The Leader walks at Moonhigh (WindClan Meeting!)

[Heathclaw]

Night had fallen on WindClan. All was dark and silent, except for the occasional soundless lightning flash, and the ceaseless pitter-patter of rain. The camp was quiet, but there was a feeling of tension in the air, an anticipation of something that had not happened in many, many moons. The four cats that had gone to the Moonpool had returned, with a leader among them. Tonight, with the brilliance of the high moon fighting its way through the clouds, there would be a meeting that would change the structure of WindClan for moons to come. Tonight was the beginning.

A single cat walked briskly across the camp, his features obscured by the shadows. He approached the great high rock and, muscles bunched, leapt straight to the top of it in one leap, into the patch of moonlight that illuminated his face. Rustlestar.

The long-haired, orange tom that was WindClan's new leader stood quietly atop the Highrock for a moment, taking in the moment. He was actually here, standing atop the Highrock with the entire clan under his command. By his actions and decisions, the clan would thrive... or it would fall. Great power and responsibility flowed through his paws; he had it in him to shape the clan however he pleased. Courage. Compassion. Conscience, Rustlestar repeated in his head, taking a deep breath. It was time.

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join under the Highrock for a clan meeting!"

---

Heathkit padded around the nursery, restless, tireless. It was today. It was today, it had to be today. His father had been made leader, of course it would be today! He glanced outside of the nursery entrance every time he walked across it, waiting for the call.

At the same time, he felt a mixture of guilt and relief that his adventure out of the camp with Cinderpaw had gone unnoticed. She must be excited as well; she must also be getting her mentor today. That is, if she wasn't sick. The two of them had gotten pretty soaked that day.

Overcome with the magnitude of it all, Heathkit flumped down onto the nursery floor, pulling a giggle out of the smaller kits. He grinned; it seemed like no one could get to sleep tonight. It was a little sad though; tonight would be his last night in the nursery, but then again, he could still visit the kits once he made apprentice.

Finally, the call came in, echoing loud and clear through the entire camp. Like a bolt, Heathkit darted out of the nursery, his paws throwing up little flickers of water as he scrambled to the Highrock, quivering with anticipation.

[c e d a r *]

Can I has post? c;

Heavy paws made their way out of the warriors den, his eyes wide as he head Rustlestar's call. It would now be time to hear who would be the newest addition to the hierarchy. His paws skimmed tiredly across the ground. Although he looked awake, his sluggish movements made note that the tom had trouble with napping until the call was announced, ringing around the camp. It had stopped raining for a short while, and now it had started again. A flash of lightning lit up the sky, and the tom jumped slightly, his pawsteps skittering to one side.

The tom's lips turned up into a smile as he looked around for Swallowleaf. Would she be talking to Rowanwing? A hearty sigh escaped the lips of the exhausted tom and he craned his neck low to the ground as his lips parted in a quiet yawn, blinking discreetly. His slow stride was meant to look confident, but he had messed it up with the tired movements to the yawn. His head was meant to be held high, his movements graceful as ever, but lack of sleep was beginning to overtake him. He supposed once he knew the final results, he would sleep comfortably knowing his clan was, once more, safe with the right leader.

His head swam as he moved toward the base of the high rock, his green eyes shining in a delightful and joyous way, but also with sleepless nights that drew over him like a soft blanket, ready to darken everything. And the male supposed that the gloomy gray skies of overbearing storms didn't help either. The rain was starting to irritate him, but only to the smallest of annoyances. There were other things on his mind, but his eyes were now glued on Rustlestar as his thin tail wrapped happily around his tabby striped paws, and nodded a curt greeting to his friend.

"Congratulations," Duskfeather meowed softly to the tom above him.

[Rainefrost]

{Cinder

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' Fall, fall out of trees
Into the street; on my own '

`` The petite grayscale femme peered out from the medicine den, brilliantly blue tainted eyes scouring the camp for any signs of a medicine cat. She'd been set there for quite the while, acknowledged the call from the High Rock and had found herself harboring an unusual impatience. Starclan knew what would become of her if she left without giving any audible notice! But not a soul seemed out and about, in exception for Duskfeather, who had escorted himself to the ceremony, she assumed, so she deemed the coast clear.

`` It was strange how the smallest ailment could ruin such a wonderful experience. At first attempt to scamper out into freedom was she disjointedly blown over by a huge sneeze, erupting from deep within her. Cinder was quick, however, to gather her footing and bite her own paw in embarrassment, disregarding the presence of anyone else. They were all presumably at the Rock by now.
She lunged forward in the direction of where that particular locality would be, in what was supposed to be a dash. But her pace refused to quicken, her body winning the ongoing war against her mind. She bounded lopsidedly out of camp, through the first patch of undergrowth and ran slap bang into her first obsticle -- a boulder.

