March Gathering 2020

Dacedream padded in a few tail-lengths behind Cherrypaw, glancing between her and her other kits with a glimmer of worry darkening her eyes as they dispersed. Her fourth child, Vixenpaw, had stayed home with the first signs of whitecough; it was only a sniffle, ticklish throat, and low-grade fever for now, yet the queen had spent most of the day going back and forth on whether or not to stay behind to care for her poor darling scrap. She knew her daughter would eagerly pounce on a night alone with her mother hearing stories, snuggling in a nest, and being doted on just like when she was a kit again. Other worries touched Dacedream's mind, though. Mawmaw and pawpaw. Neither leader had been at the previous Gathering; at the Gathering before that, StarClan had forced Mossbloom to reveal that Thornstar and Torrentstar had broken the code, resulting in Thornstar bearing his kits. The lightning that split the air, the star that threw itself angrily across the sky, still gave Dacedream shivers at night.

As the sun began to set, Dacedream made her decision. She had to know. She had to know if Thornstar and Torrentstar would be there tonight - if they'd be safe. The tortoiseshell made sure to spoil Vixenpaw the best she could before she left, but then she'd swept away with the rest of the Clan, her tail held close and her steps short and swift and anxious as they carried her closer to Fourtrees. Now she gazed down the slope to the snow-spattered clearing below, and what she saw - or didn't see - caused her heart to drop into her stomach. ShadowClan and RiverClan were present... and at their heads, two cats stood atop the Great Rock. Dacedream knew these cats - Flintshard of ShadowClan, and of course Auntivybrook of RiverClan - but there was no relief in recognizing them, for they were supposed to be the deputies. Deputies to Thornstar and Torrentstar! They were supposed to sit beneath the Rock; wasn't last Gathering supposed to be an exception? Yet in their places at the base of the Great Rock sat two others, only one face unfamiliar, and the unspoken truth crashed on Dacedream's shoulders as they slumped.

Something... had happened to Dacedream's kin.

The ThunderClan warrior made her way down, her muscles trembling slightly as she swept across the clearing towards a pelt - a familiar, brilliant golden coat. Though the RiverClan cat was curled around herself, looking just a touch forlorn, Dacedream couldn't stay away. She couldn't wait for the other Clans to arrive. She couldn't wait for the cats atop the rock to announce what had occurred. "Honeytongue," Dacedream called out to the RiverClan warrior as she drew within a fox-length. Her green-hazel eyes were searching the emerald depths of Honeytongue's gaze. She... she had Torrentstar's eyes... Dacedream swallowed and stopped just beside Honeytongue, and she found herself struggling for the words. She managed after a moment, "Honeytongue.... Why is Auntivybrook on the Great Rock again? Stormbringer is.... um... Stormbringer is in her spot, too..." She felt like a kit, staring helplessly up at the mature she-cat, waiting for the answer she knew would come that she didn't want to hear.

Honeytongue jumped at the sound of a voice, ears perking as she turned to see that Dacedream had arrived with the rest of ThunderClan and was settling up next to her. A soft smile worked its way across her face, but it quickly faded as the she-cat pressed for answers - why Ivystar stood on the rock and had a new deputy. Her eyes darkened as she sighed softly, shifting on her paws as she tried to find words to speak. "Torrentstar..." her voice cracked a little as she tried to say the truth - she had never had to admit the truth out loud. All of RiverClan had known from Ivystar, she hadn't needed to tell another soul what had happened. But now she had to break the news to Dacedream, there was no reason to lie. The truth would be out soon enough and maybe it was better to hear from her.

"...Torrentstar is dead," she breathed, ears slicking back as she sadly met Dacedream's gaze. "We...Ah, don't fully know...What happened. Ivystar and I found him on a patrol, there wasn't any trace of who...What killed him. I...I'm sorry. He...He didn't deserve that, not even after everything. I miss him so much, I wanted to make amends. I..." she drifted off, a soft hiccup of a cry escaping her as she raised a paw to swipe at her face. Her spirits had been better than ever but it didn't make this any easier - it was so much easier to be...Happy again when she focused on the good, not the pain of losing her father. Her last family in RiverClan. As she scrubbed at her face, her eyes fell toward where Ivystar sat...And the large tom that sat near her.

