--- gather together [Clan MEETING]

[Sydney]

[/b]

Today was going to be a good day, Thornstar could feel it in his bones. It was warm, not cold at all, and there was a light breeze rolling about, making sure that no one would suffer in case it got too hot. Thornstar, leader of Skyclan, felt that today was going to be perfect. A perfect day for training, that is. Yes, he was sure all the apprentices would each get some training in today, especially since everyone was going to be in high spirits, because of his announcement. It wasn't everyday the Clan made three kits into apprentices and two apprentices into warriors, after all. No, today was a special day! A good day.

And Thornstar wasn't going to let it go wasted, not at all. He wanted this meeting to go quickly, so the new apprentices and warriors could get on with their duties. If the day was wasted all because of this meeting, or cats taking too long to appear, well, Thornstar would just absolutely be furious. He had put a lot of his time and effort into figuring out who would mentor Rowankit, Elmkit, and Leopardkit, his Clan could show some appreciation by showing up on time.

And if the kits in question didn't show up punctually, (not to mention the two apprentices), well, then he would just have their ceremony postponed. It would only be fair.

(Thornstar's obsessiveness of punctuality and perfection was rather well known, though, so hopefully his Clan would show up on time.)

Flicking his tail impatiently, the mottled brown tabby looked down from his perch, his yellow eyes sweeping out across his Clan, searching out for five special cats.

They better hurry up, he wouldn't wait forever.[/color]

~ ~ ~

Elmkit was excited, not just excited excited but like, super excited! He had been waiting for this day for like, ever! It was gonna be great, like really really great! His dad had told him all about being a warrior, so he did his momma, too! And it sounded so fun and great but, he just had to be an apprentice first! He was hoping he got a nice mentor, someone super cute and that would teach him everything~ Maybe they'd be nice and would let Elmkit style their fur because, frankly, some of the cats around here were just so drab! They all needed a good dose of styling, if you asked him. Someone to pretty them up, clean their fur, press it back and all that. Not everyone appreciated his wonderful tips though but, that was alright. Elmkit would convince them eventually!

At least his siblings let him style them up! That was good, right? Right!

But, then again, Leopardkit was so hard to style, she always got so dirty! It wasn't cool or cute at all! He always had to start over with her! It just wasn't fair-

Which made Elmkit think, his dad had said apprentices got dirty, which made him kind of nervous. He wanted to a great warrior and apprentice but, he wanted to look fabulously good, too! How could he do that if he had to get dirty all the time? He'd just have to take extra time to make himself look good, that's all! Yup, he'd be fine~

Right?....

Right!

”Mama, it's time! It's the apprentice ceremony, I just know it is!” Beaming, little Elmkit nudged his mother before moving onto his two sisters, bouncing with each step.

”Come onnn! We have to go!~” Giving himself a last minute styling, the little tom darted out of the nursery and made his way down towards the rock pile, careful not to get himself dirty on the way down. Ohhh, he was just so excited!
[/ul][/blockquote]

[° i c y - -]

Mudstripe
To be perfectly honest, the brown tabby was already awake, as well as resting in the middle of the clearing, his eyes and ears alert for anything that was to occur. As he stayed where he was, he had briefly closed his eyes, for it was only for a moment for them to open again, though this time, to the sound of Thornstar's voice.

”Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Rockpile for a Clan meeting!” The (somewhat) familiar words reached the tom's ears, instantly bringing himself to his paws, his eyes gleaming with a small, flirtatious attitude. That would be true, though he was technically waiting for Foxfire to appear, so he could chat with her. When he failed to locate her, Mudstripe gave a low sigh, turning to the upright postition, awaiting the end of this ceremony.

~.~.~.~

Icepaw
How did she wish that she could be reconized for being Icepaw, she had no idea. All that she really cared about now was her own warrior ceremony, to where she would be able to say I'm Icesomething! That would be so, but Icesomething wasn't a warrior name at all, unless Thornstar had announced it. The thought sent a shiver up the white furred apprentice's spine, as it made her shrink back in her nest. True, she was awake, though she really wished that she was asleep.

”Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Rockpile for a Clan meeting!” She heard the saying reach her, brilliant blue eyes shining fairly brightly. Maybe it was her time to become a warrior! Or, maybe it was for Blackpaw and Halfpaw, the two that were a moon older than she was? "Tck, whatever. I'll be a warrior someday...

[/color]" She muttered in self-annoyance, rising to her paws before jabbing a paw into her sister's side. "Wake up already, Lazysnow. Time for the ceremony.[/color]" When the other apprentice didn't respond, she gave up on her, taking a moment to step out into the sunlight.

At first, the rays of the sun bothered her eyesight, making her momentarily blind, though it wore off rather quickly. Her attention wavered toward the front of rockpile, surprised to see the young tom, Elmkit, sitting there. "Huh? Elmkit, what are you-[/color]" She cut herself off, then remembering that him, Leopardkit, and Rowankit were six moons old. Apprentice aged. "Uhm, never mind.[/color]" She simply stated, turning her head away in her embarrassment of completely forgetting what she was doing.
[/blockquote][/center][/size]

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

”Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather here beneath the Rockpile for a Clan meeting!”

Whoa. Whoa, WHOA! Was that Thornstar's voice she heard floating on the breeze? That was not good! Today was the day that Leopardkit and her siblings became apprentices, but she had seriously thought that she would have a bit more time before the ceremony, and maybe a little warning. As of right then, she was sitting up to her belly in muddy, cloudy water near the edge of the river, pawing grooves at the edge of the puddle and making little tiny water-ways. It was sooo cool but now she was sooo dead. Because Ashflower would kill her for sure for showing up looking like this for the ceremony, and if she didn't then Elmkit would probably do it for her.

Or maybe force her to wear some kind of flower on her head, but come on, that was just lame. Seriously, she loved her brother, but that just sucked. Every time she let him play with her fur she felt like a total dweeb, which was the exact opposite of cool.

But, dirty, wet fur or no, she definitely had to get going. Thornstar would be expecting her there pronto, and it wasn't okay to upset the leader. Nope, he was the BOSS, and you did what the boss said, when he said it. That was just the way it was. So, getting quickly to her paws and giving her chest a few half-hearted licks, which did absolutely nothing to fix her appearance, Leopardkit splashed out of the puddle and ran dripping towards the rockpile. She reached it breathless and leaving a trail of water droplets behind her, and came to a stop next to her brother and the rest of her family. "Whew! Made it. I thought I was dead for sure." For a moment she was relieved that the ceremony hadn't started, but then she remembered that she was probably dead anyway because of her fur. Awwwww- "Mousedung."

[Ki]

”Mama, it's time! It's the apprentice ceremony, I just know it is!”

A familiar little voice and a nudge roused Ashflower from her sleep. She raised her head and yawned as her son nudged his two other sisters. A faint smile fell upon Ashflower's face. Ah, her little kits. Well...not so little anymore, actually. They were larger now. Apprentice-sized. She watched Elmkit dash out in his excitement. Thornstar had called a meeting, from the looks of things. Leopardkit was nowhere to be seen. All of her little ones were out and about, save for Rowankit. She licked the top of her head and purred. "Come, little one." She padded out of the nursery. And then it hit her.

This was the day.

The day her kits left the nursery and moved into the apprentice den. The day Ashflower moved back into the warrior den.

The day her babies stopped being her babies.

It took all of her willpower not to cry. Instead she went and sat down, keeping her eyes forward. When she sat down she began looking for Hawkfoot. This was a big day. A huge day. He couldn't miss it! Ashflower wasn't sure she could make it through the ceremony without him. And not long after she sat down, they were joined by Leopardkit. Oh Leopardkit. Her beautiful little...

....mud-covered daughter.

"Leopardkit!" Ashflower cried. Oh, this was awful! The other queens would mock her to no end! Not to mention her sisters! Quickly she began washing Leopardkit the best she could, given the short amount of time they had. Oh, why couldn't she just stay clean and proper like Elmkit?!

