July's Gathering 2017

Lizardpaw was still grieving and panicking about his father, Leopardstar, when Doveswoop, or whatever her name was, began speaking. He turned his ears to listen to her, but still looked around in vain for his leader. She talked about StarClan and what precious little they had done. Silently, he thought she was right about that. Where were they when Leopardstar was taken? Or any other cat? His eyes scanned over the other cats, gauging their opinions, especially the opinions of his littermates. He did not want to become a traitor in their eyes, but the idea of ending the strife of Clans did sound appealing.

Cleverly wording his question, he asked, "But if we were to join together, who would lead? What about the current leaders? What about those taken by the mist? Will... will they come back?"

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Dawnpaw did not react like Lizardpaw. He did not like the Tribe cat's suggestion at all, nor did he like her disrespecting their traditions and StarClan. "How dare you say those things! If you think we will all fall into line behind your leader, then you'd best think again! I should claw your pelt off for such thoughts!"

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Snailpaw was utterly confused.

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Weedpaw remained silent, assessing the situation.

It's my birthday and the first thing I do is write my poor son spreading his heart out for all to see. ;v;
Cloudstone's gaze cleared for a moment just in time to see the Mist return and steal each of the Clan leaders off of the Great Rock. Chaos ensued. He felt as if he were watching from afar, the voices of distraught Clan cats muffled in his ears. At some point, a Tribe she-cat leaped onto the rock and he forced himself to focus. As he listened to her words, old doubts about himself rose again. He knew nothing of where he came from. He wasn't built like a RiverClan cat, not even close. He had longer, stockier legs than his Clanmates, not to mention mostly black fur. He was a rabbit among fish.

His gaze did not meet anyone else's as he began to speak. "I have been RiverClan's medicine cat for many moons. I should know who I am by now. But I do not. I remember a time when I was a kit that I realized that me and my sisters did not have a mother of our own within the Clan. I know I was not born there, and I suppose in their desperation to have a medicine cat, I, a complete outsider, became a medicine cat apprentice. I didn't know what the stars looked like, as I had never seen them. Even now, even when StarClan has returned to us, I cannot feel any warmth of ancestral comfort when I look at the night sky. I know I do not receive nearly as many visions as my fellow medicine cats. I need to know why."

Cloudstone looked to Ivyfall, unaware of the irony. "You know where you came from. So you will not understand what it means to be an outsider within your own Clan. Moons of living with the same cats may seem enough, and yet why do I still feel the need to know?" His dark eyes shifted to Swoop of Fierce Doves, his paws still struggling to stop the bleeding on the wounded cats. They were soaked in blood. 'What am I doing?'

"I will join you."

Honeydrop couldn't believe what was happening. The Gathering, already tense, had devolved into absolute chaos, cats yowling and screaming with claws unsheathed, flinging insults and worries and threats around like she'd never seen. The leaders were gone, many members of her own Clan had been torn into shreds by this mysterious Mist, and cats were trying and failing to take control of the situation. She didn't even know what was happening anymore. During the whole ordeal it was all she could do to curl her golden tail protectively around Roaringpaw and hope with all her heart that Flamestrike and her kits were safe out there in the giant crowds. However, the next words she heard were the worst yet. Swoop, she called herself. A queen from the Tribe that had caused them so much terror and trouble. Her voice was silky soft and certain, but the words she spoke were stunning, disarming, tempting. Terrifying.

Leave.... leave StarClan? Leave the code? What? Her mind was racing, trying to make sense of this new development. She had to admit that the idea sounded more than alluring. One group- no fighting, no war, no more bloody wounds to heal. Enough prey for the youngest kit or the weakest elder. No condemnation for being with the tom she loved with all her heart. She could be with Flamestrike, be with her kits, and no one would denounce her as horrible. She could have the dream she always wanted and still help all her Clanmates. All cats would truly be her Clanmates. No more pain, no more sorrow.... a shining utopia. One Tribe. One Clan. She almost believed for a second that it could be true. But then her hopeful amber eyes raised up towards the dark sky, seeing the pale full moon shining down almost weakly, surrounded by nothing but a black curtain of darkness. And for a second, she thought she saw a tiny, glimmering pinprick of light. A star. Puddlepaw. And Alderheart. And Sparkpaw and Ferretshine and Nutflower and Ebonyleaf and every other cat that has ever meant anything to me. They're there, aren't they? They won't just disappear. StarClan is still there. They're still there.

