June Gathering 2019

As she continued to look around for any familiar faces, Dappleshine heard Jaystar call the Gathering to order. She hesitated, realizing she hadn't really found anyone to sit next to that she knew, so she settled down where she had been standing, looking up at where the leaders were gathered. As Jaystar explained the new circumstances around the Gorge being neutral territory once more, her tail tip twitched with excitement. Did that mean.... She hadn't seen Ravenpaw, but hopefully this would mean that their friendship would be a little easier to maintain, without having to worry about the threat of hostile patrols.

Jaystar continued, and Dappleshine lowered her head as he mentioned Swanpetal's death, her mind traveling to Wasppaw. She heard her name, and her head shot up as he announced her becoming a warrior in front of all of the other clans around, and she felt her ears burn even as she stood proudly before all of the cats who turned towards her. When Jaystar stepped back, Finchstar stepped forward. Her ears flattened and her head lowered again as he spoke of his mate's death, and she realized that it was the same Brookclover that Ravenpaw had spoken of. She swallowed hard against the sorrow that rose for the young leader, and found herself wishing that he could come to peace with all that had happened. As the meeting continued with Leopardstar, the leader of ThunderClan, she listened dutifully, taking in all that was said and watching for the other two leaders to say their piece.

---

Mosspaw tried desperately to plaster a mask of happiness on her face, but internally she was in agony. She just wanted to go home, and rest, not pretend that everything was alright. Amberdawn wasn't there, and she didn't see Leafpaw or Ravenpaw there either. Surrounded by other cats but feeling more alone than ever, she took solace in the one thing she could from where she sat, Pricklebush. Staying close by his side and trying to keep her own emotions in check for his sake, she only half listened to the Gathering. Something about the Gorge being neutral territory, that was nice.... New warriors, more death.... Her ears pricked when she heard her name, and she looked up to see Leopardstar smiling down at her. Too late, she realized her expression and forced a smile back up to him, and looked around to all the cats that had turned to look at her. Her tail bushed slightly as they gazed at her, and she swallowed hard to try to keep the facade that all was well upon her face until they looked away, attentions drawn by the next thing that Leopardstar announced. She was happy to have been chosen, she really was... It was other things that had her mind occupied, and she hoped that Leopardstar understood.

Leopardstar stepped forward to speak next, and Finchstar sighed heavily as the golden tabby rested his tail on his shoulder. As one of the older leaders in the forest, there was wisdom in Leopardstar's gaze, and with the silent nod the WindClan leader gave, he felt as if the two shared something subtle. Their pelts flashed in the light as the moon bore above them, and Finchstar dipped his head solemnly as ThunderClan's king listed off those who had perished. All of us have lost so much... And Finchstar wasn't the only one mourning a mate. Leopardstar spoke of Lichenfang, as well. The she-cat had gone missing. It seemed as if no amount of empathy could comfort Finchstar, but hearing Leopardstar's similar situation seemed to lift some of the sorrow from his chest, if only temporarily.

Sometimes he would gain enough courage to look down at the cats that sat below him. Barleytuft with his mate, Graybriar. And the rest of the clans sprawling endlessly through the clearing. They were broken, but the sun would rise again. Finchstar had done it, he led them back to their home, and now their lives could resume. WindClan would be safe once more, but perhaps it was not for him to enjoy. Finchstar would love to see Barleytuft's kits when they were born, he would love to watch as Aspenpaw and Ravenpaw received their warrior names, but he could never rest. He had brought them home, but Finchstar, he was still lost.

Leopardstar broke his train of thought as he asked the WindClan leader if they would like to resume their alliance, despite Brindlestar's death. It was a hopeful thing, to be allied with ThunderClan, and to fix broken ties with RiverClan. Finchstar would leave the forest in good shape, Swiftstep wouldn't need to do much work as leader. It seemed only right the senior deputy should take his place. "I would be honored, Leopardstar." Finchstar spoke with a strange, level voice that seemed to belong to some separate version of himself, one that had died in the dirt with Brookclover. "After all the clans have been through, it seems only right that peace should come after." Finchstar dipped his head, and sunk back in to his mind, wondering how long he would stay a WindClan cat before his paws decided to lead him elsewhere. And if they did, Finchstar didn't know if he had the strength to fight them.

