September's Gathering 2017

Asterpaw's followed behind her leader, chest puffed out in pride. It was her first gathering, and she couldn't be more excited. Fear zapped through her head as she was reminded of the romors of the previous Gathering. The Mist, they called it, had taken so many lives. She shook her head rapidly, ashamed that she was afraid. She could take on anything. The Mist was no match for the great Asterpaw! She gulped as she saw the great four tall trees towering above her, ripping through the sky. Her gave shifted to the cats of all the four clans. She had never seen so many cats at once! She soon realized that she had no one to sit with. She awkwardly made her way over to where Sharppaw and Shrewpaw were sitting. "H-Hello," she stuttered, out of character. "May I-I maybe.. if that's ok with you... sit with you guys?" She choked out.

Splashwillow had settled down comfortably close to the main party of RiverClan cats and had resolved to simply patiently wait for the Gathering to start without really interacting with any others. The little calico was simply bidding her time idly by staring at the crowd around her whenever it happened. She could feel a slight weight stagger into her side and a loud protest was bubbling in her mouth as she spun around to throw a glare at whoever had ran into her.

The little black and white she-cat that stood before Splashwillow looked familiar- too familiar. Although the little apprentice's face wasn't familiar, everything else was- her scent, her markings, her body structure. Why couldn't she place the face? Cocking her head, Splashwillow continued to look at Violetpaw with a puzzled expression. "What is your name?" Splashwillow asked with a slightly sharp tone, her heart practically beating out of her chest as she awaited the answer.

Frost glanced up at her friend, blinking out of her anxious thoughts, as she took in his question. "Well, no.. I don't think they've ever really liked us that much." She meowed matter-of-factly. "And especially not now.." She mumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes in annoyance/anguish. She didn't understand how the other clans could be so blind to who the real enemy was. They were victims too, if not more so. They had known Swoop. Grown up with her always around, always looking up to her, then suddenly it's like the ground is pulled out from under you all over again. She had trusted Swoop and then she had to go and betray them. It still hurt to think about it, so whenever possible, she didn't. The clans don't even know them, but then again, maybe that was the problem

Curlypaw followed the rest of ShadowClan to the gathering, hoping no one had seen how scared she had been at the last one. Deciding to try to change that view, she was going to talk to the toughest looking apprentice out there. Looking around, she spotted a brown ThunderClan tabby tom that seemed to be tough as well as confident (Coyotepaw). Trying to seem strong and confident, she padded up to him.
"Hey, I'm Curlypaw. Who are you?" she greeted confidently. If she got other clans to think she was cool, then she would have no trouble doing it in her own clan.
_________________________________________

Shrewpaw turned when Asterpaw approached him. Why in StarClan's name was she stuttering like that? Rolling his eyes, he shrugged at her request. "Sure, I'm not stopping you. And please don't stutter like that."


OOC: Sorry they are short, all my writing muse has been used in Nutpaw's moonstone topic.

Magpiewing dragged himself in front of the other leaders, his head hung low and his eyes void of any emotion. Addressing the clans at the gathering was always a nervewracking experience for the deputy. A lump formed in the tom's throat. As his he opened his mouth to speak, only a small, exasperated breath escaped. The black tom felt his legs begin to wobble beneath him as his amber eyes glossed over the clearing.

It was clear he was anxious. Every cat could tell he was different after returning from the cave. He jumped at the slightest sounds, avoided patrols as much as possible, and even slept close to his daughter every night. Only a few cats would understand. After the twolegs had stolen him away he returned just as melancholy. A second kidnapping, this time by the Dark Forest he detested, would leave any cat feeling hopeless and afraid. Everything in his body begged him to return to camp, to return to the safety of his den and the warmth of those he cared about. But he was not so lucky.

There was no escaping this moment. There was no turning back. If he failed to do this one duty, he would have no right to become leader. Tonight was different. He needed to speak despite his nerves screaming for him to run.

