[Fate Admin]

Today Ravenstar would be performing perhaps her favorite duty as leader of NightClan. She would be making a new warrior. NightClan would be one warrior stronger. Blackwolf had reported to her yesterday that Clawpaw had passed her final assessment and that he believed she was ready to become a warrior. She padded out to the Boulder Ledge and yowled her summons to the Clan, “Let all cats able to walk on their own paws gather beneath the Boulder Ledge for a Clan meeting!”

She stood where she was as she waited for the Clan to gather, watching especially for Clawpaw. When the majority of the Clan had gathered she fixed her gaze on the apprentice in question, “Clawpaw, Blackwolf has informed me that you are ready to become a warrior. Step forward.” When she had, Ravenstar began the familiar words of ceremony, "I, Ravenstar, leader of NightClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice. She has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend her to you as a warrior in her turn. Clawpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend NightClan, even at the cost of your life?"

She waited for Clawpaw’s affirmative before leaping down and padding forward to stand before the warrior to be. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. From this moment you will be known as Clawstorm. StarClan honors your fighting skill and your tenacity, and we welcome you as a full warrior of NightClan." Steeling her pride, she reached up to rest her chin upon Clawstorm’s shoulder, which was a bit of a stretch but not as much as attempting to do the same to the new warrior’s head. It was a compromise Ravenstar had had to become used to as nearly every apprentice to become a warrior was decently larger than she was. She simply could not reach their heads, but with a little stretching could generally get her chin upon their shoulders. She waited for Clawstorm to finish the ceremony with a lick to her shoulder before stepping back as the Clan called out the new warrior’s name.

She waited, so that Clawstorm might enjoy her moment to shine, her pale gaze seeking out her brother and the cat she had chosen to continue to his training. She had thought about taking him on herself, but thought that it might show too much favoritism, Grimpaw was not supposed to know he was related to her, not to mention the conflict of interest in training her own kin. She did not assign other apprentices to their immediate family if she could help it and it would not be fair to break that rule because of her own selfishness. Not to mention… she had sworn against ever taking another apprentice. She sat at the head of the Clan, waiting for the calls and excitement to die down.

[Deleted]

The sun was shinning on this glorious day, but that didn't matter much. Even if it was pouring rain, it wouldn't dampen the young apprentices spirit. Sun streaming in through the den entrance Clawpaw finished cleaning herself. Smiling she could not contain her excitement and her tail twitched. She was so excited she was startled when Ravenstar called the meeting. Practically running out of the den, she stopped outside. Looking back at the den she decided that she would miss it. But with no time to dwell on the past she walked forward toward  and her future.

When Ravenstar called her forward she went without hesitation. Covering the distance as quick as she could without running. She knew her excitement shown through, but Clawpaw couldn't care less. Responding almost immediately after the words were out of Ravenstar's mouth, she said "Yes I do." Then she waited for Ravenstar to touch her shoulder. When the touch came she became Clawstorm, and her warrior life began. Sure she would have to make totally new friends, but that didn't matter to her. The goal of becoming a warrior before her den mates was accomplished. She turned to face the clan, picking out Blackwolf and smiling even brighter at him. Then she stepped back from Ravenstar and went to join the rest of her clan. Her new name was chanted, making her feel even more happy and excited. Sitting down she faced her leader, for she had seen that Ravenstar was still up there. Looking around she wondered what was happening next.

[Fawn]

[atrb=border,0,true] Blackwolf 28 moons, Warrior, NightClan

[/color]

Cat: Here // Table by Phoenix

"Clawstorm! Clawstorm! Clawstorm!"

Adding his voice to the crowd, the proud black tom raised his head and cheered, his mismatched eyes flashing, his chest filled with the vigor and satisfaction that came with a job well done. Honestly, this was the nicest he'd felt since his own warrior ceremony, since the last battle he'd won - this was right up there as a list of 'achivements', though it wasn't necessarily his, Blackwolf realized that now.

It might have been rare for Blackwolf to have a moment of maturity and clarity (especially together), but it occurred to the jet black tom that this was NOT his time to shine; this was his time to stand back and let Clawpaw - no, Clawstorm have all the attention she deserved. Besides, it wasn't like he couldn't congratulate her later, when she followed him and the other warriors into the Warriors' Den, where she now belonged. Taking a seat beside Dogfang, Ratfur and Smokefur, the tom's black whiskers twitched, his tail curled neatly around his paws, and he watched on with his heart feeling as though it might burst.
Congratulations, Clawstorm. You're a warrior! Don't you dare disappoint us!