Spottedsky rose from the den and stretched, hearing Thornstar's announcement. She quickly padded over to the Rockpile, knowing that Thornstar didn't like to be kept waiting. She wanted to be there to witness this, anyway. It was a big day. She looked around as the cats gathered...including one that came limping out of the medicine cat den. With a sigh, she stood and stode over to him.

"Smallpaw, I thought Frostwing told you to keep to your nest?" Spottedsky gave her nephew a stern look.

Uh-oh. Caught. Smallpaw flashed a grin at Spottedsky. She just kept giving him that hard look. "Um...Clan meeting. You know Thornstar hates for anyone to be late. Gotta go, bye!" With that he limped past her. Spottedsky could catch him easily, of course, but she chose to sigh and shake her head instead. Good. Smallpaw didn't want to miss this. Word was that this was the day they'd welcome three new cats into the apprentices' den, and two others would leave it. He was happy for the latter, and hoped he would soon join them. Smallpaw cast a glance down at his injured paw. Once this healed up, anyway.

He saw Icepaw, a fellow apprentice, and limped over. With a bright smile he sat down next to his friend. At least, he considered Icepaw his friend. He considered everyone his friend really. "Morning Icepaw!" Smallpaw mewed brightly.

[Amber]

"Stormpelt, wake up! Thornstar is calling a Clan meeting and you're gonna miss it if you keep sleeping!" The agitated mew of young Sagepaw could be heard as she padded into the warrior's den to awaken her brother. She prodded him with her paw trying her best to wake him. It seemed he was in a deep sleep. Now what was it Cinderclaw told her to do when Stormpelt did this? Oh yeah! Grinning the little apprentice pounced on her brother and began to bite his ear. The tom woke up startled, knocking his little sister off in the process. Sagepaw couldn't help but grin as she watched this.

"About time, now come on! We gotta go!" she hissed, nudging Stormpelt from behind to get him moving. Seeing that Cinderclaw was observing her and Stormpelt she glared at her other brother. "You gonna help or just sit there?" she asked. Lately her attitude had become a bit worse, the more she hung out with Cinderclaw. Looks like she was turning more and more into him each day. Sighing, she chased both of her brothers out of the den and into the clearing.

She made her way to a spot, and saw Mistfur had saved her a seat. When he gave her a questioning glance, she pointed with her tail to Stormpelt. That was all it took for Mistfur to understand. And so the four siblings sat down and looked up at the leader, well mostly. Mistfur was paying the most attention, Cinderclaw was coming up with ways to torture Stormpelt, Stormpelt was trying to see if he could fall asleep sitting like this, and Sagepaw was looking for someone unrelated to her to talk with.

[/blockquote]

Rowankit was having such a wonderful dream. She was in the apprentices den with her siblings, and so was her mother. They were all having an awesome time and nothing could be better in that moment. And before she could even think about having any more of the dream, she felt a poking in her side. Blinking her eyes she opened them slowly to see her brother was excited about something. What was Elmkit doing? Oh yes, their ceremony was today!

Grinning, Rowankit got up from her mother's side and yawned. She was sticking as close to Ashflower as possible lately, knowing they would soon be separated. This idea scared the kit to death. How could she function without her mother? "Okay mommy." came the kit's reply as she followed.

The grin on her face widened at the sight of her sister. Leopardkit was so dirty and a genius! How could you get that muddy so quickly? She would have to ask later. "Good luck getting by Elmkit looking like that." she whispered. She shuddered at the thought. Her own fur wasn't clean, but it wasn't too dirty. It probably wouldn't pass the Elmkit cleanliness test, but it was hard to pass that anyway. Rowankit pushed herself into her mother's fur, happy she was able to spend several more moments with her.

[/blockquote][/size][/color]

[wizard]

Quietpaw jogged into the camp in time to hear the leader's call to meet at the Rockpile. She had been out looking for moss to line the elders den with, and had a large bundle hanging from her jaws. Kicking her sped up to a sprint, Quietpaw made the dash to the elders den to drop off the moss, then spun and loped to the Rockpile where several cats were already waiting.

