An Overdue Meeting

[Snowstar]

An pallid colored tom made his way up to Highrock, his pace halting, his azure-colored eyes flicking to the uncertainly around the camp. He seemed to be afraid of what he was about to do, but that did not stop him from jumping to the top of the stone in order to make an announcement that was long overdue. He stood stop the rock, his eyes closing slightly, and his fur swaying in the wind. If he did what he was about to do, his life would be changed forever, and there would be no going back. And yet, he couldn't put this off longer than it already had, and Snowclaw was the only one to do it, whether he wanted to or not.

" Thunderclan, gather before Highrock, there is an important topic to be discussed!"
Snowclaw cried, his voice carrying throughout the Thunderclan camp and, hopefully, calling all cats toward the meeting place. It had been moons since he had seen anybody, let alone Flamingstar, atop the Highrock and this created an awkward situation for him, as well as shock to all the other cats that he was here, now. Gulping nervously, he shifted his gaze around the camp uneasily once more and hoped that at least one cat would come soon.

He had to announce this now. Flamingstar had vanished to who knows where and before yesterday, had yet to return. However, at Sun-high yesterday, her body had been found dead and this had caused a tragedy for the clan, unable to think that their leader was gone to join the ranks of Starclan. Shaking his head sadly, the tom lifted his head toward the sky and pleaded to Starclan that she hadn't died without any regrets. Silently, he began to vow that he would protect his clan with his life and be even a greater leader then Flamingstar for the sake of Thunderclan.

The cold air surrounded him, chilling him to the bone, and Snowclaw found himself wishing that he had longer fur than he had now. To make up for it, he settled upon his haunches and wrapped his tail around his paws, trying to trap the warmth inside them. He was going to live through this, and he would help his Clan to do so as well, or as best as he could without his former leader's guidance.

[[ Hope that's ok]]

[Fernpaw]

A small fluff ball made her way towards the Highrock. Fernpaw's green eyes were wide and and anxious, the news could be anything but good. However, the young apprentice carried herself well and with determination. Her small chin jutted out defiantly as she searched the gathering crowd of cats for her mentor, Loudthunder. Flamingstar had been her mentor, before she had mysteriously disappeared, and then Loudthunder had volunteered to take her place.

Unable to find the tom, Fernpaw sat near the edge of the crowd, her compact body coiled underneath her brown paws like springs.

A flash of red, a glow of yellow, and Firen stepped into the clearing. Her mottled pelt---the color of fire---flickered and writhed as the gorgeous and deadly she-cat made her way to the very edge of the crowd. She would not be welcome there, she knew. Golden orbs looked up at Snowstar, Firen understood the nervous agony he must be going through. Her piercing gaze travelled over his body, noted the determination in his stance, and nodded to herself. He'll make a good leader, even if he doesn't know it, yet.

[Flintpelt [Spideh]]

A streak of gray padded softly in after the fire-hued female, slipping on the edge of the mass of bodies to reach her side, miscolored eyes casting a warm look of compassion of her lithe, agile frame before climbing upwards to rest on the Deputy's seated ivory form. Even though Snowclaw seemed nervous and nearly scared high up there on the Highrock, and not a word had yet passed his mouth, Flintpelt instinctively knew that this was about the previous Leader's death [Flamingstar, it was Flamingstar] and the new Deputy, and that the feline worriedly watching the gathering cats from high up there was concerned for nothing but mouse tails. He would be a perfect Leader, no doubt about it.
The tabby tom's mismatched oculars switched position yet again, wavering back to Firen's streamlined figure standing beside him. They had been in the Medicine Cat's den earlier, and, amazingly, the traces of the reason why this had been were practically unapparent. No one would have ever suspected that the two had been off on a dangerous escapade. The twitch of a smile flickered on the corner of the male's lips as he recalled those short but unforgettable moments, and the way they had just seemed to slip on like water over rock.
We were just out on a hunting trip. Everything went by so fast; the way we had barreled into each other when jumping for the same prey, how she had wounded her paw and I had bashed in my ribs, then the fox arriving and fighting both of us... the race to the Medicine Cat after having told her I loved her, the fear I felt because of the never ending certainty that she would die from blood loss... the travel back... the nightmare...
For a moment, he closed his eyes as if in pain. He could still remember it all clearly, except for the feline figure and her words. The shadows, the clearing of light, how the darkness seemed to part before him, and his arrival back to the waking world. And Firen's nightmare. He had gone to her side afterwards, not wanting to leave her by herself with the dreams still present in both of their minds. But all that didn't seem to matter any more. Only the fact that he loved her, and that he was sure she loved him, counted from this moment.
Ah, love, he chuckled inwardly, letting his smile become bigger.
His gaze returned to Snowclaw as the wait began, and the hope that it would not take too long padded through his mind before he concentrated entirely on this ceremony that he had never before seen.
Deputy into Leader, and warrior to Deputy. Suspense, suspense, suspense.

