December Gathering 2019

When Torrentstar considered how uneventful the past moon had been for RiverClan, it seemed almost unbelievable. Of course, life had had its ups and downs, and small conflicts had erupted among clan members. Overall, however, the island-dwellers had enjoyed a period of relative peace. With their small numbers and the weather growing colder every day, the leader supposed the break was a welcome one. Dappleshine and Dacepaw―the thought of these two cats, once so dear to him, still left him feeling lost. But with Honeytongue and his remaining family members supporting him, he had begun to hope again.

With the large tabby in the lead, the RiverClan patrol streamed into Fourtrees. It seemed they were once again the first to arrive. Icy starlight played over numerous pelts, dyeing everything in its silver touch. Fresh snow submitted under numerous paws. Once he had made certain that his patrol members were all present, Torrentstar went his usual way to the Great Rock.

The surface of the monolith was cold, frigid to the touch. Perhaps the absence of the other leaders made it seem emptier than usual. Torrentstar huffed softly, narrowing his eyes at the small cloud that formed before his muzzle. What a night indeed. He sat down alone, loosely curling his feathery tail around his paws.

Honeytongue had heard a lot about snow...And now that she was actually seeing it, it was very hard to keep herself from breaking ranks to go jump around in it. It was weird, the sudden coldness underneath her paws and how quickly it melted but...Her coat did wonders to repel any that attempted to cling to her and simply stared at the white wonderland in...Well, wonder. Her tail swished as they reached the clearing, finally charging off to play in the snow that hadn't been touched yet.

She didn't mind doing something so kit-ish, there wasn't any of the other Clans here after all. With a couple happy yelps, she pranced in a soft circle as the snow crunched beneath her, even taking a moment to roll on her back before she finally sat upright and shook the snow loose. Giggles escaped her as she settled down to wait for the others, drawing her paw through the snow around her in simple wonder...Knowing that sooner than later, the snow would become unbearable once Leafbare was fully upon the Clans.

Stormbringer was following close behind Honeytongue. Her amber eyes either settled in front of her, on her leader or on her friend. Things were looking better in Riverclan, despite the cold. Torrentstar was slowly doing better after last moon. The one thing Stormbringer didn't like was the snow. Her short fur didn't help her one bit, and it was cold on her paws and anywhere else the snow melted on her causing her to be wet which caused her to be more cold. Being wet wasn't the issue for her, being cold was.

Her paw steps halted as soon her amber eyes flicked to movement. Honeytongue darting off into the fresh snow to play around near the Great Rock. Stormbringer stood still, her amber eyes wide in amusement and in slight shock as the golden she-cat enjoyed the white that covered the ground. Finally the gray she-cat recovered from her moment. Letting out a snort of amusement she shook her head at the other warrior's actions. Her shoulder bumping against Honeytongue's as she settled near her friend.

Amber eyes gleamed in the frost covered bushes as they took in the sight of who was there. Torrentstar and RiverClan… just the one for now. He set his jaw, then slipped forward. Large brown tabby body pushing through the lightly snow dusted leaves as he padded towards the great rock, then leapt onto it.

For once, no smile graced his muzzle. There was no light that burned in his amber eyes. Instead, he settled on the great rock a tail length from Torrentstar, his posture still as he waited for Spottedstar and Finchstar. His tail twitched, as he thought about Thornstar. The she-cat had to be told how dangerous of a game she was playing.

Her deputy would cause a war. He had absolutely no doubt. With the declarations of blood shed, so bold and violent… he had no doubts at all. ShadowClan cats had laid dead, but so too laid SkyClan. The two clans were on the verge of a war, and it was all Oakstar could do but try and bring some peace back between them.

First, ShadowClan had to let him. His tail twitched. The only movement besides the fog that ghosted each breath. Otherwise, he may have been a statue.

