Mistfeather's Elder Ceremony

It pained Fishstar a little to sit up on the willow branch today.

Mistfeather had been her deputy since the start of her leadership, and she couldn't have asked for a better cat to bring her concerns to. They'd been kits together, apprentices together, warriors together, and they'd led RiverClan together, but a sunrise ago, Mistfeather had requested to step down from her deputy position. She'd explained that for several moons, after losing so many kits and having to deal with the stress of her position she had been lightly considering stepping down, but ultimately decided against it. The battle of ThunderClan's camp, however, had been the final nail in the coffin. In the fray, she'd been tackled at an awkward angle by an enemy warrior, and going by what the medicine cat had said, something had been knocked out of place. Her back pains, next to her emotional pains, had been hurting her too greatly to allow her to continue serving as RiverClan deputy, and she was ready to retire early.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the willow branch for a Clan meeting."

This was perhaps the most excruciatingly difficult decision Mistfeather had ever made.

RiverClan was her life. She had poured her blood and sweat into protecting the clan for more moons than she could remember. But along with the duties of keeping the clan in check came stresses beyond any normal warrior could expect. The silver she-cat was a rather level-headed and patient cat, but the added bonus of an abnormal family could put quite the pressure on any cat.

Somehow she had managed. For as many moons as Fishstar had lead, the deputy pushed on and prevailed through any trauma that was thrown at her. The exile of her daughter, the death of many of her kits, her exceptionally dangerous secrets. With all odds against her, Mistfeather managed to make it through any challenge she faced. Although she doubted her loyalty at times and wondered if letting some other warrior take her position would benefit the clan more, the she-cat would always shake past those doubts and return to her job even stronger. She always assumed she would either die a deputy's death, or succeed her elder sister and lead RiverClan for many moons.

That was, until, something broke. Something her spine, to be exact.

In the midst of fighting a ThunderClan warrior, she had been tackled to the ground. On normal occasion, she would jump onto her feet and fend of the new attacker, but the sharp crack followed by immeasurable pain that shot down her spine prevented her from doing so. Thankfully for her, a few of her clanmates came to the rescue, and she was helped out the battle without any more harm done. But unluckily, the fracture in her spine would never heal properly, and left her with a constant pain in her back.

Walking hurt more than thorns in her pads. Her usual, everyday jobs became a task that required ten times more effort and energy. Everything became a struggle. There was no recovery from this. RiverClan needed better than a crippled deputy. And she caved in.

All of her sense of duty left the moment she confessed to Fishstar her painful decision to step down and retire to the elder's den. The mix of pent up emotional pain doubled with the new, chronic pains in her back pushed her past her limit and sent her down a road the tabby never wished to follow. Although her heart wanted to fight against this decision, she couldn't allow her clan to struggle because of her own selfish strives.

Dragging her aching paws to the willow branch, Mistfeather stared up at her sister with sadness in her green eyes before settling down to ease the pain.

Dewpelt walked up and greeted Mistfeather with a happy smile before looking up at Fishstar.

Fishstar's throat tightened as her sister dragged herself into the clearing. She could barely walk, let alone lead the Clan, but Fishstar wished with all of her heart that Mistfeather didn't have to step down. She'd had so much trouble choosing her first deputy, but eventually, StarClan had guided her to the right choice. This time, she was sure it was going to be much harder. She didn't have any more siblings to choose from. She trusted her all of her warriors, but she wasn't sure if any of them were really ready to take on such an important position yet. They were all so young in her eyes; inexperienced. Was it even right to thrust so much responsibility onto a young cat?

I have no choice, she reminded herself frustratedly. And I should be more confident in my warriors. Not all leaders have the luxury of choosing experienced warriors for their successors. I'm sure they will learn over time. Inhaling deeply, Fishstar went on, "Today, Clanmates, we gather to honour the services that Mistfeather, our deputy, had offered to our Clan for so many moons. She organized patrols, trained apprentices to become great warriors, and stood by my side when times were rough - In battle and Leafbare. Today, however, she is presented with a choice in light of her injuries." Fishstar's hard gaze fell upon her younger sister. "Mistfeather, is it your wish to give up the life of a deputy and retire to the elders' den?"