Something had happened in ShadowClan but it was impossible to tell what as the tom looked...Bored. But a new deputy had been apparently named which meant that something had to have happened to Thornstar. Quietly she wondered if somebody had taken out Torrentstar in outrage of his fling with Thornstar - it didn't make the lack of scent or trace understandable in any sense but it was the only thing that she felt that Torrentstar had done that truly deserved such outrage. She had her own anger about it before it had faded into pure brokenness...But if that was the case, did that mean that the ShadowClan leader had shared the same fate?

All it took was Honeytongue shifting, her eyes darkening, for Dacedream to know that her fears were right. The RiverClan cat's voice spoke his name, the name of her father, with such a sorrowful tone that it was impossible to not know. He was dead. Dacedream slowly sat, planting herself at Honeytongue's side so that the ends of their thick pelts just barely touched, and listened with her gaze foggy and thoughtful as she listened. He had been killed by someone, or something, and RiverClan hadn't been able to distinguish the cause. Dacedream felt apprehension tighten in her belly. He had nine lives, didn't he? Maybe less - she couldn't know - but he had more than one! He had been leader for such a short time... How could it have happened? How could he have lost all his lives in such a short time? Had he been reckless? Had he gotten hurt alongside the river, or by a predator? What about a twoleg? Or had... had StarClan punished him, like the prophecy that Mossbloom had received had warned they would punish code-breakers?

She shook her head slowly with sorrow, sweeping that thought away as she saw the tears glittering in Honeytongue's eyes. Dacedream's own gaze quickly became glassy, and she leaned over to press her muzzle into the golden she-cat's shoulder as she mourned the amends she would never be able to make. "Me, too," Dacedream answered in a tiny voice, and she licked Honeytongue's shoulder sympathetically before sitting back up again. She scooted a little closer so her side was touching the RiverClan cat's, a mourning friend beside a mourning daughter. She wished she had something to say - some form of comfort - but... Dacedream had been disowned. If she did have a right to mourn Torrentstar, she still didn't have a right to do so in front of his true-blooded RiverClan daughter. She had disgraced him, and she would have to mourn him alone - where others couldn't question her rights. The ThunderClan cat questioned after a moment, uncertain what discussion could even follow such horrid news, "So, then Auntivybrook... Does that mean she's Auntivystar now?" That was the natural progression... and Auntivybrook had always been a natural leader.

Honeytongue quickly shifted to press herself against Dacedream as the she-cat moved closer, taking comfort in the company and warmth she provided. She wasn't alone, that was the most important thing to her. She wasn't alone in her sorrow. She blinked as Dacedream spoke up, giving the ThunderClan warrior a nod. "Ah, yeah. Its...Auntivystar now," she said, her whiskers twitching in amusement. It was so strange that Dacedream always stuck with those kit-ish nicknames but it was nice. It brought a smile at her face as she glanced toward the Great Rock. "And then Stormbringer was deputy. Its...Been hard on all of us but we are managing. We've been sharing a nest recently. It was just Stormbringer and I for a while but since Torrentstar....Ivystar's been joining us." She ducked her head, feeling her cheeks warm a little as she shuffled at the ground. "Its been...Nice. To wake up in the company of the others, to get to see their faces every morning. Its...A good reminder that we are all surviving this together."

Not even her apprentice's joking tone could make Mothglow smile tonight, but she did try. "I think the others will like you," she said when she realized she couldn't. "Now we just need to introduce you."
~
Batbite followed Oakstar into Fourtrees, much the same as she had a moon before. Her eyes drifted to the leaders a little more often than they usually would have, but she still had a right to worry and fully intended to exercise it quietly. He'd recovered from the snake's bites, or at least it seemed like he had, but there could always be something else. She had never thought that sickness would be what took Leopardstar, she'd never even dreamed that her brothers would leave as they had and never come to find her. Life had a way of providing the unexpected, and if she could keep it at bay just a little bit by keeping an eye on those she cared for, she would.

Tonight, though, there was more to worry about than her former mentor's health. When she wasn't distracted by her more mundane worries, she turned her gaze to the cats around her, wondering if any would seek her out for conversation.

(Batbite is open to talk to!)

