Apprentice

**Apprentices** are Clan cats, six moons or older, training to be Warriors or Medicine Cats under a Mentor.

## **DESCRIPTION**

Apprentices have their own den in the Clan Camp where they sleep. Once an Apprentice earns their Warrior name, they are a full Warrior and they are able to contribute to Warrior duties, as well as sleep in the Warrior's Den. Sometimes, Apprentices are referred to as 'paws. Apprentices can change their position as a Warrior or Medicine Cat Apprentice if they get permission, or if they have a certain injury.

All Apprentices' names end with the suffix "-paw", which symbolizes the path their paws are on until they receive their Warrior name. Most Apprentices just have the suffix "-kit" taken off their name and replaced with "-paw", but in special cases, their name completely changes. An Apprentice becomes a Warrior after at least six moons of training and a Medicine Cat Apprentice becomes a Medicine Cat after eight moons of training, once their Mentor or Clan Leader thinks they have learned enough or proved they are worthy of becoming Warriors or Medicine Cats.

## **TASKS**

Tasks of Apprentices include training with their Mentors, going hunting, border patrol with other cats of their Clan, and looking after the Elders, mostly taking ticks out of their pelts and collecting moss for them.

### **Duties and Rules**

Apprentices cannot leave Camp without the permission of their Mentor or another Warrior, and they cannot eat until the Elders and nursing Queens eat, unless they have special permission.

If an Apprentice breaks a rule, they usually have to go through punishments, such as searching the Elders' pelts for ticks, and if they find any, they must dab some moss with mouse bile on it to get the ticks to drop off. Another punishment is cleaning out old bedding and replacing it with fresh moss. There are other punishments that have been given out, although sometimes it depends on their actions. In some cases, the Leader will not allow the misbehaving Apprentice to go to the next Gathering. It is noted that Apprentices work very hard, as once starting, they'll be glad to get some sleep.

## **EDUCATION**

A kit is to be apprenticed to a Mentor at the age of six moons, according to StarClan's Code. However, there have been a few exceptions where Apprentices are made earlier or later than six moons due to special circumstances.

Mentors are assigned by the Clan Leader during an Apprentice ceremony, choosing pairings based on seniority and whether or not the pair will be able to work together. Often, direct kin (mother, father, sibling, etc.) will not train each other, as it is harder for them to give out punishments. The Mentor is responsible for the training of the Apprentice.

Warrior Apprentices train with their Mentor whenever their Mentor takes them. After another six moons (or more) pass, and the Apprentice's Mentor is satisfied with them and their skills, and after passing their final assessment, the Apprentices are made into Warriors after a Warrior ceremony, and they keep a silent vigil watch overnight.

### **Assessment**

An assessment is a test for an Apprentice given by their Mentor. When a Mentor assesses their Apprentice, they watch in secret as their Apprentice hunts and judges how well they did. If it is their final test and their Mentor deems the assessment a success, then they will become a Warrior.

## **MEDICINE CAT APPRENTICES**

Medicine Cat Apprentices will still tend to Elders like Warrior Apprentices, dealing with their ticks and bedding. A Medicine Cat Apprentice sleeps in the Medicine Cat Den with the Medicine Cat. ﻿On their first outing to the Starpond, Medicine Cat Apprentices gain their half-white pupils to represent their connection to StarClan.

Most Medicine Cat Apprentices take a liking of healing cats almost as soon as they are able to go outside the nursery. Kits or other Apprentices can help out with the medicine duties if needed.

Medicine Cat Apprentices are taught about healing techniques, such as how to care for a sick cat, or what herbs and medicines do. They are usually taught in the Medicine Cat's den, or outside the camp when they gather herbs. They also learn how to interpret signs from StarClan.

Medicine cat apprentices get their full name at the Starpond. After a Medicine Cat Mentor is satisfied with their Apprentice they are given a full name in a slightly different ceremony than a regular Apprentice's.

## **CEREMONY**

An Apprentice ceremony is performed when a kit is ready to take on Apprentice training, usually at the age of six moons old.

### **Apprentice Ceremony**

When a kit turns six moons old, they are ready to become an apprentice. Until this time, their name ends with the "-kit" suffix. When a kit becomes an Apprentice, their name is changed so that the suffix of their name becomes "-paw", showing the path that their paws are now on.

The Clan Leader calls a Clan meeting to appoint a new Apprentice and assign a Mentor to them. The following words are used, by tradition:

Leader: [*Kit]**,**you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as [new name, ending with "paw"]. Your mentor will be [Warrior/Medicine Cat]*. *I hope they will pass down all they know on to you.*

The Leader calls up the warrior they have chosen as a Mentor.

Leader: *[Warrior]***,***you are ready to take on an Apprentice. You have received excellent training from [former Mentor], and you have shown yourself to be [quality] and [quality]. You will be the mentor of [Apprentice], and I expect you to pass on all you know to them.*

The mentor touches noses with the apprentice, and the Clan greets the new apprentice by calling out their name. After this, the Apprentice will usually go greet their family, or go see their Mentor.

### **Medicine Cat Apprentice Ceremony**

The Leader calls a Clan Meeting, after the Clan's Medicine Cat announces that they wish to mentor an Apprentice. After their ceremony, the mentor touches noses with the apprentice, and the Clan greets the new apprentice.

At the next half moon, the Medicine Cat goes with the Apprentice to the Starpond to present them to the Warrior ancestors, where the Apprentice confirms their wish to be a Medicine Cat. The following words are used, by tradition:

Medicine Cat: [*Apprentice], is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a Medicine Cat*?

Apprentice: *It is*.

Medicine Cat: *Then come forward*.

Medicine cat: *Warriors of StarClan, I present you with this Apprentice. They have chosen the path of a Medicine Cat. Grant them your wisdom and insight so that they may understand your ways and heal their Clan in accordance with your will*.

The Medicine Cat Apprentice drinks from the Starpond. Then, the Medicine Cat and the Apprentice lay down and have a dream from StarClan, where the Apprentice gains their half-white pupils as a sign of their connection to StarClan. The process of gaining half-white pupils is described as "a slight sting in your eyes, as if a bee had stung them, that vanishes as soon as you feel it" by both Swiftwing and Brindlenose.