`` A snort of frustration blew through the apprentice's black nares.
The boulder just sat there. No matter how long the she stood, another toll of uncommon impatience slowly nicking at her mind, the boulder wouldn't move. It wouldn't budge. It just sat there. Did it expect her to walk around it? Well, it was wasting it's time. She'd just stand here and wait all day if she had to, though hoped that wouldn't be the case. She had a meeting to attent. It was going to move out of her way, and it was moving now.
The boulder was expressionless, mocking her. Stupid boulder. Stupid, stupid boulder. Why couldn't it just move on with its life and get out of her way?

Cinderpaw planted her paws square on the ground in front of the rock. Didn't it know how to respect its hierarchy and get out of the way!? Finally, realizing that she was being foolish to think a part of nature was going to leave its intended place for a liking of hers, the wiry female sidestepped and walked around it. "Good day to you, too."
Her thoughts sauntered off of the subject of the infuriating boulder as she finally neared the High Rock. With a casual glance, her eyes swept it for view of the new leader; Rustlepel- she mentally slapped herself. It was Rustlestar now. How Heathkit must have been feeling this very moment, knowing his own father had rightfully taken Windclan's throne. There was very little she could rein in, wanting to congratulate them both so badly. Seeing him and the other attendants, she offered a genuine, delighted smile to play on her features. He'd get the clan along nicely, and she was more than willing to listen to what shape to which he would alter it. But Cinder wasn't ready just yet. She hadn't finished off that boulder.

A growl rolled in her throat as she once again neared the boulder that had spoken to her. "I'm not insane. Now please, shut up!" she snapped, her voice squeaking with adolescence as she turned back toward the gray slate that continued to sit motionless. "What do you know, anyway?" she retorted as it spoke to her again. She was perfectly fine. In no way was she 'not right in the head'; it wasn't like she spoke to inanimate objects like some of those crazy faes and toms of the present day.
"I'm not insane, and that's final."
She slammed her paws down, a cloud of dust spitting up at her smooth face, and that ended the one sided conversation with another sneeze knocked clear out of her.






Cinderpaw && post © Rainefrost .
Lyrics © Falling Out of Trees by Barcelona.
Word Count : 784 .
Ooc : Yeeeeah.. the rain had taken a little toll on Cinder's head. She's not too conscience at the moment. Hope ya'll don't mind the detour -- I wanted my post to be a little longer.

[faythe]

Rowanwing

He hadn't been doing much of anything lately, a patrol here or there, another tale to tell to the kits or swap with the elders, seemingly nothing of importance for the tom. His brief encounter with Swallowleaf had left him...unsettled. His mind just could not stop racing as tensions ran high with the clan. Although life had been good here, they where up one for the hierarchy, Rustlestar, and soon they would have a deputy...almost a full set of cats to help lead and guide the clan. It would have been a full set too, if it hadn't been for Berrypelt's recent departure to the ranks of StarClan - leaving WindClan once again without a vital member of its ranks. Rowanwing, a creative young brown tabby tom, watched the edges of the camp with a sense of purpose. His green eyed gaze following each member as they mingled among the camp, minding their own business.

Night had fallen, and since his time with Swallowleaf, mere hours ago, he had let slip from him the many times of the day that had bound him by worry and fear. All was silent, all was dark, although one might be able to see the occasional flicker of the moon through the endless sea of clouds. For now, the rain had slowed again from the usual chaos it had been bringing upon them before hand, but still present even on this eventful night - the night that all problems of WindClan would be fixed with eighteen simple words, "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey join under the Highrock for a clan meeting!" - the call that would come from their more than capable leader, Rustlestar.

His head snapped up from his spot, nestled under a somewhat dry, but still damp, overhang in the hills that had been created overtime. The tom hated water, despised the stuff, as all of the cats in the clan were fully aware. A cat of restless mind, he looked tired, just with one glance nearly everyone could tell this, and yet - there was still a chance that he would have to spend yet another night without the bliss of sleep. So many things had been left undone, for too long had the vital parts of clan life been neglected. The warrior, a cat who had lived no other life but this one, watched the hints of stars that peeked through the clouds during his wait, a heavy heart residing in his chest.