[Ouch. I don't really know what to write. Totally brain-dead here ]

[Loudthunder]

A grey figure stepped out of the shadows. Loudthunder appeared carrying a vole clutched in his jaws. He looked around and saw that the rest of the Clan was gathering towards Highrock. He then suddenly remembered. Flamingstar... He thought gloomily. Now that she was gone, Snowclaw would soon become Snowstar. But the question on his mind, and probably every other ThunderClan cats' mind was; "Who would become deputy?" The thought of becoming the Clan deputy was very tempting, but he had quite a few other responsibilities at the moment. He glanced over at Fernpaw. He walked over to his apprentice and sat down beside her. Now that he thought about it, if Snowclaw chose him to be deputy, (this was a pretty big "if") he could still easily keep up with his duties at a mentor. Fernpaw learned extremely fast didn't require as much teaching as some other apprentice might. He wasn't saying that he would slack off, but in his mind, Fernpaw would soon become a warrior at this rate. He looked back up at Highrock and waited for Snowclaw to speak again.

[*Rippedbelly*]

Rippedbelly walked slowly towards Highrock, the clan was gathering now. She sighed weary, the death of a clan leader was hard for all but she knew they must live with it and go pass. Firen and Flintpelt would be alright until she returned to her den, she sat beside a large grey tom and a young she-cat. waiting, wondering if she go to him and talk about the two cats.

Rippedbelly glanced up at her new leader, he was uneasy and unsure. He was once second in ruling over the clan but now he was the leader who ruled over them. "I must tell him that two clan mates are hurt." she mewed to herself. Turned her head she looked at the tom and she-cat, "Hello," she meowed to them. "I'm Rippedbelly the new medicne cat of ThunderClan. What are your names? I don't know everyone here yet."

[Fernpaw]

((Uh, aren't you talking to Flint and Firen? *is confuzzled*))

[Flintpelt [Spideh]]

[Nope, I think she spoke to Loudthunder and Fernpaw.
Sorreh for OOC Just trying to clarify.]

[Fernpaw]

((Oooh, stupid brain. I understand now.))

[Snowstar]

All eyes were upon him and not a sound was made except for inquiries from the many different cats of Thunderclan. Snowstar never knew how Flamingstar could manage the pressure, but if the former leader could do it so could he; he had to. At least, that is one hope that remained inside of him. Rippedbelly was the last cat to come out, and taking her to be the last Thunderclanner, Snowstar began. " All of you, I'm sure, know the tragic events that happened these last few weeks, including the death of our leader, Flamingstar. She will be honored for forever more, however there are more things to discuss."

" I have gone to my trip to Moonstone, and I shall know me known as Snowstar. I believe that now we need a new deputy."

Snowstar paused; his eyes roved the crowd searching for the particular cat, that he had in mind. He'd thought long and hard about this choice and he thought it was the best one. Of course there were many cat deserving of the job, but some standing above all others. Gathering his voice, he began to speak again his voice soft and smooth.

" I say this before the spirits of Starclan and may they approve my choice. The new deputy of Thunderclan shall be Flintpelt. "

His speech done, the tom settled on the rock, seeing if anyone was going to ask him a question. There was much to take in, and he was sure that many would take a few minutes to register all he had said. What was even more challenging was how inexperienced he was at speaking to crowds for he was rather frightened of making a blunder or any such thing. Though, since there weren’t yowls of dislike, at least not yet, Snowstar took that as a good sign. Hopefully it was something good, for his life needed cheering of late.

[*Rippedbelly*]

Rippedbelly glanced up at Snowstar as he started to speak. She listened closing to his words, FlamingStar the clan old leader was here. She could feel her near by, her eyes watching him, all of them with pride.
She looked around at the other cats, and there siting side by side was Flintpelt and Firen! The two looked alright but Rippedbelly even still she should go ask them if they were. After the meeting was over.

Rippedbelly turned away and sat up when Snowstar told the clan who the new deputy was going to be. It was Flintpelt, one of cats she wa scaring for and who was siting here. At once she jumped up to Highrock, knowing now that Snowstar must know what happened. "Flintpelt can't be deputy yet!" she meowed to him and looked to Flintpelt and Firen, unsure about what to say next, Flintpelt looked stronger.

"He can be deputy as soon as his wounds heal enough." she meowed and looked to her leader. "He'll be fine in a few more days."

