this.is.no.miraculous.life xx{shadowclan meeting}

[Shimmerz*]

x.baby, how i dream of being free since my birth.x
x.cursed, but the demons i confronted would disperse.x

The solemn leader slowly made his way up to the Shaderock, keeping a wary eye on the cats around him. For some reason or another, his deputy Nightrun had vanished after going out on a border patrol. For a full moon, he'd thought just maybe the tom would come wandering back into camp, but unfortunately this hadn't been the case. Some leader might keep hoping, but he wasn't that type of cat. Hope was a vulnerability. One had to live in the facts. Nightrun had gone solo. Gravesky didn't normally support that, but with certain cats he was willing to make exceptions. Certainly, he'd thought, the deputy would be fine. He was a very capable cat, very sharp. Nothing should have gotten past him, and yet...yet he'd never come back, not dead or alive. If he was being held prisoner, his captors were slow to cut to the chase. No, he felt it was far more likely that there was a dark force at work. There was only one cat he knew of that would be power-hungry enough to silence a cat she felt was "not fit" for the job.

Of course, no one would ever suspect her. She was a strong leader, a brilliant strategist. She'd served Shadowclan well. There was scarcely a bad word said about her. Up until he'd become deputy, he rarely thought to much about it. Some circumstances were a tad suspicious at times, but nothing over-the-top. She played the game well. Her expressions were always well-controlled, her words even more so, but there was something about her, the way she talked when they were in private. It was a feeling of unease that crept up his spine like tendrils of frost during leafbare. Only the bright ones picked up on her, the acute ones. He assumed this was why he had been chosen as deputy way back when. He was careful, controlled, and very sharp; everything she was, except perhaps slightly less dubious.

The shadow ruler still toyed with the forest occasionally. She'd alluded to things she may or may not have had a hand in, and while certainly she had not said a single word about this incident, he wouldn't past her for a single heartbeat. This is what had him on edge now. She hadn't spoken to him in a while. This new cat he was about to appoint as deputy, would she suffer the same fate? He knew these things were out of his control to a point. As much as he might like to silence a potential threat, he wasn't one to jump to conclusions and, furthermore, if he stepped out of line, for even one sunrise, he'd surely face his demise. If he spoke out against her, she'd have him cast out as a flea-bitten lunatic. He wasn't sure how many cats were under her power, but they were enough to pull off several incidents that had left a permanent mark on the internal workings of the forest. No one had ever doubted her that he knew of. If there had been, they were killed off before they had a chance to utter a single word. This was why he could not afford to outright doubt her.

Finally atop the Shaderock he let out a loud yowl cutting through the damp greenleaf air. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey please gather around the Shaderock for a Shadowclan meeting!" With any luck, the dark one would approve of this decision or at least not have much against it. It wasn't his goal to play into her paws, but he couldn't exactly go head-on against her. "Shadowclan, one moon ago our dear deputy vanished without a trace. We must not wallow in his disappearance; instead, we must move forward mourning the loss of a clanmate but no longer the loss of a deputy." The tom let his words sink in among the clan. Some cats looked up at him hopefully and expectant, while others seemed rather unamused. Really, it didn't matter how they took it, the clan needed a new deputy. They'd waited long enough already; still, these things were hard without resolution. He understood that much.

"Today, I ask a successor to come forward from our masses." The leader nodded in the direction of the amber-eyed she-cat, pausing so she could stand before the Shaderock. "I say these words before Starclan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of Shadowclan will be Twintail. I know she will help keep Shadowclan in proper order." She could be harsh at times, but he knew she would be a strong deputy. She was nearly as good a tactician as the one the she-cat that came before him, but Twintail lacked the tact that Gravesky possessed. She was straightforward, and that served her just fine. Never foolish, just blunt.

