[ti]Open[/ti]Warriors of Heart, not Blood

[M'Lady]

"May all cats old enough to scale the rockface, gather beneath the High Ledge for a clan meeting!" Her voice was strong and clear as it rang through the clearing, demanding that her warriors gather here beneath her. They streamed in slowly at first, murmurs and glances of confusion clear as they milled about. It wasn't time for new apprentices, for new warriors, yet. There was no Gathering that night. There hadn't been any border skirmishes of late, or signs of a fox. What did Owlstar want? 
It soon became clear, as unfamiliar cats lingered beneath the High Ledge, what the meeting was about. 

New warriors. 
From outside of the clan. 

Owlstar waited for her clan to appear below her, and then she finally spoke, her blazing yellow gaze sweeping among her warriors. "Cats of our clan, I am sure you have noticed, we have a few new strangers that have come to us, seeking asylum. You know as well as I, Ivyclan does not turn away those in need. Should they prove their loyalty, I will welcome these cats with an open heart, and proclaim them for all to hear as a respected warrior of our clan." She spoke, her voice daring anyone to challenge her, before she continued. 

"First, I will begin with our Dapplefur's own kin, who have come here seeking the life of a warrior. They may be soft from their lives outside of the clans, but they are young, they are malleable, we can shape them into warriors we can be proud of! Speck, Cream, Stanley, come forward so I may announce you to our warrior ancestors." She waited until they did so, and then began to speak once again. "For now, I shall allow you to keep the names your mother has given you, as a reminder of where you came from, and your choice to leave and come here instead.

Speck, I name you Speckpaw. I give you to Longwing, in hopes that you will become a warrior that both he and I can be proud of. 

Cream, I name you Creampaw. I believe Brindleshade would be most appropriate for your mentor. 

Stanley, I name you Stanleypaw. Sparrowcry, teach this apprentice what it means to be an Ivyclan warrior." 

The leader paused, gauging the emotions of her clanmates carefully. "You shall all remain apprentices until I am certain you've become accustomed to the life of a warrior, and until you've proven your loyalty to my clan. Cross me, or any of my warriors, and you shall be turned away from our home." She dismissed them with a flick of her tail, and then waited until the chattering of her warriors died down and she was able to complete the next order of business. 

"Badgerheart. A warrior that has asked me for refuge from Mothclan, due to the disrespect, bullying, and bloodshed they have shown you. You as well will be put under a brief period of testing, watched over by Moorwhisker. But, before then, I would like to name you an Ivyclan warrior, in the eyes of our ancestors. I hereby name you Briardawn. For the beautiful convoluted twists of your tabby pelt, for the fierce protection of your own honor, and for the hope of starting a bright new beginning in Ivyclan. Welcome, and we hope you find yourself at home." She spoke, and with that, gave her clan a brief dip of her head, and allowed them to disperse. 

[mewmehh]

Despite the unorthodox ceremony, many voices rang out in praise and of those, two kinmates wailed their approval; Wingedpaw sang beside Greenpaw, sidled up to his fluffy pelt as she belted out "Brairdawn, Brairdawn!!" and Longwing's own honey-silk voice cooed at his new apprentice.

Odd eyes shining happily, the white and ginger tabby warrior waltzed up to greet his new apprentice with a tender touch of the nose. Honestly, Owlstar flattered the warrior. With how often the warrior had been bestowed with apprentice after apprentice as he became available, it really made Longwing feel trusted by his leader. Though it felt like ages ago, it only had been a pawful of moons since Longwing had approached the smoky she-cat about his impromptu kits with a kittypet and she had even allowed him to keep them in the clan with light punishment. Never had the tom felt so proud to act as Owlstar's warrior.

Turquoise and gold eyes flashed at Speckpaw and he purred warmly, "I'm looking forward to working together."

[gingersnapsdacat]

A tortoiseshell she-cat sat close to the base of the high ledge, watching the three young cats. It was an odd feeling, seeing her own kin in the clan after so long being alone. It was not an unpleasant feeling, but at the same time, Dapplefur was not sure what to do with the fuzzy feeling of pride in her chest. Part of her even wished that Pinki, their mother, could leave her kitty-pet home for a while to see her kittens receiving their names. But of course, that was not possible. Pinki was happy with her two legs, and that was where she belonged. But these wonderful cats had chosen to follow Dapplefur, and hopefully, would remain here in IvyClan.

Stanley stood beside his siblings, proudly looking out over the gathering members of IvyClan. His clan. These cats were his clanmates now. This thought both scared and excited him. Would they accept him and his siblings? Stanley knew that he was at at disadvantage in the clan, as he did not have the background of growing up in a clan. Even Dapplefur had joined the clan at a younger age, only seven moons old compared to the ten moons that he and his siblings had lived in the kitty-pet life. But he was not just some soft little kitten. He would be a warrior!

[ladyspectral]

Badgerheart's heart thudded in her chest, like a bird desperately trying to escape from between her ribs. Her faces had largely healed, a pink scar lined with scabs across her muzzles now. She looked different, and even the two faced she cat barely recognized herself anymore. Muscle lined her once frail body, a thick coat of fur covering where she had once scratched herself bare. She had been reborn.

The she cat stepped forward as she was called, a deep fear rising in her chest in anticipation for whatever name she would be given. She almost expected an insult, cruel words that would dig their claws into her battered, frantic heart.

"I hereby name you Briardawn. For the beautiful convoluted twists of your tabby pelt, for the fierce protection of your own honor, and for the hope of starting a bright new beginning in Ivyclan."

Her heart swelled with relief, wide smiles of unrestrained joy crossing her face as the chanting rung in her ears. Briardawn, my name is Briardawn. The words echoed in her head, ringing endlessly in her ears. The warrior was finally home.

[smith]

speck stood with a grin on his face between his littermates as they stood beneath the high ledge, his gaze focused intently on owlstar as she stood upon it and more cats than he had ever seen gathered around them. it was pretty rare that the young cat ever felt nervous, but in that moment it was almost all he felt... his dreams were finally coming true and he was at last being given his freedom of a clan cat rather than a kittypet. his collar had finally been removed and nothing made him feel more free than the breeze as it danced across the slightly matted fur where the leather had once resided. he had also noticed another cat standing beside them and couldn't quite tell whether she was joining alongside them or not, afterall she seemed nervous much like himself, but the scar she adorned across her two muzzles told him otherwise.

soon, owlstar began to speak, announcing the purpose of the meeting to the rest of the clan- speck jumped slightly in excitement when he and his littermates' names were spoken, taking a shaky step forwards, revealing more of his small body to the other cats as he had previously been hidden slightly in the shadows.

"speck, i name you speckpaw. i give you to longwing, in hopes that you will become a warrior that both he and can be proud of."

the newly named speckpaw's mouth contorted into an uncontrollable grin as he was finally given his new name and mentor, establishing him as an official member of the clan. finally, all of his explorations as a young kit were made worth it and he had finally achieved his life goal... at only twelve moons of age. he guessed it was time to make some new dreams... he glanced back at the other three cats as they too received their names and grinned as he basked in the glory all four of them felt.

"creampaw! stanleypaw! briardawn!" he chanted their names a few times as the ceremony came to an end before turning around to grin into the turquoise eyes of longwing, the cat who would now teach him how to be a warrior and what it means to be a true clan cat. "i look forward to working with you too," he purred, a laugh mingling with his speech as his eyes gleamed with joy.

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