July's Gathering 2018

A small, short-legged she-cat pushed her way past her clanmates. Her muzzle was twisted in an expression of pure, controlled anger as she faced Sedgestrike. "Spiderpounce is right." Tonight, her usual stutter was gone. She supposed that with the death of Windclan's medicine cat and her closest friend, the world had turned upside down. Here she was again, standing up to a tom she had once considered a friend. "Tinystar was chosen to be deputy twice. He is the son of Crowstar, one of Rippedstar's closest confidants, and was chosen by Poplarstar to lead our clan." She didn't dare say more, especially when other clans were watching. "He is more than qualified to lead our clan. Others have given him the respect he deserves- you should do the same."

"Control you warriors, shortlegs!" Thornpaw was here, queer, and ready to jeer. At Tinystar, that is. Already fueled with excitement from his first visit to Fourtrees, he couldn't help but speak. Windclan shouldn't have to put up with such nonsense...
Suddenly, a bright, brilliant thought crossed his mind. It was so simple, so easy... He'd need to speak with Brindlestar later about it. This was something she'd definitely want to hear.

"How about you shut your mouth you rabbit chaser?" Shrikepaw growled at Thornpaw. "My leader has nothing he needs to prove to a clan that is afraid of their tails." He wasn't going to tolerate any disrespect about his leader. He heard the stories first hand how Tinystar could jump as far as any warrior. He could hunt as well as anyone. If this apprentice continued to flap his jaws then Shrikepaw was going to make sure that Thornpaw didn't escape without claw marks.

”Now, now, you two,” Fernwing meowed, stepping between the two quarreling apprentices. ”Don’t forget that this is a Gathering. StarClan won’t tolerate any fighting tonight, nor will your mentors, so just calm down and move on.” She flashed the two of them the most calming smile she could muster, even though she was feeling quite nervous on the inside. She was so sick and tired of constant fighting among the Clans.

Sedgestrike sneered any Spiderpounce as he approached and stammered his useless defense. His green eyes glared down at the young warrior as his pelt spiked up in anger.
"Poplarstar was chosen, and look where it got us?" He growled bitterly. "A useless leader who is no more intimidating than a kit. Who could easily be stepped on." His head turned dangerously to the newest leader on High-rock. "A mistake from Starclan who should be dead."

His pelt smoothed slightly as he realized something with his own words. Green eyes refocused on the small tom as he smirked viciously for a moment before he turned to face Mintwhisker.
"We shouldn't even bring Medicine cats to this gathering. You should just sit in the medicine den and sort your herbs like a good medicine cat."

Daypaw's ear careened to approaching pawsteps. Turning, she was greeted by the scent of WindClan and a long-haired gray dappled tom. She smiled sweetly, tail curling with excitement as she detected no hostility on the apprentice. She hopped to her paws with high energy, tail high. "I'm Daypaw," she introduced. "That's right, I'm from ThunderClan! Are you from WindClan?" She already knew the answer; the scent clung to his fur like thorns. The ThunderClan apprentice could feel her gut wrench with nervousness. This was a real WindClan cat that she was speaking to! Her whiskers trembled with wonder.

Goldeneye was on Sedgestrike in an instant, her lips curling and the fur along her spine prickling as she drew herself up to her full-size in front of the Skyclan warrior though she was still a bit shorter than him. "Is that all you think that being a Medicine cat is? Sedgestrike? That IS your name right? Your naivety is positively astounding, not only that but your complete and utter disregard for cats that have earned their ranks makes me want to defecate from laughter!" Goldeneye huffed, a smirk appearing on her maw. Goldeneye scoffed as she rolled her eyes as she turned to look at Mintwhisker, "I can't believe you have to treat cats with such disgusting qualities. Even Otterleap has more redeeming qualities than him!" Goldeneye turned her attention back to Sedgestrike, advancing on him. "Honestly is that all that you can muster Sedgestrike? Go back to sorting our herbs? Certainly a 'smart' Skyclan warrior like yourself could think of something more creative?" Goldeneye spat, raising her brow as the sneer never left her face.

