elmpaw dipped his head.

"I do. I really do."

He was going to be that warrior Perchstar had seen him capable of being.

Poppyshine could see the moment it clicked for Elmpaw that this was his ceremony. She met his smile too. When he agree to defend RiverClan, her head raised a little higher and her heart swelled with pride. “Then I grant you your warrior name. Elmpaw, from this moment on you will be known as Elmstorm. Your clanmates honor your strength and determination, and we welcome you as a full warrior of RiverClan.”

Elm had demonstrated many qualities of being a warrior: determination, loyalty, and enthusiasm. That excitement for life and eagerness to chase down all it offered had him moving as fast as he could manage. It left some problems in his wake; he had broken the rules of the code once and Perchstar had punished him accordingly, but that energy, that storm inside him had not dwindled. And, too, life had become a storm in and of itself. The environment that Elmpaw grew up in had not been a peaceful one, with the loss of his original parents and the war against SkyClan and all of the death and grief that followed even right up to his ceremony. But it was still his life, and it was what shaped him. Poppyshine knew that he would continue to be determined and face life for all it had to offer. He truly was a storm in his own right.

She stepped down from the Willow Branch and moved forward to rest her muzzle on top of Elmstorm’s head. Her voice rumbled against him as she murmured, “Congratulations.  I look forward to you making your mark as a warrior.”

Elmstorm.

The smile on his face widened as he received his new name. It truly did fit him so well. He absolutely loved it. His name would bring him pride for moons to come.

A purr rumbled in his chest as his grandmother rested her nose upon his head, and he licked her shoulder in turn. "I will make you proud. You can count on me."

He wondered if Perchstar could see him from StarClan, alongside his parents. Would they be cheering for him, too? Stepping back, he turned to see Sprucebark there, and he rushed to his side. Him and Scorchlight had given Elmstorm a family when he had none, and he could not be happier to have them here now.