RiverClan Floodstone

[Estelle]

Soon enough, things began to escalate. Baby apprentices didn't come over well, several cats speaking up including Otterslash and Stonepaw himself. Truthfully, Gingerfrost hadn't much to say about it himself - growing up, younger (and thus more annoying) apprentices were almost normal. While it was a surprising sight after so many moons, it wasn't something the tabby had ever spent more thought on than necessary, all because he grew up around all these baby apprentices. It wasn't until He heard Stonepaw's words that he began to realise how twisted it truly was, the danger it could pose, and the worry he once bore during his own apprenticeship, but got lost to time.

But that wasn't the only thing that didn't come over well: The cove takeover. The moment he heard those words, something in Gingerfrost shifted from idle listening to something tenser. From looking over the riled-up cats of his clan, his eyes fell down to a young apprentice; the newly renamed Mumblepaw, calling out Beansprout on what the apprentice must consider idiocy. This anger; what Mumblepaw said wasn't all fiction, some parts the tabby could understand, others he could almost say he agreed with. But to the clan, his stance was unclear on the matter; perhaps his stance on the matter was even unclear to himself.

But, after addressing Stonepaw, Mumblepaw turned to address himself. The displeasure and irritation were clear even to Gingerfrost, who internally flinched at the words. One thing stands out: dad. Once again, Mumblepaw called him dad, and Mumblepaw was upset. His silence upset the son he had yet to fully process he has. And could upset many more; just like his words could upset Beansprout. He'd never publicly opposed a leader's choice before; his questioning was always silent, secretive almost. But now he was being asked to speak? Not quite, but in many ways he was. Gingerfrost hesitated, he wasn't sure what to do and momentarily averted his gaze.

Until it came to meet Mumblepaw's again. There was only one way to go about this, was there? Silence might only make things worse; whatever happened, it felt doomed. So, he made his decision. If none is right then so be it. Even toned and level, he gave his answer;
"I didn't agree to this. Not then, not now. Beansprout made this decision entirely on his own."
As the words left his maw, not loud nor soft, his eyes lifted up to the leader. For a moment, he paused, expression neutral as ever. He looked back at his son.

"The territory could be useful, I concur;"
For several reason, mainly the fact that he was hesitant sending hunting patrols to Sleepy Thicket, it being their burial ground, and saw need in rotating their hunting should they want to keep the storage plentiful. Even so, he was uncertain about taking the cove being a solution.
"But taking Firefly Cove is akin to a declaration of war."
A war he'd rather avoid reviving. Evidently, the grounds were dear to ThunderClan if they've been fighting over it for as long as they have.
"I've addressed the issues with Beansprout privately. Answers are awaited."

He paused for a few moment, mulling over his own words and thoughts. He carefully constructed awkward sentences, having to think through every word. This is precisely what he wanted to avoid; a split front on an arguably important decision. And yet he was pulled to speaking, sharing his thoughts as they slowly left his maw. He looked up at Beansprout. It wasn't much; not like the argumented speech Stonepaw had given, not like the accusations Mumblepaw and Otterslash were giving. But it was something; a glimpse into the stance Gingerfrost was taking, a glimpse into what he believed of this.

Even so, Beansprout deserved a chance to explain himself. Explain these decisions and explain his motivations behind it; the answers Gingerfrost sought before deciding what to do. He didn't think Beansprout as daft as some cats could be, far from that. There had to be some good reason, then convince them of that reason, rather than making these decisions on grounds seemingly shallow. That's why he kept an even tone, and a neutral expression, his exterior calm as he awaited for the Siamese to speak.


[ @Solar ]

[Abyssopelagic]

Sedgestorm glowered at the Streamstone's at Beansprout. The self appointed leader that no one asked for. He'd been sitting quietly for the whole meeting but no more.
He did not join this Clan just for it to end up like ShadowClan.
He stood, and carried himself from his spot at the edge of the gathered cats.
"You want to talk about history?," he snapped, tail straight as a board out of anger.
He taught history to the youth and newcomers of the Clan, he would not let someone twist the facts for propaganda.
"We gifted the Cove to ThunderClan. It had been surrendered without the intent of receiving anything in return. All you will be showing the Clans if you try to take it 'back' again is that we are hypocrites. Do you not remember what happened at the last battle for it? A kit found their way to the battle and died. Apprentices made up the most of our loses. Our youth do not need to be put in danger!"
Actually, had they lost any warriors? Are was it only the kit and 3 apprentices?
He hated this cat already. He hadn't even gone to the StarCave yet and he was already acting like he was StarClan's chosen..
Sedgestorm hadn't thought there could be anyone more stupid than Skystar, but here they were. At least Skystar had the decency to not make literal children into apprentices.
More than ever he was glad he had no children, adopted or biological, for he would surely be exiled to leaping up there and trying to rip out Beansprout's throat. But the idea still did not sit right with him.
This was child endangerment.
"Do you think the fact that apprentices are usually made apprentices as 6 moons is a mere coincidence? Even ShadowClan never deliberately made kittens into apprentices. 2 moons is too young to make an apprentice. Those kittens should be at theirs parent or guardians side, not worrying about the needs of a Clan that should be protecting them. We're suppose to protect our youth."
He was angry enough he didn't even care that he was, for the first time in seasons, openly admitting to his heritage. But he didn't care. They always accused ShadowClan of being brutes, so what did this make RiverClan?
Lionstorm had similar training blitz's that allowed them early apprenticehood, but never, never did he remember any of them being under 4 moons

