January's Gathering 2018

ooc: WOOO FIRST GATHERING OF THE YEAR

Snow blanketed clearing as full moon hung high in the sky, filtering down a pale light that reflected off it's surface to cast a ghostly feeling throughout the Fourtrees. The bare withered branches of the oaks seemed to be like claws reaching for the clouds, yet still too far to touch.

Ivystar was the first leader to enter the clearing, ploughing her way through the thick snow with an irritated look as snowflakes clung to her whiskers. At the beginning of Leafbare, her glossy coat had kept the worst of the chill off her, but as prey grew meagre, her coat suffered the consequences. Pinpricks of coldness from the melted snow left her chilly, and it didn't help that she was heading into a tense gathering. Blizzardstar was most likely going to sulk the whole gathering, not breaking the peace but hostile. If not, she'd have to be supremely foolish, and even a naive cat that clung to diplomacy like a lifeline most likely had a limit.

Hopefully, she though, Honeyspark's return would be a show of good faith that would stem outright hostility.

With a single leap, she climbed onto the Great rock, using her claws to keep traction.

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The newly named Minnowslip was eager to attend her first gathering as a warrior, though it was a little curbed by the fact her clan seemed to be all in a titzy over the code. She hoped no one made a scene, personally she thought Ivystar was too lenient by bring Honeyspark back, sending them Lionspark would have been better. A weaker ThunderClan was a harmless ThunderClan. But the leader seemed to have made up her mind, and who was she to question that. So rather than make a nuisance of herself, she planted her butt in a small snow-free patch that she dug up and wait for the other clans to arrive.

Snailbelly followed into the gathering, not too cold on account of his own fat. He was a little on edge and always had been since the battle for Sunningrocks.

The second to enter was Magpiestar with ShadowClan. Despite their nocturnal nature, he often found himself lagging behind every other clan when it came to arrival. Thankfully, he had managed to rise early and finish all of his duties for the night before they would need to leave.

His muscles still ached from his sickness, but with Sycamorepaw's approval, he led his clan into the gathering. RiverClan had just begun trickling in themselves, giving his clanmates lots of opportunity to settle in and grab the best seats. Straying from the group, he made his way to the Great Rock. Bunching his hind legs, he leapt up, climbing his way onto the rock. It felt like a lifetime since he was last up there, but he felt different. Perhaps it was the lack of nervousness. It really did feel like his first time as a proper leader.

With a nod to the she-cat, he settled in beside her, shaking snowflakes from his dark fur. "I hope RiverClan's faring well in this cold. It's been many moons since we've had a Leafbare this frigid," the tom commented, trying to pass the time.

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Rainstorm padded into the clearing, eyes turned away from any other cat as he took a seat far from the action. He wasn't fond of interacting with strangers anymore. For the meantime, the warrior sat quietly, shuffling every so often to keep his paws from freezing on the brisk snow blanket. He would watch from afar, waiting for Splashwillow or one of his kits to join him.

Blazeflight followed in step behind ShadowClan, keeping a constant pace behind Magpiestar and Littlebrook. Though her head was dipped low from exhaustion, she was rather interested in this gathering, because from what she'd heard, there'd been a war between ThunderClan and RiverClan. The ginger warrior wanted to see if Specklefang was alright, talk to her maybe. She found a seat closer to where ThunderClan normally was than she normally would, hoping to get a chance to talk to Specklefang, or at least someone who knew her well enough to tell her if she was alright.

Scorchfang padded after his leader, his head held proudly. This was his first Gathering as a warrior, and he was going to make it be known to every cat that he was now a changed cat for the better. Spotting Ivystar and the rest of RiverClan by Fourtrees already sparked his excitement. He really wanted to see Sweetpaw again. Maybe she earned her warrior name, too! He broke through the gang of ShadowClan cats to search for her.

