New Deputy Ceremony (ALL WINDCLAN)

[Dewstar]

Dewstar listened carefully to his deputy’s words, watching Haretail intently. She spoke of her age, mostly, but Dewstar supposed she might like to be a normal warrior again for the rest of her time in WindClan, or even retire to the elders’ den. For now, she would remain active, but Dewstar wasn’t certain how many moons she had left in her. She sat before him, and there was a strange thing that passed between them. She’d been his partner for his entire time as leader; he’d known nothing else. Perhaps she was rash, but it balanced out his patience well. It kept him from waiting for too long. And she cared so, so deeply. Had he died, she would have made a fine leader, Dewstar suspected, though not one of the greats. So he nodded and reached out his paw to her, trying to be comforting. ”My friend, it is alright. I think no less of you. You have served the Clan well these many moons.” “Friend.” Was she his friend? No, just a partner.

But now he was without a deputy. Dewstar had wondered if this day would occur, so he thought ahead, considering all his options. Haretail asked whom he was considering, and he just flicked his tail tip, glancing around the camp. There were many good cats in WindClan, but he needed someone young, with drive. Someone who could take over the tunnel project, who would probably be happy to go for it should he reveal it. An ambitious cat. But someone who’s known loss, too. Dewstar recalled the death of young Addertail and the agony it put Asterfang through. He thought of Longstride, the thoughtful tom. Maybe too thoughtful, too slow to act -- and not ambitious. Whether or not Dewstar would love to have a conversation with the cat meant nothing about the cat’s ability to be a deputy or lead. Hawkclaw was proud and probably ambitious, but Dewstar supposed there was little else to him than that. Mossheart was too young and sweet. Cherryspot, too young. Brooksong had already turned him down. Softears might not be able to do what was needed to do. Crookedwing’s brothers were rotten enough, and Dewstar suspected they’d gotten no stronger in character since they were apprentices and shunned their sister. Crookedwing didn’t even enter his mind as an option. Hazewhisker? No, like Longstride, too thoughtful, too slow to act, and too old. His mind snapped back to Asterfang. In some ways, she reminded him of his mother. In other ways, she reminded him of Haretail. It didn’t take long for him to make his decision.

He was able to look Haretail in the eye and tell her. ”Asterfang.” Haretail seemed a touch surprised and asked if this was the right choice, citing the younger she-cat's every fault, but Dewstar dismissed it with a flick of his tail. ”I seem to recall your imperfections, too, Haretail. Even I am not perfect. She is as perfect a choice as can be from where I stand.” Haretail dipped her head, meowing through her lips that it was his decision and she would respect it.

Without further ado, Dewstar climbed to his paws and leapt atop Tallrock, the large boulder where he held Clan meetings. For a heartbeat, he paused, just taking in the beauty of his Clan living their lives. Some patrols were out right now, but that was quite alright. They could be filled in when they returned.

”Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey meet beneath Tallrock for a Clan meeting,” he called out, loud and clear. He waited and watched, his tail neatly wrapped around his white paws.

Crookedwing , Honeydapple , @quailkit , @emberpaw , Mallowpaw , @hemlockpaw , Kestrelpaw , ashpaw , @cherryspot , mossheart , @asterfang , Longstride , softears , brooksong , Mintcloud , #allofWindClan is TAGGED | 612 WORDS | NOTES: First Clan meeting ! It can be rapid fire, this is just as long as it is to set up the whole thing. (You can post multiple accounts here if you have multiple characters, btw)

[Mallowpaw]

Blinking in surprise, Mallowpaw paused in his nest-making from within the nursery to peer curiously outside of the brambles. Seeing the familiar grey and white pelt of the leader atop Tallrock, the apprentice shimmied out of the den to observe the area around him with a detached sense of wonderment. He blinked up at Dewstar slowly, slightly uncomprehending of what was going on. An apprentice ceremony? ..Not possible. There were no kits that were around the age of apprenticeship yet. Shaking out his dark brown and white fur, Mallowpaw slipped through the open camp to sit near where the apprentices usually slept.

