April Gathering 2020

Redpaw flattened his ears back. Every cat seemed to be nervous. With the thunder and lightning, it certainly didn’t seem to be good. But weren’t they StarClan? Wasn’t StarClan good? Nothing made sense. Ears still pinned back, he crouched down to the ground. Small and unnoticeable, he quickly made his way next to Swansong. ”What is happening?”

He didn’t know what was happening. In his gut, he felt tension, which usually was a sign of foreboding. He tensed and whispered again to Swansong. “Why is every cat so afraid? I get it’s bad, but...” He trailed off and sat down, quiet again, eyes plotting an escape route. SkyClan hasn’t done anything!

Their presence brought fear. Good. A large dark tortoiseshell stood with the group of starlit cats. His green eyes scanned the crowd around them critically, then looked at the rock, and narrowed. His jaw clenched in dissatisfaction as he took a paw step forward. His lips parted in a snarl.

“Look what we have here.” He growled, pelt bristled as his tail lashed to indicate cats around them. His green gaze fell on each cat that had broken the code. The youth born of such code breaking. “The forest of sin and disgrace.” He turned his head towards the other dark tom in the middle, then back towards the crowd. “We’ve been too kind to you. Let your filthy lot pollute our code and bring it down to the mud. Buried where it is not followed by any except ants and those few who actually had to seek it. I see so few who follow it, who aren’t borne of such disgrace…” he trailed off in a wordless snarl as he turned to his compatriots and stalked back to them.

Stormbringer stood frozen as soon as the sky changed. The rumbles the bright flash. The gray deputy felt fear grip her heart. Amber eyes looked around checking if Ivystar was alright before noticing where Flintstar was looking. Wide shocked eyes fell onto the five starry figures. Oh no.. No no no.. Riverclan hadn't done anything wrong right? They were following what was supposed to be done right?

Her eyes scanned the crowd, counting the Riverclan warriors among the crowd, making sure not one was missing or dead. A moment of white movement caught her eyes causing her to turn her attention away from the five dead leaders even as one spoke. She saw Snowpaw making his way back towards where most of Riverclan was gathering. She quickly motioned for her apprentice to join her. She wanted to protect him at all costs.

---

Ploverpuddle felt his heart drop as soon as everything changed. As soon as the five dead leaders appeared the large gray tom jumped and scrambled out of the way for they were right on top of him. His coat was fluffed up, eyes wide and alert. Yellow eyes took in the appearance of all of the cats in front of him for a moment before one spoke up.

Filth? Disgrace? Fear changed to dread. He was one of those... but it wasn't his fault.. He didn't ask to be born... It wasn't his fault the Skyclan leader fell in love with a Windclan warrior.. It wasn't his fault he was made to make a choice between the two clans... Right..?

---

Flowerthorn perked up with interest as soon as the Starclan cats appeared. Unlike the others who were afraid and concerned, ready to defend their kin any second, she was curious. She knew she didn't fall under anything the one leader said. She was pure, she followed the code. Sure she wasn't the best cat but at least she was loyal to her clan and to the code. She also knew that Skyclan hadn't done any wrong. Skyclan was pure, Skyclan was loyal to their ancestors. They would be fine. The others? Maybe not so much. The pale warrior smirked. This would be entertaining.

Willowpaw, who was still sitting near the open space, stared in shock as five StarClan cats appeared before her. She had heard of rumors that StarClan was punishing cats of mixed-blood, and she grew worried. Willowpaw looked around the clearing, and decided that she would defend anyone who was attacked by the StarClan cats.


Streampaw saw the StarClan warriors, and fear prickled her pelt. She padded towards her mentor, Nightwolf. “What’s happening? Is this normal? Who are they?” Streampaw asked fearfully, shrinking back.

