High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

**beau** · #**39371** September 11th, 2021, 06:01 PM

Tidepaw blinked at her mentor, it finally sinking in. Cats had died. This was real, and cats were mourning. Reality rarely felt very clear, Tidepaw was always on the blurred edge between daydreaming and real life. But this moment was as clear and cold as ice, a shiver ran down the molly's spine. "No." She mewed, shaking her head, "I didn't know her..." She trailed off. Yellowpaw was gone, and she'd never know her. A stranger she'd never meet, an apprentice she'd never befriend. The petite molly pressed her fur against her mentor, the ebony of Tidepaw's pelt contrasting with Silentstorm's snowy white pelt. She wasn't sure if she was comforting herself or her mentor.

@Pheasantflight

**TheNyanCatMinecart** · #**39372** September 11th, 2021, 06:19 PM

~ WOLFFANG ~

Despite the solemn mood that hung over the deputy, and the rest of the Clan, after the failed ShadowClan attack and the maimed bodies, there had to be life in the Clan. Wolffang watched Twilightstar giving Leafpaw and Deadpaw their warrior names. Leafheart made sense; although he hadn't interacted too directly with the calico tom before his assessment, he seemed to be more of a kind and caring type. WindCln needed strong warriors, and Wolffang didn't doubt that Leafheart was strong - he was larger than a lot of WindClan's warriors, after all, and an excellent hunter. He should probably discuss him potentially being a tunneler with Twilightstar after the meeting, based on that performance of sensing where the rabbit was underground during his assessment.

Wolffang blinked at Deadpaw - no, Deadmoon's - new name. He didn't know what he'd been expecting. She'd gotten the prefix for her lame paw, which made sense considering Featherwhisker, but the suffix -moon? Where had that come from? He knew that Twilightstar normally didn't keep the prefixes of disabled cats - she had made Twistedpaw into Ashfeather. She didn't change Deadmoon's, but she hadn't been named after her lame paw. Back then, I was annoyed at Twilightstar's naming style since I thought that the disabled cats deserved to be labeled for what they were. Briefly, he glanced down at his paws. That had been... a bit harsh of him, hadn't it? If it hadn't, then why would he feel guilty about it now?

No matter. The Clan was chanting the warriors' names, so Wolffang, being their deputy, saw it fit. "Leafheart! Deadmoon!" he yowled along with his Clanmates. Leafheart had shown good skills and Deadmoon, well, she'd been an apprentice for so long that he'd have to get used to saying her new name instead of Deadpaw. At least his half-sister wasn't stuck at a lower rank. Maybe I could teach her some more battle moves. Be a better older brother. Once again, he felt that pang, the reminder that he hadn't been the smartest young cat... and that just threw him back into internal conflicts, how dealing with ShadowClan and the others wasn't enough trouble for him. His whole questioning how he'd been raised and what he believed that tired him out to no end.

Now isn't the time, he told himself strictly, lifting his head as the cheering died away. Twilightstar had begun to speak again, and yep, it was about ShadowClan. Wolffang felt the mood growing solemn once more as the cheers of the two new warriors died on every cats' tongues. Yellowpaw. That was the name of the dead apprentice he had seen. A young cat who had never gotten the chance to be a warrior alongside Deadmoon and Leafheart, who would go to StarClan forever bearing an apprentice name. The fights... and the mention of how WindClan had once driven out ShadowClan, when Icestar ruled. Wolffang's long, curved claws sunk into the ground. Oh, how he'd love to do that again. Get rid of ShadowClan and that treacherous leader with her horrible hound...

Twilightstar's next words caused Wolffang to listen, for his bright yellow gaze to fix more intently on the battle-scarred she-cat. She was right: life moved on, and although they shouldn't forget, they also shouldn't let these things rule their lives. This was a serious topic, but his mind strayed to other cats, things of the past. Those words held a deeper meaning, an important lesson to the rest of WindClan. And now Twilightstar... she was getting more personal. Admitting her mistakes. And Wolffang had to admit, he agreed.

