August's Gathering 2018

“Uhm...” Lilypaw sat down, a little unsure of how to proceed. “I-I just wanted t-to know, uhm... if, uh, I mean, what d’you about... um, Rippedstar? H-his past, specifically. With Windclan.” Starclan, that was a struggle. Her stutter hardly ever became a problem since Sedgestrike’s death, but it seemed that she couldn’t shake her speech impediment that easily.

OOC: mobile ;-;

Clearpaw didn't expect this gathering to be anything special. Of course, his eyes were as primed for beauty as ever, but not too expectant. To be honest, his talk with Blossomheart had kind of opened his eyes to the horrors of all cats as well. While nature was so pure and delightful that he could never see the wrong with it, cats were different. They had more control, the ability to change from magnificent creatures into violent beasts. Every so often, one particular one would catch his eyes as truly beautiful. Elmcloud and Boarpaw had been ones he would never forget, with their magesty that made his eyes widen with curiosity. But now, he could see the vanity in cats. THe way the wanted nothing more than to be respected, even at the expense of others. It was ugly. Yet still he occasionally saw a cat who caught his attention. Now was one of those times. It was a WindClan apprentice. Her eyes were the color of the sky in the morning, right after the sunrise. Pale and joyous. Silver and white with tabby stripes that dfined her features,  like ripples in a stone river. The white on her chest seemed like bright clouds on a stormy day. Large ears giving the appearence of innocence, and a tail that looked as graceful as a snake. But the most beautiful part was her smile. Bright as the sun, enough to show him that she was just as beautiful in her soul as in her pelt. A cat that just seemed to beg him to approach her. So he did. "Hello, I am Clearpaw of SkyClan. I couldn't help but notic how beautiful you are."

OOC: Will edit with Nut, Nectar, Hill, and Swoop soon.

Meadowpaw looked at all the cats gathering around her. Their different smells surrounded her. She began to try and muster up the courage to go talk to someone.

OOC: Meadow's open to talk!

Ploverpaw shifted a little bit. He knew Nectarleap was a good warrior, but he wasn't sure if he could be.. He was too torn between his birth clan and well his blood clan.. He felt like he belonged in both.. Once the new she-cat approached he didn't really know what to say. "Yes I am with Windclan." He wasn't going to say from Windclan..

His yellow eyes shifted as the apprentice spoke to his mother.. He wasn't exactly comfortable with this whole thing. His own personal conflict getting in the way of everything. He would just pay attention to the gathering cats and not impede on his mother's conversation. He didn't know much about Rippedstar. He knew the leader from when he was younger but that was about it..

Reedclaw sat alone on the edge of the gathering. He was not in the mood to talk lately. Even some of his own children began to distance themselves from him. The large tom was beginning to feel uncomfortable walking around the RiverClan camp. He felt as though he had betrayed his clan by allowing Sweet to birth such an evil being. He hated himself for not seeing the signs. Reedclaw was just going through the motions.

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Swallopaw rolled her eyes at all of the overeager new apprentices. Even though she was in the small age range, she was nothing like them. She thought herself to be better than the rest. She had taken after her father in the respect, he was the same way when he was a young apprentice. The she-cat looked around seeing WindClan, ShadowClan, and SkyClan move into the place of gathering. She wasn't in the mood to talk, but that didn't mean an enthusiastic apprentice wouldn't come up to her to strike up a conversation.

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Asterleaf followed her mother in the clearing. And sat somewhere among the other cats.


ooc: All of my cats are free to talk to. If you like a challenge I recommend Swallowpaw or Reedclaw. Asterleaf will be more willing to talk to other cats.

"Oh hey Ligthpaw" she meowed and smiled at her clanmate "And yeah it's my first time too, it's kinda strange that no one fights here.. I mean if we would have meet outside of here we wouldn't have started chatting, we would have fought eachother.." she said with a thoughtful mew.

This would probably be the first Gathering Scorchfang had attended that he wasn't the most optimistic deputy of the Clans. He had been told many reports of patrols catching rogue scent near the borders -- and sometimes even within ShadowClan territory -- and he just knew that it was Shade. His firstborn son seemed to be actively trying to get under everyone's skins. How long would it take before someone important died by his claws, and the Clan of the dead party targeted RiverClan? In all honesty, it was just as much his own fault as it was RiverClan's -- if not more so -- for Shade's existence. He never in a million years imagined that his illegal affair with a RiverClan queen would go so awry, and now all five Clans are paying the price for his mistake made as an adolescent. He knew it was cruel of him to wish death upon his firstborn, but at least then hopefully the Clans would be at peace again for a little while.

