March Gathering 2024

Sagepaw was easily missed, if it weren't for his red fur standing out against the background like a fox on a sunny day. He stayed by Shadowclan's side, unsure of what to do or who to talk to. He instead picked up on the conversations around him, learning about everyone else that way. One cat did catch his eye, and he found himself wondering if there were rules to who could speak to who at a gathering. Well.. he may as well ask.

Sagepaw moved toward the medicine cats, his ears out on their side of his head and his body slinking somewhat low. "Hi, I'm Sagepaw of Shadowclan." He said to the Skyclan medicine cat. He looked at the other medicine cats too and slowly, uncomfortably, took a seat. "This is my first gathering, so sorry if I'm breaking any rules but... is it okay for apprentices to talk to the medicine cats?"

---

Falconmoon's ear flicked toward the Windclan apprentice losing her mind out there. His fur bristled for just a moment. Just from the way she was acting he wanted to keep an eye on her, but for now he would turn his attention back to Shatteredsky.

"I want you to stop acting like a kit and tell me why you're so snippy with me still. I have done nothing to deserve it." Falconmoon wasn't even angry, but spoke very matter of factly. He'd leave the incoherent screeching to his son, if there was to be any.

Sagepaw is talking to the medicine cats, specifically Thymelight.
Falconmoon is addressing Shatteredsky

Not ONLY was Hopepaw allowed to leave camp with New Sister (Acornstem), but also Mother, He Who Rescues from Snow, and other of her friends! Hopepaw bounded ahead of Mother, glancing back to ensure she was following. She was! Giddy with the crowd, the apprentice burst into the gathering for the first time, her eyes taking in the scent of all the other cats. She froze for a moment. There were a lot of cats here. Hopepaw practically glowed with glee, traipsing off to investigate the other cats. Some smelled oddly like fish, or earthy like mud? How interesting! Ignoring many cat's personal space, she went from cat to cat and observed each one with interest. All voices fell on deaf ears, even the one from Mother calling her back.

Hopepaw is getting close to all the cats to learn your scent. Bonus points for SkyClan cats befriending her and or throwing paws-- LOL

---

"Hopepaw--" Sleepycloud called out before letting out a sigh. Her kit had vanished into the crowd. SkyClan was here. Anxiety prickled at her pelt. The clan had killed apprentices for less than what her kit was doing. Oddly, the issue with SkyClan overtook Sleepycloud's realization that she would see her old clan again. Was her father there? Brick? Her eyes traced towards the mass of cats. The nostalgic smell of fish and river water made her pause. It smelled like kithood, but not like home as she remembered. Her home was ThunderClan, where her kits were.

Memory lane was interrupted as Sleepycoud searched for Hopepaw, hoping she didn't get into too much trouble.

Sleepycloud is trying to keep an eye on Hopepaw. If your characters remember Sleepycloud, feel free to interact!

Thunderclan was quick to arrive after Skyclan, with Acornstem - was she Acornstar yet? - leaping to the great rock. An ear twitched as the other former deputy began to speak. Mottlestar was truly gone, then, as her own clanmates had said. Wolfblossom... Couldn't bring herself to care about the leader she had hardly known despite their alliance. At least, she thought sourly, Acornstem could admit that she was a coward. A coward who had gotten her own clanmates hurt.

Before she could speak, Perchstar had arrived, and immediately moved to stand with Acornstem. Because of course she did. And a low apology to the Thunderclanner, because of course the oh so gracious Riverclanner would do so. The battle was their fault.

If you miss her that much you can join her. Wolfblossom thought, paws practically vibrating with absolute fury as she stared down at both Perchstar and the Thunderclanner. "I hope your losses keep you awake at night." The other leaders had arrived, and Wolfblossom fell silent. She had told herself she would not make a scene, she had warned Skyclan to behave. And here she was, struggling to keep her claws sheathed, struggling to keep from lunging at Perchstar, to finish what she had brought upon them. If my warriors ever find Thunderclan or Riverclan scent across our border, perhaps we will treat them in kind. It would only be fair, right? Wolfblossom kept the thought to herself, retreating as far as the limited space on the great rock would allow from the two cats Skyclan had once called allies.

