As the sun rose on camp, Stormstar climbed the old maple tree that shaded half the camp. She yowled for attention, and the cats of Wolfclan gathered around to hear what she had to say. Their eyes, red from tears shed over their recently killed deputy, turned to their leader, hopeful.
"It has been a long, and difficult night" said Stormstar. "Storkspots was an excellent deputy, and he served his clan well. Noone can replace him, but we must have a new deputy in his place."
The brown furred cat turned her gaze to Slatenut, her oldest friend. "Slatenut, will you accept this duty?"
The white she-cat was stunned. She stammered, confused. "Me?" She looked around at her clanmates, some of which were equally surprised.
"You have shown great courage in the face of adversity" said Stormstar. "There is no doubt in my mind that you have what it takes. Will you accept?"
Slatenut looked toward Timberbreeze, who gave her an encouraging nod. "I do."
The cats of Wolfclan cheered, as the first beams of sunshine lit up the camp with a warm glow. They had faced hardship, but now things could turn around.