WindClan's New Deputy 3.5

Ashstar leapt onto the Tallrock, calm on the outside, but a mess inside. She had broken the news to Smokepelt himself first to avoid a confrontation in front of the Clan, and it had gone just as she'd expected. After defending him for so long and delaying the inevitable, she had demoted her son from the deputy position. She wouldn't be surprised if he had left the Clan for some alone time. It had taken long hours of agonizing, restless, sleepless nights, and praying for the guidance of StarClan, but the ultimate choice she had made, while she wished she hadn't had to make it, had been for the good of the Clan. Smokepelt would still be a trusted warrior of WindClan, and her son, but he was deputy of WindClan no longer. Now it was time to break the news to her Clanmates and choose another cat more fit for the position, despite her initial doubt and grief. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Tallrock for a Clan meeting!" she yowled powerfully, green eyes determined.

Brindlewhisker's head lifted curiously at Ashstar's call, eyes trained on the Leader as she quickly swallowed the last remaining morsels of her meal before hurriedly rising to her paws. Ears perking, the young she-cat quickly padded towards Ashstar, sitting down close to the Tallrock expectantly.

Squirrelsong bounced up to the Tallrock, wondering what was going on. Smokepelt seemed devastated, for some reason the mute warrior didn't understand. Sitting down up front, she perked her ears to listen. 
OOC: Short

Sandybreeze glanced up at Tallrock when Ashstar yowled the familiar call. As there were no kits ready to be apprenticed or apprentices ready to be warriored, her gaze gleamed curiously. Gazing around at her gathering clanmates she deduced that she wasn't the only one curious about this meeting. Shrugging, she made her way to Tallrock to sit and wait for the news.

Mottleheart stepped from warriors den with a confused look as Ashstar's call echoed across the camp. His ear flickered as he glanced at his gathering Clanmates, suprised to see that each of them was confused as him - there wasn't any kits at six moons old and he wasn't aware of any apprentices ready to be warriors...Then what was this about? Terror and fear climbed up his spine as he sat down, curling his tail around his paws as he stared up at Ashstar, his eyes narrowed with worry. There was something...Off. He feared what news Ashstar was planning to share.

Raccoonfang padded out of the warriors den curious as to what was going on. There wasn't a ceremony do was there? The brown and white she-cat padded over to her father, sitting next to the familiar looking cat. She leaned into him for a small moment, giving him some loving attention, before turning her attention to her leader.

Ashstar looked at the faces in the crowd, seeing confusion on every one. Unsurprisingly, she didn't see her son's there. She took a deep breath and began to speak. "WindClan, after moons of thought and careful consideration, I have decided that my son, Smokepelt, while a good warrior, is not fit to be deputy. Therefore,he has been demoted to the rank of a senior warrior. You should still respect him and treat him as you would any Clanmate. This has been... hard for him." It still pained her that she had had to demote him, but the choice had been for the good of WindClan. She had thought long and hard about this decision, and she knew which was the right one to make. It had been a close contest between two of her most trusted warriors, but especially after the recent goings-on, Ashstar had known who to pick. With the help and guidance of StarClan, the leader was sure that this was the right deputy WindClan needed. “So, as dictated by the warrior code, I must select a new deputy. The cat I have chosen is a capable warrior, and they have proven themself many times. I say these words before StarClan, that they may hear and approve my choice." Her spring green eyes found the cat she had chosen and gave them a slight nod. "Brindlewhisker will be the new deputy of WindClan.”

A small purr rose from Mottleheart as his daughter came up to him, happily accepting her as she pressed herself against him before he allowed his gaze to focus on Ashstar as the she-cat started to speak...And his ears fell at the words. Wh-What? Smokepelt...Demoted? A sudden rush of confusement as he struggled to make out why but...Well, it supposed it didn't matter why. It was Ashstar's will and so it was done. But then a new question bubbled up in his mind...Who would be the new deputy? His ears slicked back at the terror that it would be him. He was close with Ashstar, surely it seemed smart but he couldn't stand the idea of being deputy. 