Intending to let the warrioress bask in the attention of the entire Clan, young and old, warrior and apprentice alike, Blackwolf met her gaze evenly, winking his blue eye in encouragement, as if to say this one's all yours. Out of instinct, his eyes soon sought out Shadepaw and Harepaw, quietly, curiously wondering just how he'd feel when his own kinbeasts would step up and have their shoulders touched by Ravenstar, welcomed in as new fully fledged warriors of NightClan.

That too, would truly be a sight worth seeing.

[/td][/tr]
[/table][/center]

[Fate Admin]

Ravenstar stood, raising her tail for silence, after the calls and congratulations died down. “We have one more warrior among us, trained by a very capable warrior in his own right.” Ravenstar’s gaze settled upon Blackwolf, “Grimpaw has been without a mentor for long enough.” Her gaze travelled to her little brother, softening in the slightest as she nodded to him before turning back to Blackwolf, “Blackwolf, I trust you to continue Grimpaw’s training and to teach him as well as you have taught Clawstorm.” Blackwolf should understand how she felt, with his own younger siblings as new apprentices. She wondered if he felt the same desire to ensure their training was the best they could get.

She had been proud to see Smokefur become medicine cat apprentice, proud of the position her little sister was securing for herself as one of the most respected cats in all the Clans, but hadn’t been able to relate to her training and the path she was taking toward her future. It was hard to hold herself back from showing too much favor toward Grimpaw, hard to respect Stormwhisper’s wishes that Grimpaw not know she was not his real mother. She wanted him to know what a great family he belonged to, how their father had been deputy and how both his sisters had earned positions of power and respect in the Clan. But it wouldn’t be fair to Stormwhisper, who had taken her brother in and raised him and loved him as her own… and she didn’t particularly want him to know how their mother left for StarClan either.

She nodded to them both, her brother and his new mentor, and flicked her tail in dismissal of the Clan, trusting Blackwolf to remind his former apprentice of her vigil tonight.

[Fawn]

[atrb=border,0,true] Blackwolf 28 moons, Warrior, NightClan

[/color]

Cat: Here // Table by Phoenix

Blackwolf could honestly say he'd been surprised when Ravenstar made another announcement, assigning the newly freed up Blackwolf with another apprentice before his old one had even had her vigil yet. Whiskers twitching with astonishment, Blackwolf's mismatched eyes soon glittered with obvious acceptance of this new challenge, the warrior dipping his head respectfully, before blue and gold orbs darted to the aforementioned Grimpaw.
Ravenstar's brother!

It took a lot of effort to keep his boasting to a bare minimum, thoughts of Clawstorm almost driven completely out of his head by the honor that Ravenstar had just bestowed upon him, Blackwolf taking it as a sign of her confidence in him. Chuckling, he forced himself to look back at Clawstorm, making his way over to her to discuss her vigil. Well, it wouldn't really be a discussion - just a simple reminder that she was to be NightClan's lone sentry until the morning arrived, and she would be relieved of her post and welcomed into the warriors' den with open paws.
"Don't forget to sit vigil, Clawstorm. It'll be a cold one, so good luck." His words weren't mocking this time, or even all that arrogant, as he was serious about the temperature dropping unpleasantly low tonight; besides, there was nothing 'silly' about a warrior's vigil.

Leaning forward to give her ear swift lick, Blackwolf then stepped back, letting the new warrior soak it all in and mentally prepare herself for what was going to be a long, cold, quiet night.

[/td][/tr]
[/table][/center]

[Phoenix]

A familiar yowl echoed out over the camp, spreading an equally familiar summons to the surrounding cats. As always, it roused a split in the wiry brown tom, who, for once, was not lurking in the warrior's den. Obligation and habit, drilled into him day after day by the actions and expectations of others, dictated that he obey the call at once and congregate with the rest of the clan. His personal dislike for clan meetings - for they usually became ceremonies or revealed rather unpleasant happenings - had grown strong over the past few moons. But his self-preservation had grown just as powerful, and without his consent, his paws began leading him toward the center of camp. Almost instinctively, his gaze was drawn toward the large midnight tom that dominated his life, searching for the approval with a genuine look that had not been genuine in a long time. Blackwolf was looking rather proud, he observed, and after a moment of thinking - He has an apprentice, doesn't he? - the wiry warrior connected the dots. Resisting the urge to heave a powerful sigh, he padded up to join the proud mentor.