"Tigerstar, Leopardstar." She greeted quietly. "Oh, don't leave out the details, Acornstem! We were asked, after all." Wolfblossom growled lowly, "Perchstar and Mottlestar came searching for the death of our mother, who had not caused trouble for Riverclan for the near year she was back with us, and who would be the first one to tell you of her past transgressions. A cat who wanted to make amends and atone. The warmonger got her wish and then some. This one-" Her tail lashed in the direction of Acornstem, "-could have insisted her leader see reason. She did not and Mottlestar paid the price for her cowardice." Keeping her claws sheathed was a struggle. If it were not the gathering, if they were anywhere else... Bitter fury compelled her to speak, though her voice still did not carry from the leaders she addressed.

"Don't worry, I won't continue this for another year or even two. When there's only a pawful of cats left to remember my sister's face, to remember or even know what their leader fights for." Wolfblossom had taken a step forward in her rage, she realized... And swiftly stepped backward, tail lashing as she struggling to reign in the fury that threatened to end this gathering before it could start with one well-placed claw. "My clanmates deserve better than for me to act as you have, much as I would love to stoop to your level. You disgust me, Perchstar."

---

Swandive padded into fourtrees along with Riverclan, sticking close to whichever of her siblings she could find. Skyclan and Thunderclan were already here, two untrustworthy clans that her own should never have been involved with. The wounds on Poppyshine, on their own warriors, stood out for all the rest of the forest to see. A weakness. She had no interest in interacting with anyone tonight, just listening.

Wolfblossom has spoken to the leaders.
Swandive is not open to talk.

Perchstar did her best to stay still on the rock as the other two leaders arrived. Leopardstar, Tigerstar. So no other leaderships had changed suddenly. She blinked down at the new deputy Wolfblossom must have chosen--the she-cat who'd been at the battle, who'd burst into tears. A softer choice for leadership, perhaps? Likely a relative, as the tradition had been in their Clan. Maybe, though it was probably a useless hope, a motion to look for peace. But the glare of anger in Wolfblossom's eyes dissipated the hope immediately. She paid the SkyClan leader very little attention for now, since her ally was speaking to her. Or... hopefully, her ally. The words she said left much to be desired. Of course, Acornstem wouldn't want to keep the alliance after it had ended her leader, but there was much more to it than that. There was little point in mentioning that Mottlestar would have gone to battle anyway for the apprentice that SkyClan had killed; there was little point in trying to point blame anywhere. It had simply happened. Perchstar instead offered an inclination of her head as acquiescence. "Let's talk more about this later. I am open to a discussion with you."

For a moment, she hoped that the Gathering would go smoothly--that one of the SkyClan high ranks would finally be able to swallow their pride and allow the past to stay in the past. But of course not. It seemed that her former allies were doomed to spiral down and down into their egoistic hatred forever. Of course they wouldn't stop, not when the entire Clan itself was the problem. Wolfblossom took the first chance she could to growl about what had happened. Painting herself the victim, as always--perhaps a trait she had learned from her sister. Perchstar sat very still, not letting any hint of the refrozen ice nor the quiet, unburied frustration show on her face. Why were other leaders always so quick to discuss anger at the Gathering, instead of in a quiet place where their weakness would not be on display? Looking for pity, maybe? Stars knew that Birdstar had wanted everyone to see her as the injured party. It appeared that Wolfblossom would be no exception. All the RiverClan leader could do was sigh. If she had cared at all about what SkyClan cats thought of her long ago, she no longer did, and so the snarled insults had no effect other than to cause a mild exasperation that would not be evident to any of the leaders.

