December Gathering 2018

Falconpaw trotted into the clearing, ears and tail lowered. Nothing would change the fact that Beepaw was gone forever, and she would likely never see him again. Beepaw, her only friend, the love of her life, forever gone. it had been several moons, but the pain hadn’t eased up at all, despite what several cats had told her. She had nobody except Thistlepaw. No parents, no family, no friends... Her gaze shot up as she bumped into a cat. Her heart soared for a moment, seeing blue-and-yellow eyes, but sank once again, as the fleeting moment of forgetfulness passed. She recognized the cat as the apprentice she had attacked on the Thunderpath, several moons ago, right after Beepaw’s death. ”Uh, hello. You might recognize me, might not. I’m Falconpaw. We, ah, met near the Thunderpath that one time. I’m still sorry for that, I hope your wounds healed well.” Her mind flickered to the scar on her muzzle, the one she had gained in that very battle. She tried for a halfhearted smile at the blue-grey tom, but numbed grief still shone in her eyes.

Ravenpaw padded stiffly behind her father, tail twitching with stress. She would have though after all these moons the terror of that event would have faded, but being near this place still froze her with fear and flashbacks, and she rarely conversed with other cats. Sitting within the cluster of ShadowClan cats, she realized with a pang of grief that this would be her first gathering without Sparkfeather, as she hadn’t attended the previous one. Her older brother had been suffering lately, too, less active and more grumpy than usual. She stuck close to her best friend Hollowpaw, breathing through the fear and somehow managing to listen to the leaders speak. Edging closer to the tom, she pressed her stiff body to his, the warmth and familiar feeling of his pelt calming her.

Eaglepaw bounded into the clearing next to his mentor, happy as could be. He looked out over the crowd of gathered cats, tail twitching with excitement. ”Wow! There are so many cats!” With that, he hopped around, looking for somebody to talk to.

OOC: Eaglepaw is open, Ravenpaw is semi-open!

Owlpaw heard a voice on her side when she turned to see who it was a memory of the past struck her the cat she saw she had seen once, the day her father died. "hello I am doing, well I am alive. Something not all of us can say" her eyes fell to her paws. She did not want to think of her father's death right now. "how are you doing uhmm Acornfall?". She hoped she had his name right she had never known the tom cat really good their meeting had been really brief.

Asterspark flinched when a cat suddenly bumped into him from behind, deciding to mask his brief startle by whipping around quickly and glaring at whoever decided to disrupt what little peace he could find nowadays. He watched the ThunderClan apprentice through narrowed eyes as she spoke, and it suddenly clicked as to why she looked so familiar.

Deciding to calm himself back down as he wasn’t allowed to fight during Gatherings anyway — stars above, sometimes he wished he could — Asterspark nestled back down onto the cold ground and flicked his tail irritably, turning his head away from Falconpaw. ”Don’t worry ‘bout it, kit. You were hurtin’ after losin’ someone very close to you. You’re still hurtin’ aren’t you? ...I know that pain all too well.” Once again he was forced to remember his love interest who was slain in battle against Lichenmask, and his own brother who had all but disowned him. He was completely alone.

Falconpaw stood silently behind the tom, looking at him with curiosity. He appeared to be grieving, as well, a step down from the confident but collected tom she had met that day. ”What happened?” She asked in a quiet voice. ”Er, it’s alright if it’s none of my buisness.”

Again, Asterspark was resisting the urge to hiss or cuff the apprentice behind the ear with a paw. Well, sort of. He was too emotionally drained and exhausted to argue. He couldn’t get much sleep at night, and whenever he did his dreams were haunted by lightning and fire and the terrifying screeches of fighting and dying cats all around him; he practically lived off of taking naps whenever he was supposed to be hunting, patrolling, or training his apprentice, and he barely ate anything at all. He was just... tired. Too tired to fight. And too tired to talk about his feelings. ”...Why don’tcha go socialize with someone else for a while? I’m sure you’d find stories of cats’ adventures or accomplishments far more interesting than my sad tale.” He hesitated for a while, then added softly, ”And about the fight at the Thunderpath... Let’s just forget that ever happened, huh?”

Marshstorm padded towards Fourtrees behind Leopardstar. His gaze flickered constantly between his kin and his leader, keeping a close watch on them. When Leopardstar led the way down, he stayed behind slightly. Dawnpaw hadn't moved forward between the boughs of the ancient trees that once harboured safety. That had now also harboured a war. He blinked back the visions of the past. Ones where their clanmates had betrayed them all. One where Littlestar... his pelt prickled at the memory of her being struck down by Lichenmask.

