A might Oak grew from the Marsh (Open)

A dark brown tabby Tom padded into the clearing. The ancient trees that hung above the camp and protected it seemed closer somehow. The weight of words spoken heavy in his mind as he approached a large stone in front of a lichen covered den. His den. It was a strange feeling for sure, but each stride held a confidence that hadn’t been there in quite the same way before.

It was the stride of a cat who was certain. Who knew his destiny, and wasn’t backing down in the face of it as he leapt swiftly onto the top of Highrock. Mouth parted in a mighty yowl of summoning.
"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath High-rock for a clan meeting!" He called, sitting down in a posture of confidence and security. His white tipped tail curled around his white tipped paws. The patches on his chest and muzzle seemed brighter in the sunlight. Amber eyes glowing as he watched his clan gather.

Lynxtail's tufted ears twitched and he immediately stood and trotted towards the base of Highrock, ignoring the rush of dizziness caused his abrupt movement. There was something different about their leader. It was like there was a... glow? some form of light, perhaps, that surrounded him now. It was difficult for the young warrior to describe.
The golden-brown tom found a place to sit near the front of the group and studied his new leader curiously.

Marshstorm was his father's deputy no more. The young warrior had always seen Marshstorm as an extension of Leopardstar, and it was like seeing an entirely new tom now that he had stepped out of Leopardstar's shadow.
It was odd to see the tabby become the same Golden Protector that Leopardclaw had been. He wasn't literally golden, of course, but the feeling was almost the same. Marshstorm was someone that Lynxtail could trust and follow, and even though he was sad that his father would no longer serve Thunderclan as leader, the warrior could say with certainty that Marshstorm was well-suited for the role.
Besides, Lynxtail couldn't wait to spend more time with Leopardclaw now that he was free of his duties. His father's sickness was a sort of blessing in disguise, it seemed.

Stormpaw yawned widely as he came out of the apprentice den, he had no clue what this ceremony was about until he saw his father perched mightily on Highrock. He knew that his father was to be leader, but this was the first time he felt that it was real. The young tom felt self-conscious, awkward as he was unable to meet his father's eyes. He was the leader now, not just his father...

Though Galepaw knew little about leadership, he did know that StarClan gave leaders special powers...or something like that. How it worked—whether it was in a dream, or it was one of those Moonstone trips every apprentice went on, or it was something beyond Galepaw's imagination—was a mystery, but Galepaw assumed it must have happened to ThunderClan's newest leader by now. He surveyed the brown tabby with open curiosity, searching for any sign that something was different. No glowing fur, no new markings... So focused was he on these things that he didn't notice the real change. When it came to other cats, Galepaw had never been observant. More than a little disappointed, he plopped down beside his Clanmates and began to groom one of his paws.

The strands of cobweb that Mosspaw had carefully placed to sit in the sunlight and dry off the morning dew fluttered delicately in the wind. Having stepped back into the medicine den, she began to remove the old bedding from Pricklebush's nest to replace it with some new, he would certainly appreciate the clean, warm nest after the Moonstone trip... Wouldn't he? He was coming back, right? For the first time, the calico thought about what it would be like if her mentor had split off to head towards RiverClan's camp to continue to stay there instead of returning home with Marshstorm after his ceremony. The loud yowl bringing together echoed through the ravine, and she jumped slightly before finishing what she was doing and making her way out of the fern-enclosed clearing. That was Marshstorm's voice, so clearly they had returned. Excitement buzzed through her, from the peaks of her ears to the tip of her tail.

As she joined the other cats that were gathering, she couldn't help but cast her gaze around. Searching, yearning to see Pricklebush's familiar pelt having returned, and so far it was no where to be seen. Maybe he was just a little behind, giving Marshstorm time to make his announcement? Or maybe he received a prophecy, while he was at the Moonstone, and needs time to consider it? She frowned slightly at that thought, had he gotten a prophecy, she would have liked him to talk to her about it. Without knowing that was the case, she quickly pushed it out of her mind - if Pricklebush had something to share with her, surely he would. Turning her head up to Marshstorm, her ears pricked to listen to what he had to say.