Sweetheart detected the scent of ShadowClan before she saw Magpiestar leading the Clan to Fourtrees, and instantly her heart felt heavy with sadness. She still remembered Honeydrop's words when she dreamed with StarClan at the Moonstone as an apprentice. She was to never see Scorchfang again. But... oh, great StarClan, she missed him so much! Perhaps talking with him a little now wouldn't hurt... She separated herself from her Clan and padded up to Scorchfang, forcing a smile. "Hi, Scorchpaw. Or do you have your warrior name?"

"I do! I'm Scorchfang now!" the ShadowClan tom meowed excitedly. "And what about you?"

"I-I'm Sweetheart."

"Sweetheart. What a beautiful name for a beautiful cat." Scorchfang reached out his muzzle to brush against hers, but he blinked in surprise when she pulled away and averted her gaze. He took a step towards her. "Is there something wrong?"

"I-I... um..." Sweetheart stammered, trying to find the right way to explain to her love that she couldn't see him anymore, but when she opened her mouth to try again the tom cut her off.

"You can tell me tomorrow night. We can't be seen together right now. I'll see you then, okay?" Scorchfang offered the she-cat whom he loved so very much a gentle smile, then he retreated back to his Clan.

Sweetheart sighed heavily, her tail falling. "Except I'm not supposed to..." she murmured to herself. Well, perhaps it'll just have to be a final meeting for the two of them then. She locked her gaze with Scorchfang for a few more moments before making her way back to her own Clan, hoping that no cat saw her interaction with him. They were already so ruffled up about the battle against ThunderClan anyway, so perhaps no one noticed...

(OOC: So sorry for the long post!)

Jaystream had lost weight since the last time he was here. This leafbare had been rough but at least Riverclan was getting a lot of new warriors that would help him with all the patrols he had to do.

Like always, the lean tabby tom walked behind his mother and sat down in his usual place in front of the rocks of the leaders. He curled his fluffy tail around his paws, nervous. This Gathering was going to be different thanks to the big battle that happened in the Sunningrocks. Even if Ivystar would return the medicine cat to her clan, the warrior couldn't help having a bad feeling about how would react Blizzardstar. All the clans would know what happened there... what would they think of Riverclan? Of his clanmates? He still believed that they did what it was necessary to survive and that Thunderclan didn't give another choice but maybe Shadowclan, Windclan and Skyclan wouldn't see it that way.

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Tinytip walked slowly behind her clan, keeping her head down as she walked beside her mate. The little she-cat was still scared of what happened in the Sunningrocks... where her mate attacked a Thunderclan apprentice so fiercely that he was almost about to kill her without mercy. It was the first time that she... was truly scared of Batfang. That's why she decided to sit down next to her son, the only cat she was allowed to be since her mate forbidden her from any other interaction during the Gathering.

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Silverfang entered with her clan, with her usual proud attitude. Thanks to Starclan, she had recovered well from the wounds and she couldn't be happier with the results of the battle. Riverclan won and now they had a good source of prey for the leafbare. Thunderclan paid the cost of its attack and now her clan was standing stronger than before.

Reedpaw entered with RiverClan. His stomach churned as this was in fact his first gathering. The amount of space that Fourtrees had to offer was only a small view into how many cats would show up. Reed paw found a spot close to the edge of the space, and was content with waiting by himself until the gathering started.

WindClan was the third Clan to arrive, Ashstar leading in a flood of her Clanmates and kin atop the snow. When she saw Ivystar, her eyes narrowed a fraction, but she kept up her civil appearance. She had no inclination to be friendly with the RiverClan leader after what Blizzardstar had told her, but if she came off as overtly hostile, then she might be damaging ThunderClan's chances rather than raising them. When she leapt atop the Great Rock she nodded to both leaders, but after that kept her gaze firmly fixed on the cats down below.

Finally, he could be at a Gathering again! Gingerstripe inhaled the freezing air with satisfaction as he filed in with ShadowClan, striding purposefully through the snow. He sat down alone, waiting for his family to join him- his real family. He had been avoiding Littlebrook since their... fight, but so far he had been enjoying the time spent with his brother, mate and kin. Hopefully this Gathering would be peaceful.

