High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

**Tallstar** · #**181** September 2nd, 2024, 08:35 PM

Spiraltail
27 Moons
He/Him
Spiraltail's whiskers twitched as he took in the heated exchange. He had been watching quietly, his amber eyes shifting between the fierce faces of his Clanmates and the beleaguered Duskleaf. The tension in the air was palpable, and Spiraltail could sense the urgency of the decision that lay before them.

He had seen enough battles in his time as a former WindClan warrior to understand the consequences of divisive actions. He knew that Twilightstar, a leader driven by ambition and a hunger for revenge, would not let this slip by easily. The mistake Duskleaf made might just be the excuse Twilightstar needs to launch an attack on their weakened Clan.

Spiraltail’s gaze hardened as he spoke, his voice steady but carrying a weight of concern. "Everyone's right to feel betrayed and scared," he began, his gaze firmly fixed on Seabreeze and Sedgeflake. "But turning on Duskleaf with such fury—punishing him beyond measure—won't just make him a scapegoat. It'll tear our Clan apart from within. We need to balance justice with unity."

He paused, his eyes shifting to Duskleaf, who stood with a heavy heart and an anxious gaze. "I've been where you are now, Duskleaf. As a former WindClan warrior, I've seen firsthand how the seeds of discontent can be sown among Clanmates. If we act out of sheer anger and fear, we risk playing right into Twilightstar's hands. She will seize any opportunity to strike at us, and a divided Clan is far more vulnerable."

Spiraltail’s voice grew more resolute as he continued, "Duskleaf made a grave mistake, and that needs to be addressed. But rather than tearing him apart, let’s focus on how we can move forward together and prevent such failures in the future. We need to show Twilightstar—and ourselves—that we are a strong, united Clan, capable of handling our internal issues without descending into chaos."

He turned his gaze back to Seabreeze and Sedgeflake, his expression earnest. "Punishment needs to be fair and fit the crime, but let’s not let anger cloud our judgment. The Clan needs stability now more than ever. If we let our fury and frustration dictate our actions, we risk undermining everything we’ve worked for. Let’s find a solution that upholds justice while preserving our Clan’s integrity and readiness for whatever challenges lie ahead."

Spiraltail's voice carried the weight of his experience and the wisdom of someone who had seen the effects of unchecked rage. He hoped his words would be enough to steer the Clan towards a more measured approach, one that would fortify them against both internal strife and external threats. With that said he took his place on the right side

@Dolomedes @Bear @dino.

**taillow** · #**182** September 2nd, 2024, 08:38 PM

Dusklion - RiverClan Deputy

So, the vote was here. As cats moved to one side or the other, the deputy had her gazed fixed onto her brother at the top of the rock. In her mind, she agreed with his words on Duskleaf. He was a good Lionheart - hardworking, diligent, dedicated to RiverClan, and the gray furred she-cat was inclined to believe that this was a slip up. A mistake.

...Her mistake had cost her many, many lives. It had stained their home red with blood and cast the Clan into isolation that could've very well destroyed them. And yet here she was, serving as this Clan's deputy. It felt hypocritical to think that Duskleaf should be demoted for a crime less severe.

Sedgeflake was the first to speak up, and quite honestly the deputy had been geared up to head for the left side - hypocritical or not, Duskleaf's mistake had cost them yet another graveyard for their fallen - but she paused. He had a good point, and it made her wonder why it hadn't been an option before. Demote to just Lionheart, a nice in between.

Breezy's voice came into the mixture next and to be quite honest she wanted to flatten her ears. He hadn't been doing much of anything except failing to report patrols and laying around like a lump on a log, but now that there was a vote he wanted to have his voice heard. However...

"Seabreeze is right."

