Oh the places you'll go. (SEPTEMBER CEREMONIES)

[gingersnapsdacat]

    HeronStar was outside of her den, scratching at her pelt. Ever since the latest gathering, she had felt...odd. For starters, she always seemed to have fleas biting at her flanks, which although not really a serious issue, was still enough of an annoyance to bother her. On top of this, she had begun to feel tired and slow. But even if she was not feeling at her best, she was not going to let that stop her from naming the new cats. With an energy that she really did not have, she leapt up onto the highrock, and called out to her clan.
    “Everyone gather! We have many cats who are ready to become warriors and apprentices.”
    She waited for her clan to gather beneath her. 
    "Before I name apprentices, I would like to ask that everyone keep an eye on the MothClan border." She thought to the harsh exchanging of words between ScreechStar and EveningStar at the gathering. True, his hostilities seemed mostly aimed towards ScreechStar, but it was not out of question for him to turn towards IvyClan if he saw fit. 
    "If anyone comes desiring help, please bring them to me, and we will find ways to offer aid."
    The leader allowed her words to hang for a moment before she moved onto the actual ceremony. 
    “I think today we should start with the apprentices! Ocelotkit, Boarkit, Pumakit, Mountainkit, Cheetahkit, please step forwards.”
    While she waited for all the young cats to take their places, she continued to scratch at her pelt. A small tuft of white fur flew from her pelt, where it was caught by a gust of wind.
    “Ocelotpaw, you need a mentor who can match your energy. I believe that Ripplefoot can manage this very well.”
    The freckle-nosed she-cat ran towards her mentor, nearly knocking her over in the process.
    “I will be the best apprentice ever!” she cheered, touching her spotted nose to Ripplefoot’s. “Can you teach me how to catch a badger?!”
    HeronStar gave the energetic apprentice a moment to celebrate before she motioned for quiet.
    “Or maybe a fox!”
    She cleared her throat, looking straight at Ocelotpaw.
    “Oh...Sorry.”
    HeronStar gave the apprentice a small nod of understanding. She could still remember what it was like to be young and excited about new adventures.
    “Boarpaw, you will be mentored by Addersnap. I believe that the two of you will find that you have more in common than you may think.”
    “Pumapaw, Cloudchaser shall be your mentor. Under her guidance I am sure you will flourish into a bright warrior.”
    “Mountainpaw, you shall be mentored by Dustytuft. I believe my deputy will have much to teach you in the way of understanding your clan, and yourself.”
    The leader glanced over to her deputy, hoping that she would not mind taking on another apprentice when her current charge was only becoming a warrior today.
    “Cheetahpaw, your loyalty and kindness towards others is only rivaled by your knack for getting into mischeif. I think that Dogdusk will be able to help you turn this into your advantage.”
    She gave all of the newly named apprentices a moment to be celebrated.
    “Ocelotpaw! Boarpaw! Pumapaw! Mountainpaw! Cheetahpaw!”
    “Now, I ask Blossompaw, Skippaw, Flickerpaw, Fidgetpaw, Hoppaw, and Twitch[aw to step forwards.”
    HeronStar turned first to Blossompaw.
    “Blossompaw, you shall be known as Blossomdrift. Your calm and quiet nature is a comfort to troubled clanmates.”
    “Skippaw, you have surely shown that you are more than just a pretty face. Your heart is strong and brave. For this, you shall be known as Skipstone.”
    The newly named warrior was beaming with pride as she stepped up in front of HeronStar. She had made it this far, and from this point onwards she could only get better. For just a moment, Skipstone thought she caught a glimpse of a star-studded pelt. But before she could even blink, the figure was gone. Perhaps it had only been a trick of the light…
    HeronStar, believing that Skipstone was only marveling at her new name, continued onto the next cat.
    “Flickerpaw, you are a bright and positive presence in your family. For this you will be named Flickerflame.”
    “Fidgetpaw, you are always energetic, and ready to do what you mist. For your unending energy, I will name you Fidgetspin.”
    HeronStar smiled as she looked upon the next cat to be named. She had thought long and hard about his name, and at long last she had found one that she deemed suitable.
    “Hoppaw, you have been a wonderful apprentice, and I am grateful to have mentored a cat such as you. You always found the motivation to succeed, even when I was unable to be there. Your name will now be Hopbird.”
    Now, she had only one cat left to name. The first cat she had ever made an apprentice.
    “Twitchpaw, your name will now be Twitchwings. No matter what obstacle is in your path, I believe you will find a way to fly over it.”
    HeronStar called out to the entire clan.
    'I present the new warriors, and apprentices, of IvyClan! May StarClan light their path!”

