[Phoenix]

It was only a few days back that he had stood on River Stone, promoting one of RainClan's most valuable warriors to the coveted deputy position. Though he would not claim to have had any reserves about chosing that particular tom, the first days of watching Razorfang in action wiped any lingering ones away. He had no doubt in his mind that he had chosen the right cat, and already, he could see the effect that a distinct leadership had on the clan. But Sandstar shifted his thoughts from their well-worn path to another, almost equally well thought out area. This one, however, was considerably more relevant.

He rose to his paws and collected himself before exiting his den, in a motion so fluid that a watcher might have thought that he had practiced it for moons before perfecting it. Pausing for a moment, the tom cast a yellow-eyed gaze around camp. Though it was the middle of leaf-bare, the weather was exceptionally mild compared to the standards that the harsh weather had set. The bone-chilling wind had decided to momentarily cease, and if he used his imagination, the overcast sky seemed just a little lighter than usual. A shiver coursed through his body, prompting the tom to get a move on.

Long strides carried him over to River Stone, and Sandstar was very proud of the short time it had taken him to become accustomed to that action. He hesitated for a moment before he drew a breath to call out the customary summons to the clan, taking the time to marvel at the new sight of the camp; it still retained its novelty, and something told the tom that part of it would remain special to him regardless of the number of times he stood atop the rock. Yellow eyes flicked over to the nursery, picturing the two no doubt very excited kits within. Earlier, he had stopped by to chat with Brighteyes, who had moved in a little while back, and during their conversation, the tom had dropped a few hints about the upcoming apprentice ceremonies. Keen as always, the she-cat had gone off to help the two kits prepare, though Sandstar did not doubt their ability to put two and two together. Age played a very large part in a kit's life, as they always seemed to count down the days until their apprentice ceremony, particularly during the last few moons.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath River Stone for a clan meeting." Once again, the sound of his own voice ringing through the camp sent an excited shiver down the leader's spine. How long had he heard Deadstar's familiar call echo through the area and imagined himself in the leader's place? Dutifully, the members of RainClan began to gather beneath the rock, and as he waited for the whole clan to congregate, Sandstar's gaze travelled the two young felines, a tom and a she-cat, who would become RainClan's newest apprentices.

[Deleted]

And now I'm walking in the park
And all of the birds, they dance below me
Maybe when things turn green again
It will be good to say you know me
GORGELIGHT

The day had been cold, but Gorgelight had been far from unproductive. The ruddy warrior had already been out on a hunt and had been successful once, retrieving a small rabbit that had attempted to camouflage in the snowy world with its thick, snowshoe coat. The tom was quite pleased with his handiwork -- he believed that his catch would be enough to feed at least one older warrior, potentially more than one if the cats wanting to eat were judicious about how much of the rabbit they ate. Now is certainly not the time for greed, Gorgelight thought to himself as he sat within the camp, licking his coat clean of melted snow and dried rabbit blood.

Not that I would blame their actions, really, Gorgelight suddenly realized, peering at the fresh kill pile and realizing how long ago it had been since he had ate. The tom did not desire to eat, no matter how long ago it had been. As long as there was warm food in his belly and as long as he could keep going on for his clan, the warrior was perfectly content with remaining unfed. And, there are some cats much worse off than me. At least I have this thick coat to insulate me, Gorgelight thought, thinking of the short-haired cats whose winter coats were still significantly shorter than his summer fur. It was cats like those who deserved to eat more than he, Gorgelight thought. That and the kits and elders, of course, Gorgelight reminded himself.

The warrior was not even halfway through with his washing before Sandstar called the cats for a meeting. The tom's interest was instantly perked. Though the tom was not quite sure what the meeting was for, the warrior definitely had an idea. There were several kits that were getting a little too big for the nursery. The ruddy tom could think of nobody else ready for a ceremony off of the top of his head, so the tom made assumptions.

What if it's something less than good? Gorgelight wondered briefly as his large paws treaded towards the River Stone.

I'm not together

but I'm getting there[/center]
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[Deleted]

Bouncing up and down in anticipation Shadowkit couldn't contain her excitement. The day had finally arrived for her to become an apprentice. She was so excited to finally become an apprentice. She looked over at Bravekit, glad to be sharing such a momentous day with a such a nice cat. It didn't matter to Shadowkit that she knew nothing about her den mates parents. Smiling at him she walked outside that den, walking so she could get closer, and sat there waiting for Sandstar to call them up. Looking around she saw other cats assembling and her excitement went up again, making her unable to sit completely still. She looked around, wondering who was going to become her mentor. She hoped they could finish up gathering so she could finally become an apprentice. Looking for Bravekit she joined him and said, "This is so exciting! We are finally going to become apprentices! I wonder who I will get as a mentor? Are you excited because I know I am!" Ending her stream of words, she looked expectantly at Bravekit, hoping he would respond before things really got underway.

