December Gathering 2018

With an irritable twitch of his torn black-tipped, Leopardstar shook snowflakes off of his face before turning to count his clanmates, making sure none of them had gotten lost on the journey to their monthly meeting place.  After a moment, sufficiently sure that everyone was there, he nodded before launching into a trot down the hill, ThunderClan fanning out behind him to scatter around the still empty clearing.  Leopardstar had never been first to a Gathering before; as he leaped onto the freezing Great Rock, it felt oddly secluded without the other leaders and clans.  Yet, the tom had always liked the silence, to an extent, and this was no different.  Standing alone in StarClan's holy place brought him a warm, secure feeling as if their ancestor's attentions were on nothing else but them, his beloved clan.

Owlpaw carefully walked after her leader making sure to not fall over anything even do she had been les clumsy the last couple moons she would ocacionaly still fall over nothing les then a small brench. Now with the extra struggle of bare-leaf and the slippy ice she was unsure if she would manage to get into fourtree’s without falling. She suddenly rememberd her first gathering she had fallen over a small branch and had practicly rollen into fourtree’s the shame she had felt had been so big.
This time it wad difrent for her, she managed to get into fourtree’s and found a good spot to sit withouth faling over het own paws. As she sat down a painfull thought struck her this would be the first gathering she was atending in moons and also the first gathering withouth having anyone to talk to. The she-cat looked sadly at her paws as the cold wind of bare-leaf strode over her pelt.
Atleast things where going to go smooth tonight right?

Entering the clearing with SkyClan trailing behind him, Tinystar's gaze immediately looked up to the Great Rock, in which he noticed that Leopardstar had already arrived. Giving his usual 'farewell' nod to his deputy, Mistyrain, the stout white and grey leader made his way over to the Great Rock. Shaking his short pelt and letting out a huff, he bunched up his haunches and jumped as far as he could upwards. Grabbing hold onto a part of the rock, he placed his hind paws on a ledge just a little bit bellow him and pushed himself up onto the top of the rugged surface. While his paw's felt like they were going to fall off from the cold weather, he was proud of himself in climbing up the rock, though it wasn't something the other leaders found gratification in.

"Hello, Leopardstar," he mewed with a smile and a curt dip of his head as he found himself beside the spotted tom. Out of all the leaders, he respected the ThunderClanner the most by far, especially after he'd helped him with his deceased kit, Leafkit. Of course, part of him wanted to feel embarrassed for showing such weakness in front of all of ThunderClan, but he decided to push it aside, seeing as though every-cat had emotions, even leaders, surprisingly enough. "I hope tonight's gathering will be without complications," he chuckled, turning his head to look out among his clanmates, who'd begun to mingle with ThunderClanners. Without Lichenmask or some other lunatic cat to be the main subject, Tinystar prayed that his time here tonight would be much more peaceful and straight forward than it had been over the past few moons.

Acornfall followed SkyClan again to the gathering. She just thought it was a way to get information about the other clans’ troubles. Okay, what should I do? she thought before seeing Owlpaw near ThunderClan’s side. While she normally stayed aloof with her clan, she decided to try to talk to Owlpaw. ”Hey, Owlpaw,” she greeted Owlpaw. ”How are you doing?”

OOC: @Rainypool, is Owlpaw open to talk to? Also, Acornfall and Owlpaw have met from this topic if you don’t remember.

Mistyrain trotted close beside Tinystar, as usual, until he nodded to her and continued up the Great Rock.  She made her way to the deputies' spot below the rock, where the ThunderClan deputy was already seated. "Evening, Marshstorm!" She greeted him with her typical cheeriness. "I hope ThunderClan is faring well." She tucked her tail neatly over her paws, situating herself comfortably to his right.

. . . . .

Daypaw entered the Gathering, eyes wide and full of wonder. She cast a glance up to the Great Rock, where Tinystar was scrabbling up to the top, noting only one leader. Only one other Clan was here? It already seemed like so many cats were here. Feeling nothing but excitement and confidence, she trotted up to a small group of younger cats from the other Clan, and began chattering animatedly.



i suggest not conversing with my cats, i probably won't respond.