The shimmering vision of glory that Swoop had built up around the listening crowds came crashing down around her ears as Honeydrop realized that it could never work. Because StarClan wouldn't just disappear. Their warrior ancestors had survived for moons upon moons and ages before that, and they couldn't be wished away that easily. What would life be, without StarClan, anyways? Without the knowledge that every cat who someone loved had passed on and was watching over them, protecting them from harm. A world without StarClan could never be, and it could never be as beautiful as Swoop had described. It couldn't. And it wouldn't.

"No." The ShadowClan medicine cat stood up from where she had been sitting, terrified, a few moments ago, new courage warming her heart and rushing through her veins. Her voice was confident and clear, all terror forgotten as she spoke up from inside herself. The voice wasn't quite her own. It was her voice as it should have been, without the scars and pain and suffering she had been through. "No, this isn't right. It can't happen. The Clans would not exist without StarClan. The code is what has held us together for moons upon moons, and it will hold us together now. We can't abandon StarClan, just like they won't abandon us. They are a part of us, a part of this forest. A part of our lives. You can't just cast them off like an old poultice off a wound or the bones of an old piece of fresh-kill. Don't you think others have tried before? Do any of you remember when StarClan came to fight with us in the forest so we could remain free?"

The golden dappled she-cat looked around at the familiar faces she saw in the crowd, and some she didn't recognize. Then she stared into the sky-blue eyes of the foreign queen who pretended to know what was best for a group of cats she had never truly known. "I am a medicine cat, and I have shared tongues with StarClan. They know us, they love us. There is a reason that this 'old system' has survived for so long, Swoop. You can't just stroll in here and think that we'll abandon everything the warriors of this forest have stood for since before your precious Tribe of Endless Skies existed. Your Tribe was a part of us once. You can either join us again or you can leave- there is no room for disbelievers here." Her words were directed at Cloudstone as well, a cat she had respected and thought she knew, a cat who her mentor Alderheart had vouched for with all sincerity before the latter's sudden death. He was denying everything he was, everything StarClan had made him. Everything he had vowed to be. How could he reject a truth that he knew could not be denied? Honeydrop's eyes, glaring pinpricks of amber light, bored into his hazel-brown ones. The words spoken to him were quieter, but just as fierce. Words meant to stun him, to pierce his thick shroud of confusion and denial, to bring him back to where he should be. She refused to lose another cat. "You know this, Cloudstone. You know it as well as I do. How could you deny everything we've ever stood for? You are an oathbreaker. Alderheart would be disappointed in you."

Shellwater is panicking. Quailfeather is staying by her family and hissing at Swoop. Gingerpaw is hiding behind his daddy. I don't have the energy to write anything else after that five-paragraph essay ;w;

Smokestripe breath came in harsh gasps as he struggled to understand what was going on. Cats yowled at each other as he stared at the locate that Leopardstar had been in moments ago until he was stolen away the mist. He shifted on his paws as he shook his head, trying to pull together some sort of understanding of what in StarClan's name was going on. Finally a voice boomed across the clearing, causing him to look up at the great rock to see an unfamiliar she-cat that introduced herself as Swoop of Fierce Doves. He listened to her words in a shell-shocked state until a familiar voice brought him out of it.

"Ravenclaw," he gasped as he turned to stare at the she-cat that held his heart. He met her terrified gaze, his heart dropping as he put together what she was thinking before the few words left her mouth. He darted forward, brushing his cheek against hers in hopes of calming her down as he closed his eyes and allowed himself to think. He didn't...He didn't trust this Swoop. He couldn't. There was something about her that put him off as he lifted his gaze to stare at her. The way she spoke...