For the first time since Wolfcall had become an apprentice all those moons before, Spottedstar was not the one to lead SkyClan into the Gathering. Instead, his lanky, dark-pelted, eldest son - and deputy - was at the head of the group of cats as they made their way towards Fourtrees. The Clan Leader was sick with a bout of greencough - no doubt spread by the sick cats that had dragged themselves to the last Gathering, and that left Wolfcall at the head of SkyClan tonight.

And quite frankly, he was nervous.

He was the first to crest the hill, the first to see Fourtrees stretch out ahead of them, and the dark tom swallowed hard as he paused there, an incline of his head allowing the others to disperse before him. He waited, eyes picking out the cats already atop the rock, two cats who had been there last Gathering, too... only, now, their previously empty spots down below were occupied. Thornstar and Torrentstar were... gone? His eyes swept the clearing, searching for their pelts among the gathered cats, but they weren't there. Had they stepped down, perhaps? Or had StarClan kept true to their word about punishing the codebreakers? Had StarClan killed them?

Wolfcall's ears slanted back uncertainly, and his amber eyes fell downward at his paws as a lump grew in his throat. But after a steadying breath, he forced himself to move, paws carrying him down the hill and towards the Great Rock. The deputy forced himself not to overthink it as he crouched and sprang to sit with the three leaders, his own place below left empty. Hopefully, tonight would be uneventful.

Foxfire watched Wolfcall with a worry look as he closely followed after his old apprentice, feeling sorry for the poor boy. He couldn't imagine what kind of weight he was feeling on his shoulders - he himself had been deputy, sure, but he had never been expected to lead SkyClan to the Gathering during those couple moons and speak on behalf of SkyClan as a whole. He wish he had some sort of words to say to Wolfcall but the words failed him as the deputy hurried into the crowd and toward the Great Rock.

The warrior froze as he was left standing there alone, silently tracking the dark pelt of Wolfcall until he had made it with the others leaders. But then he paused at the sight of Ivybrook and Flintshard among the leaders. Well, it was nothing new as they had been there last Gathering but the gathering of cats beneath the Great Rock caught his attention... There were two cats already sitting there, both unfamiliar to him. ...Something had happened to one if not both the leaders, uncertain on what deputy belonged to what Clan. His whiskers twitched as he started to pad off to take a seat, his gaze remaining fixed on the Great Rock as he tried to make sense of things.

Sadly, because of this he didn't see the cat in front of him until it was to late. His gaze swung just in time to see a golden pelt, before bumping his muzzle into their shoulder as he tried to scramble to a stop. "Ah, sorry!" he apologized as he stumbled backwards, realizing that he had ran into a she-cat caught in the middle of a conversation of another cat. Two scents drifting from them, RiverClan from the golden she-cat he had run into and ThunderClan from her conversation partner - another she-cat. "So sorry! I-I wasn't looking where I was going."

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Honeytongue jumped as she suddenly felt somebody bump into her, spinning to see a lanky red tom stumble away with her, spouting apologizes as he stared at her with wide eyes. His coloration reminder her much of a fox, although he lacked a tail - having a little fluffy nub in its place - and was battle-worn, covered with scars and both of his ears were tattered. The most curious thing was that she recognized him somehow. She blinked as she titled her head, swishing her tail at him. "Its quite alright!" she reassured him, giving him a soft smile. "No harm done. ...Say, you are Foxfire, aren't you? You were the SkyClan deputy for a short while." She said, dawning on why she had recognized him. She had seen him a pawful of times at the base of the Great Rock and recalled the Gathering where Spottedstar had announced he had stepped down. She glanced over at the Great Rock, heart sinking slightly at the fact that Spottedstar wasn't there - no, the new deputy...Wolfcall she believed, had taken his place. "Oh...Where is Spottedstar?" she asked quitely, fear leaping in her throat at the idea that perhaps more leaders had died - what if there was somebody going after all of the leaders?

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Foxfire winced slightly as he was recognized, praying that she wouldn't ask why he had stepped down but thankfully her attention was soon stolen. His ear twitched as she suddenly brought up Spottedstar, following her gaze to where Wolfcall was settling down next to the other leaders. "Oh! He's just sick. Got whatever WindClan had I guess - Finchstar did seem pretty sick last Gathering," he noted, before he paused. He turned to look at her, realizing that there was something about her voice. The wide eyes and quivering whiskers told him exactly what he needed to know - that something had indeed happened to Torrentstar...And whatever it was, she was terrified the same fate had happened to Spottedstar. He opened his mouth, perhaps to press but...No, maybe it wasn't best to ask. He hesitated as he took a seat next to the pair of she-cats, giving a small smile at them. "Y'know, lets do some proper introduces. I'm Foxfire of SkyClan. And you two are?"

