Ceremony wrote:“Hold still, boy.”
The peat soil under Damien’s paws crumbled as he dug his claws into the ground. He hissed through his teeth as Moon tugged on a particularly nasty burr wedged in his pelt. The older female, though usually exceedingly gentle with Damien, was unsympathetic as she worked along his matted coat. “You brought this on yourself chasing that squirrel through briars, of all things,” She said as she pulled out another burr, and with it a mouthful of his dirty fur. Damien bit back a yelp as he flinched away.
“But it was so big, Nana,” He mewed, and though he tried to hide it, a whine crept into his voice. Moon answered with another tug to his pelt, and she laid a heavy paw on Damien’s flank when he tried to squirm away.
At Damien’s side, Silk resumed his long, soothing strokes against Damien’s cheek once the cinnamon tom stilled. Silk’s gentle grooming was a welcome counterpoint to Moon’s roughness. The pale tom snorted at Damien’s complaints, and mewed, “You know she’s right, kitten.”
Damien huffed as he laid his head on his paws and pretended to accept the grooming session with an air of exasperation. Though he couldn’t deny that he was secretly relieved at the way the two elders fussed over him like they did when he was a kit. Usually he’d wheedle his way out of their overly-doting paws, since he wasn’t a kit, thank you, but… considering how this year’s dry season and subsequent drought put him through a ringer, he reveled in their protectiveness of him. It reaffirmed their bond, assured him that he was still loved and cherished despite how he became a liability after coming down with Blackfever. His mother definitely wouldn’t do this for such a lacking tom like him.
But, Damien pushed those thoughts away. No use focusing on it now, but speaking of whom… “Has my mom gotten back from hunting yet? When I got back to camp she wasn’t here,” Damien mewed to Moon, who had started to work on simply grooming him since most of the thorns were taken care of.
She paused and looked up at Damien. Silk’s tongue strayed close enough to Damien’s eye where he got distracted scrunching up his face, so he didn’t see the larger white female avert her gaze when she mewed, “Ah, well, she—”
“She’s not here, and she probably won’t be back until tomorrow.” A new voice mewed, and after it came the thin form of Stone. The old cat walked stiffly up to the trio, but his tired, narrow eyes were bright. Damien perked up when he saw the slate gray tom, but Moon’s paw on his back stopped him from jumping up to greet the fatherly tom. But, when Stone’s words registered, Damien’s ears drooped. He tried to ignore the disappointment that shot through his veins. Figures, really. He couldn’t even get a simple squirrel to bring back to everyone, but Damien still thought…
“Day.” Stone’s nickname for Damien snapped him out of his thoughts. Damien bowed his head slightly in deference while still looking up at the thin tom. When Stone saw that Damien was alert, he turned his attention to Silk and Moon. “You have him ready?”
Damien looked at Moon and Silk curiously as they nodded to Stone, but Stone merely huffed in approval before tottering away towards his den. He flicked his tail for them to follow. Bemused, Damien followed Moon and Silk’s lead as they led him into Stone’s dwellings. Odd— he usually never lets anyone in there.
When Damien pushed his way through the overhanging branches of the den, Stone was already curled up in his nest, shadowed by the coverings, and Moon and Silk’s pale visages sat at his flanks. Outside, the sky rumbled ominously in the dry air.
Damien sat back on his paws and tilted his head curiously. “Hah, is... this some sort of intervention?” Damien laughed awkwardly, but clammed up when Stone’s expression remained deadpan. Damien held back a wince. Seriously, Stone never seemed to have a sense of humor…
“No. I wanted you presentable when I told you this, Day. Come closer, kitten.” Damien twitched in surprise, but knew better than to question the near-ancient tom. Damien got close enough to feel Moon’s outstretched tail brush his flank, and laid down to mirror Stone’s position. Inside the shelter, the elder looked even more tired, and Damien felt a pang of sympathy at the sight.
“Boy… you remember my stories of Heatherclan, correct? And my run-ins with them?” Stone mewed. Frowning, Damien nodded gently before Stone continued. “I… admit to omitting the truth from you, child. Heatherclan wasn’t just a group I came across in my travels. It was once my home as well.”
Damien blinked in surprise at the admission, but remained silent as Stone continued. “Before becoming Stone, I was once Stonerunner of Heatherclan. We were a conceited group, and our pride and rigid rules isolated us before the open plains that sustained us led to our destruction. Despite it all, we were as close as we could be, and a family though only a few blood ties connected us.
“To this day, I regret never going back to search for my clanmates after that horrid fire and drought. The destruction seemed to have left no one alive, and to this day, I curse my speed while I just ran— “ Stone abruptly cut off in a choke. Damien’s ears were flat against his head as he watched Stone shudder intermittently and bury his muzzle in his paws. Silk touched his muzzle against the grizzled tom’s head, and Stone seemed to calm. But, when Stone lifted his head, his eyes were bright with the depth of his grief. Yet, his eyes remained dry.
“I wished I could have done this when you were older, but this past dry season has… shaken me, child. You have so much of your life ahead of you, and I’m not sure what I’d do if Starclan stole you from me before I joined them myself. Your willingness to fight for your life demonstrated your bravery, your strength, your resolve. I know that you’ll do great things in this world, Day. Never doubt my love, or Moon’s love, or Silk’s love for you. No matter who you may encounter in life, who you fight against, or who you fight for, we will stand by your side long after we need to leave you.”
Stone’s words shocked the small cinnamon tom into stillness. As Stone talked, he pushed himself up to sit on his hindlegs and brought Damien’s smaller form closer with one gray paw. Damien held back tears, but to no avail as he buried his muzzle into Stone’s short fur. The elder rested his chin against Damien briefly before pulling away to look into Damien’s deep green eyes. A rare smile, though wry, graced Stone’s face. “Now, Day, this old tom has one thing to request of you. I know that all three of us won’t be around to guide you forever, but as a way to claim you as my, our, own, I would like to give you a warrior name to show your transition into adulthood.
“Heatherclan may be no more, but I wish for you to live your life with Starclan’s blessing and protection. You are more than ready.” As Stone mewed, Silk and Moon stood up to stand in front of Damien, and their eyes glimmered with affection. Damien looked up at them as he curled under Stone, and though Damien tried to speak to say thank you, thank you, his words never made it past the pressure in his throat. The sky’s rumbles increased outside, and Stone continued once they were situated. “Now, I don’t ask that you must take on this name as your primary one, but I hope that you remember it as a symbol of our love, Day.
“Ever since you came into our lives, you brightened our waking hours with your inquisitive nature and quick tongue. From henceforth, your warrior name will be Dayrunner, my child. May your hunts be fruitful and your successes plenty in your coming seasons, so long as you travel under Starclan’s vast skies.”
When Stone touched his nose to Dayrunner’s forehead, Dayrunner felt the light wonder in his chest release the pressure residing in its depths. Moon and Silk crowded around the young tom, and their rumbling purrs resonated deep in Dayrunner’s body. Dayrunner knew that he’d still use Damien for some time to come, but in his soul Dayrunner knew that something huge shifted.
At the same time, the tang of ozone finally broke as Dayrunner heard the first droplets of rain hit the barren ground. The drought was over.