He wasn't meant for it - he was unsure if he could stand the pressure that would be put on him. And then the name rang out. Brindlewhisker. His ears perked as relief flooded over him, his eyes glimmering with new light as he straighten his spine. "Brindlewhisker! Brindlewhisker!" His voice rose with a cheer, all to happy to call the name of his friend while all to relieved that it was not his name. Yes, if there was anybody who should be deputy, it was Brindlewhisker. She would do Ashstar proud.

When she heard the words she couldn't believe it, but after it settled in her mind, happiness grew inside her. No longer was Smokepelt deputy! Ashstar was making a good choice after all. The warrior waited until Ashstar announced the new deputy choice before she said anything. Her happiness only grew at the new deputy. "Brindlewhisker! Brindlewhisker!" She shouted along with her father.

Sitting by the Tallrock, Smokepelt watched as confused clanmates stared up to Ashstar. He'd dreaded today from the moment she'd informed him, and sat in silence as she began. "He has been demoted."

he already knew what was going to be said, but even so, the words rang through his ears like a swarm of buzzing bees and it felt as if his heart had dropped out of his chest. While other cats might have acted more humble towards this news, Smokepelt was still outraged. Unable to hold in his anger, he snapped his head up to Ashstar and their gazes locked and an angry fire burned in his eyes. She may have warned him about this, but that didn't mean that he still wasn't mad about it. He was going to make WindClan great again, he wanted to set things right, but now that wasn't going to happen thanks to his mother's sudden realization. At this point, his mother and her new respected deputy could rot at the paws of the all mighty RiverClan for all he cared.

Yeah, maybe his pride had gotten him in trouble once or twice, but he still couldn't believe that she would do such a thing. There was still so much Smokepelt wanted to say right here and now, but he bit his tongue and pulled his head away from the rock and looked to the ground. Part of him wanted to look to Brindlewhisker to see what her reaction to this news was, but didn't dare look in her direction. While he was trying to stay strong and not pour out his true feelings on the matter, all the warrior wanted to do was curl up in his nest. Maybe this was a dream… a horrible, screwed up dream. His body ached from the tenseness that had overtaken his muscles and he could’ve sworn that his legs were wobbling.

But no, he’d already been stripped of his name, no shouldn’t give the clan anymore reason to think that he was unfit. "Hmph. Guess I'm not a very good son either if you had to demote me," he mumbled to himself. Trying to ignore the chanting of cats who where clearly glad that he was leaving, the former deputy padded through the crowd of clanmates and out of camp, his ears pinned back against his head and tail lashing back and forth as he made sure his gaze didn't meet anyone else's. She'd made a huge mistake, and although she seemed pretty confident about her decision, every fiber in his body hoped that she would soon see it.

First he'd lost his daughter and now his position in the clan. What next, his mate?

A slight frown twisted Brindlewhisker's face as she began to listen to Ashstar's somber words, but she continued to listen absently until one sentence caught her attention. Brindlewhisker's eyes stretched wide in astonishment, her mouth falling open as she continued to stare up at Ashstar- deputy?! She was deputy?! For a few heartbeats, the young grey she-cat simply remained where she sat, eyes still locked with Ashstar's, as she continued to process all the new information. She felt a twinge in her chest at the realization that in Smokepelt's eyes it would seem as if she simply took his position, but part of her felt relieved at this admission; perhaps this would eventually help mend the fractured relations with Riverclan. The sound of Mottleheart and Raccoonfang's cheering quickly prompted her away from her consuming thoughts and her stiff form quickly unlocked and she scrambled to her paws in a rather ungraceful manner as she rushed to rise to her feet. Swining her head around to gaze at her Clanmates confused, yet approving, glances, her throat tightened slightly as Smokepelt clearly avoided her gaze.

Shoving away the prick of anger and hurt, Brindlewhisker merely shook her head, if Smokepelt refused to look to her during his childish pouting, then she wouldn't waste time trying to gain his meaningless acceptance. Returning her gaze towards Ashstar, the young she-cat couldn't help but feel flooded with optimism, especially from Mottleheart's cheering. At least she could always rely on support from her dear friend. "I-I.." Brindlewhisker floundered, heart hammering in her chest, "Thank you Ashstar! I won't disappoint you." She mewed, voice earnest as she spoke to the she-cat, quickly dipping her head low and paying no mind to the way Smokepelt slipped away from camp without a single word.