The future's in your paws. Shape it well.Roleplay in a cat Clan of warriors. Based off the Warriors series by Erin Hunter. Takes place in an AU before the cats in the books existed.
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Subject: Firepaw's Warrior Ceremony Mon 5 Aug 2024 - 16:57
The evening had actually seemed to cool off the forest, and Wolfstar was stretched across the tallbranch, blue eyes sweeping over the camp. She had been keeping an eye on the apprentices, and after taking one apprentice to the moonstone and speaking with their mentor, she had come to a decision. It was time for the clan to gain a new warrior.
When the leader's gaze found the apprentice she was searching for in the camp below, the stood on the tallbranch. "Let all cats old enough to climb a tree gather beneath the tallbranch for a clan meeting!" Wolfstar called.
Firepaw padded into the camp, eyes distant and clouded. The past several days ushered in a storm of emotions - ones he was intimately familiar with as well as ones that were foreign. Mostly, he was still trying to put himself back together after the horrible, cruel dream he'd had at the Moonstone. Whatever herbs Wolfstar had given him, he vowed never to eat them again. They must have messed with his mind or something - to have made his mind conjure such awful visions. The night the dogs attacked...Blazepaw...Firepaw shook his head.
No. There was no point torturing himself further with such ridiculous thoughts. As badly as he wished it had been real - that his best friend had really been there...he hadn't. It'd been nothing more than a deceitful nightmare. Not a dream. The tortoisehsell apprentice eyed the rest of his patrol as they dispersed throughout the camp, then snapped his head upwards at Wolfstar's summons. A meeting. Thrilling. With a flick of his tail, Firepaw made his way to the center of the clearing and settled down, his yellowed eyes fixed on his grandmother.
He wanted to sit with someone, but it didn't seem like there was any point looking for any of his kin to keep him company. Most of them were gone and, those that weren't, he'd grown distant from. In the back of his mind, Firepaw knew he should do something about that, but there hardly seemed to be time. Not when he was so focused on keeping them and their home safe from outside threats. It'd been too quiet lately...something was bound to happen.
Wolfstar's gaze softened as she spotted her grandson in the crowd. The young tom had seen so much loss in his short life, one after another it seemed like her family just couldn't catch a break.
"Firepaw, step forward." Part of her didn't want to do this ceremony at all, part of her wanted to keep him an apprentice, carefully watched and safe from harm. It was a foolish thought however, holding him back wouldn't protect him, holding him back wouldn't prevent harm or disappearance. No amount of praying to Starclan or patrolling the territory would keep her family safe. For every predator that was cleared, for every border successfully marked, the forest took. Hornetpaw, Harrierpaw and Icepaw should have been here. Sunfire and Mintglade should have been here. Blazepaw and Graywind should have been here.
"Skyclan, Firepaw has trained hard to understand the ways of a warrior. I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." Her gaze settled on her grandson, "Firepaw, do you promise to provide for and defend your clan and to uphold the warrior code, even at the cost of your life?" She was beginning to despise the oath entirely
Firepaw's eyes lit up for a moment with excitement as Wolfstar called his name. Elation spread through his limbs, one by one, and as he stood up to stride to the center of the gathered cats, he swept his gaze out to take in his clanmates. All too soon, his joy faded. His parents should be here to see this moment. Honeydew should be here too - sitting right below the Tallbranch as Wolfstar went through these vows. Blazepaw...if any cat deserved their warrior name, it was him. They were supposed to become warriors together - side by side. Paw in paw...
Firepaw's gaze hardened and he padded forward solemnly, eyes locked on his grandmother. Yes. A thousand times over, yes. He would live and die for SkyClan and every cat in it. So long as they remained true to their vows in turn. His body, blood, and soul were promised to SkyClan's protection from the moment he'd been born and he'd not tarnish his kins' names. "I do, Wolfstar. For SkyClan's protection, my life would he a small price to pay." After all, what was one cat's life when compared to an entire clan?
The determination in Firepaw's voice as he vowed to defend his clanmates made Wolfstar's chest ache. So many cats swore that, and so many were taken far before their time. She wanted desperately for this not to be the case, let her grandson live, and thrive, let her clan finally begin to heal from so much loss.
With an exhale, the leader spoke. "Then I grant you your warrior name, Firetreader. Skyclan honors your devotion and perseverance." With that, Wolfstar leapt from the tallbranch and padded toward the newly-named warrior.