He stifled a yawn, casting a surreptitious glance over the gathering apprentices, warriors, and elders in the center of the camp. Inwardly, he shivered. Mallowpaw wasn't the biggest fan of crowds, and Clan meetings always made him feel slightly nervous. Now, all he had to do was just pay attention.

[brooksong]

Brooksong ~ 132 ~ Senior Warrior ~ She-cat

The tabby she-cat had always been close with her brother but she had never wanted to be too close. She was happy in her position being the Clan's mother and the power and strength it provided her. Being deputy - especially to her brother's reign - was never something that interested her. While she didn't want anyone to think the duo would be all powerful or make decisions without the council of senior warriors, she was also just too old for that shit. Many moons ago, Dewstar had approached her and asked if she would stand by his side should the day come that Haretail could or would no longer perform She had turned him down.

”Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey meet beneath Tallrock for a Clan meeting,” Brooksong stepped into camp with a hare dangling from her jaws. If that wasn't a sign enough what was? She placed the prey on the fresh-kill pile before walking over to her spot at the base of the Tallrock and took her position as close to her beloved brother as was socially acceptable. She looked up at him and caught his eye giving him a nod of encouragement. While she had no deal what this meeting was about, she knew that Dewstar usually enjoyed knowing she was nearby before a public speaking announcement.


Tags// WindClan Interacts with: no-one; Mentions Dewstar, Haretail
Comments//

[softears]

Softears ~ 67 ~ Senior Warrior ~ WindClan ~ Tom

Softears had been napping in the largest patch of sun in the main clearing of camp when his leader's voice jarred him awake. He sat up quickly and looked around, wondering what was happening. She shook his head to get the sleep out of his brain and saw a few cats start gathering in his direction. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the upside-down form of his leader, watching the camp. He quickly righted himself and sat, wrapping his tail close to his body but not quite the neat and concise over-the-paws method. He began casually grooming his paw and face to give him something to do while he waited. There was enough room around him that @emberpaw and his mate, @foxtail could sit with him if they wanted. But if his daughter preferred the company of those her own age or even her mentor he would understand.

Tags//WindClan
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[Deleted]

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tagged mentions: Dewstar interacts with: softears . @all of windclan words 261 notes I totally didn't forget about this thread, nope

slinking in through the entrance to the clearing, the lithe pale tabby she cat glanced around, flashing a small smile to those warriors she happened to make eye contact with. the camp seemed quiet, a calm laying over them like a fresh blanket of snow and she couldn't help but feel content. it was going to be a good day, and maybe she'd have to swing by the cranky old crone mintcloud and brag about just how good a day it was. that was, of course, after she went out on a border patrol but first, food. dipping her head to an apprentice she trotted over to the fresh kill pile, pleasantly stocked as usual when hunting was good. scouring through it for something particularly tasty, the call of dewstar quickly stole her attention away from her rumbling tummy. a meal would have to wait as she knew that dewstar wouldn't wait for her to finish simply so that she would give him her undivided attention. her soft green gaze searched the crowd for someone to settle next to for the duration of the meeting - she really hoped it was short as she was sure how long she'd be able to keep her roaring stomach at bay. gaze falling on the blue eyed senior warrior softears, she stepped lightly over to him. "greetings softears! mind if I join you?" not waiting for his response, the warriors haunches sank down to the ground and she gave him a warm smile before looking up at windclans leader, her stomach rumbling softly in protest.

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[Longstride]

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🃞

longstride

[attr=class,details]tom, windclan, warrior, 87 moons
[break]a long-legged grey-and-white tom with amber eyes.