Weaving her way through the crowd to the front where she would be able to see everything, she hunted for a good place to sit. Maybe she should sit by one of the other apprentices? After all, she hardly knew most of them--only their names really. That was the curse of being shy, she thought. You could hardly approach another cat, let alone start a conversation. That was why she was constantly reminding herself of her vow to become more outgoing, even if just a little bit.

After a moment she spotted Icepaw, but Smallpaw was sitting next to her and chatting away, and she really didn't want to interrupt them. She looked around for someone else and spotted Sagepaw doing the same thing as her--looking around. She didn't appear to be busy talking with any of her siblings, so maybe....? She wouldn't know until she tried. Quietpaw drifted over to where Sagepaw sat and seated herself close by, at a neutral distance. That way, if Sagepaw really was busy talking to her siblings, Quuietpaw wouldn't be interrupting. But if she was, in fact, looking for someone else to talk to, than she would be close enough to converse easily. "Hello." she said softly.

[Kitty]

Blackpaw was already awake when he heard the familiar summons called out by none other than Thornstar, leader of SkyClan, inviting everyone to show up for a Clan meeting. No, not inviting; ordering, really. And he better be there soon because Thornstar didn't like waiting. Plus this was a really important day - it was no surprise he wasn't still sleeping. He was becoming a warrior today! After six moons of being an apprentice, he was finally becoming a warrior. He'd get his warrior name, maybe Blackclaw or Blacknose or Blackpelt or Blackstorm....whatever it was, it was sure to be a good one. How could it be bad? Well....maybe Blackflower wouldn't be so good, because that was so she-catty and feminine. But Thornstar wasn't that heartless.

He hurried out to the front of the Rockpile and took a seat a few tail lengths from the place Elmkit had already staked out for himself and his siblings. They were becoming apprentices today; that's right. And Halfpaw was becoming a warrior, too...well, there were a lot of ceremonies to be had today! He waited, staring anxiously up at Thornstar, eager for the meeting to begin. Soon he would be a warrior.

The moment Hawkfoot heard Thornstar's voice, he awoke and shot to his paws. Today was the day! His little babies were going to be apprentices. He hurried to the den entrance and peeked out, just in time to see his mate exit the nursery. Little Elmkit was already bounding to the Rockpile. He looked fondly down at him, and then realized that he would get to share his nest with Ashflower again. It was too big for just one cat; he never moved out of the old, two-cat-sized one that they'd originally claimed after moving into the den. When Ashflower had become pregnant, he was definitely happy, make no mistake. But the nest had become lonelier and not so cozy without Ashflower there to curl up with.

Hawkfoot hurried down the path and towards his family. He glanced over in time to see Leopardkit bounding in from the direction of the river...covered in mud. He suppressed a groan, and kicked it up to a run to intercept her before she reached the Rockpile, where her mother would undoubtedly see her. He had to get her cleaned up before then...at least a little, anyway.

And then Leopardkit was sitting down, and Ashflower was looking at her in obvious distress. "Too late," he muttered, and slowed to a walk for the rest of the way. When he reached his family - Rowankit had also joined - he was unsurprised to see Ashflower working busily over his daughter. "Tried to warn ya, Leopardkit," he meowed sympathetically. He left Leopardkit to Ashflower and instead sat beside Rowankit. She wasn't too messy, but he began grooming her all the same. Elmkit, he knew, wouldn't need his parents to clean him. His fur was no doubt shimmering and shiny, possibly sporting a new style.

Ah, his son was a strange one. But Hawkfoot loved him anyway.

Creamfoot stifled a chuckle. She was laying in her nest in the medicine den - her joints were acting up again, and climbing up the gorge was too painful at the moment, so Sandcloud had allowed her to stay in the medicine den until she was better. Her good friend Smallpaw was, unsurprisingly, in the medicine den at the same time. She wasn't even sure what disease he had this time, probably another cold or something. Yet, as soon as Thornstar's call rang out, he'd popped up and bolted as fast as he could (which wasn't very fast, in all honesty, since he limped a bit) from the den.

