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.”
