Ein Weltherrscher [Clan Meeting - Very Important]

Flintstar sat perched on the Jaggedrock, his expression neutral but it felt like he had a terrible weight on his shoulders. It had been quite the surprise when Ebonysong had slipped into his den and requested politely to step down. They had spoken at length about it and they had come to an agreement - Ebonysong would no longer be deputy of ShadowClan. While he had taken to the position rather well despite his withdrawn nature, he did suppose it didn't fit for everybody... It was a shame to see her go, he supposed, but she would serve well as a warrior.

But that did raise a question, who would be his new deputy?

He had found that none of the choices before him pleased him as he thought more and more about it. No, something else had to be done - something else would be done.

"ShadowClan! Gather in the shadow of the Jaggedrock!"

It was time to see how ShadowClan would take the news.

Mistyfalcon lifted his head at the sound of Flintstar's voice, tattered ears twitching in the direction of the jaggedrock. With a quiet sigh, the lanky tom stood, padding over from his spot near the edge of the clearing to sit at the edge of his slowly-gathering clanmates. He wasn't sure what this was about, but Flintstar didn't call meetings just for idle chatter. If it wasn't a warrior ceremony, it was doubtless important.

Murkystrike's head rose from where she had been resting, having recently returned from another training session with Pyrik. She was getting stronger with every day, but her sleep was often filled with nightmares, leaving her fatigued fairly quickly. Still though, she rose to her paws and shook out her pelt, blinking the sleep from her eyes before trotting over to sit near Mistyfalcon. There was an unspoken question in her eye as she greeted him with a warm, tired smile. Did he know what the meeting was about? She didn't think any other apprentices had been nearing the end of their training yet.

Moonshine had just dropped off a few mice into the freshkill pile when she heard Flintstar call out a meeting. Curious, she padded over to the Jagged Rock and sat beneath it. Her tail wrapped around her paws and she tried to get some kind of clue from Flintstar's face. There wasn't much there to read, which only made her more nervous. Still, she would be present and she would be silent.

Giving his mentor a sideways glance, Pyrik settled a rabbit’s hop away from her and Mistyfalcon. He couldn’t spend the rest of his life trailing after them, but, honestly, the two of them and Thalia were all he had. Though he and his denmates were civil with each other when it came to figuring out whose nest went where and whether they were okay (really, are you sure, you can say no) sharing their den with a fox skin, forming relationships with them was the last thing on Pyrik’s mind. Once he proved himself worthy of staying, then…maybe. But not before.

It didn’t matter right now, anyway. Pyrik, absently chewing on his forepaw, raised his focus to Flintstar. What was this even about? As he understood it, Ebonysong was in charge of kits and Flintstar was in charge of apprentices. Maybe one of his denmates had finished their training while he'd been wrapped up in his own. Iv—Moonshine had managed it, and she was younger than him; it wasn't a stretch for the others to do the same.

Galekit sat down outside the nursery at Flintstar's call, gazing up at the large leader from her position. He was imposing and commanding from simply his expression and size alone, and she longed to get to know him better once she was older. She was, in fact, going to become an apprentice soon, she thought with a tinge of pride. She curled her long tail around her paws and waited for what Flintstar had to say, not bothering to engage with the other kits. This seemed important.

Frigidkit poked his head out from the pile of moss he had been collecting earlier, for reasons he was not about to share.

However, the call for a gathering dragging his attention. There was no excited apprentice under the Jaggedrock and as far as he knew, no kit was ready to become an apprentice just yet, so this gathering could not be part of a regular ceremony…maybe not even a ceremony at all.

He jumped out from the moss and shook his pelt to get rid of any piece of moss that decided to try and hitch a ride on it, licking his whiskers as he approached and joined the crowd. What could potentially be going through the leader’s head? Well, it was clear he was about to find out, and he wasn’t about to miss this.

Rookfire padded out of the medicine den, his eyes gleaming green as he padded out. Of course, he was self-conscious of his looks, but he felt like he groomed himself enough... maybe he could groom himself a little more. Of course, he would need to train his successor quite soon, but those weren't handed out like normal apprentices. Rookfire could choose any cat to be his apprentice, kinda like what Iniko did by choosing him.

He sighed. Despite the rest of Asylum being evil, Iniko was at his core a good cat. The black tuxedo didn't normally try dwelling on it, but he did miss his mentor a lot. He still kept the Asylum gifts that Asylum had given him due to them being souvenirs of his bond with Iniko. But at the end of the day, he was dead, and Rookfire couldn't have saved him. And with him were the hundred-or-so bad Asylum cats who came with him, so they probably would have been oppressed more and more by this meeting.