He would end his tirade towards the leader here.
Instead, he moved himself to the back of the crowd once again, only stopping before he passed Stonepaw.
Why would Beansprout put their Medicine Cat through this? He had minimal training and no one to teach him. Not even someone who had to help him at all times. RiverClan seemed to have a tradition of placing apprentices as Medicine Cats. Snakeheart, Fawnlight......
It was a sickening pattern.
"Stonepaw. If the Clan does fight for Firefly Cove, I would like to assist you."
He sighs deeply, claws flexing into the earth to ground himself.
He wanted to say more, but after giving in to the urge to shout his opinion to the "leader", he was too tired, too drained. The world felt like it was trying to squish him flat.

[ @carmen ]

[Madelaine]

Marigoldleap watched as kits became apprentices. Same ole thing. Well that was until cats pointed out how young one of the kits were. Wait two moons? The large she-cat let out a low growl and scanned the clearing to find either or both Dirtkit and Kitekit. Worry ran through her. What of he made them apprentices at a young age. If anything happened to them she'd probably go insane. Hearing Sedgestorm she understood his anger. Marigoldleap was done with young cats dying unnecessary. They had their whole life ahead of them. Wanting to make a stand she feared she'd be kicked out, so she stayed silent. She didn't like this one bit, but she had to keep her mouth shut.

[vellichor]

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

Beansprout

Moon, Stars, and Skies above, the utter chaos that broke out after he last spoke was insane. The two main topics, of course, were his decision to make apprentices this young and the battle for the Cove. Beansprout could feel his confidence wavering, but he needed to put on a facade. He couldn’t let his mask drop, not yet. With his tail raised, he yowled. “Silence! I hear you all, and let me say this:”

“First, the issue you all have with the age of these apprentices. I would like to explicitly point out that nowhere in the Warrior Code does it say that kits must reach the age of 6 moons. In fact, all it says is that they must meet Clan requirements, which these apprentices have.” Now, he had addressed the issue as a whole, it was time to jump from cat to cat. “Otterslash. You claim that these kits are too young because they ‘can barely talk with failing to pronounce words correctly’, and yet then you turn around and say that they ‘can barely digest actually food that isn’t their mothers' milk’. If you’re going to pick a point to defend, at least make sure it’s one that you don’t struggle with yourself as a full-grown warrior.” That had made Beansprout annoyed at the sheer hypocrisy of it more than anything. “You keep going back to speech as if that is the most vital thing for a cat to be fluent in, Otterslash. While, yes, being able to pronounce words and string together correct phrases is a good skill for cats to have, I have seen firsthand a wide array of cats who struggle with it. Are these cats lesser warriors? Should they be treated like kits?” With a lash of his tail, the leader continued. “If anyone should watch their tongue, it is you. I don’t mind cats speaking up; in fact, I actively encourage sharing opinions among each other and especially myself. But that means showing your Clanmates respect. Especially when those Clanmates, such as Talonpaw, are directly affected by the issue you’ve been ranting about.”

“Stonepaw. I understand your concerns, and you make some valid points. But I would like to talk it over a bit. You talked about physical readiness quite a lot; even 2 moon old cats are far more resilient than you think they are. A vast, overwhelming majority of kits are weaned well before their second moon. Meaning they have had teeth for a while. As for claws, I’m… not too sure where you got that from, as kits are born with claws. I think that any queen could tell you that even a tiny prick from the sharp claws of a young cat can hurt. It’s not like these cats are lacking in physical features, as you say.” Beansprout snorted, narrowing an eye.

