Topic 1-Round 1C

Your warrior ceremony, something goes wrong (700 words minimum)

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"Let all clan cats old enough to climb a tree, gather around the Stone Pile for a clan meeting!" A loud mew broke the usual life of the clan cats in EarthClan.

All cats looked up in unison to their leader, Reedstar, standing on the pile of stones, who had only just called the clan together. They drew slowly toward him. Queens stayed at the entrance of the nursery whilst apprentices bounded up joyfully to Reedstar. The elders sighed irritably as they got up from their soft bedding, finishing in a few bites the fresh kill that they were eating calmly and undisturbed.

Nightpaw approached her clanmates, trying to blend in. She smoothed out her black fur, and a hunting patrol came from the camp entrance, depositing the prey they had caught onto the well-stocked fresh kill pile. Frogstep, who was part of the hunting patrol, quickly joined a queen who was standing by the nursery and was checking her kit with a quick glance every few heartbeats.

"We, cats of EarthClan, are united once more to acknowledge two apprentices who have trained hard for moons as to fulfill the wishes of StarClan and their Warrior Code." Reedstar boomed, looking down at Nightpaw and at Nightpaw's littermate, Pouncepaw.

Nightpaw felt a wave of excitement. She knew that she was far from being a perfect warrior, but when she remembered all the time she took training, when she remembered trying, trying and trying and finally achieving whatever she had her mind set on at the time, she knew that that was the best mark for a warrior; never giving up. And she was certain that, if she continued to work as hard as she did already, she may be able to fulfill her dream of becoming a fully-fledged and respected warrior by the name which she would soon receive.

Suddenly, she felt a cat brush her side, and she turned to see her mentor, Swiftbreeze. As their eyes met, Nightpaw realized with a pang of shock that her mentor's eyes were emotionless. She imagined being a mentor, standing with her belly fur puffed up, at her young apprentice's naming ceremony, and then she knew that she would feel nothing but pride for this apprentice and satisfaction for all the days of hard training she would lead with them to help them become a noble warrior of EarthClan, but it was clear that Swiftbreeze was far from feeling pride.

Just before looking back at Reedstar to settle her attention on the meeting, Nightpaw shot a quick glance at Pouncepaw. Pouncepaw was her littermate, and a strong, broad shouldered tom with white fur and black paws. At his side, his mentor-the deputy, Sunningfur-stood, and her head was high, and her white fur was puffed up. Nightpaw acknowledged the slight wave of jealousy that washed over her- a feeling which had risen upon seeing her brother with a proud mentor.

Reedstar's green eyes looked first into Pouncepaw's as he spoke. "Sunningfur, does your apprentice, Pouncepaw, show every quality a warrior in EarthClan must have? And do you have faith that he will become a respectable warrior to uphold the beliefs of our clan?"

Sunningfur nodded, his eyes beaming in the sunlight. "He does. I didn't have trouble teaching him everything he needed to know. Pouncepaw still needs a bit more training in climbing, but other than that, he shows great qualities in hunting; he brought back a shrew and a squirrel from his hunting assessment. In his fighting assessment, he fought against Frogstep and Runningflurry, not disappointing me in any way."

Reedstar shot a quick glance at Frogstep and Runningflurry, who nodded. "Very well then," he continued. "Pouncepaw, step in front."

Pouncepaw took a step toward Reedstar. Nightpaw could tell he was trying to restrain himself from purring too loudly. She almost laughed at the way his muzzle curled when he was trying to do so. He looked so weird! But, Nightpaw admitted to herself, I think LarkClan would be able to hear me purr from here!

"I, leader of EarthClan, call upon my warrior ancestors to look down to this apprentice. He has trained hard to understand the ways of our noble code, and I commend him to you as a warrior in his turn." Reedstar recalled the traditional speech that had welcomed new warriors to the clan for generations. "Pouncepaw," he paused for a second, as to let the link between leader and warrior flow between them, "Do you promise to uphold the Warrior Code and defend your clan, even at the cost of your life?"

"I do." Pouncepaw nodded, clearly trying to look solemn and failing to do so.

Reedstar's eyes shined bright, and he looked away from Pouncepaw, at Silverpelt. "Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name. Pouncepaw, from this moment you will be known as Pouncewhisker. StarClan honors your loyalty and your undertaking, and we welcome you as a full warrior of EarthClan."

Nightpaw purred faintly. Her eyes were bright with joy for her brother, but she had also purred because it was now her turn and she would become a warrior soon. She looked back at Swiftbreeze, and opened her mouth to tell her how excited she was, but when their eyes met again, she saw the same blankness radiating off them and, confused and, surprisingly, mildly unsettled, she had to look away.

"Swiftbreeze, does your apprentice, Nightpaw, show all the qualities an EarthClan warrior must have?"

Swiftbreeze sighed and took a step ahead. "My apprentice has rarely shown any positive traits in her training. I had to ask for help from the senior warriors to teach her how to catch a mouse! And it took sunrises for her to kill one, sunrises during which her young littermate, Pouncepaw, who started training at the same time as she did, had already learned the basic fighting moves. In her hunting assessment, Nightpaw fought against Mouselore, and he pinned her down right as it started. I wish to teach her more before I can present her to you as a fully trained apprentice."

Nightpaw was wordless. She looked at her paws, unable to understand what had happened. There would be no ceremony for her tonight, no lick on the shoulder from the leader, no acclamations, no relief.

"Nightpaw?" Reedstar asked urgently, but Nightpaw had scattered away. There would be no standing vigil for her tonight.

Nightpaw confined herself to her den; she stood in a tiny corner. It was too early to sleep, but Nightpaw forced herself to close her eyes and doze off, so that no one would disturb her.

"Nightpaw!" She thought she heard somebody shout, perhaps her brother, but the voice was far off and muffled, as if he was struggling to push through the loving crowd. She forced her eyes closed even harder to push the thought away.

She thought she heard people yell his new name. "Pouncewhisker! Pouncewhisker! Pouncewhisker!" But maybe that was just her dream. She felt neglected and forgotten.

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This counts 1200 words about, if you count only the text. I really hope to pass onto the next round!