Twilightstar was a good leader, as well as a wise one. She had a more peaceful side that Wolffang didn't like; however, he had to admit, it helped to balance things out. But now things had gotten worse because of her refusal to fight. It stung Wolffang to hear WindClan called weak, and it almost made him protest, but he didn't. The words stung like wasps, but they were true. WindClan had gotten weak. They were no longer strong enough to defend themselves against threats, and they'd leaned more toward peace. Wolffang's large ears perked upward, his gaze growing grim.

Another thing that she brought up was blind loyalty. Wolffang was right: where was the motivation? These cats had to fight for what was theirs, but to do that, they had to work for it. Not just blindly stumble into situations. His mind flashed back to how Twilightstar had talked to him, how she had told him that his views on disabled cats were wrong, and... well... I wasn't following her blindly. I was thinking about her advice. And... I still am. Once again, this wasn't the time, but those words rung a bell. He'd have some things to say to the Clan as well when she had finished talking.

And there was the feast day, the relaxation that Twilightstar mentioned. It threw off what Wolffang was going to say, but he could work it in somewhere. Motivate them while also letting them know that there was time for them to both mourn and relax, to rejuvenate themselves before the bigger fights that were to come. Wolffang couldn't help flashing back to the warrior he once was. Fierce, cocky, ignorant, hateful, self-absorbed. How different he was now, shaped by Twilightstar, his experience as deputy, and all the pressure being put on him - both from within his Clan and outside of it.

Wolffang knew it was time to speak. He rose to his paws and gave a quick dip of his head to Twilightstar before turning to face the Clan. His head was high and his gaze was serious as he travelled along each and every one of them. His Clan. He might highly dislike some of its members, but in the end, they were WindClan. They had to keep their pride, make sure that the other Clans didn't see them as the cowardly bunnies that they were stereotyped for. And with him as deputy? If there was one promise he could make, it would be that he would do anything to make WindClan great again.

"What Twilightstar said was really well said. All of our grief, loss, and failures are tearing us apart from within, weakening us until we are almost like the rabbits ShadowClan calls us. Fleeing or following blindly, able to fight back but most of the time, we've been hunted like prey. But now is not the time to reflect on past mistakes. Yes, we will remember those who have fallen to the claws of ShadowClan, but we will also think about the times when we were strong, organized, cats with minds and opinions that were able to fight as hard as we could, and win."

"I'm not calling you all weak. Not at all. However, we all need to improve upon each other. Learn our own ways while still staying united, under the warrior code and our leader. We must not forget, but we shall still move on. With each moon that passes, we will improve, do better, learn more. Our feast day will be a time to take our minds off of the terrible events and remember those who have passed, which has already been stated. Use that time wisely to get your minds back in order, without being in the thick of everything. And then after that? We'll train."

"After the feast, we'll work harder to learn more of ShadowClan's techniques. How they fight, what they aim for, the advantages that they might have over us or that we have over them. Apprentices should get more battle training, and warriors will go over these specialized techniques. It is only a suggestion, but learning the ways of our enemies and revitalizing our strength is the best way to stand up against our enemies. Also, some team cooperation would do us all well. If Twilightstar agrees, of course." He dipped his head in the direction of his leader before turning back to his Clanmates.

"For the feast, we'll need cats to hunt. And after we've brought back the prey, we'll relax. ShadowClan may have stolen a chunk of our territory, or maimed the bodies of our Clanmates, but they will not have stolen our spirit. We have learned from the last time we were defeated, and we will use it, as well as the memories of the fallen, to eventually show them that we aren't pushed around. We won't be bunnies; we'll be WindClan! A strong Clan that all of us can be proud of."

@Moonraven

**spade** · #**39373** September 11th, 2021, 08:02 PM

❅ Snowypaw

From where they sat towards the back of the crowd with their new mentor, Snowypaw’s head turned as Twilightstar began to speak. The words that came out dampened their spirit just a bit as their ears went back. What she spoke of... was true. WindClan had been dying at the claws of ShadowClan at a pretty alarming rate. If the Clan kept this up... would that be the end of WindClan?

Thinking such things only succeeded in making their head hurt. Snowypaw gave it a shake, blue eyes squeezing shut momentarily before opening. Fixating on a few cats that were speaking up. Sun spark, they believed his name was, though they had never spoken to them. Blue eyes couldn’t help but narrow - mourning the dead was hardly sitting on their paws, they thought, but perhaps a majority of WindClan agreed with him?

