New Elites!

[Deleted]

| Open to all of DeathClan. New Elites, please RP as regular DeathClanners until Drought actually calls your names. Remember, no one else knows Drought's choices yet in-character - and this also applies to other thread participants' characters. |

Drought yawned as he emerged from his den and stretched, flexing his claws. It had taken long enough, but he'd made his decision at last. The spotted cat padded through the forest towards the main clearing, mulling over the names of the cats who would be joining Badger as Elites.

After arriving in the clearing, he wasted no time in leaping onto the tree stump from which he had made his previous announcement. Taking a breath, he let out a yowl to summon the pseudo-Clan's members.

"Cats of DeathClan! I have important news for you all!"

[Artemis]

It had been a while since Artemis has heard of the elites try-outs being held, thanks to the DeathClan grapevine that never failed to reach her den. Lately, she'd been more occupied with newleaf cleaning than training, and thus had spent much more time in her den than before.

After a long day of arrangements, her stomach was rumbling and her paws were aching to do something new. So that had found her here, walking in the direction of the main clearing and the scent trail of a raven. With her good ear pricked, she heard the yowl clearly.

Hm. Had Drought made his decision, then? Artemis had had no intentions of joining the Elites herself; she preferred to keep out of the way most of the time, with only the occasional mission. But she would be lying if she said she wasn't at least mildly curious as to who his choices were.

The white-and-gray cat finally reached her destination, weaving in and out of trees until she had entered the clearing. She looked up to see Drought, on the tree stump as befitting of his position, and gave a nod before moving to scope out the location of the raven.

It took only a few movements to see it, perched on a low branch. A crouch and a pounce, followed by a squawk, flurry of feathers, and a flash of teeth and claws, led to the raven now on the ground in a heap. Artemis immediately picked it up in her jaws, half-carrying and half-dragging it to a corner in the clearing. She promptly settled down beside it to enjoy her meal, though her good ear was still flared to catch the inevitable arrivals of the other DeathClanners and what Drought had to say.

[Galaxy]

Galaxy slipped from the shadows of two oaks, their branches held over the ground like an umbrella. His icy blue twinkled. The anticipation was gnawing inside him, trying to get out. He flicked his tail to signal to Drought where he was, and sat down in a patch of spring clovers, flattening them. He looked around the clearing, and spotted only one other cat besides Drought. It looked like he was early today. The other she-cat had something grimly black between her paws, with black splotches around it. It seemed like it was a crow.
Should Galaxy go up and meet her? Galaxy considered the choice. On gatherings it wasn't really right to start a fight, which meant it was a great time to meet the other cats.
Finally, Galaxy decided that he should just go and do it, so he padded up to the she-cat, keeping a foot's distance away. He craned his neck toward the crow. "Nice catch." He commented. It wasn't really a great conversation starter, but it might spark the cat's attention.

[Thicket]

Thicket decided to join the others as Drought called the meeting. He had only wanted to make a difference. A big one as a matter of fact, one that would make the clans themselves shake as his own name was uttered. Deathclan would rise again one way or another. Drought's new leadership provided hope to a let down and nearly dead faction. He would sit in his usual corner nearest to the direction of his own den, in order to sneak off as he normally does when he leaves. Now it was time for Deathclan to hear for what Drought had to say.

[Vale]

The russian blue entered the clearing as Drought called for the cats of DeathClan to meet. His ears twitched and his curiosity was pricked. The DeathClan adult made his way through the plausible crowd of cats. DeathClan had grown in the time Drought had become leader. He had truly never seen DeathClan so active and stable. He felt as if the ghost town had been given new life as his brother took reign of it.

His hopes of DeathClan returning to a status of which activity was no issue had basically been fulfilled. The Clan was growing and soon maybe they'd even have enough of an allegiance to which would carry similar numbers to that of the opposing 4 Clans. DeathClan had a bright future.

Vale sat down and awaited the announcement with interest.

[Saphira]

Saphira skirted around the edges of the clearing, not wanting to approach the other cats waiting there, especially not Drought. She only saw a small gathering of them, and the last thing she wanted to do was attract any attention to herself. Regardless, her curiosity outweighed her fear, and she slowly made her way towards the small group, pressing her belly to the ground in attempt to hide herself in the undergrowth.

As she reached the gathered cats, she straightened up, keeping her neck low. She hadn't acquainted most of the higher-ups in Deathclan; she generally tried to avoid encounters that posed even the slightest threat of danger. Saphira blinked her icy blue eyes, waiting for Drought to share his news so she could scamper back off to the outskirts of Deathclan.

[Dove]

Dove hopped to the clearing, stinking of the bogs in the swamp area. She knew that today would be the day of the big announcement, and she could not wait to hear who was going to be chosen to become elites. To her, that rank sounded like the crows of the clan. Hidden, disguised, but also distinguished. Her bright green eyes circled the area, trying to find a friend, preferably Mirage.

[Deleted]

As the cats began to gather below, Drought busied himself by shredding some of the leftover bark on the tree stump. He noted the arrival of three cats in particular. Good, they're here. At least I won't have to track them down after the meeting. Better to tell those three all at once.

When he felt that he'd waited long enough, the leader stood up. "DeathClanners, the last time I spoke to you, I said that I would be finding more Elites. Badger alone will not be enough. I've called you together so that I may announce the cats who will be joining him as Elites."

The black-and-white tom paused briefly to allow his words to sink in before he continued. "Vale, Thicket, and Galaxy. You three shall be granted the rank of Elite. Do you accept this responsibility?"