Creamfoot herself rose a bit more slowly. Her joints protested, but they were as achy as they had been when she'd gone to sleep last night, and after she stretched they didn't hurt hardly at all. She made her way out into the clearing, and spotted Smallpaw talking to Icepaw. Ah, it was good to see him socializing with cats his own age. Talking to old bats like herself surely bored him, but for some reason he always came back. He must just like picking on her, she thought as she gazed fondly at him. She hobbled over and sat near him and Icepaw, a few tail lengths away, and turned her eyes to the three kits and the apprentice sitting by the Rockpile. Rumor had it that there would be three more apprentices and two more warriors at the end of the day. She thought fondly of her own warrior and apprentice ceremonies, flashing back many moons to those times.

Sandcloud heard the call yowled out by Thornstar when she was checking her herbs. They were nearly out of goldenrod and feverfew; Creamfoot's joints and Smallpaw's sicknesses were using up her supplies rather rapidly. She made a mental note to go out and get some more after the ceremony was over, and hurried out of her den, noticing that both patients were already gone as she passed through the main medicine den. She sighed and shook her head; they were both so stubborn. She let them off the hook this time and went on out into the camp, glancing around to find them both. They were sitting near each other. Good, it would be easier to keep an eye on them that way. She moved nearer to the Rockpile and, keeping one eye and ear on creamfoot and Smallpaw, waited for Thornstar to begin the ceremony.

((Lionclaw, Tawnystorm, and Bramblekit are all there as well. Just say they're in the audience. x3 *lazy*))

[:c a i:]

Lilypaw was up early for once in her life and already immaculately groomed. She was giving her already spotless coat another once-over when she heard Thornstar summoning the Clan. She sighed dramatically, flicking fluffy tail back and getting to her paws. She headed towards the exit of the apprentices' den, but found a cat standing idly in the middle of it. "Umm... do you want to get out of the way or shall I just push you?" she said flippantly, glancing at the brown-furred cat impatiently.

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Otterheart stepped aside so Lilypaw could pass. He offered a vague apologetic smile, and Lilypaw eyed him critically.

"What are you even doing here? Didn't you get made a warrior like a moon ago?"

"Oh, yeah, I was just seeing if one of my friends was around. Don't know where he's gone." Otterheart gave a good-natured shrug, though he was a little bit afraid of Lilypaw, who was quite alarmingly pretty and also notoriously moody. Who knew whether she would snap or giggle at him next. Though she didn't seem to be paying him much attention anymore anyway, because she was gazing out at the slowly gathering cats. "Who are yo-"

"Hailwhisker!" Lilypaw called. "Hailwhisker!" She bounded off away from Otterheart, dodging around a couple of apprentices - Smallpaw and Icepaw - though she did not pause to identify them. Otterheart was left looking after her in bemusement. She ran up to Hailwhisker and reached up to touch her nose to his, smiling happily. "Good morning!"

Honestly. She-cats were so peculiar. Otterheart shook his head in amused confusion and wandered over to join the crowd of cats gathering to listen to Thornstar.

[hedgie]

She heard the call right when she'd been settling down for a nap.

To be completely honest, the cream-and-ginger tabby just did not want to get up and see this. The last thing she was looking forward to was someone else's apprentice ceremony. Or whatever else was going on. She was sure it was the former, and the latter didn't matter, because her denmates and friends were scurrying out of the nursery as if their lives depended on it. So okay...maybe they did, in a way. It was a pretty important thing, but they were leaving her behind with a bunch of silly toms. Dawnkit loved her brothers..Of course she did, and they were great fun, but there were only so many games they could play before she got bored.

And then the only other kits in the den just weren't her friends. They were really young too, and kind of small-ish. not that she was afraid of breaking therm...she just didn't have time. Slowly, and grumpily, Dawnkit padded out of the den and sat in the back. Secretly happily for her friends, she had an outward appearance of boredom. A sort of "Can we get this over with?" feeling.

Eh.



Oh boy!

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!

A meeting! She loved meetings!

Hazelpaw had been following a very pretty, very shiny butterfly around camp heard Thornstar's call and was shuffling towards the front of the crowd, green-brown eyes wide and sparkling with obvious excitement. She sat down, practically bouncing up and down in her spot. So it had nothing to do with her, or her sisters...it had nothing to do with anything at all that could have interested her at all, but she still loved it.