Looking around, the white furred apprentice tried to read the expressions of the rest of the Clan. To no avail, however, as most of them had masks concealing their thoughts, only speaking words that Twilightstar wanted to hear - or ideas that Snowypaw was certain had already been voiced.

Finally the last cat their eyes spotted - Wolffang. Their older half-brother - well, brother to them, they didn’t necessarily care about the ‘half’ part. He spoke with such confidence, grace... no wonder Twilightstar had made him deputy. A smile worked its way across Snowypaw’s face as she watched him. What a glorious leader he would be one day...

”Wolffang is right,” they called out, rising to their paws as they gave a nod to the WindClan deputy. Looking at Twilightstar, Snowypaw stepped forward a bit. Their heart hammered against their chest, but a quick swallow squashed the rising tide of anxiety within their chest. ”We’re WindClan. ShadowClan can come and take our territory, they can murder us, but they will never steal our spirit.” Blue eyes shining now with determination. ”We will work harder- for you, for WindClan. ShadowClan - their hearts are blinded by the very shadows they live in. They fight outside of the code, and that will be their downfall. Just as our ancestors before us, we will make them see just who we are.”

Stars, it was getting hot. Snowypaw definitely didn’t like calling attention to themselves, but still they continued, gaze sweeping across the gathered cats - one darting look forwards Wolffang to draw strength off of him - before resting it on their leader once more. ”Some of the ShadowClan cats were fighting in pairs. Perhaps we could try to do the same thing? The apprentices could pair up and learn how to fight together? That way, we could also recognize when our Clanmates need our help in battle. ShadowClan are big, bulky - they’re not fast on their feet by any means. Maybe utilizing our speed will be our best asset?”

// @TheNyanCatMinecart

***Rani*** · #**39374** September 11th, 2021, 09:27 PM

Crowtooths fur fluffed from where he was laying in the enterence of the medicine cats den at, well at Twilightstars lecture being familiar with the scolding teaching tone. He didnt like it any more then he did the first time even though she spoke nothing but the truth and the heavily injured warriors head dipped with the words. But..... Crowtooth wasnt part of the problem here right? The tunneller had taken part of every battle he was able to from the begining and more then pulled his weight in them, only reason he hadnt rushed in with Twilightstar and the rescue team in the gathering battle that finally free'd them was the leader had expressly ordered him stay behind to clear the camp. Which he did, near all shadowclan cats were out at the time but the warrior had done his duty and chased out the remainders like that vicious near feral apprentice.... So he wasnt part of the problem right?

Crowtooth thought deeply as cats started piping up and decided yes, he could have run a few more events but he hadnt because he had no time, not because he didnt care to put in the effort. Maybe he needed to try harder though, Crowtooth used to run far more events in his younger moons then he was now. Yes as soon as he'd recovered the tunneler would throw himself back into the swing of things even if he'd already been giving it his all.

It seems Wolffang had the same sentiment and, for lack of any other way to help injured as he was, the skunk striped tom let out a weak crow of support even as the action exhausted him. Windclan wasnt done yet.

***Moonraven*** · #**39375** September 12th, 2021, 12:18 AM

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

Twilightstar's ears perked up as cats began tossing out a variety of ideas. Leopardfire offered battled training, Tidepaw gave her a rather interesting version for hunting with the kits. Her eye settled on Leafheart when he spoke about teaching, Deadmoon looked rather pleased with herself even though Twilightstar had sadly taken a great deal of attention off her and her new warrior statues. She felt a bit guilty about it, but considering neither warrior appeared troubled by it she shoved her guilt aside.

Sunspark disgruntled words had the lilac leader scowled thoughtfully. Not that she was particularly upset about what was being said or what he was implying, it was the fact of how little he was saying. "All cats mourn in different ways, not everyone is able to power through their feelings of grief. I don't think giving the clan a day to settle before we get to work will cost us much. We've lost a great deal.... I am not going to force anyone to join the feast, if you and others wish to do something else then feel free." Twilightstar would have rethought the whole feast if more cats had protested, but it seemed like most of the clans would like a moment of rest. Twilightstar had forced them into battle right after losing five of their clanmates and then not only had they lost their territory but another clanmate. A little time to recovery she felt would do wonders.

