High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]
PIKESTAR
Honestly, the tall dark-furred tomcat should’ve saw this coming from miles away. He had held onto the sliver of hope that his clanmates would have preferred him owning up to his mistakes, and choosing to right his wrongs through actions rather than words over simply saying sorry and trying to place blame on anything, or anyone, else. Of course, the heat of the battle was still fresh and grief was still rampant, so it was obvious that RiverClan would still be very, very upset overall. His ears twitched to Brightnight, who requested to be the one to bury her father, Whisperwave. “Of course. You may do so however you may wish.” He spoke calmly, nodding to the molly before turning his attention to the rest. The first to speak up was Briarkit, whom asked about the burials potentially contaminating their water supply. Graytail was next, however, to speak before he could even get in a reply towards the young kitten. He listened silently to her words, although he did not agree with them. You did the best you could. No, he did not and even Pikestar knew that. There was always more that he could’ve done to right the situation, but he procrastinated and things went south.
Then came more opposing voices. Lilycreek, Icefury, Goatsneeze, Beansprout, Minnowpaw, and even Wormbite in his own way. And then came that single warrior who he had dreaded to see appear at this meeting: Tinystorm. Their shouts of idiocy and spinelessness struck the tall RiverClan leader rather deeply, but once again, the oriental refused to falter. He would not cry, nor tremble, nor hang his head in shame, or even fight back against the majority of the clan who spoke against him. What was Pikestar supposed to even say in response? They felt bad for the few cats that tried to defend them, because they knew they didn’t deserve defending. He was half-tempted to put it to a vote if Pikestar should step down, or stay leader. Partially because he wanted to do that. Maybe then he could just leave and live a life where he did not feel miserable every single day. What to do, what to do, what to do in a terrible situation like this. He had not meant for the meeting to go south this fast. Would this really be his legacy? A fool, an idiot, and nothing more than that? He was terrified of being hated, but it had already gotten to that point, hadn’t it? If he stepped down, he couldn’t stay here or he’d be treated like nothing for the rest of his life. Pikestar was never good at wording things right, and in trying to do better, he’d only made it worse.
The large tom’s shoulders sagged slightly, the first sign of the flood of emotions within them. Should he finally give up? Maybe that would be the best action to do then so RiverClan could actually have a capable leader. Ah, he had once dreamed of being RiverClan’s leader for many years before finally retiring to the elder’s den to live out his final life. He had high hopes for so much. Tears threatened to well up in his eye, but he forced them to not show at such a time. He had hardly anyone in his corner and he only had himself to blame for how this all happened. He inhaled and exhaled a shaky sigh to attempt to compose himself. Sleepywolf was the next to step forward, questioning the thought process behind him saying that his one life lost being equal to those all who had also lost their lives. “It’s not equal to all those lives.” He responded, shaking his head, “No matter what, there is nothing that could ever be equal to the losses we’ve suffered. I don’t… know what I was trying to say before, but I realize that it was not the right thing to say.” These cats were picking him apart like vultures over a fresh carcass, taking notice to every single word he said, and every little action too. It made Pikestar realize he couldn't do this anymore. It was too much.
"ENOUGH!" The tall gray-furred tomcat exclaimed, urgency in his tone, "Please, everyone. Do not fight. I am the one to blame for this mess and I need to take proper action to make things right again. I do not want you all to be at each other's throats because of a mistake I alone did." Pikestar heaved himself to his paws, bushy tail lashing behind him as his partial gaze found Gingerfrost. His loyal deputy, a cat that he had so desperately wanted to get to know more and grow close to. It was too late for Pikestar to redeem himself, and that alone made him want to cry, but he also wanted to give the ginger-furred tomcat a chance to succeed before his mistakes cast Gingerfrost into the deep hole Pikestar had dug for himself for mere association. "My actions have been highly ignorant and I realize now that I am not fit for leadership. I never have been, and I'm sorry that I have disappointed you all so severely. I don't want to have this clan divide itself over me, or start a rebellion: don't waste your energy or time over such a thing." He looked down at his paws for a moment, swallowing the lump of bile in their throat before focusing his gaze back on the crowd, "I, Pikestar of RiverClan, am hereby stepping down as your leader as soon as I am able to relinquish the rest of my lives to StarClan. I will accompany Gingerfrost to the Starcave where he can become the leader that you all deserve. Whether or not I am allowed to stay in this clan as a warrior will be up to you all, but most especially Gingerfrost. I have accepted my faults and am willing to accept whatever happens to me." A bold decision, but one that needed to be made for the better of RiverClan. He wasn't doing enough and he was unable to give them the leadership they all asked of him. There was no turning back.
"I know I don't deserve to ask anything from any of you, but still, I ask that I can finish this meeting. Beechkit deserves their apprentice ceremony, and I have two warriors who need to be named shields, who can help Gingerfrost build this clan up to the stature it once was." His tone was even, but he could feel his paws shaking ever so slightly. He was overstimulated once again, but Pikestar needed to continue. RiverClan deserved that from him now, after all the crap he'd done. Would he be killed? Or cast out? He didn't know. He looked to his dear daughter, who still defended him after everything. He looked to his grandkids, and Cloudjumper. Could he stay and be here for his family? Or would these cats not allow him to? He didn't know. But he knew one thing. Pikestar's time in RiverClan was over, and life would change.