[attr=class,post-contents]The lanky tom flicked his oversized tail at Hazewhisker and tried not to look visibly put out. For her part, his former mentor was grinning smugly. This whole thought experiment was ridiculous! ShadowClan would never have the numbers to prevent WindClan from attending a Gathering, and now she'd introduced yet another improbable situation as the only way to make their victory more probable. His argument was losing water like a--like something that was being poked full of holes. And... all right, truth be told, he was feeling a little embarrassed, because she had absolutely already told him this story, eons ago, back when he was an apprentice. So, really, he should've seen this twist coming.
[break][break]
Still attempting to save face, he began, "all right, I will concede that point, as there's something to be said for ShadowClan's ability to stealth, but given that the badger is already there--" Then Dewstar's voice rang through the camp.
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Longstride glanced up in surprise, then back at Hazewhisker, who dipped her head, eyes sparkling with mischief.
[break]"Do take a minute to think about your argument, won't you?" the old warrior meowed. Her former apprentice dipped his head in response, the picture of defeat, as she turned and went to seek a place with the other senior warriors. Well, that argument could have gone better: he could use a few minutes to refine his counterpoint. If WindClan had been driven out by a badger, then all ShadowClan's stealth wouldn't help--they would already be on edge, and so hardly vulnerable to attack. But of course, this wasn't an attack, was it? What could WindClan have done to be more prepared?
[break][break]
Shaking his head to clear the questions, Longstride rose gracefully to his own paws. Time to be in one place, at one time. The whole of WindClan seemed to be out of camp today--or at least it felt so, with few faces yet in attendance. It didn't seem like the season for any trouble--and if there had been conflict, surely word would have spread through the clan by now? Haretail might have been a little distracted that morning, but surely Dewstar would already have shared news that could possibly be dangerous to any outgoing patrols. Hopefully, there was nothing to worry about. If there was--the tom's chest tightened briefly--well, then he and Hazewhisker would probably have a very different set of possibilities to debate when all this was through.
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He dipped his head to Brooksong as she moved to the foot of the Tallrock and chose an empty spot towards a far edge, not wanting to crowd Asterfang and Softears; there was more than enough camp for everyone. And, speaking of everyone... The tom glanced around apprehensively. He would've expected Crookedwing to be here pretty soon--she wasn't usually too far away from camp. And maybe Kestrelpaw or Mossheart would be in camp--it was technically Kestrelpaw's morning off, as they had this evening's patrol to look forward to. It would be nice to have a friendly face to share this news with, whatever it was. Dewstar's face certainly gave nothing away. [break][break]

(definitely didn't almost write 'asterfang and softwares'. @anyone and everyone!)

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[bunny]

Mintcloud heard her son's voice from the elder's den, calling for a meeting, and for a moment she wanted to grumpily, and childishly, ignore his call and keep dozing in her nest. It was quite comfortable, after all, since Crookedwing had fixed it for her. Still, she knew it was a duty of hers to be at the Clan meetings, and the black and white she-cat struggled to her paws before making her way out of her den. She wasn't even three pawsteps out when a gray bundle of fur nearly mowed her down, a young apprentice rushing from the apprentice's den to the cats gathering in the camp clearing. "Hey! Watch where you're going, before I claw your ears off." Mintcloud snapped, and the gray tom flashed her wide, terrified eyes.

"M-Mintcloud! I'm so sorry, I-I didn't see you there, I'm - uh, so sorry.." The gray tom, Ashpaw, stumbled over his words, and over his paws, in his hurry to break away from the terrifying, and quite angry-looking, elder she-cat. The tom rushed over to the only other apprentice he could find, Mallowpaw, and let out a sigh of relief. "Mintcloud is really scary when she's angry." He commented to his fellow apprentice, glancing over his shoulder at the elder, who was still glaring after him. Mintcloud made sure he knew he was still in trouble, before glancing around. She could join her daughter at the base of the Tallrock, but she also didn't want to - first, she looked for Crookedwing, and when she couldn't find her, but spotted Asterfang, the old she-cat trudged across the space between them before settling down next to Asterfang with a groaning sigh. "I'm too old to be having kits run around my paws." She complained, though not to anyone in particular. Mintcloud hadn't forgotten her hunt with Asterfang, but that didn't mean she had to be any more kind than usual (which was not at all).

