High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]
Dawnstar let out an irritated noise while locking eyes with Darkwatcher. Was this something cats enjoyed doing, interrupting her when she was talking? Why the hell Fiercepaw was dignifying such a stupid question with
responded was lost on her.
"Darkwatcher, if I have to come down there just to shut you up, you'll be spending the rest of your days slowly rotting away in the elder's den." It was not something she particularly enjoyed, but sometimes even death was too good for the vexing. Her claws tapped lightly on the stone beneath her in a warning, while her muscles ripped powerfully underneath her long coat.
The pest was saved from answering as Ashenpaw finally spoke up. She shot Fiercepaw one stern look of disapproval then shifted her eyes over to Smokepaw. "We honor your loyalty and viciousness, Smokemoon. We honor your confidence and ambitiousness, Fiercefire. We honor your determination and perseverance, Ashenhowl. We honor your strength and dedication, Badgerscar. I welcome you as full warriors of ShadowClan." Dawnstar finished the ceremony and gave her clanmates a chance to welcome their new warriors. Dawnstar did not bother with vigils, they were dull and stupid, why the hell would she make new warriors sit in silence for a whole night when they could be doing something productive, like hunting or scouring the territory for trouble.
"Ebonyfang." Dawnstar searched for her cousin, spotting the black cat amongst clan members, and beckoned him forth with a sharp wave of her tail. "It seems your time as a medicine cat has made you soft, so soft that you've decided to side with the fishes instead of your own clanmates." Dawnstar snorted in disgust with the tom. "I could understand 'putting your foot down' so to speak if Grimhound had been the one who blatantly disregarded the borders and attacked first, but that's not how it went, even the Snake said so. Yet you still thought that Grimhound 'probably deserved what he got." Her fur spiked as spoke in an eerily calm voice.
"I know medicine cats like to keep the peace, but it seemed to me that you were merely sucking up to the Snake for reasons I honestly can't understand. You didn't even attempt to defend your clanmate in the slightest, your disloyalty has made me wondered if you're actually fit to remain a medicine cat. Because I don't think you are." Dawnstar was a lot of things, but even cats she hated or distrust, so long as they haven't done anything to warrant their death, she'd defend her clanmates she hated just as fiercely as she would the ones she liked against another clan. She did not let her personal feelings come between her natural loyalty to ShadowClan.
The cats in this clan were hers to lead, hers to protect, hers to toy with, hers to hate, they were hers and hell would freeze over before she let the fish, squirrels, or bunnies speak badly about them. She could be benevolent to those who served her wells, had no issues tolerating and ignoring those who kept their heads down, and was lethally wicked to those who challenged or disobeyed her. The cats in her clan may whine and cry about her methods, but Dawnstar truly wasn't that bad a clan leader. Well, except when she ran around and caused havocked, unknowing dragging the clan into with it, and whatnot. Besides that, she felt she was pretty decent.
Ebonyfang didn't have the same rights she did to actually hate his clanmates, they weren't plotting to remove him from his rank, trying to kill him, and complaining how he healed them. Dawnstar dealt with all of that and cats whining about how she led them. It was infuriating, but she still fought for them tooth and claw. What was his excuse? If he could not verbally defend his clanmates without personal feelings getting the way, how could Dawnstar trust him to heal the clan, or better yet, trust him at all?
"You've served the clan well, but I think it's time that you return to your place as a warrior. Badgerscar will serve as ShadowClan's new medicine cat." Scrapping her claws on the stone, Dawnstar waited to hear any protest that came from her clanmates.
