April's Gathering 2017

Swoop of Fierce Doves lagged behind her kit, the queen was rail thin and had no milk to offer her kit. Rather than being flush with life as a queen should be, she looked more like an elder who was one foot in the grave. The mackerel tabby barely managed to follow her kit that thankfully lived, though it seemed he was on his last legs too. She stumbled over behind him, leaning against Bear that Growls through the Night to support as she looked around warily at the cats that surrounded them. She was too tired to be afraid, if they killed her, it would be a merciful act at his point.

For a minute Pansyface didn't know what to do or who to talk to.  Avoiding the spot under the rock where the medicine cats met, she caught sight of a few of the clans cats who she had been imprisoned with in the barn; but she didn't feel like approaching any of them.  In the end, she found herself standing beside Hawkstrike, listening to the leaders talk and argue.  The young warrior couldn't help but dig her claws into the ground when Ashstar protested Rippedsky's promotion, but she didn't have time to say anything before an unfamiliar scent wafted into the clearing.  Whipping her head around, the gray and white she-cat narrowed her sharp eyes as a group of strange cats padded into the clearing, and the leader of them spoke up.  Turning to Hawkstrike she muttered in his ear, her voice filled with suspicion and aggression; "Who are these cats, more rouges?  Great, like we haven't had enough of those lately..."

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Leopardclaw pushed his way through the crowd to get a closer look at these strange cats, and curled his lip distastefully. They were obviously very weak and hungry, most of them adorning wounds on their skinny, travel-worn frames. Keeping a respectful distance from the leader's conversation, he watched the cats with narrowed, angry eyes. How dare these outsiders just charge into Fourtrees, like they have a right to be here! This is the clan's sacred place, and night of peace. Why is Darkstar hesitating? Throw them out! Growling, the golden spotted tom unsheathed his claws and dug them into the earth, prepared to fight if these strangers tried anything.

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Finchpaw gasped when she saw the strange troupe of cats enter the clearing, and she felt her recently calmed heart begin to beat again. W..who are these cats? Are they like Bear? Will they attack us and injure us, like Spottedpaw?!" Beginning to panic, the small apprentice didn't pull back from Fallowstripe's protective tail, but instead shifted closer to her mother and buried her face into her warm fur. She had heard Nutpaw's question, but didn't respond; I don't want to be here with these unknown cats! I want to go home! I want to go home and never come back here again! Nothing good ever happens at Gatherings!

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Ryepaw smiled sweetly at the pretty she-cat, before turning with a puffed out chest to look at the leaders on the rock. He was about to open his mouth and give his oh-so-knowledgeable answer, but the appearance of a sudden, very unfamiliar scent piqued his attention. Turning, the young tom watched as the strangers entered the clearing, the fur along his spine bristling with fury and apprehension. Turning to look at Lightdrop, Ryepaw jumped to his paws and stood in front of his newfound acquaintance in a protective stance. Flicking his head back, he shot the RiverClan warrior a half flirtatious, half serious remark; "Don't worry m'lady, they won't get past me!"

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Following Necterpaw's gaze, Laurelpaw caught sight of the outsiders as they entered the clearing, and couldn't help but growl under her breath. Yellowish-green eyes blazing furiously, the white and ticked she-cat turned her her friends and hissed; "What right do these cats have to intrude on the Gathering?! Why are we not chasing them off?" Jumping up, the young she-cat bared her teeth in a threatening snarl, hoping her friends would follow suit. These outsiders have no right to be here, this is clan land!

(Dear lord why did I bring all 5 DX)

Darkpaw sat and had followed, hearing her Leader talk and that stuff, but she wasn't so interested on that by the moment, she locked her green optics at Rypeaw, but then sighed, she glanced to her leader and heard how Ryepaw talked to that cat, Darkpaw would really love that Ryepaw talked to her that way....but she knew his heart always belonged to Ambernose.....Darkpaw pressed against her sister, and sighed again. As she heard her sister's question Darkpaw nodded, and saw how her sister padded off, she just sighed and stared at the Tribe cats, calmly.

