June Gathering 2020

Flintstar sat there nervously, watching as ThunderClan arrived and Oakstar and Ravenstar started to speak to each other. He heard glimpses of their conversation, a bit relieved that Spottedstar had yet to join them so that they could put off starting the Gathering for a little longer. His ears perked as Ivystar spoke up, admitting that yes, Torrentstar did have family. A living kit - her mate along with kits of their own. An exictement fluttered in his belly, before it faded as the leader questioned if it was Torrentstar's family who wanted to meet them. "I...I have not asked them actually," he admitted, ducking his head slightly as he kneaded the rock beneath them. "I don't know if the thought crossed their mind that they would perhaps have living RiverClan family. P-Perhaps I should have brought this up with them but...I suppose...I'm afraid they would...Erm, think of it as a...Test? To prove their loyal to ShadowClan? I-I don't know..." He fell silent for a few heartbeats before he raised his head with a sigh.

"...Family meant much to Thornstar. Those she saw as her own, blood related or not, meant...Much to her. Her children...I can introduce them to what remains from Thornstar's side but...Torrentstar was their father, even if they did not know him. I...I do not wish for them to think that I only value their ShadowClan blood, that I think they should not think of their father and scorn what family might remain. They are..." He faltered, the words he wanted to say failing to find their way to his lips. They meant...They meant a lot to him. Everything. They were all he had left of Thornstar but he also wanted to love them for everything that made them...Them. RiverClan blood in all. "...I simply think knowing of any family that might remain on Torrentstar's side might do them good. If they were to meet, you are free to come. You are...Family after all, it seems."

Cedarheart listened quietly to him. ”Thanks. I’m sorry, again, for unloading all of this on you.” Although the rant had felt good, it probably was a little weird. ”Oh, I’m so sorry about that.” She couldn’t imagine something like that happening. And the kit had to grow up without a mother. It must’ve been awful. The warrior couldn’t imagine life without Ferretnose. ”I haven’t had an apprentice yet. We have a lot of warriors, and the more experienced ones usually get the, first. But a new litter was born, and I hope to mentor one of those.” she explained with a glimmer in her eye. Mentoring had always seemed such a fun and exciting task, and she couldn’t wait to have that sort of bond with a cat. She hoped Oakstar would give her an apprentice.

Eaglepaw nodded at those two cat's who had come to join the conversation between her mentor and herself. She wasn't really paying attention, so when Clovertwist said her name she mentally chided herself to say attention, or at least pay better attention, maybe.

"i'm sure you'll g-get an apprentice soon. I w-was surprised to get Heatherpaw, i d-didn't really think i was ready, and i'm s-still not too sure if i am. I feel like i m-might let Heatherpaw d-down in some way, whether it be letting something bad happen to her or if i'm not able to teach her well enough for her to become a warrior-" That was a lot to spit out at once. He really was worried he wouldn't be good enough to teach Heatherpaw, but he could only try. It was then that he realized how much of his insecurities he just poured out. "S-sorry about that." He sighed, desperately trying to think of another conversation topic. "So uh, what do you do for fun?" Why did he have to be so awkward?

Smokepaw too, had followed her clanmates to the gathering -- her first. There were so many unfamiliar cats, almost an intimidating amount for the fresh-faced apprentice. Impatient she might've been, and she had certainly been eager to go to the gathering, but now Smokepaw found herself somewhat nervous, and so decided to drift closer to her fellow Skyclan apprentices for now.

She watched quietly, taking in the tensions between clans. Windclan and Shadowclan didn't seem overly friendly to Smokepaw, and that made her somewhat less at ease than the crowd already did.

((Feel free to talk, Smokepaw won't bite; might be a bit flighty though))

Sagelight was a blessing Spottedstar was certain he didn't deserve. Soon, all the clans entered and found space to chat. Some words barely distinguishable from the crowd revealed that most warriors were asking each other how their respective clans were recovering and several apprentices wondered at past and future events. Among the mass of cats, the frame of Spottedstar's grandson stuck out to the SkyClan leader, with his proud head high and strong shoulders squared as he braved the sea of warriors to find his sister. 'Good, kid. Very good.' It was the kind of bold attitude his kin deserved to carry. Wolfcall and Blossomstep's litter was a delight to behold. It was a shame Firflower's death and Spottedstar's continuous responsibilities as leader kept him from getting to know his own grandkits. He loved them, he truly did, but love came second to responsibility - always.

