[namen_roodles]

FLINTCLAW
Thunderclan warrior | 23 moons | Massive, scarred dark tabby tom with pale blue eyes.
Killer Aptitude T1 | Just a scratch
~~~

The day with the otter feast had been interesting for sure. Flintclaw had wanted to follow Treetiger back into the den after banishing that strange thing in the clearing... but he had decided against it. In all reality, Treetiger was a strange cat that he knew little about. The more he learned, the more his pelt itched with discomfort. Perhaps it was the bitter taste of more medicine cat shenanigans. Perhaps he just didn't know her that well. He was not too keen on getting to know her, though. He had half a mind to tear down the entire idea of medicine cats as a whole.

His ear twitched when he heard a call. Not the one that was actually there. No, the phantom ear twitched with a sensation like bramble wrapped around it. It was an irritation that he was growing accustomed to. His eyes snapped open and he heaved himself up, stalking out into the clearing to sit and listen to Bumblestar's first announcement since her coma. There hadn't been much for her to miss, outside of the things that circled around the otters. He couldn't imagine that she was very far out of the loop anymore, though.

He looked up at the leader, not sure what he was expecting. Perhaps some kind of speech about the otters. Doubtful. Whatever he had expected, it wasn't what came out of the tired leader's maw. In the midst of all of the chaos. With them already suddenly changing medicine cats. Flintclaw's jaw clenched as Bumblestar announced she was stepping down. Not retiring. Just... joining the hornets.

A slow blink. What kind of insanity was this? He had no doubt that Spiderthroat could lead the clan. He had proven more than capable, but this seemed ill timed. Was there a good time for a leader to step down? Who did she think was sitting idly by and waiting for her? Was that not the duty of a deputy, to step in while she recovered? And the head hornet to support where needed in the event the deputy was indisposed? It felt like an easy out. She never wanted to be leader... She had brought the clan back from a place of disrepair, and decided to leave her position as it was mending itself after an immense hit like Fadingpaw's demotion?

Just like that, Bumblebreak stepped down from the stormcrest and Flintclaw's eyes sought out Spiderthroat. There was no doubt that he trusted the calico to lead. He even had the occasional doubts about Bumblebreak towards the end... but this only proved to him just how right his slowly growing suspicions had become. It was strange as his mind mixed with the reasoning behind her words and his own flash of anger at her abandoning the position. He couldn't tell if it was for the better or the worse.

What even was the right answer for the clan? He didn't know. It couldn't be tearing the entire leadership apart all at once. What would Spiderthroat have to deal with? Not as injured as Bumblebreak, even powerful enough to go after the otters a second time. The dark tabby's tail flicked behind him as he tried to keep his face mostly stoic. He was quickly reminded of his own previous promises. Keep his frustration to himself. Show confidence for the clan's leadership. Keep the peace until it was stable again.

He wondered if Spiderthroat would act as quickly with assigning a new deputy as he was with assigning a new medicine cat to continue supervising Hollowpaw.