[Fel]

Originally Posted by Lilly

@fenic!

Still as bubbly and energetic as she was during her short time in RiverClan, the fluffy Willowpaw bounded out of the shadows. Starts glittered in her fur and in her eyes, and a broad smile broke out as she spotted her former mentor. "Russetswirl!" she purred, almost shaking with excitement. Ever since her unfortunate drowning, she had watched her former mentor go through all of the trials and tribulations of the past few moons, hoping and praying that he would turn out okay. And now, here he was, the new leader of RiverClan. A purr rumbled deep in her chest as she stopped in front of the older tom, staring up at him with admiration shining in her eyes. When she had been chosen to deliver the first life to Russetswirl, a sense of honor and humbleness washed over her. Even though she hadn't trained with Russetswirl for too long before her unfortunate demise, she still thought of him as the best mentor and the best candidate to bring RiverClan back onto the path of StarClan.

Snapping back to the present, the young Starclan apprentice smiled softly as she began her duty. "We are all so proud to see how far you have come, and I am honored to present you with the life of mentorship," she began, happiness seeming to radiate from within ever fiber of her being. "May you use it well to train all the cats of your Clan, young and old." As she finished, Willowpaw stretched her neck forward to touch her nose to Russetswirls to formerly deliver the life. The transition of the life from inside of her to Russetswirl passed seamlessly through her, although she was well aware of the pain it would cause Russetswirl. He would indeed feel the heavy weight of training all types of cats - from those who were stubborn to those who were natural born warriors.

As the life ebbed into the new RiverClan leader, Willowpaw stepped back and gave one last smile to her former mentor. "Thank you so much for everything you have taught me. Always know that everything you have gone through, has not been in vein," she purred to him and dipped her head. The she-cat wanted to stay longer and comfort her mentor - she had watched him grieve over her drowned body when it was found by a RiverClan patrol, but she was glad that he could at least see that she was okay, and happy in StarClan. With a last wave of her tail and a sweet smile that was so genuinely Willowpaw, the fluffy she-cat disappeared back into the surrounding mist, among the eyes that circled around the new leader.

Taking a deep breath as he looked around what he'd appeared into, and the stars around him, a familiar face came into view- one he hadn't seen for a while now. She wasn't a part of his family, but it always felt like she'd been, an apprentice of his who'd drowned in the river shortly after one of their training sessions. He'd known her as a kit, playing with his own first litter in the nursery while he helped out Shellfeather with the younger ones. "...Willowpaw." He breathed, beaming in joy as she stood there, one of the cat's he'd grieved over looking as happy as one who was still alive. I've missed you- but you're okay, right? Living among the stars here, with everyone else who's passed. He ws about to try and ask her something, but decided instead to keep his mouth shut- he didn't want to possibly interrupt the ceremony, or end up doing something wrong.

Letting the deceased apprentice touch her nose to his, the tom's eyes widened as a flash of energy burst into his body, like he could run and hunt for hours. At first, it was a refreshing feeling for the soon-to-be leader, but then memories of fighting alongside those you've trained, the way you needed to protect those you helped to learn, it sliced into him like a wound. Lurching over in a barrage of pain, different memories about training his apprentices came to mind- it was Speckledpaw, Willowpaw, Crowpaw, and finally Rainpaw- he'd given his all to train them, and he could feel every single session he'd ever hosted wracking his body, the pain of defending the life of those who had yet to learn what they needed to.

However, this didn't last as long as he thought it would- and after a few moments of excruciating pain, it ended up subsiding into a small murmur, which allowed him to open his eyes again, standing up straight in a slower manner, and letting out a deep breath as he watched Willowpaw step away, reaching out to the apprentice as she disappeared into the mist. "I'm sorry I let you die." He murmured to the molly, eyes filled with sympathy as he left. Gazing into the crowd of watching eyes, he wondered... who's next?