To everyone else, it may have seemed like a tranquil glade, feathery crystals dancing upon the winds. With the silvery wonders swirling around her, crunches greeting the cats' pawsteps, anyone could have been brought to a peace of mind. However, as Featherpaw glanced around, distinguishing the spark of awe alighting in her Clanmates' eyes, she couldn't help but feel... astray. Here they were, frolicking in the serenity of snow. She sighted Honeytongue merrily prancing around the clearing, a scene that would have otherwise brought a purring rumble to her throat, if not for how dismal she felt within. Whiskers twitching with apprehension at the crowd that was soon to assemble, the newly-welcomed apprentice sidled towards the outskirts of Fourtrees. Her eyes were sombre with enervation, deprived of any glimmer that had once been present. Tonight, her mere purpose was to observe. Perhaps, she had come for a rush of nostalgia, if there was any. So many Gatherings had been missed, but all those moons of isolation were spent gazing at the full moon, knowing what she had left behind.

As soon as she had set paw into Fourtrees, staring wide-eyed at the oaks she had subconsciously longed to see, a rush overwhelmed her. Memories. Memories of the vivd claustrophobia that had tore at her during her past Gatherings. Memories of the grim news passed by the leaders, the tension between the clans and the sense of uneasiness at being in such a large crowd. However, there also came the memories of still tranquility by the edges of the glade, often spent in the warmth of a loving pelt. Streampaw, the one cat she had realised too late was the one she felt a binding affection towards. Another cat who had also been lost to her. Now, with the passing of seasons also came a passing of emotions. This Gathering was going to be an empty one. She had no one to talk to. No more loved ones to share the warmth with.

This time, she was to feel to wrath of the chill. Alone.

---

《ooc;》featherpaw is soon to be occupied, but in the meantime, please feel free to pass along and maybe share a brief exchange of words with this overly old and awkward apprentice! give her the anxiety of actual social interaction

✢ Only Riverclan had arrived so far and for that he was grateful. While he cared little for other clans, this particular gathering the presence of Shadowclan would only serve to make him uncomfortable. Even the moon itself seemed to be leering down on him. Beartooth padded towards the base of the Great Rock without much in the way of words. His companions were given the wave of a tail as a good bye. It was all he could muster for now. Once again, he found himself disliking the requirement of his position to sit at the very center of camp. The deputy would have been far more contented to settled down near the edges of the crowd. But instead, many eyes would gaze upon his scarred pelt tonight. They would bore into him and the other deputies before looking up to the leaders. Would each one hold a murder accusation in their depths? Or was that just his imagination. ✢

✧ Houndheart yawned as they neared the clearing. He couldn't even remember how many gatherings he had attended at this point. It had been many. Of course, a warrior like him deserved to come to each one. And he could hardly complain. Pestering, well talking to, cats of other clans had always been a source of entertainment to him. At the last gathering, he had mocked Stormbringer and earned himself a well-deserved paw to the maw. Tonight, it appeared she was here again. And while he was tempted to go speak with her once more, he happened to run into another Riverclan she-cat in his obliviousness, "What are you doing just sitting there? Can't you see cats are walking into the gathering?" He regarded her with concept, flicking his tail indignantly before relenting with a sigh. It wasn't much in way of an apology but perhaps they could strike up a brief conversation, "My name is Houndheart of Thunderclan. I'm one of their best warriors. And you are?" ✧

Spottedstar had never been fond of gatherings, both as a warrior and now as a leader. The other clans only brought troubles with them - it was a lesson he'd learned a long time ago and which was reinforced with every full moon. No amount of promises or honeyed words would ever heal the rift between SkyClan and what felt like every other clan in the forest, although ThunderClan had been a valuable ally in recent times. The ginger leader sniffed when he saw Oakstar's sturdy frame atop the Great Rock, a bevy of unexpectedly negative thoughts pooling within him.

He'd done well, been an important player in Thornstar and Spottedstar's wicked game of justice and revenge, but the SkyClan leader almost regretted bringing ThunderClan into their clash. Their purpose was to frighten the night-clan and stop the bloodshed before it happened, but that had failed miserably and now two of SkyClan's numbers lay silent beneath the pines. He had promised to repay them for their mere presence. He would answer to Oakstar's every beck and call until the debt was satisfied and then never again would he subject his clan to another's service.