“I trust wholeheartedly that the warriors mentoring these apprentices, no matter their ages, will take their apprentices' age into account when training. While I understand you never had any warrior training, advanced moves such as ‘flipping around in defense’ are by no means moves meant for beginners. Many 6, 7, even 8 moon-old apprentices stick with these basics until they are mastered, and their mentors are fully confident they can move on safely.” With a brief pause, Beansprout addressed all the cats. “Mentors have a very serious responsibility no matter what, and maybe it’s just taking these circumstances for cats to realize this. All of you act as if mentors just tell their apprentices to train and then turn to stare at the river, not caring whether anything happens or not. I fully trust the capabilities of these warriors as well as the accountability of RiverClan. As I said, if a cat is severely failing in their duties as a mentor, they will be severely punished. Safety is one of my top priorities. I know what I am doing.”

It felt like he was just talking in circles, and yet there was more to say. “With all due, respect, Stonepaw, it is summer.” Beansprout stared at the younger cat, point-blank. “Your concerns, while valid during wintertime, have nothing to do with the situation at paw. During the wintertime, I will absolutely take these to heart and reconsider the ages of apprentices at that point.” Beansprout physically flinched at the mention of his daughter. He wanted to snap, to hiss, to say something nasty, but he kept his cool mask on. “I died not from the winter, but from other cats.” With a swift movement, the siamese showed the deep claw mark scars on his belly.

“And I died because I was alone. These apprentices will not be alone. Apprentices should never leave the camp alone anyway, and I think it’s time I crack down on that rule. If this is going to continue, after all, I don’t want younger apprentices to look at older ones sneaking out and think that’s acceptable. Attention all!” He yowled, hoping to grab the attention of everyone still gathered.

“As of now, if apprentices are found outside of camp alone, there will be severe consequences. These include demotion to kit status for a moon.”

With a huff, Beansprout turned his focus back to the medicine cat apprentice. “There will be no seven-moon-old warriors. The requirements demand that an apprentice be 12 moons to even qualify for a warrior ceremony. So, yes, I expect them to train for ten moons. As for the so-called loss of kithood, it isn’t as if the moment ‘kits turn to ‘paws, their whole kithood is over. Do apprentices of over 6 moons not still play silly games? Do they not talk with and rely on their parents, should they be lucky enough to have them? They aren’t kits anymore, technically. And yet, here they are, enjoying themselves despite their ‘paw name and status.” With a deep sigh, Beansprout continued. “I am in no way forcing or coercing these cats to become apprentices the moment they become two moons. I’m allowing two-moon old cats to become apprentices, should they wish. I am not forcing anything, I assure you. These cats went through a very specific training event by choice, and then chose to step forward again when an apprentice ceremony was offered.”

With an annoyed flick of his ear and a very light growl, the siamese spoke once again. “Yes. Fighting is out of the question. I said that about ten minutes ago, actually.” Okay, it was time to pull it back. Beansprout was getting a bit emotional, and he couldn’t have that interfering with logic. So, the leader took a few moments on the Streamstone to take a deep breath, clear his mind, and get back to the topic at paw.

“I’m telling you, as a leader, that these apprentices will turn out fine. With trust in our warriors and our apprentices, I do, in fact, have confidence that they will make it to 6 moons and beyond. Cats die and go missing whether they are ‘kits, ‘paws, or warriors and above. Nothing can stop that, no matter how hard I try. But having someone to watch over these young cats and teach them the basics of warriorhood is something that cannot hurt. And I’m telling you, as a Clanmate, that these kids are being kids. Their rank has no bearing on their behavior; we have more than enough cats to keep RiverClan out of trouble without putting any stress on these young ones. And if we don’t, well, then we have a bigger problem, don’t we?” He directed the last part at both Stonepaw and Sedgestorm, who had just spoken up.

Now, for the Cove. Beansprout could feel his throat starting to get sore and his spirits dampening. This was the topic he wasn’t as sure about anymore. Mumblepaw asked him questions and blamed Gingerfrost. Gingerfrost explained that he had nothing to do with the decision and didn’t support it. Mumblepaw and Stonepaw suggested turning to the Outskirts. Sedgestorm aggressively corrected his slip-up and expressed his extreme disapproval. Where was this outrage when he first proposed the idea? He had been so sure his Clan agreed with him, and now it seems the tides were turning against Beansprout. He was barely standing on his paws against the rushing wave of anger. Finally, the last bit of water that sent him over the edge of defeat: Otterslash.

“Do you think Fawn, your own daughter, would like this unnecessary violence?”

