High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

**dino.** · #**211** September 4th, 2024, 05:42 PM

What a load of complete and utter dung.

“Spineless,” Redmire spat. That wasn’t what they meant and Fadingstar damn well knew it! If some cats got trials and they spoke out about it, that meant every cat should get a trial, not that Fadingstar should do away with them entirely. Consequences for speaking, consequences for doing, consequences for thinking, unless you were someone who had landed on the right side of his bias and suddenly it was sunshine and rainbows until your dying day in the face of the shadow of judgement and hate he threw over the rest of his Clanmates.

So let’s rattle off the new hit-list, shall we? Cats Redmire really wished she could do away with, without getting caught, in order of least hateful to cats she really wanted to off as soon as possible: anyone who had chosen to abstain the vote like cowards, everyone who had voted for Duskleaf to keep his position, Spiraltail, Duskleaf himself, Mistyshard, Larkwing, and finally, to top it all off, Fadingstar.

“I’ll take you out later,” she muttered to Ravenpaw. “I need to cool off.” She didn’t want to end up hurting her apprentice in her anger. She’d never forgive herself. With a sharp lash of her tail, she turned to storm away from the meeting and out of the rotting den.

Maybe she’d go hit up the WindClan border again just to piss the guy off, and at least get a chance to take some of her ire out when all of his little minions inevitably all came rushing after her.

[ @Luna16 for ravenpaw ]

**taillow** · #**212** September 4th, 2024, 10:45 PM

cw: small content warning for moderate self-doubt and vague mentioning of a panic attack

Dusklion - RiverClan Deputy

Chaos.

Not in the usual way, with cats yowling and screeching. But inside, intwined with every beat her heart made against her chest.

It had started small, the way it always did. The call of the meeting, the crimes, the vote... the voices. Cats had changed their stance after Seabreeze spoke up, and because of the words of a few, now her brother was... taking the choice away entirely. And - demoting Duskleaf. Demoted. Back to a regular warrior.

That was the vote she had cast.

...So why did she feel so ashamed?

All she could think about now was Fallownose. Dead, his blood pooling at her paws. How she had fled the scene, how she had lied and hid it from her brother. How it had been revealed at the Gathering, and she had been put on trial. How the Clan had, begrudingly, voted for her to stay. And that's when it hit her.

She knew it. She had known it all along. Her Clanmates had tried to say that it was because of stability, or whatever reasoning they had given, but Dusklion had known the truth. She had always known.

The Clan wanted her gone; they just hadn't done anything because they had been too scared to. And her, like the right coward she was, had stayed. She had remained in her position instead of doing what she should have done in the first place; leave.

Suddenly noise rushed back into her ears and the meeting was moving on. There was a cat speaking to her, and numbly the deputy turned her head with her eyes a bit wide. Fishfreckle. It was almost like he was giving voice to her thoughts; she had done worse than Duskleaf, yet voted for his demotion.

Hypocrite. That was the word he used. It rang in her head like alarm bells, and Dusklion felt her throat go dry. Every string of words felt like a wave that slowly started lapping at her paws, then her legs, her chest fur, and finally she could feel it tickling her nose. Higher and higher they climbed, the words themselves sounding more like an echo as if they were far away. She wanted to run and flee from the onslaught before she drowned, but her paws remained rooted.

Because she deserved this. This was her consequence for not leaving.

"..." Opening and closing her jaw once, twice, then a third time, the deputy found that words would not come. Not to a throat too dry to utilize them, not to a tongue that would rather be bitten off than delivery some witty retort or snappy remark. Not to a cat - a Clan - who she could see so clearly now only was okay with her remaining in her rank because they were too scared of what her brother - their leader - would do if they spoke otherwise.

Looking back at the cats around, she found her gaze went to Duskleaf. She wasn't sure why he had caught her attention (she knew) but she stared at him for a long time, eyes filled with... with regret. With grief. With sorrow. Because it wasn't Duskleaf she was seeing; it was herself. Where she should be; demoted, like any warrior would've been for the crime she committed. Vote or not she shouldn't have been allowed to stay, and that was as clear as day now.

"...Excuse me." When the words finally did come they were quiet, spoken only to the cat sitting beside her in the back. Without making a sound the gray-furred deputy got to her paws and turned, making a silent exit out of camp. Part of her knew she would get her ears boxed in later for leaving, but she just... needed out. She needed to think. About the vote. About the bias. About whether or not it was the... the right thing to remain this Clan's deputy. RiverClan had her heart; her Clanmates... had her heart. Was she really selfish enough to put her own dream, her own ambition, above what was best for the Clan?