Spottedstar's icy facade was melting, revealing the thundrous swirl of frustrations and impatience within him as he signaled for SkyClan's entrance into the gathering. They'd enter wounded but victorious, having lost clanmates yet clearing their good names. They could be nothing less than heroes in their own eyes or they risked the meaninglessness of being. He was on the rock in a flash, his smaller spotted frame standing out from the two dark tabbies occupying the top with him.


Juniperpaw followed in silence; the snow and the ice was new, interesting, exiciting, and also very cold. He hadn't ever felt anything like it, except for maybe an especially cold rain one freezing morning. It was soft and fluffy until the black cat rolled in it or stepped in it, and then it turned into water and sank deep into his pelt. That wasn't very comfortable. He originally started out near his father's flank, towards the front and following Foxfire, but his continuous distractions on the path to the gathering had made him drop behind a few tail-lengths since he liked to pause and tap at icicles and especially large snow piles. A lot had happened in his first moon of apprenticeship. This gathering was sure to have a lot going on, but Juniperpaw would perhaps be too distracted to notice.

---

Harefoot followed tentatively after Beartooth and Oakstar, timidly suspecting danger this coming gathering. He'd heard about the deaths. There would be anger, yowling, blaming, cursing, and probably a clouded moon. He just wanted to be there to look after Houndheart and make sure he didn't start anything. Speaking of which, the young tom had already made contact with a RiverClanner, conversationally and quite literally, but Harefoot felt no need to intervene unless things started looking like they might get messy. He sighed. Maybe Houndheart really wasn't gong to change for the better.

Dawngaze attended solely on principle. If a fight were to break out, she wanted to be there to defend her clan. She missed her chance at the "duel" at Highpine. She wanted her chance to protect in the name of Oakstar, never mind her missing ear. The scar tissue surrounding the area her ear once was stung like the dark forest in the bitter cold wind of the open clearing, but Dawngaze brushed it off as best as she was able. She had a duty and she would do it no matter what that blasted dog had done to her.

Following Spottedstar into the clearing, Sunflower took his place near the edge of the crowd, per usual. It was odd and lonesome not having Leaftwirl by his side, but there was nothing he could do about it. Right now, all the lanky tom could do was sit and pray that the clearing didn't break out in a fight from the tensions of the recent battle...

Deerpaw followed behind Spottedstar staying near Juniperpaw. Even though Juniperpaw was younger then him they were like littermates. Deerpaw wasabout to run off towards the other cats when he looked towards Juniperpaw.

"Stay away from Shadowclan. They probably smell like pine trees or something. Other then that make some new friends." Deerpaw meowed to his younger brother. He then hurried off to talk with a cat from another clan.

OOC: Deerpaw is open to talk with He won't be too friendly towards shadowclan tho

Foxfire's gaze was low as he padded after Spottedstar, lightly kicking the snow that piled around his dragging paws as some sort of distraction. He wasn't excited about this, knowing that if Lynxscar showed up he would have to sit next to him as deputies - unless StarClan was graceful enough that the tom got demoted as he rightfully deserved after going against Thornstar's will like that.... He had managed to come to the conclusion that he didn't hate ShadowClan for what happened - but he certainly hated Lynxscar. The tom was...There was no kind words that Foxfire thought for him. He huffed, gaze flickering up to some relief at seeing that ShadowClan hadn't arrived yet. ThunderClan and RiverClan were here, and he had to wonder if WindClan would show up late again...He sighed, trudging through the crowd as he reached the base of the rock, giving Beartooth a soft nod of acknowledgement as he settled down and stared out at the crowd, waiting for the other two Clans to arrive so that they could get this over with.

