[Deleted]

REDSTAR

Leader of LightningClan

It had been a normal day for Redstar, as normal a day as you could have in the drought LightningClan were currently suffering. She’d had a reasonably successful hunting trip, catching a rabbit and a small mouse, though the yellow-red tabby had to admit, she hadn’t been all that hungry in the last few days.
With sunset soon to be setting in, Redstar was making the most of the evening light and was sitting outside her den, letting her amber gaze wander around camp.
Due to the heat, the beginning and end of the day had become the most active times in the LightningClan camp. From her spot in the fading light, the LightningClan leader could see several cats sharing tongues, others sharing prey and a few apprentices bragging about the ‘huge’ rabbit they caught earlier. A smile sprung to Redstar’s face at the sight of the young members of LightningClan, going about their carefree lives as if the drought wasn’t even going on.
It was then, studying the cats of her clan, that the red tabby realised something. One apprentice in particular had just reached his 12th moon, which meant…
I have a ceremony to perform.

Brushing aside the remains of her rabbit, the she-cat swiped a tongue around her jaws before rising to her paws and striding over to the Hill Top. Redstar hadn’t been LightningClan’s leader for very long, this was, what, her third warrior ceremony she had to conduct? At first the red-yellow had been a bit apprehensive about the naming of warrriors, what if she ruined their moment? What if they didn’t like their name?
Redstar had only just gotten used to the ritual, at last sharing in the joy that a cat felt when they at last got their warrior name, it was the day they’d been looking forward to their whole lives and Redstar got to share it with them.
The LightningClan leader just stood on the Hill Top, looking out for a moment and letting the slight breeze ruffle her tabby pelt before parting her jaws to call together her clan, “Let all cats old enough to catch a rabbit gather below the Hill Top for a clan meeting!”
The red-yellow tabby got a few moments to herself, to contemplate things through before her clan was all gathered and the ceremony could begin. Inclining her head to the setting sun, Redstar waited patiently for the members of her clan to group below the Hill Top.
The red-yellow tabby let her honey amber eyes rake the crowd of gathering cats for a black and white pelt, Please say he’s here. He’d better not be out hunting, or training even.