Fate. Was there such a thing for a cat? Soon the clan would find that there just might be as the tom appeared within the ranks of the gathering cats, Eagleheart - his last apprentice - settled in besides the tom and nudged him with a small greeting. The tom nodded back, the hint of his settling doom still clung to him as the rain fell upon his pelt and slide to the ground to form more muddy puddles beneath the grass that resided here. Watching, he could think of nothing but his own problems, troubles, he hoped that whatever went on for the clan's future tonight was for the best...but their fate lay in the eyes of StarClan, and for the moment that fate seemed like a cruel thing.

The wind whistled in his ears. It sang it's own tunes and had its own dreams, but it wasn't for him. The rain beat down on the cats, cleaning away their sins and washing away the dread that had been hanging over their heads since the moment they had been left abandoned. The sun, the moon, the stars...they existed, presiding over the cats who could not see their faces but knew they were there. Life would go on, or so he hoped. His head dipped in greeting as he moved from Eagleheart's side and closer to Rustlestar's. "It is a fine thing, to see WindClan approaching it's former glory," He began, his voice was soft and lacked the enthusiasm as he spoke, more like curiosity than anything, "Are you ready to hold the future of our clan in your paws, Rustlestar?"

His own green eyes glinted with a mischievous tone. Raising his head to meet his leaders, he nodded quietly to accept his own doom - something he had spoken with the cat privately at Sundown - the time to act was upon the cats, but still he felt unsure, unready. He sought out Swallowleaf to see what she would think of what was about to occur here at the Highrock, but seeing as she had not arrived yet, glanced down as found a lovely pebble to focus on. He was a lover, a fighter, a dreamer - a cat with a great future ahead of him, but the life that was set before him may become much harder than he had thought before...if his rationalization was correct and StarClan intended a future that was not his own..."We are ready." He murmured to himself as he fixed himself a comfort ale spot out of the way from the cat he had been speaking to. StarClan, have mercy. He must be crazy.

[Fernear!]

If there was anything to adjust herself to it wouldn't be the rain, nor the discomfort found around every turn, it would be Rustlestar. It wasn't so much that she disliked the tom, that was definitely not the case, it was more so the fact that she had more structure to her daily routine. She was expected to be part of patrols, to bring home food for the clan and, perhaps even to mentor one of the prospects of the clan. In the few hours the group of cats had returned, she had spoken with Rowanwing but not to Duskfeather or to the new leader. In the wee hours of the morning she made a mental note to congratulate Rustlestar at some point in the day.

The lithe she-cat lay curled in her usual sleeping space and had been conscious to the world around her for some time. The time she lay alone and seemingly asleep was spent to ponder on some unfinished thoughts she had. She spent most of her time thinking about the future, as she normally does at such hours. Swallowleaf also left time to think about her colleagues; about what Rowanwing had begun to say and what had been left unsaid between her and Duskfeather. The she-cat didn't know if something had indeed been left to Providence, but she did feel a little barrier forging between her and her fellow warrior. Her mind was left with thoughts still in mid-flight when she heard Rustlestar's call. It seems she could already scratch off the first thing on her list of things to do today. Being half-awake, her speech would have been startlingly definite and pure. Her movements, on the other hand, may take some paces before they too shed their weary shell. Swallowleaf's legs thrust before her body with her toes gaping apart from each other at the end of each. Her ears were plastered against her head as her body shook off its former state of fatigue.

Giving her chest a few brisk laps she picked up her body and began to move gracefully towards the gathered felines. Rustlestar looked utterly splendid upon the high rock. His pelt was glued to his toned body, although he looked nonetheless confident. The grey toned she-cat placed each paw down carefully, as if she were trying to preserve the former tranquility of the camp. Her eyes scanned the clearing, eager to sit down and hear what was to be said. She caught the voices of three cats that were present: Duskfeather, Rowanwing and Cinderpaw. Her choices were few and far between. In a feeble attempt to read the body language of the crowd, Swallowleaf found Duskfeather battling with his own bout of exhaustion, Rowanwing bothered by something, that something that Swallowleaf had heard him speak of before the meeting she assumed, and young Cinderpaw speaking to a resolute rock. The sight made her bore the first smile of the day but in the end she left the apprentice to herself and headed towards Duskfeather.

