October's Gathering 2018

There was a solemn presence that seemed to hang ominously over the four solid oaks that rose into a dimmed, scarlet sky. All the leaders sense it, half of their cats too. It was not the feeling that the Thunderclan apprentice expected to feel at the first time he was officially meeting other clans in peace. There seemed to be a couple of other apprentices who failed to sense the magnitude of the situation. Flicking an ear in minor annoyance, Bearpaw settled down well within the ranks of Thunderclan once his massive paws touched down on the flattened gathering earth. Unlike before, he did not hide his paws, nor did he look around to sense the stares. If cats chose to take notice of the several toed pads and elongated front teeth, Bearpaw would rather have sat in ignorance.

His green eyes scanned over the faces of the leaders sitting above them. In his usual lack of intellection, Bearpaw thought of little more than the tense feeling. Not wanting to dive into deeper thoughts, the apprentice merely glanced ahead of himself. For a moment, he wondered if the Shadowclan and Riverclan cats he had fought were here. He remembered the gaping hole of an eye socket that had been left behind by his curved claws. As much as he knew it was his duty as a warrior, and the whole instance had not bothered him, something about the magnitude of the injury was stuck on his brain. The marked up Riverclan cat was the same way; the terror in her eyes as she realized that she had been in the wrong place. With a mild look, Bearpaw dismissed his thoughts. None of those mattered now. Fourtrees was a place of peace. But, how was it that peace felt so unsettling?

***

Sparkpaw missed the bristling of the other apprentice's fur. Instead, he grinned, pleases that he was talking to another clan cat. Although there was bad blood between their respective kin, all of the clans had bloodied nights in their past. It did not effect the excitement coursing through his veins. Sparkpaw nodded enthusiastically at the question, "Yes. Scorchfang made me an apprentice just a few sunrises ago. I don't know how I got picked for tonight..." There was a flicker of confusion but it dissipated into the need to find something else to talk about. He glanced at the sky. There was that. The topic on every cats mind. And Jaystar had told him was was going on. All of a sudden, Sparkpaw's adrenaline seemed to cool and his face became more drawn before he whispered to the Windclan apprentice, "Do you know what is happening with the sky and everything? Something bad is going on. Really bad." His eyes widened slightly as his tail flickered towards the sun. What had Brindlestar told her clan? Perhaps Lionpaw would tell him.

Goldeneye's fever had broken, but she was still relatively un-well. But the she-cat was beyond determined to speak at the gathering, she would be able to give the clans an advantage. Or at least she hoped, she knew that the battle would be at four-trees, so if she made all the cats aware beforehand and could manipulate their surroundings or strategize so the level of success would be greater, and they could make it out of this war with fewer casualties.

A silver she-cat from RiverClan drifted into the gathering. Her three kits bounding ahead of her as she chuckled at their enthusiasm. A soft frown settled on her pale face as she glanced at where the moon should have been. The red cast of it made her pale fur look red, as if blood had dyed it's natural colour. Worse was Flurryshine's coat. The she-cat practically glowed red as Dewshine padded up to her and settled next to the shivering she-cat.
"Flurryshine." She meowed softly. "Are you alright?" concern lifted her tone as she purred softly. Offering a second wall of comfort to the young queen while her own kits, safe in the enclosed space of other cats, and not technically kits settled up elsewhere. Her heart with them.

---

Blossompaw followed her siblings at a fierce pace. Joy in every stride as she skidded to a stop near the base of high-rock where the deputies were assembling.
"Whoa- Firepaw look-"  She began, then paused as a large red tom came over. She tilted her head curiously at the ShadowClan stranger and padded over with a curious expression in her bright green eyes. "Who's this Firepaw?" She asked without any fear. No cat would just randomly attack others at a gathering, so she felt safe in her careful inspection of the large tom. She tilted her head slightly and squinted. "He looks a bit like dad doesn't he?" She remarked off-handedly.

---

Marshstorm padded into fourtrees swiftly behind Leopardstar. He wasted no time on sparing brief pleasantries on his way to the base of High-rock, then nodded as Leopardstar forged on up without waiting a beat. Now he could take a brief look around. He paused, then looked up again in concern. Tinystar wasn't there yet. He huffed softly, then turned to where Scorchfang used to sit. A large pale tom sat in his place.
"You must be ShadowClan's new Deputy. Congratulations." He offered, dipping his head politely. He chose not to mention the circumstances that lead to it... the dark stain on the forest floor was evidence enough of why. "May Scorchfang guide you all well." He instead meowed more formally.