Standing tall, silhouetted against the fading sunlight the LightningClan leader decided that enough cats had gathered and it was time to start the ceremony, “Cats of LightningClan, by naming new warriors, we show that LightningClan continues to grow strong, that we will remain through thick and thin,” she smiled, savouring the words ‘grow’ and ‘strong’. Redstar knew that, whatever was thrown at them, LightningClan would survive.
Her clan was, arguably, the hardiest, toughest clan. They were fast, agile, loyal and Redstar trusted each and every one of them with her life, well her nine lives.
Amber orbs searching the crowd once again for a certain pelt, she smiled in relief when she found him this time. Phew, that’s lucky. If he wasn’t here, that would be a little awkward.
Redstar let her gaze wash over the gathered cats and, smiling, meowed confidently, “Nightpaw, please step forward.”
Now, her favourite part. Redstar loved to see the reactions of cats when they found out they were to receive their warrior name and today was no different. She wondered whether Nightpaw would be one of those worriers, who at hearing they were to receive their warrior name, they started worrying they weren’t ready, or their pelt was ruffled or filled with burrs. There was also the excited ones, no explanation was needed for what they did when they found out they were to receive their warrior ceremony.
Whatever Nightpaw’s style was, Redstar just hoped this ceremony went as well as the apprentice had been anticipating, she would hate to mess up his special day.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:000000]Nightpaw[/smear:6f6f6f]

~~~~~~~~~

It was somewhat of a coincidence, but the tuxedo tom had just returned from hunting, holding two mice in his jaws. He bent down to place them neatly on the pile, his muscles shifting beneath his coat as he did so. Golden eyes glanced around as the tom lifted his head, searching for something that he could do. He hadn't gone out with Whiteshade for a while now, not since their... Adventure with Rookfrost. There was not even a sliver of regret in the tom's mind towards what had transpired that night. They'd probably done the forest some good anyway.

The faintest hunt of turquoise was still left in the tom's gaze, a small sliver around his pupil. Otherwise, his once blue eyes were now a sharp amber. It could be argued that there was something... Deadlier to him, now that his eyes had changed color. His blue eyes had been sharp and piercing, that was true, but the amber color he possessed now... It seemed to burn into the very core of your soul when you stared at him for too long. Of course, it wasn't as bad as gazing into the blood red eyes of his mentor.

A call caught the tuxedo apprentice's attention. He swung his head in the direction it had come from, noticing Redstar standing upon the Hill Top, calling to the Clan to gather beneath. He wondered what in the name of StarClan she could be announcing now. With a slight gleam of interest in his eyes, the tuxedo tom moved forward, each movement seeming as though it were perfectly calculated, each step looking as though it had a true purpose.

Sitting down amongst the crowd, the older apprentice curled his tail over his paws, and turned his attentive gaze up to LightningClan's leader. As the rest of the Clan began to gather, Nightpaw's mind continued to churn, carefully considering all the possibilities that would require Redstar to make an announcement. His mind had just landed upon his possible warrior's ceremony when the leader of the Clan called out his name, asking him to step forward.

Without hesitation, the tuxedo tom stood, his coat flat, his eyes holding the tiniest trace of pride. For those who remembered Nightkit from the nursery, the thin, lean black tom who had been the runt of the litter, and looked as though he might be taken out by a simple swipe of one paw... They were certainly in for a surprise now. He had grown over the six moons of training he had spent with Whiteshade. He had built muscles, and they shifted every time he took a step. It was true that he wasn't necessarily a bulky tom, but who said you needed to be bulky to be dangerous?

He was still lithe, but he had gained height. He had long legs that, although they were good at hunting and catching rabbits, what they were truly built for, what they had been trained for was the art of combat. Having separated himself from the crowd, Nightpaw's gaze was turned towards Redstar as he waited patiently for what was to come.

[Deleted]

REDSTAR

Leader of LightningClan

Redstar was quite amazed by Nightpaw’s ability to keep calm and collected as he stepped forward to receive his warrior name. He was quite the different cat to when he’d first stepped forward to become an apprentice; it being obvious then that he was the runt of the litter. The soon-to-be warrior was larger now, his body well adapted to combat and hunting, though he was still quite lithe.
The red-yellow tabby she-cat’s amber eyes met the tuxedo tom’s amber ones as she watched him step forward. She caught the tiniest trace of pride in his gaze, but Redstar didn’t dare look at his eyes for long. There was something about them that she couldn’t quite put a paw on.
Swallowing, the slender tabby continued on with her ceremony, "I, Redstar, leader of LightningClan, call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on this apprentice,”her honey amber gaze flitted to the sky above before resting on Nightpaw once more, “He has trained hard to understand the ways of your noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn. Nightpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend your Clan, even at the cost of your life?" she finished, voice crisp and clear above the hushed murmurings of the gathered cats.
The red-yellow tabby managed to hold the black-and-white tom’s gaze for a moment, but quickly found herself looking away. Nightpaw’s eyes were the queerest things, having been blue as a kit, but now having changed to amber. Redstar frowned, wondered whether it was genetic or something, a disease perhaps?
The LightningClan she-cat shook away the thoughts and focused her mind on the task in paw. She let her honey amber eyes wander her clan, washing over each cat, before finally resting on Nightpaw once more, patiently awaiting his response.

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:000000]Nightpaw[/smear:6f6f6f]

~~~~~~~~~

Black ears were carefully kept tipped forward, catching each and every word uttered by the reddish LightningClan leader standing high above, calling down to him in a tradition he had heard many times. He could remember the slight bubbling of excitement he had felt when he was a kit, standing where he was, eagerly awaiting the moment when he would finally be moved from kit to apprentice. You would think that a similar feeling would arise now, as this was an even larger step, finally become a full-fledged warrior of LightningClan.