It felt as if a tree-sized weight had been lifted off of Leopardstar's shoulders as Finchstar reinstated their alliance; dipping his head respectfully to the young leader, the golden spotted tom smiled.  "Thank you.  If you're ever in need of ThunderClan, our borders are open."  Turning to return to his spot on the stone, the large warrior flicked his tail at Scorchstar and Tinystar, motioning for one of them to go next.  Now that his duty was over, the tom's back slumped as he relaxed; soon enough, he would be back home in his nice warm nest, fast asleep...

Foxspirit sat down next to Swiftstep, listening to as the leaders began to speak. Jaystar thanked Finchstar for being brave, and then... Gave them territory? Kind of? I guess that the gorge is neutral now, she thought. Cool! Finchstar thanked Jaystar, and spoke of what had been happening in WindClan. Then, Leopardstar got up. He asked if WindClan and ThunderClan would still be alias. Foxspirit focused her gaze at her leader, wondering how he would answer. He said yes, as she had hoped. An aly was always a good thing to have.

Today's the day! I'm finally going to tell her! Echofrost wove between cats, looking for the one person he cared about. Lillyflower, Lillyflower! where are you?! His head screamed. He couldn't find the WindClan she-cat anywhere. He finally decided to ask someone. Echofrost approached a red-brown molly who smelled of WindClan. "Hey," he asked quietly. "Do you know a young cat named Lillyflower?"

Foxspirit was startled as a young ThunderClan cat approached her. Lillyflower? Did he not know? "I-I'm sorry but-" she began, "Lillyflower's not here. She died less then a moon before the flood."  

The news hit Echofrost like a slash on the muzzle. "O-okay..." He stammered before walking away. He would never be able to tell her that he loved her.

OOC :Briarpaw's here too, might edit a post for him later.

Waiting for Leopardstar and Finchstar to finish, Tinystar sat quietly among the other leaders waiting his turn. Once they were done, the abnormally short leader stood up and made his way to the front of the rock.

"Like each clan, SkyClan also lost valued and cherished members of our clan and we send our condolences to the other clans as well. While we may have lost cats, StarClan has blessed us with a chance of survival, in which we are already utilizing. This past moon, we welcomed Burningkit, Maplekit, Lightkit, Sandkit, and Swallowkit to the clan and Daylily and Sunflower have joined the ranks of their fellow warriors. That is all," with that, Tinystar sat down, personally wishing the gathering would end sooner rather than later.

Maybe it was fitting that he had things of his own to worry about; this seemed to be a pretty dismal Gathering. Lightpaw had heard of the flood, of course—avoiding it entirely would have been impossible—but many cats seemed keen to keep the worst bits far from the ears of kittens. Though he'd put some of the pieces together on his own, this was the most direct explanation of the destruction that he'd received. To believe SkyClan's camp had been even more wrecked before they'd come back from the mountains...and the other Clans', too. Every leader had a list of the dead. Only the reminder that he was at a Gathering helped Lightpaw stifle a shudder.

RiverClan and WindClan were irrelevant, ThunderClan slightly less so. Lightpaw had come with SkyClan; it was SkyClan he cared about. His ears twitched as Tinystar stepped forward. The announcements were nothing new; Tinystar had spoken of the dead upon their arrival back at camp. At the sound of his own name (rather, what had been his own name), the pale tabby sat straighter, half pride, half nerves. No one outside of SkyClan knew him, he was sure, and he didn't look as much like a kit anymore, but one could never be too careful.

It was honestly a little comforting -- he could even go far as to say bad touch -- to know that ShadowClan hadn't been the only Clan who had suffered at the mercy of the floods. Of course, that wasn't to say he was happy the other Clans lost many cats of their own, not at all. But he knew how fragile each Clan was now in the aftermath, and thus were a little less predictable than he would like them to be. Especially SkyClan. While Tinystar's Clan wasn't a rival to ShadowClan, Scorchstar still knew how reclusive and paranoid the unusually small tom was, having the smallest Clan in the forest after all. They shared direct borders with ThunderClan, and a stretch of it with ShadowClan. He couldn't help but feel anxious. Anything could happen. He wasn't about to accuse anyone of anything, especially with nothing having happened yet, but he would remain on his guard. Not too much so that Tinystar would feel threatened, so he wouldn't have patrols check SkyClan's borders more than usual ... yet.