The sonorous rumbling reverbrated around the clearing, resonating deep within the assembly, striking them all with rigid trepidation. The splitting crack punctured the sky, alighting the atmosphere with an eerily blinding light. Vixenpaw had rooted herself firmly within the depths of it all, having intended to have irked the other clans' apprentices simply for her own entertainment - but it seemed that her quest to seek a suitable group short-lived. In a heartbeat, the Gathering had commenced... leaving her lost in the midst of the crowd. Her muzzle wrinkled into a distasteful sneer as the scents trickled into her senses, infused to produce a bewildering sour-musky smell. With a displeased huff, sulking as she had failed to draw attention to herself in the usual manner, she had forced herself to sit still. Droning off to the mundane reports of the other clans, Vixenpaw didn't make any effort to suppress the lashing of her tail, whipping other cats around her as she pointedly expressed her boredom. The shadows gradually enveloping the clearing were lost to her, as she muttered irritated curses under her breath, clearly disappointed that nobody had paid any heed to her this Gathering.


Needless to say, in the haze that had shrouded her thoughts, Vixenpaw had been quite startled. Letting out a shrieking eep, she jolted to her feet; her claws glistened in the wisp of what light remained, her hackles prickling. The ThunderClanner's alarmed gaze whisked between pelts, towards the leaders... then to the sky. Murk engulfed the clearing, sparking an uneasy lurching in her stomach. Disregarding the equally terrified exclamations and wide-eyed trembling figures surrounding her... Vixenpaw shoved through the lot, jostling forcefully against the pelts of others as she blindly staggered amongst the chaos. Vexed at the mere presence of so many strangers, she yelped vague snarls of, "Get out of my way!" until she hurtled into the familiar fluff of the cat she had been seeking. In her haste she had tripped into Dacedream's fur, her stumble cushioned by her mother as Vixenpaw let out a faint oomf... immediately followed by a yowl of relief. Nudging forcefully against Cherryblossom, she subconsciously shouldered away her sister... before lifting her wide eyes brimming with an uncharacteristic fear. Her amber gaze glistened with apprehension, looking pleadingly into her mother's eyes, completely heedless to the presence of Cherryblossom and Dappleshine. The agitation in the clearing only amplified her panic.


The booming growl erupted through Fourtrees, halting her trail of anxious utters as yet another one of the StarClan cats parted their maw to speak. Vixenpaw's mouth snapped into a tight grimace, pelt bristling at the words that she could barely comprehend. As she stared dumbfoundedly at the tom, evidently intimidated by his words, her heart swiftly hastened into a drumming beat. In her state of hysteria she had refused to believe it, but now...

---

《ooc》 i will edit with smokepaw's response soon -- i must leave but i shall be back in a few minutes ;;

The roll of thunder was painfully predictable. The timing, however, was not. Finchstar hadn't even said a word. Spottedstar would have laughed if the mood weren't so serious, as the whole situation was absurd. How many moons had they been angering the ancestors now? When would something actually--

The arrival of the starry five was a new shock. The SkyClan leader stared down at the ancestors, brows furrowed and teeth gritted. Never before had he seen dead cats in the living world, but he had heard tales of a horrible battle many, many seasons ago. Were these newcomers here to battle? Spottedstar's eyes flicked to Flintstar as he snarled at them in recognition. The emotionless leader was suddenly quite emotional, and the spotted tomcat wondered how he knew them. It seemed a tumultuous relationship at best. He looked back to the group as one of them began speaking. The tortoiseshell tom pranced about, spoke his angry, eloquent words, and fled back to his pack. Spottedstar's lip curled and a growl started in his chest. No one spoke to his pure clan like that. Hopefully they would send their message and get lost. Would StarClan dare break their own command of peace? He remained silent, stifling the growl dutifully. This had nothing to do with him or his clanmates.

Harefoot jumped, spooked by the crash of thunder even though he felt as if he should have expected it. "Oh, my... oh dear..." He meowed quietly to himself. Then, he was startled once more by the sudden appearance of what could only be StarClan warriors themselves. There were no introductions, but by the way the angry cat talked, it was clear where they came from. Harefoot slinked through the awed crowd to find Cedarpaw and wrap his tail tightly around her. Where were Beepaw, Ferretnose, Daisypaw? Was Cherryblossom safe? These were his immediate concerns. Cherryblossom, specifically, would be called out by the tom's venom against muddied blood. Harefoot nervously scratched the ground with his claws, pulling Cedarpaw closer.