He took his place next to Swiftstep and Scorchclaw, nodding to them but otherwise not acknowledging them. He just didn't want to be here tonight.

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Fernwing trotted into the clearing after her father, watching him join the deputies. She frowned sadly; ever since Swiftstep became deputy, he's been finding less and less time to spend with her until it just became nonexistent. She knew it was an important and very honorable role for any Clan cat, but she still missed his attention very much. If only her mother were still alive, or she had a mate or best friend within the Clan, then she wouldn't feel so alone.

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Spiderpounce rather uncharacteristically stalked to the Gathering after the SkyClan cats. Normally, he would still be as shy and anxious as always when surrounded by a massive group of cats, but he was far too angry to worry about something as silly as social anxiety. He needed answers and he needed them now. Seeking out any RiverClan cat -- he didn't care who -- he eventually came across Reedclaw, who was RiverClan according to the powerfully fishy scent he wore on his bushy pelt. He stalked up to the tom and, wish a lash of his tail, growled, "Do you have any idea what that former Clanmate of yours is doing to the Clans? What he's doing to my Clan? That creature Shade! He's attacking and killing SkyClan cats! He ate one of our apprentices after killing her! You heard right, he ate her! Why did you have to release that cannibalistic beast into the forest for all five Clans to suffer?"

(OOC: Give Fernwing someone to talk to! :3)

Mistyrain padded into the Gathering close behind Tinystar, feeling much more confident than the last time. She was much more accustomed to being deputy, and she was now at least a little bit familiar with the other deputies. At Tinystar's nod, she split from the group and trotted towards her place with the other deputies. She sat down beside Scorchfang, cheerfully nodding and smiling brightly at the three toms already seated. The small she-cat dared not break the silence, however, as they seemed deep in thought. None of them looked like they would take kindly to being disturbed.

She could only imagine what was running through the minds of the three larger toms - perhaps their Clans weren't faring nearly as well as SkyClan was. The tension was clear, and she caught snatches of conversation from the leaders, most of it not exactly friendly.

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Poppycloud trailed behind WindClan, quietly seating herself among the warriors and apprentices scattered around the clearing. As usual, there seemed to be some sort of heated conversation going on between several of the leaders, and warriors and apprentices alike chattered amongst themselves. She sat back, tail twitching lightly, to observe the sights and sounds of the Gathering once again.

Cinderfall caught eye of Fernwing. Feeling a pang of regret, he whispered to his sister, "I'll be right back." He stood and, tail between his legs, approached the sad-looking she cat. "...Hi again..." He said. Stormstrike already hated him. Hopefully he could get back on the Windclan cat's side.

Fernwing rather quickly spotted Cinderfall approaching her, and she narrowed her eyes at him. He was probably coming to try to apologize again. She was not in the mood for any of this. ...Even if this meant she wouldn't have to be alone anymore. But she'd rather be alone than talk to him. ...Right?

"You need to learn to forgive, Fernpaw. It's a very important attribute to have, you can't hold such grudges."

That's right. Those were the words Willowwhisker spoke to her during her rite of passage as an apprentice. Heaving a rather heavy sigh, she turned her body to face the approaching tom. "Hello, Cinderfall. Can I help you with anything?" Her mew was firm and steady.

OOC: C L E A R my sweet boi

Littlepaw was sitting by herself near the edge of the clearing, taking in the magnificent Fourtrees with large baby-blue eyes. The tree trunks, old and weathered, wove up into the sky like giant vines, postmarked with puzzling knobs. Some were perfectly circular and smooth, others rough and twisting, and one even looked like a cat. The trunk split into hundreds of tiny branches that wove between the stars, holding bouquets of plump leaves turned silver in the moonlight. They swished silently in a gentle breeze, melding into the sky, like something out of a dream. There were no trees like this in the moorland, nothing more than the occasional shrub.

The gray she-cat was so intent studying every small detail in the trees, Littlepaw almost did not notice another apprentice approach her. A magnificent tom, slim but well-built, thick fur outlining a strong build. The grey-and-white tom looked at her with bewitching gray eyes that twinkled like the stars, kind and innocent. His tabby pattern was symmetrical to a single hair, grey clouds rolling through a white sky. Tabby markings swirled like gusts of wind. And a long dark grey tail following, which in the moonlight seemed to shine with stars.