He padded towards Dawnpaw and wrapped his tail around her comfortingly. This couldn't have been any easier for her. She had lost her mother... her siblings... he could feel the deep clutches of regret for having to seperate the poor kits. Even though he thought it made sense. Even though Leopardstar himself had approved of the action, it still left him feeling uneasy. Somewhat hollow and uncertain that it could be right. With a soft sigh, he looked at Dawnpaw closely.

"I realise this must be hard for you." He meowed softly. His voice carried the uncertain tilt of a father trying to be caring, but not entirely sure how to begin. "It won't be held against you... to greet your siblings and make sure they are fairing well." He offered, his gaze turned towards the great rock briefly before it returned to hers. "Remember... the gathering is a sign of peace. You need not worry about danger now." With those final words, he stepped away and padded to the base of the great rock. Mistyrain's greeting made him smile as he tilted his head respectfully towards her. "We are fairing well despite leafbare. How is SkyClan this moon?" He asked curiously.

---

Sparrowpaw padded into the gathering. Her thin form hiding behind Mintwhisker as she listened with a dull expression for news that wouldn't apply to her. Why she had even come was beyond her... especially because of her last embarrasement. Her pelt prickled uneasily. Last time she was here, her father had caused a scene. She didn't want to do the same, yet she had to leave Mintwhisker's side... her ears flattened as she padded towards Nightstorm.

Except he was already in conversation... it was rude to interrupt. She took an awkward breath, observing the other cats in the clearing for a moment. The knowledge that other clans weren't as bad as she thought, as she had been taught, was still a clumsy thing to get over. She lifted her head and padded towards the front of the gathering to sit near the great rock. If she couldn't stay with Mintwhisker, or Nightstorm, then she knew what she had to do. She sat down in her chosen spot with a proud tilt to her head. Her posture as intimidating as the thin and frail she-cat could make it. Her belt burning as she wondered how many cats would know she was still somehow an apprentice.

Pricklepaw's expression was as grumpy as usual, as if storm clouds were hovering above his head- when in reality the sky was bright and clear above him. However, the stars showing themselves so brazenly only made him more annoyed. Their ancestors put them through the whole ordeal of Lichenmask, then expected them to forget it ever happened and blindly trust them? The apprentice scoffed. Not likely. As he walked into Fourtrees and sat down at his usual spot, he didn't acknowledge the other medicine cats there apart from a simple nod. Mintwhisker was supposed to train him, but had done nothing of the sort since the last medicine cat meeting. Mapleleaf had taught him some, but he'd also learned by doing. Unfortunately, there was only so much he could do. All he wanted to do was get this night over with and go back home, without any problems or arguments. Though, knowing this batch of leaders the forest had.... he found that unlikely.

--

Though the air was freezing cold, Redwing felt none of the chill as she padded into Fourtrees, sharing her warmth with the tom she liked most. Poppyheart had been one of her best friends ever since they were apprentices together, and since the other one wanted nothing to do with her, he was her closest. And, maybe, more than a friend. Her face was suddenly hot as the thought crossed her mind, though she was drawn out of her thoughts by a rude comment from an apprentice- of their own Clan, no less. Mildly offended, the warrior whipped around to tell the she-cat off, but instead caught a glimpse of her other, former friend. Asterspark was watching her, and he looked furious. She was taken aback at the absolute hatred in his odd eyes- frightened, worried, and also hurt that he had been ignoring her and now was angry at her, too. Just because every time she tried to talk to him, he walked away... But Poppyheart kept moving, and she did, too- resolving to talk to him later. This time, she wouldn't let herself be pushed away.

"It's amazing," she purred back, feeling wonder again as her eyes were speckled with the stars above. They seemed even brighter in the cold, shining with new hope and a promise of better things to come.