Swallowleaf breathed as she placed herself two tail-lengths away from the tom, just close enough to hear him but far away enough to be to herself. Her eyes fell upon Rustlestar, whose name she had so tediously corrected herself earlier. His profile was so powerful she could hardly recognize the former warrior. Her eyes studied the changed tom as she waited for herself to adapt to her current situation. "Congratulations, Rustlestar," the first words of the day; they were quiet, though obviously not tried. She smiled and then faced Duskfeather. She opened her mouth to say something but left her to presence to be acknowledged.

occ: sorry, my inner Swallow showed in some places ;3

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[Heathclaw]

As focused as he wanted to be on the meeting and on his father, Heathkit found his attention wandering as he sat among the large assembly of cats. This was his first ever clan meeting, and he was a bit overwhelmed at it all, at the sight and smell and sound of every warrior, queen, elder, and apprentice in the clan out at once and gathered into the same place.

There was at least one good thing about having his apprenticeship delayed; now, at 15 moons, he was tall enough to look over the crowd, and to see his mother, Breezeflower, looking at him with pride, to spot WindClan's kits sneaking peeks at the meeting from out of the nursery, and to see Cinderpaw arguing quite vehemently with a rock. Wait, what?

Heathkit did a double take to make sure he was really seeing what he was seeing, and, sure enough, there was the silvery apprentice talking to nothing more than a boulder. What in the word did she think she was doing? Heathkit snuck a look at his father to make sure Rustlestar wasn't watching, and then crept over to her side. He felt partially resposible for her after all, if her condition was caused by the rain.

"Hey, Cinderpaw!" hissed Heathkit in a hushed whisper. "What's wrong with you? C'mon, we're gonna get our mentors soon. Come with me," he muttered, nudging her shoulder.

---

From his position up on the Highrock, Rustlestar could see all that went on below. He waited patiently as cats started arriving, first his son Heathkit, eager as always, and then the three cats that had traveled with him to the moonpool, followed by the rest of the clan.

He looked down with pride at the assembled clan, and smiled graciously at his friends' quiet congratulations. Although he wasn't at reading emotions as Swallowleaf was, he could tell that most of the cats in the clan were quite tired, exhausted, gloomy perhaps. It was slightly disappointing to see, but then again, that was what this meeting was about- bringing up the clan's morale.

"Cats of WindClan!" said Rustlestar, puffing out his chest and standing square on the rock. "For many moons now, we have lived without order, disparate, just surviving from day to day. We've been without a leader, and we've spent longer without a deputy. Today, we regroup and reclaim our pride as Clan cats!"

He took a breath, glancing down at the clan to gauge the impact of his words. What he was about to say next he'd learned by heart, as he'd spent moons as a warrior dreaming about hearing his own name spoken in that sentence. He'd spent quite some time on this decision, and was confident that he'd made the right choice. "I say these words before StarClan, so that they may hear and approve my choice,"

Rustlestar paused once again. Those were not the right words, but Rainstar and Dawnthorn had left him no choice. Not that Rustlestar believed Dawnthorn had even believed in StarClan. Regardless, he took another breath and continued.

"Duskfeather will be the new deputy of WindClan."

[c e d a r *]

As exhausted and as tired as the tom was, his ears were pricked, listening to the words his leader spoke, his paws neatly under him as he watched Heathkit speak quietly to the amusing little Cinderpaw. His head snapped back to gaze up at Rustlestar, his eyes gleaming with natural curiosity.

And then his name was spoken.

His glittering eyes were now wide with shock and it took him a few milliseconds to realize that he was now the new deputy of WindClan. He was now the one who would be used to make patrols and finally set the clan in right order. They would be able to go to gatherings, and they could go nights with full bellies. A purr of pure joy erupted deep out of his throat, full of everything, love of his clan, happiness, and excitement. His face turned serious for a small while, as he nodded thanks to Rustlestar, knowing he needed to speak before the meeting continued.

"I thank you, Rustlestar, for choosing me as the new deputy of WindClan. I will do everything in my power to help us become the WindClan we once were," the deputy meowed, nodding once more to Rustlestar.

Now it was time for the apprentice ceremonies, and the male joined his leader atop the High Rock, looking down at Cinderpaw and Heathkit. Cinderpaw was long due a mentor, and he was positively sure Heathkit was as excited as ever to join his friend as a warrior in training of WindClan. They would now be able to train, hunt, and go on patrols together with their mentor - just like a Clan was supposed to. He felt glad that he was chosen to be the one to sort out patrols and help make decisions.

Resting his gaze on Swallowleaf, he smiled even more happily at her. She was special to him - her positive words that were spoken before the Moonpool had lightened his mood and calmed him slightly. He supposed he had her to thanks, for keeping him sane and calm during the whole process. It was stressful, and he was glad to have such a good friend like Swallowleaf. He nodded discreetly to the she-cat, a good-natured gleam once again lighting up his eyes. His tail-tip flicked excitedly and happily, and the tired tom had soon vanished.