---

A bright calico she-cat dived into four trees. Her white and pale pelt flashing about as she whisked around to look at everything. She caught a glance at some WindClan cats and tilted her head while examining one of their long legs. Then she was distracted by the pale sleek pelt of a RiverClan warrior and rushed over to inspect them when she caught sight of a pair of familiar faces.
"Poppypaw! Orchidpaw!" She yowled excitedly as she ran over to them. "Can you believe it? We're finally at a gathering! Hey, why do you think these trees grow so big? Oh, OH! Did you see those windclan cats? They sure have long legs don't they?" Ridgepaw rambled excitedly to her friends.

Barleytuft was usually grateful for Brindlestar's timeliness, but tonight being the first Clan only served to make the young WindClan warrior - and likely the rest of his Clan - more anxious. Many things would be decided tonight that could change the fate of the Clans. Before that, however, they would simply have to wait in the clearing where only a short time ago ShadowClan's leader had been ruthlessly slaughtered. There were ghosts in this clearing that the sandy tom couldn't possibly imagine, dark secrets stained in the dirt.

Not too long ago Barleytuft would have been thrilled at the prospect of a battle, but now he was uncertain. When he had spoken to StarClan on his Moonstone journey, they had warned him against recklessness and fighting that might lose him to the Clan. If Brindlestar asked it of him, he would die for WindClan - that much he knew. But he worried about Oakberry, his missing friend. Would he find her in StarClan? Or would she return to the Clan to find him gone? Neither thought was comforting, and so he didn't think of it anymore, turning to focus on the arrival of ShadowClan and, shortly after, RiverClan and ThunderClan.

---

Lightstep had always known RiverClan to be bigger than the other Clans, but he hadn't realized by how much until he and his Clanmates joined the others at the Gathering. SkyClan had not arrived yet, while ThunderClan quickly followed his own Clan. The newly appointed warrior was almost certain that all the Clans put together still weren't as big as his own, and the thought was both thrilling and unnerving. Surely with RiverClan's strength in numbers all the Clans would be able to defeat the evil in the forest, right? Since the evil was from their Clan, though, what if none of the other Clans helped?

Lightstep spotted his brother Aspenstrike with his mate, and saw his father, Stormstrike, walking through the crowd. The tom chose to sit by Silverfang - who the white warrior knew to be somewhat directly involved with both Shade and Lichenmask - and made a soft sound of both sympathy for the she-cat and surprise that his father would associate with her during this dark night. How many of the other Clans knew who she was and what she might have unintentionally created?

Raising his tail, Lightstep padded over to sit on his father's other side. If Stormstrike was going to offer moral support and strength to the she-cat, then Lightstep was going to do the same for the both of them.

---

Mottledpaw sulked in with his Clan, RiverClan. I should be a warrior by now, he thought crossly, if not for this whole stupid thing with StarClan. I guess it's good we're going to try to get a plan figured out. He looked up at the moonless sky where Silverpelt glittered almost unnoticeably.

A little ways behind her ecstatic sibling, was Gladepaw. The fluffy white she-cat padded into Fourtrees, tail held high. Her green eyes, following the great oaks into the deep crimson sky, then dropping to the assembled leaders and deputies. They seemed so solemn and rigid, too serious for Gladepaw's liking. The apprentice would of expected the gathering to be a little more jovial, still it was interesting enough.

Gladepaw glanced at the familiar faces of her clan mates, taking a step towards them, before turning around and joining Ridgepaw, who sat with some ShadowClan apprentices. Her eyes drifted over he other apprentices, sizing them up, they didn't look all to impressive, but then again, neither did most cats in her eyes.

Falconpaw bounced around the clearing, taking in the sights and smells of so many cats. It was all so exciting! And the leaders would be talking about plans to stop Lichenmask! This would be fun!

____________________________________________________________

Ravenpaw was terrified. This was already a traumatic place for her, and the leaders talking about war on top of that would be almost too much, she was sure of it. She paced, anxious and trying to keep from running off. In her distraction and disorientment, she accidentally bumped into Gladepaw. Stepping back, she looked at the ground with sightless, scarred eyes, embarrased and panicking, although the fear was for other reasons.

Firepaw walked into the Gathering near Berrypaw, upbeat much unlike most other cats. Several younger apprentices like he hadn't been to a Gathering yet, so it was exciting. He heard a familiar voice call out to him and he grinned. "Hi uncle!" He looked at Berrypaw and Icepaw. "This is Firestone. He's Gingerstripe's brother in Shadowclan!" He said the word Shadowclan with wonder and amazement. He'd never seen their territory, much less been there. But much of his kin was there, and they were allies, which was really nice.