"No..." he shook his head as he pressed his body against hers, willing to take her weight as he rested his chin on the top of her head. She sounded liked those cats of the tales he had heard when he was little... "I don't..." he struggled for the words he wanted to say, simply staring up at the sky above them. He wanted to stop the bloodshed, and her talk of being united sounded so...Nice but it was the talk of darkness that they would band together under that scared him. "I don't trust her," he finally uttered.


"Swoop?" Storm's gaze snapped up to the great rock as the familiar form of the kit-mother jumped up there, listening to her words. For a second, he was conflicted. What she spoke of was something he had always felt - that the Clans were weaker separated and that it only brought pain when they could prosper together but... It was the words underneath it all that caused his fur to prickle. "What are you talking about Swoop?" he questioned sharply as he stepped away from the two WindClan cats. "The Tribe of Endless Stars brought us here!"

His tail lashed as he moved to get a better view of her, his paws feeling heavy as he could hear cats argue against her or support her. "We were being hunted in our own home, Swoop!" he yowled up at her, not caring who would hear his words. "Nobody knew but it wasn't just the harsh Time of Frozen Water that was cutting down our numbers...It was a Sharptooth." He flinched as he said that name, knowing only a pawful of his Tribe cats were even aware of the creature. "Its why so few Prey-Hunters returned. I...I barely escaped from it when my group ran into it. We would have been sitting hawks for it if the Tribe of Endless Stars hadn't told Stoneteller to lead us here! I only image that StarClan is the reason it didn't follow us," He shook his head. "I do not know what ancestors of darkness you speak of Swoop but I believe that the Stars still watch us."


Larksong hissed under her breath as she stared up at the kit-mother that stood on the great rock. She couldn't believe the words that left the she-cats mouth as she dug her claws into the ground. It sounded just like the tales she had heard when she had returned to ShadowClan. She couldn't be serious. The idea that other cats were setting up and agreeing with her made the ShadowClan warrior's blood boiled as she turned and stared at Ravenclaw and Smokestripe as the two mates shared soft words with each other. "Don't listen to her Ravenclaw," Larksong growled as she moved to stand on the other side of the she-cat, glaring up at the she-cat as voices rang out around them. "StarClan has always been behind us - they stood with us against the Dark Forest..." She winkled her nose at the tales - of how her brother had turned traitor and joined those foul, evil cats. "I don't trust a word she is saying - we may be ShadowClan, but we've always had the stars of the sky to guide out paws in the shadows. Darkness will only lead us astray..."


Amberpelt stood ridgy on the side of the clearing, her breath coming in deep gulps as she listened to the ringing sound of countless voices across the clearing. Her claws dug into the ground as her fur stood on edge, staring unwavering at the she-cat with the gull to speak on the Great Rock like she was doing. Every word that she said only made Amberpelt's hiss grow louder and louder. Loyalty is what made them who they were. She was a RiverClan cat. She couldn't stand being called anything else - she certainly would rather die then be part of this 'tribe' that this...Swoop was speaking of. Amberpelt however remained where she was, his ears flickering back as her lips turned up in disgust as a few cats - even Cloudstone  - spoke up in agreement and vowing to join. Were they really going to turn their back on what made them who they were?

Mottle is having the same feelings of Amber but is a bit more in a mood to fight and Lion is still having a panic attack.

Both Stormheart and Snakegaze had been frozen in shock throughout the entire train of events thusfar. It was so much to take in. While Snakegaze had been skeptical about Fishstar's accusations at first, Stormheart had been of the same mindset as his adoptive mother ever since the Tribe had first arrived two moons ago..

And when the Mist descended on Fourtrees again and swept her away, together with the other leaders, and his own medicine cat had agreed to join these foreign lunatics, his heart filled with a black, seething hatred.

"You.." His lip curled upwards in a snarl as he rose to his paws, eyes fixated on Cloudstone. He began shoving cats aside as he stalked towards him, voice dripping with disgust. ".. You coward. You traitor. You're our medicine cat. You've known my mother for longer than I have, and when these.. These disgusting, lying outsiders summon this mist to take her, you just stand by and accept it?" His voice rose as he stalked closer, giving no mind to who he was shouldering past, as if they weren't even there. Truth be told, he couldn't really give a rat's tail about StarClan. He wasn't even sure he believed in them in the first place. He hadn't been around for the great 'Dark Forest' battle, and if he hadn't seen something with his own eyes, no words could prove to him that it existed. Tradition mattered, though. Customs mattered. History mattered. Most importantly, kin and friends mattered, and for Cloudstone to throw that all away so easily was enraging. "It's been killing cats. It's been frightening cats. It's been destroying us. How could you possibly agree with the Tribe, after all this misery that they've put us through?" the bulky warrior spat, halting within leaping distance of the medicine cat.