He settled himself down just before Ravenstar began speaking again, having only enough time to mutter a greeting. Though he did not think it was possible for him to care less, his head automatically turned in time with the others, and eyes easily picked out the very enthusiastic she-cat from the others. Clawpaw, if he had listened correctly. With ceremonies, he found it very easy to let the fancy words wash over him; they were the same every time, and though ceremonies were rare enough to still have their novelty, there had never been a season where NightClan had not held one. That's a good thing, I suppose. Blackwolf's loud bellows snapped his attention back to the present, and he landed with a heavy thud, wincing slightly as he added his voice to the crowd after a moment's hesitation. "Clawstorm! Clawstorm!" Ravenstar gestured for silence once more, and as one, the clan seemed to quiet. Ratfur felt his heart sinking. What, another one?

The outcome of this ceremony, however, captured his interest. Never before had he seen a warrior receive another apprentice before his old one had even sat her vigil. He cast a sideways glance at his old companion, idly wondering what is was about the tom that made him so special before kicking himself for that question a moment later. It was Blackwolf they were talking about. How could he have not come to the conclusion instantly when it was so obvious? It was the tom's reputation alone that he grudgingly relied on yet clung to like a drowning cat would a stick. His name brought forth a mixture of respect and envy in the tom, and his prowess in nearly everything - while the wiry tom was deemed a failure for his inability to mimic the older warrior's deeds - was aggravating to say the least. With this new addition to his long list of accomplishments, he found himself dreading the days to come; Blackwolf's boasting and arrogance might reach an all time high.

And then the ceremonies were over, and the clan was dismissed. While he climbed back onto small paws, he watched idly as the subject of his thoughts padded over to the newest warrior, presumably to mention the vigil that she would be holding later that night. Perhaps he should follow suit and congratulate her? Though he was part of her former mentor's little group of friends, Ratfur strongly doubted that she would instantly recognize him. Rarely had he talked to the new warrior, having chosen to avoid any training sessions out of a desire to not ruin his reputation even more than he already had. He traced Blackwolf's pawsteps over to the new warrior - Clawstorm was her name, yes? - and caught the tail end of the former-now-mentor-again's warnings about the chill that night. A vicious glee filled him, though he masterfully kept the smirk off his face. Nodding his angular head with the appearance of utmost respect, he meowed politely, "Congratulations." You get to sit out in the cold tonight. Better you than me.

[/blockquote]

[Deleted]

Fools in love they think they're heroes
Cause they get to feel more pain
I say fools in love are zeros

The young tom had spent most of his day out of the camp and was lucky to have just arrived from a successful hunt, his jaws laden with a scrawny looking mouse in time for the warrior ceremony. If Grimpaw hadn't arrived when he did, it would have been unlikely that the tom would have even known of his new mentor -- the gray and white tom, as it were, had been unaware that such a situation was going to occur or that a warrior ceremony for Clawpaw was occurring that day.

Releasing his hooked hold on the skinny mouse, Grimpaw padded over to the large gathering of NightClanners around the Bolder Ledge. Though Grimpaw hadn't heard Ravenstar's call, upon the location of the large clan and the casual chatter amongst the clanners that reached Grimpaw's perked ears, he knew that there was a ceremony about to occur.

The gray and white padded over and settled near the outskirts of the crowd, feeling that it would be unnecessary to get too involved with affairs that did not really involve him. The gray and white apprentice had interacted little with Clawpaw and when the tom saw his leader address Clawpaw, Grimpaw could only give a casual smile.

When Clawpaw received her new warrior name, Grimpaw happily gave his voice to the chanting crowd and thought little of the new warrior, Clawstorm.

That is, until Ravenstar addressed the gray and white tom himself, and Blackwolf. The young tom should have been less shocked at the occurrence than he was -- Grimpaw had been almost a full moon without a mentor and it was well past time for him to return to training. Grimpaw simply hadn't expected it to happen here and now, nor had the tomcat expected his mentor to be Blackwolf, the mentor of a cat who was just named warrior.

Still, Grimpaw didn't complain and gave Blackwolf an acknowledging tip of his head, pulling his torn ear back a bit.

The tom tried to ignore the perplexing, far too interested look that Ravenstar seemed to be giving him.

GRIMPAW

[/color][/right]