---

Sparkpaw walked in with Orchidpaw and Poppypaw. When the third cat bounded up to them, she stopped, slightly scared. "U- Um... Orchidpaw? W- Who's this?" She asked with worry. "We're supposed to be enemies with Thunderclan."

---

Flamewish and Spotfur were there too.

(Sparkpaw and Flamewish are open for conversation! Spotfur is open to talk to as well, especially for a 'therapy' type thing!)

Lilypaw padded up to a cat. 'Sparkpaw, I think?' [color=#ffcc99]"Hello"color] She mewed, sitting down next to her.

Songpaw and Flowerpaw padded side by side, chatting. They sat down beside riverClan and parted.

Frostpaw padded beside WindClan. She sat down and looked at her paws.


(Songpaw, Flowerpaw, and Frostpaw are open to talk!)

(Featherpaw is here too and open to talk)

After Jaystar, Scorchclaw's large tabby form emerged into view. The RiverClan deputy strode evenly into the clearing, his pale-green eyes glinting fiercely. A quick glance directed at the Great Rock revealed that WindClan and ShadowClan had already arrived, a fact that he noted with indifference. So here they were again--the clearing where Lichenmask had taken Littlestar's lives and put his power on display for the world to see. Thanks to the confusion the former RiverClanner had caused, the last full moon had gone by without a gathering. Now that the clans were all gathered again, the atmosphere was not a particularly pleasant one. Something had to be done about Lichenmask. and as quickly as possible. They were gathered here tonight to find that solution. He remained rooted to the spot for a brief moment, green gaze sweeping over his clanmates. Already, they were dispersing across the clearing. Whatever happened in the future, he wished that they would all be able to get through it with their lives. He caught a glimpse of Sleekpaw and Adderfeather, before the crowd shifted and they were lost from sight. He had better get going as well. Exhaling softly, he trod towards the Great Rock.

A fluffy, white tom that Scorchclaw had never seen before was sitting in the Great Rock's shadow. It only took a moment of thought to realize that he must be ShadowClan's deputy. He seemed rather young, but so had Scorchclaw been when he had been chosen by Jaystar. He was not going to doubt Scorchfang's decision. He hesitated, before dipping his head in greeting to Froststone. Jaystar's words rang in his mind. The recent incident with Pantherpaw had woken a new determination within him to preserve their current alliance. As much as he could not stand the pine-tinted odor of ShadowClan, he would do his part as the deputy. He ought to value whatever assets RiverClan had.

---

Following right on her littermates' heels, Hailpaw skipped into Fourtrees. Although she knew the grave purpose of this gathering, she couldn't help from feeling excited. This was her first gathering since she had gained her apprentice name. It ought to have been her second, but Lichenmask had ruined that. At last, the five clans were going to do something about that StarClan-forsaken tom. They had already dawdled a little too long, in her opinion. What she would give to see the blue sky again. As cool as perpetual darkness might have sounded, it actually got dreary pretty quickly. The world of color was much more interesting than the blood red they were now shown every day. When she had first caught sight of the four great oaks looming like beacons against the sky, energy had flooded through her like an electric shock. The anticipation of being able to mingle with the cats from other clans was somehow enough for her to suppress the niggling anxiety in the back of her head. Ridgepaw was quick to charge off into the crowd, Gladepaw in tow. She had clearly spotted friends of hers--two toms that Hailpaw did not recognize. Oho? Curiously, she tipped her head to one side. For now, she would leave Ridgepaw alone. She could do some exploring of her own.

It seemed that four of the five clans had already arrived. Which clan was still absent? WindClan? SkyClan? She did not yet know what the leaders of those two clans looked like. After she had carefully scented the air, she decided--the last clan must be SkyClan. Even with just four clans, the clearing was packed. Cats of all sizes and colors swarmed Fourtrees. Their scents danced in the air, tangling into a confusing mess. This was the perfect chance to check out the other clans' warriors. A thrill ran down Hailpaw's spine at the sight of so many powerful-looking warriors. One day, she would be one of them. A little distance away, she caught sight of Bearpaw sitting alone. Wait, was he alone? Seriously? Arching a nonexistent eyebrow, Hailpaw stepped towards him. In the end, she never got any closer than those few steps, for she caught sight of a familiar pelt among the crowd. It was a calico pelt, reminiscent of her sister's, but distinctly different. It was the RiverClan apprentice she had fought at the river a few days ago. "Hey, Whateveryournameispaw!" She exclaimed, dashing over. The name was a bit of a mouthful, but she had no idea what the apprentice's actual name was. "Still remember me?" She asked, smirking. "That's a real nice look you're sporting." With her last remark, she gestured to the remaining wounds that marked Blossompaw's calico pelt.