[Fawn]

It was the first time since becoming an apprentice that Russetpaw got to enjoy the ceremony from the other side. Looking to the excited Shadowkit and the relatively docile Bravekit, the ruddy tom chuckled, taking his place beside Lilypaw and the other apprentices, eager to watch those two join the small gaggle of RainClan warrior to-be's. "Pffst, I probably wasn't anywhere near that jumpy," boasted Russetpaw, able to say this now that he was only a few more sunrises away from his own warrior ceremony (hopefully).

A low, familiar chuckle from behind had the warrior-to-be turning around, his whiskers twitching in pleasant surprise, ears pricking forward as he looked to spy a dark brown tom with one damaged eye and one perfectly clear amber one. "Oh please, you were a hundred times more jumpy," teased Snoweye, Russetpaw's father. The ruddy tom grinned, pressing the top of his head against his father's shoulder in an affectionate gesture, before scooting over to make more room.
"Yeah right! I was...as calm as a breeze!" He retorted, arguing half-heartedly for the sake of doing so, even when they both knew, as told by the gleam in Russtepaw's green eyes, that he had been about as calm as a bear in a salmon run.

Looking past the aged warrior, Russetpaw could see Salmonfur, Brookrun and Silverflower, the rest of his kin all gathered around to witness this apprentice ceremony, with the exception of Roselight who appeared more or less...busy.

Or something. She was probably out hunting.

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[Phoenix]

Bravekit glanced around, paws kneading the ground anxiously, as the clan began to gather. Though the presense of so many cats still rattled him in a way that he could not describe, he had become more accustomed to it as time wore on. Despite the sheer size of the cats, he had discovered that most were not nearly as intimidating as they seemed from afar; however, he was still the most comfortable around Swanfeather. Speaking of which... Blue eyes glanced around, searching for his surrogate mother, before landing upon her. At the mere sight of RainClan's rather formidable Medicine Cat, he found his anxiety giving way to pride and quiet confidence. He had little interest in training, something that set him apart from the rest; in the end, he had decided - all by himself, he might add - that training and becoming the best warrior possible would be the best way to prove and show his gratitude to Swanfeather and all of RainClan for taking him in. And to do that, he would need to put in every ounce of energy and effort that he could. Filled with his noble thoughts, Bravekit sat back with a maturity beyond his age, content with watching the stray cats join the growing group.

Shadowkit hopped over, practically quivering with excitement. He turned toward her with a grin on his face and was met with a barrage of words that had almost overwhelmed him; it had taken moons of practice for Bravekit to pick apart seperate sentences in the flood that seemed to pour from her mouth everytime she parted her jaws. "Yeah," He responded after a moment, the familiar sheepishness returning with the shortness of his answers. Naturally taciturn, the tom always felt somewhat inadequate when it came to conversing with Shadowkit, as nice a she-cat as she was; he just spoke to little in comparison. "Whoever becomes your mentor is a really lucky cat," Bravekit added sincerely, willing Shadowkit to believe him. She had willingly and eagerly welcomed him into the nursery without a second thought, despite his heritage and skittish behavior. "To think that the day's finally here... It's just unbelieable. It's like a dream, you know?" His voice was small and full of awe as he looked back up at River Stone, blue eyes meeting another pair as they turned to face them.

Sandstar's gaze rested on the two kits for a moment, amused at the stark contrast between the den mates; while Shadowkit practically quivered with excitement, Bravekit sat there, cool and relatively collected. His focus grew to include the whole of the clan, and watching as the last straggler's join the crowd, Sandstar flicked his tail, gesturing for silence. In the quiet that spread, he spoke clearly, "It is my pleasure to say that today, two young cats will take their first steps toward becoming esteemed warriors. Shadowkit, please step forward." Yellow eyes landed on the black she-cat. When she had done so, he easily recalled the words that he had heard so many times before and let them roll off his tongue, "Shadowkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Shadowpaw." He paused slightly, knowing that this was his last chance to change his mind. But he was not one to second guess himself. "Your mentor will be Gorgelight. I hope Gorgelight will pass down all he knows to you."

As his gaze switched to the new mentor, he addressed the tom, "Gorgelight, step forward please." Once he had done so, Sandstar began the second half of the ceremony. "Gorgelight, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have received excellent training from Blurfire, and you have shown your loyalty and dedication numerous times. You will be the mentor of Shadowpaw, and I expect that you will pass on all you know to her." Nodding slightly to himself in an approving manner, he waited for the two to touch noses before he began the second ceremony of the day.

"Bravekit, please step forward."

On suddenly unsteady paws, the young tom moved forward, swallowing down his anxiety as he looked up at the golden tom who seemed to loom above him from his perch on the stone. Emotions crashed through him, switching from a newfound nervousness to excitement and back again, and he found it hard to make sense of anything.

"Bravekit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Bravepaw."

