June Gathering 2019

The Riverclan leader was the first to arrive. He walked with his clanmates trough the recovering forest and now that they were finally here at the Fourtrees, he let himself relax a bit. At least this place wasn't as destroyed as his camp was. Jaystar walked slowly to the Great Rock, noticing no damage on it. Not even in his wildest dreams, he thought he would be able to come here and stand once again as a leader. Starclan decided his time hadn't come because he was meant to suffer the horrors of the flood... and bring back his clan to the forest. Now, it was time to reside as the leader of this clan and kept them strong until Starclan decided it was his time to come. He didn't care when that time would come, to be honest. The silver tom was just tired of keep doing this unwanted job from the start. Scorchclaw was going to be a better leader one day but he still needed some time to keep learning. The only he could do for him was to keep training him to be better than he was.

It was Heronflight who followed Jaystar to Fourtrees.  Although it didn’t look the same as it had only a few moons ago, the gray tabby realized that Fourtrees would return to thriving soon.  New buds were sprouting on the other side of the clearing.  The four great oaks shined in the moonlight, and the area looked ready to sprout with life in a few moons.  The gray tabby watched as Jaystar sprang onto the Great Rock, taking his rightful place with all of the leaders.  Perhaps others may never forgive Jaystar for what he did, including the silver tom himself.  However, the senior warrior could never forget how Jaystar helped him, when they were both much younger.

It was a long while ago, when Heronflight was an apprentice.  He was basically hated by all of the RiverClan, besides Spotfur, who was hated along with him.  During his Moonstone journey, the deputy at the time, Jaystream, tried to make him prove his loyalty, which the gray tabby passed.  He made a mistake, and Jaystar eventually forgave him when he showed Jaystar that he would never do it again.  The gray tom knew that Jaystar made a mistake, and he would never commit that same mistake again.  Therefore, he found it in his heart to forgive his former mentor.

It was really weird for him to glance at the distant past after such a dangerous flood only a few moons ago. He sat down on his haunches, waiting for the other clans to appear.

The moon blazed over the moor as WindClan's  warriors padded to Fourtrees. Finchstar headed the patrol, weaving through tussocks and pools of water. The white light framed their ghostly faces, reflecting off his dead yellow eyes. There was nothing left for the tom here. Every paw step through the grass, and Finchstar felt more and more detached from the life he had been living. Even with the stars twinkling overhead, even with the comfort of knowing she was watching, he wasn't able to save her. Brookclover was gone, fallen victim to the very moor that had held her up for so many moons. Finchstar remembered first staring into her green eyes on that very grass, and now it had stolen her soul. He died with her, life stripped from his body, and for a moment, he was content. Yes, Finchstar's life had been cut short, but he would be by his love's side, dancing amongst StarClan's meadows, there was nothing mournful about that. But the leader was granted more than just one humble life. He stood in Fourtrees with eight more cursed lives to live. The tom hated each and every one of them, wanting to spit upon their existence and bury them deep in the very ground that had taken Brookclover from him.

The land WindClan walked on was entitled and cruel, pulling something so beautiful and pure away from the forest as if it was theirs to take. Finchstar dug his claws into the ground as he reached the base of the Great Rock, wanting to punish it in the strangest of ways. He was cold, his pelt sagged and frame shifted with each and every movement. Finchstar's normally well-kept fur was unkempt, messy with the stain of depression, and his yellow eyes showed no life. Perhaps if he wished to join his mate in the sky, then StarClan would be kind and send a blessing to remove his being from the forest. The leader leapt upon the massive rock, glaring out from under his brow at all the cats that stood below him. Finchstar couldn't empathize with them any longer. Ravenpaw, Barleytuft, Aspenpaw, Swiftstep. They were all just faces, living their own lives while his was thrown into turmoil. The leader did not wish to burden them with that. Perhaps WindClan did not even need Finchstar, Swiftstep would make just as good of an alternative. Perhaps it was time for the orange and white tabby to finally go explore the earth. Maybe his wanderlust could override the sense of numbness that now plagued his heart. He was not fit to lead WindClan, and the cats that made up the clan did not deserve a wretched beast such as himself, prancing about with eight lives of dread. He would despise them all. Brookclover...Finchstar blinked his tears away, aware of his position on the Great Rock, and yet not wanting to sully his mate's memory. She would want him to be strong in a time such as this, where WindClan's enemies surrounded them. But to Finchstar, his only enemy was the storm that racked his brain.