"I would not want Leopardstar and Tigerstar to be uninformed," Perchstar said calmly, regarding the two leaders and former deputies on the Rock. Acornstem would be no help--though she was an ally in name, she would not be a staunch defender and friend in the way that Mottlestar had been, and the realization felt sharp against her lungs. But she pushed it down as she had previously. It would be an embarrassment to her friend to make a scene here, or to respond in a way unfit for a leader. So she spoke, quietly, stating only facts--as much as it would satisfy some burning part of her to return insult for insult. There was no point. If she did not respond at all, she would have to let the libel stand... so she had to say something. But only the truth. As much as she wanted to just leave. Mottlestar's memory did not deserve this. "SkyClan exiled Beechfang for her murder of a non-combatant medicine cat. Birdstar let her back in by virtue of blood, and kept her a secret from me while acting as my ally. When I found out the lie, I asked for the reinstatement of her punishment--but Birdstar would not budge. So I was forced to take matters into my own paws. It is not my fault that you and your kin decided that it was worth throwing innocent lives in front of my claws, since I told you there was only one cat they were directed towards."

Perchstar's torn ear flicked once, her ice-blue eyes fixed squarely on the rogue's daughter. It seemed that common sense did not run in the family. The rage that had been stifled by Birdstar's death ached to reawaken, but she buried it carefully, pushing it far away. She would not break the truce. She had gotten her justice; petty insults were not worth it. All she had to do was disabuse the misinformation, and then she could give her announcements, and then they could leave. "I suppose you were not going to mention that our Clan was willing to retreat after Beechfang's death, but was stopped by one of your warriors attempting again to kill a RiverClan medicine cat who had done nothing wrong?" It would be easy for the others to glance down and see Littlesplash's still-healing wounds. "I suppose you also were not going to mention that the reason Mottlestar came to assist me was for the death of an apprentice that a SkyClan warrior killed? You also neglected the fact that Birdstar took all of Mottlestar's remaining lives. Like mother, like daughter. I struck in vengeance and we are left with two fewer leaders on the Great Rock. That is simply what happened, and nothing less. Slinging blame and insults will not change past events." Words like warmonger, disgust, cowardice were not worth saying. There was no point in calling Wolfblossom a hypocrite; she would not understand. Even now the she-cat looked murderous, anger gleaming in her eyes. If nothing else, Perchstar was grateful for the practice to hide her own simmering frustration. She would not end the Gathering, no matter how foolish SkyClan continued to be.

Perchstar shook her head and glanced at her two fellow leaders, Leopardstar and Tigerstar. She had little opinion on either; they were already better than their predecessors. No cat would give her an alliance like Mottlestar's... but she still had to show them that RiverClan was strong. That RiverClan was neutral towards any Clan that did not actively seek their death. "My quarrel with SkyClan is over. I have no quarrel with either ShadowClan or WindClan. The last thing I want is another Gathering truce broken. Please, let us pass this night in peace."

Perchstar is speaking to the other leaders.

--

Dovetail had resigned himself to a quiet Gathering, a night spent at Murkyriver's side with his eyes searching for his siblings. But a cat approached them--or, more accurately, approached Murkyriver. A tom who smelled like ThunderClan. Briefly he stiffened, ready to step forward, but the tom said something that made him stop before he began. "Sis." Murkyriver's... brother? He had been unaware she had siblings, her never having mentioned them before, but... since when did she ever mention anything? It made sense that there would be other connections to her past life. Other kits of Mottlestar. Oh... Mottlestar. Right. The reason Murkyriver was so much more of a shadow today than usual. For some reason he now wished he hadn't worn his fox pelt to the Gathering. This might be a bad first impression.

"Hello... Thrushnose," he managed to say. Pale-blue eyes searched the tom's countenance. He seemed nice enough, he supposed, though the scent of ThunderClan always put him a little bit on edge these days. "It's nice to meet you. And, um... I'm sorry. About your mother." Perhaps he shouldn't have said that, but it was all he could think about. Though the fox pelt and his muscular stature may have looked intimidating, his paws shifted awkwardly beneath him. Hearing Murkyriver call him her nest-mate, though, did cause a shudder of strange emotion down his spine. Thankfully the pelt masked it. How odd.

Dovetail is speaking with Murkyriver and Thrushnose.
Other cats coming later <3

There were many Gatherings in the past that Sunfire had stayed home for… at their best, they were a messy, annoying affair, and often it took him the better part of a day to groom the stench of the other clans from his fur. But this Gathering? Tonight? This was Wolfblossom’s first appearance as leader of SkyClan… and even if his mother had bid him to stay home, it would have taken every warrior in SkyClan to keep him there. After the stunt that ThunderClan and RiverClan had pulled, Sunfire was taking zero chances… So with his wounds still healing, and the battle fresh in his mind, Sunfire accompanied SkyClan to Fourtrees, splitting off when Wolfblossom dismissed them, but not going far.