Beansprout wasn't mad, angry, or upset. All the tom could feel right now was confusion and deep, heavy disappointment. If Fawnlight was looking down at him, she would be so disappointed in this idea. In the cat he had become. Beansprout had thought he had Clanwide support with a few disagreements; it turned out it was the opposite. It took a moment, but he finally composed himself enough to speak. “I’m so sorry. I thought-- I thought that I had support for this idea, but I was severely mistaken. You all have spoken, and I will listen.”

“There will be no attack on Firefly Cove.”

“Thank you all for letting me know what you think. It seems I was misguided.” He turned to face the base of the rock to hide his face and put his mask back on. When Beansprout turned around again, his face was cool and collected. Though if one stood up on the Streamstone with him, it was clear that this was a poorly constructed facade. It was okay, though, because he had a few more precious moments to take some deep breaths before the camp guard meeting.

“Unless there’s anything I missed, this meeting is dismissed. All those who wish to discuss the idea of camp guards further may meet me in the clearing.”

// next meeting: TBA \\

 

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[stag]

Mumblepaw
They/He/It | Post Count: 44

Not even a word to him and their words. Thrown to the side. Mumblepaw wasn’t one that silently did things but the tunnels were valuable information. They needed to do something, regardless of approval or not. Mapping out the underlying territory was simple, getting that information to his thick skulled Commander was much more difficult, considering he missed Stonepaw’s entire point. Ugh. Mumblepaw saw no reason to argue anymore.
Instead clearing their throat and calling upon on the Commander and Second In Command of the Settlement. “Beansprout and Gingerfrost.” No Father. No Papa. No Dad. This was formal, a serious conversation. “We need to talk in the Commanders den, when Beansprout finishes his camp defender thing. I want to speak to both of you on something, meet me there, please.” The learner turned to the Commander and Second in Command and lastly to the Herbalist. “Thank you.” Clearly talking to Stonepaw, before dipping its head and picking up their stick. Paws quick to action as they padded towards and into the den, to wait for the “meeting” to begin. This was a conversation better spoken about in private.

@vellichor @Estelle @carmen

[Astraea]

OtterSlash

And with that she was done. Beansprout had completely missed the entire point of that rambling and ranting her,Stone,Mumble, and Sedge just spent a lot of time on talking about. Was this “leader’s” head made of rocks, considering how nothing they said seemed to register in this cats head.


It was a pity too, she was gonna give him a second chance but she guessed not. Beansprout doesn’t understand why BABIES shouldn’t be apprenticed… that was a personal problem. It might as be a clan problem at this point. These cats appointed this bone head to be leader. Flicking her tail she stormed out of camp, a huff and sigh going with her.

[Abyssopelagic]

If nothing else, Sedgestorm was grateful that Beansprout had revoked the choice to launch an attack for the Cove. He gave the briefest blink of appreciation to the soon-to-be leader as the siamese leapt from the Seastones.
He meandered back to Stonepaw, far calmer now, though no less feeling tired and heavy footed, but more ready to say more than a single sentence.
"I know the battle was just called off, but if you ever feel overwhelmed, recent battle or not, you can always ask me for help. You're doing great, but don't feel that you should shoulder your responsibilities alone, alright?"
He tried to give an encouraging smile.
Though his mouth still tasted foul in regards to the apprentices, but it seemed there's little that could be done about it for now.

[ @carmen ]

[iliri]

• Cormorantpaw •
long-furred smoky-black mackerel tabby molly with bits of white; yellow eyes
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Unfortunately for the young two moon old molly, she didn’t really understand a lick of anything that her leader was spewing. Her brain mainly consisted in the words of that there was originally going to be a battle and now Big Beanie was calling it off. Comorantpaw mentally took a guess for that being a good thing, she supposed, as that was the literal main thing that made sense in her tiny child brain. She couldn’t help but notice that cats all around her seemed pretty upset about kits her age becoming ‘paws. Cormorantpaw didn’t seem much peeved about it, rather shrugging her little shoulders when she got up and zoomed out of the meeting, beelining her way to the apprentices’ den.

_________________________________________________

[CLOSED]

[JackHunt_17]

Cloudpaw sighed when he said there'd be no attack, and then quickly scurried away when the meeting was dismissed

[Tecumori]

Lionpaw
Riverclan | Apprentice | He/Him | 2 moons | 13/100
a cream-pelted, thick-furred tom
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Lionpaw was a little shocked by the uproar of disapproval from his clanmates, but chose to stay quiet since he didn't understand most of what was going on- besides the fact that there would no longer be a battle. He couldn't say he was upset by this because he wouldn't have gotten to join anyways as Beansprout made it clear that kits nor young apprentices could join. As soon as the leader dismissed the clan he headed for the apprentice's den so he could be first to pick the best nesting spot.

[CLOSED]

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