Cedarpaw filed in with the rest of ThunderClan. He had just been named an apprentice and he was nervous, but he'd never let it show. The dark red tom found his place among the mingling cats and settled in for the long haul. He was unsure of the time that this gathering would take, so he just made himself comfortable. He wasn't in the mood to talk, he had heard plenty of babbling from the other new apprentices on the way to Fourtrees, and had enough of the squeaky voices of the over excited and over anxious young cats.
Cedarpaw silently observed, much like he always did, the rest of the clan cats. The ShadowClan cats looked most similar to the ThunderClan cats except they were predominantly darker than the ThunderClan cats. The SkyClan warriors and apprentices were wiry looking felines with long tails. In his training Pantherclaw informed him that there were five clans all together, and if he were not mistaken they were missing WindClan and RiverClan. He scanned the border of Fourtrees waiting for the missing clans to arrive.

ooc: Cedar is open

Ferretpaw was mesmerized by the gathering in its essence. She couldn't believe all the new scents she could smell, all the pelts she had never seen, and all the names she was just beginning to hear. This was her first time seeing the leaders of the other clans. She immediately set her good eye on Tinystar, who seemed like a proud tom. What a funny-looking cat. She had been warned by older warriors that gatherings lately were a bit less than brotherly, whatever that meant. It would be nice to share a laugh and a smile with somebody she'd never met, but most faces she was were somber. It bothered her immensely. Even the medicine cats, who were supposedly above clan bickering, seemed just distant and polite!

Suddenly, she was a bit disenchanted with the gathering. She longed to catch somebody's eye. However, she looked forward to Leopardstar's speech, where he'd surely mention all the strong kits and apprentices as of late. Ferretpaw was happy to be a part of it.

Acornfall sighed.  ”Not very well, to be honest.  Everyone who I care about is no longer... never mind.  Is ThunderClan doing well?” The brown she-cat tried to change the subject, not trying to bring down Owlpaw.

OOC: Acornfall is a she-cat, not a tom.

Swiftstep walked into the gathering, a certain leader nowhere to be seen. The brown tom was followed by the rest of his clan. Things were a little tough lately. Maybe little was an understatement. Things were fairly dim in Windclan. Only the few ceremonies here and there lightened the mood. Brindlestar was back at the camp, going through and hopefully recovering from whitecough. The deputy had been plagued by duties. However, he wasn't one to quit. He was responsible to care for all those in his clan. They were his family and he was loyal to them.

Soon after having arrived, Windclan began to scatter around, looking for places to sit and chat. The deputy remembered when he first went to a gathering. He had been thrilled! It was mostly due to him being an energetic goofball but his first gathering had also fueled the flame in his heart. It seems that the fire had worn down a significant amount. However, it was not fully gone. He still had some spunk in him. He just needs awaken it once more.

After what seemed like a few minutes of glancing back at his clan, longing expression plastered on his face, the sleek cat began to walk over to the Great Rock. It was time to do this. He just needs to stay calm, cool, and collected. Maybe not too cool as he was already cold enough. Leafbare came with a vengeance and they were all feeling it.

As the tom approached the base of the Great Rock, he felt a slight chill run down his spine. It was of a nervous fear. It would be his first time addressing all the clans beside the other leaders atop the mighty rock. Swiftstep took a deep breath to calm his nerves and leaped up onto the surface. He paid no mind to the questioning looks of the leaders. He only gave them a respectful nod of greeting before turning to look elsewhere. He'd answer whatever they wanted to ask as soon as the gathering began. Right now, he wanted to be left to his thoughts.

Shellpaw came with WindClan.

ooc: edit later

It had taken time, a lot of thinking and training, a relentless mantra and looking to the future. And it was her way of coping, her kitten fur was nearly gone, being replaced by wiry spikes of fur. She had lost her siblings in the mass of cats, nervousness making her belly curl. No wonder Lichenmask and the Regime lost against them! There were so many! They milled around as if nothing happened. The reminder of the battle had her eyes seeking the spot where her mother had fallen, to the spot where she had been told her father died. Cats sat there, a large yellow tom with spots, a tiny tiny little tom with itty-bitty legs, a slender and lithe she-cat, and her leader, strong and brave Scorchstar and mentor to her two brothers. She hated that she was separated from them, the first time had been horrifying, but now that Burntpaw and Slatepaw were torn away from her more only to continue coming back made her worries ease.

Paws shuffled nervously as she looked around, uncertain. That was until her eyes landed on her sister. Dawnpaw! Tears bubbled into her green eyes as she booked it past the clan-cats, shoving them aside without a thought, "Dawnpaw!" She yowled over the noise of the throng of cats. Throwing herself bodily into her sister she paid the deputy of Thunderclan no heed, "Oh dear Starclan Dawnpaw it's really you!" She sobbed, tucking her head into her sister's throat, her paws wrapping around her as if her life depended on it. "I missed you so much, Slatepaw and every cat in Shadowclan is so mean." She cried, pulling away to look down at her sister with undisguised happiness.