"I don't like the word useless, as I've stated I've grown passive and acknowledged that in turn so has the clan, but no ones has been useless. As for your advice, you need to give more details if you want me to put something into action. You think we need a more rigorous training schedule, I'd like to know what kind of training do you think would benefit the clan? As for harsher punishments, and me to be more aggressive in my leadership. I already have Wolffang practically exiling cats who can fail to report their patrols, I've approved demotions in the past but it didn't seem like that changed much. Aside from threatening death or exiling cats on the spots, I'm not certain what harsher punishments you'd think would work better." It felt like he was telling her to do better but not giving her any suggestions on how she should go about do it. Twilightstar's eye flickered over to Sunspark's twin who seemed to wear a similar expression of discontent on her face but didn't offer any words to go with the emotion.

"Though I can understand doubling up on mentors could be helpful, no one cat has the same training methods as the other. I think it could be more confusing for an apprentice to have two mentors." Through it might be possible for if the mentor was assigned to teach the apprentice a certain lesson... but still it didn't sit well with her. She'd see if any of the apprentices or Wolffang had any thoughts about it. She was a bit disappointed that Peachfrost was not about, the molly was busy she was certain, but Twilightstar would like to hear what she thought about all of this. "I'm not pushing kits out of the nursery before they've reached six moons, we can do small lessons with them to better their future training, but they stay kits until they reach six moons." The leader wasn't budging on that, WindClan could use more warriors and apprentices, but not to the point that she'd be breaking that rule.

"As for battle tactics and how to compensate for the lack in numbers, I can gather the clan for a strategic meeting after the feast. If you think of any ideas we'll hear them then." If necessary she could go to RiverClan. Kestrelstar's words echoed in the back of her head. But in the long run, Twilightstar wasn't totally comfortable relying on RiverClan more than she had to. Not to say that RiverClan would have any reason to turn on them, but the thought of some sort of debt being owed made her wary. Hearing how terrible Kestrelstar has had his cats deal with the debt ThunderClan owed, made her wonder if her clan would be dealing with another Dawnstar one day. She didn't like the thought, but she had only so many lives left before she'd be replaced with the next WindClan leader... WindClan's future with RiverClan was not set in stone.

Her gaze dropped down to Wolffang once he began speaking to the clan. She lowered her chin in a silent nod of agreement with his what he had to say. He had a way with the words that would hopefully inspire the clan. It certainly seemed to work wonders on his sibling. Snowypaw never seemed to be all that bold, a bit recklessly, but nothing terrible. The way they latched on to Wolffang's confidence was rather sweet to see, that is how siblings should be. Wolffang's come a long way since she first name him deputy, he seemed to be repairing relationships and slowly coming to terms with what strength was to him. He might make a great leader after all. It wasn't a thought that had crossed her mind moons ago. Twilightstar had no problems being proven wrong when it was something like this.

"Tidepaw, I'd like to hear more about your ideas with mock hunting for the kits. If possible we can set it up as something for kits to do during the feast. As for the partner fighting, Snowypaw, that is something we can work on. Leopardfire seems to have something similar in mind, so we'll see about dividing and conquering there. If any other cats have thoughts on training or battling, I'll hold a strategy meeting for apprentices and warriors, we can delegate tasks once we figure out what we're doing and hold some events." It wasn't great nor perfect, but it was something Twilightstar felt like she should have done a long time ago. The she-cat leaped from the Breezerock signaling at the end of the meeting.

**Poprock** · #**39376** September 12th, 2021, 01:00 AM

@Little Timmy

It was almost comical how fast Peachfrost's head whipped around, green eyes large and surprised. Her mouth hung open stupidly as she stared at her sister. Creamcloud... wanted to help? Had she inhaled too many herbs or was her brain just short circuiting. Creamcloud... her sister... the sister who always resented her... wanted to.... help? It was probably a few beats too long that Peachfrost stared at her sister like a fish. Probably should respond before she gets annoyed and leaves.