And yet, there was no excitement. There was only a sense of... Power, pride. Almost as though, now he were finally going to receive the name he deserved. For a brief moment, he wondered if the members of his family were present. What was Kindlepaw feeling at that moment? And Brightpaw? They were the same age as him. Would they be jealous that he was receiving his name first? If they were, it would be a foolish jealousy. It meant that they were not ready. They had not earned it.

And Darkcloud? Was he standing amongst the crowd, watching his youngest son become a warrior? What about the siblings from his parents' first litter? What about Whiteshade? Is he here, watching? Nightpaw had to focus on the task of not glancing behind him, to see if he might be able to pick out one of the figures that were so familiar to him. And Palepaw?

Redstar's voice broke through his thoughts, and as she finished, Nightpaw gave a solemn dip of his head, his voice clear, strong as he spoke. "I do."

[Phoenix]

It had been a long time coming, but it had finally arrived. With minimal difficulty, crimson eyes found their target, a once weakly tuxedo tom, and watched as he strode toward the leader, noting with satisfaction the lack of hesitation in his stride. Armed with the knowledge that this day would be upon them before he knew it, he had trained the black and white feline with every intention of molding him into a powerful, competent cat that would not only serve LightningClan well but also himself. In the way a mother would nurture her child with the utmost care, so he had fostered the hidden bloodlust in the young tom. His efforts had not come to naught, for the results of his endeavors had far from disappointed him.

The final test, perhaps, had been that impromptu but incredibly convenient foray into the surrounding mountains with Rookfrost. Having watched the younger tom's performance and reactions to the demands of an enterprise of that nature, he had been satisfied, and feeling a little more generous in the wake of such a successful undertaking, he had allowed his apprentice to do as he pleased. If he felt as though Nightpaw had learned everything of value that he could teach, he saw no reason to continue training up until the day his apprentice received his warrior name. His influence had extended over his once-maleable apprentice enough over the course of the past six moons; a week or two, for that was how long he had guessed it would take for the ceremony, would have no negative effects.

His features devoid of the sneer that had ghosted across them during the last warrior ceremony, that of his sister's miserable former apprentice, he evenly watched the proceedings. Alabaster paws were covered neatly by an equally white tail as he sat, straight backed and regal. Something akin to pride, whether in his own accomplishment or in the apprentice standing before Redstar it was debatable, glinted in the blood-red depths of his eyes. The black and white tom had developed an air of power that he had previously lacked, a quiet danger that simmered just below the surface. That change amused him, and he found himself idly wondering when that shift had occurred. However, he had spent nearly every day in the apprentice's presence, and he could not pretend to know exactly when that silent power had developed. It satisfied him enough that it had.

Oblivious of his mentor's musings, Nightpaw inclined his head and vowed to uphold the Warrior Code and defend LightningClan, even if doing so required that his own life be forfeit. The irony of the situation did not escape the red-eyed devil, and though he showed no sign of it, amusement flickered across his consciousness at the ignorance of the crowd. Tradition or not, the simple words that made up the vows had already been ignored, brushed aside in favor of actions of a darker nature. This ceremony was proof of Redstar's own ignorance, of the clan's ignorance as a whole. To be leader of a clan yet not know the bloody secrets of a handful of its members. To be blissfully ignorant of danger that lurked beneath a debonair facade. There was no way he could expect them to know, of course, and no way they would find out. Temporarily content with his amusement at their expense, the red-eyed demon focused his attention back on the two figures at the front. Regardless of his satisfaction, it would do to become so lost in it that he forget his place and be accused of not paying attention.

[Deleted]

REDSTAR

Leader of LightningClan

Redstar smiled, amber eyes flooding with pride as Nightpaw meowed, "I do."
The reddish tabby leapt nimbly off her position on a large boulder and scrambled down the hill so that she stood by her fellow clanmates. Letting her amber eyes wash over her clan one last time, she felt her heart rush with pride. LightningClan, my clan. She was so proud of each and every member of the clan, no matter their age or level of skill. Redstar couldn't imagine living in any other clan.
Focusing her honey amber eyes on the tuxedo apprentice before her, she continued, "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name," she paused to take a breath before continuing, "Nightpaw, from this moment you will be known as Nightstep. StarClan honours your loyalty and skill in battle, and we welcome you as a full warrior of LightningClan."
And with that the slender she-cat rested her head on Nightstep's head, muttering a soft, "Congratulations," as she did so, before stepping back again to let the newly named warrior bask in the glow of his clanmates support.
Raising her head to the sky, the red-yellow tabby yowled for old time's sake, "Nightstep! Nightstep! Nightstep!"