[faythe]

ooc; I'm going to hold off posting Ro until after the Mentor/Apprentices/whatever stuff, alright? So go ahead and skip me till then. :3

[maxxy]

M.istpaw

>>. Grey paws hit the ground hard and her legs moved fast underneath her. I must get there or I wont become a real apprentice! Her thoughts worried her mind and she tried to run faster, but she could never get closer to the camp. The scenery blurred by, and she lept over bushes and shrubs in her rolling hilled territory. Her breathing became hard and wheezy. She needed to slow down, but she had to get to camp! she needed to become an apprentice. She has waited seven moons to become an apprentice. She picked up her pace, but then her foot scrambled in with her long limbs, creating herself to tumble, and slide in the dirt, getting a mouthful of grass in her mouth. Green eyes shot open widly, but she couldn't feel her legs. She tried yowling, but the dirt prevented her from speaking. No no NO! She thought. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain in her side that made her roll over in agony.

>>. Mistpaw woke with a start. Her eyes glazed over and her breathing in a huff. She looked into the blankness of her brother's blind teal eyes. His paw was held slightly ajar. She flattened her ears and growled deeply in her chest. She watched him back off, and she sat up, realizing she had rolled off her nest. Puffing out her chest, she began grooming herself. Her black stripes against her dark grey fur started to shine after her grooming. Her green eyes looked bright and alert. "Why'd you wake me up?" She growled at Slatepaw. She watched her brother sit down and look at her. How he could know where she was, was always a mystery to her, but his words made her fur jump off her skin. Rustlestar has called a clan meeting. We're going to have mentors. His voice sounded so soft and sure, that it was almost like he was already a warrior. Mistpaw knew that because of his dissability, he wouldn't be able to ever become a real warrior. Her green eyes downcast for a minute, but then she remembered he couldn't see her reactions to him. She summoned the courage from within herself, and walked towards him. "This is going to be great Slatepaw! C'Mon!" She headed out of the apprentice den, feeling the cool night air come at her in waves, though it wasn't windy.

>>. Mistpaw didn't worry about Slatepaw making his way around, because he always managed. And Sometimes she wondered how it would be to be blind, but then she always counted her blessings and felt bad for Slatepaw because he couldn't see the beautiful days, the rolling hills, the green grass. He wouldn't know the colors of the world around them. Mistpaw looked at her front paws. Picked one up, and started chewing on her pad. Nervous habbit. She looked up to Rustlestar, waiting to be named a mentor.

S.latepaw

~ Light grey form lying still on his nest. He wasn't sleeping, just resting. He had heard word that a meeting would take place tonight, and now he was just waiting to make sure he and Mistpaw where there. His pale teal colored eyes betrayed nothing, and he only saw blackness from them. The whisp aroama of where Mistpaw slept was within his 'vision' and no others were near. Meow's were heard outiside, and the smell of prey caught his nose. The yowl from Rustlestar made him lift his head and turn to listen to Mistpaw, listening to see if she stirred. She didn't. Slatepaw heaved himself onto his paws, and trodded over to his sister. He picked up one paw and poked her in the paw slightly, she did nothing. He then jabbed his paw into her side, rolling her over. Her growl came soon afterwards. He would roll his eyes, but he just remained calm. She didn't know, and he was about to tell her good news, so why not keep cool and remain happy?

~ Her question came at him after a while of grooming herself. He only stated, "Rustlestar has called a clan meeting. We're going to have mentors." His voice was calm and natural. He stared straight at her aroama color in his vision. He sat back on his haunches and waited for her to do something. He felt her stiffen, and he waited for her. She moved up to him and meowed, This is going to be great Slatepaw! C'Mon! He let her go past him, following her trail out of the den. The cool night was refreshing, and the many cats that had gathered around had their aroama colors all around them. He knew where to go and which path to take. He wouldn't sit next to his sister. He didn't want her to feel ashamed of him, as he felt she did a lot because of his blindness. He could 'see' cats, but holes and cliffs don't come up on his radar. He watched, and waited for Rustlestar to say something, or for some other cat to come up next to him and talk to him. He wasn't much of a social butterfly, but Slatepaw is generally friendly when it comes right down to it.