Contrary to his normal habit of finding a spot where he could sit uninterrupted near the fringes of the clearing, this time he sat front and center, tracking Wolfblossom’s path up the Great Rock in case he had to scale it in her defense. But he refused to let his gaze linger on the leaders there. He was bad at controlling his temper even in the best of times, but with Birdstar’s death - and the aftermath of it - so fresh, it took every ounce of self control he had to keep his paws on the ground. Staring at Perchstar’s smug face, or the brown ThunderClanner’s, for more than a second was just asking for trouble… so instead he forced his eyes to stay ground-level.

Eventually, he found a familiar face sitting with the medicine cats… a patched tabby tom with a terrible healing wound in his throat. Momentarily distracted from the tension happening above him, Sunfire flicked his ears to the side, narrowing his gaze on the little tom’s face. Though he’d had no personal quarrel with the RiverClan medicine cat, and had only attacked him because, well, he was there, Sunfire found himself wrinkling his muzzle at the realization that he’d lived, after all. Part of him had hoped Nightstar’s sacrifice would have been in vain, and that the little RiverClanner would have succumbed afterwards. Thymelight and Foxtrot, he realized, were probably the reason he was alive. That thought filled him with a cold bitterness that he disliked feeling about his own clanmates… but they’d proven their loyalties didn’t lie with SkyClan, and that was enough of an excuse not to dismiss it.

Thankful for the diversion, Sunfire stared at Littlesplash, and waited for him to notice.

Sunfire is not open to conversation from anyone except SkyClan - unless you want your ears clawed off.

Smokepetal, Lichenwing, Ravenpaw, and Minkpaw are in attendance but won't be posted until later.

Eaglefly followed his clan in and walked around a bit, he did want to meet some other cats and see what all was going on elsewhere in the forest:

(Eaglefly is open to talk to!)



Swiftheart entered in after her leader and gave a nod, she never would attack anyone at a gathering ... she better keep an eye on her apprentice though... where had he run off to now??


While searching for him she ran into a familiar face, "Rapidpaw?" she meowed in warm greeting flicking her tail

Rapidpaw turned startled at first but glad to see the shadowclan warrior who had recently saved her live from the fox.

"oh swiftheart! Good to meet you, wanna sit together!?" she purred eager to get to see her friend from across the boarder again.

The pair soon settled and looked at the high rocks.

"Windclan doing alright?

"yeah! how bout shadowclan?

They made some more small talk really just waiting for the announcments to begin.

"thats... odd where is mottle and bird star

Rapidpaw looked at the high platform, she was still unused to gatherings and hadnt even noticed the new deputies taking their places.

"uh oh...

Rapidpaw and swiftheart are chilling and being besties

The thick tensions grew only thicker as more cats arrived, a dark invisible cloud settling over the clear and unclouded sky. It was difficult not to see the way that Wolfblossom's hackles rose atop the Great Rock, glaring at the RiverClan and ThunderClan leaders. It made Bubblebeam uneasy how thin this peace was, how tenuous. Any moment now one single swipe of claws could end the night. What if they were aimed at her? Though she knew that most cats weren't murderers, it was hard not to feel on edge every time she smelled the heavy scents of bracken and tree bark. ThunderClan didn't hate her specifically; she'd had a bad run-in with them once. Yet she still felt flighty, jumpy, almost wanted to leave before she'd even gotten to see who she was looking for. But it turned out that he found her, instead.