Up on the Great Rock, the other leaders huddled in pairs. Apparently each had something to discuss. They could handle it afterward; Spottedstar was eager to leave as always. Now was the time to rip off the cobwebs and then his clan could return to their isolated peace. The SkyClan leader swept through the crowd before him like a windstorm, roughly shouldering aside any cat who wasn't fast enough to get out of the way. His movements were careless rather than malicious. When he ascended the Great Rock in a single, easy bound, he turned quickly to face the crowd and yowled loudly to interrupt all the chatter.

"Silence!" His voice boomed. His gaze was cold and impersonal, his stature square and meaningful. Spottedstar's old airs of confidence and power were back on in mere heartbeats. "The Gathering begins now. SkyClan reports excellent hunting but more encounters with predators this moon. ThunderClan in particular should look out for raccoons and foxes being chased off our land." His eyes slid sideways to the worn-down tabby that led ThunderClan. Curiosity itched at Spottedstar to find out why the once fatherly figure now leaned against Raventail's side, but he mentally scolded himself to stay on track. "We also have many new apprentices, most of which are here: Mistpaw, Bloodpaw, Ivypaw, Adderpaw, and Smokepaw." The corner of his mouth twitched. The urge to announce Adderpaw, Mistpaw, and Bloodpaw as his grandkits tugged at him, although he resisted the strange impulse. He'd never cared who the other leaders were related to, anyway. "Alongside our new apprentices are a pair of new warriors: Redfall and Wrenspring have earned their names. Likewise, Honeysong has rightfully earned her full medicine cat name." Juniperpaw should have been announced to have earned his name as well. However, his youngest son was a distracted tomcat with very little ambition. Even the two younger toms passing him and getting made warriors before him didn't embarrass him like it should have. Perhaps there was a valid reason this moon, but it was still frustrating - like watching a plant grow with no progress. Bloodpaw would be made a warrior first at this rate. "But with all of our good news comes bad news. One of our warriors, Firflower, has passed. That is all." A miserable expression passed over his face just briefly before he stepped back behind the other leaders.

Cedarheart listened to him quietly. ”I’m sure you are a great mentor!” she said encouragingly. She did want an apprentice, pretty bad, but she did have a few worries. Hopefully they could form a bond as close as Cedarheart and Rain...paw. It was still weird to think of her as that name, and it felt extremely odd to say it aloud. ”It’s ok. I did it too. It’s nice to have someone to talk too, who understands.” Smallbean was like Stormpaw, in an odd way. Not in personality, perhaps, but in the way she could easily confide in him, although he was a stranger. Yet, surprisingly, he felt like more. ”Well, I love hunting. I do that a lot. Also, I hang out with some of my family. I have a brother, Beecloud. And my parents, although they are pretty busy. Hanging out with kits and apprentices can be fun too.” The warrior, although matured from her kit days, still could unleash her childish side and play a game with the younger members of the clan. ”What do you like to do?”

"Th-thanks..." he said, his voice a mumble. He appreciated Cedarheart for talking to him, he had to admit that not bottling everything up felt nice, and he felt almost relieved to tell someone about his problems, even if he didn't like doing do. He sat and listened as Cedarheart answered his question. "Oh- I love kits. I wish i'd s-spent more t-time with Wildpaw though, she's not exactly young anymore. Any day now she'll be having her warrior ceremony. " He paused, listening to her next question. "I usually just t-take walks and get away from the c-commotion. It makes me feel anxious and nervous around t-too many cats."

Cedarheart’s smile grew. ”No problem.” She watched him light up at her response. ”You’re so lucky to have a kit. I wish I had kits, but I just haven’t met the right mate.” It was amazing how big her clan was, yet she didn’t feel that connection with any of the toms. Or she’s, for that matter. ”Walks. Yeah, my friend, Daisybloom...” she gestured to the medicine cat with her tail. ”She takes walks like that a lot. She can be kinda nervous sometimes.” The young medicine cat was doing great for Thunderclan, though. Cedarheart appreciated her.