He let his gaze pan over the plethora of cats before him one more time. "Fellow Shadowclanners, join together and welcome our new deputy." He motioned for her to join him, if only to stand before the clan. If she wanted to speak, that would be just as well. Perhaps it was a bit unorthodox for a new deputy to give a speech, but he was always rather laconic, and the clan needed a new a deputy to rely on in the face of this loss.

x.have you ever heard of some {stuff} so real.x
x.beyond from the heart, from the soul you can feel.x

Note: As mentioned in this post, most cats have no real suspicions about Frigidscorn. She gave them no reason to doubt. Please do not make your cat omniscient and somehow aware of her level of duplicity. Thank you. <3
Word Count: 906
Song: "The Prayer" by KiD CUDi.

[` `shadsywadsy.]

What a night it is when you live like this
And you're coming up beneath the clouds
Don't let me down
Cause I'm high and I don't wanna come down
And all the fun that we had on your mother's couch
I don't even wanna think about

The tom was chasing lilies in a field. Or at least, he wished he was. His dreams were hardly ever happy these days. Instead, they were haunted by creeping shadows and insistent darkness. Today's was no different. He was running, running across Windclan's beautiful moors. Only the moon was red and he couldn't see what he was running from. He looked back, kept looking back, trying to figure out why he was running. But he couldn't. He couldn't see anything, only darkness, behind him. But he couldn't stop running either. Because something told him, even though he couldn't see it, he knew it was there, always chasing after him. And he could never let it catch up with him. With heaving breaths he forced his misshaped body to run faster and faster, until he thought his legs would crumble from exhaustion. It was painful - oh so painful. Yet he knew this pain would be nothing compared to what pain he would feel if whatever it was caught up to him.

Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey please gather around the Shaderock for a Shadowclan meeting! The words of his leader awoke the tom. He slowly realized the meaning of the words, slowly it registered that he needed to wake up, and so slowly he got up. His sleepy eyes and drooping tail tale tell signs of what had just been going on. Thankfully, no one was in his den, and so no one could see the tom in this comical state - even more so than usual. He shook his head and body, as if drying water from his pelt like a dog would, attempting to shake the weariness off. If he didn't get out there soon, Gravesky would start without him. Not that he was important, he was only a medicine cat after all.

With a sigh, he forced himself out of his den and into the clearing. It looked like he was the first one out for a change, something he greatly welcomed. Perhaps then Gravesky would look at him and remember he needed an apprentice. Sure, he wasn't too terribly old, but these days, you never knew what could happen. It seemed everyone was mysteriously disappearing, first Nightrun, now Redpaw. That's probably what he's doing, appointing a new deputy. Not that Lightheart would care or anything. After all, the clan was the least of his worries. It came second-to-last, preceding only the welfare of other clans, which he wasn't quite sure why that was on his list of things to care about. At the top, reigning champion, was these weird dreams he kept having that stopped his sleep in its tracks. He could sleep for three days straight and wake up feeling no more rested than he had before. He didn't think it was Starclan, mostly because he didn't believe in Starclan. Why would he? There was no proof they existed. Any cat who had lived back then, had never seen them or received dreams. Not even Frigidscorn, Shadowclan's old leader.

The medicine cat didn't hate Frigidscorn, which was a major compliment if anyone could ever get one. Then again, he would never tell her that. Ever. He wouldn't want to contribute to any ego she had. He glanced around, but didn't see the she-cat. For a split second he wondered why, but then remembered he didn't care. With a very grumpy don't-talk-to-me look, the tom sat down, wrapping his off-white tail around his paws. It was the customary position to sit in, apparently, and apparently, it was also customary to sit down at such functions. He watched as the cats began to gather, and was very happy when Gravesky began to speak before any could come complaining about a silly thorn in their paw or something that he didn't even need to be bothered with. Lightheart was right, he was appointing a new deputy. He watched his leader's eyes, and followed them to Twintail, a she-cat that he had not had very much interaction. A normal cat would have offered congratulations, but again - you guessed it - Lightheart could care less. He was about to head back into his den, satisfied that there wasn't anything else Gravesky needed to speak about, and he certainly didn't need to speak to him about anything, but something pulled at his heart, and told him to stay. Something told him just another moment would be worth his while.