This meeting was probably more of the same. ShadowClan would most likely gain another warrior among their ranks. If he had to guess who, it would probably be... The black tuxedo paused. He couldn't think of an apprentice that it could have been. He hadn't been asked to take any current apprentice to the Moonstone. So did that mean... that Ebonysong was stepping down? That seemed to be the most likely option at this point. Finishing up his grooming, he stared up at Flintstar, waiting for the tom to speak about who the next deputy was.

Hearing Flintstar's call, Tulipfang and her father Daisyflame made their way to Jaggedrock and took a seat among the growing crowd of clanmates bellow. Neither of them had any clue as to what the leader was calling the clan together for, but whatever it was it must've been of some importance.

Flintstar lifted his head to stare up at the sky above as his Clanmates started to gather, eyes narrowing. StarClan would not approve of this but at this very moment...He did not care. Ever since his talk with Ebonysong, thinking over his choices...No, this was the only way he could go about it. He returned his gaze to his gathered Clan, a huff escaping him as he straightened up to address them all. “I have not called you here for a ceremony...But for a discussion. Not long ago, Ebonysong and I had a long, serious talk...And as of tonight, she is no longer the deputy of ShadowClan at her own request. She will return to her warrior duties, where she will serve us well. But that leaves an opening - a deputy to be named in her place,” he meowed, before he paused. He knew the rules, the Warrior Code...But he had never felt beholden to follow all of them. Not when he felt there was a better way to go about it this time.

“...But, despite what the Warrior Code says… A deputy will not be named tonight.

"Ebonysong stepping down made me realize something - that this is my fault.” He lowered his head, ears twitching with shame. It was not something he believed Ebonysong had meant to make him feel - but he found he couldn’t deny it. He had made an assumption that she was fit for the role - that she would take to it as easily as he had...But he had been wrong and had caused her untold stress. He had failed her - and he was not about to fail any others. “I failed you because I do not know you all as well as I should. I could not have known that she would not thrive in her position, like I had. I can not name a new deputy and be certain that they will be content. So...As of tonight, ShadowClan is without a deputy.” There was another pause, letting that sink in for a few heartbeats before he swiftly carried on. “It was not an easy choice to make but I have many lives left. Instead, I - we - will use this time to...Better get to know each other. I have failed you all as leader, being distant and...Unaware of how to better support you all. This, will all luck, will not last long. Until I can be certain that my choice for my new deputy is a good one. I will take over apprentice ceremonies, with perhaps a little help…” He hesitated, shifting on his paws as he ducked his head to stare down at the rock beneath him. “...I simply wish to make sure that my new deputy will be a cat that will be content in their new role and not pressured by it all. I understand that this will be hard to understand, to accept. To be without a deputy is...Unwise, but I do not want to pick a cat to be my deputy who wouldn’t thrive in the position.  As I said, this will not last long - I will search quickly for my new deputy. I...Hope you all understand and work with me on this.” He paused, sheepishly lifting his head as he pulled his tail around him.

“...T-That is all.”


OOC: To give clarification of what Flintstar said/means - for the month of April, ShadowClan will be without a deputy. I’ve been given Staff’s blessing on going forward with this. My choices of deputy are very slim - the few options I have are either returning members, slightly inactive, or just held a higher rank...And due to not wanting to pressure anybody to carry the rank of temp deputy, I am holding off on naming my deputy. An important note - I do not know who will be my new deputy, I have no plans but choosing to try to buy time for people to rank up before I make my choice. Nobody is in my mind at the moment for me desiring to make their cat my deputy. Going forward for this month, I (and Maple, who has agreed to help out) will take over apprentice ceremonies.

In-character, Flint will be watching the cats of ShadowClan to try to figure out who is a good choice - so I am encouraging reaching out to do topics with me/Flintstar, even if your cat is not able to become deputy due to already holding a higher rank. Give me topics. And yes, this is totally breaking the Code but Flintstar has a loose respect for StarClan after the whole Righteous Few thing and doesn’t care. This is his Clan, he will run it how he wants.

If anybody has an issue with this, they are free to reach out to me so I can give further details on why I’ve chosen to do this. The new deputy will be named at the end of the month.

At Flintstar's call, and the apparent confusion on some of the other cats' faces, Rosepaw found herself quite curious. Was this meeting something outside of the normal? She'd seen a few of the ceremonies, and this didn't look like one, so what was this? It seemed like no cat knew, considering the expressions they wore.