Snowblossom blended in with the giant drifts of white powder on the ground as she came in with RiverClan. She was more than a little relieved to not see ThunderClan there yet, but they'd have to be there eventually. Whether or not she agreed with Ivystar's actions, the battle had been terrifying. She hoped there wouldn't have to be another one.

Spotpaw padded down near the back of the clump of Riverclan, head bowed and tail down. He saw Windclan and Shadowclan come in. Only Skyclan and Thunderclan left to come, he thought bitterly. He sat down int he best spot he could get, and flattened his ears, staring at the frosty grass poking through the drifty snow.

Wolfpaw bounded in alongside the rest of Windclan. My very first Gathering! He thought excitedly. He tried to get a good spot, but he ended up closer to the back. He didn't mind, though. life was good either way. However cold it was.

Brightpaw and Smokepaw walked in with RiverClan.

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Stormpaw went in with WindClan.

OOC: will edit later

Gustpuddle walked into the gathering, as usual, taking slow steps but keeping her mind focused. She didn't want to be there, as her small size made it hard to get through the snow properly. She had to, to her dismay, walk behind some of the larger warriors to avoid getting buried underneath the snow and having to push her way through the wet slush on the ground. She sat alone when they finally arrived at Fourtrees, hoping this gathering could pass without any trouble.

Silentstrike followed behind WindClan as well, leaving behind a path through the snow of sorts for the smaller apprentices to walk through it with ease. If it weren't for his black stripes, it would be hard to spot him in the leafbare snow. His blue eyes gazed across the gathering, narrowing his eyes at the RiverClan cats. They all had wounds, and they weren't pretty. Had something happened that the other Clans didn't know about? What had they done? Silentstrike didn't see Quailfeather in the fray, so he was hoping that she was behind him. He had gone a little ahead of the apprentices to try and help clear a path through the snow, so maybe she had lingered in the back instead.

Ravenflight followed her leader into the Gathering. As she found a place to sit, she wondered what would happen between Ivystar and Blizzardstar. Would Honeyspark's return be enough to temporarily settle the  argument, or would Blizzardstar demand Lionspark as well? All she could do was wait and see.

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Tansyheart padded in with her Clanmates, sitting near some other ShadowClan warriors.

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Poppypaw kneaded the ground anxiously with her paws as she followed WindClan into the Gathering. Her first Gathering was much bigger than she had expected it to be, but she was excited to interact with the other Clans.

Smokestripe let out a soft sigh as he shivered, watching as his breath curled around his whiskers as he trudged after his Clan. His fur prickled under the cold air as he gaze around at the gathering Clans, noting that two still had yet to arrive...Which was amazing as it was rare for ShadowClan to be one of the first ones to arrive. His tail brushed against the snow, leaving a small trail in its wake as he glanced around for a spot to sit. The problem with being so early was that there were so many spots to choose from...


"Over here Smokestripe," Larksong called as she brushed past him, jerking her head in a motion to follow as she padded toward an open spot that would serve the two. She had to admit that she enjoyed the Gatherings if only it meant that she could easily spent time with Smokestripe without their duties getting in the way. It was funny how close of friends they had become despite their age differences - only due to the fact that they were technically apprentices at the same time due to Larksong's missing time in ShadowClan. As she sat down, she peered around with a nervous look - aware of some tense air that she hadn't expected. Something had gone down as far as she could tell but she was left questioning what.


Mottleheart padded into the clearing, a grumble beneath his breath as his muscles were as tense as they could go. His fur had grown out a bit to help with the cold but it was barely enough to keep warm - and now more than ever he was envious of some of his Clanmate's long, warm fur. He sighed as he stumbled through the snow toward where the other medicine cats sat, a bit surprised to see that he was the first to reach the spot. The other must have still been lost in the cowards. Oh well. He sat down as he curled his tail around him, glancing up at the leaders with narrowed eyes. There was a tension in the air - he could only hope that thing wouldn't devolve into fighting with what rumors were about.

Heronpaw walked into Fourtrees, staring at the two other clans that were here. At least ThunderClan isn't here, he thought.