 

[Fawn]

"Nightstep! Nightstep! Nightstep!"

Two moons ago, Frostpaw would have been bitter and resentful of this ceremony, of watching her younger cousin be made a warrior before Redstar could ever come to consider that she might be overdue for a ceremony of her own. A lot had happened these past few moons though, that had made feeling pathetically bitter and despicable over Nightpaw's ceremony virtually impossible. It was none other than the tuxedo tom whose name they were chanting that had helped in bringing Frostpaw up out of a dark place, her training sessions with him doing so much good when it came to building up her self-esteem and blowing away the black clouds hanging over the ginger and white she-cat's head ever since her accident.

It was with a stab of guilt that Frostpaw realized she hadn't been this proud or excited when Icewhisker had become a warrior, having been too embittered at the time to be the kind of supportive sister she should've been. Frostpaw vowed to make amends by letting Icewhisker know how proud she was - but not right now. Today was Nightpaw's day, and the white and ginger she-cat with the frosted eye would be one of the first cats in line to tell him congratulations.

Well, first after Darkcloud.

~*~

To such a family oriented feline, there were no prouder, no greater moments then that of watching one's own offspring reach their next stage in life. Being particularly tall of stature, Darkcloud's serpent-pale eyes flickered into focus above the pricked ears of his Clanmates, having taken a seat near the front-most throng of cats. Fixated upon the young, muscular black and white tom standing before Redstar, Darkcloud's bone-white muzzle broke into a small, sharp smirk.
Well done, Nightstep.

Witnessing his son take the pledge of warriorhood was a big moment for Darkcloud, and one of those occasions in which he let down some of that coldness, or rather, let a little of his inner warmth bleed through, letting the Clan know that this was his son, his son's moment to shine, and that, as a parent, he could find no greater happiness than right now. Brightpaw and Kindlepaw would have their moments in the sun too, but for now, his newly named progeny deserved all the attention he was getting, Darkcloud's deep vocals booming from his place within the crowd, joined by several others - including Frostpaw and his daughters.
"Nightstep! Nightstep! Nightstep!"

As if conscious that there was another cat to thank for this moment besides Redstar, Darkcloud's snake-green eyes snatched away to repin upon the familiar outline of one of LightningClan's resident albinos. Darkcloud knew better than to fear a cat because of their outward appearance, nor was he particularly superstitious, so he had been more or less indifferent to the idea of the younger senior warrior mentoring his son. Meeting the other tom's blood red eye, Darkcloud issued a curt dip of the head, a father's gesture of gratitude.
He's grown up well.

Having paid his proper respects, the black and white feline parted the crowd with ease, several of the Clan already sensing that it would only be right for Darkcloud to be the first to greet his newly christened son.
"Congratulations, Nightstep. Your mother and I are extremely proud of you." Those words meant solely for the smaller tuxedo tom, it was clear that he meant it, despite Darkcloud not really being the kind of tom that oozed emotions. Enigmatic by nature, only the closest members of his family knew him well enough to read when he was being sincere and when he wasn't. Had this been one of his daughters, he would've leaned over to lick their ears once, but there was a more distanced method of showing affection that would be better suited between father and son. Darkcloud's long black tail tapped Nightstep on the shoulder, the very much senior warrior once again making a curt dip of the chin, eyes glinting.
"Well done."