Mossheart had been napping in her nest, preparing for the evening patrol, when he call went up. The she-cat stretched and immediately stepped out of the den, smiling at the sight of her Clan spread out before her. Without hesitation, the tortoiseshell made her way over to her old mentor, Longstride, and settled down beside him - not too close, but close enough that they could speak without having to talk too loudly to hear one another. "Hello Longstride." She greeted with a purr, smiling over at her mentor. "Any idea what this meeting is for?" There were times, Mossheart recognized, where she viewed Longstride as her mentor still - and she always would. She sought him out for just about everything, and the only thing she'd never told him about was Lionclaw. Still, it wasn't because she felt the need to hide her friendship with the tom, but simply because it had never come up. She trusted Longstride, perhaps more than anyone else.

all we can do is keep breathing

@everyone @asterfang Longstride Mallowpaw | omg so excite

[Dewstar]

Dewstar felt a certain warmth in his heart as Brooksong came and sat near him. She was his most trusted advisor, and it always gave him comfort to have her near. He watched patiently as his Clan emerged from their dens or appeared in camp. It’s true, several cats would probably be out on patrol or sleeping. Still, he saw the vast majority of his Clan present: Mallowpaw and Ashpaw, Mintcloud with Asterfang and Softears, Longstride and Mossheart. He watched as Gorsefur and Runningleap emerged together, Mallowpaw’s sisters, Hawkclaw and Lavenderpelt, Lionleap with Rookfrost, Birchtail, Eaglecry with her collection of young cats, Rowanwing, Antstep, Elmstep, Mousestep, Hazewhisker, Poppyfang, Ambersong, Littlebrook, Daisysong, Dipperflight, Dovestrike, and Timberheart. Silly Sparrownose sat with a haughty look in his eye, glancing toward his kits and Poppyfang. He wondered at the location of Crookedwing, but he supposed she might be out on some errand, and Kestrelpaw and Emberpaw -- but again, perhaps they were out, and Cherryspot, too. Honeydapple probably remained inside with her kits, though Dewstar thought he might have spotted little Petalkit attempting a grand escape. More cats appeared, and Dewstar wasn’t certain he had accounted for all of them, but he could see the majority of his cats milling about and waiting for what was to come.

Still, Dewstar supposed this was enough for a meeting. Almost all of the Clan was there. It was enough. “I called this Clan meeting today,” Dewstar began, “to perform two ceremonies.” He turned to Haretail. “Haretail, is it your wish to give up the position of a deputy and go to join the warriors?” He was using a slightly adapted version of the elders’ ceremony, so it wouldn’t be just him announcing that she stepped down -- that would not be very transparent. In order to keep something secret, it is best if one is transparent about most everything else.

Haretail nodded. “It is,” she said. Dewstar replied, “Your Clan honors you and all the service you have given to us. I call upon StarClan to see and approve your choice.” Dewstar hopped down from Tallrock to press his nose to Haretail’s shoulder. Once he finished that, he leapt back up to Tallrock.

“And so it comes that I must name a new deputy. I say these words before StarClan, so the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice.” With no uncertainty or hesitation, he announced, “The new deputy of WindClan is Asterfang.”

Crookedwing , Honeydapple , @quailkit , @emberpaw , Mallowpaw , @hemlockpaw , Kestrelpaw , ashpaw , @cherryspot , mossheart , @asterfang , Longstride , softears , brooksong , Mintcloud , #allofWindClan is TAGGED | 410 WORDS | NOTES: First Clan meeting ! It can be rapid fire, this is just as long as it is to set up the whole thing. (You can post multiple accounts here if you have multiple characters, btw) (and yes, i did pretty much just name drop the NPCs)