May's Gathering 2017

Stonepaw tensed when Laurelpaw appeared by Nectarpaw's side, nudging his friend and nodding at him. Wariness crawled through his pelt like worms, wishing for a moment that he had Nectarpaw to himself. "I think it's great! It's my first time here, this is so cool!" the gray apprentice meowed enthusiastically, looking around at the magnificent place with awe-filled yellow eyes.

Looking over at the cat that Rowanpaw pointed out, Roaringpaw felt a spark of curiosity. "A tribe cat?" he echoed. Like most gathered that night, the tribe cats looked to be large to the tiny medicine cat apprentice. They smelled like Skyclan, where most were staying. He wondered what their scent was before coming to the clans, and wished he had been made an apprentice earlier so he could've done so at the previous gathering.

"Yeah, gatherings are the best. So much happens, and everyone gets to see it! And plus, we can talk to other clans without having them try to kill us!" Nectarpaw chimed in, glad to see that it was his friends who weren't trying to kill each other. "I remember that at last gathering, Tribe cats came! I know you'll love gatherings Stonepaw!"

Gustpuddle and Blazeflight padded into the clearing once more, both wondering what big revelation would happen this time.

Brackenpaw walked slowly into the gathering, heart racing, but he didn't show it. He strutted in with a smile on his face.

Cloudpaw padded into the gathering behind Crowstar, following the fluffy black leader's scent all the way the Fourtrees. As soon as he stepped through the brush that seemed to surround the clearing, his nose and ears were overwhelmed with new scents and smells. Angling his ears this way and that, mouth open slightly, he slowed his pace. It seems every cat in the whole world is here! He thought to himself a little wearily, though he looked quiet calm on the outside. In all honesty, he hated new cats that he didn't know. Mostly because he felt they would think he wasn't fit to be training for his warrior name. It made him angry to think about it, but it also made him determined to prove them wrong. His mother was the greatest warrior he knew, and she was his mentor. With his same condition. He knew Cherrymist would train him to become a great warrior, maybe as great as herself. Sighing quietly to himself, a little overwhelmed, he sought out the comforting scent of his sibling, Rosepaw, who seemed to be talking to a ShadowClan cat. "Hey Rosepaw, talking to a ShadowClanner?" He meowed, practically radiating a false confidence.

Gorsepaw followed in with SkyClan quietly. Today was the day of his first Gathering! But why wasn't as he excited as before? The intermingling scents made him uncomfortable- especially the underlying scent of ShadowClan. He'd had that nasty run-in with many ShadowClan apprentices, and had a scar to prove it. Sheepishly, he settled himself in a corner, not wanting to draw any unwanted attention.

Squirrelsong raced down the hill, enjoying the fresh breeze that came despite the nighttime. Skidding to a stop at the bottom of the hill, she looked around. The rest of Windclan, Skyclan, Shadowclan, and the Tribe were here. Shaking her fur out in excitement, she sat down near the front. She twitched her ears from nervousness. She was really hoping nothing big would happen again. It seemed like every gathering she had ever been to had some calamity or these two cats fighting or something. She just wanted a normal day, maybe interacting somehow with the other cats, and going back. Taking a deep breath, she looked around with a smile, gauging where everyone was.

Swanpaw walked into the gathering with a smile, feeling as confident as ever. Tonight felt like a good night for something. Maybe making a friend? Lying under one of the Great Oaks, she stared up at the pretty trees above.

Jazz nervously padded into this Gathering. This was her first gathering for the grown she-cat, which probably seemed strange to most of them. This made her nervous, and she only came because she wanted to prove she could do everything just like the other clan cats. Would any of them notice her as one of Bear's old followers? Would they ridicule her? Taking rapid, nervous breaths, she approached one of the cats who didn't have the Skyclan smell and said, "H'llo! Th' name's Jazz. What's yours?"

Rowanpaw looked started at being talked to by a stranger. "Uh... Rowanpaw?" He mewed cautiously. This cat was obviously from Skyclan, but she had such a strange name.

Roaringpaw, who was standing with Rowanpaw, was at first nervous when the Skyclan cat approached them. But when Jazz introduced herself, the medicine cat apprentice felt himself intrigued. The she-cat had such an unusual name, and the way she spoke was interesting. His nerves fell away in his curiosity. "I'm Roaringpaw," He greeted with friendliness, inwardly wincing at the naturally loud volume of his voice. "We're both from Shadowclan. "

Blackpaw, flicked her tail and sat down "Well, Shadewillow had been busy, but he's trating me well" Blackpaw didn't notice Silentstorm had been searching for someone, she just gave a purr of amusment, and then turned to seee Darkpaw and Ryepaw.
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Darkpaw gave a cold nod to Ryepaw, and her green eyes burn with anger and sorrow, after she did this, Darkpaw turned her head to see Leopardstar and the other leaders, her tail tail lashing with fury.