A single tear slipped from her eyes as she realized she knew the answer; no.

[ @Dark - since fish is next to her! ]
[ dusklion has left the meeting ]

**Rose** · #**213** Yesterday, 01:42 PM

She/Her | Purrk(s): Just A Scratch

Wisteriawren had been watching that kit for a while. That kit with the pelt so hauntingly familiar to... Elderkit's. She'd mostly zoned out for the meeting, heart hurting with sadness at the overall pain being tossed around. Why was this the regular for RiverClan? Why couldn't they be a happy Clan, a Clan that got along? Which brought her attention back to... Starrykit, the kit was named.

She was tucked away inside the Nursery area, but the nest happened to be near the entrance, so Wisteriawren could see her. But Starrykit looked... looked so lonely that the former kittypet's ears lowered in shame, unable to resist the urge to blame herself that the Nursery was down one kit. The least she could do was make up for her misgivings, right?

She didn't know if her company would be accepted or not, but everyone had to try before giving up, right? Rising to her paws, Wisteriawren made her way over, steps light. Eventually she stood at the entrance to the Nursery - Starrykit's nest was only a few pawsteps away.

Unsure if she was allowed to leave the meeting, Wisteriawren settled on the ground right there, countenance hesitant. "Would you... would you mind terribly much if I kept you company?" Wisteriawren questioned on a soft, uncertain whisper.

***occultation*** · #**214** Yesterday, 11:34 PM

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

Nobody had anything too substantial to say; the only thing that caught Fadingstar's attention was Dusklion hurrying out of the meeting. He wasn't too sure what that was about, but it wasn't as if he could do anything about it now. All he wanted at that point was to get this meeting over with so he could go out into the forest for some time alone.

"Now on to reassignments and mentor notices, before we have our new apprentice ceremonies. Moonpaw (@/paedyn), since we've already got another Moonpaw in RiverClan you'll need a new name. As we discussed, you'll be known as Bouncepaw from here on out. Wisteriawren; you've been in RiverClan for some time. It's time for you to train your first apprentice; you'll be continuing Bouncepaw's training.

"Dewpaw, you're also in need of a new mentor. Jayfrost will continue your training."

Two reassignments wasn't bad. He had been planning on reassigning Starrypaw as well, but he hadn't seen her around camp in ages. If she ever decided to come back, he'd deal with it then.

"Beastflame and Applebees you're all being put on notice for your lack of effort recently with your apprentices. You have until the next meeting to start putting some effort in, or your apprentices will be reassigned. If you believe I'm making an error or you'd like to discuss this further, please see me after the meeting."

Maybe one of these days they'd have a meeting where he didn't have to yell at any mentors for being lazy, but this was not that meeting.

[ If you still have an apprentice ceremony form to submit, please get it submitted ASAP! If your form is not submitted by the time Fadingstar calls kits forward for ceremonies, you'll have to wait until the next meeting. ]

**Fits** · #**215** Yesterday, 11:46 PM

Heroneye listened.

**Minkuu** · #**216** Today, 12:17 AM

══════════════
Sunsetgleam
RC Warrior. They/Them. 15 Moons
Mind Reader | Herbal Knowledge T2 | Rapid Recovery | Bewitched

"HARROW", "HARROW"

══════════════

Sunsetgleam listened. They were still listening... Why were they still there? For some reason most of the words Fadingstar had said didn't stay in their head for too long. Bouncepaw Wisteriawren, Dewpaw Jayfrost. The announcement flew pass them too quickly for them to fom any sort of opinion towards them. But..they should be happy for Wisteriawren..right? Getting her first apprentice and such. She was keeping Starrykit some company. That was something nice. The mentions of Beastflame and Applebees lacking effort in training their apprentices. Was it really that hard?

Have you ever had an apprentice before? I'm sure you'll falter like them as soon as you get one

Their ears perked up; it's that voice again. They..had they never escaped it the first time!? Why was it still here. Why didn't it leave them alone. They could sworn they ran away from it. It must've caught up again. They've...never had an apprentice for themselves before. They shook it off; maybe if they ignore it it'll go away (no Sunsetgleam, pretty sure it won't). On another note, there's still a lot of things they could do to make themselves useful! They could do that instead. Instead of waiting to get one, they could take an initiative to train other apprentices. Gosh why did they just now remembered they can do that.

**RavensCall** · #**217** Today, 01:02 AM

Ghostflicker sighed. Another set of reassignments. And another set of bumbling idiots who didn't know how to train apprentices. Who knew that some cats could be so foolish?