"Uh... ya! I would actually really like that." She finally forced the words out, blinking at Creamcloud once more before turning to the moss beds. "I was just laying down a fresh bed of moss for incoming patients." She gestured to a pile of green moss in the corner, still waiting to be placed on a bed. "If you want to help with that I mean."

She had so many questions to ask! How are you doing without dad and Skyleaf? Have you talked to Rowanpaw recently? How is the new apprentice? Instead, she stayed silent, waiting for Creamcloud to begin talking.

**Little Timmy** · #**39377** September 12th, 2021, 01:41 AM

| @Rockfall | (oh shoot, I literally just realized I’ve switched names up with Creamcloud and Peachfrost in my previous post, and I’ve also misspelled a f e w words.)

Her sister seemed to be surprised, why wouldn’t I help you? After the whole battle and all Peachfrost seemed to be way more busy with taking care of cats than taking care of herself. Of course she cared, she wasn’t gonna be the mean jealous jerk that she often was. Peachfrost was her sister for Starclan’s sake. She wouldn’t stop me jealous after this— just once she’ll be nice, for her sister.

Creamcloud inhaled, these were apprentices’ jobs, gathering moss for bedding. but it was fine. She had gotten herself into this is would be plain rude to back out of it. Plus, if the medicine cat got to do this it would be a medicine cats job too, and a helpers. Like an medicine cat apprentice,, or a normal apprentice. A new topic came to mind, “when was her sister gonna get an apprentice?” She had gotten one already- and she’s was excited to train them.

She padded over to the pile of moss and picked some up. She brought it over to the unfinished bedding and placed it down, “Soo, how’s life?” she asked, padding back to the pile to get a little more bedding. She flattened the bedding, and did whatever mess she had to do to make the bedding right. The cat who’d stay in that nest would have to deal with it anyways, he sister probably wouldn’t let them move.

**FriedChicken** · #**39378** September 12th, 2021, 03:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Moonraven

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

Twilightstar's ears perked up as cats began tossing out a variety of ideas. Leopardfire offered battled training, Tidepaw gave her a rather interesting version for hunting with the kits. Her eye settled on Leafheart when he spoke about teaching, Deadmoon looked rather pleased with herself even though Twilightstar had sadly taken a great deal of attention off her and her new warrior statues. She felt a bit guilty about it, but considering neither warrior appeared troubled by it she shoved her guilt aside.

Sunspark disgruntled words had the lilac leader scowled thoughtfully. Not that she was particularly upset about what was being said or what he was implying, it was the fact of how little he was saying. "All cats mourn in different ways, not everyone is able to power through their feelings of grief. I don't think giving the clan a day to settle before we get to work will cost us much. We've lost a great deal.... I am not going to force anyone to join the feast, if you and others wish to do something else then feel free." Twilightstar would have rethought the whole feast if more cats had protested, but it seemed like most of the clans would like a moment of rest. Twilightstar had forced them into battle right after losing five of their clanmates and then not only had they lost their territory but another clanmate. A little time to recovery she felt would do wonders.

"I don't like the word useless, as I've stated I've grown passive and acknowledged that in turn so has the clan, but no ones has been useless. As for your advice, you need to give more details if you want me to put something into action. You think we need a more rigorous training schedule, I'd like to know what kind of training do you think would benefit the clan? As for harsher punishments, and me to be more aggressive in my leadership. I already have Wolffang practically exiling cats who can fail to report their patrols, I've approved demotions in the past but it didn't seem like that changed much. Aside from threatening death or exiling cats on the spots, I'm not certain what harsher punishments you'd think would work better." It felt like he was telling her to do better but not giving her any suggestions on how she should go about do it. Twilightstar's eye flickered over to Sunspark's twin who seemed to wear a similar expression of discontent on her face but didn't offer any words to go with the emotion.