She could remember her apprentice ceremony, how the queens had looked a little relieved for her to be out of their fur, her mentor's expression and her sister's..They had been happy too, the three of them!

It was great fun.



He had gone out hunting, and it had been unsuccessful. Oh, the prey was running just fine, but he hadn't caught a thing. Every mouse, bird...he'd even tried to get a fish (which had only resulted in wet paws)..they had slipped right out of his grasp before he'd had the chance to sink his teeth in. Stomach rolling, the black-and-white tom slipped into camp,less than thrilled.

Thankfully, a distraction came around to save him from having to answer any questions. Swiftpaw sat amongst the crowd of cats, tarnished gold eyes half-lidded as he looked at a bouncing group of kits...a bouncing apprentice (Hazelpaw. She was a little bit of a weir one. It wasn't like this was her ceremony..and hadn't she just been chasing a butterfly?)..General happiness. No one would notice his obvious flop, and he would go out and try again later. It wasn't a big deal.

Really.



((She's happy. Whoop-dee-do. Wondering how she's going to train Halfpaw or whatever...blahblahblah. Syd needs to post, and U'm taking too long.))

[Sydney]

[/b] the little kit looked up from panicking over his sister and stumbled forward. Thornstar felt his nose twitch, just a bit, as he began to speak once more. ”you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Elmpaw. I ask StarClan to watch over you and guide you until you find in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior. “

Shifting his gaze from Elmpaw, the tabby looked out across the crowd, looking for one tom. “Smokefur,” There he was. Thornstar hadn't talked to Smokefur about giving him an apprentice but, truthfully, he didn't care. The tom needed to get over his issues, (Thornstar was a hypocrite), and Thornstar thought that a bouncy apprentice like Elmpaw would help him.

”You have proved yourself to be an excellent warrior, and, I think it's time for you to take on an apprentice. From this day on, until Elmpaw receives his warrior name, you will be his mentor. I hope that you both will learn from each other.”

Well, that was done, onto the next one.

”Rowankit, from now on, until you earn your warrior name, your name will be Rowanpaw.” His eyes swerved from the kit to another tom at the back of the crowd. ”Mudstripe, from now on, until Rowankit receives her warrior name, you will be her mentor. I hope that you can pass on your.... enthusiasm,” Actually, he just wanted to keep Mudstripe busy. ”onto her.”

And now, finally, the last one.

”Leopardkit, from this day forward, until you earn your warrior name, you shall be known as Leopardpaw.” Pausing, the tom straightened up and looked down at the little kit. ”Until your receive your warrior name, Leopardpaw, I will be your mentor. I hope that we will get along.”

And with that done, Thornstar leaped down from his rock to touch noses with his new apprentice.

Also, he couldn't really make the apprentices warriors while he was up there, either.[/color]
[/ul][/blockquote]

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

"Aww, Ashflower!" Leopardkit complained loudly, leaning away as her mother licked hurriedly at her mudstained fur. "Quit it! C'mon, it's not that bad! This is so not coo- ack, hey watch it!" Her protests continued vehemently until Thornstar raised his voice once more, starting the meeting in earnest. The small cat took advantage of the distraction to wriggle away from her mother and sit in peace while she listened to him speak. Yeah, she and her sibs were getting their apprentice names today! That rocked, it was awesome. She was so PUMPED.

She hoped she got a good mentor. Leopardkit was pretty sure she would be assigned an older, experienced warrior; he would be someone tough and strong, a big, impressive cat who could teach her everything she needed to know to become a warrior, and look totally cool while doing it. Yeah, that was what her mentor was like, she was sure of it. She didn't actually know which cat in the Clan that might be, but there were lots of warriors without apprentices who were like that, so Leopardkit wasn't worried. She knew the boss would make a good choice.

