Chapter 3 - A New Deputy

ThunderClan Leader: Downystar- a handsome black-and-white tom Deputy: Crimsongale-a deep orange tom with piercing aqua eyes; only has one ear and one eye due to battle; senior warriorMedicine Cat: Dapplenight- A small tortoiseshell she-cat with hot amber eyesHailfur- A pale gray tom with blue eyesWarriors:Lunarmoon- A dark, hazy brown she-cat with a large disc of pale yellow on her face, amber eyesOwlfeather-An ivory tom with glassy blue eyesSmokeypelt- A large, smokey black tom with fierce storm-gray eyesAbyssaldream- A gray she-cat with yellow eyesWolfheart-A large blue and gray tom with a large patch of calico on his right forepaw; half of his left ear is torn off and his right eye is permanently squinted because of the loss of an eyeTornadowind- A blue and gray tom with storm gray eyesDreamwave- A small, gray tortoiseshell she-cat, an odd colour, mixture of gray and white splotches with storm gray eyes

Ebonfur- A small black tom with golden eyes
Manglepelt-a gray and blue mottled furred she-cat; her body is permanently cracked to one side; senior warriorQueens: Truesoul-A medium length blue and gray she-cat with yellow eyes; nursing two kits
Truesouls Kits

Galekit-A white she-cat with medium length fur; blue flecks in her pelt. Golden eyes
Turtlekit-A gray and white tortoiseshell tom with blue eyes
Elders-

Gorsepelt-A black, sturdy and thickset tom with golden eyes; retired early due to crippling woundsTenorvoice- A large and sturdy white tom with equally white eyesCrippledjaw-a white, strained she-cat whose back has a cripple, only Crippledjaw also suffers from a permanently dislocated jaw





ShadowClan Leader: Boldstar- An elderly she-cat; completely black pelt with one white, splotchy stripe going down her back Deputy: Dangletail- a large gray pelted tom with blue eyesMedicine Cat: Stormsky- A dark, almost black tom with hazel brown eyesWarriors- Frisklegs- a black tom with white ears and white on the tail; senior warrior Pouncepelt- a sleek, brown tom with large hind legs; senior warriorEmbercloud- a tom with a black pelt, and his right foreleg engulfed in a fiery-looking auburn sock, he has golden eyes Lilypad- A gorgeous yellow tabby she-cat with white socks, golden eyesRussetfur-A tawny coloured she-cat with yellow eyesQueens:

Shellheart- A pale gray she-cat with blue eyes; going to birthEverwind- A dark brown she-cat with a tan hue on her face. Amber eyes; nursing one kit
Everwinds Kits-

Sightkit-A small chestnut coloured tom with white ears and golden eyes; he is muteElders: 




WindClan- Leader: Blinkstar-a shy and generous white she-cat with two black pawsCliffpaw-A small golden tom with green eyes
Deputy: Claytoe-a sturdy black tom with one white paw
Medicine Cat: Fuzzpelt- a golden she-catBristlepaw-A medium sized she-cat with beige fur, emerald eyesWarriors: Spiraltail- A small, tabby she-cat; the last out of three other brothers and sisters, she has golden eyesRipclaw- a large tortoiseshell tom; senior warriorDeerpaw-A small copper tom with deep, blue eyesQueens: Elders: 



RiverClan- Leader: Foreststar-A wise orange tom with white eyesDeputy: Shatteredjaw- a roan tom; senior warrior; formerly named Redspeck

Medicine Cat: Rabbitleaf- a quick-witted, old golden furred cat, forest green eyesWarriors: Glasseyes-A small and adventurous she-cat; black and brownCattail- wise and young she-cat tortoiseshell with a dark brown colour on the end of her tail Caimanclaw-a young but determined black warrior; senior warriorQueens: Elders:



Chapter 3: A New Deputy

As the gathering of cats surrounded the deputy, they faintly heard a murmur of defeat, whispering, I failed& Downystar dead& No way for Brandedspirit to get in& Wolfheart flicked his ears at the unfamiliar name, but thought to himself Hes just at a loss of blood and proper consciousness& yet something nagged him. Brandedspirit? Who or what was this? Another warrior from an enemy Clan? His neck fur bristled, though he angrily reconsidered that his father was one of the most loyal cats to this Clan. Perhaps a Loner&