Pleased that her friend accepted her attempts at comfort by settling back against her, Dacedream felt some of her anxieties lessen slightly. She nodded with acknowledgement of Honeytongue's confirmation, the thought of Auntivystar leading RiverClan giving her a sense of peace and relief that, even after everything, RiverClan would be alright. Her green-hazel gaze followed Honeytongue's as the she-cat looked towards the base of the Great Rock to explain that, indeed, Stormbringer was the deputy. Dacedream's expression held a small amount of warmth, but  had always seemed quiet, like a cat who kept to herself; the former RiverClan cat really didn't know their deputy as well as she might've liked to. Stormbringer reminded Dacedream of Beartooth, a little, and she found herself missing him briefly as Honeytongue spoke about how she, Stormbringer, and Ivystar had been sharing a nest. Dacedream's tail curled with delight at the sweet and bashful words that Honeytongue spoke. "I feel that way by Duskrain," the pretty tortoiseshell answered certainly with a kittish delight in her voice.

She glanced around the clearing for a moment, seeking her nestmate's dusty coat among the crowd, but she quickly gave up the endeavor as she instead spotted SkyClan cats having arrived and begun to disperse through the clearing. Dacedream turned her gaze towards the Great Rock, waiting to see Spottedstar's pale tabby pelt rocket up; who she saw was not Spottedstar. She made a soft hum of confusion and was turning to ask Honeytongue if that was SkyClan's deputy on the rock when she spotted the collision, a brilliant pelt of ginger with dark points and a face of white. Dacedream leaned away with a start as Honeytongue was bumped, and she felt her shoulders prickle slightly with alarm; the tom-cat who had mistakenly run into them, however, was immediately apologetic, before he'd even fully recovered. "Oh! Honeytongue! Are you okay?" she gasped. Dacedream offered her support to the slightly ruffled Honeytongue. The golden she-cat, however, was unperturbed.

Honeytongue seemed to recognize the tom, in some manner, and Dacedream was happy to latch onto what information she could glean. Foxfire. Former deputy. That actually sounds familiar, I think! She was surprised when she'd learned of a deputy stepping down from the position, for it was unheard of in her lifetime, but she trusted him to have made the right choice for himself. Her gaze was bright and friendly, oblivious to the embarrassment or shame he might have felt and simply feeling awe to know a cat who'd once been in a position of power in the Clans. When Honeytongue pointed out Spottedstar's absence, the source of the concern in her voice was quite clear to Dacedream; both of their thoughts flickered to Torrentstar - Dacedream with even less information than what little Honeytongue herself had. Thankfully, there didn't seem to be any connection. Foxfire quickly assured them he was sick, and he'd probably caught it from WindClan. Dacedream nodded, chirping agreement.

After a moment Foxfire sat slowly on Honeytongue's other side, looking like he'd had something to say but decided against. Instead the tom's face brightened a little as he offered them both a bright smile. "Hi Foxfire, it's exciting to meet you! I'm Dacedream - from ThunderClan." she offered, her bushy tail swishing pleasantly. She glanced back up and added with sincerity, "I hope your leader can recover swiftly, and that it doesn't hang around camp too long. My daughter's back home with the first signs of whitecough, so Mossbloom didn't want to take any chances. I almost didn't come, but... well, I wanted to know if... if Thornstar and Torrentstar were..." She trailed off and frowned slightly. "Well, if they were okay. They raised my momma during the flood... that makes them my mawmaw and pawpaw." Even if my pawpaw didn't want me anymore, I wanted him.

"And I'm Honeytogue of RiverClan," she added with a purr as the trio got properly intoduced, letting Dacedream speak up as she expressed her worry that Spottedstar would recover to. Honeytongue was absently listening...Until a single word left her niece's mouth. 'Daughter.' She blinked, replaying that word a few times in her head before she turned to look at Dacedream. "Wait, you had kits?" she asked, before shaking her head. "I...Sorry, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised - we haven't really talked since you got your warrior name. Just...Surprised, is all," she mused. She truly couldn't be surprise, of course Dacedream and Dappleshine had lives outside of her that she wouldn't know about - it hadn't helped that she hadn't really bothered to even try to see either of them since Mudfrost had died. Her meetings with Dappleshine had come to a complete halt and she hadn't the chance to speak with her again about starting that up.

