January's Gathering 2018

She smiled at the other wolfpaw. "well mine I think will be darkflower, darkstorm, or Darksong but I don't get to pick leader does so I hope she picks one of them." she said smiling.

OOC: it's going to be darkflower

Newtpaw suddenly began to wonder how he would ever be able to handle an apprentice when he became a warrior. Some apprentices he knew could be awfully annoying... not him, of course, but others. All he could do now was hope that he got an obedient apprentice that didn't constantly do irritating things. If he ended up being so unfortunate as to get an annoying one, then he'd just have to shapen the apprentice up a bit. Yeah, that's what he'd do.
"Getting an apprentice will be fun, I think, just as long as they're not super annoying," The tom paused briefly. "I personally like being an apprentice. I have a good mentor, and training sessions are fun. The only thing I hate is doing things like checking the elders' fur for ticks."

Wolfpaw smiled at them both and glanced towards the leaders "When do you think they'll start?" he asked.

Laurelsong's pointed gray ears perked at the sound of her father's voice, and turned with a smile to greet him, snapping out of her thinking expression.  Often, when the she-cat was lost in thought or tired, her face made her seem to look grumpy or irritated, but sometimes that wasn't the case.  Maybe it was just her inner essence leaking out.  The pale-pelted warrior purred slightly as she felt her father's striped gray tail wrap around her, but she didn't lean into his embrace.  She was not usually one for showing physical affection, even to her family.  "Hi dad, I'm doing good.  Just didn't feel like mingling much tonight."  With a nonchalant shrug, she turned her chartreuse eyes up towards the Great Rock.  "I wonder when the meeting will start.  I want to know more about why ThunderClan and RiverClan look so beat up.  Have you noticed?"  Out of the corner of her gaze she had been seeing cat after cat appearing with severe injuries, in ThunderClan's case ones that obviously hadn't received much treatment; and now ThunderClan's medicine cat arrived with a RiverClan escort.  What in the world was going on?

---

A flash of a familiar golden pelt out of the corner of his eye brought Leopardclaw's attention back from his thoughts, and the weight of immense stress that had been building up in his chest finally lifted at the sight of Honeyspark.  She was safe!  His paws itched to run to her and shelter her in his fur as he had done when she was a kit, but the deputy held his position, and simply watched as she took her place among the other medicine cats.  A proud smile cracked his stony face, seeing her confident attitude when faced with such adversity, and once she had settled in beside her young apprentice he tried to catch her gaze, sending her an approving nod.  In the back of his mind though, he had to wonder; where was Lionspark?

Silentstrike smiled, his white tabby fur sticking out in odd directions as it was blown around by the small gusts of wind. "That's okay. I never like talking to others at the gatherings too much anyway. Makes me uncomfortable." He was going to shake some of the snow from his pelt, but thought better of it. He didn't want to get it all over Laurelsong. Her next comment made sense to him, and it wasn't groundless. "Yeah, hopefully soon. I'd say maybe they had a little border fight if it were just a few cats, but seeing as it's almost the entire clans, I don't really know." A sudden thought that maybe they'd gotten into a war hit his mind, but he shook it off. 'Not in the middle of leafbare.'

Wolfpaw blinked. "Who knows? I personally want to go home and sleep in my cozy nest if they're just going to stand there all night."

Crowstar looked around and then called out to the clans. "Let the gathering begin!" The black fluffy leader said. "Skyclan is fairing well these moons despite the cold leaf bare. We have numerous apprentices named this moon. While pray might be slow we are still managing, and I hope the rest of the clans are getting by as well." The leader said to the cats. Other than that he had no other news to share.

Ivystar listened calmly to Crowstar's words before stepping out to speak as the elder leader was finished. "RiverClan has been fairing well, considering foolish attempts of prey and territory theft by certain shrub-dwelling clans. We've almost doubled our warriors, with Duckpuddle, Minnowslip, Ravenflight, Stoneface, Smokewish and Viperstorm. Our queens, Spalashwillow and Viperstorm have also brought us healthy kits. We flourish, a sign of our ancestor's blessing in this time of hardship for many."

Then the leader turned to face Blizzardstar and her WindClan ally. "As per our agreement, I had brought Honeyspark to this gathering, to give her back to you, yet you have not upheld your end of the bargain. You colluded with WindClan behind our backs. Had Sunningrocks not taught you anything?"

