October Gathering 2020

It was quite difficult to remain silent when every pawstep was accompanied by the crisp crunch of leaves, much to Ivystar's dismay. She was quite thankful that the Greenleaf heat would finally be letting up, and in comparison to that, the leaves that littered the ground were simply a pesky annoyance. But it seemed that these "pesky annoyances" came one after the other, with no break in between- and thought the she-cat would never admit it, she was growing tired already. Nonetheless, she marched into the clearing, waving the rest of RiverClan in behind her. In a few swift movements, she found herself atop the Great Rock, staring down at the relatively empty clearing below. Soon, it'd be filled with cats from every corner of the forest, so she took advantage of the relative quiet while she could. She'd left Spottedstar in camp with SkyClan, choosing to let him decide on his own if they'd be joining the Gathering tonight.

The moon sailed high overhead in the rapidly cooling sky as Olivestar led WindClan into the Gathering, Wildflower at her shoulder in the position that the leader herself had grown so comfortable in before her rise to the head of the Clan. As she crested the hill that led down into the clearing, she ran her tail across Wildflower's flank in a gesture of comfort, as an unposken way of saying, "You'll do great."

A few moments later, Olivestar led the charge down into the clearing at a brisk trot, noting that RiverClan already populated the clearing below. As her Clanmates dispersed, the leader made a beeline for the Great Rock, leaping up to its summit with youthful ease. She gave a respectful nod to Ivystar as she sat down, and cast her warm gaze over the cats below.

---

Bluepaw padded into Fourtrees in the mass of her Clanmates that followed Ivystar, and she was glad to see that they were the first ones to make it to the clearing. Looking for a prime spot to sit in for the event, she found the bush that she and Splashpaw had sat under during the Gathering previous, and opted this time to sit beside it instead of under it, though she wasn't opposed to crawling under it if things got too overwhelming.

Flintstar padded into the clearing, his face darken as his paws dragged. Ever since Mothglow's death, the leader had been cold and closed off. Spending more time in his nest, only leaving to do his duties or when Freckleface forced him to take a walk. It was...Hard, trying to come to terms with the sudden loss of his sister - his last sibling that had truly known Thornstar as well as he was. His energy had been lost, simply feeling...Tired. Very tired after all of the deaths that he had faced. He had just wanted to stop losing people and yet...

And yet.

He jumped his way onto the Great Rock, not even giving Ivystar or Olivestar a nod of acknowledgement. Instead, he simply took his place in the back of the rock, his shoulders tensed and eyes narrowed. He didn't want to be here at all - he didn't want to hear what the other Clans had to say but he had to keep up appearances. He was the leader of ShadowClan - he couldn't let everyone see how much he was hurting. He had to be strong, he had to be the leader that ShadowClan needed.

Nettlestar led her clan into the gathering, moving forward with pride and energy, happy to be representing the gaggle of warriors and apprentices that followed behind her. She was in an unabashedly good mood tonight, which was unusual for the gray she-cat, who tended to keep her emotions locked closely in her chest, preferring to project an air of neutrality and seriousness over anything else.

She made her way to the Great Rock, slightly lost in thought. ThunderClan's nursery and, subsequently, its apprentice’s den had been getting larger and larger day by day, and it was good to see the clan growing. Perhaps it meant more mouths to feed, and heading into the colder seasons that could be an issue, but watching the dens fill up was certainly much preferable to the opposite.

She joined the other leaders on the Great Rock, offering each a respectful nod of acknowledgement. She was unsure whether she would be the last to arrive or not; SkyClan were the only clan not yet present, and she had no idea whether they would be joining the Gathering tonight or not. Either way, she hoped they were recovering well.

Sidestepping as many clusters of fallen leaves as he could, Snowflight strode into the clearing beside his Clanmates. SkyClan had still been in camp when they’d left. He didn’t know whether they’d be here tonight; after a moon of sharing his home with them, he’d stopped concerning himself with their whispers. They’d pulled their weight despite their injuries. He’d never be fully comfortable with their presence, but they weren’t the prey-thieves he’d assumed them to be, so he was happy to let their business be their business, just as RiverClan business was RiverClan’s.

The other leaders and their Clans arrived in rapid succession—Olivestar with WindClan, Flintstar with ShadowClan, and lastly, Nettlestar with ThunderClan. Drifting toward the latter group out of habit, Snowflight sat on the fringe of RiverClan’s crowd.

---

To Thrushnose, who had yet to see the seasons, leaf-fall was one of the prettiest things the forest had ever shown her. Over a matter of sunups, ThunderClan’s trees had burst into fire (an ill-timed comparison, but accurate), turning all manner of golds, oranges, and deep reds. Even the greenest leaves had gained a yellow tint. Hunting had gotten difficult, now that one misplaced step could startle off anything in the surrounding area, but she was adjusting fast. Faster, with an apprentice to think about.