L I G H T H E A R T

[sammonroll]

A curt toss of head plopped a couple of frogs onto the fresh-kill pile. It was pitifully small lately. All the Clans were going through tough moons, but this pile was smaller than it should have been. Sharp, yellow eyes narrowed as she looked about her Clan, noticing a few of its thin warriors milling around. There's got to be someone else on a hunting patrol... The warrioress bit her lip as the face of their previous deputy came into mind. Gravesky was doing the best he could, but their generally quiet leader had taken too much on his paws ever since Nightrun had disappeared. As one not used to sympathy, this ShadowClanner blamed the ex-deputy for his own disappearance. How could you just leave your Clan like that? She scoffed her disapproval, which could have been mistaken as disapproval of the little fresh-kill pile before her. Maybe she ought to talk to Gravesky later, but for now, there was still the fresh-kill out in the pines that she had yet to bring back. A quick turn and deliberate pawsteps started to take her out of camp, when she heard the voice of their leader yowling from the Shaderock.

A twitch of an ear, and her earlier thoughts came back to her. Perhaps...? Halfway through their bramble tunnel out of camp already, she cautiously backed up out of the thorny entrance, carefully keeping her fur free of any of the prickles. Dutifully bounding towards the meeting place, she noticed some of the apprentices sleepily coming out of their dens. Her eyes narrowed again as she barked, "Lazy apprentices shouldn't be given the honor of hearing Clan announcements." A couple of them looked like they thought she was genuinely telling them to stay back, so she sighed and ordered, "Get your tails up there." What was ShadowClan's reputed fierceness coming to?

Deceptively dainty paws placed her amongst the first to arrive beneath Gravesky's podium. A couple other of her fellow warriors were here, along with their medicine cat, Lightheart. She gave a nod of acknowledgement to her Clanmates before sitting down and looking up expectantly at the blue-eyed tom.

After the Clan had fully gathered, the she-cat's expectations were proven true. Gravesky declared, "Today, I ask a successor to come forward from our masses." A list of capable warriors appeared in her mind, complete with their strengths and weaknesses. At the top of the list was...

A nod from Gravesky confirmed her expectations once again. Her left, orange paw made the first step towards her duty. Her default glare lay its gaze on her leader's eyes, as if staring her new position down into submission.

"I say these words before Starclan, so that the spirits of our warrior ancestors may hear and approve of my choice. The new deputy of Shadowclan will be Twintail. I know she will help keep Shadowclan in proper order. Fellow Shadowclanners, join together and welcome our new deputy."



With a cue from Gravesky, Twintail pounced fluidly up to the spot next to him. Her seemingly all-seeing stare flickered back and forth over the warriors that now stood below her, looking for any signs of dissent. When she seemed to have found none, she took a moment to think. It was unusual for her to remain so silent amongst her Clanmates, but new situations required proper deliberation.

Somewhere beneath her skin, she felt the brightness of pride glow in her, like the dawn heralding a new future for the darkness of night. She would make ShadowClan stronger. Her cats would not find death at the hands of injustice, like her siblings had. They would once again be a force to be reckoned with, and the other Clans had better watch their pelts in the shadows.

The dual-colored warrioress took a deep nod in thanks to her Clan before addressing them with her low, confident voice. "Warriors of ShadowClan. There is no hoping here. A very capable deputy has disappeared, clan cats have become lowly rogues, and disease is rampant. No, there is no hope..." The newly assigned deputy paused, long enough to let her words hit, but not long enough to let the warriors panic. "Not hope, but rather a guarantee. I assure you, as ShadowClan's new deputy, we will be as strong as Shadowstar intended. I expect hard work from every one of you but our pure warrior blood will keep us tough."

