I AM YOUR NEW KING

[Deleted]

| Important in-character thread. Kindly post if you are a DeathClanner. |


DeathClanners were once respected and feared... but recently, we've fallen from our former glory.
It's time. Something must be done. If I want this done right, I'll have to do it myself...

The snow was melting. Newleaf had arrived, and a massive shift in power was soon to accompany the changing of the season. Stepping from his den, a scarred American Shorthair stretched, amber eyes blinking to adjust to the sunlight. It was just a little past dawn, but the DeathClan cats would most likely be awake already.

Silently, Drought set off at a fast pace toward the main hub of activity. DeathClan didn't have an official camp and the cats had dens scattered throughout the evergreen forest, but everyone visited the main clearing on a fairly regular basis. It was one of those unspoken rules; if you were a DeathClanner and you wanted to stay up-to-date on whatever might be going on, you visited the place every so often. Major meetings tended to be called in that clearing.

Drought arrived at the large clearing with a small frown. Without hesitating, he approached a large tree stump and leaped to the top. The black-and-white male cast his gaze about. Tilting his muzzle to the sky, he let out a thunderous yowl to summon the Clan.

"Cats of DeathClan, gather around!"

[Vale]

Vale's ears flicked. Hearing a yowl he thought perhaps Fallacy would be considering a raid of some sorts but... no. It was Drought. Although not linked by blood this feline was still more of a brother to him then any of his other Clan-blood related kin. The two had a rugged past of raids and mindless havoc. Drought had made his name around the Clan much like Vale had attempted at an early age himself. Of course the American Shorthair had succeeded. He had made his call from the regular not so official meeting place. Vale seemed a little confused himself.

But nonetheless he did as said and gathered whilst the Clan probably did so as well. What on earth is Drought up to? Another raid..? I mean, it wouldn't be out of character for him.. Vale thought solemnly to himself. The russian blue simply didn't know how to puzzle together what was going on. Drought was up to something though.

He knew this cat too well despite not being flesh and blood. Yet even his behavior could sometimes even make Vale feel out of the loop. It had been a bit since Vale had returned to DeathClan from his short vacation to FireClan. Vale had confirmed his stay of course and settling in was easy, he'd lived here his whole life.

But right now, he very well didn't know what was about to occur.

[Artemis]

Newleaf was in the air. Artemis knew it as soon as she'd poked her nose out her den in the early hours of the morning, having been awakened by the singing of the birds. The day was warmer, the sunlight pooling across the grass to flash over her pale fur as she walked, keeping her steps light to avoid the risk of slipping in the melted snow. Normally, Artemis didn't hunt quite this early, but the coming of newleaf meant the return of the prey's abundance, and she made it a point to take chances whenever they appeared. She could do with a fresh meal after more moons than she could count of living on stale or stringy mice and voles, with only the occasional tough bird here and there.

The scent trails were stronger than the day before, something that made a rare smile flit over her face before settling back into its mask of concentration. She slunk quietly through the grass, weaving her way in and out of the trees as she tracked. There were many paths of prey smells, criss-crossing over each other in multiple patterns, but she chose the one of the rabbit, the newest one and which would surely lead her to DeathClan's main clearing. There'd surely be more prey there.

But Artemis hadn't even taken more than a few steps when her good ear pricked at a sound. Specifically, a yowl that sounded very familiar, in a voice she hadn't heard in moons. Slowly, she turned towards it, scent trail temporarily forgotten. It couldn't be...could it?

It had to be. She recognized it too plainly for it not to. Curiosity piqued, Artemis moved to walk in the direction of where the voice had come from, and emerged within minutes into the main clearing. Tail flicking, she looked up. If cats had eyebrows, hers would have shot up at the sight in front of her, but since they didn't, she chose instead to stride further into the clearing towards the stump.

"Hello, Drought," Artemis greeted, inclining her head. "It's been a while. What's this about?"

