h[open]lly

[Pearlstar]

Pearlstar leaped on the stone that the leaders before him would use to make announcements. This was one of his first ceremonies as a leader, and not one he was sure the rest of the clan, however few, would agree with. He wasn't much of a sight up on the giant stone, rather small in comparison, and his fur pricked with anxiety. What was he going to say? What if they protested? He was a leader, and what leader said was law, but all of the clan against one, especially with his age? Still, he had been made leader for a reason. CelestialClan had a plan for him. He just wasn't sure what it was yet. 

"HazeClan, gather here for a meeting," he called out, voice cracking at first. I need to appoint a deputy soon. I can't do this.


Thistlemane
Mothwillow
Silvertongue
Hollystep

[Thistlemane]

A meeting this early? Pearlstar was definitely crazy.
Was it even early? Well, every moment was too early for Thistlemane. He was an energetic sort when it came to something he felt strongly about, by mornings and meetings simply weren't anything to be perky about.

Gathering as he had been instructed, the tabby and white tom stifled a yawn and glanced up at the tiny thing who claimed to lead their clan. Well, apart from size he had no obvious reason to denounce Pearlstar's leadership; he was simply giving him the benefit of the doubt.

[Hollystep]

I yawned as I stepped away from the makeshift nest of reeds and damp river moss. I frowned at the flaky remains and headed towards the calling kitty after giving my coat a good shake.  I grinned lightly as I looked up at the tomcat.  My black tabby coat glinted against the sun as I grinned up with impatient eyes.  I was honestly rather tired of sleeping outside, but I kept my mouth shut as usual.  Other than the fact that I sounded like a toad, in what right was I to speak my opinion?  I curled a gray tipped tail around my paws and smiled up.

[Silvertongue]

Silvertongue imagined Pearlstar would be quite scared at this point. Perhaps he would have been able to counsel the young tom, if he had only come to him for advice. It was certainly disheartening to know that the newest leader did not rely on him.
Not yet anyway.
Give it time.

The mottled silver medicine cat crouched at the base of Pearlstar's perch, sulking quietly in his own world. The tom was incredibly possessive, particularly when it came to attention, and he took the small slight seriously. Did Pearlstar not love him anymore?
"Get on with it," he muttered sourly, watching the clan gather.

[Pearlstar]

Pearlstar's paws itched to return to his den and let the memory of his failed attempt at addressing the clan disperse as they would. Stepping to the very edge, he curled his tail around his paws and raised his chin. His voice wasn't necessarily squeaky, like a kit's, but it also wasn't as low as a fully fledged warrior, so Pearlstar nearly had to yell for everyone to hear him. On the outside, Pearl would appear to be a confident, bold cat, but on the inside, he felt that he was a very old kitten.

"Today, we are here to welcome a new addition to our clan. HazeClan, as you know, as long as the rest of the clans, have been in distress, and we are lacking in queens. Someone has been kind enough to provide for our clan as a queen. I want you all to warmly welcome our newest member, Holly." 

Do I change her name?

 

[Mothwillow]

I wandered from the entrance of the camp with a mouse hanging from my jaws, it rocked back in forth in a lazy rhythm hitting my chin then bouncing off. Before I was even a step in the camp, a clan meeting was called. I drifted to the fresh kill pile, dropping the plump mouse, it rolled off the growing pile of flesh and I had to push it closer to the pile before I turned back to see Pearlstar.

As I padded on soundless paws to the gathering cats, I found myself looking off into space with a dazed look in my heterochromia iridium, I however, listening to the announcements as my eyes explored what was above. And then Holly was announced.

A smile danced across my sweet face as I realized that meant new kits and apprentice's were going to be coming around eventually... though I was insure of what to do, should I lead the clan in cheering out Holly's name in a welcoming manner.. or is her name going to be changed?


I scanned Pearlstar and then the clearing looking for a sign, my brow raised. It'd be improper for the clan to have a queen whose blood already is impure.. but whose name also is not a clan name. If I were a kit, I'd want to be born to a real queen, not a loner queen. Luckily I am not a kit, and I don't have to worry about such things, but still, I ended up staring at Pearlstar to see what his next move was going to be.

[Silvertongue]

Pearlstar was talking about someone other than him, and Silvertongue didn't like it.