"Crowstar, Magpiestar. Our clans have been allies for many moons against the tyranny of WindClan and ThunderClan. I call upon our history together to ask you for your assistance. ThunderClan, WindClan have made their position clear, they wish to usurp our rightful lands. It begins with Sunningrocks, but as we all know, ThunderClan and WindClan's lust for territory will not be sated through one measly scrap of land." She thought back to Falconstar and Spottedstar's reigns, how many had they lost then? She remembered moons spent hiding in their camp, not allowed to leave in fear of WindClan's warriors. "Together, we can end this war before it begins. Pledge to fight by my side if ThunderClan and WindClan invades, and I promise the same to you in turn."

Magpiestar listened quietly as Crowstar padded up to the front of the stone, raising his voice loud and clear for the chattering clans below to hear. SkyClan had always fared well during the cold weather. Although most of their prey were hibernating, the cluttered pines seemed to break most of the harsh winds. As the fluffy leader stepped back, Magpiestar rose to his paws to take his place, but the silver she-cat padded forward before he could move.

He was partially stunned by her announcement. The RiverClan cat's words were frigid and filled with malice. There was no hesitation in the way she spoke about her clan's well-being, making it clear to everyone just how powerful her and her clan was. The tom swallowed hard as she turned to him and the other dark leader. He was taken aback by her petition for an alliance. While he was sure, under normal circumstances he would have agreed, the situation was troubling.

"While I appreciate your invitation, Ivystar, I am not quite sure what to make of this situation and find it hard to answer your call so suddenly. We all know of ThunderClan and WindClan's wrongdoings in the past, and my clan has seen their fair share of scars from those who border my lands, but war is a tricky matter. I... I am not inclined to throw my warriors into battle without first dwelling on its significance. Please, give me time to think on the matter." With that, he stepped forward and cleared his throat to address the gathering properly.

"ShadowClan is strong and well this Leafbare. We've been blessed with many young and healthy kits. We've had fine luck with catching prey, although I know soon when the harshest of weathers hit, all clans will struggle. We've named a few apprentices this season, Stoatpaw, Brownpaw, Foxpaw, and Daisypaw, as well as two warriors Scorchfang and Tansyheart."

The tom let out a sigh. Now it was time for the more... unfortunate news. "A few of our clanmates have passed and are now with StarClan. Roaringblaze, our medicine cat was found dead shortly after the last gathering. I am pleased to say he moved on in his sleep, but we still mourn the loss of a great clanmate and healer. Sycamorepaw, his apprentice, is training hard, and soon will earn his name as a proper medicine cat. We have also lost two of our warriors, Lizardtail and Lilacfall, to monsters on the Thunderpath. Our best wishes are with them." Magpiestar nodded, and returned to his seat, glancing awkwardly at the four leaders before settling down.

Ivystar tipped her in acknowledge of the leader's words, noting that it wasn't a rejection.



Ivystar will remember this.

Scorchfang exchanged a worried glance with Sweetheart. He knew she had to fight in the war, as seen by the scars in her flank, and he knew she didn't like conflict at all.