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Blackpaw was sitting beside her sister, and flicked her ear, she closed her eyes, and though on Silentstorm, she smiled and blushed under her dark fur, Blackpaw really loved him, her heart always belonged to him. Blackpaw then whispered to Darkpaw "Can i go with Silentstorm?" She felt her sister nodding, the black she-cat padded off, and walked to her mate, then sat down alongside him and asked "W-who are those cats? Silentstorm I'm scared"Blackpaw said as she first saw the Tribe cats, Darkpaw seemed to be calm

OOC:Too lazy and sorry about posting so late

The gray tabby tom was about to answer when the group of outsiders entered the clearing. His eyes blinked surprised and the new scents reached his nose. They were not from any clan and, considering the faces of everyone, no one in the clans of the forest knew them before this situation. Jaypaw noticed how tired they looked and he couldn't feel anything than compassion for them, especially for the younger ones and elder ones.
When he saw the aggressive attitude of Finchpaw, the Riverclan apprentice stayed in his place and looked at her, serious. "I don't think they're a threat for the clans, Finchpaw. Look how exhausted they are. They're probably lucky to be alive! We must help them until they recover, especially the kits and apprentices, like us, that are with them." He said, sitting in the same place and without moving a muscle to attack the strangers.
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Amber eyes widened up when the stranger cats entered the clearing. She immediately stood up aiming to help them, but when she saw that nobody was approaching them to aid them, the black she-cat stayed in his place, frustrated. Why is nobody helping them? They look terrible. She thought, turning her sight to Batpaw.
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Fox stayed in his place, looking serious and tired all the faces of the cats that belong to this forest. Some of them were kinder, but other... they just wanted to throw them off. His eyes stared at the young cat and looked at him, kindly, trying to not show his insecurities about the safety of the Tribe. "Yes, it's really big, but I doubt that this is only one Tribe, Screech. They're probably different groups guided by different leaders, like our Stoneteller. At least, that what I heard about them." The prey-hunter turned his green sight back to the Stoneteller, hoping that he would the right decision to save them from a possible attack from these "clan-cats".

The sound of another unfamiliar voice made her seize up, practically whipping around to face the stranger tom. A rival Clan cat...! She'd rehearsed for this moment... "Wh-what's it to y—...?" Her voice trailed off, craning her head back to look the gray tom in the eyes. Oh. Her tail stuck straight up, scrambling to regain her composure. Long legs, with the scent of peat and heather clinging to his pelt. That could only mean one thing. "And I suppose you're some kind of rabbit-chaser, aren't you? My name's Yewpaw."

At last, another group of cats streamed into the clearing to join the rest of them, a long-furred brown she-cat at the helm. Yewpaw narrowed her eyes at the strange way she seemed to move through the crowd, and her confusion turned to shock as the she-cat made her way up the Great Rock, with three legs instead of four. The apprentice let out and audible gasp.

So these were the other four leaders. All five Clans were gathered here together. Then who were these other cats...? Yewpaw took a step back, fur bristling at the chorus of hisses, growls, and disquieted muttering. "Who are they?" she caught herself asking aloud despite herself, flattening her ears against her head. There were five Clans, five, and... None of this made any sense. She hadn't been told about this. Her voice dropped to a whisper, reciting everything she'd learned and rehearsed, the words tumbling out of her mouth like a waterfall, an undertone of stress straining her voice. "Um, let's see, ShadowClan, RiverClan, ThunderClan, WindClan, um, SkyClan.... One, two, ah—...'" Her eyes flicked up to the leaders on the Great Rock, and the approaching strangers, cats she couldn't place, and her claws slid out with another backstep. "ShadowClan, RiverClan, ThunderClan, WindClan, SkyClan, ShadowClan, RiverClan, Th-ThunderClan..."

They weren't Clan cats, they couldn't be. Rogues? Rogues stole prey, they attacked apprentices who wandered out on their own, they ate kits and slept in nests made out of their bones. But she'd never... There were so many, and... It was the Gathering... What was she supposed to think?

"Icepaw, proud rabbit-muncher. I'd take the scraggliest hare over a toad anytime." Having grown up in a rather large litter and with several older siblings, the tom was quite comfortable conversing with others. His eldest sister was a warrior already with a whole grown litter of apprentices! Though it was chaotic at times and a cause of concern for when he had to pick mates in the future, it had made him quite the talker. But before he could say much more, another clan entered the gathering, bringing with them a thick silence that fell over the clearing.

Their unfamiliar scent clogged the air, standing out strikingly against the familiar medley of earth, pine, forest, rivers and grass. They smelt of something beyond, and of sickness. Instinctively, Icepaw took a step back, his ears flattening against his skull and his eyes flicking over to his mother, Hazefur, for a sign on how to react. He had nothing to base this off, he didn't know if this was normal or not, but from the silence, he had to guess this wasn't a regular occurrence. But then one spoke, and then another, soon everyone was meowing over each other in a chatter that hurt his head.