His breath hitched in his throat, and his mouth fell open into a wide grin. He could not resist muttering his new name under his breath. Bravepaw. It had a very appealing ring to it. But it was the next part that caused the most anxiety within him. He wanted a good warrior, and though he knew that any cat would tell him that RainClan was full of good warriors, he had seen that some where better than others. He needed one of those better ones if he was to become the warrior he wanted to be. Come on.

"Your mentor will be Duckflight."

His head whipped around, searching for the tom whom he knew due to the warrior's relation to Swanfeather. He found that he approved very much of Sandstar's choice, and a fondness for RainClan's leader poured through him.

"I hope that Duckflight will pass down all that he knows to you," Sandstar finished addressing Bravepaw and picked out Duckflight from the crowd. Flicking his tail, he beckoned the tom forward, though he spoke for tradition's sake: "Duckflight, please step forward." He paused before continuing, "Duckflight, you are ready to take on your first apprentice. You have received excellent training from Flickertail, and you have proven your fairness and wisdom through your actions. You will be the mentor of Bravepaw, and I expect that you will pass on all your know to him."

Bravepaw's bright blue eyes met his new mentor's, and what had once been a small grin had developed into one that stretched across his lips. Eagerly, he stepped forward to bump noses with Duckflight.

[Deleted]

And now I'm walking in the park
And all of the birds, they dance below me
Maybe when things turn green again
It will be good to say you know me
GORGELIGHT

The patchy tom was very pleased when, from his place underneath the River Stone, he heard that the reason that Sandstar wished for them to gather was for a simple and happy naming of two apprentices. I should stop worrying so much, Gorgelight thought to himself, chuckling aloud as he thought of how, moments previously, Gorgelight was certain that something bad was about to be announced.

The unusual brown tom glance around, wondering if he could spot the two cats who were excitedly awaiting their apprenticeship. Not able to locate the two cats in question among the crowd, Gorgelight could only assume that they were grooming themselves silly and getting fussed over for their apprenticeship. Though the tom had been sheltered by his mother as a kit, Gorgelight recalled how, rather than being frightened, he had been incredibly excited for his apprenticeship and the ability to experience the unknown. I wish I could go back to a time like that. Things were so much simpler back in kithood and apprenticeship, Gorgelight thought to himself, flicking his eyes in the direction of two cats in particular before realizing they were the kits bound for apprenticeship -- Shadowkit and Bravekit, or Shadowpaw and Bravepaw as they would soon be known.

The ceremony went on normally and the warrior had a dumb smile on his face, looking at the excitement practically bounding from the camp from family members of the kits to the kits themselves. It was when Sandstar told the clan of Shadowpaw's new mentor that Gorgelight got chills up and down his spine -- because it was him! Shadowpaw is my apprentice! Gorgelight told himself and felt numb in his own shock. The warrior padded over to the apprentice and waited to touched noses with him, feeling an overhaul of different emotions and unable to speak.

I'm not together

but I'm getting there[/center]
[/size][/color]

[Deleted]

Duckflight walked back to the camp in time to hear Sandstar calling a clan meeting. He had been making dirt, but he did not expect anyone to be moving up in ranks. The tom walked over to the stone and he sat down and looked at Sandstar. There are moments in time, that being like this reminded the tom of when he had been a kit becoming an apprentice, and then a warrior, and here he is today. Sandstar started to call the meeting together then and Duckflight waited.

Sandstar had called up two kits and he nods. So it is apprentice time. First came Shadowkit, becoming Shadowpaw. He stayed silent and let Sandstar and the chosen cats talk. He was happy that Gorgelight has an apprentice. Duckflight flicks his tail and lets out a happy purr for the two of them. Gorgelight shall train him well, and Duckflight knew it.

Next came Shadowpaw's brother Bravekit. Bravekit became Bravepaw. Now it is time for the mentor to be announced. Duckflight was proud to see the ranks growing. Your mentor will be Duckflight. His ears perked forward and he looked up at Sandstar. When Sandstar asked him to step forward, the tom got up and walked over to Bravepaw.

Duckflight looked down at the apprentice and he looks back at Sandstar. I shall teach him everything I was taught. He looked back to Bravepaw and waited to touch noses with his first apprentice.

[Deleted]

When Bravekit responded Shadowkit was happy. He didn't talk much, so she considered it to be a success. This doubled her excitement for the day. She took in every word that he said and then spit some back. "It definitely feels like a dream, but don't bother checking. I already checked by hitting myself. Thanks for the complimenting me. I mean about the mentor thing. At least I took it as a compliment. Oh! Oh! Looks like Sandstar is going to stay something! The anticipation is killing me! Well see you later!" Walking away she tried to get closer to Sandstar. Sitting down she tried to calm herself down. Of course she couldn't manage to calm down, so looked up at Sandstar.

Sandstar announced her mentor, and Shadowkit did not really know what to think. She had not spoken much with Gorelight. But she loved his name so he must be good. Smiling she looked around for Gorelight and saw him approaching. Bouncing over she reached up to touch noses with her mentor. Shadowkit desperately wanted to talk to her mentor, but she decided that now was not the time.