Once leader of said Clan finished his brief speech, Scorchstar stepped up, clearing his throat before delivering what would hopefully be the final speech of the night. While he had very much enjoyed being leader of ShadowClan in the earlier days -- and of course he still thoroughly enjoyed his role for their own reasons -- it was still very hard having to deal with the negatives that this seemingly life-long role had to offer. He wanted nothing more than to curl up in his warm dry nest and wake up from this nightmare, with all the loved ones he had lost in the floods. If only reality weren't such a far cry from fantasy. "ShadowClan is faring as well as we can in the aftermath of the floods. Many brave, loyal, and beloved warriors have perished during the span of the past few tragic moons. Both Rowantalon and Curlyfeather will both be remembered and honored after all they have done to serve their Clan, and several warriors, apprentices, and kits have perished as well. Including ... Including my beloved Minnowcall." It probably wasn't the safest idea to show this much emotion during a Gathering, but ... he just couldn't seem to help it. He still missed his beloved mate and mother to nearly every single one of his kits so very much. Aside from Daisyflame, she had been his closest friend.

He cleared his throat again, a little louder than he had liked to, keeping his voice clear and as strong as he could. He mustn't cry, not in front of all these cats. He could do that later in the privacy of his own den. Besides, there was some good news to share as well. "However, after every storm, regardless how powerful or destructive, comes a rainbow. Poppyheart, who had been lost for several moons, has finally returned home to his friends, family, and mate. We have also had a few kits and apprentices, and we welcome Littlesun and Laurellight as full warriors. Life shall continue on for ShadowClan, and we shall come out even stronger after nature's rather cruel attempt to destroy us."

Having finished his speech, Scorchstar gazed back at his fellow leaders, then over the crowd of cats sitting before them. "If that is all that needs to be said, we shall end the Gathering and return back to our camps to rest. It has been a long few moons for everyone, as I'm sure you all can agree. ShadowClan, let us return home." The large leader leaped down from the Great Rock and waited for his Clanmates to gather around him. Once he spotted Coldgaze in the crowd, he beckoned her over with his tail. Once close enough, he meowed, "With Poppyheart having returned to ShadowClan, there is no need for you to remain in ShadowClan. You are free to return to RiverClan tonight. For all that it's worth, I thank you for your service to ShadowClan. Don't let this happen again, hmm?" His whiskers twitched in sly amusement at the last comment, then briefly dipped his head before walking off, waiting for the rest of his Clanmates to assemble so he could lead them all home.

OOC: I know I'm extremely late to this but let's just pretend that both Wildstrike and Coldgaze has been here the whole time...

The she-cat looked at the Shadowclan leader and nodded, "I won't Scorchstar and I guess I should thank you too, both you and Jaystar could have chosen a much harsher punishment for me and hey, some Shadowclanners aren't as bad as I thought," though she was happy to return back to her home clan there was a hint of sadness in her voice, she'd have to leave Wildstrike, the first cat she'd ever loved. She looked over at the deputy and sighed quietly, she didn't want to have to say goodbye to him. She looked back at Scorchstar, "Can I just ask that you do one thing for me? Can you tell Wildstrike I said goodbye? Your brother has been a great friend to me and I can't stand saying goodbye to him." Once she'd said that she spun around and quickly hurried over to the Riverclanners.

---

Wildstrike looked over at Scorchstar and Coldgaze as the two of them spoke, she was gonna return today. He'd miss her, a lot, but he had to stay strong, he was the deputy of Shadowclan and he needed to take care of his clan to the best of his abilities and besides, they had both known that it was never gonna last, she'd eventually have to return, they'd both known that.

When she spun around and walked off without saying goodbye he felt as if something was gonna break inside of him, "Coldgaze?" he called out after her but she didn't seem to even react at the sound of his voice, maybe it was for the best?...