[Dove]

Dove awoke not too far from the gathering cats. It was not the normal call of a cat, but rather a calling for the clan, something that she did not hear in such a long time, so there was not much recognition to the voice's owner. Reluctant to investigate, the grey she-cat sighed, trying to go back to sleep, but then the rustling of the undergrowth nearby rustled. A rat, perhaps?

No. It was a patched cat. Curious, Dove slipped out of her hiding spot and followed the she-cat, nose quivering with fear and excitement. What was even going on? She did keep her distance though, careful to follow unnoticed, and then skidded to a stop as she smelled more cats around. She had entered the camp once more.

Oh dear. she thought, What am I even doing here?

[Badger]

Badger stalked through the forest, looking for something to eat, when out of nowhere a yowl split through the silence. With a small sigh, he turned and trotted over to the main clearing, but he was truly surprised to see not Fallacy, but Drought calling for a meeting. 'Oh goody, the new Scarlet is calling for a meeting!' He thought as he walked over to sit next to Vale, a cat he had mixed feelings for.

"Where do you think he's calling a raid for?" He asked quietly, not bothering to move his gaze from Drought. The last time he had spoken to the black-and-white tom had been moons ago, but Badger highly enjoyed, and trusted, the younger tom. He enjoyed the cat's intelligence, mercilessness, and high ambitions. He even preferred the cat over their leader, Fallacy.

[Mirage]

Mirage had been racing through the trees in hot pursuit of a squirrel. Her tail lashed in frustration as the small creature scrambled up a nearby tree. She narrowed her amber eyes as she contemplated what to do next. Having never been taught to climb, she had always had a rough time doing so. Better to just leave the trees to the birds and squirrels she always said. With an empty belly and an idea of where she might find a meal if she were lucky enough, the dark gray she-cat turned in the direction of a clearing where a lot of DeathClan cats were usually at. As she drew nearer, Mirage heard a lot of noise coming from the clearing. What in the world is going on there? She thought, putting on an extra burst of speed. Whatever it was she didn't want to be left out.

As she arrived in the clearing she noticed a lot of cats gathered around a single tree stump, the lone figure of a cat standing on top of it. Walking through the crowd she recognized a few cats, one of them being Dove, a she-cat she had met during on of her first visits to the area. Deciding that she would be kind of easier to talk to, Mirage began to move in her direction. She sat down near the she-cat and gave her a brisk dip of her head. "Hello Dove, do you remember me?"

[Dove]

She jumped up, clearly not have expected someone to even remember her. Her heart beated quickly as Mirage sat next to her, expecting that the cat would want something from her. "Yes, it has been a while Mirage." she whispered back, keeping her eyes locked on the single cat in the center of the gathering. "I'm sure glad that you're around."

[Mirage]

Mirage almost smiled as she saw Dove's reaction to her sudden appearance. Good if I'm going to make a name here for myself, having a few cats fear me is very nice start. "Yes it is nice to see you too." She replied with a slight grin. Turning her head to see what Dove was looking at, she saw that cat on the log. From closer up she could now distinguish that it was a black and white tom that everyone seemed to be looking at. I wonder who that cat is, and why is everyone paying so much attention to him? She thought as she found herself staring in his direction, a look of curiosity plastered to her face.

[Lyricwhisper]

Lyric slipped into the area where the announcement was being held. The gray and white she-cat had joined DeathClan when she heard that her, technical, uncle was leading the group of rogues now. She noticed her father, Vale, not too far off, blinking at him once before walking closer to him. He was her only family here now that Alto had left for FireClan. And, Jolly had disappeared as well, which was almost good for her since she didn't have to hide the fact she had gone behind his back and had kits with a clan cat that so happened to be his brother.

Dramatic, right?

The gray and white she-cat didn't speak a greeting to Vale, turning her green gaze to focus of the DeathClan leader. Lyric heard murmurs around her and pleaded them silently to shut up.

[Deleted]

The tom watched as cats wandered into the clearing, gathering around the base of the tree stump. Now that everyone seemed to be here, a pang of doubt pierced his thoughts. It was quickly dismissed. You called these cats together for a good reason. Now stop hesitating and make the announcement. Who cares if some of them don't like it? You can assert your dominance.