Dawngaze stood to her paws at the sight of the angered strangers. 'StarClan? Here?' The fur on her neck and flank rose, her thick tail bushed out, and her claws dug deep into the ground. An unexpected fear filled her to the brim. She hated StarClan for what they did to her family, and now her assumption was proved: the feeling was mutual. They hated her and her bloodline as well. The stranger looked at the lot of them like they were all dust beneath his paws. She wanted very badly to wipe the smirk from his face, but even aggravated beyond all rationality, Dawngaze knew better. If they wanted to challenge her validity as a warrior, she would remind them of their own failure of a disciple that had sired her.

"Oh, ThunderClan? That's cool! You've got trees, like us. We're practically related." Juniperpaw meowed with a smile. Their conversation was cut short. His father started the meeting quite quickly, and he respectfully kept his mouth shut as almost all the leaders spoke. The invasion of the strangers was rather terrifying, and his short black fur puffed out as far as it could. What was happening? What was the mad tomcat talking about, and why were they so upset? Juniperpaw whimpered, looking around for Murkpelt or Firflower. He would have ran to Wolfcall, but decorum prevented him from disturbing the deputy. A tall, spindly tom hurried to Cedarpaw and wrapped her up in a protective embrace, and Juniperpaw looked longingly to Spottedstar, wishing he could have the same kind of comfort.

The grey apprentice stared, horrified, outraged at these new intruders- StarClan though they may be, it wasn't their turn to speak and they knew it, let alone with such hatred at so many innocent cats from her own clan (and the others, too)! No, this just wouldn't do.

Morningpaw opened her mouth to speak- she wanted to say something like, This isn't how Gatherings should work! Hold your tongue and wait your turn!, or Everyone here is three times the cat you are! Look at yourself before you doubt us!, or even If all of StarClan is like you, no wonder we're losing faith!.

She wanted to be brave, to take a stand, to protect her clan from the wrath of these starlit cats, these celestial demons- but she'd only just been made an apprentice. And what can an apprentice do against such might?

So Morningpaw didn't say any of those things. She simply glared her best glare and hissed quietly (though perhaps a little too loudly),

"Are all of StarClan this awful? They should know better than this. Even I know better than this."

If this were any other circumstance, Cherryblossom would have just left her vain sister to get coddled by their mother, but when Vixenpaw shouldered her out of the way, she just lashed her tail once before shuffling to Dacedream's other side and pressing against her, irritated thoughts sparking in her head. Though, she kept them to herself. There was no sense in letting Vixenpaw know how to get under her skin.
You could have taken her other side, you know! Mouse-brained, air-headed, conceited excuse for a cat!

Her frustration died as the StarClan cats commanded fear, spitting hatred and vitriol, condemning the existence of half-Clan cats and Clan-hoppers, and those who weren't Clan-born at all. Fear swept away all irritation she had with her sister in the moment, as she realized that they meant her. They were talking about her, and Dacedream. They were talking about Jaypaw, and as much as she disliked Vixenpaw, they were talking about her too.

---

Olivestone had been watching in silent horror up until now. Even though she'd asked Morningpaw to hold her tongue until they were safely back in camp, she knew the chance was slim that her apprentice would actually heed her warning here. When Morningpaw hissed her irritation under her breath, the gray warrior gasped and whispered back, almost desperately,
"I know you're angry, but please, please, keep quiet. These cats killed not one, but two leaders for breaking the warrior code. They won't hesitate to kill to get what they want."

She knew her words would scare the apprentice, but in all honesty, Olivestone herself was terrified. She knew that she and her brother were "protected" by a clause of the warrior code, but she knew deep down that these starry cats likely wouldn't be picky about who they would punish.

Strom had to smile as the other murmured about Finchstar. Even his own Clan dreads him saying anything.

He listened to the announcements, the leaders stating their news quickly, as if they, too, were eager for nothing more to happen. Maybe if they splashed it quick enough.... The patchy light from the moon above suddenly became a whole lot patchier, and he glanced up warily, eyeing the billowing blackness. I have a bad feeling....

A crack cut through any idle chatter between cats, silencing the entire clearing with a flash of light.

And then they appeared.

I knew it was too good to be true. The faint thought crossed his mind briefly as the fur - what little hadn't risen already at the crack of lightning - rose along his spine at the sight of the five cats who had appeared, their starry pelts and glowing eyes marking them as definitely not living. "I think you spoke too soon," He whispered to the tom beside him, more out of a desire to stop the thrill of dread creeping up his spine than anything. He cast a glance at Batbite on his other side, every muscle prepared to leap up if these cats made a move towards any of them.

