- Sep 22, 2024
- 29
- 4
- 3
⚛︎₊˚‧ To be chosen as part of a clan leader's council was generally considered to be one of the highest honors. Save for the position of deputy, being a lead warrior was one of the more significant roles one could play within their group's lives. One had to be level headed, cool under pressure, a good problem solver, be unafraid to challenge what they believed was wrong, think creatively and cohesively, and above all be someone who your clanmates could turn to with confidence and security whenever it was needed. Yes, it was no easy task to be a lead warrior and not just anyone can be selected for the job...which is why it had struck not only Amberhaze, but the majority of Shadowclan with discernible shock when Mirestar had called out to Snowlark of all cats to present him with the opportunity to climb their ranks with nothing more than a simple, single-worded "Yes."
It wasn't just because he was young, no...young individuals were not to be overlooked when it came to showing great promise, but rather that he was just so...average. And not even in the stereotypical way, but the kind of average where you are susceptible to things that a lead warrior should learn how to stifle. Things like a lack of confidence, anxiety, the inability to be self-assured, being self conscious and unsure of yourself and what you can or can not do...it was almost like Amberhaze to a lesser extent, and you've never seen him considered for anything important beyond bearing a typical clan's workload...he was lucky to be chosen to lead a hunting patrol, his exceptional skills on that front being the only thing that ensured he would be considered in the first place.
Nevertheless, he figured congratulations were in order, it was good to be polite even if he didn't understand what the ultimatum was that secured Snowlark's newfound position in Mirestar's mind. Perhaps he shouldn't feel so shocked given the way Mirestar displayed similar traits...Amberhaze would never say so aloud, but he wasn't very confident in their recently ascended leader's abilities or choices thus far, especially paired with the fact they had not even received all of those nine lives typically promised to anyone at the helm of a clan. A weak leader made for a weak council, and a weak council made for a weak clan, a weak clan meant weak individuals...and we all know what happens after.
Amberhaze could push all of this aside for the time being though, allowing for his body to contort into a prolonged stretch that caused his boney limbs to tremble before making his way towards where Snowlark sat. He gave a vigorous shake of his head like that of a flea-bitten dog, his oversized ear flopping audibly against the side of his narrowed face with the momentum. "Uh- Snowlark! H-Hey. Hi." He would settle down in front of the tundra pelted tom, offering a rather forced looking grin that tugged at the corners of a twitching jaw. "I just w-wanted to- uh- say that I'm...I'm happy. F-For you, I mean. About your- uh...promotion." By some miracle, his pink-tinted lips peeled back even further, given how wide that...smile- more like a grimace, really- already was, rows of yellow-tinted fangs glistening under the gentle Leafbare light. "It's a pretty b-big deal, yeah? I-I can't even- b-begin to imagine how much- uh...pressure i-is on your shoulders...y-y'know, what with being the- the youngest- uh...on the c-council and all." He paused to laugh half-heartedly at...was this meant to be a joke? Encouragement? "I wouldn't be able to...t-to take it, p-personally. Y-You uh... have a lot to prove! Not to mention e-everyone on- on the council...t-they've been working- uh- alongside one another a-and along...alongside Mirestar f-for so much longer than you! Hell- Sharpshadow? He's...uh...w-well he's been working on t-the team since- since Smogstar! Ooh...Oooh man...I-I'd feel as if I'd be e-eaten alive! So little- e-experience...and being t-trusted to oversee- uh...well- t-the whole clan! Kinda."
The more the abyssal oriental went on, the more sporadic his body language became. A twitching mess by the end of it and with glossy eyes dulled down from their usual near-illuminant orange glow in the wake of it all. He didn't mean anything bad by what he said, truly...but that meant little when Snowlark was unaware of his more good-hearted and unassuming intentions, Amberhaze ever the antisocial and unpredictable creature that he was made it a near impossible challenge. "Uh- But hey! Y-You'll do great, I'm sure...sure...you'll do f-fine..." He seemed to be trying to convince himself more than anyone else on that one, his voice trailing into a nearly incoherent mumble paired with an avoidant gaze...didn't he believe in his clanmate? His lead warrior?