"Thank you, for the compliment. I don't get those often," the petite tabby softly mewed, a shy smile showing on her face. "I am Littlepaw, of Windclan. I must say you yourself look marvelous, especially with the full moon showcasting everybody tonight. A quiet rumbling of storm clouds crossing on a quiet day, or a flock of sparrows casting shadows on the moon. Your eyes remind me of the bellflowers on the moor with their elegance. Sadly, few cats these days pay any mind to such beauties." Littlepaw found no shame in complimenting the other tom. It wasn't like she was breaking any laws just by admiring someone else's elegance.

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Twistedtail sat by herself and maybe talked to a couple peeps. Nothing much.

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OOC: I hope you don't mind if Pigeon greets Swoop, Squirrelnose.

Pigeonstorm had been looking forward to seeing his grandson- great-grandson? He didn't think it mattered much. As soon as he entered the clearing, he immediately tried to locate the grey tom. It was hard, since all the Thunderclan cats looked like one another, but eventually he spotted him. "H-Hey," he said, sitting next to the younger tom. "N-nice to see yuh a-a-a-again, Swoopnose. How's Thundahclan t-treating yuh?"

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Yinpaw was completely on edge the entire way here. He was a rogue, and had never been to such a gathering ever. It was quite jarring, so many cats together at once, all the scents flooding his senses. Not really knowing what to do, he nervously walked over to another cat. "Uhh... Do you know what's going in? I mean, what's going on? Sorry, I don't really get what's happening right now."
oo


OOC: Yinpaw and Twistedtail are open to talk!

Cinderfall gathered up his courage and took a deep breath to prepare himself. He couldn't react rashly. "I... I really want to say sorry. I was an apprentice. I was young and irresponsible and yes, I was wrong. I hate how hateful and aggresive I was and you were totally right that the attack on windclan all those moons ago, was uncalled for." Somewhat. "Please... I just want your forgiveness."

Fernwing studied Cinderfall for several moments. He sounded sincere, sure... and he did look it, too. Her stubborn streak was kicking in again, buy maybe her reluctance and refusal to listen had hurt him enough. She really didn't know what she should say at this point. With a soft sigh, she finally settled with, "I... I appreciate the apology... but... I'll need to think it over. It has been a while, yes... but... just give me until the next Gathering to decide, alright?" She didn't want to stick around anymore, so she padded away to find someone else to socialize with.

(OOC: She's free to talk to whomever again :3)

Tigerleaf turned to see an unfamiliar tom standing at her side. Among the many scents that flooded her senses, she was barely able to make out his ThunderClan scent. He looked old enough to be a warrior(?), yet he wore a nervous and uneasy expression on his face. He definitely didn't look comfortable, something that caught her attention. As her mind registered his questions, she only grew more puzzled. Could this possibly be his first gathering? A quick glance to the side revealed that she was the only one in his proximity. Okay, so he really was talking to her. She raised a nonexistent eyebrow. "Is this your first time at a gathering?" She asked warily. "The clans gather in this clearing every full moon to exchange information. When the gathering starts, the leaders will announce some of the going-ons in their clan. It's a rule of StarClan's." That was the best explanation the young warrior could come up with.

Actually, is ThunderClan there yet?

"Thank you, very much. It is not often I find cats like you," Clearpaw mewed, a bit of hope in his chest rising. Finally, StarClan had blessed him in a cat like him. Someone who understood the beauty of the world, someone who he could talk to and not drive them insane. A cat who knew what a wonderful place they lived in, and that every cat had something good in them. In truth, a cat who he could empathize with. Nobody else he had ever met had seemed to be so much like him, with a skill for describing beauty in such a poetic manner, the words flowing off her tongue so naturally. At last, he could hear some cat other than himself saying them. And it felt so satisfying. Like he had been trapped in the cold and finally, there was someone here to warm him. As if he had been the first bright star in the night, and was witnessing another beauty join him in the sky. Freeing and fulfilling in the greatest way imaginable. "I must comment on how beautifully your face appears to me. So much like a gray morning sky, covered in silvery clouds with darker wisps of storm clouds drifting by. With small bits of the light blue of the morning sky peaking out behind them, and your smile, the bright sun that no clouds can surpass. So luminous that it brings joy to all creatures, even on a rainy day. I must say how well it fits in with your pelt so much like a river of silver, rippling and reflecting."