Of course, she had to wait for her siblings to get their names before she had the chance to hear who her mentor would be. Elmkit got his first, and he got Smokefur for a mentor. Yeah, he was so lucky! Leopardkit was sure that he would be a great mentor--he seemed really cool. Then Rowankit got her mentor and her name, while the third kit waited impatiently for her turn. Who would she get? When did she get to start training? She didn't know what she wanted to do first... maybe hunting, or, no, battle training, that sounded awesome! Oops, Thornstar was talking to her. Leopardkit scampered up to him as her name was called, and stared, wide-eyed, as the older cat spoke the customary words.

”Until your receive your warrior name, Leopardpaw, I will be your mentor. I hope that we will get along.”

.....

.....

.....

YEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! She got the BOSS as her mentor! No way! The young apprentice just barely restrained herself from screaming, like she wanted to, and was doing in her head. Instead she was more respectful and calm. "BOO YA!" Marginally. She was pretty sure all the older apprentices just had to be seething with jealousy right now, 'cause, really, how could they not? But she would be a good apprentice, and take the high road. Even though she wanted to rub it in their faces, but oh well. Leopardpaw wanted to ask her new mentor what they would be doing first, but she remembered that he still had to give Halfpaw and Blackpaw their names, so she simply touched noses with Thornstar and marched over to where her brother and sister were standing, trying not to look like she was basking in her newfound status as the leader's apprentice.

Which she was, but only a little.

Foo, Hailwhisker post coming soon~

[Ki]

Ashflower kept grooming her daughter until she managed to wriggle away. Her mother let out a small noise that might have been a whimper. As Thornstar addressed her little ones, Ashflower leaned against Hawkfoot. Her mate's scent was comforting. He was practically bursting with pride. Ashflower was too, of course. Her kits would be serving the Clan from now on. But she couldn't help but think back to that first day. When Hawkfoot had slid into the nursery and seen her laying in her nest. She'd been so exhausted, but had never been happier. Three little bundles of fur had been nursing on her belly. So tiny. So innocent.

And now look.

Why does time go so fast? Ashflower thought sadly.

Spottedsky sat, proud and tall, through the apprenticing ceremonies. She could remember her own ceremony very well. How she'd remained straight-faced through it she had no idea. Spottedsky could remember bursting with pride. Yet she'd sat proper and prim throughout the entire thing. Ravenflight had tried to be as composed as his sister...but he'd failed slightly. Spottedsky smiled at the memory. Then there had been Smudgewhisker's apprentice ceremony. There had been mixed feelings in that one. She had been extremely proud of her son. Extremely. Yet there was that familiar sadness-no doubt Ashflower was feeling it now-of knowing that your kit was growing and no longer needed him to dote over you. It was softened slightly by the fact that she still had two kits to take care of. Blind little Crowkit-who would most likely always need her-and sickly little Smallkit.

But there was another feeling there too. As she'd watched her son touch noses with her mentor, she'd felt that rush of pride. Yet there was no one to share it with. No one she could lean on and say, "We've done well. I'm so proud of him." And when she had to retreat back to the nursery, there was no one to nuzzle her and tell her they'd watch after him. Or when she lost Crowkit, or during the hundreds of times she thought was losing Smallkit, there was no one to comfort her..

Stop it. she told herself sharply. Spottedsky raised her head and watched as Thornstar assigned the mentors. While she approved of two choices, she highly disapproved of one. What was he thinking, giving poor Elmpaw to Smokefur?! Spottedsky would have to talk to him about it later. At the very least to understand his reasoning. Was he just desperate and couldn't think who to give him to? If that was the case, Thornstar just should have given Elmpaw to her. Spottedsky let out a small sigh and looked out at her Clanmates. She was trying to see if Sandcloud or Frostwing was getting on to Smallpaw yet.

Instead, her eyes locked on him.

For a moment, she felt it again. That brief little flash where the rest of the world disappeared and her heart pounded in her chest. A quick shake of the head and it was gone. Had he seen her staring at him? They hadn't even really spoken since...well...it had been a long time. A very long time.

It's hust memories. Spottedsky told herself firmly.

