Ceremonies...

[Roxie !]

The newly named Copperpelt gave a rumbling purr as she recieved her full warrior status. Gratefully, she gave her leader's shoulder a respectful lick, before stepping back and racing back down into the clearing. She seated herself with a few of the other warriors, her head raised proudly as she curled her tail around her paws and watched the apprentice ceremonies with interest. Of course, being a brand new warrior, she couldn't expect an apprentice of her own yet--but it didn't seem to matter now. She'd get one eventually, and there were plenty of other opportunities to explore as a ShadowClan warrior. Her eyes glowing, she managed to force herself to keep still long enough to watch Mistystar call Hazelkit up to the rock.

As Hazelkit's name was called, Brindlekit stopped calling Copperpelt's name abruptly. Her ears flickered forward toward the rock, and she turned to give her sister an amazed, admiring smile. A soft purr escaped the little tabby's throat as she watched her sister pad up to the Darkstone to recieve her apprentice name. Her tail held high, Brindlekit rose to her paws and gazed up at Mistystar and Hazelkit--no, Hazelpaw, now. "Hazelpaw!Hazelpaw!" She called proudly as their leader announced her youngest sister's mentor.

Bandedtail murmured a quick congratulations to Copperpelt, and then crouched beside her and gave his chest a few quick licks, his ears angled idly toward the rock. Suddenly, he heard his name being called, and his head jolted upward. His pale green eyes widened in disbelief, half expecting that he'd heard wrong. Him?! Mentor an apprentice?! Oh yes, and hedgehogs flew, he supposed. Was Mistystar insane? Hazelpaw didn't deserve that...heck, he didn't deserve that. He wasn't exactly a roll-model, after all...

Blank with shock, the black-and-silver tom padded forward unsurely, his raccoon-like tail waving behind him. Bandedtail stepped up to the apprentice, gazing down at her unsurely, before giving her a tiny smile. Slowly, he lowered his head to touch noses with her, his head still reeling.

[le Dawnz]

A brown pelt slipped silently through the crowd until he was seated at the front. He knew why Mistystar had called the meeting. Copperpaw was finally becoming a warrior! Dustfall watched as their leader called the she-cat forward and presented her with her warrior name. Her proud father called out louder than all the rest. "Copperpelt! Copperpelt!" As his daughter joined the ranks of the warriors and Mistystar called the name of a kit, Dustfall drifted between the cats to find a place beside Copperpelt. Sitting, he curled his tail around his paws, a habit that the she-cat had obviously inherited from him since she had done it too, and gave his daughter a gentle nudge. "Congradulations, Copperpelt." he whispered to her.

Hazelpaw felt pride swell within her as ShadowClan called her name. She turned to see Bandedtail crossing the clearing toward her. But he seemed almost... confused? Had he wanted to be a mentor at all? Didn't Mistystar tell him before the ceremony? The she-cat recalled that Bandedtail was not the friendliest of cats, and always steered clear of the nursery. Hazelpaw wasn't even sure if he liked younger cats. But she knew that he was a brilliant warrior, and Mistystar had chosen him. So she would do her hardest to make him proud, he bent his head to meet her and she gently touched his nose, a purr rumbling deep in her throat.

[Roxie !]

Copperpelt's ears pricked, looking up as her father sat down next to her. She blinked warmly at Dustpelt, struggling for a moment to maintain her calm, proud air of a new warrior. But in the end, her affection for her father won, and she gave a soft purr and pressed her muzzle briefly into his shoulder. "Thanks, Dad," Copperpelt murmured, speaking softly so as not to disrupt the rest of the ceremony. Her words were brief, as she wasn't sure that she could get much more out right now, but they shook slightly with pride and determination...and perhaps a bit of anxiety. Becoming a warrior was almost overwhelming; it was all she could do to keep her head from spinning. But these responsibilities...hunting and fighting for ShadowClan, protecting it...however nervous she was, Copperpelt knew she'd be proud to try her best to do all of these things. She'd prove herself. She really would. The she-cat pulled back, her eyes glittering brightly.