Her words were a marked difference from her normally blunt, to-the-point orders, but she knew that as a leader-figure, they were certain changes one had to implement for these situations. But she was still Twintail. Her demanding and harsh tone was unchanged, but she expected warriors to be able to handle it. There was a lot to be done now. After all, Twintail had to make up for the moon of no deputy, and she fully intended to start out strong and unwavering.

[Shimmerz*]

x.i believe i believe i believe you're one of them.x
{you're one of those things}
x.so, go ahead, scream all you want, 'cause that only excites me.x

A slight sneer found a way onto the elder's maw as she watched Gravesky approach the Shaderock from the darkness of the Elders' Den. He did well to conceal it, but she couldn't help noticing her protege seemed a bit more alert than usual, his gaze making extra sweeps over Shadowclan's camp. It was rather amusing. Normally he seemed so unfazed, like he was untouchable. This was a pleasant surprise. Perhaps he wasn't so invulnerable after all. Ever since the incident, he'd been a tad more hesitant than usual. Was he doubting himself? Chiding himself for making that decision? That would be easy to manipulate. Whether or not she was involved in this incident, she'd never tell.

At his call, she roused herself from her comfortable nest in the Elders' Den. She wasn't usually so eager to follow her underling's commands, but this could get interesting; still, she very leisurely made her way to the clump of cats. Gravesky was merely a pawn. He hardly deserved her full attention. There were more important things to think about like the Moonstone business at the gathering. Now that was interesting. Those nine lives would be of great help. She had almost totally lost interest in the proceedings when Twintail was called to speak as the new deputy. Not exactly the cat she would have chosen, but she wasn't terrible. Perhaps she could eventually be persuaded to work alongside the the true shadow ruler That would be a lovely turn of events.

~~~

When the horribly trite ceremony was over, she was surprised to see some of the cats stick around. Normally most cats bolted for food or otherwise afterwards, but then again this clan meeting was more..."important." Noticing that Lightheart had stuck around, she decided to make her approach. He was a decent cat. She had nothing against him, which was rare as most cats were usually one of the following: far too kind, too mouse-brained, or too trustworthy for her liking. The medicine cat always seemed removed, as if he had somewhere better to be, others better to associate with. She liked that kind of attitude, so very similar to her own. These were the cats that weren't afraid to criticize those around them. Certainly, cats like this could lead to a breach in security, a threat, but she knew how to handle them just fine.

"So what is holding your attention so well?" The duplicitous feline mewled. Normally, she would expect a cat like him to have left as soon as the meeting was over. Then again, expectations never allowed for exceptions, and exceptions were never the exception. Exceptions should always be expected rather regularly, even in normalcy.

x.i'm naming this plane for the sea, i'm taking you all with me.x
{so suffer little children, suffer little children}
x.x.suffer little children, come and get me.x.x

Word Count: 447
Song: "You're One of Them, Aren't You?" by the PAper ChAse.
Note: Bluh, short post, but I need to be awake in three hours. Woo...

[` `shadsywadsy.]

What a night it is when you live like this
And you're coming up beneath the clouds
Don't let me down
Cause I'm high and I don't wanna come down
And all the fun that we had on your mother's couch
I don't even wanna think about

Lightheart was not impressed with Twintail. She was too happy, to hopeful, to sure of herself. Honestly, he expected more from her. She was telling him that Shadowclan would be the greatest clan and she wasn't even leader yet. I hope she never becomes leader if she keeps acting like this. He liked how Gravesky was always quiet, simple, to the point. He didn't like it when cats assured him of anything he didn't care about. The again, there wasn't anything he cared about other than himself. So unless she started assuring that he'd be alive, he didn't like her. She was just like every other warrior, stupid in thinking that their clan would survive the longest. He sneered as she guaranteed prosperity when she had no control over it. If was anything he hated worse than other cats in general, it was other cats who promised things they couldn't deliver. He didn't want her leader, which means he didn't want her deputy either. But he had to admit, he respected the way she spoke. She captivated everyone but him, which was something you didn't see much these days.

