Snowpaw's Warrior Ceremony

There was a chill to the leaf fall air that Wolfstar appreciated due to her thick fur, but the change in season also brought with it worries. Tonight however, would be a cause for celebration. Another apprentice was ready to join the ranks of Skyclan's warriors. The fluffy leader sat on the tallbranch, watching as another of the day's patrols returned to camp.

"Let all cats old enough to climb a tree gather below the tallbranch for a clan meeting!"

Stormwatcher, drug a front paw over his face as he blinked awake. His sister was meowing on about something or other. What time even was it??

He groggily got to his paws, blinking in the light he realized he'd overslept by a lot.

He overall, had become a much better warrior than he was at the start of his career but he would be lying if he said that the slumbers of sleeping in were not still so tempting.

It was fine he figured, he would just do his hunting in the afternoon, why did it matter when things happened just so long as they did happen.

He didn't even bother to brush his long unruly fur down and went out into the clearing with moss bits of his bedding still clinging to his pelt.

Glancing around there was not really anyone else at the meeting yet and he glanced quickly up at his leader offering a sheepish grin of hello. Yeahhhh she would know he slept in till like sunhigh or whatever time it was but she would probably be fine with it as long as he made something of the rest of the day... speaking of what was all this about anyways?

If this was going to be some lecture on the stars he would dip out and make up any generic excuse as to why, he was sick and tired of hearing about the stars.

He saw falcon a little ways away. It was kinda weird now having his friend also be his boss. It was fine he guessed as long as falcon didnt get all high and mighty on him for no real reason. He was willing to listen to orders as long as falcon still saw him as a friend and not just a tool to get his work done.

"come on falcon come join this meeting thing he meowed casually, formalities were the least of his concerns

Hollypaw slunk out of the medicine den to join his clanmates. It was pretty boring, unfortunately, but in the off chance Wolfstar had something interesting to talk about he walked out anyways. It's just going to be another ceremony again. The ginger tom sighed. He at least needed to remember his clanmate's new name.

Another of her former denmates would be joining her in the warriors’ den! Mistyflash practically vibrated with excitement as she joined the gathering group. She wondered which one. Maybe Lilypaw? She was certainly old enough!

Snowpaw was one of the last ones to arrive, following on the heels of his father. The two of them sat beside each other, with Falconmoon sitting by Stormwatcher. Was the old warrior worried about them not being friends? "Hey, Stormwatcher..." Falconmoon cracked a small smile... right before he bumped his noggin against Stormwatcher's own. A little more rough than a typical greeting headbutt, but still carried a sense of playfulness. There was just a healthy touch of goofy masculine "can you handle it?" energy there too, like a playful punch in the arm between friends.

Snowpaw rolled his eyes. Deputies should be more professional than that.

Wolfstar laughed quietly to herself at the antics below, but it was time for the ceremony to start. "Snowpaw, step forward." She offered her grandson a smile, and when he'd dome as asked she continued. "Skyclan, this apprentice has trained hard to learn the ways of a warrior, and so I commend him to you in his turn. Snowpaw, do you swear to defend and provide for your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

Snowpaw stepped forward, actually paying attention to the ceremonies this time. He remembered what Flashstorm told him, and the typically intorverted, quiet, shy apprentice suddenly stood taller and strode forward with the confidence of Bloodstrike generations before him. His eyes narrowed at the words his leader spoke to him, noting the absence of Starclan or mentioning them at all. Flashstorm was right. Looking Wolfstar in the eye, standing tall and strong, pulling confidence from the stars, quiet literally, the apprentice spoke.

"I do... and I promise to uphold the warrior code given to us by Starclan." He was calm, but his tone was firm. Could Wolfstar really berate him for saying such things? He waited, holding his breath and bracing for whatever might come... though he hoped nothing.

Falconmoon too noticed the change in the traditional ceremonial words, but he was the deputy, not the leader. He would speak to Wolfstar later on the matter. To challenge her in front of the clan during his son's ceremony would be counter productive.

Stormwatcher grinned ear to ear seeing his deputy and friend actually coming over to sit with him!

"Welll look who it is, the return of the deputy gracing us common folk with his presence he purred happily. It was a jest-full voice of welcoming and like that of friends teasing one another back and forth.

He headbutted back at his friend defiantly with a happy smirk but softer than Falcon had done. He might be defiant against the stars but not against his own clans hierarchy structure. Not that Falcon would ever hear those words directly from him.

"its good to have you back. The deputy position keeps you busy I get it." he meowed just happy he got some time like the old days when he, falcon and sun would get into all sorts of things.

As the meeting was actually called to order he settled down, sitting next to his friend.

His sister started the meeting with it being an apprentice's one he didn't know yet much at all. He always had a soft spot for apprentices sure and protecting them. Not that he'd ever tell anyone that.


He heard his sister talk and to his BEYOND pleasant surprise noticed the lack of stars in the speech. He sat up a bit straighter, confident even. He'd come a long ways from the past lazing warrior of yesteryear - so his sister saw it too? That they did not need the stars to be themselves. Good, good for her.

Well that had gone about as well as he could have anticipated and here he had worried all about this.

He was mid stretch when the apprentice spoke up. His ears flicked and the smile he had tightened more into a straight line at Snowpaw's words.

The warrior glanced at the apprentice, the med cats had already gotten their moonstone prophecy drilled into him hum??

He supposed there was not anything inherently wrong with what the apprentice had said. Then, why did he find it so hard to keep himself still now?