"Do you know why you're alive Sedgestrike? Because of us, a medicine cat aided the mother in birthing you, instructed her and your father to nip your birth sac, so you could breathe and feed. Answer me Sedgestrike, do you know how easy it is to kill you? You don't know what remedy will actually end your life Sedgestrike, anyone of us could press juice into your mouth, or let your skin slowly soak in the toxins, ending your life slowly and painfully. Don't underestimate the might of a Medicine cat, Sedgestrike." Goldeneye's eyes turned to slits as she backed him against the great rock, her whole body steady. "You owe us your life. From the very first day you're born and until you're dead, you're helpless and defenseless without us." Goldeneye jeered, turning on her paws with a shrug, ready to return to her spot. "So sure, we'll go sort our herbs, but when you have your life-blood clotting your throat, or threatening the life of your loved ones... you'll be one to judge our worth." Goldeneye padded up to Mintwhisker, brushing against her shoulder and beckoning her to where the Medicine cats sat.

"Don't worry about him, love, he's just got a visit from the cutters. Nothing to worry about, all bark and no bite."

Spotfur, relieved, smiled at his daughter, hoping she got the unspoken thank you. Here came Leopardstar, and then Tinystar, who struggled to make it. He watched with concern, knowing he could do nothing to help. But Sedgestrike, gah! That tom would have received some nasty blows to the face if it wasn't a gathering.
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Cinderfall waited until Goldeneye was finished, then called out to comfort the obviously embarrassed leader. "Don't worry, those of us with sense aren't judging you!" He supposed it was risky to address a leader, but it felt good to have said it. Jaystar would understand, surely. If it was even against the rules.

ThunderClan was the next clan to arrive. Scorchclaw watched with a stony expression as the shrub-dwelling warriors began to pour into the clearing. Upon Marshstorm's approach, he twitched one ear in dry acknowledgment. "RiverClan cats enjoy swimming, but that does not mean we enjoy the rain." He said in a flat tone. The lack of hostility in the ThunderClan tom's voice was quite noticeable. However, it would be quite a while before the two deputies would ever be able to have a pleasant chat with one another, if they ever did.

Before the silence between the two of them could get too awkward, SkyClan turned up. Scorchclaw's attention was immediately attracted to Tinylegs. At least, he thought that the tom's name was still Tinylegs. Instead of sitting with the deputies like he had the last gathering, Tinylegs leaped unto the Great Rock. Correction: he tried to. Scorchclaw stared with blankly as the tiny tom scrabbled to pull himself up the slippery cliff of rock. Was this supposed to be a joke? If it was, was he supposed to laugh? A mocking voice called out from the crowd, drawing his pale-green gaze. The one who had spoken out was a spotted, silvery-pelted tom. It didn't take long for Scorchclaw to realize that he was a SkyClan warrior. The RiverClan deputy narrowed his eyes, flicking his tail. At Mistywater's introduction, he huffed softly. "Scorchclaw of RiverClan." He said curtly, sharp gaze drilling into the she-cat. This was interesting. So SkyClan was really being led by such an… oddity. It was no wonder unrest was breeding within, even though Sedgestrike appeared more fishbrained each time he opened his mouth.

Littlestar padded into the clearing with her head and tail held high. She hadn’t been able to attend the last gathering because of a vicious rat attack, but she was back to full health and ready to show that ShadowClan wasn’t weak. Her clan was thriving and she couldn’t be happier with her clan’s growth. She finally approached the great rock before leaping gracefully to stand next to the other leaders. There was an oddly small tom atop the great rock instead of Poplarstar, but she greeted him with the same friendly nod as the others. “Greetings.” She meowed politely.

(Mobile)

Lichenpaw, who had resorted to passively witnessing the petty bickering, simpered with annoyance. Now he understood what Sparrowleaf truly meant. We certainly are doomed. Sweeping past the arguing and spitting cats who more closely resembled bristling porcupines than anything else, he halted alongside a tabby who appeared to be similar in age. Giving the young tom a curious blink, Lichenpaw's words were casual, "Something tells me that you don't like the fact that a cat smaller than most apprentices is up on the Great Rock."

