Riverclan’s Deputy Ceremony

Wolfstar had spent a lot of though devoted to his deputy. Even though they had a lot of warriors, the variety honestly made it harder. First off, he needed a cat who respected him and who he could work with, which actually did eliminate some candidates. Because he was chosen as a deputy so young, he wanted someone more experienced who could guide him, so that got rid of some of the younger warriors for the most part. However, he didn’t completely know, even as he stepped up to call the meeting. Lichenscale was still there, of course, but the clan didn’t know what was happening. He hoped everyone would be okay with these changes.

Leaping up to the Willow Branch, he inhaled deeply. "All cats old enough to catch their prey gather below the Willow Branch."

ooc: the clan doesn’t know Wolfstar’s position, and this takes place after the leader ceremony. if you are still submitting a deputy app, pm me and i’ll hold off the ceremony for a bit.

Mothheart stirred from where he'd been contentedly napping in a particularly warm patch of sunlight. Opening one green eye, he rolled onto his back and craned his neck to catch sight of Wolfstorm on the Willow Branch. Maybe an apprentice ceremony? There weren't many kits around these days but it's not like he'd really been keeping track of how old they were so... maybe they were ready? With a mental shrug, he rolled onto his paws; giving himself a quick shake to rid himself of the sand and dust before padding over to await the meeting.

Apprehension weighted heavily on the broad pitch of Nettlesplash's powerful shoulders, a narrow crease evident between the delicate muscles of his brows. It had been a troublesome past few sunrises with Lichenstar, their habitual orbit tilted even further off its somewhat uneasy axis. It was impossible to see what was wrong, impossible to see what went wrong, whenever it was as though Lichenstar could hardly stand to speak to him any more; some invisible chasm fish-hooking the earth between their paws. At Wolfstorm's sudden call, the ruddy-furred tom only directed an idle glance in his younger counterpart's direction, unsure of what was about to transpire.

After a big enough crowd had gathered, Wolfstar began his announcement. It was a bit nerve-racking, addressing the clan for the first time as a leader. "As some of you may have noticed, I was gone for a while. This was because I went to the Moonstone. Lichenstar has decided to step down from leader, and will be returning to her position as a warrior. I thank her for serving this clan as a leader for many moons." A quick glance in acknowledgement to toward the she-cat.

"I have received all 9 of my lives, and now stand before you as Wolfstar." He stopped, giving all of the cats a moment to process the information. It was a lot to take in, certainly, especially for the tom himself.

"But I can’t lead the clan alone, and I need to chose a deputy. After careful consideration, I have made my decision." Was this the right choice? Was he sure? Yes and yes. This was a good decision, he could tell. And suddenly, he rembered his deputy ceremony, sitting there unknowingly, hearing his name. It had been a shock. He was a newly named warrior, and had been expecting someone else to be named.

"I say these words before StarClan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of Riverclan will be Willowshade." He smiled, proud of his choice. His former mentor would be able to guide him well, having so much more experience. He prayed that his ancestors agreed with him.

"Wolfstar! Willowshade! Lichenscale! Wolfstar! Willowshade! Lichenscale!"

The call was started by none other than Violetbriar, and her eyes were shiny with pride. Both for her mate and her former mentor. And respect for her now former leader. Purring, she bumped her head onto Willowshade's shoulder, and then ran to join her mate as he jumped down, beckoning Softcloud to her. "We're both so proud of you!" She told Wolfstar, and the WindClan medicine cat nodded in agreement. "You'll be a great leader," Softcloud assured him, smiling at one of her three closest friends.

Willowshade had crept from the warrior's den at the call of Wolfstorm, rime-colored eyes bleary with sleep. The sun was high in the sky, and it made her squint even harder-- she had been out hunting quite late into the night, taking advantage of the plentiful leaf-fall fish. She wrapped her silver striped tail around her white paws, her brain slowly waking up and processing the words coming from the Willow Branch.

As her dark grey ears began functioning, they could not believe what they heard. Lichenstar stepped down? If her eyes had not opened fully before then, they were definitely wide open now. She had never been particularly close with her leader, but Lichenstar had been a constant for so much of her life. There must have been a good reason, though; surely it was with the Clan's best interest at heart. The silver warrior almost started to cheer for Wolfstar before he continued, and at his words her voice died in her throat.

Deputy.

With numb paws, the she-cat stood tall. "I will gladly serve the Clan to the best of my ability," she called proudly, the shock in her brain swiftly overridden by the pride swelling in her chest. Willowshade gave Violetbriar a wide grin, watching her run to meet Wolfstar. StarClan forbid I outlive those two, she thought to herself, unwilling to be free of their constant presence.