[noctemq]

Addersnap’s eyes widened in surprise. He wasn’t expecting to get an apprentice so soon. Though he had been a warrior for a while, so maybe this was expected. The lithe tom quickly hid his expression and held his tail high in confidence, approaching the newly made apprentice for the traditional greeting. He’d make sure to teach Boarpaw the important things about being a warrior, such as how to make sure your catch was always the biggest in the fresh-kill pile and how to properly make moss in the fastest way possible so they wouldn’t be stuck dealing with bedding all morning. Addersnap has enjoyed his time as an apprentice, mainly for the wrong reasons, and this time he wanted to be the fun mentor. No more random chores for no reason, there was plenty of other apprentices that could do that this time.

He dipped his head down to meet Boarpaw and touched noses with him. The young cat seemed well put together, and Addersnap has a feeling they would get along swimmingly. He already had an internal itinerary planned out for them tomorrow, starting with a tour of Ivyclan that included his secret favorite spots to groom in. The new mentor felt somewhat excited by the idea of sharing all of his wisdom with another cat.

[ LupTacco ]

[LupTacco]

Boarkit sauntered out of the nursery, looking around camp as if he expected something else to happen as the clan gathered beneath the large stone and waited beneath Heronstar's kind gaze. His siblings and fathers in tow, the young tom sat puppy-style with his hind legs out in front of him as he listened. It took his mind a bit to catch up when his name was called, forcing him to dart forward to receive his name proper. "Uh, thanks lady," he mumbled quietly, ducking down with embarrassment before noticing someone move through the crowd.

"Oh, er-" Boarpaw puffed himself up, trying to look more dignified in his mind, "I'm Boark-paw. You better be the best, cuz that's what I wanna be!" His eyes met Addersnap's with a playful challenge.

[noctemq ]

--

Ripplefoot's peaceful smile opened into a surprised gasp as her own name was called, given alongside an apprentice's. She barely had time to spot her new apprentice dashing up to her before the soft, fuzzy mass of energy practically tumbled into her, already asking questions. "A badger-? Oh, maybe not something that big, but- foxes?" Ripplefoot curled her tail around Ocelotpaw to draw her close and hopefully reign her in a bit, giving the young she-cat a smile and a friendly wink before speaking in a whisper, "I'm so honored to meet you! I'm sure you're going to do well, so I'll try my best too!"

--

Hopbird puffed up his chest, grinning from ear-to-ear as he glanced between his siblings-- Skipstone, Fidgetspin, Flickerflame, Twitchwing!-- before twisting his neck around trying to spot his mother and father. Unable to contain himself, his gaze swung back up to Heronstar, full of gratitude and wonder. After the rocky start to his training, he wasn't sure if he could have done it without her patience and kindness. "Blossomdrift! Skipstone! Fidgetspin! Flickerflame! Twitchwing!" Hopbird's voice was laced with laughter- he felt like he was brimming with joy and energy, like he could run through all of IvyClan's territory and not even get tired by the time he got back. "Ocelotpaw! Boarpaw! Pumapaw!Mountainpaw! Cheetahpaw!" glancing at the new apprentices, he sent them his best wishes that their training was as good as his had been.