Murkpaw wandered along somewhere in the middle of the other cats, ignoring everything and trying to conserve warmth as much as possible. Which mostly involved hunching in on himself and fluffing his short fur as much as he could, all the while glaring at some cheerful cat that happened to catch his gaze. What's the point of going out here? he dragged his paws through the light layer of snow, wincing as he felt a faint sensation of pain through their numbness.
Then they all stopped and he almost bumped into the cat in front of him. Wha-? He glared at the tail in front of his face for a moment, and then everyone moved on again, this time disappearing down a slope. Slumping further, Murkpaw slunk his way down, refusing to look up at the trees above as he moved under a bush and crouched down, letting his eyes close to slits as he watched other cats run up and rub themselves all over each other for some weird reason.

(ooc: Murkpaw's open, but he's not a very good conversationalist XD)

ooc: beartooth begged to stay home and defend the clan. totes not avoiding human interaction and is not here

Her first gathering as a warrior. Unlike a majority of the cats who gathered, the russet-pelted cat had not seen the horrors that marred fourtrees. To her, this was merely a special moment in her new warrior title. And Brookclover was pleased to have been invited along, feeling honored that she would be able to fully represent Windclan now. Delicate paws barely disturbed the fragile crystals of ice that blanketed the fourtrees clearing. Although the crisp air ruffled her silky coat, the Windclan she-cat felt spurred on by it instead of slowed. Finchbreeze wasn't by her side for once and while she missed the comfort of his warmth, perhaps this meant it was a good time to socialize with a cat from another clan. It wasn't her first choice but this was a gathering after all.

Slowing to a halt the she-cat stopped by an apprentice of Thunderclan. This one seemed much more reasonable than the mousebrain that had trespassed. Besides, the forest-dwellers were still supposed to be their allies. Her ear flicked as she settled down next to the tabby and she meowed, "I don't usually make a habit of entertaining company from other clans, but this is a gathering. My name is Brookclover. Of Windclan, of course. And you are?" As Brookclover spoke, her tone lost any distasteful edge and became a warmer melodious tone. Her green eyes were welcoming, and a bit teasing, towards the younger cat. It was surprisingly easy to allow herself to slip into talking to a cat from another clan. Regardless of the shocking feeling, the she-cat internally reassured herself that whatever was to come in the future, loyalty to the clan would always be first. And that only encouraged her to relax more.
__

While his sister had managed to lose sight of he and their other brother, who Burntpaw had slipped away from, the other apprentice had kept her well within his intense green gaze. He was not about to lose her in a mass of other clan cats. A protective tugging in his chest drew him after her without much of a thought about it. As he shouldered his way through the crowd, slipping between cats and dipping his head in an apology when applicable, the impressive calico considered the events that had happened here. Unlike many of the cats that held memories of the vicious fighting that happened on this very ground, Burntpaw had only been exposed to the aftermath. A brief glint of darkness could be seen in the depths of his gaze which only once flickered to the snow-laden earth. The sight of his mother's broken body was now something he could picture against the scene. It was bitter and beautiful all in one.

As he grew, the tom had found a certain unpleasant taste soured his tongue at the memory of his father. Something that was once admiration grew into disdain. Lichenmask had possessed certain qualities that made him strong, many gifted by the seemingly incompetant stars above who had left nothing but a mess in their aftermath. A certain confusion still wrought his mind constantly in that regard. Aspenpaw had died her too. More kin was slain under the pretense of a glorious, code-abiding future. What sort of future was that? It was here it had then taken issue with the code, something Starclan ordained as well. And the only fracture from normal code was this particular event, the gathering, also gifted to them by the stars above. He found a growl rising in his throat and quickly shoved it away as Littlepaw picked up speed. That instantly pulled him out of his mind and caused his own paws to hasten slightly in their cantor.

And then he saw her. An easy simper pulled up the sides of his maw as he trotted towards the Thunderclan cat and his sister. Towards his sisters. Burntpaw was not as overtly enthusiastic as Littlepaw was but calmer in his approach, as if this were a meeting that happened so often. His voice was low, smooth, and toned with an obvious gratification, "It's been some time, sister. Certainly far too long for us all to have been apart. They better be treating you well over in the forest." While the kits had not been the closest in their younger moons, it seemed that blood relations and distance between them had only strengthened kinship. His desire to be reunited with his kin had not entirely dissipated since the moons ago their paws had last set foot here. Burntpaw touched his nose to her shoulder before pulling away to settle down. Although not tightly gripped like Littlepaw, his long fur still brushed up against their coats.