The tom couldn't agree more with Scorchstar at his last comment towards Coldgaze. Though the she-cat was not guilty of murder, she did start a fight with no big reasons behind it. Maybe her time in Shadowclan would have opened her eyes a bit without losing her usual loyalty to Riverclan.

The Gathering was slowly coming to an end yet there was something else the Riverclan tom had to add regarding Leopardstar's speech. Jaystar stood up once again, his tail high and pointing towards the night sky. "Before this Gathering comes to an end, I will like to point something out. Among with many losses, during the flood, Icepaw, the maimed apprentice who remained completely asleep since Hailpaw's attack died because we didn't have enough paws to take him out. He died while Hailpaw escaped from her punishment in Riverclan's camp. I thought she might have passed away during the catastrophe yet, after hearing your words, Leopardstar, I see that she decided to return back to your camp." He looked with his green, deep eyes toward the spotted tom. The air between them was tense, everyone could see it and it had good reasons to be like that.

"The wounds your clanmate inflicted to Icepaw not only costed him to be left asleep for moons, without seeing his family or friends... it cost him his life. Hailpaw ran away from her duty of taking care after him and now he is dead. To my eyes, and I suspect that most of my clan's eyes, she is a murderer of an apprentice who did nothing wrong but to stay on his territory and fight off a she-cat who DID trespass into our lands." Jaystar lashed his tail and with every word, a little bit of anger grew in him. The young tom didn't deserve such a fate. He had no blame and it was all in those two she-cat's paws... especially Hailpaw's. "I ask for her punishment now, Leopardstar. I won't take her life. We have lost just so much these past moons... no matter the clan, there's no need for more death in times like this. But she will serve my clan until all the damage she caused is paid. Bring her back here in the next Gathering and she will be escorted back to Riverclan. You may refuse... however if she's seen by any of my clanmates I will not hesitate to order them to attack to death just like she did with Icepaw. Hailpaw may be an apprentice but she has the age of a warrior and must face the consequences for my clanmate's murder."

As Scorchstar called to end the Gathering, Leopardstar made to leap down from the Great Rock, his eyelids drooping as if pleading him to just go to sleep already, but an all-too-familiar voice in a tone he knew well rang out behind him, and Leopardstar turned with narrowed hazel eyes to stare at Jaystar, his body still crouched low to the stone.  StarClan, what does he want now?  Can't he see that everyone is exhausted?  As the son of Ivystar continued though, the golden spotted tom's suspicious glare turned to one of concern, and he slowly uncurled his limbs to stand once more in front of the younger tom, as equals.  The plight of Icepaw was very tragic, and he felt guilty to know that - in the end - Hailpaw's damage had not been able to be rectified.  Despite welcoming the snow-white she-cat back into the Clan with relative relief, this issue had also been weighing on his mind, though admittedly been placed farther down the list of things that were urgent to address.  Now though, he would have to respond to these annoyingly public demands without quite knowing what to say...and pray that Jaystar would be understanding.  After a long moment of thought, he spoke up, voice sympathetic yet unbending.  "I see your point Jaystar, and in fact, I agree with you.  Hailpaw's punishment was not brought to fruition as we intended, and once again I would like to apologize for her rebellion.  Running away from the damage you caused will never bring peace to one's guilt, and that is something I strive to teach my young cats.  However, on the journey, Hailpaw sustained injuries that have landed her in the medicine den under the care of Pricklebush and Mosspaw.  They are not serious, but I wouldn't want her to injure herself further, along with the fact that she has only just reunited with her siblings and suffered the loss of her mother.  I presume that she will be well enough again, both in body and spirit, by the next Gathering, but if not, I will send her as soon as she is able-bodied and ready to serve.  Is that a reasonable request?"

The silvery tom nodded in agreement to the Thunderclan leader, a bit relieved by his answer. Finally, Icepaw's life will be properly avenged in some way. "thank for your understanding, Leopardstar. Now, if you excuse us, Riverclan will return home. I hope every clan has a safe journey back." With those last words, the tom lept off the Great Rock and walked toward his apprentice, Adderpaw, so his clan could leave this clearing. There was nothing left to say after all and it was clear the Gathering was ending.