Eyes casting around the clearing for his other Clanmates, he spotted Dacedream, Dappleshine in front of her. Dappleshine! He stared for a moment - he hadn't seen her around since... since he left RiverClan - but the sudden sound of a voice broke through his thoughts, and he snapped his eyes back to the five StarClanners, an unpleasant feeling like fish oil mixed with mud sliding through his veins at the words, and their tone. This tom, whoever he had been, didn't care about anyone here.

His eyes narrowed as the tom continued, complete and utter contempt lacing everything that came out of his mouth, and felt his tail flick behind him. Why are there only five of you? Where's the rest of StarClan, if they agree with everything you're saying?

---

A familiar scent touched Swansong's nose, and she glanced over with a smile to see Sunflower sit beside her, her awkward brother hunching slightly as he settled down. "I feel like we haven't been at a gathering for a long time," She mewed quietly. "But it looks as though this one is going well, so far."

Her eyes drifted slightly to the side, watching her apprentice interact with a red tabby she-cat. "Were you nervous when you had your first apprentice?"

The words were barely out of her mouth when the sky suddenly opened, a flash of light and an ear-splitting crack spiking her fur on end. With wide eyes, she stared up at the sky, barely aware through the sudden ringing in her ears of the fact that she'd automatically dropped into a crouch, her fur bristling and ears flattened. "What-"

"Hello there."

Her ears caught the call of the five newcomers before her startled gaze landed on them, and she froze, taking in the starry look of their pelts, and the anger written in their faces. S-StarClan? Her first thought was that they couldn't be - StarClan never appeared personally. They watched, and guided, but didn't interfere in the daily lives of cats. But the stars in their pelts, and the glow of their eyes, said otherwise.

Disbelief coloured her mind as one stepped forwards, his snarled words driving thorns of condemnation into the cats gathered. Why had they come here? They've never come down themselves. Never.... And yet... the evidence was right in front of her eyes.

A whisper at her side brought her eyes flicking over, Redpaw's tense face meeting her gaze. "I... I don't know," She whispered back, her eyes turning back to the starry tom as he whipped around with a snarl back to his companions. "I think... I think they're afraid StarClan will hurt them because of the prophecy about Code-breakers...."

She and her siblings were safe, as was Redpaw and as far as she knew, all of SkyClan, but others in the Clans.... She couldn't help her gaze flitting to those she knew about, and especially to Finchstar. The tom had made quite the announcement at the last gathering, or so she'd heard. Perhaps that was why StarClan hadn't even let him speak.... She turned her eyes to Spottedstar, noting the spark of anger in his eyes and tensing herself slightly. "There may be a fight here, stay close to us," She murmured to Redpaw, desperately hoping no blood would be shed this night.

Sunpaw spotted her friend, Willowpaw, by herself, looking around worriedly. Sunpaw wondered what was happening, until she spotted the five StarClan cats. Sunpaw, her pelt prickling with fear, rushed towards Willowpaw. “Willowpaw, we need to help anyone who’s going to get attacked.”

Owlstar had been looking forward to this night for a long time.

Fear and uncertainty rose from the pelts of the gathered cats, so thick and intense it was almost palpable. Many shrank away from the starry leaders, a few of the braver - or dumber - ones curled their lips or bared a tooth, but for the most part, there was compliance. These cats knew what had been done to Torrentstar and Thornstar, who defied them so openly, and they were reluctant to face the same fate. All around them, dumbstruck faces stared at them, wide-eyed and afraid as Brackenstar made his scathing assessment of the gathered cats.

Lifting his gaze to the Great Rock, Owlstar surveyed Spottedstar, noting the well-hidden spark of rebellion in his eyes, the furious tension in his frame. But the spotted leader remained silent, and Owlstar met his gaze with a smirk of approval.