Honeydrop sat quietly, waiting for the other medicine cats to come by, smiling faintly as her apprentice Roaringpaw socialized with other apprentices. So different from Puddlepaw, who had stuck close to her pelt the whole time. Remembering her former apprentice hurt a little bit, so the ShadowClan medicine cat stopped. Turning her attention to the tom's conversations, she stopped in shock as a she-cat she recognized stepped up. Jazz, a rogue from Bear's group. One of his enforcers. The cats who had helped Bear keep her trapped in that horrible place. Her golden dappled pelt stood up on end as the former rogue greeted her apprentice. "You." Honeydrop's voice was calm and quiet, but full of accusation, her eyes cold and unforgiving, memories of pain curdled into hatred. "What are you doing here? Stay away from my apprentice. You don't get to hurt him."

Laurelpaw laughed, and purred; "Oh yea! I forgot it was your first Gathering...I'm sure you'll have fun."  Though the thought of having Stonepaw hanging around with her and Necterpaw made the she-cat's skin crawl, she tried to be as civil as possible.  She didn't want to start another argument, especially at a Gathering.  Padding alongside the two toms, Laurelpaw nodded.  "Yea, no one expected the Tribe to just show up like that!  Everyone was so shocked, but I wasn't scared!"  Arrogance tinting her voice, the white and speckled apprentice gazed around at the other cats, hoping to meet someone new.  So far she had only met Jaypaw, a RiverClan cat, so the other clans were still a mystery to be discovered.

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Ryepaw's face quickly lost it's friendly excitement as his wave to Darkpaw was met with cold anger. Icy eyes rounded with confusion and sadness, the pale tabby was tempted to approach and work things out with his best friend, but instead he turned away. I'll talk to her when I get back to camp, I don't want to miss Lightdrop when she arrives. For the last moon he had wanted to talk some more with the odd-eyed RiverClan molly, and he didn't want to miss his chance. Taking a seat near the edge of the crowd, he waited for the RiverClan patrol to arrive, tail tip flicking back and forth with anticipation.

Roaringpaw watched his mentor with a shocked expression written as clear as day on his face. Why would she think Jazz would hurt him? The medicine cat apprentice almost couldn't believe the fierce, cold look in Honeydrop's eyes and lack of stutter in her voice. He had never seen her like this before. 'What...' The tom turned to look at Jazz, a question burning in his yellow eyes. 'What did this cat do?'

Then Roaringpaw's question was answered. At least, he thought it would be until it turned out to be a statement that gave him more questions. 'Bear? Who's that? A Rogue?' His mind swirled with the million of things he wanted answered. 'What would Honeydrop have to do with a rogue?' The apprentice looked at his mentor, watching her to see how she'd react to Jazz's cryptic-seeming reply.

"Yeah," Stonepaw replied shyly to Laurelpaw's assurance that he would enjoy himself. He didn't know how to act around the she-cat after his awkwardly-teary outburst. Then, when she proclaimed her fearlessness towards the newcomer cats, he looked at Laurelpaw in confusion. "Why would anyone be scared of the tribe cats? No one fights at a gathering," The gray apprentice stated like it was a fact.

Brindlewhisker had spent most of the journey to Fourtrees padding alongside Ashstar and Mottleheart, quietly reveling in her Clanmates eager chattering- now that the weather was starting to warm up and prey was running more plentifully, it seemed as if most of the tension had been temporarily resolved. Once they arrived at the hollow, she scuttled after Ashstar once more, still feeling rather nervous to be seated with the Deputies since it was only her second Gathering holding the title. Hopefully the other Clans would be too excited about the arrival of this so-called 'Tribe' to question what happened with Windclan that resulted in the demotion of Smokepelt. Picking her way towards the Great Rock, Brindlewhisker was slightly confused to see that the black tom was heading Shadowclan once more, but she merely sealed her jaws shut and quickly sat down, watching as her Clanmates chattered with Shadowclan, Skyclan, and Tribe cats.

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Addergaze came shambling along with Skyclan, face drawn in disgust as members of the Tribe joined them for the sacred Gathering- wasn't it enough that they offered to take these...these strays in? Shaking her head and doing her best to hold her breath to refrain from breathing in the nauseating scent of mixed Clans in, the burly she-cat stalked irritably through the crowd, searching for an open space far away from other Cats. Glimpsing an open spot beside the Tribe cat Storm that Lights the Cloud..or Storm, or however he addressed himself, Addergaze gruffly seated herself by the grey and white tom. "Storm." She grunted, ear twitching as she greeted the Tribe tom.

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Screech of the Startled Eagle hung back at the edge of the Skyclan and Tribe party, anxiety mounting as they headed towards this so-called 'Gathering'. What was the point of this futile meeting if they all behaved as they had during the 'Gathering' they had first arrived during? Shaking his dark head, the rather old To-Be followed his adoptive Clan and Tribemates down the hill into the hollow, feeling a bit more confident now that he was less scrawny and much better groomed. Lingering rather uselessly, Screech finally forced himself to slip into the crowd and search for more To-Be's, despite how anxious and angry the throng of cats made him. Spotting a grey and white she-cat who smelled like the Clan that took in Pale and Ash, he slowly picked his way towards her with the intent to ask after his Tribemates. Awkwardly dipping his head in greeting, the tall, dark tom hung back slightly from the gaggle of 'apprentices', finding himself unable to speak.

(it's Laurelpaw if that wasn't clear :v)

Pebblestorm and Rushpaw were with their respective clans.