Leopardstar heard Tinystar's arrival well before the tom's form appeared on the rock, but gave him the courtesy of acting as if his voice had been the only thing to alert him to his presence, greeting the fellow leader with a returning nod and faint smile.  The last time he had seen this cat still weighed heavily in his mind, though he tried to push the memories aside.  This was not the time to discuss such things.  "Greetings Tinystar, I hope so as well."  Watching as SkyClan began to mingle among his own clanmates, there was a silence between them for a long moment before Leopardstar meowed, a bit awkwardly; "...How has SkyClan fared this last moon?"  StarClan, he hated small talk, especially with rival leaders.  It always felt like walking on eggshells, one wrong word could start an argument which could start a feud which could lead to a war, he'd seen it too many times.  Still, the silence that hung between two cats was much heavier than that which lurked between five; he prayed that Brindlestar would arrive soon, or any of the other leaders.  Maybe being last to Gatherings isn't such a bad idea after all...

---

Fernpetal trotted into Fourtrees alongside her clanmates, a neutral expression clear upon her pretty face.  Gatherings had been exiting as an apprentice, where everything had been shiny and new and cool, but now it was just more of the same.  Another pointless tradition to honor the will of 'StarClan'...still, it was better than being stuck back at camp, and after being confined to the medicine den with her idiot sister for half a moon any form of freedom was greatly welcome.  Glancing up at the Great Rock, she felt a twinge in the back of her head where an almost fully healed wound lay, the only remnant left of her injuries after the battle.  She preferred not to recount the memories...they always flooded her belly with shame.  Realizing that she was just standing in the middle of the clearing, she glanced around to spot a cat to chat with.

---

"Bad memories?"  Nightstorm's eyes widened sympathetically as his younger clanmate jumped around, clearly startled by his presence.  "Geez Nightstorm, don't sneak up on me like that!"  The sight of Fernpetal's ruffled fur made the black-pelted tom chuckle, his leaf-green eyes glimmering teasingly in the moonlight.  "Well, don't give me the chance then.  No matter what happened here, we cannot allow ourselves to dwell on the past; it distracts from what needs to be done in the present."  The bi-color tabby molly shoved against the warrior's shoulder, rolling her murky green eyes.  "Oh, spare me your proverbs old man.  Know anyone around here that's interesting to talk to?"  Nightstorm considered for a moment, before sitting down and curling his tail over his paws; "Hmm...I spoke to a ThunderClan she-cat once...I haven't seen her in moons though."  He trailed off, face deep in thought, before glancing back at his friend with a smile.  "I guess we'll have to introduce ourselves then.  Point me in a direction."

Mintwhisker was there.

OOC: Will edit~

Continuing to smile as Leopardstar began to speak, Tinystar grew somewhat disheartened at the silence that grew between them. He wasn't one to force conversation onto some-cat, but he'd hoped that him and his neighbor leader wouldn't have any awkward dissent between them. Maybe it was because of how he'd acted at camp or the fact that he'd unhurried an already deceased kit... but even so, he didn't think that the spotted tom had any objections, so why act so distant now of all times?

With his thoughts swarming with worry, Leopardstar's voice caused his ears to perk up as the silence was broken. Maybe his worrying had been for nothing.