[Heathclaw]

"Well, I'm glad to see that you're happy about this, Duskfeather," said Rustlestar quietly, whiskers twitching in approval. "Congratulations my friend, you deserve it." He glanced over at Rowanwing and Swallowleaf to measure how they felt about his choice, as he had considered the two of them for the position as well. Ultimately however, he had chosen Duskfeather, prizing his courage, determination, and most of all, his focus.

He turned back to face his gathered clan, and as he did so, the clouds around the moon pulled back even more, as if StarClan knew what he was going to say next. "WindClan now has its new deputy. However, there is one more empty position in our ranks, one that is not in my power to fill, but rather, in StarClan's. Berrypelt is gone, and he has left no apprentice; therefore, we have no medicine cat. We can only hope that StarClan is quick in selecting a worthy cat from among us," he scanned the crowd once again as he spoke, glancing at Rowanwing the longest.

"Anyway, let's move on to something that I do have the power to conduct: apprentice ceremonies. Heathkit, Cinderpaw, Mistpaw, and Slatepaw, please step forward," he said, and his eyes blazed with pride as he looked down at the four young cats, his son among them, who would join the next generation of WindClan's finest warriors.

"Heathkit. From this day, until you recieve your warrior name, you will be known as Heathpaw. I ask StarClan to watch over you and guide you until you find in your paws the strength and courage of a warrior. Rowanwing, you will be mentor to this apprentice. You are a true and noble warrior, and I hope you will pass these traits to your new apprentice." Rustlestar gave Rowanwing a long look as he spoke, as if to say 'You trusted me, and now I put my trust in you.'

"Swallowleaf, you will be mentor to Mistpaw. You are a spirited and insightful warrior, and I hope you will pass these traits to your new apprentice." And maybe teach her some temperance and tolerance as well, Rustlestar added silently, remembering the young cats temperament and misadventures.

"Duskfeather, you will be mentor to Slatepaw. You are a kind and patient warrior, and I hope you will pass these qualities to your new apprentice." Slatepaw was a blind cat, but Rustlestar was willing to let the apprentice have his chance to prove himself.

"Lastly, I will be mentor to Cinderpaw, and will train her as I have trained all other apprentices, to become a true warrior of WindClan, the greatest of the four clans."

Rustlestar descended from the rock to touch noses with Cinderpaw, and then returned, waiting patiently for the rest of the clan to finish their part of the ceremony. He still had an announcement to make.

---

Heathpaw blinked, and then blinked again, not really sure that he'd heard correctly. So... Rustlestar wasn't going to be his mentor? "But... but..." stammered Heathpaw, Why? It was no good, Rustlestar was coming towards them, and Heathpaw just knew that he couldn't face his father at the moment. "Congratulations, Cinderpaw," muttered the young tom, as he dashed off towards Rowanwing.

He gave his new mentor-to-be a dubious look, inspecting him up and down. Rowanwing seemed nothing like Rustlestar. Could he really learn to be a warrior of the same caliber as his father from this cat? Well, it didn't seem like he had any choice in the matter. He reached up to touch Rowanwing's nose, and then just stood there, staring expectantly up at the tom.

[faythe]

Rowanwing

There was an anxious tension in the air as Rustlestar spoke, "Duskfeather will be the new deputy of WindClan." The tom looked up at his newly found friend and smiled with a soft, relieved in sorts, expression. He admired both cats, for their loyalty and their promise. Swallowleaf would be well cared for in Duskfeather's paws, he knew that the cat fancied her by just watching his expression and the way he searched for Swallowleaf's approval at the notion. "Good," he had thought, "Now I don't have to worry about her fate." His faced slipped into a slightly blank, calculating, expression. "Duskfeather! Duskfeather! Duskfeather!" he cheered with his clan mates, he was happy for the cat...but that cat had just sealed Rowanwing's fate...and for that he was not quite as happy.

The rain had begun to let up for a moment as the cheers for the new Deputy sizzled out. The tom gazed up at the sky and smiled at what he saw, for a moment the moon and stars gazed down upon the clan - StarClan had clearly approved of the choice. Rustlestar began to speak again, this time about the death of Berrypelt. The great cat scanned the crowd and locked eyes with the tom, almost flinching visibly he made himself look just a bit taller and briskly nodded to the leader as their eyes locked - and then looked away hoping that not other cat had noticed the brief notion. For a moment, the fur on the back of his neck prickled for a moment before he could for it to lay flat. His gazed dropped for a mere second before he recovered and continued watching as Rustlestar began to speak again.