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"Its nice to meet you both," Foxfire said as the two she-cats introduced themselves, giving a nod of ackowledgement and thanks as Dacedream mentioning hoping that the sickness wouldn't last. He had hopes of that to, it was clear that Wolfcall wasn't quite ready for the added responbiltiies and he could only hope that Spottedstar would recover enough to lead them the next moon. He blinked as Dacedream made mention of her family, that Thornstar and Torrentstar were her...Mawmaw and pawpaw. Huh. He wasn't sure to be more suprrised by the nicknames or the fact that the two leaders were apprently this ThunderClan's warriors grandparents of sorts. "I...I'm taking it that something has happened to them both," he muttered softly once Honeytongue had finished her confused revelation at the fact that Dacedream had kits, turning to look at the Great Rock where Ivybrook and Flintshard - perhaps Ivystar and Flintstar now - sat next to Oakstar and Wolfcall. "I'm sorry for your losses if so," he said quickly, turning to look at the two she-cats. The mention that something had clearly happened to the leaders had shaken something in Honeytongue whose eyes took on a sad sheen - a confirmation at least in Torrentstar's case, he imaged.

"Despite the...Bad blood between SkyClan and ShadowClan, Thornstar did seem a noble cat. She..." His ears slicked back, recalling when she had killed Beanheart. It had been an accident and she had seemed truly terrified at her actions, enough to call the entire battle to an end. She wasn't blood thirsty, at least she had never wanted them dead despite what they had done to Flintshard - he could see the scars that he could only imagine were left by Beanheart those many moons ago. "If something did happen to her...The forest will never be the same. And the same for Torrentstar, even if I didn't know much of him."

Following SkyClan into the gathering, Sunflower kept his head low and tail tucked under his rump. The tom wasn't one to talk to any-cat without them talking to him first, and was perfectly fine keeping away from the main crowd. That way, he had less of a chance to make a fool of himself.

At the mention of Vixenpaw, suddenly Honeytongue chirped up with surprise. "Wait, you had kits?" the she-cat asked, and Dacedream's green-hazel eyes flew wide as she stared at Honeytongue. "Oh, stars, I never got to tell you!" she gasped. The RiverClan cat shook her head and reiterated her surprise, and an apology. Dacedream shook her head swiftly, reaching a cream-toed paw out the rest it on Honeytongue's in a gesture of peace. "I, uh, didn't really intend to have kits," Dacedream explained with a somewhat wry but but bashful grin as she glanced past her former Clanmate to the SkyClan tom they'd just met, "but yes! Yes I do. Four beautiful apprentices, now." Her gaze turned fully back to Honeytongue, searching the golden she-cat's green eyes for... what, excitement? Approval? She wasn't sure why, but she felt some of her insecurities about being a mother prickle at her fur.

Thankfully, Foxfire was there to save the conversation and quickly distract her brain. While his own revelation was a bit less pleasant, it was relevant, and it was new. Dacedream's expression sobered ever so slightly as she glanced between Honeytongue and Foxfire before watching the SkyClan warrior again. She dipped her broad tortoiseshell head with grief and gratitude, murmuring a wordless thanks as she looked for Honeytongue's thoughts on her face. Foxfire continued on with a courteous, diplomatic praise for Thornstar and Torrentstar. Dacedream smiled and sniffed slightly, having only just realized the bittersweet tears that glossed her eyes. "They could have done so much - so much better than they'd already been trying for, I know it - if they'd had... had the time," she mused, shifting slightly. In the meantime... she prayed that they were the best they could be, able to do everything, in the stars.

Rumors had been blown over the moors, swept beyond borders by whispers in the wind. StarClan had punished RiverClan and ShadowClan, killing both Thornstar and Torrentstar in one fell swoop. Finchstar narrowed his eyes as he stalked through the grasses, knowing the game that had to be played tonight would be one of great difficulty. The tom loved a challenge, when wits were involved, he would win. However lives were on the line. Finchstar had made it clear in his subtle way that he did not support StarClan's decision to segregate the clans by blood. He had given Zinnia an apprentice, in the eyes of the stars. A heat befell his ears now as the tom led WindClan into the clearing, eyes narrowed and calculating. The Great Rock rose high above the clearing. Finchstar gave Raventail a passing nod as he quickly mounted the rock, coming to face what would be Ivystar and Flintstar for the first time.