Rookpaw trudged into the clearing. She was feeling rather grim and dull; she had to detick the elders today. Hopefully the Gathering would improve the she-cat's mood. The black figure slunk along the cats, weaving her way around conversing- and some arguing -cats. Her fur stood on end as the scents overwhelmed her nostrils as they had done last Gathering. This is going to get old very fast, she figured, shuffling uneasily on the spot.

ooc: Rookpaw's open

Tigerleaf watched emotionlessly as Tinystar struggled to climb the Great Rock. The seconds ticked by painfully before the short tom finally managed to pull himself up. Ahhh… that definitely could not have been good for SkyClan's image. Once again, she was reminded of her doubts regarding their current leader. What would Jaystar and Leopardstar think? As if on cue, Sedgestrike's loud jeers rang out above the crowd. The youg warrior's ears swiveled back as she eyed the older tom with distaste. What a fool he was. If anyone was going to ridicule their leader, it should not be a SkyClanner himself. Now everyone would think that Tinystar was incapable of controlling his own cats. Uninterested in watching Sedgestrike embarrass their clan further and too tired to join the ensuing argument, Tigerleaf turned away. If only she didn't have to be here; she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone today. Suddenly, the familiar form of Wasppaw caught her eye. The striped she-cat wavered for a few seconds, her gaze lingering over the younger tom. With a sigh, she finally made up her mind and padded over. "Aren't you going to go talk to the others?" She asked, plopping down next to him. To be honest, it was a rather hypocritical question, seeing as she didn't intend to do so herself.

So far, Leopardstar had been content to cast his gaze off toward the moonlit sky, sinking deep into his thoughts, but an odd sound coming from beneath him managed to catch his attention.  Flicking his black-tipped ears curiously, he was about to stand up and look over the edge of the Great Rock to see what was making that scraping noise when his answer arrived...or at least, partially arrived.  A small white paw, claws unsheathed and clinging to the rough edges of the stone, came into view, soon to be followed by the petite deputy of SkyClan, Tinylegs.  As he struggled, Leopardstar was tempted to step forward and help him up, but the tom managed to accomplish the task himself after a moment and greeted them with a casual purr as if nothing out of the ordinary had just occurred.  The golden tom's whiskers twitched slightly, but he said nothing as he dipped his head, returning the friendly address.  By now, the deputy standing in for SkyClan was nothing unusual; their neighbors seemed to have had quite terrible luck with keeping their leaders around and healthy as of late.

A rustle of fur announced the arrival of yet another leader, this one which Leopardstar greeted with a faint smile as well as a nod.  His understated friendship with WindClan's leader was one thing he was always grateful for during these long Gathering nights; having one cat you knew had your back among four others whose intentions he didn't know of did much to ease his nerves.  His attention was once again drawn away though, by the sounds of aggression from below.  His tail flicking sharply, he watched as a SkyClan warrior he couldn't recall ever meeting spoke out, his voice ringing with spite.  The tom confirmed Leopardstar's concerns; SkyClan had lost yet another leader.  So...this is Tinystar.  He allowed his gaze to flicker briefly onto the small tom-cat, before turning back to the scene at hand.  Now the SkyClan cat was insulting his own medicine cat...and he didn't pretend to hide his satisfaction as Goldeneye confronted him.  It's not my business to interfere...he's not my warrior.  Last but not least, Littlestar arrived with the rest of ShadowClan, and he dipped his head briefly to greet her.  Great, now we can start the meeting and go home...I have better things to do.

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Fernpetal followed her grandfather into the Gathering, he bi-color tabby head held quite high.  This was her first Gathering as a warrior, and she looked forward to establishing her new status.

---

From the back of the group of ShadowClan cats emerged Aspenpaw, walking with a slow, bored gait that matched his expression to a tee.  His forest green eyes glowing into the pale light, the darkly striped tom skirted the edges of the clearing, keeping to the shadows cast by the bushes and trees.  He had no interest in speaking to any cats from the other clans, he was only here out of necessity.  Finding a comfortable spot nestled under an overhanging bush, the lithe apprentice lay down, his limbs tucked underneath his body as he survayed his surroundings, uninterested and unimpressed.

Thornpaw turned his gaze towards the outsider, his tail twitching. He wasn't a Windclanner, but at least he wasn't stupid. "I don't mind it," He began nonchalantly. "As long as they're not in my clan. A leader must be strong, both in battle and in heart. I suppose it was the best Skyclan could do, though..." He trailed off, a smug expression on his face.
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Mintwhisker ducked her head shyly as Goldeneye spoke, wrapping her tail around her legs as she was apt to do when uncomfortable. She could've brushed it off, but... well, it was lovely to have someone defend her, especially a cat like Goldeneye. She had always looked up to the older she-cat, considering her both a mentor and a friend. "T-t-thank you," She mewed softly, still in shock. She shook her head, casting a quick glance at Sedgestrike before following the golden she-cat towards the other Medicine Cats. Towards her friends.
Towards her family. They were more family than Fernpetal was, anyways.