She almost jumped out of her skin in fright when something brushed against her shoulder--but then she smelled marshes and ferns, and she saw a familiar pair of green eyes. In that moment the sensation of fur touching hers went from a sharp prickle of fear to a lighter, almost ticklish feeling. His tail around her felt so soft, instantly soothing her momentary terror. "Silverbird." The name was half-greeting and half-exhale, releasing the tension that had been building up in her muscles. His words reached her slower than his gentle touch, and so it took a moment to get them through her moss-stuffed head. Her heart pounded at a funny speed. Heat began to rise under her pelt in the way it did when he came near. "Cold? No... not anymore, all of a sudden. Isn't that strange? Now that you're here, I don't even notice the wind anymore." Bubblebeam smiled, allowing the worries to all melt away. They seemed unimportant now, somehow, while those green eyes met hers. Something occurred to her, and she blinked slowly, gaze sparkling. "Or, maybe I should have said yes, so you'll sit closer. Hmm." Trying to act as if it were the most normal thing in the world to do so, she padded next to him and sat down, leaning some of her weight into his side. "It is very cold. Look, my words are turning into clouds." She breathed out intentionally, watching the white puff that dissipated instantly in the cold air. Sitting next to him felt so nice, so natural, that she didn't even really think about it--except for the way that the freezing temperature no longer bothered her. It was a strange feeling--almost like being afraid, with a quick pulse and fogging of her senses, but more pleasant somehow. A combination of contentment and itching discomfort, but never enough to really feel bad. She wanted to stay like this.

She wanted to talk about whatever came to mind, talk about anything with him. Would he think she was silly? He'd never been anything but kind to her so far. But her breath, fogging into miniature poofs of mist--is Hawkmist here today, I wonder?--reminded her of a long-forgotten morning in the nursery. "When I was little," Bubblebeam said, resting her head against Silverhawk's shoulder, "I really wanted to fly. I was so sure that when I got older and became a warrior, I could catch the sun. Climb a tree, jump really far, and just... never fall." She laughed at the memory, even though it left a bitter aftertaste in her mouth. "I can't do that, of course. What about you? Any particular dreams you want to fulfill, someday? Goals in life?" Her eyes gleamed as she turned to meet his gaze, studying his face for his reaction. His facial expressions were always so pleasant to look at. "Realistic, or unrealistic. Doesn't matter."

Bubblebeam is speaking with Silverhawk.

Cloudypetal had taken "be on your best behavior especially around ShadowClan" to heart. Why else would she be the perfect example of a well-rounded WindClan warrior? She released a soft laugh at Galestorm's wink - go get 'em, LionClan warrior. She thought. It was nice watching Crakeburn's and Galestorm's relationship build. With Pipitpaw and Galestorm doing their own thing, she had encouraged Cricketpaw to do the same. Meet friends!

Yet, as Auburnpaw acted out, predictably - her mismatched gaze was so furious that she could have burnt a hole in the apprentice's pelt. She connected the dots almost immediately. Was she jealous of Galestorm? Sure seemed like it. Tigerstar had told them to be on their best behavior.. And what does Auburnpaw do? Her lip curled in disgust.

"Auburnpaw, behaving like this is unacceptable!" She hissed quietly to the apprentice, her ear flicking irritably. "I understand you're feeling jealous, but you're making a spectacle of yourself and WindClan." She nodded her head towards the cats staring.

"This gathering is meant for unity, not your personal grievances. Now... Sit up, shut up and act like a real apprentice. Should Tigerstar let you spend six more moons in the nursery?" She flicked her tail. The only thing that stopped her from cuffing this apprentice's ears was the audience that bored into her pelt. She will definitely recall this to Tigerstar, Sootstorm, her mentor - and anyone who wants to hear. She felt embarrassed that this was even one of their apprentices.

Cloudypetal is reprimanding Auburnpaw for acting out.

---

Yewshade watched Honeydew take her place among the deputy with sad mismatched eyes. It felt weird not sitting next to her for a change, yet he took his place and looked up at the leaders and deputies with fascinated orbs. I wonder what she felt up there? He thought as he watched Wolfblossom. I wonder if I'll ever be up there one day?

He could almost feel the tension of the leaders from here, and his ears perked as he strained to hear what they were saying. Unfortunately, he couldn't hear anything, but clearly it wasn't good as he watched their faces contort. It frustrated him that they were speaking so soft. He was too focused on them that he missed Honeydew leaving her spot as deputy to talk to someone else.

Yewshade is watching the leaders talk among themselves with interest.