[BlooRey DVD]

[smear:000000]Nightstep[/smear:6f6f6f]

~~~~~~~~~

The black and white tom found himself straightening slightly as he continued to listen to his leader's words. His mainly-yellow gaze never left the LightningClan figure head as she leapt down from her post high above to join them on the ground level. He could feel the sense of pride radiating from the she-cat. It was obvious that naming warriors was something special to the leader. More power for LightningClan. He supposed, blinking impassively at the red she-cat. Redstar's voice continued, finally announcing his warrior name, and continuing, speaking of some of his traits. When she placed her head on his, he lowered slightly, giving easier access for the gesture. He wasn't the small kit he'd once been, his body having grown taller and stronger as the moons had passed.

Leaning forward fractionally, Nightstep let his nose touch her shoulder before the two pulled away from one another. Moments before the Clan erupted into a chorus of calls, Nightstep managed to dip his head to Redstar and reply. "Thank you, Redstar." Soon, his name was being called from all around him. It didn't seem possible, but the tom straightened further, sharp eyes sweeping over the Clan, picking out familiar faces. When the cries finally died down, his yellow gaze locked upon a taller tuxedo shape that pushed through the throng of cats, dispelling them as though they were nothing but air. Recognition flashed in his gaze as he awaited his father's arrival. The older tom's deep voice greeted the younger tuxedo cat's ears as Nightstep tipped his head back slightly, to meet his father's gaze.

The sincerity of Darkcloud's words were not lost to the tom. Nightstep found himself returning the gestures offered to him, nodding his head and sweeping his tail to brush slightly on his father's strong shoulders. "Thank you, Darkcloud. I shall not disappoint you and mother." The younger tom did not break eye contact with his father, and for a moment, the two tuxedo toms seemed trapped in their own world.

That is, until Nightstep was distracted by the sea of congratulations that followed.

[Insidious]

Palepaw had been accustomed nearest the back of the gathered cats, her slender form nearly swallowed whole by the abundance of taller cats seated directly ahead. But even though she couldn't be seen, had Nightpaw been bothered with checking over his shoulders to search for her in the first place, he had not to fret – she wouldn't miss his ceremony for the world. Straightening was a futile attempt at trying to witness his ceremony unfold, though she tried nevertheless. Light blue eyes gleamed, the almost-warrior unable to feel anything but genuine happiness for her black-and-white companion. It was only for a brief moment that Palepaw wondered about her own ceremony, it blatantly obvious that she and Nightpaw were the same age. If it were any other, perhaps a small part of her would have been overcome by anxiety to receive her own warrior name. But this was no other, no: it was Nightpaw. When he was involved, things always seemed to be different.

So it was Nightstep now, was it?

Through the crowd, Palepaw was able to just barely catch sight of the newly named Nightstep touching his nose to the base of Redstar's shoulder, LightningClan's leader radiating pride in her newest warrior. A smile was quick to spread across Palepaw's jaw, the she-cat noting the approach of Nightstep's father, likely to extend his congratulations. She stood from her seat quietly, maneuvering skillfully around the assembled cats until within a viewable proximity of the tom, contently settling into another sit in preperation to await her turn to address Nightstep. It wasn't right for her to be one of the first, was it? He had close family to speak with, his mentor, and of course his friends. Am I one of his friends...? For StarClan's sake she hoped he considered her such a thing, having spent quite a portion of her apprenticeship in the tom-cat's company. Of course, she was aiming for something a little more... labeled. But Palepaw could be patient, especially right now – this wasn't a time he'd be thinking about such a possibility; right now all he needed was a version of the pale she-cat he'd grown to know over the past six moons.

Realizing she could be waiting for a while, her pale stare catching sight of Frostpaw nearby with similar intentions, her tail wrapped around her forepaws as a sign of her willingless to be patient of her turn. Her eyes settled comfortably upon the tuxedo warrior once again, a glisten of affection clenched tightly in her expression before being replaced by an inviting commonality. She would have considered joining into the chant while awaiting her chance to speak with Nightstep, but she preferred that her brand of congratulations be a tad more personal than simply that. So on the sidelines she remained, no indications of an approach within her still frame, keen to observe until Nightstep noticed her nearby – a smile glued to her golden muzzle that sparked familiarity of their relationship, having sported such a grin for the black-and-white tom plentiful an occasion before.