"I-It deeply saddens me to speak today..." he began, voice cracking. "W-While ShadowClan is fairing well a-as a whole, we have lost someone very important earlier this evening." Magpiewing swallowed hard. His voice was quiet, barely audible to those farthest from the Great Rock. "Leopardstar is.. I-Is d-dead..."

"W-When he arrived in the cave a moon ago, he was injured. His wounds took one of his l-lives that night. Shortly after we r-returned home, a fever washed over him. H-Honeydrop did her best to care for him, but the i-illness was n-nothing we've se-seen before..." A sharp pain seemed to strike him deep in his heart the more he spoke. Nobody but him and Honeydrop was aware of this sudden passing. Even ShadowClan... Especially ShadowClan. "I-I will be taking m-my journey to the Moonstone tomorrow. Tonight, ShadowClan w-will take vigil." Magpiewing tore his eyes away from the crowd and stared at the scar that circled his paw. The tom couldn't bring himself to look any cat in the eye.

The black deputy sucked in a deep breath. He still needed to report on the other ongoings of the clan. "S-ShadowClan has been well in my a-absence. We welcome many new a-apprentices. Crowpaw, Lilacpaw, Bonepaw, Daypaw, Snowpaw, Starlingpaw, Silkpaw, Ferretpaw, and Owlpaw. We also welcome new warriors, Lizardtail, Copperfang, Cobrafang, Sootcloud, Nightfoot, Gingerstripe, Firestone, Olivelily, Boulderfoot, and Cedarstorm. O-Our queens have given birth to many healthy kits, and prey is plentiful d-despite the cool weather. A-As well, the traitor Wolffang has been killed by our own Flamestrike while protecting our clan. With her d-death, ShadowClan is sa-safe from rogues and the memory of her and Bear can f-finally be put to rest. T-That's all." Without another word, he stepped back, letting another leader take his place. His black tail flickered back and forth nervously as his heart thumped against his chest loudly.

As he did during his speach, Magpiewing refused to look at anybody around him. Especially his clan. He couldn't bare to see their reactions to this stomach churning news.

---

the rest of icee's characters gasped

Larksong felt pity swell up in her stomach at how simply terrified her father looked up at the Great Rock, wishing she could jump up there and press herself against him in an effort to calm him down. She shook her head as she leaned into the side of Smokestripe, only wishing that Leopardstar would get better so that her father could - "Leopardstar is.. I-Is d-dead..." Her eyes widen as she suddenly pulled herself away from Smokestripe, a clear look of disbelief flooding on her face as she jumped to her paws. What?

She wanted to wail out to her father, questioning why she - why none of ShadowClan had known this news. But she held her tongue as she turned his attention onto Smokestripe who looked just as shocked as her. They both held each other gazes as silent questions drifted between the two friends before Larksong forced herself to sit back down, her pelt bristling with worried for her father. This wasn't going to be easy for him - he hadn't been the same since he had returned and she could only do so much to comfort him. Being leader? She gave her head a shake as she leaned back onto Smokestripe, her worried gaze locking on her father as he stepped back to let the other leaders speak. Oh father...


Smokestripe pressed himself against Larksong as the queen settled back down next to him, swallowing at the terrible turn of events. Leopardstar...Dead? His eyes scanned the crowd around them, everybody taken by surprise of the news - even all of ShadowClan being rocked to its core by it. Thrushstripe had just stepped down and now already they were getting a new leader? What would the other Clans think of this? But...There was nothing to be done other then wait for the other leaders to share their news and perhaps give flowery words in honor of Leopardstar. He closed his eyes as he bent his head and rested it on Larksong's shoulder as he waited for the next leader to step forward.