[Flintpelt [Spideh]]

The first thought that zoomed straight into Flintpelt's cranium as he heard his name spoken was a very simple one, and common as well.
I misheard. I must have misheard.
But as he saw the newly-named Snowstar lock his pale blue gaze upon him, he understood that his ears had been perfectly well, and that what he had thought to be pronounced was not only a hopeful figment of his ravaged imagination of late, but well and truly a part of his reality. Of the Clan's reality. Oh, wot de farg. Of everyone's reality.
For a single moment, his mind locked. He could simply not take in this amazing news. If this utterly flabbergasted feline had ever been a computer, the words CANNOT COMPUTE [the color red and capital font putting a particularly heavy emphasis on his inability to gather the announcement together and repair his unstable, frozen brain] would have flashed repeatedly on the surface of his flickering screen. However, he had luckily been born as a simple tomcat, and so could only express what he thought and felt in the ways he acted, leaving him free of deciding his own actions instead of making him display an absurd choice of hues and letters of gigantic size to indicate his difficulties.
His oculars were the first to react. In an imaginary world of comical drawings and stupidly funny looks, his flaming left eye would have widened to the size of a maple leaf while the other orb, dark green like a peaceful forest glade, would have shrunk, becoming smaller and smaller, to finish into a mere dot on the side of his face. Yet again, though, he was not a fictional character made only to spread amusement in the world of Two-legs, and just a simply disturbed and slightly confused feline in a Clan Meeting where he had just been announced that he would be the next Deputy, and so be assured the position of leader in his later moons - unless he died before Snowstar, that is. And so, instead of doing does terribly stupid actions listed above, his eyes only grew slightly in size, trying to reach the maximum width they'd be able to, as his pupils retreated inside their miscolored irises, giving him a vaguely surprised appearance since none of the rest of his face had yet begun to get in motion.
On a sudden impulse, his lower jaw dropped from the tight, clutching hold he had had on it earlier, a painfully audible crack becoming heard as it reached the lowest level it had been designed for. Not a single flinch crossed his face at the searing agony that shot through his features from the base of his muzzle, but he immediately closed his mouth, regaining that faintly stupid look of mild shock he had had before letting the rest of his features relax. His mind had finally begun to register the information it had been given, and most of his senses had come over the consternation that had been caused by the conbined form of the unexpected words 'deputy' and 'Flintpelt'.
In a strangely calm shroud of inactivity, the ebony-striped tom realized that everyone was waiting for him to make a move other than open his maw until it cracked or widen his eyes to make them look like two round astral bodies inside the streaked sky of his face. He gave a small shake of his head, cast a last warm glance over in Firen's direction, and then slowly padded towards the Highrock, paws hitting the ground in a soft, rythmic pattern, almost as if he was playing a tune on the dry, sun-hardened ground as he advanced towards his new destiny.
He leaped easily into the air, aiming carefully for the stormy gray surface of the stone [[Sorta looks like my fur,[/i] he thought inwardly, his mind absent for a second]... and landed flat on his face with his usual awkward clumsiness, his recent wound adding to the burning feeling that coursed through his body like white-hot needles pricking the sides of his veins, bringing him brutally back to the waking world and batting away the strange mist he had been thinking through in the previous moments. Reddening in total shame, he scrambled to his feet, and swiftly started a quick trot to join Snowstar's side, completely ignoring the Medicine Cat, Rippedbelly's, presence nearby, his ears not picking up a single one of the phrases she slipped into the ivory male's ear. He gave an apologetic glance for his behavior towards the seated leader, and then looked out over the gathered felines, a single thought passing through the growing turmoil of excitement, fear, awe and joy inside his head.
Wow.

[Loudthunder]

(((I thought NighClan cats counted as special characters and that we could only have one special character.)))

[Flintpelt [Spideh]]

[NightClan cats are special characters, but I don't have an important role [as in Leader, Deputy, etc.], so I'm still allowed to get one. Kiibeh had a NightClan cat who was leader, conbining important role and special character together, but I just have a NightClan cat [who will soon leave anywheh]. So... yeh :33
Sorreh for OOC ;]

[Snowstar]

{ I'm confused, so does that mean I have to change the Flintpelt to someone else? }

[Flintpelt [Spideh]]

[
NUUUUUUUUUU!!
x333
But why? He's injured? If that's it, though he may have trouble hunting and fighting for a while, he's pretty well healed. He did get badly hurt... but he picks up quickly. That's the reason he was at the meeting at all. Otherwise, Rippedbelly would've sat on him 'til he stayed inside the Med. Cat's den Heh. Awkward.
Jah.]