Even though Shrewpaw was still a very young apprentice, he knew what Swoop was doing. She was playing with their fears, trying to scare evryone into joining her and her tribe. Well that wasn´t going to work for him! But he was still to injured to say what he was thinking, leading him to frustration. Focusing hard and forcing himself hrough pain, he shouted. "No! Don´t lis..." And then he passed out from pain.
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Nectarleap was dumbfounded by what Swoop was saying. He wasn´t angry, at least not at first, but he never once thought of leaving his clan for this tribe she spoke of. The stars hadn´t left them or were ignoring them, they just weren´t able to help with the mist. Then suspision washed over the young warriors´s body, and then he was angry. The mist might have listened to Stoneteller, but what if this kit-mother was the one controlling it? What if she was using it to try to scare them into becoming one tribe? It seemed to click in his mind. But forcing himself into a calm demeanor, he stepped up and calmly adressed the she-cat.
"I know I am only a mere WindClan warrior, but I have something to say to you, Swoop," he began, anger and suspicion leaving his voice as he spoke. "I agree that driving out Stoneteller was the worst thing that we could have done, and I am truly sorry that my leaders did that. But if you didn´t notice, in this gathering we were talking about the mist as a forest-wide problem. We are different clans, but if one dies the rest aren´t as strong. Our rules help keep us seperate so that we all can remain strong, in case we need each other. And I personally would rather die in that world than live in a simplified reality, where there is no other group to turn to if we fall. Swoop, you talk as if you wanted us to fall, with no concern. So here is my question; Are you the one controlling the mist? I know it listened to Stoneteller, but you seem to know more about it than he did."
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Curlypaw stayed silent and hid amoungst the rest of the cats, to scared to speak. Of course she knew what Swoop was saying wasn´t right, but she stayed silent.
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Nutpaw listened to what Swoop was saying, and actually agreed. If they had all been as one, she wouldn´t be plagued with guilt, or always beating herself up about stuff outside of her control. Maybe by leaving her precious warrior code behind, she would finslly be free from its grasps. By getting rid of something fragile, she wasn´t risking breaking it anymore. Throwing a sad look to the rest of RiverClan, the brown apprentice padded over to Cloudstone´s side. In a voice that cleary wasn´t a shout, she said; "I will join too."

ooc: my cats were here the whole time

Echo that Strides Through watched in horror as the mist came and destroyed everything. "No! Please! We are not at fault of this monster! We wanted to get rid of it!" she shouted.

Oceanlight looked at Swoop. "Swoop, I understand your feeling. But StarClan isn't evil, and the code doesn't drive us apart. The code makes sure we remain loyal, living free would put us at great risk. As a medicine cat, I want peace, but being without law cats can kill and maim without it technically being wrong." she spoke. She jumped on the rock and looked at the angry cats. "Though Swoop has one point. We can't fight this mist alone, and we certainly can't blaming each other out of fear and anger. We have to join together if we want to fight it. We beat the dark forest united, so why can't we beat some fog united?" she said loudly so the entire clearing heard her voice.

Pigeonpaw laid there for an unknown amount of time, barely on the brink of conscience as a cat he couldn't make out- medicine cat, perhaps- putting some herbs on his wounds. They stung at first but he felt the pain start to slowly ebb away a little, so he kept his mouth shut. It just seemed to feel like everything was going to be okay as the Mist retreated out of his blurred vision. But then in full force, it came, it's absolute force and power knocking the air out of his lungs on his spot on the ground. He raised his head briefly in alarm just enough to faintly see the Mist circling the Great Rock before vanishing.

The leaders were nowhere to be found.

