Tempestwind’s ears lowered at the sight of her leader in turmoil, the scarred she cat becoming more worried when Violetstar said nothing to the crowd. For a moment she was thrown back to a time before waterCkan, before the very young not yet Rushingpaw, came to save her and her brothers. Where her mother terrorized her and her siblings leaving them silent and frightened. Parallels to this and that time came now and Tempestwind shook.

“Tell them!” She suddenly cried rising to her paws looking at Violetstar. “Tell them that you are our leader!” Her words were suddenly angry. “You have to step up and clear the doubts! Reiterate why you are leader! Tell them! Tell us!” She shouted. Her words sounding desperate now. It looked like the leader was caving to Riverwolf, brought low by the one close to her.
But it hurt, it hurt so much after having left this behind only to come back at Rushingriver’s request when Violetstar became leader. Only to see WaterClan’s leader, not unfit by any of the points made, but instead brought down by the betrayal of her loved ones. it made Tempestwind ill and it both angered and hurt her deeply to see Violetstar fall. The leader was supposed to rise above this! Because if the leader couldn't, then what chance did Tempestwind?

Juniperpaw just couldn’t believe it. How did everyone just.... turn against their leader? What happened? Everything happened so fast and Rustyheart still wasn’t better, the young apprentice didn’t know what to do. “V-Violetstar!” She tried to call, her her voice was drowned within the crowd. Golden irises became pools as she couldn’t contain the utter despair she felt. She never felt this before.

Lilypool pulled Thunderkit into her body and held him close, a dark gaze cast upon the molly she once called leader. “Shh, its okay Thunderkit. We have a leader who will protect us now, who won’t hurt his own, like we’ve been waiting for.”

"Riverwolf should be leader." For a moment, cats in the crowd wondered who spoke. Until a tom walked through the crowd, ethereal form slipping through the bodies of the cats within WaterClan. At first, cats might have wondered how this could be, until they recognized the nearly opaque frame of the dusty orange tom, ashen eyes blazing as they had in life. Vulcan. Father of one of their previous leaders, Phoenixriver, and grandfather to the cats such as Rustyheart, Chimerahunt, and Wyverndelirium. Most cats knew his story by now, he'd died on a walk through the territory, and for moons, cats hadn't realized he was even dead until his body was discovered. The elder had simply continued on as if he were living, talking with the clan, making memories and such. StarClan had rejected him in all ways but formality, for the most part, letting him live in WaterClan for the rest of his afterlife, with very limited access to the stars, and no knowledge of prophecy or other important matters reaching his ears.

Now, the tom was fine enough with that. He hadn't been great in life, couldn't really say that when he'd tried to drown on of his own children, but in WaterClan, he hadn't been bad either. For that matter, when the sickness hit, he'd been a huge help, a face to put to the death that ran rampant, soothing fears of what it was like to die. That had earned him some manner of respect within the clan, at least. "Now, I know I didn't grow up in this clan, I wasn't even a part of it that long, but if Riverwolf is willing to step up, who cares? Violetstar obviously isn't challenging him, and my grandson is somewhere, by choice or accident. The worst that happens is this cat gets you all killed, and if things go wrong, you can simply dispose of him like you're doing to Violetstar now before it gets to that point." Though his words didn't exactly support Violetstar's mate by praising his skills, the tom was technically a StarClan cat. Or at the very least, he wasn't a Dark Forest cat. His opinion was as good as any, even if the reality was that he wouldn't have to deal with any of the consequences. He had a front row seat to watch the world burn, if he so wished.

Boy, did he love being dead.

A smile replaced the look of cold fury on his maw as the clan began to support him. Finally. He was torn away from his thoughts when the ghostly figure of Vulcan appeared. A look of surprise passed over his features. First, at the fact that there was a dead cat just roaming around. Second, because that dead cat supported his cause. Even the dead are on my side. I am the god of Waterclan. Riverwolf nodded to his clan and swept his tail sideways to gather their attention. "Let us vote for who should be the leader of Waterclan. Each member of the clan will vote, including kits. Cast your shells on the left side of the fall if you are for me. Place them on the right for Violetstar." He spoke and gave a nod to Wyverndilirium. "Our deputy will direct you into files."

His attention then turned to Bluestream and he smiled softly. "I am fine. The clan is finally coming to their senses." He responded, his words smooth like honey. "If they choose me, will you support me by my side?"

For a moment, the clan hesitated, looking uneasily at one another. Though most knew this vote was necessary, no one wanted to be the first cat to step forward; truly acknowledging how divided Waterclan really was. Luckily for everyone, Yuccablossom didn't really care about any of that. Without missing a beat, the fluffy tortoiseshell trotted over to the falls, picked up a smooth, tan shell, and promptly deposited it on the left, cementing her vote for Riverwolf. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see the rest of her clanmates staring at her, some with smiles and nods of agreement, others with scowls and frowns of disapproval. "It's nothing personal," she admitted, trotting over towards Riverwolf, her feathery tail held high. "No matter the outcome, everything will be alright in the end. But I'd rather have a leader who knows how to command their cats, as my mother did."

Speaking of which, two figures were sitting together at the entrance of the Elder's den, surprisingly silent in spite of the events unfolding in front of them. As soon as Yuccablossom had cast her vote, the pair exchanged a glance with each other and stood up. The first, a well-groomed, blue-grey tom, spent more time deciding which shell to use than deciding where to place his vote. Though anyone who knew Bluepelt well would notice the faint uncertainty in his eyes as he glanced between the left and right sides of the fall, before finally placing his iridescent shell on the left beside his niece's. When he noticed some of the questioning glares from Violetstar's supporters, the elder only shrugged nonchalantly and returned to his den.

Now all eyes were on Gravelshell, formerly known as Gravelstar. Anyone who had been around during her reign was well aware of her strict commitment to the warrior code, but the was contrasted by her allowance of half-clan relationships within Waterclan with only light punishment, as well as her personal belief in a strong leadership as the base of a strong clan. It was, after all, only when she had shown weakness in front of Waterclan that she had stepped down from her position. Yes, all eyes were on her, because most cats were sure her vote could go either way. But only the cats who didn't know her well thought that.
There was no hesitation as Gravelshell picked up the first shell she saw, and then set her shell on the right side of the falls, in support for Violetstar. Her ear twitched as she heard several surprised gasps in the crowd, and the former leader turned to face them, her eyes meeting Riverwolf's for a single moment. Though no one else saw it, there was nothing but disdain as she looked at the tom.
"Violetstar is my kin, I would never vote against her," she answered simply. "Or have you all so easily forgotten that the true foundation of Waterclan is family? Without that love, this clan will never survive." Before anyone could say another word, Gravelshell disappeared back into her den with her brother.

Juniperpaw looked to Smokeynight with pools of gold. Her body language was obviously that of fear, trying to make herself look small next to Rustyheart's collapsed body. "I.... I have a patient right now I have to look after...." Her voice was meek and frail, looking for anyone to protect her.

Lilypool hesitated as she brought her kits from the nursery to Wyv as they took shells. "Okay my sweets, just put your shells for who you think should lead us." She doubted her kits really understood the situation, thinking that they'd put their shells to the right just as their mother did.