Dustcloud had grown weary waiting for Marshstorm to return form Highstones, pacing back and forth across camp as the sun began to rise. His arrival back came as a great relief to the she-cat, the voice that she held so dearly soothing any anxiety she had. It had seemed to take ages, every second causing her to grow more and more worried. Of course, she knew that she had nothing to worry about, but it didn't stop the constant thought that something, anything, could go wrong.

When Marshstorm, or Marshstar, she supposed, called the Clan to a meeting, she sat patiently beneath the high-rock. She could hardly stand the wait- she wanted to hear all about his ceremony, who had visited them and the wisdom they had bestowed upon him. Reality had finally settled in- Marshstorm was the leader of ThunderClan, a great duty with large paw steps to fill. After all this time, it was real. His responsibilities would be beyond belief, and if there was anything that she could do to help the tom, she would be there. She would always be there, at the end of the day.

Ferretnose was a little surprised at the strength in Marshstorm's voice as he climbed the High-rock for the first time, their official leader. When he had made the decision to exile Ridgelight, he had seemed more broken. He emitted a newfound confidence, and it seeped into the young warrior's pelt. She smiled softly as she joined her clanmates in the meeting. A new era of ThunderClan was forming around her, and it filled her with joy.

Mistpaw wasn't sure what to feel about his father becoming the leader. He knew it'd happen eventually- But not this soon. He usually wouldn't think much of his father's voice ringing out over the camp, but today, it just sounded... different. More confident, with a power as mighty as the Great Oak. He sat next to his mother and mentor, looking up at Marshstar. His father carried himself differently. Stood a little taller, held his head a little higher. And his eyes- those were not the eyes of the kind depudad he had known. The trip to the moonstone had done something to Marshstorm, and Mistpaw did not like it.

Harefoot gathered with the rest of the clan, eager to hear of Marshstorm's journey. Their new leader would surely have something encouraging to say to ThunderClan after the dramatic near-loss of his predecessor, and the dusty warrior was looking forward to some good news. He took a seat next to Ferretnose and briefly wondered if he was being too friendly. He gave her an awkward smile and then directed his attention to the High Rock.

Nettlepaw looked up at the High Rock, glad that her father had returned and excited to hear his announcement. Having her father be leader of the clan was a perfect unification of the two things that drove her, the two things she would give everything to protect-- her family and her clan. Of course she'd always seen those things as having overlap, but now more so than ever. And she had no trepidation about her father being able to be less fatherly now that he had the duties of a leader. In her mind, doing your duty, serving your clan, being more of a leader could never make one less of anything-- how could they, when they were to her the cardinal values of life? If her father was still able to spend lots of time with his children-- well, of course she would be ecstatic about that. But if he couldn't, she had no qualms about it-- if that was how it had to be, it was how it had to be, and she was more than willing to chide her siblings if they complained.

The dark tom’s call was answered. He watched as the clan gathered below him. Rather than delay things unnecessarily, the moment the cats were all gathered, he began his announcement.

"As you are all aware… yesterday we had unfortunate news from our medicine cat." He began, voice solemn as he dipped his head respectfully. "It is important that we honour the service of which Leopardstar has provided for moons. The peace and alliances he has brought. Although he had to step down, I couldn’t be more grateful to Leopardclaw for all that he has taught me." He paused for a moment, letting his words sink into the crowd.

"StarClan has seen fit to grant me with a new name. From now on, I am no longer Marshstorm. I am Oakstar." Oakstar’s familiar old smile snuck back onto his muzzle, as he spoke with some humour. "I am honoured by StarClan’s choice, and I hope to serve you all well in the moons to come." He stood, bowing his head politely to his clanmates before leaping down from high rock. Concluding the meeting.

After dipping her head slightly at the mention of the previous day's unfortunate news, Dustcloud scanned the crowd to see if Leopardclaw had decided to join ThunderClan. When her eyes never found his familiar yellow pelt, a sympathetic and sorrowful feeling briefly overcame her, before her mate began speaking again. Lifting her gaze to meet his, she stared into his amber eyes as he announced the news. Oakstar? That... definitely would take some getting used to. She met him as he leaped off the high rock, nuzzling his cheek affectionately. "Oakstar... It's quite fitting." She beamed happily, proud for all that he had accomplished.