Bandedtail looked with uncertainty into the young apprentice's eyes as they touched noses, still a bit wary about this whole mentoring business. But the pride and excitement in Hazelpaw's gaze managed to reach him somehow, and as he stepped back, he murmured just loud enough for her to hear, "You'll do fine. We'll go out and tour the territory a bit later, alright?" He promised, and then paused. Was that right? Touring the territory was usually the first step, wasn't it? But what would he show her first? StarClan, he hoped he wasn't making a mess of things already.

[le Dawnz]

Dustfall purred in return, licking his daughter's ear as she touched his shoulder. "I'm very proud of you, do you know that?" he meowed sincerly. Her eyes burned with excitement. "Don't forget. You'll be sitting vigil tonight." he reminded her quietly before turning his attention back to the ceremony. The clan had taken up calling Hazelpaw's new name. More apprentices meant more members. Dustfall knew that ShadowClan was probably the biggest clan in the forest at the time. He couldn't help but wonder how things were going in WindClan. But he knew he shouldn't worry about it. After all, his father was here in ShadowClan now. (He isn't dead right now.) But moons of wondering how his father's clan was doing had taken a toll. He supposed it had become a habit. It might fade away with time, or it could haunt the back of his mind forever. Either way, it didn't matter much anymore.


"You'll do fine. We'll go out and tour the territory a bit later, alright?" the tabby murmured to Hazelpaw. She smiled and joined him in the crowd of ShadowClanners. The she-cat knew she would fit right into the life of an apprentice quickly. She couldn't wait to start battle training, although she'd never admit just how excited she was. She curled her tail around her paws as she sat beside Bandedtail, and waited for Mistystar to call to her sisters.

[{ tessa }]

Mistystar watches Bandedtail head back into the crowd with his new apprentice for a moment, the shadow of a smile appearing on her face briefly. Bandedtail is a bold and skilled warrior, who has a bit of a smart mouth, but she thinks that he's a good choice for Hazelpaw. She knows that the apprentice can match his sometimes sharp tongue, and that their bantering would have the potential to form a strong bond between them. But this being decided and done, Mistystar moves on. She waits patiently for the cheering and snippets of conversation to die down before selecting the next soon-to-be apprentice. Her eyes fall on the tabby kit nearby. With a flick of her tail she raises her head again and calls out over her Clan.

"Brindlekit, please step forward." She calls clearly to the kit, before pausing briefly to allow her the chance to do so. For a moment, Mistystar glances quickly up at the sky. She is checking the position of the sun, and finds that once the ceremonies are over, the timing will be perfect to send the new apprentices out on the evening patrol with their mentors, to learn the territory. She makes a mental note to organize this patrol afterward. Normally this would be the deputy's job, but seeing as they don't exactly have one now, she'll have to see to it herself.

As Brindlekit's name is called, Maplekit tears her gaze away from where she had been gazing at Hazelpaw and her new mentor in awe. With a tiny grin she nudges her sister, anxious to see her ceremony as well and to finally get her own.

[Roxie !]

Copperpelt nodded, and then bowed her head modestly at her father's words, purring slightly as she sat beside him, but said nothing. It was better to let the ceremony continue at this point. There'd be plenty of time to talk tomorrow. She felt a swell of excitement at the thought; tomorrow she'd truly begin her life as a ShadowClan warrior! What would she do first? Hunt? Patrol? There seemed to be endless possibilities, and she felt endless energy to go along with them. But all in good time. Brushing her pelt against Dustfall's slightly, she lifted her head and watched as the ceremony continued.