He gritted his teeth, eyes still nervously flickering between his mother and the unknown cat that lurked at the base of High Rock, leading the band. "I don't, I don't think they're one of us... Maybe we should move further back..." It wasn't particularly brave or warrior-like, but he was a newly named apprentice for crying out loud, no one told him about foreign invaders popping in on their first gathering. He nudged Yewpaw with his shoulder, flicking with his head for her to shuffle back with him. He didn't know her well, but there was a solidarity amongst all the cats here when a stranger entered. They were all clan cats, these others, they were something else.

All of the eyes seemed to stare deep into his soul as Stoneteller stood there, trying his best to look confident and ready for anything. However, the rest of his body did not follow suit. The exhaustion had taken over, but he still pushed on through the questions. So many cats looked his way, most openly questioning their presence. The Healer didn't blame them, but he had to get his words out. Before speaking again, he looked to the Greatrock, studying the five cats standing on top, looking down at them with an intimidating presence. Were they the Healers of their own groups? The Tribe of Endless Stars had only told him so much about this place: there were five groups they called clans. They all fell under a bigger clan... Starclan? The biggest part was that the Tribe of Endless Stars said that this was home. This is where what the ancestors called Old Skyclan belonged.

Ignoring the questions and defensive stares from the crowd gathered on the ground, Stoneteller slowly began making his way towards the Greatrock. "You are the Healers, I believe? Or... Leaders of your groups?" He asked, shoving away any sense of anxiousness that was twisting in his stomach. "I am Stoneteller, the Healer of the Tribe of Endless Skies. We were brought here by our ancestors, the Tribe of Endless Stars, by the light of the brightest star in the night sky. Would you know these ancestors as... Starclan?" Saying the name out loud for the first time left a bad taste in his mouth. It sounded so wrong. Nonetheless, he waited for any kind of response from the cats on top of the huge rock in front of him.

Ashstar was about to snap another stinging retort to Crowstar about his idiotic choice of deputy when a group of strange smelling cats flooded in. They were far too organized to be a band of rogues, and something about their scent- though odd and different- seemed familiar. Their apparent leader, a tall, powerful-looking tom, spoke to them. The reaction of the crowd was instantaneous and unsurprising, but she kept her green eyes on the commanding tom in front of her who seemed somehow humble. She made no comment, but listened carefully as he spoke up again.

Stoneteller? The Tribe of Endless Skies? The names meant nothing to the leader, but she felt a chill run down her spine at the way he spoke them. They claimed they had been brought by their ancestors. StarClan. Why are you meddling with our Clans again? Sablestar, why haven't you told me? Aren't you supposed to be watching over me? My Clan? Dear StarClan, what will this mean for WindClan? The fluffy gray she-cat stepped forwards and finally spoke up over the crowd, signaling with her tail to tell the cats below to let their leaders speak. Confusion would help no one here. "I am Ashstar, leader of WindClan," she introduced herself. "This is Darkstar of ThunderClan, Fishstar of RiverClan, Crowstar of SkyClan, and... Magpiewing of ShadowClan. Like you, we are the leaders of our respective Clans." Except Magpiewing. He will has yet to explain where the leader is. "Where have you come from? Why are you here? Has your Tribe of Endless Stars told you anything further?" Her voice was loud and clear, ringing through the clearing. Her spring green eyes were inquisitive, staring into Stoneteller's.

Oceanlight grabbed some moss and soaked it into a puddle of snowmelt. She ran over to what looked like an apprentice and squeezed the moss to release the water.

The apprentice, who was Echo that Strides Through. She opened her eyes and saw an unfamiliar cat. She stood up and stepped back. Her eyes were wide and she was frightened. "P-please don't hurt us, w-we can't fight..." she said.

Ash of the Burning Forest looked around fearfully, seeing the aggressive and curious faces of the strange cats that were gathered around the clearing. He spotted Echo that Strides Through backing away and pleading at one of the cats. Not knowing she was trying to help, he gathered his last scraps of energy and stood in front of the To-be, hissing and snarling. "Don't hurt her!" he spat at the she-cat, narrowing his eyes and flattening his ears to look as menacing as possible despite his frail form.