Vale was a well-known member of DeathClan, and Thicket had been around for a while as well. However, Drought expected Galaxy to be challenged by the others. The youngling might very well have to fight to prove his worth.

[Galaxy]

(Well thanks I'm gonna get all the bad luck xD)
Galaxy's eyes widened as his leader said his name. Suddenly, the world seemed to freeze in time. He hadn't been here for long, and he was still young, so why did his leader choose him? He pushed the thought away. Doubt would only worsen the problem, it would never make it better. 
In a jolt, he remembered why there was always rustling behind him, but whenever he turned, he saw nothing. He always thought it was the wind, but now he understood. It was Drought who was following him, who had taken special interest in him. 
The doubt gave away to something unfamiliar, a pleasant feeling that Galaxy had never felt before. Delight. 
"I do." He lifted his chin and waited for what happened next.
(Was that powerplaying?)

| Yes, a bit, but it's alright. :3 |

[Thicket]

He blinked in sudden surprise. Him an Elite? Only the best of cats deserved such an honour. Well, he supposed that Drought had chosen him for a reason. I do. he said in his deep, gravely voice. Now he could aid in wrecking havoc on the clans. Lovely. It was time Deathclan ripped its claws into clan fur once more. He guessed his only ally wanted repayment for his services. He was willing to die for Deathclan, even if it was a violent and slow death. Galaxy looked quiet and nervous, yet he was an able believer in any of Drought's choices. The picking of Vale was no surprise to him however, but what would be the reaction of the Tom.

[Badger]

Badger hadn't even bothered to make his presence known to the gathered cats, not at first anyway. He had guessed what Drought had called the meeting for, and when he was right he simply shrugged and inspected his three "team-mates".

He knew Vale, of course. Early on, when Vale was just beginning to get a name for himself, Badger had quite enjoyed the tom, but after he had run off to Fireclan, and then as he made his grand return, Badger's trust for him faded. But he still had hope, especially now that Drought seemed to be entrusting him with quite the high role.

Badger didn't consider Thicker to be a friend or foe, but for the most part he had heard decent things about the younger tom, and was interested in how he acted as an elite. He was, indeed, quite young. But age wasn't much to Badger. He himself had started an entire raid against Iceclan as a mere kitten in his earliest days in Deathclan. If he could do that, even if the raid failed, then Thicket could easily progress to be a good Elite, and an overall good addition to Deathclan's history.

The last cat named, however, truly surprised him. He had expected one cat to be named Elite above everybody else, or, well, he had hoped. Artemis, a fine lass, had been Badger's prime candidate for the Elite role. Not that he had said anything, nor had it been his decision. ut he couldn't help but look at the younger feline with a very, very brief pang of sorrow.

As for the fourth Elite, however, Badger watched the young tom's reaction with narrowed eyes. 'He looks like a kittypet caught in a monster's glare..' He thought as the tom spat out an "I do." He, as he would with Thicket, would be watching Galaxy quite closely. Badger was a tom of habit, and having a cat he had never heard of being his ultimate team-mate made him a bit uneasy. He'd have to see how the young tom handled things like raids and troublemakers. Would he be the next Scarlet, or the next Strike?

[Dove]

Vale, Thicket, Galaxy. The she-cat looked at the cats who were addressed with interest. So these are Drought's new "boys." Funny how there's no females though, but she just assumed that's how order was around here now. She rolled over in her confined area, smiling, nodding her head in approval. Best to make friends with them, or just avoid them.

[Vale]

If cats could raise a brow his would be raised. "Oh?" He grinned. "Thank you, I accept." He heard the last two elites be named. Who the Darkpool is Galaxy? He cocked his head in curiosity. Glancing around he heard the tom say I do. This one might need some type of initiation. He laughed lightly to himself and lashed his tail a bit. So Thicket, the one whom during the Elite competition he had slashed their shoulder, was picked. He wondered if after that they would even be on good terms. Either way Vale was prepared for any resentment, the older tom could easily defend himself.

The tom rose to his paws and glanced around the clearing. His eyes returned back to Drought.

[Strike]

Strike hung around the outskirts of the clearing, her amber eyes glinting as she watched Drought make an announcement. She was not surprised at all that Vale was an elite, though the other two she was a little more shocked. They seemed young, especially the one named Galaxy, and she too would have to watch them. Not in the way Badger intended to, but in the way to make sure that if they became bloodthirsty like Drought, she stayed out of their way.

She saw Artemis and thought about going over to her, ultimately deciding to. Padding quickly over, the feline dipped her head in greeting to the female before sitting down beside her. "What do you think bout the choices?" she asked quietly, not taking her eyes off of the newly elected three. More specifically, the youngling.

[Deleted]

The DeathClan leader nodded slowly as the three accepted their new roles. No one seemed to be challenging Vale or Thicket, but there was definitely some unrest over Galaxy. Drought shrugged it off mentally. Not my problem. He'll either prove himself soon or risk losing the respect of the Clan. I expect that cats will target him if they want a shot at being an Elite for themselves. Take out the weak link, and wait for me to find a replacement. That sounds like something that many of them might try, actually...

He gave a simple flick of his tail-tip. "Good. I expect that the three of you will have plenty to do in the near-future," the black-and-white feline meowed. With that, he leaped off the tree stump, thus ending the meeting.

| Oops, forgot that I needed to wrap this up. |