Pigeonpaw tried to get up, before the pain washed over him again and he plopped back down. He could faintly see in the corner of his eye a cat get up onto the Great Rock and speak of ideas he liked, before being pushed off by one of the tribe cats. This new cat spoke of uniting as one, and that the warrior code was wrong. That death awaited any resistors. He wacthed in horror as the medicine cat treating him gave in, and then another cat. This brought anger to him, and the gray Scottish Fold scrunched himself into a sitting position, despite all the pain it brought. "T... This is wrong." He choked out, taking a moment to spit out a glob of blood. "I may have... have spent my life as a l-loner after.... after I ran away as a k-kit. But I returned to m-my clan because of... simply, everything that makes up the clans. You h-have it all wrong. We don't... don't look down on the weak. We care for them. And I know because I was once the weakest in the Clan.  Everything... Everything that makes the clans s-so wonderful would be taken a-a-away by what you say. I would die before-" His speech broke off as he collapsed back onto the ground, the pain making him too nauseous to continue.

Willowpaw wasn't having a good time at the gathering, but didn't realize how bad it would get until it appeared. In all it's shady glory, the mist showed up and went at his father Rippedsky before he could lift a single claw. Just like that, his father was gone.

'No no no NO NO,' the rage-filled old apprentice screamed in his head, anger roaring away freely in forefront of his mind. Rippedsky can't be taken by some mist. He's Rippedsky for Starclan's sake, the perfect deputy of Skyclan that watched over them all from the tallest pedestal Willowpaw had ever had to gaze up towards in his pathetic life. Nothing was supposed to take him down. Nothing that's as lame as some creepy, unknown, fox-dung ridden thing that can't even begin to measure up to his father's glory.

Despite the anger that gripped his claws, Willowpaw wasn't stupid. Just from watching, he could see how easily the mist threw full grown warriors around. Plus, unlike the other cats yowling their heads off around him, Willowpaw was always angry. Being in a constant state of perpetual rage has allowed him to think once in a while and try not to do something mouse-brained. So while everyone was losing their heads, Willowpaw reigned in his explosive feelings and scowled fiercely instead of attacking the mist. 'I'll get you someday, mist,' the irritable, old apprentice thought as pure promise as he took in a long sniff of it's scent. Fighting wasn't his forte, but tracking was a whole other story. Lost in concentration, Willowpaw ignored the idiotic conversations about starclan and tribes or whatever going on around them. He already knew they were all as bird-brained as his own clan, so there was no need for him to get involved and just get pissed off at how stupid his own species could be.

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As soon as the mist appeared, Stoneheart stood onto his paws. He looked over to his apprentice Emberpaw to make sure she was okay. As her mentor, Stoneheart couldn't help but feel as though it was his duty to keep her safe more than anyone else. He wouldn't forgive himself if his apprentice got hurt. It is his duty to guide her to warriorhood. The gray warrior felt a jolt of hope when he noticed Nectarleap's eyes flickering over to him for the first time since they fought. But before he could fully process the motion however, the mist fully attacked and left him shocked as his idiol, their esteemed leader, Ashstar, was gone.

"Ashstar!" He yowled for his leader. But then, to Stoneheart's complete disbelief, the mist reacted to Stoneteller. It slunk away, just like that. Facing the tribe leader with a new light in his eyes, the gray warrior narrowed his eyes as the tom proclaimed the most sacred code in all the lands to be false. Stoneheart knew then that this cat was pure evil, and nothing else. "You're wrong, the warrior code is righteous. Starclan watches over us," He told the ones who dared to claim Starclan and the code to be wrong, "There is nothing more perfect than our sacred code." The tom was a little fazed at how weak his argument was becoming, but he pushed on. "I-It's our guide that can show us how to be a good warrior and uphold the honor of our clan. Without the code, evil would run rampant through the clans and murder would be condoned! Starclan rewards the righteous by allowing good cats to join them in their watch over the clans. Going against the code and Starclan is going against what is right and good for your clan." Stoneheart's eyes were desperate. Why couldn't they see that without the code, there would be no good?