He was just about to go back into his den to wallow in his pity of his unfortunate circumstances now when Frigidscorn walked over to him. He watched the black she-cat as she walked over to him, noticing that her style was similar to his. She seemed like a nice of she-cat, so he decided to stay and see what she had to say. Plus she seemed like the kind of she-cat that would claw off his ears if he turned rudely away before she could even reach him. What he liked most about her, was that she was never in his den. She never came up to him asked him "Hey I have this thing.." and actually wanting treatment or sympathy like his was the medicine cat or something. In fact, if she had any medical problems he didn't know about it. Even as an elder now, she still got along pretty well. Much better than some of the young, spoiled warriors even.

What is holding your attention so well?

He liked her voice, the way she spoke. He liked her style. Mostly because she was so much like him. He thought about his answer for a minute before actually speaking. He thought about lying to her, telling her that nothing was and leaving. He considered it for a brief moment, and it almost won before that annoying little tug at his heart came along. He didn't know why he let emotions in anymore. Maybe it was so he didn't become a complete monster. His emotions were the only thing keeping him from killing everyone in this silly forest. Either way, they made him stop and think. Perhaps he could benefit from her friendship. Perhaps it could turn into something useful later in life.

He twitched his head toward Twintail and then looked back to the former leader. Look how she captivates them. Eloquent speakers are hard to find these days. He paused, thinking about his next statement. He added a sly sparkle in his eyes, but his smile remained void from his maw. Even if I don't like her, the rest of the clan does. He kept his voice low, and he was far enough back that it would be hard enough for them to overheard. He was poking her, seeing how she felt about the new deputy. Not that he cared. He was just curious, he craved knowledge after all. Knowledge was what kept him going, what kept him alive. His wisdom would one day come in handy, he was sure of it. He glanced back at the new deputy, wondering if she had any idea what kind of enemy she had just made.

L I G H T H E A R T

[~Nighthunter~]

Blackjaw - When the jaw drops, its already bruised black...~

A lone soul sat in the middle of the camp, not to say others weren't nearby, he was just chosing to not join in there banter. Blackjaw was fully capable, and usually one of the first toms to express his want to interact. His parents had been deeply involved in the clan in diffrent ways entirely, but still very much apart of it. Some days he felt like he had no purpose greater then an average warrior. Still what good did leading ever do. The deputy had run out on Shadowclan recently after all, and that wasn't saying anything about the strength of character in the clan at all.

That was something he assumed that Gravesky would avoid talking about unless spoken about tactfully at the Gathering. With all the tension lately a dishonorable and runaway deputy was not a very favorable image to say the least. Nightrun wasn't really one of the cats his folks had revolved around. In truth he himself had not really taken great pains to spend alot of time with Nightrun either. It wasn't that he didn't want to get to know him, but he always seemed to be in a diffrent patrol or doing something. That bothered him, he should be familiar with the clan more. A younger warrior he was yes, but certainatly not an unfit one. Briefly he entertained the thought of spending more time with the other older warriors if he could. That would mean less time chasing the availiable females though.

Lifting his head as the leader, Gravesky called for the clan, he stood but remained where he was, being close enough to hear well and plenty close to see everything without difficulty. Momentarily he took notice of Twintail snapping at a couple of apprentices rising from slumber to join the meeting. Only a few moons from apprenticeship himself, he felt a slight pang of sympathy remembering those sleepless days well. Not that it got any easier or was meant to, but he hadn't disliked any of those long nights. He smiled as they skirted around Twintail and made a mad dash for seats. The twinkle of amusement could hardly have been smothered from his eyes at the way they looked, shocked and eager to fix the wrong before they could get worse.