The apprentice ceremony, of course! There had been four candidates this time around, and they were always in need of mentors it seemed as part of the clan began to retire to the elders den or slip of to spend their time with StarClan. There had been plenty of eligible candidates as the tom knew, but what he didn't know was what Rustlestar first spoke of; "Rowanwing, you will be mentor to this apprentice." His head immediately snapped up from where he had been studying a rock on the ground to clear his head. He looked almost panicked for a moment as he stared at the clan's leader and then caught a hint of his own unspoken words, he would leave his son in this brown Tabby's paws. Honored, the cat nodded briskly and moved to touch noses with his newly made apprentice.

Their noses touched and although the tom could feel the anger radiated off the young cat, he would try his hardest to match up to the standards he had set...despite what he was about to do. "Heathpaw! Heathpaw! Heathpaw!" He called with small grin on his face, at least he would get to mentor one last apprentice. Swallowleaf would mentor Mistpaw, perhaps she would help him with his own troublesome apprentice when he could not. "Mistpaw! Mistpaw! Mistpaw!" Duskfeather would mentor Slatepaw, "Slatepaw! Slatepaw! Slatepaw!" he smiled up at the new mentors and apprentices as he watched them touch and acknowledge the bond. Finally, Rustlestar would mentor Cinderpaw, the tom nodded his approval and called out for them as well, "Cinderpaw! Cinderpaw! Cinderpaw!"

He looked back at Rustlestar once the ceremonies were over, then to his new apprentice and again to Rustlestar, would his apprentice ever forgive him for the choice he was about to make? Would he still hold strong while the young tom himself was struggling through StarClan's wishes? The tom sighed, his gaze lifting to look at each of his clan mate. Jaw parted with a bold expression in his eye. "I endeavor to travel to the Moonpool and share tongues with StarClan!" He called above everyone's heads, "I have seen the signs, glimpses of our warrior ancestors, and believe that they no longer wish the life of a warrior upon me." His gaze faltered for a moment as whispers erupted among his clan mates. "I will become the clan's new Medicine cat once I have received their blessing, but I will also stand in as mentor to Heathpaw." He watched his apprentice for a reaction. "He will be trained as a Warrior, by my paws, until a time that I can no longer train him or he has reached his warrior hood." His eyes locked with his apprentice, then his leader, then to Swallowleaf and Duskfeather. "Forgive me," he pleaded to them, "I cannot turn down our ancestors."

He turned, facing Rustlestar as he spoke his final words. "I have received the permission from Rustlestar to seek out the answers from our ancestors, so I will travel - alone - to the Moonpool tonight." The tom nodded once, and without another word he made his way through the collection of cats who had surrounded the Highrock for this meeting, each stare burning into his fur until he was no longer within their site. If a cat could cry, he would now. His chest felt heavy, and his heart strangled with a sadness that for the moment nothing could cure. What of the dream? They happy one he had had of him and a she-cat, a litter of kits, himself as a warrior - loyal to the end. The life of a medicine cat could provide him none of these things... perhaps StarClan would show him a way to accomplish them all. Someday. Just someday. For now, he would go to the Moonpool and answer their calls.

[Fernear!]

The heavy clouds revealed the moon for enough time to notify the cats that StarClan approved of Rustlestar's choice. "Duskfeather will be the new deputy of WindClan." A smile crept along her maw as her eyes caught Duskfeather’s; she knew that he would make a fine deputy for WindClan. "Congratulations," she said off to the side before joining in the first chant of the night. "Duskfeather! Duskfeather!" The emotion shining in her friend's eyes when he looked at her made Swallowleaf's heart skip a beat. Could she mean more to him than she felt she did? No matter: she sent a warm gaze back, letting the thought grow stale in her mind.

Rustlestar continued on to close the ceremony by assigning mentors to the apprentices of the clan. How could she have forgotten so quickly? Swallowleaf looked up at Rustlestar to hear who the lucky four would be. Her concentration was awarded upon Rustlestar's words: Rowanwing was to be the mentor of the leader's son, Heathkit, Duskfeather was to mentor Slatepaw and Rustlestar himself was to be with Cinderpaw, but before hearing Duskfeather's name being called for a second time, her name was spoken. She would get to mentor her first apprentice! "Swallowleaf, you will be mentor to Mistpaw. You are a spirited and insightful warrior, and I hope you will pass these traits to your new apprentice." The compliments were taken heartily by the silver she-cat, and her respect towards the leader deepened, "Thank you, Rustlestar, I will do everything I can to train Mistpaw to be the best warrior she can be." Normally in this situation her heart would be racing, flying if you will, and her mind would be ablaze with inspiration, but today so many things were cluttering her mind that she could only manage a formal answer.