Mottleheart eyes narrowed as he watched the deputy of ShadowClan step forward, looking petrified to be standing up there with the other leaders. He shook his head, questioning softly where Leopardstar was only to get his answers mere heartbeats later. His gaze snapped up to the deputy - no, leader - as the whole gathering fell into silence at the pure shock of the news. The warrior noticed that even ShadowClan seemed taken aback by it all, his ears slicking back before he gave his head another shake. It wasn't right for a Clan to loose a leader so quickly - he felt like Leopardstar had barely even been able to lead his Clan to the Gathering...What a shame.


Amberpelt also had feelings but it was really just sad pity for ShadowClan and that that I am to lazy to type out so, she just shook her head with a sad sigh.

Copperfang gasped when she heard the news. She immediately got up and went over to Lizardtail and twined her tail with his and pressed herself against his pelt in order to give him comfort as well as seek comfort from him.

Bubblemist bowed her head and paid respect to the lost leader.

Hollowpaw looked at the other apprentices in confusion. Who was Leopardstar..?

Ravenpaw and Creampaw bowed their heads.

Coyotepaw's gaze snapped over to a voice just to the left of his ear. The smell of Shadowclan reach his nose and he looked down at her with confusion evident in his eyes. He had never spoken to a cat in a clan other than Thunderclan. Well, Wolffang probably counted, but he had met quite a few rogues in his time in the city. And she was his mother. However, now, he was faced with a weird sort of conflict. In the apprentice's head, he had come to the conclusion that, even though it seemed ridiculous, cats of other clans did not speak to each other. The gatherings were supposed to be times of peace, but even that had not happened. Is it okay to talk to her? What could she possibly want anyways? His amber eyes narrowed at Curlypaw. He had been raised to never trust other cats. Most of Thunderclan was still iffy in his head.

Against his better judgement, Coyotepaw meowed evenly, "My name is Coyotepaw. What do you need?" The question came across as incredibly formal and awkward. It was certainly not a conversational level piece. Internally, he squirmed uncomfortable at the whole thing, but externally, he sat as still and unyielding as a stone. The leaders had started speaking, but his ear merely flicked in a slight acknowledgement. The news of another clan's dead leader did not trouble him much. Cats died daily on the city streets, there was no reason it should be different here. Besides, the stories of nine lives were only tales for kits. All of the Shadowclan announcement was background noise to him. While he feigned attention, his real focus was still on the random apprentice who had come over to speak to him. Part of him was interested in seeing what she wanted.

***
Rippedsky felt a pang of sadness as the Windclan deputy barely acknowledged him. Her mate was pressed firmly to her side. The whole scenario made a strange pit swell in his chest. He had thought that him and Brindlewhisker might at least be friends. Despite all of their differences, the black and white tom had put a strange amount of trust in the Windclan she-cat. But, he shrugged it off. With all of the recent events lately, he could not stand to focus on that small of a gesture. Maybe it was just because of her warrior's presence. Regardless, he turned to pay attention to the starting of the gathering. Crowstar's return meant he could return to the comfort of the ground. That was a nice change at least. He could not help but notice the now usual lack of Leopardstar. Even so, his stomach sank at what came next.

Leopardstar is dead. The new Shadowclan leader choked over his words as he struggled to finish the rest of the announcement. Shadowclan cats gasped from all over the clearing. A few choked sobs rang out. While he had not been leader for long, it was clear he had been well thought of. He could not help but wish well for the other clan. The grief was evident. He could only imagine if it had happened to his clan. Rippedsky's blue eyes watched Crowstar, hoping his leader would reach out and express his sadness too. If he had stood up there, without a doubt the words would have left his maw. However, it was not his place to speak today, so he stayed silent as the events unfolded around them and the gathering continued.

***
Slatethroat's eyes gleamed with a interest as he watched the Shadowclan deputy stumble. They were weak. With the fall of another leader, they struggled. And it was simply pathetic. He could not imagine his own clan allowing themselves to appear in such a manner before every other cat in the forest. Maybe Ashstar, but her reign would soon be over, and their clan would be returned to glory. If Shadowclan kept up, at this rate it would not be long before the newly formed Windclan would take their lands. All of the forest could be theirs when the time came. He could not help but allow a soft grin to peel back his maw.