Brindlekit watched Hazelpaw and Bandedtail head back into the crowd with interest. She knew her sister had a sharper tongue than most, and couldn't help but wonder how that would be handled. Still, her eyes remained bright with excitement, and she watched the pair for a moment before turning to Maplekit and meowing to her sister in a soft, amused whisper, " We can only hope that Hazelpaw's mentor doesn't end up clawing her ears off...or the other way--" She was cut off, however, at the sound of her name. Tiny brown ears pricked forward, and she lifted her head automatically in answer. After a second it registered: it was her turn?!

At Maplekit's nudge, she stood up instantly, her eyes wide with wonder. This was it! Somehow, it just hadn't exactly seemed real until now...hadn't really sunk in. With one last glance back at her sister, Brindlekit trotted forward, her tail high as she ascended the rock to stand before her leader anxiously.

[{ tessa }]

Mistystar smiles encouragingly at the soon-to-be apprentice as she approaches the rock. She surveys Brindlekit for a brief moment of thought, and then she speaks in the same authoritive meow. "From this day foreward, until you have completed your warrior training, you will be known as Brindlepaw." She tells the tabby.

With that being said, she turns her gaze to the crowd of cats below her. Her gaze is searching for one in particular, whom she is about to call for now. For some time now, as these kits got closer and closer to apprentice age, Mistystar has been watching them. She thinks she has a sufficient knowledge of each of the young cats' personalities. She hopes her choice in mentors will suit them well.

"Frecklenose," Mistystar meows. "You, too, have served your Clan well and have shown that you are ready for your first apprentice. You are a brave and compassionate warrior, and I trust that you will pass all of your skills on to Brindlepaw as her mentor."

Mistystar takes a step back to allow Frecklenose to approach and touch noses with her apprentice.

[le Dawnz]

The crowd breaks faintly to let a slender ginger tabby slip through. Her fur matched the color of her late mother Goldenstar, but her blue eyes sparkled as her father Thornleaf’s once had. The she-cat’s muzzle is white with small orange specks sprinkled over the bridge of her nose, making it seem as though she had freckles. However, this did not take away from her quite obviously mature appearance.

Frecklenose was only slightly shorter than her dark tabby brother Bandedtail, and she held a beauty that only blossomed in an apprentice’s later moons. This is not to say she is more attractive than any other cat, but merely a way of describing the distinguished manner of which she held her head high and her tail low, reflecting her mature, friendly, if not slightly reserved, nature. She’d been counting the days until she’d receive her first apprentice. To her, there was no better way to serve her clan than to pass on what she had learned about protecting and preserving ShadowClan.

Now as Mistystar calls her name aloud, she flits through the crowd of cats watching to meet the young cat for whom she would be responsible for the next six or seven moons. When she thought of it that way, a nervous feeling began to creep up through her stomach. Now she wasn’t so sure she was the right cat for the job. Every time the little apprentice made a mistake, it would be her fault. Every time she got into trouble, it would be Frecklenose’s duty to get her out. And what if she wasn’t ready to deal with all that? What if she was a horrible mentor? Did she know enough to be able to teach this she-cat everything she would need to know when hunting for the clan, or fighting in battle?

But when the tabby warrior looked down to meet Brindlepaw’s eyes, dancing with excitement, her worries vanished. She could do this. There was no better time than now to accept her first apprentice. It wasn’t her job to teach her everything; it was to teach her everything she herself knew, and to learn from the experience so she could take it with her the next time.

Smiling at the little tabby she-cat, she reached down to touch her nose as was tradition. She could sense the excitement radiating from Brindlepaw, and tried to find something she could say to sooth her nerves. “How does exploring the borders sound?” she asked with another smile, reaching her long tail to tap her apprentice’s shoulder gently. A nice long run along the border sounded perfect at that moment. They should be able to review the entire territory before nightfall, and perhaps Bandedtail and his new apprentice would come along.

The thought of Bandedtail being a mentor, and to such a fiery little she-cat, was almost laughable. But she had faith in her brother, and she was confident that both of them would come a long way in the moons to come.