Turning to listen in, he noted that Gravesky was very serious, not that he wasn't always, but his manner was different. Quickly he started getting to the point of the meeting, leaving the warriors to scuttle about for seats while he spoke. He spoke of Nightrun leaving, then mentioned the new deputy. Twintail.... huh

What had he been expecting, he wasn't sure, but Twintail. Blackjaw cast a glance at her, then at the apprentices. Well she would certainatly keep everyone in line, but it was an interesting choice. She was a capable cat to be sure, and one that would do Shadowclan proud, but after what the last deputy did, he was skeptical to place all his faith in her, without some measureable means of her qualities. Being younger, he really didn't know her all that well, and even though he was still growing into his warrior name, he wanted to get to know her more before he trusted her. He called her name out in respect all the same.

[Grayshadow]

Ah so Twintail was the new ShadowClan deputy. Oh joy. Sarcasm and darkness swam in the cold angry pale blue eyes of a massive dark gray tabby, sitting in the shadows. Why on earth did Gravesky keep choosing these mousebrains? He closed his eyes and almost growled with annoyance. After Nightwhatsit disappeared, he thought maybe he'd have a chance at the newly empty second in command spot but of course not. Gravesky probably didn't trust him anyways. Pfff, no one did. They always judged him before they got to truly know him.

Not that he cared anyhow, it was just mildly irritating. Grayshadow looked up at the newly appointed deputy as she spoke. "...Not hope, but rather a guarantee. I assure you, as ShadowClan's new deputy, we will be as strong as Shadowstar intended. I expect hard work from every one of you but our pure warrior blood will keep us tough."  Ears flattened with disgust, ShadowClan had always been strong, no...IS strong. No past tense. Nothing was going to stop the mysterious Clan from being the strongest Clan in the forest.

He glanced over at Blackjaw as the young warrior chanted Twintail's name. The gray tom could see skepticism in the other male's eyes and that alone made him raise an eyebrow. Maybe Twintail didn't have all of ShadowClan's approval. Interesting.

[sammonroll]

Twintail had finished speaking and let the shout of her name wash over her multi-colored pelt. It was calming, really. Her normally tense mind was nudged aside by this gentle tide of strength upholding her. More than ever, she felt supported by her clanmates and grew prideful, not for herself, but for her Clan.

The ceremony was soon over, and she pounced down from her spot, her once again focused mind rearing back into action. She noticed that there had been a couple voices missing from today's ceremony. It's only natural. Nightrun only disappeared a moon ago... Besides, she wasn't one to care much about what each individual thought of her. I work for them, after all, not the other way around. Perhaps I should work on my speaking...

Looking around, she noticed Frigidscorn speaking with Lightheart. Frigidscorn was a most capable warrioress in her day. She still was, but her duties have been much lessened since her retirement. The new deputy was sure of her support for the strength of the Clan, if not herself. Lightheart, on the other hand, appeared very aloof at times, but Twintail hadn't much interaction with the medicine cat and mostly respected him from afar. Perhaps it's time to solidify relations with everyone.

She noticed others too, but there was something tugging at her tail, like a kit trying to remind her of something. The warrioress paused, taking a moment of vulnerability, and sat down. She looked up at the sky. Now, she was no outward believer in StarClan, but the lingering hope that her siblings had made it to their starry home was always in the back of her mind. Dawnkit, Duskpaw, look. I'll keep everyone safe, I promise.

A curt nod at her own silly behavior crashed her back to the ShadowClan camp and faced her usual glare at whichever cat decided to stray too close.

[Shimmerz*]

x.i believe i believe i believe you're one of them.x
{you're one of those things}
x.so, go ahead, scream all you want, 'cause that only excites me.x

The former ruler's eyes glinted in the partial darkness. Lightheart seemed to be thinking straight after all. Yes, if he wasn't already the medicine cat, she would have happily had him as a deputy. He wasn't quick to jump to conclusions and, rather contradictorily, didn't put up with weaklings despite his profession. It was good to know Shadowclan was in decent paws. "Really, any cat can be a good speaker. It only takes training; still, true finesse can't be faked," she commented quietly. "I don't know how she will do as a deputy, but we shouldn't have to deal with that soon. I feel that Gravesky has many moons before him."

