Rainysky shouldered his way briskly out of the Leader’s den. A light drizzle was bespeckling the campgrounds in an army of darkened spots that dried before they had a chance to fill in the spaces between each other. He shivered as a few raindrops fell on his nape, cold as a winter’s morn.
“Copperstar is resting, I believe he will recover finely. He has received his lives, but he was feeling ill even on the journey. He simply needs rest, for now. Venomrose is with him.” Rainysky said at the questioning glances that met his arrival. He personally did not grap how StarClan could imbue an individual with nine defiances of death and yet still leave them with a cold– but it was no matter. Full recovery was inevitable. And he preferred to choose his battles wisely.
Next, to the surprise of every cat watching, Rainysky ascended the highrock. The winds were stronger so far above the camp, and he was able to cast his gaze just over the reed-woven walls. He could recall standing up here just once before when they had addressed the Clan about the oil sickness. He closed his eyes, letting the memory flow over and past him before he spoke.
“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather beneath the highrock for a Clan meeting!”
The response was swifter than usual. With many curious gazes and mutterings of ‘why is Rainysky up there? Is Coppercloud okay?’. But his Clanmates gathered as he had asked. Rainysky himself took a moment to gaze at each of their faces, as though memorizing every detail in case he did not see them for a very long time.
“Copperstar has received his nine lives,” He began, doing his damnedest to project his voice. Public speaking had never been his strength. “But he has taken ill. It is just a cold, but he has journeyed far on it and will need to rest a few days in his new den. I would ask no visitors until the morrow.”
Nods and amicable murmurings went up around the crowd.
“He has asked me to deliver a message, for he has named his Deputy.” A hush fell over the Clan. Not a whisker or tail stirred as the cats of RiverClan waited with bated breath to learn who Copperstar would honor with the trusted role of his second-in-command.
“Lavendermoon, would you step forward?”
Rainysky smiled down at his Clanmate. In his opinion, there was no finer Warrior for the job. Lavendrmoon was dedicated, level-headed and kind. And young, but too young either. Though they had many older Warriors with more experience, the position was also about grooming a future Leader as well. Something he could picture her becoming in the not-too-distant future.
I wish that I could be there to see that, he lamented.
Muscles coiling, he leapt down with two bounds to land featherlight before them, stepping forward and stretching his neck to rest his chin between their ears as he spoke.
“Lavendermoon of RiverClan, your Leader calls upon you to serve at his side. Do you accept?”
lavendermoon
☽
The afternoon was brisk. The air thick with the musk of leaves breaking down in the damp soil, replacing last years decaying crop. The thinly veiled drizzle that swamped RiverClan's camp weighed down the trees to a droop, creating opportune spots for cats to lazily drift from light nap to gentle snooze.
Lavendermoon, one of these such cats, had overworked themselves again. With stress and anxiety high in camp over the sudden loss of their leader and the swift replacement in Copperstar, Laven had taken it upon themselves to head patrols and organize where it was needed. They liked the busy work, admittedly, it kept their mind and paws occupied, and alleviated some of the stress from the other Warriors who fretted about camp like doomsday chickens.
After a flurry of morning and afternoon patrols, gathering fresh food for the coming long winter nights, and herbs to be dried and carefully packed away from the cold, Lavender had finally sat down to relax for only a moment, when their body caved in from the exhaustion. While the rest of the camp whispered and gossiped about Copperstar's journey, Lavendermoon was quietly snoozing among the willows and reeds.
Truth be told, it wasn't Rainysky's call that awoke her. Rather an obnoxiously sized raindrop that splattered across the bridge of her nose. She had woken up startled, shaking her head to rid herself of the water, and rather confused. Grumpily she wiped away at the mess on her nose, upset she had fallen asleep in the first place. There was so much left to do and such little time! How could she have allowed herself to-
She'd heard her name. Blinking, she looked up, ears swiveled towards where Rainysky was perched on the highrock. She squinted. Why was Rainysky on the highrock? Anxiety washed over her like a wave in a rainstorm. The Warrior stood on all fours and slowly padded towards the center of camp. So many eyes were on her. As she passed clanmate after clanmate, she did her best to settle into their gazes and pick apart at what she could have been summoned for in the first place.
As they rounded the clearing, they found themselves embarrassingly alone and confused, sounded only by the chirps and calls of insects that made their afternoon rounds. They lifted their head towards Rainsky's confident gaze. The spot seemed to suit him, or perhaps he was used to being the authority, as a Medicine Cat.
"Rainysky?" there was a soft confusion in their voice. Perhaps those who had been paying attention would attribute it to nerves. Lavender, however, understood very little.