Taking his mind off the matter, he meowed calmly, raising his single blue eye to the crowd of cats, Leave him; he needs air to breathe. Crimsongale, Downystar, and the Medicine Cats can stay. With a slightly ashamed flick of his ears, he overheard Owlfeather, who had only moments before praised him, speaking to his brother haughtily as they stalked away. &Acting as though hes leader&

Crimsongale, the copper tom, was watching him with one sympathetic aqua eye. He walked over and stood beside him, watching the black tom. He was one great warrior. I hope he returns to us soon. Unconsciousness brings terrible things. Nodding absently, Wolfheart brought up the name his father spoke a few minutes ago. Crimsongale was as much at a loss as he was himself. Suddenly he heard Gorsepelt meow almost too quiet to hear, Resign from deputy. I am resigning. Cant see in one eye& Stomach hurts like carrion smells.

The deputy lay still, but raised his head a touch above the ground with weakness. He looked to his leader, glaring in frustration. I said let me resign. The black and white tortoiseshell looked dumbfounded, staring disbelievingly at his deputy. N-No! he replied at last, shaking his head in a panic. I cant! Youre the best deputy one could ever wish for. With a mirthless chuckle, Gorsepelt interrupted with such calm confidence that it scared Wolfheart, You never had to wish, Downystar. The cat youve needed has been sitting under your nose the entire time. For an instant, Gorsepelts eyes, one seeing, one not, flicked to Wolfheart, then surpassed him to Crimsongale. You have always known in your heart that Crimsongale was the most experienced and rightful deputy of this Clan.

All three cats were so shocked; Wolfheart went rigid with fury and shattered feelings, while Crimsongale blinked in pride but surprise. Downystar merely nodded in acceptance after a while. And what of you, Gorsepelt? he said submissively, betraying his normally commanding tones for a softer one. You wont go to join& before he could finish the sentence of StarClans ranks, Gorsepelt chuckled and shook his head stiffly, No, no. I shall head to the Elders den with these marks. You and your new deputy shall go to the Gathering. The look of confusion that crossed the leaders face made Gorsepelt blink. You didnt forget it was tonight, did you? the leader coughed and replied almost sheepishly, Well& Yes I did. But I suppose we have time. It is nearly sunhigh now, so we have time.

Nodding reluctantly, he drew away. Wolfheart stood stiffly and glared hatefully towards Crimsongale, who only flashed a look of confusion and misunderstanding back. Before he could speak up of what that look was for, Wolfheart had stalked away, tail flagging in the air. Gorsepelt, noting this, sighed dejectedly. It was because I suggested you for deputy and not him. He thinks I will give him my rank and everything I had once before to him because he is my son. I do not blame him for wanting deputyship though; after all, look what he did for ThunderClan. For the whole forest. Eaglestar is now dead. But strength, skill and knowledge are not all one needs to be a leader nor deputy. At the wondering look Crimsongale gave him, he continued, You need heart. The first three attributes are good enough for a warrior and lead to definite power, but in order to be righteous and good for any Clan you need heart. It is what makes you fierce as a tiger yet loving as a tiger cub. Eventually, the crimson-copper tom dipped his head in understanding, and mewed feebly, But I never wanted to have a rift between us. We have been the greatest of friends and now it seems to have gone nowhere.

Before the weakened tom could reply, Dapplenight snapped impatiently, I appreciate your care for our deputy but if you want him to be prancing around trying to please everyone anytime soon, please leave us. Besides, she added with a sly smile, blinking up behind Crimsongale, Downystar is calling a meeting.