Perhaps she would surprise the Clan for agreeing with the tom, especially when it was questioning her brother's authority as Clan leader. She tossed Fades a glance before looking back at the Lionheart. "The Clan is smart - they can think for themselves, 'n if they can't... that's a whole other problem. Duskleaf's actions should be able to speak for themselves, 'n not be spoken for. Each cat here is entitled to their own opinion on the situation, just like they were when the cat in his position was me." A day she tried really, really hard to not think about, but unfortunately kept getting brought up. "RiverClan... it comes before everythin'. Before our personal opinions, before friendships 'n bonds. Before any bias..." Another glance towards Fades.

But then her gaze snapped then to Sedgeflake and Redmire, narrowing. "...However, if I hear one more cat speak about rippin' his tongue out I'll drag your hides over to Saltmeadow March 'n leave you for the toads to collect, since you wanna be ShadowClan so badly." Her tone had an edge to it, a clear message that anymore shouting about tongue removal - or any removal of anything, for that matter - wouldn't be tolerated. "Fogmuzzle... should've never been tortured like that, 'n I take full responsibility for allowin' Talonpaw to do that. But no one will suffer like that again in RiverClan. If execution is ever ordered, it'll be swift 'n clean, not drawn out."

What to do... what to vote. Dusklion glanced towards Duskleaf with a look of... was that sadness? Being on the other side of a vote felt just as bad, she realized. It made her stomach churn because she knew the tom was a good warrior. She knew he was smart and capable and kind and loyal - but that mattered not when it was the safety of the Clan that had been threatened. RiverClan came first. It always would. That's what Fury had told her. Hawkstar had said to look at the bigger picture.

She couldn't let her emotions take over, as much as it felt wrong to demote the tom.

After a bit the gray furred deputy moved to the left side, casting a glance up at her brother, then to Duskleaf. "I don't think he should be allowed to remain in his position. RiverClan's Lionhearts represent the Clan, 'n his thoughtlessness comes with consequences that could very well be real 'n headin' for us now." A pause, and then; "but just like me, I believe he should be given the chance to prove himself again, in time. I had to earn the Clan's trust back - 'm still earning the Clan's trust back. I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't allow him to do the same, one day."

With that, Dusklion firmly took a seat on the left side. She flicked an ear after hearing Spiraltail, but there was nothing in there that warranted a response; just a Clanmate speaking their opinion.

[ @Dolomedes @dino. @Bear @Concorde @occultation ]

**goodacacia** · #**183** September 2nd, 2024, 08:39 PM

Floodsight
✦ she/her | 21 moons | Mind Reader ; Beefed Up T1 ; empty slot

Duskleaf? He did what? Her dim blue eyes narrowed as it landed on the Head Lionheart in the crowd. And it just left her stunned. How could he be so clueless? How could... She shook her head, she couldn't let a momentary issue get ahold of her. Afterall, she didn't know him well, but the time they did interact; Duskleaf had been reliable and a responsible Lionheart. There were many other high ranks who didn't get demoted for putting their clan at risk. And how much times would it happen again, before something big happens once more.

She turned to hear Seabreeze's judgement and nodded in agreement. Seldom does she express her own opinion, but it should be known. "I agree about the bias. It's seems some has more influence than others. And why hold a trial now? Was a trial given to every decision you make?" Or ones you don't want to make.

But she had held her tongue, exhausted from all the opinions going around. Though not afraid to challenge the leader, she knew it was not worth it. If a trial was given every time, charismatic cats could get away with everything and anything. Or anyone could use this chance to benefit. They weren't a judge of good and bad, her clanmates were just normal. And this was the opinion of the normal folks, with a mind of their own. And the leader was no different. 'Did Fadingstar not think about how this may split the clan? It felt as if everyone was for themselves...' Floodsight was not here for it.

She stood in the middle, eyebrows scrunched at the current situation happening. At this point, she couldn't say more. She'll sit in the middle, and watch this...leader make sense of a clan he'd split in half.