The attitude was a little more subdued already than other Gatherings, this Dacepaw could tell as she followed ThunderClan in. The snow that blanketed the scene - though beautiful - only served to further muffle any energy. As always, she was padding close behind Houndheart. The apprentice was known to trail after him - even his uncertainty seemed so much more decisive than her own - but she often found it hard to keep by his side at the Gathering nowadays. After their first two together, Houndheart seemed a bit more comfortable and confident with going off on his own, and so he'd started striking off on his own. Tonight was no different, and so as soon as the warrior went off on his own, Dacepaw stood for a moment wondering, herself, what to do.

She spotted her mentor, Dawngaze, with her eyes watering against the bitter wind and a hidden look of pain. Knowing the she-cat wouldn't want such bubbly company or pity in light of everything, Dacepaw instead settled for moving alongside her mentor, rubbing her body reassuringly along the patched tabby's own before continuing off to see if a RiverClan or SkyClan cat would talk to her. After only a few moments Dacepaw spotted Honeytongue yelping and dancing in the snow, and the ThunderClan apprentice raced forward with long, eager strides. She swore she recognized the gray she-cat who'd settled near Honeytongue, and quickly the older golden RiverClan cat settled.

Dacepaw arrived at her side then. "Honeytongue, that was great! That looked like fun!" the happy ThunderClan apprentice trilled, and she looked hopefully at the RiverClan cat, wanting an invitation to stay and talk and maybe even play some more.

ooc;; Dacepaw of ThunderClan is talking to Honeytongue and, by extension, Stormbringer!

Honeytongue perked up as she felt the familiar presence of Stormbringer at her side, smiling widely at her friend as she returned the gentle nudge. She paused at the crunching of snow, glancing over her shoulder to see that both ThunderClan and SkyClan had arrived...And perhaps had seen her playing in the snow. Haha...Whoops. She had expect - or perhaps simply hoped - that the other Clans wouldn't have arrived so soon...And it was confirmed that she had been spotted when Dacepaw came racing up. "Dacepaw!" she greeted, leaning down to touch noses with the apprentice. She suppose that she still didn't know if Dacepaw was an apprentice but...It felt safer to assume.

"I've never seen snow before, I couldn't help myself," she added with a soft laugh as she swished her tail - happening to clear a soft spot next to her for the ThunderClan apprentice to sit as she motioned for her to take a seat. "There wasn't enough room to really play like that in the camp nor time to go out in the territory to play so..." she shrugged, before pausing as she glanced over to her other side. "Oh! Dacepaw, this is Stormbringer! She is my best friend. Stormbringer, this is Dacepaw of ThunderClan," she explained with a purr, happy to get to introduce her friends to one another. Then she paused. "...You are still Dacepaw, right? Have you gotten your warrior name yet?"

The pretty RiverClan warrior's head turned to face Dacepaw, and the look of amusement and warmth on the she-cat's face immediately put the apprentice at ease. The pair touched noses, Dacepaw's characteristic thunderous purr starting up in her chest and starting to make her whiskers quiver. Almost immediately Honeytongue made a spot for her with a contentedly swishing tail, and Dacepaw sat down beside the she-cat without any hesitation, eager to accept the invitation. She listened with a bright expression to Honeytongue's words, nodding in agreement as she momentarily reminisced on the size of RiverClan's camp. "So this was the perfect place!" Dacepaw stated agreeably.

Quickly, Honeytongue turned the ThunderClan cat's attention to the other gray cat. "Storm" was a name she thought she recognized, though she hadn't known Stormbringer by name and so any introduction was welcome. Dacepaw immediately flashed the tall, lean gray she-cat a grin, beaming with delight. "Hi, Stormbringer!" the ThunderClan apprentice greeted warmly. She trilled softly with surprise and looked quickly at Honeytongue as she asked for confirmation, and Dacepaw nodded, replying, "Yes, I'm still Dacepaw - still an apprentice." She shuffled a mottled paw and added, "I suppose they wanna make sure I'm well trained."

And not a deserter like Torrentstar said.

Mistwalker sat silently, vaguely angry but at what he did not know. Riverclan? Shadowclan?

Ooc: free to talk to, RC or SC would be interesting tho