"We are fairing well," he began, biting his tongue before he was able to say anything about his clan's current size. While he wanted to be friends with the ThunderClanner, he had to make sure not to give away too much information, seeing as though they weren't in an official alliance. "Prey is abundant, despite this time of year and I've welcomed two more kits to my family," the tiny tom purred, looking up to Leopardstar. "How is ThunderClan doing?"

~~~~~

Following behind Daypaw, Sunpaw's large ears laid flat on his head as they entered the gathering area. While most apprentices found themselves excited at such a new sight, the young tom didn't feel such excitement what so ever. Even just the sight of the gathered ThunderClanners sent a shiver up his spine, seeing as though he'd never seen so many cats gathered in one place before. Turning his gaze over to his father, he watched as the small leader made his way up the Great Rock. How his father had so much courage, he could never understand, but he found joy in Tinystar's upbeat personality.

Having been lost in thought over his father's accomplishments, Sunpaw snapped back into the present, in which he noticed Daypaw had left him behind and was a ways away with some ThunderClan cats. "H-hey! Wait up!" the pale apprentice whined as he ran to catch up to his sister, his long tail tucked under his body.

Swanpaw stepped towards the clearing behind the others, each paw step cautiously curious. What do we do at gatherings...? She swallowed as she shuffled her paws forwards toward the line of bushes which hid... what? So many cats she'd be overwhelmed in a heartbeat? Nothing? Stepping forwards, she brushed through the leaves, moving out the other side and into bright moonlight that glimmered over the snow.
Her breath caught in her throat, a faint white cloud puffing out in front of her as she stood, exhaling in silent wonder at the scene. Yes, there were cats below, but there weren't as many as she'd thought there would be, and they all mingled relatively peacefully. This is... amazing.... Ice blue eyes stared upwards at the tops of the trees, their bare branches drapped with glowing white snow. She wandered forwards, frost crunching beneath her and beginning to numb her paws. I've never seen so much of it before....

Dawnpaw followed Leopardstar silently the entire trip. She didn't know what to expect from this event, and frankly she was feeling too tense to deal with all the other clans. And she'd been here before. The last time Dawnpaw was at this place, she saw horrible things that she would never, ever forget. The idea of going back...

Blood and scorched grass everywhere, the lingering scent of death. Corpses with permanent faces of agony and hatred. Her own mother, dead, bloodied, as still as the grave and cold as ice. Her father struck dead on the Great Rock. Her siblings with fear on their faces, the last time she'd see them.

Dawnpaw's teeth gritted and and her eyes snapped shut as the visions flashed through her mind. She stopped in place, unnoticed by the rest of the clan. Fortunately they had already reached the edge of the clearing. The young apprentice looked over Fourtrees, clean and empty of dead bodies. Fresh snow covered the ground. What was there before was blanketed. Did anyone else here even remember? Did anyone even care? The she-cat stayed at the edge, alone, with strong emotions coursing through her body. Perhaps if she focused on the feeling of the snow on her paws and the chill in the air, she could stop having flashbacks.

(I would not suggest approaching Dawnpaw unless you are her littermates/Marshstorm)

Amberpaw followed Tinystar and Mintwhisker in, the rest of their small Clan close behind them as they made their way towards Fourtrees for the Gathering. The medicine cat apprentice felt her stomach drop with unease once their paws touched the snow-covered clearing; less than two moons ago there had been a great, awful battle here. Nearly all the Exiles had been murdered, and a few Clan cats had met their end here as well. Each Gathering since then they had all tried to move on, it seemed, but Amberpaw remembered healing some of the wounds which spilled this blood. She was grateful the snow covered it, but the memory remained.

Tinystar and Mintwhisker seemed so strong and confident, however, and so Amberpaw followed silently, wondering if others felt uncomfortable here now, too.

Next to arrive and assemble among the two forest-dwelling Clans was ShadowClan. Scorchstar broke away from the rest of his Clan once they entered the neutral gathering space, which sparkled in the moonlight from the fallen snow. While he hated the hardships that leaf-bare had to offer, he still loved the beauty and wonder of its appearance whenever it befalls the Clans. However, he had little reason to relish in the cool crisp air that would quickly become far too cold for any cat to bear. Morningpaw's terrifying prophecy had been -- and still was -- on his mind. ShadowClan would fall, and there would be nothing StarClan could do to help them. To make matters worse, one of his younger sons, Spiderkit, had fallen ill with greencough before the snow even began falling, and he didn't live through the night despite Morningpaw's best efforts. Was the prophecy already taking effect? Who else would die before the end of leaf-bare? Or would the slow decay of his beloved Clan continue on for seasons until there was nothing left, having driven him mad with grief over the loss of so many loved ones in the process?