Of course, Hailpaw was not completely unscathed herself. The RiverClanner had been stronger than she would have liked to admit, and movement still felt a tinge sore. She just took delight in pointing out the damage that she had done.

The tom grinned at the sight of so many young cats around him, even though they weren't from his clan. He looked at the kits with a smile and sat down in front of them, willing to stay here for the rest of the gathering. When Firepaw called him uncle, Firestone couldn't be happier! It wasn't the first time, though but it was still pleasant to know that he wasn't so alone anymore. "Well, I think Firepaw has introduced me very well. Is good to meet the friends of my nephew." He purred glancing at the two younger toms.

However, before he could ask their names, another Riverclan cat appeared. This time, a she-cat who had the green eyes that both he and Gingerstripe's shared. She was rather similar to Firepaw but with more ginger fur than him. When she pointed out how similar he was to her dad, the tom's eyes shone even more. "Well, that's because I'm your dad's bro. I'm Firestone, your uncle in Shadowclan. What's your name?" He purred gently.

---

Berrypaw glanced at the big warrior with big green eyes. Wow! He was huge! It was no wonder that Shadowclan cats had the reputation to be bulky and strong. Little did he know that he would grow to be as big as him... even more!

The young apprentice approached the tom with wonder and then chuckled at Firepaw. "I can see the similarity now! Isn't it cool, Icepaw?!" He purred nudging the tom's shoulder playfully. Then, he fixed his green eyes one more time on the older tom, his paws shifting excitedly. His first gathering and he got the chance to meet a senior warrior from Shadowclan, who was known for being strong as a bear! "My name is Berrypaw, Firepaw's best pal! Icepaw, Firepaw and I are training to be the best warriors Riverclan and the clan has ever seen and prove how meaningless blood is when it comes to being an amazing cat!" He purred proudly, his fluffy chest puffed up.

---

Silverfang barely moved her to see from the corner of her eyes the dark fur of another one of Jaystar's sons, Stormstrike and his kit, Lightstep. She could sense that he felt bad for him and the she-cat couldn't help but let out a tired, quiet laugh. Her dull eyes looked over the crowd in direction of the Great Rock ye she did not truly see it, lost in her thoughts. "Ha... I didn't expect you from all cats to come here by my side and pity me... don't you worry, Stormstrike... this burning pain is my weight to carry for all what I did with Shade and Lichenmask. There's no need to feel sorry for me but to hate me..." The she-cat mewed emotionless yet sadness could be seen in her eyes. She didn't deserve to be called a warrior... how dissapointed where her mother and father in Starclan? She wondered...

---

Hailsong sat down next to her mate, Blizzardshell, her eyes fixed on her father with worry. He had been through a lot and it wasn't fair. Shade wasn't his fault. Lichenmask wasn't his fault yet all the clans looked at his clan as they were the cause of all this. It made the she-cat's cat ache with anger and she wanted to scream at everyone but instead, she just leaned on her mate's shoulder and waited, seeing the tensions rise.

Having lost track of time due to the dimly lit, scarlet sky Tinystar trotted into Fourtrees, hoping that the stress of hurrying to the gathering just moments before wasn't showing on his pelt. Tonight, the leaders would choose a plan of action towards Lichenmask and hopefully, no additional tension would rise among the clans. The last thing thing they needed to do become distracted from fighting amongst themselves, which is most likely what that foxheart of a RiverClanner wanted. Glancing at the ground bellow the Great Rock, the shiver was sent up his spine at the memory of Littlestar's shredded and bloody pelt, and he forced himself to look away. No leader deserved such a death and he wondered how ShadowClan's new leader intended on going about the seeking possible retribution.

Taking a deep breath, the small tom made his way to the Great Rock where the silhouettes of the other four leaders sat. Using all his strength, he jumped as far as he could and dug his claws into a divot in the rock, just like he'd done last gathering. Pulling himself up, he gave his white pelt a shake and scanned his gaze among the leaders. While he wasn't able to see much of their composure, he could tell Leopardstar's fur looked a bit ruffled and hoped it wasn't because of his tardiness. "My apologies for keeping you all waiting," he mewed with an apologetic dip of his head as he sat down beside the ThunderClan leader, wrapping his long grey tail neatly around his stubby paws. "Not having the sun makes things... muddled, to say the least," he spoke again, a slight frown on his face as if he was thinking hard on what to say next.