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At first, Roaringpaw was absolutely terrified. The mist crept into the gathering, startlingly bright amber eyes flashing around and even sweeping by his very own yellow ones for a heart-leaping moment. They fixed on the leaders and attacked them, leaving Roaringpaw desperate to do something. Images of cats getting hurt shuttered through his eyes like a terrifying fog in itself, coiling into the form of the thing right before them. This was hurting their leaders. Cats trying to attack it flew back into the dirt. It was hurting others.

Then it stopped. At Stoneteller's look, it shrinked back like it was a scolded kit. Roaringpaw's eyes hardened as the tribe leader began to insult their ancestors and the warrior code. He understood Stoneteller's point, but the tribe leader was wrong. As Honeydrop spoke, Roaringpaw instantly agreed with her. "My mentor's right," he added, "Abandoning Starclan has never been good for a single cat. Our ancestors have done nothing but help. They send us prophecies and watch over us for all of time. If there's no Starclan, then who will watch over us then? I feel nothing but gratitude that we have them to guide us to make the right decisions. Without prophecies, how could we avoid the disasters we've faced? If we hadn't been warned, all of us would be dead or gone by now. We've lived in these woods for countless moons- it's thanks to Starclan's guidance that we could."

He turned to directly give eye contact to Cloudstone and the other doubters, his naturally loud voice rising with the words he spoke. "The code and Starclan are the two things universal in all clans. Taking them away would take away what makes us who we all are. Without them, who are you then? Who would we be? We'd be losing who we are- it makes the pride we all have to call ourselves a part of our clans!"

Thistleblaze let out a growl as she watched others step up to join Swoop. She didn't really believe in Starclan but the clans were better than that mess. The gray tabby she-cat jumped up on the rock, and took a leap towards Swoop, claws extended ready to attack the she-cat.

As soon as Thistleblaze thought she got a hold of the kit mother, the mist appeared and blocked her from hurting Swoop, and knocking her off the rock in one hit. Soon the Windclan deputy followed along with anyone else on the rock with Swoop.

The mist hung low around Swoop's paws, seeming somewhat defensive of the kit mother. It kept swirling and dancing around her ready to block another incoming attack.

Leafstorm hissed angrily. "It's on their side! We... we need to drive away the tribe cats!"

He took a step forward threateningly towards the nearest tribe cat (echo that strides through) until his face was offensively close to hers. "You need to leave." He spat. "Or I will make you."
The full moon meant peace, but this was an entirely different matter. After all, hadn't the legendary battle against the Dark Forest happened in this very spot?
He unsheathed his claws, his eyes narrowing.



Rowantalon blinked his green eyes as countless cats fell from the rock, his tail lashing as he took a step forward. Leopardstar was gone and Shadowclan needed strong actions.
"As soon as the tribe cats appeared the mist struck." He mewed loudly, attempting to get the clearing's attention. "We've encountered something even Starclan has never seen, and we've lost the power of our leaders. I believe that the time to negotiate is behind us. We need to take action, and whatever path we choose, we need to choose quickly." He gestured to the mist, which now hung behind the kit-mother, billowing. That mist was dogging the queen's steps like an apprentice follows it's mentor. That she-cat was commander, and she needed to be taken out to ensure the safety of the forest, and above all, Shadowclan.



Flowerpetal raised her head weakly. The things the she-cat spoke of meant comfort and safety, and she struggled to her feet, limping past the other cats to stand beside Cloudstone.
"I d-don't agree with you." She mewed, looking the she-cat- Doveswoop? Swoopdove? -in the eye. "We've all-all lived alongside Starclan- they're our l-lifeblood, and the spirit of the f-f-forest."
She looked around weakly for support. "H-h-however, I believe that unity would be a... be a better course of action. After all, w-we're much stronger as one. I-I've heard stories of a b-battle like no other, against the-the Dark Forest. You all stood to-together, and together y-you won. We can defeat this mist, but only i-if we work t-together, as one clan."