"Though I can understand doubling up on mentors could be helpful, no one cat has the same training methods as the other. I think it could be more confusing for an apprentice to have two mentors." Through it might be possible for if the mentor was assigned to teach the apprentice a certain lesson... but still it didn't sit well with her. She'd see if any of the apprentices or Wolffang had any thoughts about it. She was a bit disappointed that Peachfrost was not about, the molly was busy she was certain, but Twilightstar would like to hear what she thought about all of this. "I'm not pushing kits out of the nursery before they've reached six moons, we can do small lessons with them to better their future training, but they stay kits until they reach six moons." The leader wasn't budging on that, WindClan could use more warriors and apprentices, but not to the point that she'd be breaking that rule.

"As for battle tactics and how to compensate for the lack in numbers, I can gather the clan for a strategic meeting after the feast. If you think of any ideas we'll hear them then." If necessary she could go to RiverClan. Kestrelstar's words echoed in the back of her head. But in the long run, Twilightstar wasn't totally comfortable relying on RiverClan more than she had to. Not to say that RiverClan would have any reason to turn on them, but the thought of some sort of debt being owed made her wary. Hearing how terrible Kestrelstar has had his cats deal with the debt ThunderClan owed, made her wonder if her clan would be dealing with another Dawnstar one day. She didn't like the thought, but she had only so many lives left before she'd be replaced with the next WindClan leader... WindClan's future with RiverClan was not set in stone.

Her gaze dropped down to Wolffang once he began speaking to the clan. She lowered her chin in a silent nod of agreement with his what he had to say. He had a way with the words that would hopefully inspire the clan. It certainly seemed to work wonders on his sibling. Snowypaw never seemed to be all that bold, a bit recklessly, but nothing terrible. The way they latched on to Wolffang's confidence was rather sweet to see, that is how siblings should be. Wolffang's come a long way since she first name him deputy, he seemed to be repairing relationships and slowly coming to terms with what strength was to him. He might make a great leader after all. It wasn't a thought that had crossed her mind moons ago. Twilightstar had no problems being proven wrong when it was something like this.

"Tidepaw, I'd like to hear more about your ideas with mock hunting for the kits. If possible we can set it up as something for kits to do during the feast. As for the partner fighting, Snowypaw, that is something we can work on. Leopardfire seems to have something similar in mind, so we'll see about dividing and conquering there. If any other cats have thoughts on training or battling, I'll hold a strategy meeting for apprentices and warriors, we can delegate tasks once we figure out what we're doing and hold some events." It wasn't great nor perfect, but it was something Twilightstar felt like she should have done a long time ago. The she-cat leaped from the Breezerock signaling at the end of the meeting.

Moletongue suggested "maybe we make more tunnels for escaping when shadowclan next attacks"

**Jesse** · #**39379** September 12th, 2021, 04:07 AM

Sunspark lowered his gaze as Twilightstar shot down his proposals one by one. To be fair, he hadn't been especially specific.. but still, not even a single bone thrown his way? Yes, it was true he'd had exile in mind when suggesting harsher punishments, but after seeing Twilightstar deflect as if she had no intention of considering the idea, he was glad to have neglected mentioning it. And it wasn't as if the kits would be forced into battle before they were ready. That was the point of training, wasn't it? Alas, clearly nobody around here had the guts to set aside their moral hubris and do what needed to be done. This sort of softness was exactly what Shadowclan would use against them. Of course, Sunspark neglected to mention that as well.

"Yes, of course." The tom feigned a convincing smile, but the taste of venom licked the back of his throat. He turned to Skyflare with an expression that seemed strikingly grim in contrast. It must have been surreal for his sister to witness him-- usually the light in every room-- act so uncharacteristically dismal. There was an uncomfortably long pause before he acknowledged her presence. "You know that thing you suggested earlier?" Sunspark hinted with a tilt of his head, his voice just barely audible over the residual chatter of the crowd. "I think I've changed my mind. In fact, we should do it now.." He glanced over his shoulder to confirm no one listening in. "..while they are stuffing their faces." He'd originally been opposed to the idea, fearing the consequences they would face should they be caught, but the meeting had left him with a lot of pent up frustration.

@vermin

**Binx** · #**39380** September 12th, 2021, 10:32 AM

SwiftPetal sighs she never had any ideas and she felt stupid for it but she also was honestly scared of somthing but she said nothing, she was planning on going to the borders later and hut for herself than feast on coltish prey not that she wasn’t thankful but she already had..plans so to speak