It is not supposed to go like this, and the fact alone is almost enough to turn them into stone. Mirepurr sits amongst kings and queens; their souls blessed by the very stars themselves, sitting under the full moon on their rightful throne, united... and then there is Mirepurr, impossibly out of place. Smogstar should be here to recite the latest events — him and his shadowed crown, a snug fit for that striped head.
At the very least, they are not the only odd thing about tonight. The startling lack of Howlingstar and her Clan just might be enough to distract everyone from their unlikely presence upon the branches.
Mirepurr will certainly agonize over something this embarrassing later on in the comfort of the warriors' den or the night air's chill... but in this very moment, they can barely process what the other leaders are saying. They try at least, but the words pass through them like unassuming breeze. A buzz cascades in their mind; words recited, names recalled, reminders set. Sit straight and do not look down. Well, look down a little, because it would be even more strange if they did not spare a glance to the cats they will be talking to within minutes... but not enough to lose their balance and fall. Would StarClan grant them a second life if they tossed their current one in such a foolish fashion?
Focus. They ought to report back to Smogstar about what the others announce. Mirepurr steals glances whenever someone new is speaking; thinks about uttering a condolences to all these deaths, because that is only polite, but their mouth remains impossibly dry. With a squint hard enough to give them a headache, they hope the others will grow to understand their anxiety.
Speaking in front of your Clan is one thing... speaking in front of all the Clans? Stars, how do any of them do this, moon after moon?
The carefully pre-written script in their head changes. Mirepurr stares at Orangestar like she had just grown a second head; upon closer inspection, she is perfectly normal. A new code, she suggests — Mirepurr had not prepared for such an occurrence, and when Lichenstar finishes responding, they become painfully aware of the silence that befalls them all.
After a silent prayer is sent skyward, Mirepurr speaks. "...It is not my place to agree or disagree." They are actually doing this! "I will bring your suggestion to Smogstar to decide upon." Good thing they already fit the propositioned criteria.
Was that right? They hadn't stuttered, so they must be on the right track. Mirepurr is decisively hungry for the next deep inhale, much-needed oxygen filling their lungs.
"As you can see... Smogstar is not present." Frog-brain. Of course they already know... "I am the one in his stead tonight; as his deputy. We are hoping for a swift recovery, so that he may address you all again soon." His sickness had not been foreseen, and the severity of it even less so. Mirepurr trusts Starlingheart and Marblepaw to help him through it, but for now, that is that — the other Clans do not need to know every detail about ShadowClan's current vulnerability.
"I'd like to warn you all of possible threats that we have encountered over the last moon. One of our patrols have spotted Twoleg activity on the part of our territory that normally has none... we are hoping it is a one-off occurrence, but bracing for the worst." At least Forestshade and the others had gotten away without much trouble. "Secondly, two former ShadowClan members by the names of Valleysong and Cynget's Cry have deserted us, despite our medicine cats' generosity. We urge you to turn them away, should they linger by your borders — they are no more than greedy rogues." Mirepurr thinks their words sound eerily similar to Smogstar then; likely a byproduct of the many discussions they've had alongside the company of sour-smelling herbs.
Composure threatens to tremble within their grasp when they arrive to the next bit. "Lastly... we have found the bodies of Orchidbloom and Raggedbite, likely murdered by rogues. Please, stay alert."
Perhaps they hadn't gotten all that close with Raggedbite — stripped of such a chance —, but Orchidbloom has been favored... a friend, perhaps, if the feeling was mutual on her part. There is little reason to ponder now. Mirepurr might never know.
If they're lucky, their pause may be viewed for what it really is; a moment of silence for those they lost.
"But we remain resilient." A high note, saved just for the end. "We welcome new apprentices: Branchpaw, Gigglepaw, Plumpaw, Stonepaw and Morelpaw. They will no doubt make us proud." It is impossible, but Mirepurr tries to pick out the cats they name amongst the busy crowd. "And our newest warriors have already made us proud. Snowlark, Lividsmoke, Laurelgrin and Halfsun!"
The nerves appear to hit them once more, now that they've finished; or perhaps the fleeting adrenaline had taken its sweet time to catch up with them. Mirepurr attempts to hide the shakiness of their limbs with the fluff of their tail as they curl it around themself like a protective veil.
"I believe... that is all from ShadowClan."