Leopardclaw turned to face Swoop after she finished her little speech, his face slowly contorting from peaceful reassurance and hope, to a furious snarl, his hazel eyes blazing with unspeakable fury as the Mist came to rest around the Tribe cat, pushing cats away from her position on the Highrock, as if she belonged there.  The ThunderClan deputy had never been so disgusted in his life; what right did this cat, who has had very little experience with their way of life, call into question their customs and values, and expect them to give them up just like that?!  He realized that some of the rules of clan life - such as not mating with cats outside the clan, not sharing territory or prey - might not seem very logical to onlookers from the outside, but the clans had always been that way, and all of these so called 'pointless' rules were what allowed the clans to survive for all these countless moons, and preserve their way of life from generation to generation.  It was a legacy, something to be proud of, and even a cat such as himself who had been adopted into the Clans valued it deeply as well.  

Leopardclaw watched in disbelief as a few cats actually agreed with her, a RiverClan apprentice and - to his shock - their medicine cat.  Taking a step back from the scene that was forming in front of him, the golden spotted tabby tom unsheathed his claws and braced his shoulders, though he didn't pounce.  He had watched all the other cats who had tried to attack the Mist to no avail, and no matter how much he wanted to know it's secrets, simple logic kept his paws on the ground.  Until Blizzardstar is returned to us, I am the head of ThunderClan.  They need me to be healthy.  "Swoop, you have seen the reaction of the Clans to your foolish words, and I echo their responses as well.  The ways of the Five Clans cannot be so easily forgotten or changed, no matter how hard you or your Mist try.  We will live, guided by the Stars and their wisdom, until it is time for all of us to join them, when our times come.  Besides, how could you possibly think to earn our trust, when you have that damn Mist laying at your feet like a tiger ready to pounce?!  We have all been hurt by it, it has taken so many that we love, how could you possibly expect us to roll over and surrender with it in our sight?  You are leading a foolhardy quest, that will only end in failure.  No matter how many doubters you can manage to scrounge up, it would never be enough to dismantle what we base our very lives around since birth.  Think of your Tribe; if we had come to your mountain home and ordered you to change your whole lives around just because we said so, would you've obeyed us?  So, why should we obey you now?"

His paws quivering furiously, Leopardclaw tried his hardest to hold back from jumping at the she-cat, and demand for her to call off the Mist, to return all the cats who had been lost, to return his dear children into his loving embrace, but he knew it was futile.  They knew too little; they were blindsided by this mysterious force that was guarding her like a hound, and even with the force of all the clans behind him, there was no guarantee they would even have a chance.  His heart aching and mind starting to slip away from him, he felt as if he had been transported back to that night where he was a small kit, abandoned in the cold leaf-bare elements, with nowhere to turn.  Helpless.  All he could latch on to was that afternoon on the riverbank with Grasswhisker, when she told him that it didn't matter that he was an outsider.  What makes you ThunderClan, is that you believe you are ThunderClan.  Or RiverClan, or WindClan, SkyClan, or ShadowClan.  It isn't what's in your blood, it's what you believe in your heart.  That belief is the only thing that has kept me going for all the time I've been alive; that I belong somewhere that values me, that would always accept me.  I won't allow that to die, not while I still have breath in my lungs!  This is my home, and I will defend it until the end!

Ryeheart and Laurelpaw are hissing at Swoop and telling her she's an idiot and to go away.

Gustpuddle, Silentstrike, Blazeflight, and Mapleclud are all totally freaking out because the mist is scaring them and they just wanna go back to their dens. Blazeflight stands up as tall as she can for a shorty beside Waspstep and disagrees with Swoop. Silentstrike growls deeply at the Mist because he thinks whatever is controlling it will be frightened by him and his clanmates. Maplecloud is just kinda chilling out, but she does let out the slightest little snarl. Gustpuddle is to tired to think, but she growls at the Mist anyway.

OOC: I worked so hard on that, yall should all be very proud of me cx ;))))

A thousand thoughts stewed inside of Moth that Floats on the Breeze's head as she observed the unfurling chaos, hopelessly trapped at the very edge of the Gathering.

When cats began to speak out against her Tribe, she bristled for hate. Had she not been so far back in the crowd, she would have ripped those who opposed Stoneteller apart. She didn't understand this 'Mist' any more than the cats next to her. Yes, it was mysterious and terrifying. Yes, it had committed terrible acts - even if the terrible acts had been done to cats that she hated..