As the cats in the clearing started to taken notice of them, Storm that Lights the Clouds found himself shifting his weight on his paws. His eyes were narrowed, trying to judge the cats but there was simply to many of them...There was a part of him - even if he didn't want to admit - that was terrified. He wasn't used to strangers, he had only known his Tribe his entire life. No outsiders, nobody he didn't know the name of. Now to be faced with a sea of unfamiliar faces, some threatening, some terrified, some simply confused...He wasn't sure what to do. He felt a tail fall across his back, causing him to jolt as he glanced over his shoulder to see Night of Stormy Gales flashing him a kind look. Storm spared a glance at Stoneteller as the healer started to talk to answer the questions that was thrown their way. StarClan? The healer had not mentioned such a name before...He pushed it aside as the gray she-cat on the rock started to speak, stating names after names as she introduced herself and the others; WindClan, ThunderClan, RiverClan, ShadowClan...But the name that stuck out as SkyClan. His eyes glimmered - the Tribe of Endless Stars had called them descents of old SkyClan hadn't they? Perhaps their place would be with that group.

He took a step forward as he stared up at the leaders on the rock. "As Stoneteller stated, we are the Tribe of Endless Skies," he called out to allow his voice ring across the clearing. It was hard, his voice was hoarse and it took much effort to speak as loudly as he was so that every cat could hear him but he managed. "We come from the mountains beyond the plains. We were force to leave our home as our tribe was dying; caught-prey was becoming scarce and we lost many of our own to the Time of Frozen Water while many also simply disappeared while hunting. But our healer, Stoneteller, was given a sign only a sunrise before we left our home. We were called to follow the brightest star and it would lead us home...And now we are here, before you all." He paused as he allowed his gaze to shift to the large fluffy black tom that stood next to the so called Ashstar. If any cat was to be called Crowstar of SkyClan, he would figure it was him. But while he certainly didn't trust any cat in the clearing, even if it seemed that they both shared some sort of connection, he also knew he couldn't throw away the tribe's only way of survive. So, despite his better judgement, he spoke up once more. "We were also called the descends of old SkyClan. I do not truly understand that that means but certainly the Tribe of Endless Stars called us that for a reason...Mostly if there is truly a SkyClan among your ranks."

Oceanlight stepped back. She turned her head as one of the tribe cats spoke. "Yes, there is a SkyClan, I am the medicine cat of SkyClan. I wasn't trained in hunting or fighting ways, I was trained with healing the sick and injured." she said. She looked up at Crowstar.

One moment, the Gathering - relatively peaceful, for once - was going as per usual, and the next, flood of unfamiliar faces, scents, and voices brought everything to a screeching halt. Tens of strange cats wove their way around the already present Clans like water around rocks, and at their head, one particular cat began to speak over the leaders.

There never would be a truly normal Gathering, would there?

The mountains? A 'tribe'? SkyClan's descendants..? And this had all just come out of nowhere, right in the middle of everything. Fishstar's mouth hung half-agape as she watched the scene unfold before her, not even sure how to begin processing it all. As the gears started turning in her head, finally, she immediately thought back to the Dark Forest all those moons ago, appearing at Fourtrees and claiming dominion over the forest with no warning. The RiverClan leader's eyes narrowed. She'd been kicked out of her own home for a moon as a result of that, forced to watch evil tighten its hold on the forest from a distance. She would not have that happening again with whoever these cats were.

Something told her that their claims were true - because it didn't sound like something one could just make up - but Fishstar could feel hostility crawling into her system nonetheless. She fixed her gaze on who seemed to be their leader.

"We have a bad history with unfamiliar cats showing up uninvited," she was sure to add emphasis to the last word, "at Gatherings. I don't care who you are, but what business do you have here with us?"

Yewpaw strained to hear the heated words exchanged between the warriors on the Great Rock and the strange newcomers, lowering into a crouch with her tail tip twitching as she stole glimpses of the cats through the crowd. "A-are you kidding me? You're not going to run, are you?" she sputtered back at Icepaw in hushed tones. And leave me here? She left that part unsaid.

That wasn't something a ShadowClan warrior would do!

She shuffled back anyway along with him, haunches wiggling, tail bristling. "What is a tribe supposed to be?" Yewpaw never heard of rogues with such ridiculous names...! It was almost like some kind of mockery of their traditions...

Skyclan? The deputy's eyes darted over to look at the new speaker. According to him, they were the descendants of old Skyclan. The prospect excited him. If what they said was true, these were clanmates, or rather, they could be. They had more Skyclan blood than him. Taking in their ragged appearance once more, a pit of ice began to form in his stomach. Fishstar questioned the group. All he desired to do was take these cats back to camp and get them well fed. Newleaf had been kind to the clan and they certainly had some prey to spare. The black and white tom looked up at Crowstar, meowing lowly enough so that only cats nearby could hear, "They don't appear to be a threat, Crowstar. And if what they say is true, they are Skyclan. We need to get these cats back to camp before they can no longer stand..."