Normally, she would have rather seated with Batglow. But looking around, wherever he was, she couldn't see him. But she wanted to be with SOME CAT she knew. So, she took a place next to Mistyfalcon. And of course, the she-cat, Murkystrike was there as well. She couldn't help but smirk as she nudged the older tom playfully. He was too easy.

When Flintstar spoke again, her brows furrowed as she tried to understand. Why did this need a meeting to be said? Flintstar should be able to name a deputy when he feels ready, not immediately after a cat steps down! And it was a completely logical decision. Why was he scared cats would not support him on this? Then again, he said it went against the warrior code, something she did not fully understand. Like, it made sense to not trespass on another Clan's territory, and after Asylum she understood why they would challenge outsiders, but other things were just plain confusing. Like, you have to thank a bunch of dead cats when you hunt? That was just weird.

Unsurprisingly, Pyrik’s guess had been off the mark. Neither of his denmates were stepping up; instead, Ebonysong was stepping down. Though he didn’t know what had fueled her decision, he couldn’t help a jab of selfish relief. The whispers he’d overheard, combined with how Ebonysong had smiled during his ceremony, had jammed in his head—but he wasn’t presumptuous enough to ask a deputy if they’d maybe, somehow been family before Asylum stormed in. Granted, asking a warrior wouldn’t be much easier, but at least it might be possible.

As Flintstar’s announcement continued, however, bafflement settled over Pyrik’s face. Wanting to have a successor made sense, but one couldn’t just pluck a cat from another fac—er, from midair to fill that position without knowing them. WindClan had gone without a deputy or a leader for a while (though that, Pyrik recalled with a visible wince, was almost certainly Asylum’s fault), and had held themselves together in the meantime. Surely what Flintstar had decided could only go more smoothly than that. Pyrik glanced around, searching the crowd for anyone as confused as himself. Only a few expressions matched his…but that was better than none.

Mistyfalcon offered Murkystrike a soft smile as she sat next to him. She looked weary, and it wasn't hard to guess that she hadn't been sleeping well. He'd ask her if she was okay after the meeting, though he wished there was something more he could do than just offer a willing ear.

There was an unspoken question in her gaze, and he shrugged, giving his head a slight shake. They'd find out what this meeting was about soon enough. It wasn't long before Pyrik and Rosepaw joined them, and Mistyfalcon promptly lost whatever train of thought he had as Rosepaw nudged him with a smirk.

Could Murkystrike feel the heat radiating from his fur? Was she enjoying Rosepaw's antics as much as Rosepaw herself seemed to enjoy them? He flicked his tail over her ear, though the move was less serious than it might've been for another cat. He was beginning to view Rosepaw more like a little sister... Not that she needed to know that. "Don't you start." He mock growled at her before quieting as Flintstar began to speak.

Mistyfalcon blinked as Flintstar spoke. Ebonysong stepping down wasn't... entirely a surprise. He could tell his friend had been stressed recently whether she admitted it or not, and the responsibilities that came along with being deputy were certainly stressful. Choosing not to name a deputy was an interesting choice. Mistyfalcon thought it would've been better to name someone even temporarily, on the off-chance that something were to happen to Flintstar, but then, he figured that not many cats wanted the role to begin with either. And even fewer were actually fit for the mantle of responsibility.

Starclan's approval was something he couldn't have cared less about, however. The dead needed to stay that way, as far as he was concerned. Flintstar was right that naming a deputy as quickly as possible would go nowhere if he didn't truly know the cat he was naming for the position. Shadowclan needed fit leaders, not a string of temporary ones who didn't want the position to begin with.

Moonshine listened carefully to Flintstar's words. She was still new to a lot of these concepts and traditions of the clans. She personally didn't have any issue with what Flintstar was saying and supported him fully. As in awe as she was of Starclan, she understood that they weren't new to the clans and they likely... and ironically... didn't hold them in such high esteem as she did. The leader's decision was final, and she was going to accept it. She didn't see a reason not to.

With the meeting no longer interesting, since everything seemed to be said and done, Rosepaw went back to her previous task. Flashing a grin to Mistyfalcon, she turned her attention to Murkystrike. She was told not to start, but it seemed more like an invitation to her. Besides, this was fun, and she wanted to see just how far it could go. And in any case, Mistyfalcon would thank her later. He may be scared, but she wasn't. "So, you're Murkystrike? Mistyfalcon talks about you a lot!"

She flashed a look to Mistyfalcon, just so she could see his reaction. "You know, you're actually really pretty. You two would be cute together, if Mistyfalcon got some strength in his claws. Oh, what would would your name together be? Oh, I know! Musty! Get it? The "muh" from Murky and "sty" from Misty! What do you think, Mistyfalcon? Pretty neat, right?"