He shifted uncomfortably a bit disappointed on just how deep a grasp the stars seemed to have a hold of things... those darned moonstone journeys were getting in young cats minds. He for one never had one, Bloodstar simply forgot or flat out did not care that he hadn't had a moonstone trip when he was announced warrior.

Perhaps his destiny was he wasn't supposed to have a moonstone trip, to give his clan a leader who wasn't bound by the moonstone to fight back against the stars oppressive nature. The stars couldn't control him!

Blinking he found himself back in the camp again out of his daydream of defying the stars. With a long sigh, he knew he was not the only one who felt trapped by the stars, if only he could convince his clan that a bit more caution on who they considered the stars to be their ally.
The stars were neutral at best and at worst were toying with the clans below for their own entertainment.

"she didn't ask about the stars" he muttered under his breath "don't promise your loyalty to two clans, leads to complications" he whispered but only to himself.

Talk of stars dug into his pelt like claws and irritated him much more than he would like to admit.

Luckily no one would hear those words, he was still convinced he was in the minority and interrupting this was to no use. The leader, his sister had not been the one to bring up the stars, that was a win he would take in his book. The rest of the clan maybe just needed more time to see the treachery of above.

He glanced at the deputy and gave an eyebrow raise he wondered what he thought of all this... but trying to read falcon was about as easy as reading hieroglyphics, he probably was in a position of having to be political and all, his paws semi tied due to the nature of his role as deputy. He couldnt ask his friend for help in this.

He didnt have much of a plan at all, which didn't bode well considering how he just imagined himself leading a noble charge as leader of the free cats of starclans reign.

Maybe just talking with snow first - could give him insight as too what made the moonstone so alluring, what exactly were those med cats doing to his clanmates? Putting them in some sort of trance?

He found his eyes shifting uncomfortably towards the medicine cats.. who exactly were the puppeteers behind this show of illusions anyhow?

Hollypaw found it odd that Wolfstar did not mention StarClan in her address.

Perhaps it was because of the anti-StarClan sentiment that began to rise in SkyClan. Hollypaw didn't think much of it at first, but as SkyClan's leader Wolfstar was one of the closest cats in the clan to StarClan - she even led Hollypaw to the Moonstone, twice - so the fact she didn't mention it at all was a big decision.

It seemed like Snowpaw also found it weird, as he took StarClan's side when securing his vows.

Hollypaw expected a brawl to break out. But it seemed pretty calm, at least for the moment. Stormwatcher - the main instigator of the anti-stars movement - did nothing besides look at Hollypaw warily. He still found Stormwatcher's hostility annoying - the job of a medicine cat was to heal their clanmates, not to hurt them. We're in the same clan, mouse-heart.

There was the faintest flicker of surprise in Wolfstar's gaze as Snowpaw answered, almost defiantly... But his faith was his own. She didn't find Starclan a worthy mention in these ceremonies and hadn't for a while, but if he would uphold the code and do his duties as a warrior, and his answer was sure, that was what mattered. There was no flash of anger or disgust in her gaze, the leader simply dipped her head in acknowledgement. "Very well. From this day forth you shall be known as Snowhunter. We honor you sense of duty and pride in your work." The fluffy she-cat leapt from the tallbranch, approaching her grandson. She caught sight of Stormwatcher out of the corner of her eye, but her attention was focused on the newly-named warrior.

"I hope your vigil tonight is an uneventful one. Congratulations, Snowhunter."

---

Honeybee could feel the tension in the air between Stormwatcher and a few clanmates, and watched as Snowhunter affirmed his loyalty not just to Skyclan, but to the code. It was strange that Wolfstar hadn't mentioned their starry ancestors... But then, she hadn't at her own ceremony either, she was pretty sure. She wondered at that, but didn't want to think on it too closely.

"Snowhunter! Snowhunter!" Honeybee's voice rose in celebration of her brother, a loud purr rising from her chest as she moved through the crowd to stand by his side, playfully bumping his shoulder with her own. "About time, huh? Congratulations!" Snowhunter... That was a fitting name, she thought.

Stormwatcher gave a huff he didn't care much for all this socializing anyways even if he had gotten better at being a good clanmate.

He didnt agree with Snowhunter at all as far as stars went but he was a skyclan warrior now and that was all he really cared about. Beneath all his gruffness he had the most loyal side towards his clan and family.

He did however want to nudge snowhunter later on to maybe see that the stars were not what they appeared

He was about to go over to congratulate the newbie when the most strange interaction occured between his previous apprentice Hickorysmoke and the new warrior. He narrowed his eyes confused... he was emotionally tone deaf beyond imaginable but even he had picked up that was not a normal congratulations from Hickorysmoke

Was this hickory just being hickory or was something else going on here? Something deeper.

He felt a bit more embolded somehow now, the faint belive that he was not the only one anymore who did not like talk of the stars.

First it had happened with Stoneheart, then with Hickory and now again Hickory was acting strange around a starclan enjoyer

On the other paw... he could be reading way to much into this, Hickory and himself had only just recently gotten past their differences and for a long time before that had been at odds with one another.


In either case, he walked over to Snowhunter

"Well congrats!" he meowed and meant it, seeing skyclans numbers grow was something he couldnt argue with

"Just make sure you use that hunter suffix to feed skyclan first not starclan... right?" he chuckled in a lighthearted manor raising an eyebrow. He dipped his head jest fully continuing his joking manor and slipped away into the crowd.