Heavily pregnant, Graybriar stumbled into Fourtrees, almost glued to her mate's side as they followed behind the grieving leader. Walking was very difficult with the added weight on her still-healing leg, and she probably would have stayed behind if Barleytuft didn't need her. But, he did. His first apprentice and dear friend Brookclover had died, and all of WindClan- still newly recovering- had retreated into mourning. So soon after coming back from the large tragedy that was the flood, another of their Clanmates had died. Though she hadn't known the deceased very well, the tabby knew that Brookclover had been Finchstar's mate and Barleytuft's friend, and so she mourned along with them. It had hit her normally happy mate hard, especially the fact that his friend and leader wouldn't open up to him. And so Graybriar was there for him to lean on, to comfort and console him all she could, despite her physical state she knew that her mate's emotional state was far worse. Since he'd helped her so many times, what could she do but return the favor? So as they walked together into the almost unfamiliar clearing, the senior warrior pressed hard against her mate's side, both for balance and to show her support. "Where do you want to sit?" she murmured, concerned blue eyes meeting his. She didn't want to lose the cat she loved to this unimaginable grief.

The large, stocky golden warrior followed Jaystar into the Fourtrees. The clearing was changed yet it was still the same place. Just a little... muddier. For a Riverclan cat like him, it was no bother. After all, he couldn't complain after all he had gone trough. Being here was a bless from Starclan and he had no right to be complaining about the muddy land. Berrycloud took his place near his clan and waited patiently for the other leaders to arrive. He was not really in a mood of talking to anyone outside Riverclan but maybe Maplepaw, of Skyclan.

Adderpaw walked in with the other RiverClan cats. He scanned the gathering around him, feeling a little wary of the growing crowd and of the fact that he could not possibly keep track of everything going on around him. Still, this was his first ever gathering, and he was excited to see what would happen. He sat down around the other cats of his clan and watched for others to arrive.

Usually, the abnormally small leader held his head and tail high during gatherings, but tonight, he just couldn't bring himself to look as... dignified, to say the least. Padding into the clearing with his head hunched over his shoulders, Tinystar led SkyClan to the gathering. The journey to Fourtrees had been more difficult than usual, seeing as though him and his clanmates had to maneuver their way through the damaged territories, but they'd all managed.