The small tom dropped his voice to a whisper when Spottedstar's booming voice silenced the clearing. he looked uncertainly at Cedarheart, wondering if the should continue the conversation. He never often talked to anyone at gatherings and because of the righteous few he hadn't been to a normal gathering before now, so he didn't really know what to do. "I-i'm sure you'll find the right cat someday." He whispered, still keeping his gaze on the leaders. "Walks help me a lot. I'd probably g-go insane if i were stuck in camp."

Flintstar glanced over as Spottedstar joined them, starting the Gathering. He huffed quietly, sparing a glance at Ivystar hoping that perhaps they could finish their talk afterwards but...He suppose the simply knowledge that his siblings had at least one blood family in RiverClan was something. As Spottedstar finished his talk, the large ShadowClan leader stepped up next. "The last moon has treated ShadowClan well enough. Many of our apprentices are nearing the end of their training, having proven themselves last moon and I am certain that we will welcome many warriors to our ranks before the next Gathering. Other than that, prey has been running fine and we've enjoyed our first moon of real peace in...A long while," he admitted, dwelling back on it. Perhaps there was the barest hints of peace in the short while he was deputy but even that seemed so long ago - his leadership had been wrought with worries and fears from StarClan but now that threat was over and it was time to find out how the Clan would truly run with him as its helm. "We have nothing more to report."

With that, he stepped back to let the next leader speak.

Bloodpaw felt a twinge of sympathy in his chest when Willowheart's expression broke and her voice whimpered. Pain.... His ears folded back and his claws dug the earth uncomfortably. How to comfort things? Oh Starclan... he didn't know how. He more or less just stood there and stared in a silent panic. Mistpaw spoke, but even he knew that wasn't what she should have asked. It was very clear the Thunderclan warrior was hurting.... poor, shy Mistpaw... the one time she tried to reach out to others was when she should have held her tongue. Bloodpaw was going to try to gently tell her to leave Willowheart be or maybe try to quickly change the subject, even though these were answers he wanted as well.

The voice of Spottedstar boomed out over the gathering, making him flinch. His eyes were immediately on the leaders, though he did spare an apologetic glance at Willowheart. He reclined onto his haunches, his head remaining high, and he listened to the Skyclan leader speak. The instant Spottedstar said "Bloodpaw" he stood up straighter and set his expression as stoic and cold as he could. Weakness was not tolerated in the public eye, at least not for himself.

"Pay attention, sister." Bloodpaw gently reminded Mistpaw through the corner of his mouth before going completely silent again.

Willowheart sighed softly at the apprentice’s gentle question. Even though it hurt, she knew from experience how curious apprentices could be. “I don’t mind...everyone deserves to know.” Willowheart broke off as the SkyClan leader, Spottedstar, began to speak. Blinking, she gave a small, apologetic smile towards Bloodpaw and his sister, Mistpaw and sat still, listening to the leader’s voice. Her eyes lit up with understanding. So they recently just became apprentice

Mistpaw groaned inwardly. It wasn’t like her to be so curious, but she truly wanted to know what had happened last time. When Bloodpaw told her to pay attention, Mistpaw immediately straightened and stared at her grandfather. The pride in Spottedstar’s eyes told her that he was holding in the urge to announce himself as their grandkits. When Spottedstar announced the death of a warrior, however, her eyes filled with worry. Mistpaw didn’t know about Firflower, but judging from the sadness in the SkyClan leader’s gaze, that warrior was special to the clan. Turning her green flecked hazel gaze towards her brother, Mistpaw tilted her head in a question that asked: “Do you know Firflower?”

Again the conversation lulled. Clovertwist saw Eaglepaw's head snap towards him slightly as he mentioned her, and he realized with a feeling of disappointment that she wasn't any more interested in their conversation than Redfall had been. Oh well; the Gathering was started sharply by Spottedstar, last to arrive on the Great Rock and first to sound impatient at what was taking the Gathering so long. Clovertwist frowned a little and settled in, resigning himself to the silence that had overtaken him and the cats he was trying to visit with. The SkyClan leader had a lot more to say than Clovertwist might've expected. This might've been the most chatty Spottedstar had been in moons even if it wasn't particularly friendly so much as dutiful. The warrior dipped his head in acknowledgement of grief for SkyClan's newly lost warrior, though he didn't know the cat at all. Flintstar of ShadowClan quickly followed to give his report. He had much less to say, but Clovertwist didn't mind hearing it. Flintstar was a fair enough leader for the Clan across the Thunderpath.