At the mention of his name being called, Scorchfang puffed out his chest -- then he sagged at the mention of his deceased sister. He truly wished he had gotten to know Lilacfall better, but his hatred for she-cats had kept him from it. This would be a heavy regret until the day he died.

~~~~~

Heatherpetal and Fernfeather both looked at each other anxiously. They both had apprentices they could lose if there ever were another battle, just like how ThunderClan lost Thistlepaw, and Heatherpetal also had Emberheart to lose. Meanwhile, Fernfeather already had a disability with being half-blinded. She wouldn't do well in any enemy battle, let alone a full-out war amongst the Clans.

~time for angst~
Rowantalon shuffled his paws as his daughter's name was mentioned, but something else Magpiestar had said held his attention. He respected his leader, yes, but his cool attitude troubled him. He hadn't agreed to fight alongside Riverclan, but the fact that he might actually decide to have Shadowclan fight alongside Ivystar disturbed him. Thunderclan was dying- they could barely walk to Fourtrees, let alone survive a battle. The saying he had heard as an apprentice really was true; Riverclanners' hearts are made of ice.

Blizzardstar’s tail lashed angrily with Ivystar’s words, but she refrained from saying anything. This wasn’t her turn, she was going to wait even if she only wanted to speak right then and there to clarify some points about Ivystar’s words.

“I’m sorry for calling you out here, Ivystar, but even if I would appreciate having Honeyspark back if you decide to do so, you’re lying saying that we agreed to this. When you took her and Lionspark hostage after the battle at Sunningrocks you said you wouldn’t give them back until after leafbare has passed” She tried to stay with a voice as calm and neutral as possible, but anger was still leaking into her words “Yes, Sunningrocks thought me something, and it is that you can’t be trusted and you are nothing but an hypocrite”

“I tried to negotiate with you to avoid a war, Ivystar, and come to an agreement that could benefit the two of us in the moons to come. However, you jumped as soon as I started to speak and immediately forced things to take a turn for the worse by declaring this would be a war or nothing, leaving me with no choice. You threatened me by saying that the first cat to cross the border would die at your claws if I dared to try and fight over Sunningrocks, and that’s why I led my clan into battle and engaged you in a fight, even after I tried to negotiate with you yet a second time to avoid such unnecessary bloodshed. I knew the chances of me coming out alive from such fight were low and I accepted the price that I had to pay when you spilled my blood on the battlefield, taking one of my lives that way” She looked at the other clan leaders with calmer eyes, while she was angry at Ivystar she had absolutely nothing against them and actually respected them, reason why she had decided to not hide information about what had happened.

“Both clans suffered grave injuries during this battle and you know it, but did any of my warriors killed any of your cats? No, not even after many had to witness how you killed me, because we all know that is in the warrior code that you shouldn’t kill others, because we have honor. Yet you teamed up with a warrior to fight a mere APPRENTICE, making such fight completely unfair, and then you watched as he KILLED her in cold blood when the battle was obviously already won for you two. And what did you do? Nothing. You didn’t even say a word to your warrior and as far as I know there hadn’t been any kind of punishment for it, and instead you dared to rub her murder on my face after the battle. Weren’t you the one that was most passionate about how Smokepelt of WindClan should be punished by Ashstar when he mauled an apprentice of yours, even requesting exile? And yet when one of your warrior kills an apprentice of another clan you let it slide like it doesn’t matters? And don’t tell me it was an accident or something that usually happens in wars, we both know it wasn’t. How can I trust you and your promises after this?” She had to take some deep breaths to calm down before continuing.

“You also call me out for seeking help from an ally I had way before this war even started. Well, let me tell you a thing, Ivystar. YOU. TOOK. MY. MEDICINE. CAT. HOSTAGE. You expected me to just let my clan die?! And don’t even try to say that we have a medicine cat apprentice, because any medicine cat will tell you that Maplepaw wasn’t in any of the previous gathering. You know why? Because she hadn’t been apprenticed yet! You took Honeyspark only a couple sunrises after Maplepaw’s apprentice ceremony, and you forced her to deal with a whole clan full of cats with terrible injuries, some of which will be forced to live on with them as your warriors mauled them, when she hadn’t even finished the most basic training, and if you also forgot, ThunderClan’s territory just had to deal with a fire, so our herb stock is terribly low. We really respect and admire her for her efforts, but unless you are blind you can see that unlike your clan, who have their medicine cat right there to heal them, my clan hadn’t been able to heal from their injuries yet!”.

“You claim Sunningrocks is rightfully yours, that’s yet another lie that even StarClan themselves revealed to me. If this wasn’t true why I was contacted directly by one of the cats of StarClan in a dream, telling me the truth behind Sunningrock’s rightful owner and requesting me to take them back? Three of my closest friends would be able to confirm this story as they know about it, Honeyspark between them” No more secrets, no more hiding, she wasn’t sure if this was an adrenaline rush or not, but she wasn’t going to stay quiet.