Letting out a sigh, Tinystar jumped up onto the Greatrock and sat down beside Finchstar without saying a word. He should've been happy that the clans were truly blessed to still have this place to gather at, especially after the storm had destroyed so much else, but with Moonlight and so many of his other clanmate's gone, he couldn't bring himself to feel much joy, or anything else for that matter. The rest of him family was safe, which he had been overjoyed about upon such a discovery, but having his mate practically ripped out from this life had taken a toll on the little legged tom and only StarClan knew how long he would be in such a state of hopelessness.

~~~~~

Following his father and SkyClan into the clearing, the tall, slender warrior sat down near the edge of the growing crowd, not saying a word, per usual. Looking up to Tinystar, it was obvious that his father wasn't very well-off, which concerned the tom. He'd never seen the small leader in such a state, and he just prayed that no harm would come to him because of it.

Sandpaw scurried excitedly behind his leader and mentor, a proud look on his face. Representing SkyClan was a very big joy of his, and the whole way he wondered if he would recognize any of the cats from the mountains. Trying very hard to hold down the excitement as he travelled close behind Tinystar, he smiled at the tall trees above him: one in each corner of the clearing. The Great Rock was more beautiful than he could've imagined in his mind, and his owl-like blue eyes stayed locked firmly on it. He quickly licked a stray tuft of fur on his shoulder and bounced into the clearing, scanning for a friendly face to talk to.

ooc: aspen is busy seizing and will not be in attendance. ferret isn't feeling well and is chilling in camp

Dappleshine followed behind Jaystar, her head held high in confidence to try to hide the hesitation in her paws. This new place was strange and different, and as she came into the clearing she was a little relieved that none of the other clans had arrived. At least with this she would be able to watch as the other clans came in.... Taking a position near the outer circle of the clearing, she watched and waited patiently for the other clans to arrive. It wasn't long before a group of cats who reminded her of Ravenpaw and Barleytuft arrived, and she began to cast her blue gaze around the incoming cats to see if perhaps those two were present before a different scent hit her. Turning to look at the new group that streamed in, she noticed the small cat she had seen in the mountains. She had never gotten his name.... But he seemed to be leading this group?... He had also lead them in the mountains.... Was he...? Her unasked question was answered as he jumped up onto the rock in the center and positioned himself next to Jaystar. After staring up at the three leaders for a moment, she resumed searching the now teeming clearing for cats she recognized from the travel from the lake - notably Barleytuft. She couldn't wait to tell him about her warrior name, and see how things were going for him after the battle, hopefully his wounds from the dog had healed well.

The second-to-last clan to arrive, Leopardstar's bright golden pelt stood out in the somber moonlight as he trotted down the slope, ThunderClan following close behind.  Gazing around, the tom remembered the last time he had been here, when the patrol heading to the mountains left on their journey.  It already left so long ago...  Smiling to himself as he scaled the Great Rock, the large warrior dipped his head to Jaystar, Finchstar, and Tinystar; that's when he realized just how foreign it felt to be here without a familiar brindled pelt to greet him.  Brindlestar had passed in the flood, as he had later learned, and the she-cat's loss hurt just as much for him as it did for her own clan.  He had considered her a friend, and honestly, suspected that he owed her a life.  She had fallen into the fire with him during the battle against Lichenmask and his followers...and no cat was fireproof.  For a moment he stood awkwardly, trying to decide where to sit, before resting his gaze on Finchstar.  The tom was very young to be a leader - not much older than his trio of adopted kits he would guess - and he was suddenly curious about why he had been chosen over the experienced Swiftstep.  For now, though, he settled with a cordial nod as he sat down beside the ginger tabby leader, casting his gaze over the gathering crowd.

Scorchstar led his Clanmates into the clearing in stoic silence. So much had happened over the course of a few moons. The floods had taken so much away from him. While he was grateful for the return of his son Poppyheart, who had originally been held captive by Twolegs, he had also been forced to deal with much hardship. He had lost so many valuable warriors, apprentices, kits, and every elder in the Clan. He had lost his father, who had risked his life saving a kit from the waters before the brunt of the floods even began. His older half-brother Crowfur had died shortly after returning to camp as well, but not before he was able to spend just one more night with him; now, his deputy and brother Wildstrike was all that he had in terms of siblings. He had also lost his beloved mate and one of his closest friends Minnowcall. Stars above, he hadn't been ready for her death. He loved her so much, they had been through so much together ever since they were kits. Her death was the hardest for him to cope with. Not to mention he had also lost a second life right outside of ShadowClan's camp to a fallen tree, in spite of his struggles for survival during the floods. How ironic for him to die when all was supposed to be safe and calm after a few moons of a living nightmare.