"I meant those last words." She mewed quietly, a purr rumbling in her chest, "I'm proud of you, grandson."So are they, she wanted to add, there was a brief paused as she contemplated, then gave her head a small shake, lightly pressing her shoulder against Firetreader's. "May your vigil tonight be a peaceful one, but you can celebrate with the clan for now. And we'll get you a nest made in the warrior's den, too." She added. It should have been his siblings, or his parents here. Silently, the leader stepped back to allow the rest of the clan to congratulate their newest warrior.
“Firetreader! Firetreader!” Lighttail called, her voice especially strong above some of the others. This young cat had more than earned it. She padded over to congratulate him. “Wolfstar’s right,” she mewed. “You’re a survivor, kid. I can’t speak for an entire clan, but I know I’m proud. It’ll be nice having another warrior in the den.” Lighttail had more than one reason behind that thought. The silver she-cat had recently left the nursery herself, with each of her kits either apprenticed or missing. As much as she was glad to share a nest with her mate again, she still felt a little awkward.
Subject: Re: Firepaw's Warrior Ceremony Sun 11 Aug 2024 - 16:11
Lilykit’s ears perked at her grandmother’s voice, commanding their clanmates to gather. Though she wasn’t an apprentice yet, Lilykit was more than old enough to climb a tree. She had tried, yes, so, if anyone found issue with her presence, she could…Not show them, she hadn’t managed to climb well, but she could. What did her grandmother want? Was there another war looming? She didn’t looked stressed from where she stood, though a head partially blocked her view. Lilykit blew air out of her nose and stepped to the side, able to observe properly. Maybe it was a ceremony- maybe it was the ceremony.
It wasn’t her ceremony but it was her brother’s — a purr rumbled in her throat as she heard Firepaw’s name called out, watching him approach Wolfstar. Had he really become a warrior? The moons had been a blur, almost a prisoner. She had missed so much of everyone’s lives - Firepaw’s namely. He had visited, but it wasn’t quite the same as hunting together, or bringing down a beast at eachother’s sides - Lilykit’s eyes sparkled with admiration as she recounted the stories she had heard of the new warrior. Her paws itched as he walked, a mixture of envy, pride and excitement warming her chest. Firetreader. A strong name.
“Firetreader! Firetreader!” Lilykit chanted her brother’s name, determined to be the loudest voice in the crowd. The golden she-cat hurried towards him, rubbing his cheek with a purr, “you’re a warrior! I’m so proud of you — SkyClan are lucky to have you, Firetreader.”
Firepaw stared resolutely at Wolfstar, his chest tight with worry. Had he said something wrong? Maybe she'd only expected him to say, 'i do' and have that be the end of it. However, it was only a few more seconds before Wolfstar sighed and continued with the ceremony, giving him his warrior name - finally. The young tom puffed his chest out proudly as his new name was spoken for the first time - Firetreader - and silently promised to live to Wolfstar's description. Devoted and perseverant. He was, if nothing else, those two things.
The clan began to cheer as Wolfstar descended the tallbranch and approached him, something strange in her eyes that he couldn't quite place. Regardless, he pressed himself against his grandmother in return, his own purr vibrating softly in his throat. "Thank you..." He meowed gently, his voice thick with a mess of emotions. It'd been a while since they'd spoken, but it was nice to know that she still cared for him all the same - despite how hard he'd pulled away when things started to go wrong. It was something he should fix. Not now, but someday.
As Wolfstar stepped back, more of SkyClan pressed in around him, all with their own hollow congratulations and praises. He responded to each with a small dip of his head and a quiet 'thank you' but little more than that. At least, until Lighttail approached. They'd talked once, not long ago, but he was surprised to see her so eager to congratulate him. A survivor, she called him. He supposed that was true - given the state of the rest of his family. A real, small, smile graced his face, and the newly named warrior purred warmly. "That...means a lot actually. I'm looking forward to patrolling with you as a warrior, from now on."
A familiar voice echoed above the rest, however, and Firetreader snapped his head to the side, yellow eyes lighting up at the sight of his sister, Lilykit. She more than deserved a warrior name of her own by now, but as she'd only just recovered from an illness that'd kept her in Thymelight's den, she still bore the name 'kit'. He hardly had time to meow a greeting before she pressed her cheek against his, her entire body vibrating with purrs. Her joy was contagious, and, with a grin, he nuzzled his face against hers. "Stop that! You'll give me a big head!" He purred playfully, "But just you wait! You'll be in the warrior's den with me before you know it!"
