RiverClan Skyridge

[SSakii]

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PebbleSplash

RiverClan
~Pretty white molly with pale gray and orange tortie markings and blue eyes~

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@dino. | @Captain | Everyone else!
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PebbleSplash’s tail lashed softly, hearing such… harsh words about her leader from GoatSneeze. Why are they blaming him…? She would never forget how PikeStar had swooped her off her paws when she needed it most. However, anger had never once fixed anything for her. Taking a deep breath, she collected her thoughts, trying to think of a way to de-escalate the whole situation…

Calmly, the tortoiseshell Molly turned her gaze to the cat that had called out. “Pikestar did everything he could for this clan,” she began, making sure to keep eye contact with GoatSneeze so he knew she was present in the conversation… “And he put his health at risk for his clanmates… for example, I wouldn’t be here if he didn’t jump right in to save me from a twoleg box…” as she spoke about being saved, her cheeks had a hint of light rose…

Shaking the fluffy, warm, butterfly feeling off, she continued to speak. “No leader is ever going to be perfect, but I think PikeStar is doing the best he could, the best that anyone could… StarClan accepted him for a reason and the reason is very clear to me…” she shot a quick, warm gaze to the leader than back to the Tom she was speaking with… PebbleSplashs tail gently touched the toms shoulder as PebbleSplash spoke once more…

“These recent events have been stressful, and sad, and scary… and I understand how easy it is to be mad at everyone around you… But, I hope you know that if you need anything, any kind of support or comfort, we are all here for you…” she mewed softly… She had no idea what happened out in the clearing that day, for she was hiding away, injured… But she wanted to try her best to sympathize with others…

Turning her gaze to the rest of the clan, her tail flicked… “We’re all in this together… And yes, PikeStar had 9 lives but he also is only one cat… It’s disrespectful to blame the deaths on him… Instead, we should be honoring how brave our clanmates were and how they fought to their deaths…” dipping her head, PebbleSplash sat down, bracing the backlash she may get for her comments…
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[wren]

Goosecurl | They/Them
Short smoked tabby with a cream underbelly and pale yellow eyes
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It was a venomous back and fourth, screeching and yowling like animals, some sucking up and some going waaaaay far in the other direction. After Goatsneeze snapped back at them they only offered a stern stare. It wasn’t like Goatsneeze was the only one with a child. They too had their own young, though they hadn’t gone to check up on them… yet. They gave their shoulders and indignant shake, disgusted by the rowdy behaviour. Anger was one thing, being upset that you’d been mistreated, that lives were lost, if anybody was deserving of that anger it was the clan. But if you succumb to it? You lost. You were fighting a losing battle. Once Tinystorm emerged there was a whole new round of accusations flying back and fourth, even Gingerfrost was pointed out.

Goose felt like sinking straight into the floor. The lack of civil dispute was beyond them. The growling the spitting? They all were acting like ANIMALS. Could there be a point argued? Well.. negligence had ended them here. Had they known enough to point fingers they would’ve, maybe not like this. A silent one on one discussion where they were faced with the reality of the failure and given the choice to make steps to change. Not pretty words.

[Wingnettle]

┌────────── ∘・❄︎・∘ ──────────┐
Mintpool (she/her)
Riverclan ❍ 12 moons
White and gray siamese with blue eyes
└───────── ・∘ ❄︎ ∘・ ─────────┘



Mintpool lowered her head in grief, closing her eyes and concentrating on the pictures of the lost cats. So many... so many have been lost. I'm so lucky to be alive. I'm so happy... Slatestripe is safe.

She listened to Pikestar words with her ears flattened to her head, his voice full of regrets echoing strong but calmly in the clearing where so many injured cats had gathered... His.. fault? How could it be Pikestar's fault?
Leaders... weren't supposed to do such terrible mistakes, weren't they? She couldn't understand. She glanced around at her clanmates, and at their deputy. What does Gingerfrost think about it? And... where's Slatestripe now?

But the last announcement was the most shocking. "Water... burials..?" She murmured to herself, picturing in her mind an image of a cat surrounded by flowers and water. But something... something was really wrong with it.
"Pikestar...", she dipped her head and waited for a nod of their leader before continuing. "We can't... water may honor our bodies, but only earth can protect them. Predators, scavengers... we can't risk leaving our fallen ones to them. They would become prey." She commented with a dark tone, hoping all the queens had tucked their kits inside the nursery for this meeting.

· · ─────── ·✧· ─────── · ·

[sol.]

LILYCREEK

The yelling around her was giving her a piercing headache. Stars. She felt little Briar press closer to her side, so Lilycreek draped her tail around Briarkit protectively, careful not to touch her injury. "Don't worry, little Briar," She said automatically. A sense of disgust bubbled inside of her. Antlerstreak should be doing this, not her. She had no problem with doing this, but Antlerstreka was not injured, nor did he make an attempt to visit his daughter after the attack.

"I want you to stay here, okay? Sit down. I'll see if I can find your father." She told the kit, giving her a pat on the head.