***
Sageleaf had been watching her brother as soon as they arrived at the gathering. Whether it was out of the corner of her eye or now, her interest had been on him since Starclan's vision. So far, he had seemed fine. The white and grey tom was as invested as protecting the clan as any other warrior. He showed no odd signs other than his normal, strange way of thinking. She was about to look away as Magpiewing started speaking. When he announced the leader's sudden death, she froze. The expression on her brother's face made her blood run cold. A leader had been stripped of all of his lives, and Slatethroat was... enjoying it? She would have to speak to Brindlewhisker later. Or not. Conflict finally caused her to look away. In their prior conversation, she had left out Slatethroat's involvement in the whole thing. It could mean trouble for the brother she still so dearly loved.

Her green eyes finally looked up to the rock from her place near the medicine cats. Sadness blossomed in her chest and shone through those eyes. How did Slatethroat not feel it? Was he really more of a monster than she could ever admit? The Windclan medicine cat chose to push the sickening feeling away. For now, things were fine. She had to focus on the moment. Here, her brother was powerless, even though she still tried to desperately cling to the idea there was nothing to worry about.

Sitting among the crowd of cats, Mudfoot's ears perked as he listened in on what Magiepiewing had to say. Of course like every other cat, he'd been curious as to their leader's whereabouts and what his father said next caught him complete off guard. Leopardstar... was dead? No, that couldn't be true.

Staring up at the deputy, the senior warrior's eyes were filled with sadness and despair, not only for him but his clan. They must all be so devastated and looking around, he absolutely hated seeing his friends and family looking so shocked and sad. Unlike some cats, All his life, Mudfoot had made sure that his first priority was always his clan's well being and had always tried his best to comfort them in times of need, but in this instance, he felt just as lost as they probably did.

'Oh StarClan, please give ShadowClan strength,' he prayed and looked back to the leaders, waiting to hear what they might have to say about this sudden news. Leopardstar, along with Thrushstar, and Magpiewing had been his idol and he'd greatly respected the tom. Now, he was gone and Mudfoot didn't even get to say goodbye.

~~~~~

Smokepelt, the former WindClan sat near the back of the crowd of cats instead of up front like he used to and listened as they gasped to the deputy's news. While he didn't share the same sadness as they did towards the loss, he still understood how they felt, seeing as how he'd lived through two leaders and had to face the same dilemma. 'I wonder who will be the next deputy,' he wondered in silence, curious as always about other clan relations.

