Deputy

A deputy is a warrior who is second in command to the leader, helping him or her in their tasks and replacing them immediately after their death or retirement. Also, when the leader is sick, the deputy will replace them until they recover.

Appointment
The leader of a Clan must decide on a new deputy before moonhigh on the night that the old deputy has either died or become leader,and also must state his or her name before the body of the old deputy (if the previous deputy was deceased- if not, they say the new deputy's name before StarClan) so the spirit of the old deputy will hear and approve the leader's choice of the new deputy.

When the leader dies or retires, the current deputy will become the new leader, unless a rebellion starts, or the leader changes the deputy before death.

A cat may not become deputy unless he or she has mentored at least one apprentice.

Retirement
A deputy can resign from their position if he or she wishes to do so, for instance to retire as an elder (depending on age), such as Tawnyspots in Bluestar's Prophecy. They can also be deposed by the leader if considered unfit for the position (like Tallstar deposing Mudclaw in Starlight when he died). In either of the cases, a new deputy will be named before moonhigh. A deputy can also be banished (example: Tigerclaw in Forest of Secrets).

Tasks
Tasks of a Clan deputy include:
 * Assisting the leader in their tasks; they are a sort of "apprentice leader"
 * Assigning border patrols, listening to their reports and assigning hunting patrols
 * Organizing warrior trainings to keep up their skills (like Brambleclaw did in Twilight)
 * Making reports to the Clan leader
 * Substitute for the Clan leader on Gatherings and in battles if they are unavailable (like Fireheart did for Bluestar after the fire)
 * As a deputy is also a warrior, they are expected to carry out warrior tasks as well (patrolling, hunting, mentoring etc.). They do not have a den of their own, but sleep with the other warriors.

If the deputy is unavailable, the senior warriors will distribute the deputy's tasks between them (like the ThunderClan senior warriors did when Graystripe was away, or when Tawnyspots was sick during Bluestar's Prophecy).