[ @jupiter @Willowfern - Antlerstreak mention ]

[Madelaine]

What was supposed to be moments of silent slowly turned to loud cats. July lifted his head up and soon didn't feel so safe being with everyone else. What if a fight broke out? Scared he moved towards the nursery, staying right on the outside, his tail almost inside the den. This was really scary. He was not expecting this when he joined. He had to be brave though. This was his home now even if he felt a bit of an outcast. One day he'd feel really part of the clan.

[poppy]

briarkit

Through her headache, she noticed Lilycreek wrap her tail around her, and the kitten felt a sense of safety. She had been having headaches a lot lately. And she had been really tired a lot. But she had to see her dad, to make sure he was okay. She couldn't disappoint him. Couldn't let him down. Even if he was a big ol liar sometimes.

The injured ginger tabby felt the queen move away and let out a soft grunt of protest, pushing herself her back to stand by herself. Her tail twitched slightly as the molly promised to go find her father, and sighed softly. If he had to be dragged over here by his tail, then why even try? But she was too dizzy to protest, and stayed up on her paws about two seconds after Lilycreek went looking for Antlerstreak, when a rush of dizzy heat flooded her.

Maybe she would lay down for a second. Slowly and lurchingly, Briarkit sank into the ground and place her cheek on the cool earthen floor. Okay. She was feeling less wobbly now, luckily. But everyone was hurting her EARS. "GUYSstopyelling." She slurred loudly, glaring at everyone who was around, squinting in the light. Gosh, everyone was so annoying. Except for Lily and Silver. And Fawn. And Stone. But everyone else was annoying her.

[ @sol. - psps just for context, bri has a concussion from hitting her head during the attack, which is why she's being such a goober atm ]

[Captain]

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.

// This meeting will continue on Wednesday, April 19th. \\

 

@Captain @Estelle @carmen @x ghostie @rowan @perseus. @Silverfur & Co @xavier. @Poprock @Cherry~ @vellichor @~*The_Collector*~ @Lillian @Beamheart @Willowfern @Kay~ @WinterMara @~_LuzNoceda_~ @nykyrian @WhiteDawn @Abyssopelagic @BEAR. @Fawn @hope @~*Hope*~ @ameko @lio @ophelia @-Ash- @puppeteer @furrensic @Shade. @sol. @StormySong @AlreadyMadness @Catherine @Fleafur @~'Atlas-The-Lemon'~ @Tulipfur @U.S.S. Catacombs @CatontheMoon @|~Ju-Ju-Is-A-Maniac~| @lily moon @Larissa @Starfall @Jester @DynaMight @Brightstorm☆ @CrazyCat4481 @Sklee @Wingnettle @Kunaisoul @Thistlestrike_ @xSagefeatherx @dino. @wren @CreekFang @Cottenkit @-Echo @Theabsolutecosmo @comet15 @Silvershadow13 @Buzzin' Bee @The Doctor @ThatOneJayfeatherFan @~Fawn.Heart~ @IsItACatty? @Crescentkit @Caspian @Darkclaws @Octavia! @Amber2010 @Eaglet @teddy. @mooncake @celeste @Wintersun @Birdspirit @simply.moss @zeebles @~_LuzuraTheTitan_~ @Exis @Archjay @Ravensong @Snowy Red @~Loona Hellhound~ @Scallywagz @InuKago @littlelove @jupiter @valery @Rapid @serendipity. @Dirtfur @Radetzky @SuspiciousMindz @Cinderspirit @TsuTsu! @Nixey @SoulJoy @Leafie @Sun´Spots @lillythewolf @Cornbread1233 @MeadowTail3 @Oddpaw

[shaae_26]

Duststream sensed Pikestar's frustration and winced a little at the words being said. Things were escalating and he too didn't like it.

Then came the shock. PIkestar was stepping down?! Wow. Duststream did not expect that. He kind of understood though... he'd noticed Pike's stress in the past several meetings

[StrawberryMangoSmoothie]

Giving a nod to her leader and whimpering at the shouts of her clanmates she yowled. "This is not how Riverclan should act! I may be young and sound ignorant but I believe we should solve this calmly. He has given his apologies and as respectful and accepting warriors we should have no complaints. Of course we may have questions and opinions as this is mine. But this does not give the right to be this way." she meowed. Letting her voice ring around the clearing once her leader was done speaking. Giving a sigh she looked to her mother. "Mother? Can you help me take father's body to the Riverside." she meowed. Her tone soft and calm as it was when she made her statement. Smiling when Swiftsplash nodded with a solemn look in her eyes. "Lilycreek? I am quite close to kitting so if you don't mind, would you like to go with us?" she asked softly. ( @sol.)

[wren]

Goosecurl | They/Them
Short smoked tabby with a cream underbelly and pale yellow eyes
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Pikestar seemed awfully grave, the way his eyes shifted from cat to cat and seemed to delicately pick his words.. and yet? Nobody. Nobody saw this coming. Well at least not them. And they, who was excellent at guessing was awfully thrown off by the resignation. Goosecurl blinked, and awaited for the outpouring of screeching from the clan. Perhaps in joyfulness, perhaps in mourning.

Was it honourable to resign? Well… in this situation? After one simple mistake? Well perhaps that wasn’t so simple. Goosecurl stared onward, awaiting the clan as it took a breath. The one moment of pause…