~~~~~

Tinylegs watched and listened, staying silent to let ShadowClan mourn.

~~~~~

Ryecloud sat next to his father, not feeling comfortable up in the front of the crowd and watched and listened, staying silent like always.

Rowantalon's eyes widened slightly, his fur fluffing up in shock. "Leopardstar is dead."
No. He mouthed the words, a strong, unplaceable feeling washed over him.
This was a joke.
It wasn't real. It couldn't be real.
Leopardstar had been there since before Rowantalon was born. He couldn't just... die.

Rowantalon half-stood, craning his neck as if expecting the tom to appear out of nowhere. He felt a strong urge to run back to Shadowclan and search the dens, as if Shadowclan's leader would step out of the marsh with a playful grin.

His paws shook as he sat down. his hazel eyes focused on Magpiewing, but his mind was far away, stuck in some blank place of shock and sadness.


"No!" Willowpaw let out a strangled-sounding cry, jumping to her feet. This wasn't possible. Leopardstar- her mentor, her leader. How? Why?
Her amber eyes were wide as she looked around the crowd. She was in too much of a panic to feel embarrassed.
That was a lie. Magpiewing was lying.
Leopardstar would be there when she got back, a smile tugging at his muzzle at a successful prank.

Or maybe he would walk into the gathering.
Yes, that was it. He'd be here any minute now.
But as Magpiewing continued with the announcements, his voice trembling slightly.
Where was he?
It was rude of him to keep her waiting like this.

But when had Leopardstar ever kept her waiting?
He had always been there. Every time. So why now?

Swanpaw blinked. Leopardstar, leader of ShadowClan, was dead? While she had never met the tom, her she bowed her head in respect. A Gathering wasn't the place to ask questions - she could ask one of her older Clanmates about Leopardstar later. For now, she would offer her condolences in silence.

Lilacpaw froze. First, Flamestrike's injury, and now Leopardstar's death? She could only hope the next wouldn't be someone she was close to - she didn't know what she would do if her father or one of her siblings died like that. Or Willowpaw - or Curlypaw, or any of her friends. She shook her head, trying to shake away the tears that wanted to fall, before lowering it and trying to keep herself quiet.

Firestone eyes widened in surprise and pain when he heard about his leader. The flame-colored tom was so shocked that he couldn't find his voice right now. Leopardstar... the cat that named him a warrior... the leader that always was caring to his clan was gone... and all because of the Dark Forest and that Mist. His claws dug into the dirt as the anger filled his veins. This was all fault of those evil cats... he swore that the next time he saw them he would do anything to make them pay for the wounds that caused the death of his leader.

---------

The brown tabby she-cat eyes filled with tears when Magpiewing said the bad news. Leopardstar was the cat that when she hadn't had a mentor, he took her out to make her assessment and then she could become the warrior she was right now. "No... why?" She mumbled, shakily, looking at her paws with a pain that filled her chest completely. She couldn't even thank him properly for what he did for her and now... he was gone forever. She didn0t listen at all what Magpiewing said after that... her mind was too shocked and saddened to even care about what was going on around her, even Crowpaw.

Olivelily gasped audibly at the words that Magpiewing stuttered out. "What?" She cried, green gaze distraught. Leopardstar couldn't be dead. Not her Dad. Not the best leader in the forest. He still had most of his lives! She curled in on herself, blocking out everything but her thoughts. She was shaking with sobs and grief. This couldn't be happening. He was supposed to be there for her. They were a team! "Oh dear StarClan why?" She whimpered softly to herself, shutting her eyes tightly. This was just a cruel joke. Magpiewing was gonna burst into laughter and tell them all he was just kidding at any moment, right? That had to be it. He was just waiting behind Great Rock to bound and and say 'Ha Ha I'm still here guys!' But that didn't happen. No matter how much she wished, she knew it wasn't likely. Magpiewing wouldn't do that, and he looked so.. so.. broken. Her mind was racing, and it wouldn't stop. She couldn't get a hold of her thoughts. She couldn't breathe. Why couldn't she breathe? "Dad.." She gasped out, not even caring about the stares she got. They didn't matter. Nobody did anymore. Her whole world was crumbling down at her feet, and all she wanted was her dad. No she needed him. Isn't it funny how the cat she needed was the cause of her need to him? She let out a small nervous laugh, before bursting into tears. She didn't have the mind to go looking for her siblings for comfort. All she could do was scream angry things at StarClan silently. How could they even do this? How could they let the Dark Forest take ShadowClan's leader. Her Dad was gone. He was never coming back. She'd never hear his encouragement again. Never hear his praise or his laugh or his smell. Everything was quickly spinning out of control, and there seemed to be no hope of regaining it.