Scorchstar approached the Great Rock and bundled up his limbs before leaping up to join the other leaders who had arrived. He nodded respectfully to each of them, and he settled down next to Jaystar, leader of his Clan's allies. He knew there was business he needed to attend to tonight before the first Gathering since their return from the shores began. He knew it was time to return Coldgaze to her birth Clan. Ever since Poppyheart's disappearance after Coldgaze unjustifiably attacked him right here at Fourtrees, the two leaders had originally arranged for her to stay in ShadowClan until either Poppyheart returned from wherever he had been, or for the rest of her life as punishment for the trouble she had caused. Even if the exchange of Coldgaze's position from RiverClan to ShadowClan ended up happening after the flood -- and rather informally at that -- she had still been one of ShadowClan's warriors for a while now. With Poppyheart back in his Clan, however, he knew he could not keep her any longer, lest he be accused of holding her hostage against his own allied Clan. He would never do that to Jaystar.

"After tonight, Jaystar," the large black tabby tom muttered to the broad silver tabby tom confidentially, "Coldgaze will once again be a RiverClan warrior. Poppyheart had returned to my Clan, so I have no need to hold on to her any longer. Be sure you let her know to follow your Clanmates back to your territory once the Gathering has concluded."

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Poppyheart and Asterspark are also at the Gathering.

(OOC: Will edit later.)

Lynxtail trailed near the back of the group. He craned his neck to see above the heads of his clanmates, his tufted ears twitching as he scanned the crowd for any familiar faces. Windclan and Riverclan had arrived before them, which mean that Aspenpaw and Minkpaw were most likely somewhere in the crowd. Try as he might, the young warrior couldn't find them. He settled down in the middle of the crowd so he could cat-watch while he waited, scanning the crowd for any interesting figures he could find.

The ground was unsettlingly soft beneath his paws. Between that and his concern for Maplepaw, Lightpaw was tense as he entered Fourtrees, as if the Sharptooth was chasing him again. Still, the sight of the moon casting its pale glow over the array of trees and stones beneath soothed his worries. Now that their group had stopped walking, Lightpaw could see Sandpaw in the crowd; he approached his brother, moving just slowly enough that no one could accuse him of hurrying, and sat. He opened his mouth to say something, but somewhere between his head and his mouth, the words had curled up and hidden so deep he couldn’t drag them out. He couldn’t blame them; this was an awful lot of cats.

Rather than focus on the strangers streaming into Fourtrees from what seemed like everywhere, the tabby turned his attention to the rock. Though he wouldn’t dream of climbing it, five cats already had. Blue leader, he thought upon recognizing one; then, with a rush of embarrassment as if someone might have heard him, Jaystar. At least Lightpaw knew which Clan he led now. That was more than he could say for the majority of the leaders; the red-and-white tom on the Great Rock looked familiar, and of course he knew Tinystar, but the others were a mystery to him. He guessed he’d find out which one was which eventually.

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It was a stroke of luck that a Gathering fell soon after Daisypaw’s apprenticeship. Whether that luck was good or bad remained to be seen. On the journey to Fourtrees, the wiry calico had been restless, constantly turning to check whether the shadow their group had just passed was a bush or another cat; he wasn’t completely used to being allowed out of camp. Now, seeing all the other Clans, part of him was beginning—beginning—to relax. Emberheart, Marshstorm, or Leopardstar hadn't grabbed him by the scruff and hauled him back home. He was meant to be here.

Daisypaw squinted at the cats Leopardstar had joined on the Great Rock. A large cat with dark fur, a gray tabby, a red-spotted tom, and an...apprentice? Visibly startled, he blinked, then resumed staring harder than ever. That cat had to be a leader, but he was the smallest by far—how had he gotten onto the rock in the first place?

ooc: ravenpaw is not present

Ivypaw padded into the gathering slowly, observing the mind and damage done to Fourtrees as a result of the floods. The tabby she-cats realized that there were hardly any changes- perhaps a few scattered leaves and twigs, and the ground underneath her paws was mushy and soft. Compared to the damage in other territories, this was nothing. She softly sighed, relief evident in her tone as she took a seat near the back.