[ @occultation @Dolomedes ]

***Marigoldwhisper*** · #**184** September 2nd, 2024, 08:46 PM

`~Owltalon
She, Her\Lionheart\44 moons\Riverclan
"Are you listening, starchild?"

Purrks: Agatha Kitty [ACTIVE]

- - -

Horrible, absolutely horrible. Owltalon found her mouth hanging open in agape, her amber eyes wide with bewilderment. Duskleaf, oh Duskleaf. What a screwup, a darn shame. Such questioning was hard to answer, such a vote. Owltalon felt that while she wasn't very close with the Head Lionheart she found him very admirable and driven. This was a huge mistake though, one that could possibly stain the forest floors all over again. The she-cat found herself tensing up at the decision, watching as cats moved as she just stared into nothing. Demotion and restrictions. Alright, that was fine. But after he was gone, joining the ranks of a warrior once more, who then would be the Head Lionheart? Stars above, not her, please not her.

With everything that had been said, Owltalon felt she was no longer equipped to shove her two sense into this. She saw Duskleaf as a friend, a good friend, but his consequences weren't world altering, he'd still be in the clan, alive and well and they could still converse and chat. She felt that his punishment was suitable enough, so the brown cat moved to the LEFT.

But then, in regular Riverclan fashion, cats started talking nonsense. No. No. No. They weren't mutilating another cat, not another. Seeing Fogmuzzle's execution was nauseating. Owltalon wasn't unfamiliar with mutilation, but on another cat? Her friend? Her amber eyes looked up to Fadingstar, the fire in them dimming. C'mon chief, not again. One was enough. There was reason behind the noise, reason that made Owltalon believe she was far to biased to participate in this discussion. The Lionheart gave her head a mournful shake before she settled herself to the MIDDLE.

**Luna16** · #**185** September 2nd, 2024, 08:50 PM

Ravenpaw shot a glance at her sister across the clearing, but was heartbroken to see Rainpaw still had her back to her. Ravenpaw looked up at Redmire, her eyes deeply concerned. She didn't want a fight to break out during this meeting, but she knew enough to understand why emotions were high.

**korok** · #**186** September 2nd, 2024, 08:57 PM

☾ Brokenstream | 23 MOONS | HE/HIM ☽
header & divider by @/Marigoldwhisper

Brokenstream felt his pelt prickle uncomfortably about the Duskleaf situation, but he felt strongly that his friend had simply made a mistake. Resolutely, the tom padded over to the RIGHT.

-‘๑’- RIFTPAW | 6 MOONS | HE/HIM -‘๑’-
split half solid black, half brown tabby with icy blue eyes
header by @/dino.

✮ ⋆ ˚｡

This was his mentor he was talking about! Riftpaw padded over to the RIGHT, ears flat in apprehension.

**sleepyyjax** · #**187** September 2nd, 2024, 09:03 PM

Shellpaw

he/they - 6 moons - Go with the flow [inactive]

Duskleaf... The head lionheart? What could he have done?
Oh. They were at risk. He felt his body stiffen. They'd just only moved here, and already, there was danger? Well 'not imminent danger', apparently. He trusted Fadingstar's word, but he was still scared. Terrified, even. Would history repeat itself? Would WindClan attack? RiverClan surely couldn't survive another 3v1. It almost had him shaking in his fur. This new camp needed to show up quick. Otherwise, who knows what could happen? Was it even worth being back here, he questioned? After all, there seemed to be no threats up in the mountains - absolutely none at all. He was normally happy to follow the clan about, believing Fadingstar knew best, but right now? It made no sense to him. Now, they were surrounded by three enemies, and seemingly the worst of the three knew exactly where they lived.