Drought twitched an ear at his ally, Artemis - he didn't want to waste time responding to her directly. Besides, her question would soon be addressed. As murmuring broke out among the cats, he straightened up and twitched his tail as a signal for silence.

"DeathClanners, as you all know, Fallacy has not been seen for some time. Our Clan is falling apart under a lack of leadership... Something needs to be done." He flattened his ears, amber gaze sweeping over the assembled cats. "I hereby proclaim myself to be the new leader of DeathClan! We shall regain our rightful place as the terror of the Clans. If you do not wish to live under my regime, leave now and don't bother setting foot inside DeathClan territory again."

A bold claim, indeed. Would anyone dare to oppose his new leadership? Drought unsheathed his claws and scraped them across the top of the tree stump, watching the cats below in case anyone decided that they were going to try to murder him.

[Badger]

Badger didn't allow himself to react to anything Drought said. Him, the new leader? He wasn't opposed to it entirely. Badger was in well with Drought, and was sure the tom would be far more active than Fallacy had been, and even Viper in his better days. He peaked over to see if other cats were doing anything, and with nobody calling out yet, he stepped up. "Well, Drought, this is a very bold claim." He said, padding up to the tree stump and sitting beside it.

He looked at the other gathered cats and quietly flicked his tail for remained silence so he could speak. "I, for one, back Drought as our new leader. If anyone opposes, please feel free to meet me after this. I would love to convince you why Drought is a great cat for Deathclan." He growled, unsheathing his claws. He knew Drought was trying to look powerful, but him taking seat so close was his sign that Drought would still have to gain the respect a leader needed, and that he would not be able to get it with one simple meeting.

[Thicket]

I support Drought as well. We need leaders to restore Deathclan to glory. A large brown Tom stepped out of the shadows. Thicket was nearby when he heard the cry for the meeting. There were few of them left.

Look at us, there are about six or seven of us here in this clearing. What ever happened to us? I feel that Drought would die for Deathclan a million times and therefore, this is why I support him. He would wait to see what the others thought of his statement. He sat down and licked his left forepaw patiently, waiting to see what happened next.

[Mirage]

Mirage cocked her head a few of her questions being answered all at once. She had in fact heard of Drought from a few cats, but had never payed much attention until know. 'It seems as if most of the cats in the clearing agree with this cat becoming our new leader.' Truly Mirage did not care who became leader as long as they did their part on trying to build up DeathClan once more. The few moons that she had spent within the Clan had been mostly un eventful. Not much seemed to happen, but from what she could gather that was due to the old leader, Fallacy she believed, had not been very active them self. Oh well what ever happened she would support whoever she felt truly deserved the position. In this case though she would support Drought.

[Dove]

So he's our new hotshot. she thought, missing the days of the great Viper. Everything was functioning quite well then, and for once she actually had what she would consider to be friends, not just familiar faces. As the one proclaimed to be the leader mentioned for those to leave now if desired, she hoped that Mirage would not leave. No. She would need someone familiar around to give her some comfort, even if she did fear her at times.

Sure, she hesitated, wondering if she should leave, but where would the silver cat even go? The closest she had been to other cats would have been Brokenclan, but that was many moons ago, way before Viper. Or the twoleg area, but why would she want to be stroked ever again? The kittypet food was disgusting. How could anyone even like that to be their daily diet?

She peaked with interest as another tabby spoke up. So the new Viper is named Drought. How interesting. Just like if we are running out of water already. Already she knew that this tabby would be high in rank, thanks to practically kissing Drought's butt. Whatever. She would actually work up her rank, unlike him. Cats left, and some stayed, and another rather large tom spoke.

"Do you actually think that these cats believe that this Drought would save Deathclan?" she silently whispered to Mirage, not wanting to cause much attention.

[Mirage]

Mirage glanced over at Dove as she whispered something to her. She shrugged. "I don't really mind, I mean this truthfully is my first time seeing Drought since I prefer to stay by myself. I'm only here because I had heard more cats then normal in this clearing." She said with a small smile.