[{ tessa }]

Mistystar nods as Frecklenose steps up to greet her new apprentice. She's confident she has made the right choice by chosing the she-cat and her brother to take on their first apprentices. They have been warriors for some moons now, and are responsible enough to be mentors. Mistystar swishes her tail and turns back to the crowd. "Maplekit, step forward." She speaks to Coyotespirit's last kit.

Maplekit doesn't even try to stifle her squeal of excitement. She almost blindly runs up to Mistystar, who is watching her with calm amusement. The little brown cat puffs out her chest with excitement and waits. Time seems to slow down as her leader speaks again.

"Maplekit, until you have completed your warrior training, you will be known as Maplepaw." says Mistystar. As she speaks, the new apprentice's tail shoots up happily. Mistystar turns and looks over the crowd. For this last choice, she has considered all her warriors carefully.

"Nightheart." She speaks the black warrior's name at last. "You will be mentor to Maplepaw. You are a warrior of honesty and loyalty. I trust you will pass all of your skill to Maplepaw." Mistystar finishes.

Maplepaw turns to seek out her new mentor in the crowd. Her eyes are wide with anticipation. Though she's seen Nightheart before, she's never actually met the warrior.

[Roxie !]

A shadow shifted in the back of the camp, and Nightheart stepped into the light. Her ears twitched uncomfortably at being named; she'd been informed prior to the ceremony that she would be mentor to one of the kits, but she still hadn't quite figured out what to do about it. The last thing she really needed right now was an apprentice; someone else to take responsibility for when it was hard enough taking care of herself. Even so, she raised her head proudly and padded forward, though her emerald-green gaze shifted nervously from cat to cat...and finally rested upon her new apprentice.

Maplepaw was practically spazzing in her enthusiasm, and Nightheart tensed her jaw slightly. She could already tell that this one was going to be quite a challenge to control. StarClan. But, there was no point complaining now. Mistystar obviously had trusted her enough to make her a mentor, and she would receive that honor with dignity. She would simply have to be the best mentor she could be, even if every part of her mind was screaming in protest.

Stifling a soft sigh, the ebony she-cat bent down and touched her nose to the younger cat's--and it was not an easy task provided how energetic Maplepaw was proving to be. Nightheart sighed, but allowed the very slightest of smiles to grace her lips. However exasperated she felt, she couldn't deny that there was something in the little apprentice's eyes, the earnest and unguarded happiness, that was endearing. Without saying anything, she stood up again and flicked her tail, beckoning Maplepaw to follow her back into the crowd.



Brindlepaw let out a proud purr as she touched noses with her new mentor. She couldn't wait to start training...there was so much to learn. She almost couldn't sit still thinking about it, or what she wanted to do first. You'll get to everything in time, The calmer part of her mind had to remind herself. First things first. No sooner had she thought this than Frecklenose suggested they tour the territory. Brindlepaw's eyes brightened even further, if that were possible. She had heard all kinds of tales about ShadowClan's territory, and couldn't wait to see it all with her own eyes. For the past six moons, her whole world had consisted of the camp. But now, there was so much more out there, just waiting to be explored.

"That sounds great!" The apprentice replied enthusiastically. She smiled up at Frecklenose, and then added, "Will we get to see the Thunderpath?" Her eyes widened a little at the thought. She'd heard that the Thunderpath was a dangerous place, with huge monsters that raced across it day and night. Brindlepaw almost shivered a little at the thought, but her natural curiosity couldn't help wanting to see it anyway. But she didn't get the chance to ponder it any longer, for it was then that her other sister's name was called.

Brindlepaw turned to see Maplekit bouncing up towards their leader, and she had to suppress a purr of amusement. Leave it to Maplekit to use up all her energy before training even begins. She thought, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. Even so, she swelled with pride as her sister recieved her own mentor, and was made a full apprentice.

"Maplepaw! Maplepaw!" She called in a happy purr.