Littlebrook was overwhelmed with grief and Silentstorm was shook holding in his grief to comfort his mother.

my other cats bowed their heads in sadness and respect.

Crowstar didn't really know Leopardstar all that well, and it was saddening to hear such a new leader had already lost all of his lives in such a short amount of time. Even if there wasn't a connection to the Shadowclan leader there was always something depressing to hear about the loss of a leader. The black fluffy leader turned to the new Shadowclan leader. "I wish Shadowclan the best.." He wasn't ever good with words, he just hoped that was enough.

Even in the light of sad new the gathering needed to continue on. "Skyclan is faring well. We have many new apprentices, and warriors, and we have settled back nicely after the recent events." Basically saying he was back in charge, and no one was taking that from him. His words leaving out the general tribe. Which meant he was leaving out the ones that didn't pledge their loyalty to him already. He liked having them around, but he figured they were going to be leaving soon.

"What?! No! Wolffang!" Barkfall cried out, suddenly standing up with his outburst. The news about Leopardstar's passing had just breezed past the young warrior, but anger built in his chest about the news of his mother. The name Flamestrike struck a nerve. He recalled that name, but he couldn't put a face to it. Now, of course, it was clear that he was in Shadowclan. Teeth bared, his eyes shot towards the direction of the mourning clan. How dare they treat someone so kind with such barbarianism. Claws sinking into the ground, he took a deep breath. Nothing could be done here, but he would make sure to get some answers.
-----------

Thrushstripe sat in the back with other elders, his joints complaining the whole time. He paid almost no attention to what was truly going on until suddenly Magpiewing took the front. At first, the elder thought nothing of it until the look on the deputy's face seemed to say it all. Before he even spoke a word, a deep pit formed in the tom's chest. Something wasn't right. He had known it for a little bit, but no one had said anything. However, everything suddenly changed as Magpiewing finally spoke up. His voice sounded defeated. His soul looked almost crushed as he said the words that Thrushstripe never thought he'd hear. Leopardstar is dead... Gravity seemed to magnify. The old tom could barely hold himself up as his ears lay flat on his head at the news.

Starclan, no... There was no way. Never once had the thought crossed Thrushstripe's mind that Leopardstar would pass before him, much less in the way that it happened. Sickness had taken him. A strange hush fell among most of the cats in the gathering. Or maybe that was just him blocking out the rest. For as little as Thrushstripe could focus, he only remembered Magpiewing speaking a little longer before stepping back. After what felt like forever but at the same time almost no time at all, Crowstar had stepped up, said something and stepped back. However, the elder couldn't bring himself to bear the bad news. He had given everything to his former deputy, and this is how it ended.

Before he could even get a hold on himself, Thrushstripe suddenly let out a loud wail. Pride burned in his chest, telling him to hold back, but grief took over, pouring from his soul like he hadn't felt since Mistflower's death. The sound echoed through the trees as he finally fell, his legs giving out from under him. He couldn't care less if every cat in the gathering was staring at him or feeling pity for his position. He lost a great cat. Leopardstar had been his life since his mate's passing, even growing closer to him than he did his own kits. Now, it was gone. Replaced by nothing but emptiness and leaving behind a shell of an ancient cat.
------------

His breath immediately caught in his throat. Redstorm could hardly believe his ears at the news. Confusion wrapped around his mind before grief got a chance to grab hold of him, but soon, the latter took over. Leopardstar had taught the young tom everything he knew. He guided him as an apprentice, taught him how to appreciate what Shadowclan had to offer. Now, he was gone without even a goodbye. The tom's head dropped, holding back cries of sorrow, his eyes staring into the dirt beneath his paws.

However, as Magpiewing continued his announcements, the sudden outcry across the gathering made the young tom's head shoot back up. His eyes landing on the source, he found his brother, so grown, so old, but there was no doubt that it was him. For a minute his heart skipped a beat before it was dragged back down into the depths of sorrow. No matter how happy he was to see Barkkit, his heart wasn't feeling it.

Then suddenly there was the loud cry from Thrushstripe. Redstorm had hardly interacted with the elder, but the pain that resonated in his wails shook the young tom to the core, breaking down any barriers that he built to hold in the despair. Without thinking, Redstorm joined in the chorus of cries for the passed leader, his own voice ringing loudly through the trees.