"Stars..." Finchstar whispered to himself, seeing now the destruction StarClan caused with his own eyes. He stopped only for a moment to let his guard down, eyes blinking in shock before his bluff resumed. Quickly, his face shifted into one of aloofness, a gentle smile crested his maw, and his yellow eyes retook their coolness. He would not speak first, as he would not be caught speculating. Finchstar only stood to watch the world unfold, paws rooted to the spot. This gathering would be interesting indeed.

---

Duskrain was late. She didn't mind. Once again the dusty she-cat stopped to marvel at frozen tree trunks and little spiders that had now found their way out of the frost. She gathered the small bugs into her coat, rubbing cobwebs across her gray fur as she ran quicker into the clearing. All of the clans were there, but Duskrain didn't mind. She didn't like gatherings. But she did like the moon, and the night, and she wanted to show Dacedream her spiders. Weaving through the throngs of cats, the warrior eventually spotted her nestmate and let out a happy trill, bounding to her side. A golden she-cat sat next to her, smelling like fish. Duskrain wrinkled her nose and giggled, wondering if this was the Honeytongue Dacedream had told her about. "Dacedream!" Duskrain mewed, rubbing her cheek across that of her lover's. "Look! I found spiders!"

---

A shiver ran down Tawnypaw's spine as she followed RiverClan into the gathering. Snowpaw was lost in the crowd, or maybe he never came. Stormbringer was deputy, so of course she had to sit at the rock. But Tawnypaw lost sight of tradition as she could only stop to marvel at the things she had heard from stories. Great StarClan! The four oaks were HUGE! They didn't have trees like this on RiverClan territory! And the rock! She imagined Stormbringer would be easy to spot at the base, but as the other clans quickly flooded in, Tawnypaw quickly lost sight of her mentor. A flood of smells washed past her nose, and the tortoiseshell had to use all her wit to stop herself from wrinkling it. A subtle part of the she-cat wanted to seek out Driftingpaw or Poppypaw, hoping to sit near a friend, but the smarter part of her knew that this would be a wasted opportunity if she didn't find a cat from a separate clan to talk to. Tawnypaw just had to know all about the culture beyond the RiverClan border. If she was ever going to be smart and tactical, she needed to know her enemy, and perhaps even make friends with them. Giggling to herself, the she-cat rose her tail high and padded off confidently into the clearing. Tawnypaw knew how to make friends. She had a lot of friends, and was considering herself thriving. It wouldn't hurt to satisfy her curiosity as well. A tall, white, lanky tom caught her attention, and Tawnypaw grinned widely. He looks like a willow tree! A cat that silly couldn't possibly be scary. Boldly, she padded to the tom's side and sat down, amber eyes glowing. "Hi." She mewed loudly, hoping to catch the tom's attention. "I'm Tawnypaw of RiverClan. I'll have you know this is my very first gathering, so I'd like to make some friends! Who are you?" Flawless. Tawnypaw had done it once again.

Pale moonlight shone through the trees, illuminating the hints of life that heralded an overdue end to leaf-bare. The surrounding sky was suspiciously dark, and though he’d pulled on his customary smile somewhere between camp and Fourtrees, Raventail couldn’t say his mood was much better. As of late, he’d taken to wondering things he very much didn’t want to wonder. Barleytuft, kind and faithful, but not blindly so. Grumpy, loyal, brave Murkpaw. His own mentor, despising outsiders, despising StarClan. What did they make of this? Surely even Brookclover wouldn’t want WindClan hurt for…for no reason, especially with newleaf approaching. If they had to rebuild again…