Whether or not the current leader knew it, he was being protected so long as he did his job properly. She wouldn't allow for any slip-ups, but he was a wise cat. The type of cat that could see situations with absolute clarity and who always made it a point to think through every possible scenario before taking action. Most cats were far too flighty. This is what made a clan weak, what created a failure to make intelligent decisions, and eventually doom.

On the other side of the situation, whether Twintail knew it or not, she had just earned a death warrant. One serious slip-up, one even moderate slip-up, and she would never make a mistake again: either due to mortal terror or an early trip to her demise. Either would do. To some this might seem a bit of an exaggeration, but so long as Frigidscorn lived, she would not allow shame to come to her clan's name. Really, she would sooner kill them all and reinvent Shadowclan among the few decent cats. That, unfortunately, would require far more life force than she currently possessed. She was a master strategist, but she was not foolish enough to think that she would stand a chance against the whole of her beloved clan.

"Who would you have chosen?" Frigidscorn inquired with a tone of amusement. She honestly couldn't think of a cat that made a clear candidate for deputy right now, aside from those already in high positions. It wasn't anything against the others, or perhaps it was, but rather that they lacked the qualities she deemed as necessary. There were some exceptions, but they also had their weak points, leaving them on a similar level with the rest.

x.i'm naming this plane for the sea, i'm taking you all with me.x
{so suffer little children, suffer little children}
x.x.suffer little children, come and get me.x.x

Word Count: 397
Song: "You're One of Them, Aren't You?" by the PAper ChAse.
Note: Ick. >w<

[pineshadow]

Pineshadow roused from her post- patrol catnap when the call of a clan meeting met her ears. She was alert at once, her instinct making her senses sharpen and her stance tense. Then she remembered that she was in the Shadowclan Warriors den. She had only just received her warrior name about 6 moons ago, and was still getting used to clan life. She sleepily padded into the clearing, now more relaxed. Eyes darting around, she sat down stiffly near the back of the growing clump of cats gathering beneath the Shaderock.

Pineshadow was an intelligent cat. Even though clan life was new to her, she had already deeply analyzed the social structure of the clan and concluded that a deputy was a crucial part of the clan, having seen the performance of all the deputy's duties and everyone's distress about the recent disappearance of Nightrun. This gathering would probably be about choosing a new deputy.

She wondered who would be chosen: she was assuming a senior warrior such as Grayshadow, Twintail, or Blackjaw. In her opinion, Grayshadow would be the best cat for the job: the others thought too highly of themselves. Twintail wasn't a quick thinker-- she needed to learn to problem solve on her feet if she was to be in a prominent position. Sure, she was pretty smart, but she let her ego blind her from getting better at anything. Blackjaw was not well liked among the clan-- he was too bossy and didn't regard them as high as himself. Obviously that would not make them want to fight under him, and anyway, he had never been a good strategist-- he was more concerned about making sure all the clan new how strong he was.

Looking over at Grayshadow, she began to second guess herself. Maybe she was sympathizing with him because he was an outsider, like her. He didn't even like her. He had been one of the cats concerned about Shadowclan's "Pure Blood". Then again, they all were. She couldn't believe they let their pride get in the way of their insight. Oh well. She still believed Grayshadow should be deputy. She had just let the opinion of the rest of the clan cloud hers. She needed to stop doing that. She had been more and more as she had spent more time with the clan. 

When Twintail was chosen as deputy, Pineshadow didn't mind that much. She knew that Twintail was not whom she would have picked, but she also knew that, being still regarded as an outsider, she had no room to say anything. She wasn't as ambitious as some Shadowclan cats, at least not in the "we rule the forest" kind of way.

Pineshadow knew how to discretely change the clan's outlook on certain things. Because she herself talked so little, when she did say things cats always tried to listen. They were suspicious of her, but they could see how her ideas benefitted the clan. Maybe she could help improve Twintail as a deputy that way: sharing  little bits of wisdom that would act as prompts for deep thought. No, Twintail wouldn't catch on to Pineshadow's subtle hints. She would be glad of the help, hopefully.