Thoughts a flurry, he practically missed everything Fadingstar said. The only other thing he caught was, well, 'Dusklion would remain in the deputy position after she killed Fallownose'. Dusklion... Killed someone? And there was a vote? But, Dusklion would only do that to defend the clan, right? She wouldn't kill unjustly. But then, why was there a clan vote? Sage green eyes darted about, as he eyed the deputy. What... Had happened? It must have been before he was born, or, at least, whilst he was too young to know. Maybe they'd never know quite what happened. All he knew was that RiverClan didn't kill without reason, and RiverClan wasn't mean, RiverClan was good! The other clans were bad, that's why they attacked. Dusklion must have had some good reason. He sighed, relaxing.

Again, he missed the rest of the speech. His thoughts had been totally preoccupied taking in this new information about the clan's deputy.
Well, he knew they were voting. That much was clear. But... They had no idea what to think. This all felt out of their paws, totally detached from them. Who were they to comment on the Head Lionheart? That, and, well. He didn't actually know how to vote. He didn't pay attention. Cats were clearly picking sides, but Shellpaw had no idea which was which. They gazed about the area, trying to spot their sister, and maybe just copy whatever she did. The crowd, once quiet and attentive, soon rose in volume. Redmire being one of the first to speak. Then Sedgeflake, then -

'Demotion'
what?

They could swear that was.
No. They blinked in disbelief, hoping with all their heart that their eyes hadn't deceived them. Unable to find their words, they stared on.
They watched as Salamanderpaw moved to the left, and had quite clearly noticed the exact same thing. It was her right? It really was - Tinytoad. Their mother! He couldn't quite hear them, but Salamanderkit and Tinytoad began to exchange a few words whilst he watched in awe.

He wasn't sure about the whole Duskleaf thing, but if his mum and sister were going left, he'd follow them. After all, their opinions were pretty much always right. All fear surrounding RiverClan's danger were gone, and he found himself bounding towards the two of them, paws filled with joy. Though, once he was there, he wasn't quite sure what to say. So, he just stood there. Big eyes blinking, and, for once, mouth held totally shut.

[hope u don't mind me throwing Shell in !! Just had him kinda stand there so u can choose to interact or not lol]
@nyme
@Desert Rain Frog

**fade** · #**188** September 2nd, 2024, 09:22 PM

FLOWERHUNTER
He/Him | Longhaired white and cream cat, blue eyes and belly scarring.

White fur shifting with a random breeze that swept through the area, seeping through the cracks of the fractured walls. The words that leave the cat next to him are short, cut off by the Leader's orders and the call for a vote. A complex situation was placed at Flowerhunter's paws. His choice mattered now, more than ever. A demotion or remain in the place of power...it was all so confusing. One was more extreme than the other but on the other paw it would allow a mistake to happen again, even more damage and death was at risk.

Talks of ripping out the Lionheart's tongue made the tom shiver. Fogmuzzle's death coming back to his mind but he shoved it back into the depths of the peaceful lake that he had in his head. Movement to his right caught his attention, Wisteriawren was moving. She wanted him to stay as Head Lionheart...Flowerhunter didn't know how to feel about that. The switching of side from his peers made him upset...it brought down his mood if was to describe it. This was similar to a public execution in his opinion. Drive the clan apart even more than they had been. This whole voting thing was so extreme!

He sighs, shaking his head, sorrowful expression changing to a slight grin as he stood. Tail fur dragging slightly on the ground behind him, before the tom settles in the middle. He had things to say though, so those concerns would be voiced as he wrapped his tail around white paws. Blue eyes aiming to catch the Leader's. "Oi, isn't this whole voting system only negative for the clan? Mate, we need unity not division. I don't mean to sound rude, but your Warriors are actively threatening each other as you make us cast a vote. You are only placing clanmate against clanmate, Fadingstar." With his statement said, Flowerhunter fell into silence, tapping his paws on the ground. A smile remaining on his maw as he did so.

[ @occultation , @Rose - very brief wisteria interaction/glance ]

**occultation** · #**189** September 2nd, 2024, 10:21 PM

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

At first things started out well enough, but they quickly descended into chaos, as expected. Points were raised by Seabreeze, Redmire, Sedgeflake, Dusklion, and Flowerhunter that the vote was a bad idea.