“I can’t speak for the actions of those that once belonged to my clan, as I wasn’t even born when these took place. Then again, have you seen any kind of ill intention of any of our clans towards yours to justify your statement of us being lustful for land that are not ours in these past moons? If it wasn’t for what my can has gone through and the request of this deputy of old I would’ve never even tried to touch Sunningrocks and take for sure I have no interest in taking any land from any other clan. It might be hard for you to realize this, but Ashstar and I are not the leaders of old who once sought to do harm to your clans. ShadowClan and ThunderClan may had some tensions in the past, but I had been able to interact with some of their past leaders, like Thrushstripe and Leopardstar, and I can tell they are an honorable clan that worry for those in their ranks, wise and cautious, yet brave when the situation requires it, and given Magpiestar’s answer to this I can easily tell he probably shares the same qualities of his predecessors. SkyClan has proven to be quite a kind clan which I have come to respect, they had proven to be a great friend I would be willing to die for if they ever needed me to, and their leader, Crowstar, is a prime example of how someone that made mistakes in his past can find their way back to the right path and prove those that once doubted him that he has what is needed to be one of the greatest leaders the forest has ever seen, that second chances can be all what a cat needs to turn their life around for the best, and for that I admire him just like probably most of his clan does. Why would I ever seek to do any kind of harm to them? I even respected you and your clan once, Ivystar, that’s why I tried to negotiate with you in the first place. While I still respect most of your clan, as they proved to be strong and loyal in the battlefield, I’m starting to have my doubts about you and maybe some of your clamates”.

She then turned to look at Magpiestar and Crowstar “Much like Ivystar, I would like to offer you an alliance with my clan so we can help each other if the situation requires it, but unlike her I’m still willing to offer help in the future even if you decide to stay out of this conflict and remain neutral. After all, a war is not something most clans desire, especially during leafbare. And if you decide to take Ivystar’s side in the end I promise I’ll hold no grudges against you and you’ll be completely safe from any kind of danger from my clan unless you’re the ones to strike first within our territory. The last thing I would ever want to do is to face in battle those I consider my friends as their opponent, and even more lose them” Her eyes almost immediately landed on Crowstar and Rippedsky with those last words. While she respected Magpiestar she couldn’t say she considered them friends yet as their interactions had been too scarce to build up a friendship, but she hoped that someday that could change.

Heronpaw listened to all of the cats' words, especially Ivystar's and Blizzardstar's. My clanmate killed an apprentice? That's unacceptable, Ivystar! he thought.

As the leaders began to speak, his own starting things, the black and white tom craned his head up to look at the five cats there. Crowstar's simple beginning seem to promise a calm and short gathering. He nodded in agreement with the fluffy black tom's words. Nothing too notable had happened in the clan this moon, and for that, he was grateful. Ivystar stepped up next with a similar calm tone to her summary for Riverclan. But, he quickly picked up on something underneath her words. As she continued, shooting some of the other leaders a strange look, he felt the fur on his shoulders began to rise. Honeyspark? The medicine cat? Confusion caused his head to tilt slightly too the right. From what he had heard, the past few gatherings had been nothing out of the ordinary.

As the Riverclan leader continued, his confusion only grew. Blizzardstar was certainly not the kind of cat to attack with a senseless territory lust; there was no way that could be true, unless something had happened. It quickly occurred to him it might have something to do with the fact they were recovering from the fire they'd suffered a few moons back. Having that followed by leafbare was not a good combination. An uneasy feeling began to churn in his stomach at the thoughts of war. Now was certainly not the time. His blue gaze shifted to Crowstar, seeking out some sort of guidance or response from his leader and former mentor. Crowstar had always been good at that. However, the other black leader spoke up first. He blinked. Magpiestar was hesitant to get involved too. Good. He silently prayed to Starclan Skyclan would respond the same.

Finally, Blizzardstar stepped forwards. His ears pricked with interest as he awaited Thunderclan's side of things. As she spoke, his blood ran cold. Rippedsky dug his claws into the frozen ground. Oh, Great Starclan, this was not good. The thought of watching any clan sink their claws into any of his apprentices was a sickening thought. How could he fight alongside that? The tom just barely stopped his ears from flattening to the top of his skull. His tail tip flicked, stirring up a few flakes of snow. Why was this happening now? It made sense, but... Starclan help the forest.

***

Mumblepaw shuddered as the leaders spoke. He shifted a bit closer to Bonestrike as another shiver wracked his body. This did not seem good at all. Even though he was supposed to be a warrior someday, he never imagined going to war. The last thing he wanted was to get wrapped up in this.

"I-I hope our clans don't get involved..." He muttered just lowly enough for the Shadowclan tom next to him to hear.