Crimsongale sighed and dipped his head respectfully towards the Medicine Cat, then turned away to see that his leader indeed was on top of Highrock with the normal air of command in his very presence. Admiration glowed through Crimsongales eyes as he watched the muscular tortoiseshell yowl out with dignity and experience, Let all those cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highrock for a Clan Meeting. As the Clan cats began to usher around the stone, Crimsongale found himself near the front, seated beside the greatly praised white elder, Tenorvoice. He was admired for his size and wisdom, always speaking out to no one in particular. Some believed it to be his old friend, Ringpelt, as they had been friends since they were two moon old kits. His normally clouded eyes, however, stood out and shone like glittering golden balls of fire. His elderly form and bedraggled appearance of age was gone, and he looked like a full warrior once again. Heart. The words echoed through the toms mind as he looked at this once very ancient tom who had given enough heart to become a strong ThunderClan cat one last time, before giving in to the warm touch of StarClan. It is what makes you fierce as a tiger yet loving as a tiger cub. Yes& he muttered to himself, though when he looked away, he saw Wolfheart across the clearing, slouched with his back turned from the Highrock. The she-cat that showed obvious affection for him, Lunarmoon, was seated with him, speaking words of comfort he could not hear. But wouldnt it sound better if it was what makes you fierce as a wolf yet loving as a wolf pup? He thought bitterly. Wolfheart was greatly praised and many apprentices had stopped mid-sentence to look in awe at his sheer size and musculature as he walked by during Gatherings. They would start arguing over who would grow to be his size one day, or when he would become leader. His thoughts were soon cut short as his leader spoke, ThunderClan cats, you all know and have no doubt heard of the fierce battle for Sunningrocks. I am pleased to say that ThunderClan rose victorious in the fight. He halted as cheers of happiness swelled throughout the clearing. As he looked around, Downystar saw him blink in wonder as he spotted Wolfheart slouched over across the clearing, but said nothing of it. He continued, looking back to the main body of cats, There were, however, some very major losses. The worst was for RiverClan; their wise and cherished deputy, Demonwing, was killed in accidental happening. He was young, and so we will remember the noble tom for facing up to us like that. The second worst was our own deputy-Gorsepelt. As he spoke, he craned his neck to see over the heads of his cats to see Gorsepelt laying still. The Medicine Cats were working on him steadily, though one could easily see he was unconscious. Sadly, he was nearly killed by the foolish young leader Foreststar. I dare not say he was weak though; he nearly had me by the throat when Wolfheart came and attacked. He sent the leader scurrying for home, as well as Redspeck, one of their senior warriors. After the praise, other casualties were listed, but Crimsongales ears were pointed towards the direction of Lunarmoon and Wolfheart, He suddenly saw Wolfhearts head shoot up in excitement, single blue eye gleaming with new hope. Crimsongale caught the same words from the she-cats mouth, & I bear your kits now, Wolfheart.

Crimsongale smiled a bit; that would keep his friend happy. He was glad for Wolfheart. So much had happened that there was little time for anyone to think of kitting-that was why Truesouls birthing was great deal. He listened in again, and caught the words, &Has resigned. Gorsepelt himself appointed a new deputy, and I say these words before him so that StarClan may approve my choice, he looked proudly at the senior warrior, and Crimsongale felt all eyes burn into his fur. He shuffled his feet with unease, as the words finally came out, Crimsongale will be the new deputy. Instead of the dead silence or jeers of anger Crimsongale had expected, cheers and shouts of approval reached his ears. E shrank at first, but as the cats came to crowd around him, touching him with their noses and congratulating him, he swelled with dignity. One tom, a deep blue and gray, came up and nudged him so heartily he nearly toppled over. He keened when he noticed it was Wolfheart, only he noticed the tom was grinning with a new respect. Congratulations, Crimsongale. Deputy. Quite a title. Pretending he had not heard the toms conversation with Lunarmoon, so a snot to be rude, Crimsongale asked, Why so cheerful all of the sudden?

With a noble flick of his tail, he replied steadily, and all the cats around him gasped with excitement as the words left his mouth, Lunarmoon shall bear my kits within two moons.



All cats smiled as they watched an older apprentice stalk forth through the crowd that was still assembled at Highrock. Smokeypelt, the dark gray tom who mentored the apprentice, was walking with him, his eyes blank but his chest swelled with pride. The black tom continued on while Smokeypelt sat down at the front. Finally, he came to a halt at the Highrock base and waited for Downystar to walk forwards, a gleam in his eye. Ebonpaw, do you promise to uphold the warrior code and to protect and defend this Clan, even at the cost of your life?

The solemn response came, I do.

Then by the powers of StarClan, I give you your warrior name, the excitement shivered visibly through the black toms body-he was long overdue to be a warrior. Ebonpaw, from now on you shall be known as Ebonfur. StarClan are proud of your courage and determination and we welcome you as a warrior in your turn.

Downystar rested his chin atop the warriors head and Ebonfur formally licked the leaders shoulder in a sign of respect. Then all the cats came around him and soon he was engulfed in congratulations and smiles. The top two warriors that bombarded him with scuffling and loving were his brother and sister, Tornadowind and Abyssaldream.

Because there is a Gathering this moonhigh, your vigil shall be held on the next moonhigh. Came the confident words.

You are not authorized to comment here. Your must be registered and logged in to comment