As he sat there and internalized their words, it started to occur to him that... maybe they were right. Maybe he'd been looking at this through a biased lens all along. Dusklion shouldn't have been given a trial either, if he was being totally honest with himself; it should've been up to him.

If he was going to decide the fate of regular warriors on his own, then that's how it should be with everyone. Maybe it would be an important step toward getting cats to finally respect his authority. Anger swelled in him at the demands for Duskleaf's tongue to be cut, but he pushed it down for a moment.

The leader rose his tail, signaling for everyone to quiet. "After thinking over what's been said by Seabreeze and others, I've decided that this vote was a bad idea. I suppose I did come into it with bias; my intention had been to give Duskleaf the same treatment Dusklion received, but I see now that was misguided. You all are right that Duskleaf ought to be treated the same way as any other warrior."

This was by far one of the hardest things that he'd ever had to do, but it had to be done.

"I apologize for making such an error in judgment. I can assure you all that it won't happen again. I know that some of you don't give a rat's ass about my word, but that's all I can give right now. Duskleaf, you will no longer be part of RiverClan's Lionheart team from here on out. I'm not going to exile you, not because of what I said previously, but because you've demonstrated that you can't be trusted. If I were to throw you out, how can we trust that you won't go rattle off more information to another Clan? Execution is too severe for this crime in my mind; revealing our temporary location was stupid, but not as severe as revealing more sensitive information like Mistyshard's resignation or our permanent camp."

Fadingstar tucked his paws under himself. "I'm certainly not going to be cutting your tongue out. I don't want to hear anyone speaking of such things again, either now or in the future, or I'll see to it that there are severe consequences. That said, my point from earlier still stands: if you ever leak anything to a non-RiverClan cat again, Duskleaf, you'll be executed immediately."

He straightened himself. "Since there was so much demand for the decision to be made by myself instead of by vote, I expect everyone to deal with my decision whether you like it or not. If that's the way you want it, that's the way it's going to be; it won't be a conditional thing that's dependent on whether you agree with my decision or not. My decision on Duskleaf is final, and I'll hear no further arguments or complaints about it. Dusklion and I will evaluate the Lionheart team over the next moon to select a new Head Lionheart; once that happens, we'll look for a warrior to rise up and take the open spot on the regular team."

Curling his tail around his paws, he continued, "Now, let's continue on with this meeting. After doing some thinking, I've decided that RiverClan will be making major adjustments to our territory, beyond looking for a brand new camp. With our territory left unguarded for two moons, it's entirely possible, and honestly likely, that the other Clans explored it for themselves. I don't want our enemies knowing our territory as well as we do; because of that, we'll be making some changes so that their understanding of our territory is no longer up-to-date.

"We won't be making these changes until we're settled in our new camp. We'll be letting go of Haven Springs and Sleepy Thicket, and incorporating all of Rugged Range into our territory. Dusklion is handling grave relocation with a few others. Because it will take up such a significant part of our territory, we'll no longer consider Rugged Range its own landmark. We'll be expanding our territory into the outskirts, and letting some of our general territory go."

[ Apologies for double-posting, but with the comments made by several cats Fading no longer believes that a vote is the right call. I want to be sure I state that Fading's feelings toward Duskleaf do not reflect my own; Concorde was a pleasure to work with and I adore Duskleaf as a character.

Just as an OOC heads up, any further requests or demands for Dusk's tongue to be removed will face punishment at a high rank's discretion, up to and including permanent exile depending on the circumstances and context. Please VM/DM with any questions ]

**MangoBearGoGrr** · #**190** September 2nd, 2024, 10:25 PM

Willowtail nodded gently in agreement. Sweetsap went back to the nursery as Weepingpaw went back into the medicine cat den. Softpaw blinked happily, Duskleaf was kind. She was glad he wasn't leaving