He sighed heavily, a puff of warm air escaping his mouth that quickly dissipated. He didn't want to think about it right now. He just wanted to make this a quick and eventless Gathering so he could return home and continue pondering different alternatives to prepare and overcome different outcomes of the prophecy. Bundling up his muscles, be bounded up onto the Great Rock and sat beside Leopardstar and Tinystar, offering each tom a respectful nod, but saying nothing more. He didn't even smile, or at the very least try to force one for them, which was already a bad sign for the usually chipper ShadowClanner.

---

Poppyheart padded into the Gathering next to his crush Redwing, his ginger pelt brushing against hers affectionately, their bushy tails intertwined. It wasn't too cold yet, or at least not to him. He really enjoyed the cold anyway, or at least moderate chilliness. It would probably become much colder further down, but for the time being he relished in the crisp breeze and the sparkle of snow. He had never seen snow before, this having been his first leaf-bare, and he breathed in awe. "Wowie. Isn't it beautiful, Redwing?"

---

Asterspark brought up the rear as his Clan entered the Gathering once again, his head low, his ears flattened against his head, and his tail twitching. He hated leaf-bare. This was his first leaf-bare he was experiencing, and he already hated it. It was too cold, and the snow was weighing down on his fur and whiskers. It was so irritating.

But not nearly as irritating as the sight he could just barely see in front of him among the different colored pelts of his Clanmates. Poppyheart was hanging out with Redwing again. His brother was always with her nowadays. Stars, would he just give it a rest already? It was almost as if he was taunting him! Silently bragging to him about how his love interest was still alive and well. How dare he mock him in such a way? After everything he had tried to do for his beloved brother, this was how he repaid him? By disowning him and running around with some she-cat right in front of him, purring as loudly as he could so that he could hear just how happy he was, being forced to remember just how miserable he himself was in comparison?

Snarling softly and shooting a furious glare at Poppyheart and Redwing -- who was either partaking in Poppyheart's mockery of him or was completely and idiotically oblivious to the whole thing, both of which being just as infuriating -- Asterspark stalked away from his Clanmates to find someplace to hide and sulk for the entire Gathering.

(OOC: Asterspark is open for conversation, though don't be alarmed if he tries to push anyone away.)

Frog didn't understand why she couldn't go ahead of Scorchstar and enter Fourtrees first. Who cared which ShadowClan cat was first to enter? All that mattered was that the other Clans knew they had arrived At least, that was her opinion; apparently the rest of the Clan didn't share it, and her mother forced the nearly warrior-aged apprentice to remain at her side for the journey despite Frog's hostile glares and muttering.

When finally they entered, Frog broke away, her tail shooting up as she padded confidently out to meet any other cats - though only SkyClan and ThunderClan had arrived so far. As she passed Poppyheart and Redwing, the apprentice sneered at them, "Find a den, lovebirds!" but she quickly passed on without waiting to hear if they had acknowledged her at all.

Making his way into the behind Scorchstar, Daisyflame sat down near the back of the growing crowd. While part of him had grown to be used to it, it still pained him not to see his mother atop Great Rock or even simply sitting beside his father. He hadn't been able to avenge their deaths, which was of course a huge disappointment to the warrior, but even so, he knew that all that could be done now was pray that they were at peace up in StarClan.

~~~~~

Making his into the gathering along side his brother, Slatepaw looked around. This was apparently the place in which they'd been taken from as kits, which he did somewhat remember. Seeing so many peaceful cats in one place, it did slightly surprise the large tom, although he didn't say or show anything of it. He didn't care for whatever these 'gatherings' were, seeing as though he had no interest in small talk with other clan cats, but he'd had no choice, seeing as though he needed to become a warrior as soon as possible. Looking around, it seemed as though only a few other clans were here and he wondered if they'd run into Dawnkit and Duskkit, or whatever they'd named themselves after being separated from the rest of them. Part of him wondered if any-cat would recognize him or his other siblings as Lichenmask's son, though he doubted they would at this point, since they'd all grown quite a bit.