The ghost of a faint, kittish smile hung at the corners of her mouth as she padded into Fourtrees, relishing the soft crunch of leaves under her paws. She’d never cared much about the other Clans hearing her name, but she knew Nettlestar would announce it tonight—hers and Pinefrost’s. Besides, part of her wondered if Ivystar (or even Spottedstar) would have more to say about SkyClan. Why wait an extra sunup for the Gathering party to return when she could get that knowledge firstpaw? Finding a spot in ThunderClan's part of the clearing, Thrushnose sat and swept her tail around herself.

ooc: snowflight + thrushnose are open to talk!

Shrikepaw followed Nettlestar to the four oak trees. She had never gone to a gathering before, so the young apprentice was excited to see all of the other cats there. I wonder what the other clans are like, she thought. She had no clue how the other clans were like, as she only heard stories of them. She did think that this was one of the best ways she could get to know the other clans, so she was excited to be here. As the brown tabby padded to the clearing, the sound of leaves crunching with every step, she noticed a white cat sitting somewhat close to ThunderClan. Since she didn't recognize the cat, she realized that they were from another clan. Walking towards the cat, she tried to strike up a conversation with the cat, which she identified as a tom under closer inspection. "Hello, I am Shrikepaw of ThunderClan!" she said. "What's your name?" Hopefully, the tom would be willing to talk with her, and they could be friends during this time of peace.

(Shrikepaw is talking to Snowflight, if that was not clear)

Sablepaw walked in and sat down in the clearing, gazing up at the trees and the leaves on the ground in awe. She still couldn't quite get over the strange change in the trees, and for once, the clearing didn't seem intimidating.

---

Leaf-fall was an interesting season, for sure. The trees turned fiery, and the ground became littered with noise. Not that it wasn't sometimes fun... A pile of leaves by the side of the trail caught his eye as they crunch/rustled to the Gathering, all fiery and loose. Smile growing at the edge of his maw, he darted a glance at his Clanmates close by. Too kittish for the deputy? His paws still itched to do it, though, something to take away the seriousness of having to help represent the Clan at the Gathering.

Frogdung to appearances.

Giving in, he scattered the leaves with a paw, fiery red and orange cascading for a moment, a grin flicking onto his face. It was gone a moment later, seriousness back in place as he moved on as if nothing had happened, passing through into the clearing of Fourtrees, only the moonlight dancing in his eyes showing any hint of what he'd just done. Any cat in the clearing would probably just think he was in a good mood.

Sablepaw and Minkstream are open to talk!

Pebblepaw practically bounced his way to the gathering, wearing a bright smile. My very first gathering! He thought proudly. Wowwowow! He looked around at the huge clearing., There where already heaps of cats in the clearing already. ('Heaps' being more than 3). "Theres gonna bes mores..." He muttered, taking in his surroundings.
(ooc: Pebblepaw is open for chatter, although he is a little excited and... oddly jumpy for well, Pebblepaw)

Mothglow’s death had been hard on the entire Clan, but Ravenmist had already taken time to grieve her younger sister. She couldn’t drag this out longer than necessary, or it would bring the entire Clan down. She and Mothglow had been very close, almost as close as she had been with her father, and the deputy knew her death would hurt for a long time. But Flintstar worried her more than herself.

Always, her nephew had been stoic, strong, unmovable like the Jaggedrock that sat in the center of camp. He was still the same cat, yes, but the loss of their medicine cat seemed to snap something within him. Now he seemed tired, lost, wanting nothing to do with the Clan. And that made her afraid for him. She recalled when she had lost Scorchstar, her father and the cat she had always been closest to. If it weren’t for Daisyflame bringing her back from the brink, she wouldn’t be standing here.

But the Clan had to keep moving. She squared her shoulders and padded in behind Flintstar, taking her usual place at the foot of the Great Rock.

Crowpaw was the first cat in the clearing behind Nettlestar. He had been waiting for what seemed like ages to get to his first Gathering, and now here he was!! He was ecstatic, dark fur spiked in excitement, long limbs flailing wildly as he galloped after the ThunderClan leader and into the clearing within Fourtrees.

The scents of the other clans around him was something new to him as well - he knew them individually, from border patrols with Pinefrost, but all together here, they whirled together in the air in an almost dizzying combination. Crowpaw stood in the center of the clearing, tail up, eyes wide, his head snapping back and forth as he tried to decide on someone to talk to - someone he didn't know!

[Crowpaw is open for conversation!]

After having abstained from attending for a while, Addershade had finally worked up the energy to go to another gathering. As soon as RiverClan got into the clearing, the thin-framed tom went into his usual routine of finding a spot that was as quiet and uncrowded as possible and claiming it. He sat quietly, waiting for the gathering to start. He had no interest in seeking out conversation, though if someone approached him...so be it, he supposed.

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Buzzardpaw carefully followed along with the rest of ThunderClan, filled with both nerves and excitement.

On one hand, there were so many cats here! He loved being around others and making new friends. He wasn’t necessarily good at it, but he liked it all the same.

On the other hand, there were so many cats here, and he wasn’t totally sure how to process it all. The scents of all the different clans at once threatened for a moment to overwhelm his senses.

He let his eyes sweep across the crowd, taking it in with the one eye that had sight, bewildered and fascinated by it all.

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Crowpaw trotted smoothly into the gathering, following after his father. He was happy to be back here-- he had loved getting to go to the last gathering, and was looking forward to this one as well.