---

Weepingwillow was heavily pregnant, but that didn't discourage her from coming to the gathering anyway. She remained close to the other queens, releasing soft huffs. She wasn't as young as she used to be, and she knew that her joints were going to ache after this.

"We can settle here." She spoke to the other queens, her tone firm. She didn't want to walk much further. They had reached the clearing, this was fine enough.

Weepingwillow is talking to the other queens and choosing a place to sit.

---

Orchidpaw approached the gathering with wide, interested eyes. She stopped in her paw steps as every cat flooded in. You could almost point out each cat and where they're from, and the scent of the clans intermingling was almost overwhelming. She stared, confused and overwhelmed, at whom to interact with first. Better yet - were those all of the leaders? Her eyes sparkled, her tail was held high, and her ears were perked. She was so excited, yet she remained in place. What do I do first?

Overwhelmed, she approached another ShadowClan apprentice that felt safe. He had chosen a nice spot in the clearing, away from every other cat. "What do I do?" She whispered, inviting herself to sit next to him - her bushy tail covering her paws. "There's so much... Can I just sit with you for now?"

Orchidpaw is interacting with Boarpaw, but is open to talk!

Despite the events that had unfolded in the moon before this Gathering, Ravenpaw couldn't help but be excited as the ThunderClan group neared Fourtrees. This would be her first ever real Gathering! And already she could smell so many other cats. Paws trembling with anticipation, she followed ThunderClan up the rise, and then down into the clearing. Someone was giving instructions on behavior or whatever, but Ravenpaw wasn't listening very hard. She looked around, searching for anyone that might want to spark up a conversation. A warning voice in the back of her mind told her: use caution, SkyClan will be here! But this was really, really cool! And besides, the war was over, right? What'sherfang had died, along with Mottlestar, so that conflict had been squashed... hadn't it?

That made sense to her, and so when Ravenpaw locked eyes with another apprentice that seemed to be looking for someone to talk to, she didn't even stop to wonder which clan they were from as she pranced right over, plopping down on to her haunches in front of him. It was almost uncomfortably close for a stranger to sit, but Ravenpaw beamed at the apprentice in front of her like she'd known him all her life and said, "This is really cool, right?"

Ravenpaw is talking to Larchpaw of WindClan.

*

It had been some time since she set foot in Fourtrees. Smokepetal couldn't clearly remember the last time she'd attended a Gathering, but... she had to come tonight. Too much blood had been shed, too many lives lost... there were so many rifts to mend. A SkyClanner had attacked RiverClan's medicine cat... Sunfire had attacked him. Quickly, she found the yellow tom in the crowd, only to notice that he had immediately zeroed in on Littlesplash, and was staring at the medicine cat with a look that sent a shiver down Smokepetal's spine. Lengthening her stride until she was almost trotting, the smoky she-cat moved to join the other medicine cats, dipping her head in greeting.

She didn't miss Echosong's rude glance at Thymelight, nor the tone of his words, though she hadn't been close enough to hear them clearly. Her heart sank, disappointment evident in the shine of her eyes, the frown that pulled at her lips. She'd prayed to StarClan for her colleagues' neutrality to remain intact despite the conflict between their clans... but how could it, with what they'd done? Could she forgive, were the roles reversed, and it was Thymelight who had faced death on the battlefield?

The thought made her uncomfortable, but nevertheless, Thymelight was her apprentice, and her very good friend, and Smokepetal wasn't about to allow Echosong to make her feel worse than she already did, even if it was just a sour stare. Strolling over, she sat down close to Thymelight on the side where Echosong was, blocking the ThunderClanner's view. Flicking her feathery tail over the other she-cat's flank, Smokepetal said, "I'm happy to see you are all doing..." She trailed off as she caught sight of the terrible healing wound at Littlesplash's throat. Smokepetal stared for a long time, and then broke her gaze away, ears burning with shame. How had they allowed this to happen?

Smokepetal leaned her shoulder against Thymelight's, swallowing past a lump in her throat before trying again. "I am happy to see you all. May the skies remain clear on this night."

Smokepetal is speaking to the rest of the medicine cats.