Swallowleaf walked up to her new apprentice and touched noses with her. She could not decipher the grey tabby's reaction, and may not until their training commenced. Then Rowanwing spoke again. Her eyes widened when she heard his words, she had not expected this from him. Without thinking she ran up to her friend, matching him step for step at his brisk pace. She couldn't imagine how difficult it was to step out of one's warrior duties, to give up a family and to become the medicine cat of his clan. "I respect your choice... but promise me that you'll never lose your passion as a warrior." She rubbed her head affectionately against his shoulder before turning around and galloping back to the camp to sit beside Mistpaw. No matter how we end up, no matter where we end up and no matter who we end up as, I will always remember the last moon I've spent with these three magnificent toms... Everything's changing so quickly and so dramatically...

[/blockquote]

[c e d a r *]

Duskfeather knew that the apprentice ceremony was arriving, so he continued to stare thoughtfully around, meeting the gaze, or attempting to catch the gazes of his Clanmates. His eyes easily shifted from one cat to another, never lingering on their shape for much too long, and soon, his gaze was cast toward the dark sky. Even thought it was nighttime, the deputy knew that it would be gray in the morning, like it had been every morning for the past few days. He knew it would rain some more, like it had been for the past few days. The thought of more rain, and no sun just made the tom's pelt prickle with unease, and his claws started working into the muddied ground. And then the ceremony began.

Heathpaw to Rowanwing, Swallowleaf to Mistpaw, Cinderpaw to Rustlestar and he was given Slatepaw. His head nodded up and down as he was mentioned, and his eyes searched the crowd of WindClan cats for his apprentice. No matter, the tom stepped up and touched noses with his apprentice, giving Slatepaw a smile and another small nod before stepping back. Taking a deep breath, the deputy yowled somewhat quietly, "Heathpaw! Mistpaw! Slatepaw! Cinderpaw!" There was no echo of his voice, for the thickness of the clouds and the night just allowed it to die away quietly.

The male stepped back, and waited for Rustlestar to speak, becoming engrossed with his thoughts once more, his gaze occasionally flicking to his apprentice. He had a load on his shoulders, but he was sure he could handle it. He was somewhat excited for the challenge of an apprentice as the deputy.

Ooc.
Fernie gave me permission to post in liquid time with Duskfeather so Heath could post. Happy, Faythe? ...

[Heathclaw]

If Heathpaw was unhappy before with Rustlestar's choice of mentor, now he was furious. Medicine Cat. He'd be learning his warrior skills from a Medicine Cat. And what would happen once Rowanwing took on a Medicine Cat apprentice later on? How would he, Heathpaw, get any decent warrior training from a mentor with two apprentices, a mentor trying to live two lives?

How could Rustlestar have let this happen? After moons of waiting, how could his father ruin his apprentice ceremony like this? He wanted to snarl, to slash out, to howl about how unfair this was. Unfortunately, as a WindClan apprentice and the leader's son, he knew that that was unacceptable.

He satisfied himself with a snake-like glare in Rowanwing's direction, his eyes fixed on the cat as he turned and walked out of the camp, tail slung behind his legs, head lowered, looking for all the world like a... "Coward."

---

Rustlestar glanced broodingly at his son, who stood with his back to the Highrock, watching Rowanwing leave camp. Part of him wanted to reach out and console the young tom, but this was part of being a warrior. Heathpaw would understand in time, just as he had, so very long ago.

Anyway, thought Rustlestar, paws kneading the Highrock, I still have a meeting to finish. He allowed his clan a few moments to compose themselves after Rowanwing's departure, and then prepared to speak again.

"Cats of WindClan!" Rustlestar called, satisfied that his voice still rang across the clearing. "Our Clan has come to order once again, now that we have our leader, deputy, and medicine cat. However, this is not enough. For us to have truly regained our pride as warriors, we need the other clans. In other words, we need a gathering, something that hasn't happened for far too long. By the next full moon, WindClan will head to the island, and we will show the other clans that we have grown strong once more, and always will!"

That was the end of the meeting, but before Rustlestar leapt off the Highrock, he turned to Duskfeather, and spoke so that only he could hear. "I intend to make sure this gathering happens. I'm counting on you to look after the clan while I'm gone."

With that, he jumped off the Highrock and headed towards his den, his mind full of plans for the moons ahead.

(Exit Rustlepelt. This marks the unofficial end of the thread, so everyone's cats are free to post elsewhere now, or respond to this post if they like.)