He glanced at the Great Rock to see three familiar faces, then at the stone’s base. The spaces that had been empty last moon were now occupied: RiverClan’s by a ragged-looking gray cat, ShadowClan’s by a black-and-silver one with a set of scars drawn over her eyes. RiverClan must have decided what to do with Torrentstar. As for the still-absent Thornstar… Raventail could only hope his instincts were wrong about what had happened to her. At least Wolfcall’s former spot was empty. They still had Spottedstar, Oakstar. Finchstar. Raventail’s gaze drifted upward once more. In this darkness, Finchstar burned. Smooth as fish scales, bold as a lion. The dark-furred tom squeezed his eyes shut, exhaled, and set off toward his place with quick but unfaltering steps, pausing only as he got closer. He didn’t want to intrude on the new deputies’ conversation, but it felt strange to sneak over without saying something, so— ”Excuse me,” he meowed, with a sheepish grin as apology for interrupting, and sat.

ooc: raventail is open to talk!
lightfang is feeling unwell and will not be present

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Having lost track of Tawnypaw about two seconds after they’d left camp, Snowpaw followed his Clanmates in what could best be described as a hurried strut. Though he wanted to hang back to hear what his mentor and Ivystar were discussing, he couldn’t think of a way to do it subtly, and the promise of finally seeing one of those Gatherings he’d heard so much about lured him onward. The first thing he noticed was the noise. A fog of sound, footsteps, chattering, so thoroughly blended as to be directionless. And he’d thought Clan meetings were noisy! He shook himself, but the fog persisted. Even if he could hear the voices of Tawnypaw or his siblings, what were the odds he’d be able to find them in this crowd? His heart sank the tiniest bit at the thought of spending his first Gathering night alone, but…

But there were always other cats. The newest arrivals smelled like those trespassers he and his father had fought—WindClan, he realized, straightening abruptly. Probably better to stay away from them, then. With that in mind, he forged ahead into the wall of sound, a blur of determination and white fur.

ooc: snowpaw is open to talk! (though he might be a bit wary of windclanners at first)

Not bothering with any useless conversation, Ivystar simply nodded to each of the leaders and deputies as they took their rightful places on the great rock. Decidedly not wasting any time, she stepped past each of them towards the front of the rock, ready to begin the gathering... Or, more accurately, get it over with. "Let the Gathering begin!" The silver tabby yowled, effectively silencing each of the Clan cats below. With a deep breath, she tried to spontaneously figure out the right words for what she had to say. "Not many sunrises ago, Torrentstar's lifeless body was found alongside ThunderClan's border, left there to rot away by whatever being it was that killed him." Giving a moment for the news to sink in, Ivystar closed her eyes, letting the words formulate in her mind. "StarClan has recognized me as the new RiverClan leader, and Stormbringer will lead by my side as deputy. That doesn't change the fact that whoever killed Torrentstar is still out there, and could be a threat. It was quite obvious that he was attacked by another cat, yet none of my warriors nor medicine cats could detect any scents of the neighboring Clans, and there was nothing else to clue us in on what may have taken place. If you have any information on what may have happened to Torrentstar, I recommend you make it known to me, now." Emerald eyes narrowed as she gazed across the clearing, waiting for someone, for anyone to come forward with even the slightest bit of information.

When no one did so, it took everything Ivystar had to withhold a deep sigh of frustration... And perhaps of relief. Maybe it was better not knowing... Wasn't it? Shaking her head, she looked down at the cats before her with a stern gaze. "I guarantee you all that when I find out who the fox-hearted cat who did this is, I'll line my nest with their hide." With her frustrations voiced, the she-cat turned to face her fellow leaders, flicking her tail for the next leader to share their news... And perhaps so that she could discover what had happened to Thornstar.

Deputy? The warrior questioned as the other deputy spoke. Did that mean Thornstar.. Oh.. "Yes. It is my first gathering as deputy, but despite my own nerves, I have to support my leader. I'm sure you are doing the same." Stormbringer said to the other She-cat, mentally taking note of her blindness.

Amber eyes turned up to the leaders at the Rock as soon as Ivystar started to speak. She couldn't help but show her teeth slightly at the news of Torrentsrar. She would make sure whoever did it would pay. Yes he broke the code but that didn't mean he had to be killed.

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Ploverpuddle followed his clan silently. Letting the the sullen mood just sit inside him. After everything that had happened it just seemed right to acknowledge it. The gray and white warrior sat silently among his clanmates, yellow eyes watching the leaders. Shock filling him at the news of Torrentstar.

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Flowerthorn followed her deputy into the gathering. She settled on the outside of the gather cats like she always did. Dull blue eyes watching the leaders, but the news that was shared didn't come as a shock to her. It was weird but nothing that affected her.