Who knew what he would learn, who he would meet? He certainly wasn’t going to let the night go by without making at least one new connection.

He looked around for someone who seemed close to his age, as he felt it would be easiest to make a quick connection with other apprentices. Finally, he spotted a cat he hadn’t met before who looked to be apprentice-aged like him.

“Hiya!” he said, approaching them, “Is it okay if I come over to talk? I’m Crowpaw, from ShadowClan,”

Crowpaw [SC] is talking to Crowpaw [TC]!
Addershade and Buzzardpaw are open to talk!

Wisteriabloom dutifully followed her clan into the clearing, excited for another Gathering. Last moon she hadn't made much conversation as she was too busy keeping an eye on Lilypaw. She had left Snakekit back at camp, and was hoping that her adopted daughter wouldn't get into too much trouble. Riverclan was the first to arrive, so she sat awaiting company. After very little time, WindClan, Shadowclan and Thunderclan filed in. Nearby, a Thunderclan apprentice sat down. He seemed to be almost exploding with excitement, so she padded over to make conversation with him. As she was padding over, the apprentice was joined by another apprentice aged looking tom from Shadowclan "Hi, I'm Wisteriabloom of Riverclan, what's your name?" She was painfully aware of how she towered over the two of them. Most of the other warriors would chat with other warriors, but she enjoyed the informality of apprentice conversation.

---

Head hung, Brighteye padded to fourtrees after Flintstar. Mothglow's death was harsh and recent, but she was mostly sad because she didn't want to go to the Gathering. Most apprentices and warriors say it as a great event to look forward to, unlike her. She had only come because she had been made a warrior since the last Gathering (which she had missed). Mouth clamped shut, she sat down and waited for the meeting to start.

---

Dappleleaf trailed slightly behind the rest of her clan as they headed to the Gathering. The leaf-fall was coming more prominent in the weather; it was the first chill that the old she-cat had felt in moons. She smiled a bit at some of the apprentices' enthusiasm to get to their first full-moon meeting. They had nothing to weigh them down - her stiff muscles were struggling with the cooling air, and she still thought that she'd never get over Doeskip's death, which now should have been an almost distant memory by now. Searching for less energised conversation, she turned to see a senior Riverclan warrior. Approaching him slower than usual with her limp, she introduced herself. "Hello, how is this sudden change of weather baring for Riverclan? I'm Dappleleaf, by the way."


Wisteriabloom is talking to Crowpaw and Crowpaw
Brighteye doesn't want to talk
Dappleleaf is talking to Addershade

Quailpaw brushed the grass with his tail as he walked in before sitting down next the one of the great oaks.

Spotlake padded into the gathering as she thought to herself. She had been a young kit during the last Leaf-fall gathering. Now here she was a warrior with fully grown kits and a good life (minus all the losses of her loved ones). The calico sat down simply and looked up to the highrock, wondering what was going to happen this gathering.

OOC: Quailpaw and Spotlake are both open to talk to!

Dakrpaw padded into the clearing at Fourtrees beside her mentor, Thrushnose, nervousness and apprehension making her pelt prickle with unease. As soon as they cleared the underbrush and she saw the crowd of cats gather, she froze. The scents of the different Clans and cats assaulted her nose and the low hum of chatter clamored in her ears. Her pelt fluffed up and she gave her head a good shake when she realized Thrushnose had continued on without her. A sense of panic rose in her and she frantically looked around, trying to find a familiar face when she saw her mother joining the other leaders. Her heart ached as she wished she could join her, she'd been so busy now as an apprentice it felt like ages since she had been able to sit and spend some time with Nettlestar. A pang of sadness bit at her heart but she quickly shook it off with a huff. She'd make her mother proud, she knew she would, and she would start by not being scared at her first Gathering. Mustering up her courage she marched on, still watching the crowd and not where she was going. She didn't realize she was about to crash into someone until her body collided with theirs. She gave a hiss of annoyance and opened her mouth to snap at the cat she had run into, but realized it was Quailpaw, her Clanmate. With a scowl she wrinkled her nose. "Sorry," She muttered, huffing as she sat down beside him and gave her chest fur a few quick licks. "I wasn't looking, being around all these cats has me feeling...." 'small' She wanted to say, she felt very small. her petite frame made her look much smaller than her Clanmates, and it irked her and unnerved her how much she felt everyone towered over her. "...out of sorts" She finally muttered after a brief pause, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye, hoping he wasn't too displeased with her.

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To say Driftingpaw wasn't exactly thrilled to be at the Gathering was quite and understatement. it had been awhile since he had been to one and his last time here had been less than ideal, the memory bittersweet as he remembered the friends he had made in other Clans and when Poppybloom and him had both just been new apprentices. His heart ached a little and he sighed, missing his friends and hoping he could make new ones, if they didn't mind his dreadful stutter he still couldn't seem to get over. The white tom found a safe, quiet area along the edge of the clearing and settled down, happy to just watch from the sidelines if no one came to join him.


Darkpaw is talking to Quailpaw!
Driftingpaw is open!