His pale gaze cut to the one cat in the clearing he didn't recognize, and automatically he assumed the stranger was this 'Holly'. It wasn't a clan name, clearly, it made him worry. He couldn't care less if a three-legged purple toad were to join the clan, so long as it liked him more than anyone else, and it was the same with this Holly. He supposed as a queen, he would be able to spend quite a bit of time with her.
It was Pearlstar's popularity he was worried for. His first act of leader should have shown his strength, not his leniency, and just because no cats chose to speak against it, didn't mean they were happy.

Stifling a sigh Silvertongue gathered his paws and retired to his den without cheering.

[Thistlemane]

"Oh great," Thistlemane muttered with a roll of his eyes. "We're going to be a clan of half-breeds, that'll look good." He was annoyed with the decision, not so much because of how they would now be viewed - which couldn't be good - but because Pearlstar was apparently not even trying to make it look like he was integrating her into the clan. Evidently he had no intention of changing the loner's name. Wonderful.
A warrior was one thing, but a queen?
She was going to fill their clan with half-blood brats.

Shaking his head the spiky furred tom stood and turned with an abrupt flick of his tail. For a moment he analyzed the outsider cooly before sighing and directing the same cool analaytical stare to Pearlstar. With another quiet mutter he turned and stalked away.

[Pearlstar]

Pearly sighed. This clearly wasn't going very well. He could hear grunts of disapproval and mumbling, but he held his ground, constantly reminding himself that he was the leader now, and they would very well have to deal with it.

"If anybody has an issue with this, they can take it up with me, and later. Now is a time to welcome Holly, unless any of you toms would like to raise the future of the clan yourselves? And finally, I am giving Holly the option of whether or not she wants her name changed. It was her birthright, and clan or not, we haven't the right to take it from her."

[Mothwillow]

I found myself watching Holly with sympathetic eyes, I felt a burning in my chest and a knot in my throat but dismissed the fire and swallowed. I could see Pearlstar was stressed, he was a new leader and as young as he was it must be a crazy duty to take care of other living cats. 

"Holly! Holly! Holly!"

I cheered, a slight smile framed my pretty face, my voice was sing-song and thoughtful, I hoped this would make Holly feel a bit more at home in HazeClan. I was never a cat that was welcomed by my home, hardly ever. I often was seen as a freak. I slithered closer to the front of the crowd, proving my acceptance for the new queen.

"Welcome to HazeClan."

I greeted the she-cat, my voice was like honey, smooth and warm. I had a dreamy voice, it was very, sing-song and soft. My gentle heterochromia gaze rested on Holly half a second longer before racing back to see what Pearlstar was doing.

[Hollystep]

The leader seemed reluctant to speak for the crowd, giving me a small grin.  According to this lovely audience, I was wanted here as much Pearlstar had intended.  I gave a small snicker and looked about.  They probably wouldn't like to here my raspy voice, seeing as I thought it was the most horrendous thing upon this earth.  Yet, I knew I had to talk.  I wasn't going to show my silence to them.  I wasn't about to accept these insults.  "So, those of you disputing my presence are saying that you have no members in your long family history that weren't in a clan?  I'm sorry, but clans didn't exist way back when, ya'know?"

I cast my gaze specifically at Thistlemane who seemed to be leaving and gave a big smile.  I turned to the deputy, who seemed nice enough to cheer and accept me.  "My, oh, my.  Sorry for my rude first words.  I can't simply take these rude greeting though."  I turned my lopsided smile to the leader, gaze solid.  "I like my name.  I never planned on changing it, but your clan is too opposed to the idea of being a bit flexible... change it," I meowed, this being more of a challenge to those who had complained.  I added in a small wink to Pearlstar, hidden for only him to see.

[Pearlstar]

Pearlstar shook his head. It seemed that the clan was unhappy with his decision. He grimaced, but at Holly's wink, stepped closer to the clan, voice raised even louder so that those who were leaving could hear.

'"Spirits of CelestialClan, you know every cat by name. I ask you now to take away the name from the cat you see before you, for it no longer stands for what she is. By my authority as Clan leader, and with the approval of our warrior ancestors, I give this cat a new name. From this moment on she will be known as Hollystep, for her transition from rogue to Clan life."

With this, he stepped off the stone, congratulating Holly and poofing away.