[° i c y - -]

Icepaw

Her eyes seemed to widen as the other cats had begun to emerge into the clearing, though she didn't see either of her sist- hold on, make that her siblings. One of them was a tom, you know. Well, where was that little feminine boy at now...? Making another little tck under her breath, she glanced over at the deputy, Spottedsky, who was, in her opinion, chasing around Smallpaw for him to get back in the medicine den. Eh, whatever, just as long as he didn't-

Dear StarClan, he did. He came right up next to her, close enough to where she could detect the scent of herbs on his fur. Well, she thought she could, but it might have been her imagination. Also, he said hi Icepaw, not Snowpaw or Sleetpaw. At least she was remembered as Icepaw, an individual apprentice, by another fellow cat. "Hi Smallpaw! Mind telling me what that charade with Spottedsky was about?

[/color]" She asked in a somewhat polite tone, though her attention quickly focused back on Thornstar.

So it was an apprentice ceremony! She couldn't help, however, but feel slightly irritated at the new arrivals in the den. How in the world would they all fit? First came Elmkit, wait, Elmpaw, and he had the grey tom Smokefur as a mentor. That might not have been the best choice, Icepaw thought to herself quietly, but at least the she-kit had a mentor at last. Although, the next apprentice to mentor had taken her out of her trace. It also seemed like that same tom had done the same.[/size]

Mudstripe

What in the name of StarClan did he just say? Did he just name Mudstripe as a mentor? The warrior was actually just laying at the back of the clearing, thinking to himself, when he heard his name from the leader's mouth, his voice exactly. "What!" he exclaimed, disbelief shrouding his face. How in the name of Starclan had he gotten an apprentice, and today at that. He was so not ready for one! And he was not the only one to think that, he bet it on the largest piece of fresh kill as well.

Almost as soon as he shouted out that single word, he was practically speechless, his amber eyes wide in disbelief. He knew that he was to mess up somehow, though deep in his heart, there was a heavy weight, bringing down his spirits. He might not get any alone time any longer, for if there's a single second wasted, Thornstar would get on his case completely, therefore never leaving the (amazingly flirty) tom by himself. He managed to get up and onto his paws, stiff by surprise, and wander to a bit by high rock, stopping in front of his new apprentice, one he still thought of as a kit.

That was when he mocked what his leader did. Bending down, his nose attempted at touching Rowanpaw's, and he muttered, "We'll do fine together, promise." Well, that was to assure mostly him, for he really needed it right now.
[/blockquote][/size]

[Sydney]

[/i] warriors, anyway. It would ruin his system, the system, everyone had a place in the system and there was no need for lallygags or lazy cats in the system- Stopping his trail of thought, the tom shook his head and straightened his posture. Flashing his eyes across the gathered cats, the tom's gaze finally settled onto Blackpaw. Yes, it was finally time.

”Blackpaw, please step forward.” Waiting for the tom to reach him, Thornstar drew in a breath before speaking again.

”I, Thornstar, leader of SkyClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn.” Pausing, the tom glanced down to Blackpaw and held his gaze for a moment. ”Blackpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?”

It was up to Blackpaw, now. His answer determined whether or not he would be granted his warrior name. [/color]
[/ul][/blockquote]

[Kitty]

At last, the apprentices had been named, their mentors given. Blackpaw remembered how excited he'd been to finally become an apprentice--the kits were probably exploding on the inside. But now, here he was. After today he would be an apprentice no longer. Because Thornstar was ready and now, Blackpaw would become a warrior. A warrior.

(He was probably just as eager as those kits on the inside, but significantly more composed on the outside.)

Thornstar instructed the black tom to step forward. Obediently, Blackpaw followed procedure and stepped up the the leader. And then the long-awaited ceremonial words flowed from Thornstar's mouth.

"I, Thornstar, leader of SkyClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble cade, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." At this point in the ceremony Thornstar looked down at Blackpaw, who was already staring at him expectantly, and held his stare momentarily. Blackpaw readied himself for what he knew was coming next.

"Blackpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code, and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?

This was the moment of truth, all the mattered. After these two words he would never be an apprentice again. He found himself slightly wistful at this thought--now he would have all the responsibilities of a warrior. But the excitement and eagerness overpowered that doubt, and when he responded, "I do," his voice was strong and certain.

Goodbye, Blackpaw.[/blockquote]