"I hope ShadowClan is fairing well after your recent loss," Tinystar mewed with a soft smile towards the new leader. It was always hard on a clan when a leader passed, but even so, these were hard times, so mourning couldn't possibly last too long, for there were things to be done. Which begged the question, what exactly would the leaders propose tonight? Not too long ago, messengers from each clan had been sent to check up on how things were doing among the territories and tell each leader that they needed to chat about the current threat during this time of peace. So, they were here, gathered together as if it was a usual gathering, but even with this time of assembly, would the leaders be able to work out a way to settle their differences and join forces? Tinystar, although not in an alliance nor wanting to partake in one, knew that it was probably SkyClan's best shot of surviving what ever was coming next, but sitting amongst the leaders, he was still unsure about the whole idea...

~~~~~~~~~~

Making his way into the clearing at the back of the group of ShadowClanners, Daisyflame sat down near the back of the growing crowd. Amongst all that was going on, it was so weird to not be sitting beside his father or looking up to his mother on the Great Rock. No matter what happened, he swore he would teach that Lichenmask cat a lesson.

~~~~~~~~~~

Sitting in the back of the crowd as well, was Ryecloud. Looking around, the cripple wondered what the leaders would decide on and if their clanmates would agree.

Nightstorm filed in beside the rest of his clanmates, the tom's shiny black fur reflecting the light of this dying sun that hung menacingly in the timeless sky.  He halted, gazing up at it for a moment, before blinking and shifting his vivid green eyes down to his paws.  He had helped cause this.  Even as the statement rang clearly across his mind, he knew better than to fall in and dwell on it.  He would atone for his mistakes, the sins he had committed.  If he had been a better father, maybe Jaysong wouldn't have turned to the side of anger and closed-mindedness.  Maybe Pidgeonpaw wouldn't have died so soon, and Leafkit...  Taking a deep breath, the tall tom ventured farther into the crowd, peeking over the heads of apprentices to see if he could spot his mate Frostwing.  He couldn't see her from here...  Finding a spot with a fairly clear view of the Great Rock, the former Tribe cat sat down, watching the leaders with interest.  If they asked for plans, he had plenty and was willing to help in any way he could.

---

Madness, Absolute madness!  Fernpetal's murky green eyes hardly strayed from the blood-red sky for more than a blink,  the she-cat's dainty muzzle parted in an open-mouthed display of continued shock.  A cat had done this to the sky?  A RiverClan cat, newly named, not much older than she?  She was almost impressed.  It was just for the tiny fact that he claimed to be doing all this...through StarClan's power.  Geez, these fools will believe anything as long as the stars are dragged into it, won't they?  I mean, come on!  No cat can control nature, especially something so mighty as the sun and moon.  Pfft, how stupid.  He's just taking credit for something that would've happened anyway.  You gotta try better than that, Lichenmask!  With a contemptuous flick of her chocolate striped tail, the lithe-bodied she-cat slipped into the crowd, wondering if there might be anyone worthwhile to talk to.

(Both of my SkyClan babs are open to conversation)

Trembling paws made their way into Fourtrees right alongside Goldeneye, parting ways with her only as Fallowpaw went to sit with her fellow Medicine Cat Apprentices. The last place she wanted to be was here, where the Exiles could get to her... Easily. She shook her fur out, trying to get her whiskers to stop shaking. Her presence was required at all Gatherings, but this one specifically, she could not miss. Even Goldeneye had come, and Fallowpaw wasn't about to let her sickly mentor go without her. She had to admit- She was deeply worried about the she-cat. Her fever was nowhere near low enough for her to be attending a Gathering, and most definitely not jumping atop the Great Rock and speaking. But she wasn't about to object to Goldeneye's will... No, that would only make things worse.

The tension in the air made Heronflight shudder. The gray tabby tom did not know what to think about the darkness in the moon. The experienced tom did not like the fact that not only one cat took all of Littlestar's 9 lives, but also came from his clan! He sat down near the other RiverClan cats, hoping for the best. His mate, Wrenbreeze, and his son, Larkpaw, were sitting together near him but not next to him. Meanwhile, Badgerpaw did not attend, as (am I allowed to say this part even though nothing has occurred in the WCC canon?)punishment for sneaking out of camp without permission.

~

Acornfall walked with SkyClan, wondering what would happen when the moon comes back. She tried to sit down near other clans, willing to talk to another cat.

OOC: All of my cats are available to talk with.

In her panicked pacing, Ravenpaw ran into Acornfall, and shrank back, almost sitting on her haunches. She smelled the heavy scent of SkyClan, and tilted her head with interest, albeit looking down a bit with embarrassment. "H-hi. I'm Ravenpaw. Sorry for running into you, my nerves are on fire tonight."