Moving from his spot in the center of the StarClan cats, Owlstar prowled slowly, almost mockingly, around the gathered cats. Muscles rippled beneath his shaggy pelt as his eyes sought out every SkyClan cat in attendance. He sidled up to stand beside Swansong and Redpaw, his tail brushing the apprentice in what would have been a comforting gesture coming from literally any other cat. "Those pure of blood, and those loyal to the clans in which they were born, have nothing to fear from us," he called out, and though his voice was quiet, it rang out through Fourtrees, each cat hearing it as clearly as if the shaggy tom had been standing at their ear.

"It is important to us for you all to understand," he continued. "That wanton violence is not our goal. Nor is it our desire to unfairly disrupt what you all hold dear." He moved on, prowling with deliberate slowness towards Juniperpaw. He used a sheathed paw to lift the young tom's chin, then settled beside him, bushy tail curled around his paws. His gaze lifted again to Spottedstar as he pressed his shoulder gently against the leader's son's dark pelt. "The question remains, however, how far you are willing to go to restore the honor of the clans as they once were... how willingly you will cast aside code-breakers and impurities... the lengths at which you will bend your own moralities to repair the tattered remains of the code that has been so grievously disregarded..."

His eyes flickered, for a split second, to Finchstar, a sardonic smirk tugging at his features. And then he quieted, waiting for one of his compatriots to continue in his stead.

Redpaw shrank back instinctively as the tom came close to him. Why is this cat coming to me? And why is he eyeing SkyClan as he would a piece of prey? Maybe we’re the only clan that hasn’t done anything wrong. As the tom stroked his tail down his back, Redpaw felt fury rise, quickly blanketed by fear. I haven’t done nothing wrong and I don’t think Swansong has. We’ll be fine. But we’ll have to make decisions. Cast codebreakers out or do what? Fight StarClan?

Willowpaw wanted to back away, but she held her ground. Even though she was one of the younger apprentices, she knew that whatever this was was definitely not normal.

Batbite watched StarClan's descent carefully, keeping her eyes locked on them. She had cast her gaze aside for just a moment, to ensure that Strom was where he'd been moments before, but after that her attention was locked firmly on their ancestors. Somehow, laying her eyes on starry-furred cats for the first time since her journey to the Moonstone, she felt nothing like the respect or admiration she'd expected to.

Instead, something closer to anger coursed through her veins. A low, constant hum, the same sort of defiant nature she'd always felt was now intensified. She'd never liked being told what to do, and she wasn't about to let a small group of cats long since dead and buried tell her what rules were and weren't worth following. She sat silently, neither baring tooth and claw nor shrinking back, instead observing. Her emotions were masked by a silent stare, and she wondered if they cared about her at all.

She hadn't been born a clan cat, but she wasn't keen on proving herself to these strangers. She had better things to do than please the dead.

(Right and wrong, she thought, were not flexible. To assume they were, that morals could be bent and twisted rather than broken, was yet another failure to add to their tally.)

She'd felt haunted by ghosts for so much of her life, after all - what was five more on top of the rest?

---

Mothglow couldn't bring herself to look at the StarClan cats. She tried, for a moment, because something told her that she should at least see them and be sure they were really there, but the voice in the back of her mind that was repeating on an endless loop that these were the cats who had killed her mother led her to instead stare at the ground. She felt like she was about to cry, but held herself back, held herself still - would they be happy, to see her miserable? It seemed they might, and the last thing she wanted was to please them.

Ravenmist stood still as the thunder crashed and new voices rose from the clearing. StarClan was here, among them. Yet she wasn’t panicking. Wasn’t showing fear. Just a calm, almost defiant air. There were plenty of reasons to be afraid, but for whatever reason, she wasn’t. Perhaps she would speak, but first she wanted to listen. After all, an argument was only good if it could be defended, and she could only fully understand theirs if she listened to their side. She had to keep her ears open and keep a clear head. It was her duty, after all, to help Flintstar and defend her Clan.

Crowspirit’s ears shot back with anxiety, as he scanned the crowd. It did seem like StarClan really had it out for Finchstar. “Larkpaw, get over here.” He hissed, as he began to move over to Goldengale’s side, his eyes roving the crowd for Spotlake and his kits. He wanted his family and friends to be close to him, not out where these StarClanners could get to them. This wasn’t the StarClan he remembered. This didn’t make sense. These weren’t the kind cats who he had come to know StarClan as. Nothing was making sense, everything was spinning. The fear, the confusion, the chaos, it was dizzying.