Spiderpaw's Campaign {The Experiment}

[Gosh]

((This is in the same area as the Cannibalism thread.))

Spiderpaw hesitated for a moment, then began her speech. "If I was leader, I would make sure everyone was treated the same. Well, I mean, of course those who were... were apt for finding water would be sent to do so, but they would get the chance to hunt too. I envision a Clan in which everyone works in harmony. If we can get that to happen, then we wouldn't all have to be thin and hungry. And we could all live happier lives!" she proclaimed. Then she paused, thinking of something else to say - and giving any audience members time to speak.

[Ten]

Woodstripe nodded as Spiderpaw spoke, knowing that she would have to be careful within the next few moments of the experiment - she knew her choices, but had yet to reach her decision. At the moment, Redstream seemed popular, but then, not many of these cats knew Spiderpaw. Would they express favor for her as well? Or would Redstream prevail as the preferred choice? During the pause, Woodstripe spoke up to agree with Spiderpaw without declaring outright support. "A lack of favoritism is important in a Clan. While cats should be rewarded for good work and fitted with the jobs they are best qualified for, it is right and just to keep no cat rooted to one task and treat all cats with respect regardless of differences. Spiderpaw understands this."

[Gosh]

Encouraged, Spiderpaw continued. "I also think that the dead should be given proper respect. I'm sure you've all seen a rotting corpse or two that no one bothered to bring to the Boneyard. I think that the dead should be acknowledged properly - and also, those who knew the deceased should tell everyone the story of their life in a kind of ceremony. For if no one remembers a cat, then it is like they never existed."

[duckyaisha]

Patchfur glared at Spiderpaw, still angry about the Slatefoot incident though it had happened quite a while ago. It upset him, the fact that Spiderpaw thought he would hurt the kit the two of them had been trying to protect just because he got angry. "You might be a good leader," he meowed grudgingly, then added, "if you stopped jumping to conclusions like they were fat lizards."

[Gosh]

Spiderpaw blinked. Slowly, she responded, "Patchfur, surely you are not speaking of that incident such a long time ago?" She hesitated, then meowed, "I am willing to forgive you for any rash actions or words, if you would likewise forgive me." She did not trust Patchfur; she, too still remembered the incident of which he spoke, although she had not been thinking about until this time. But she was willing to give him a second chance. As her mother had once said, 'A leader must recognize who cannot be trusted. But a leader must also be kind and forgiving.'

[Darky [Megan]]

"Excellent points, they are," Redstream put in, eager to start forming new ties. Though she seemed to be putting on a good front at the moment, she hardly knew any of the cats here and first impressions were key. Since Spiderpaw was beginning to do the same thing, however, Redstream thought that she had better get cracking too. She racked her brains for something to base her speech on, and hit upon a solid subject.

"If I were leader of a Clan, I would keep in mind that my method of leading the Clan would be very important - no one likes a bossy leader, nor do they like one that does too little, of course. A leader ought to be just and fair in their decisions and willing to lend an ear to each and every cat in the entire clan - be it elders or kits or warriors. They must also be wary of threats toward the Clan from the outside, and be active in taking steps to prevent it.

"A leader wouldn't be someone that tells others what to do, and if the cats in their Clan think that, then they are probably not a very good leader. A leader should be someone who loves their clan and knows how and when to speak up for the greater good. They should not be intimidating nor should they seem lax - rather, they ought to be like the father figure for all cats. Willing to strive to protect and help."

[Brain]

Rockpelt looked up from the lizard he'd been stalking and walked over to where the cats were gathered. So these cats were starting a clan. Well, they'd need a deputy. So even though he didn't know these cats, he began to speak.

"Hello," he said, dipping his head in greeting, "my name is Rockpelt, and I would be honored to be your deputy. In my mind the duty of any leader or deputy is to protect and serve the clan.

"If you would have me as deputy, I would take care to learn the personalities of you, my future clanmates, and make sure that all rat hunts are organized so that cats are with other cats that they can work with without fighting."

He paused, swishing his rock-gray tail, then continued: "I would also like to stop murders going on in the enclosure. Anyone in the clan would be protected from killings, and all murders would be avenged."

[Gosh]

Spiderpaw nodded with a smile at her opponent. 'I wouldn't mind at all if she won,' she thought to herself. 'She seems like a perfectly respectable leader.' So she responded, "Yes. A leader must be balanced; not too bossy, not too lax, getting ideas but listening to the ideas of the Clan."

She was about to say something else when she heard the newcomer speak. Taken aback, she stammered, "W-well, we're not really starting a Clan. This is just an exper-experiment." She glanced around nervously for a moment, then reminded herself that she needed to be calm and composed. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "But if you would like to join the experiment, you would be gladly welcomed; I don't think it's too late to join yet. I'm Spiderpaw."

[duckyaisha]

Patchfur blinked; he didn't think it would be this easy. "All right," he meowed, nodding in agreement. "I forgive you." He then turned to listen with interest to Redstream's speech. Was this... possible? A cat besides Bronzefoot that might not actually treat him like a kit? Still, she was probably just saying that. Surely she'd become much more controlling if this were a real Clan.

Dingypaw looked at Redstream intently, listening to her speech. It seemed she had chosen well; the she-cat promised to be a fair leader that would listen to every cat and help protect the Clan from invaders. She also promised not to be bossy and the final sentence was exactly what Dingypaw imagined a leader to be. If she had had any doubts before, they were gone now- she was definitely going to vote for Redstream. "I want you to know that you have my support," Dingypaw meowed in her raspy voice. This experiment was going well already.

[Gosh]

Spiderpaw gave Patchfur a serene smile. "Then I forgive you." With these simple words, Spiderpaw turned her mind away from the past and looked towards Dingypaw. Hearing the elder's words, she thought fast. 'Redstream has a lot of supporters already. I have to say something original, not just a remake of what she says.'

She was getting more nervous. 'Play it cool, Spiderpaw,' she told herself. 'Besides, it's just the experiment. It's not like this is an actual Clan, or a matter of life and death.' She coughed a little and began, resisting the urge to raise her voice. "If I was leader, I would help devise good, organized strategies for rat hunts. I would make sure that every cat, even the oldest elder and the youngest kit, got the water and food they needed. If there were any cats who decided not to join the Clan, then I would treat them kindly and respect them. The dead would be recognized, as would the newborn kits." She turned to Patchfur. "I know that you maintain the argument that a leader would be bossy, and that the power would get to their heads. But the leaders you speak of are truly hypothetical, with no particular past or personality to speak of except for the assumption that they are a boss. But do you truly believe that I or Redstream would betray the Clan, if one of us were to lead it?"