[gingersnapsdacat]

[Ringtail]

"Cheetahpaw!! Cheetahpaw!", yowled the black and tan she-cat from the back, before trotting up to get herself a front row seat to see her new apprentince, Cheetahpaw.
"Ocelotpaw! Boarpaw! Pumapaw! Mountainpaw! Cheetahpaw!"
"Blossomdrift, Skipstone, Fidgetspin,Hopbird, Twitchwings!!"
She yowled along with her clanmates to the new apprentices and newly named warriors. What a joy it was to see fellow cats grow and fly threw the ranks! But for Dogdusk, she was mostly excited for Cheetahpaw. She'd show them the way, through her awesome skills of being a warrior! She was practically bouncing up and down for everyone. She'll have to turn up her serious face for when she began training her new apprentice, too.

[Storm]

Twitchwing
Ivyclan | Warrior | Tom | 12 Moons | Heterosexual

The mink tom held his head high and wore a wide grin in an attempt to hide his stiff gait.  The last ceremony he was in was quite an event, so one couldn't blame the tom for being a bit uncomfortable despite it being a time to celebrate.  His siblings and he were going to be warriors, it was a dream come true and he was thrilled!  His coarse cream and chocolate coat was well groomed for the occasion, a rarity for the epileptic feline.  He was feeling more normal than ever today.  He was even starting to feel like he was gaining control over his condition.  Twitchpaw no longer blacked out during his episodes, while he still had no control over the fits physically he was at least still consciously aware of what was going on.  That meant it was getting better, right?  Nothing would be able to stop him now.

The apprentice sat close with his siblings, anxiously trying to inch closer to Heronstar than them.  He fidgeted as the others were named first, but he beamed for them all the same.  His heart was so happy as each of their names rung out.  Skipstone, Flickerflame, Fidgetspin, Hopbird.  Finally it was his turn and time to be a warrior- the best one by the way.  The best of his siblings, his clan and the whole forest.  They'd all know his name: Twitchwing!

The young warrior rose to his paws, fears forgotten and the brightest ambition burning in his chest with all the love for his family and clan.  Twitchwing cheered and smiled and cheered.

[Broadwaykat]

This was a momentous occasion for any clan - it was the closest that Dustytuft would ever get to feeling like a mother; as she said goodbye to her former apprentices and be given to being full adults of the clan. Of course, this day she wasn't just saying goodbye to her apprentice. She was gaining a new one.

"Congratulations, Mountainpaw!" She reached down to touch noses with the young cat, stopping only to scratch at a stubborn itch in her side. Bloody fleas were going wild this season - she had no idea why. But it was about ready to drive her up the wall.

"And Skipstone! I Couldn't be more proud! Blossomdrift, Flickerflame, Fidgetspin, Hopbird and Twitchwings - you'll make your clan such wonderful warriors! "

---

"Gah! Stupid bugs!" Martentooth hissed as he bit at the fur along his haunch in search of a pesky flee that was currently snacking there. "Those Rootclan mongrels are a menance - Pansy, you mind?!" He looked around for his apprentice to see if she'd lend a paw at getting to that hard-to-reach spot, but caught Sandhawk glowering at him across the camp. "What's your problem, short-snout? So high and mighty just cause you don't got fleas in your fur?"

"Maybe if you didn't go crawling around the murkiest places of the camp, you'd come out better." She snarked, though seemed careful to keep her distance all the same. She had been helping with some of the elders to groom themselves, and still could feel the disgusting crunch of the bugs between her fangs. It made her shudder just thinking about it.

---

"Ha! I could have done with an apprentice, y'know!" Muddytoad grumbled from the patch of sun he had taken for himself. Mis-matched eyes narrowing ever so slightly. "It's cause there getting soft, y'see - I could whip one into shape for sure. Not to mention I could use a little paw to get at the ol' shoulder blades." He scratched idolly with his bag leg and grimaced - a patch of fur he'd already successfully removed from that area, and truth be told it was a little tender. "I'm telling ya - start up one little friendly competition and end up with a few extra bird bits on the side and suddenly everyone up in your business about having an 'prentice."