.. This was no excuse to blame the Tribe, though. Ignorant fox-hearts, the entire lot. They had done nothing but condemn the Tribe for the entire length of their stay at the forest. Now, even Ashstar, one of the few leaders who'd been accepting, had turned against them. That being said, it wasn't like Moth hadn't expected this to happen eventually. The Clans were elitist scum who couldn't bear to part with any of their old ways. Outsiders hadn't been a welcome sight from the start, even if said outsiders were tired, starving, and had once been a part of the forest. The Cave-Guard hated every waking moment she lived here. With all her heart, she wished that Stoneteller had taken them in the opposite direction of the forest from the Mountains.

You fool.. How could you lead us back to the cats that rejected our forbears so long ago?

And then, as swift as lightning, the mist suddenly poured into the Gathering, and the downhill spiral that the Gathering had already been increased tenfold. The leaders were knocked off of the Great Rock, and panic had swept over everyone. Moth sprung to her paws, unable to stand being so far away from the rest of her Tribe. The mist had receded as quickly as it'd come, but the tension had risen. There were too many hostile eyes on her Tribemates, and if things started to get ugly, she would be there to shred any Clan cat that dare lay a claw on any of them. By the time she'd come about half way through the crowd, pushing and shoving cats aside, Fishstar had launched herself at Stoneteller. If everyone didn't break out into violence by the time Moth reached him, she would start a battle herself. I'll rip their pelts off, all of them.

And then the Mist returned, like a silent, swift assassin.

And then the leaders were gone.

Moth halted in her tracks. Her eyes settled on Swoop of the Fierce Doves, now up on the Great Rock, as her voice cut through the commotion - furious and commanding of attention. Moth's initial reaction was shock. It washed over her entire body and froze her in place, as if she'd been standing in a blizzard for too long. So it was Swoop who was behind it all. Every death, disappearance, and nightmare that the Clans cats - and even the Tribe cats - had experienced over the past two moons had been because of her. Moth had shared a common hatred for the Clans with Swoop ever since they'd arrived. There wasn't a doubt in Moth's mind that Swoop had felt it even more intensely then she herself had, with the loss of her kit still a fresh wound on her heart.

She was a friend - a good friend. Moth liked to think she'd always known her well, but.. this? She'd never expected something of this magnitude out of her, even with all of her justified hurts and gripes.

But as her words carried on, Moth could feel the shock trickle away, and in its place, her prejudices came flowing swiftly back in. She swiveled her head around to sweep her gaze across the Clan cats, and despite the Mist's cruelty, she could find nothing in her heart but spite for them. Maybe it was wrong, and maybe not every cat deserved her bitter judgement, but she found herself starting to care less and less as her Tribemate went on. These Clans, who were so divided, and proud, and conceited.. These leaders, who were pushing these decrepit traditions onwards.. These ancestors they worshipped, who cared nothing for any of them.. It was all wrong. All old. All replaceable.

It all had to change sometime, and now was the perfect time.

One Tribe. One leader. One way of life.

"Foolish?" Her eyes snapped to Leopardclaw. A mirthless laugh escaped her. "It really eludes me - why you're all so attached to your ways. Tell me, really.. What do you all have against letting your Clanmates follow their hearts? Why can you not love who you are meant to if they do not live in the same marsh, or moor, or forest as you here? What is the point of that? What's noble or honourable about a code that spits in the face of love, and freedom, and happiness?" Her tail lashed behind her. She'd been waiting to speak her mind for a long time. "The saddest part is, I don't even need an answer from you. I already know. You're all mindlessly obsessed with a worthless, meaningless set of rules set in place by a group of dead cats who don't give a rat's tail about you.. Who can't even be clear with you when you're in danger because, what -- being vague is more valuable than lives and futures? They disgust me. You disgust me. This whole forest disgusts me."

Boulderpaw, Newtpaw, Starlingpaw and Sunpaw were nervously watcing all quarrelibg between big warriors and leaders. Altough cats were each from different clans they were listening together; for each of them this was first gathering and they weren't involved in speaking of course. Just laying on the grassy floor.