It wasn't just because he was young, no...young individuals were not to be overlooked when it came to showing great promise, but rather that he was just so...average. And not even in the stereotypical way, but the kind of average where you are susceptible to things that a lead warrior should learn how to stifle. Things like a lack of confidence, anxiety, the inability to be self-assured, being self conscious and unsure of yourself and what you can or can not do...it was almost like Amberhaze to a lesser extent, and you've never seen him considered for anything important beyond bearing a typical clan's workload...he was lucky to be chosen to lead a hunting patrol, his exceptional skills on that front being the only thing that ensured he would be considered in the first place.
Nevertheless, he figured congratulations were in order, it was good to be polite even if he didn't understand what the ultimatum was that secured Snowlark's newfound position in Mirestar's mind. Perhaps he shouldn't feel so shocked given the way Mirestar displayed similar traits...Amberhaze would never say so aloud, but he wasn't very confident in their recently ascended leader's abilities or choices thus far, especially paired with the fact they had not even received all of those nine lives typically promised to anyone at the helm of a clan. A weak leader made for a weak council, and a weak council made for a weak clan, a weak clan meant weak individuals...and we all know what happens after.
Amberhaze could push all of this aside for the time being though, allowing for his body to contort into a prolonged stretch that caused his boney limbs to tremble before making his way towards where Snowlark sat. He gave a vigorous shake of his head like that of a flea-bitten dog, his oversized ear flopping audibly against the side of his narrowed face with the momentum. "Uh- Snowlark! H-Hey. Hi." He would settle down in front of the tundra pelted tom, offering a rather forced looking grin that tugged at the corners of a twitching jaw. "I just w-wanted to- uh- say that I'm...I'm happy. F-For you, I mean. About your- uh...promotion." By some miracle, his pink-tinted lips peeled back even further, given how wide that...smile- more like a grimace, really- already was, rows of yellow-tinted fangs glistening under the gentle Leafbare light. "It's a pretty b-big deal, yeah? I-I can't even- b-begin to imagine how much- uh...pressure i-is on your shoulders...y-y'know, what with being the- the youngest- uh...on the c-council and all." He paused to laugh half-heartedly at...was this meant to be a joke? Encouragement? "I wouldn't be able to...t-to take it, p-personally. Y-You uh... have a lot to prove! Not to mention e-everyone on- on the council...t-they've been working- uh- alongside one another a-and along...alongside Mirestar f-for so much longer than you! Hell- Sharpshadow? He's...uh...w-well he's been working on t-the team since- since Smogstar! Ooh...Oooh man...I-I'd feel as if I'd be e-eaten alive! So little- e-experience...and being t-trusted to oversee- uh...well- t-the whole clan! Kinda."
The more the abyssal oriental went on, the more sporadic his body language became. A twitching mess by the end of it and with glossy eyes dulled down from their usual near-illuminant orange glow in the wake of it all. He didn't mean anything bad by what he said, truly...but that meant little when Snowlark was unaware of his more good-hearted and unassuming intentions, Amberhaze ever the antisocial and unpredictable creature that he was made it a near impossible challenge. "Uh- But hey! Y-You'll do great, I'm sure...sure...you'll do f-fine..." He seemed to be trying to convince himself more than anyone else on that one, his voice trailing into a nearly incoherent mumble paired with an avoidant gaze...didn't he believe in his clanmate? His lead warrior?
✧ ° . ⚠︎ . ° ✧
- ooc: please wait for @Snowlark! this is set before the thunderclan battle and after his initial promotion
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black oriental shorthair. a short but lengthy black cat with a boney build and striking ocher eyes filled with unveiled trepidation.