June Gathering 2020

Nettlefire walked with her clanmates into the gathering, already feeling worn out. The battle may have been behind them, but the wounds they had left on her clan and her family still felt very fresh, and for all she knew the same was true in every other clan as well. And while she knew-- well, at least she very much hoped-- that the night would go smoother than the last gathering did, she was also sure that there would be some lingering concerns that would carry over into tonight.

"Hello, all," she said as she approached the other deputies. She had decided to make a concentrated effort to be friendlier and do more than just give a cold nod of acknowledgement and then not utter another word the rest of the night. "Hopefully tonight's gathering will be less...exciting than the last one,"

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Addershade followed the rest of RiverClan. His strange sense of calm was still with him, and he was in as good a mood as he ever had been at a gathering, though that wasn't saying much.

It was just that after being part of a large battle against the dead, something like 'small talking with strangers' seemed less terrifying in comparison. It wasn't that he was necessarily looking forward to it; but he was less scared than he had been before, and he felt like that counted for something.

OOC: Addershade is open to talk!

((And also Marshcloud is back at camp being sad so he won't be at the gathering))

"There they are!" Tanglepaw interjected, pointing out Oakstar to the other apprentices. She shrank back when she saw him. Was he always so weary looking? His Clan walked in a disjointed and sullen manner, seemingly less high-and-might than they tended to be. Oakstar, especially, looked tired. His greying muzzle and hunched shoulders were evident of some kind of emotional strain. Tanglepaw frowned. "He's usually a lot more chipper than that. I wonder what happened."

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Ferretnose observed Fourtrees with reverence. For some reason, she had expected it to bear the marks of the carnage that occurred underneath the branches of the four great trees, as if a fire had swept through it to char the grass and shake leaves. She was pleased to find that all was well, at least so far. She didn't make a habit of attending Gatherings, as she felt guarding the camp was more rewarding an activity. With most of her clanmates gone, she could really think, untouched by hustle and bustle. Tonight was different. Tonight, she wanted to see peace for herself. The Gathering would be overseen by the true ancestors, and she smiled to think that they watched eagerly to see a forest in tranquility and friendship.

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OOC: Ferretnose is free! Bee is recovering from a concussion and won't be attending, Big Sad

Redfall noticed ThunderClan enter, and retreated from the conversation, giving a slight nod to Clovertwist and Fernpaw as he left. He made his way over to where a WindClan warrior sat, sitting down beside him. His goal was much of the same: to get to know a couple of other cats... making friends or enemies. It remained to be seen who this cat could be. "I'm Redfall," he introduced himself, after a slight hesitation adding, "of SkyClan." His ginger tail twitched as he waited for the tom to respond, wondering if he'd think Redfall was bad because he was SkyClan. The Clans didn't hold a high opinion of them - right now, at least.

ooc: Red will work a few insults in soon, don't worry :P (talking to Crowspirit)

Olivestone felt her heart sink a little as both the RiverClan apprentice and Ravenmist both asked about Morningdove, and she took a deep breath as she mentally rehearsed what she was going to the say in the split second before she opened her mouth to speak.
"She's alive, however, she's been in a coma ever since. We don't know when she'll wake up, or if she ever will. On a brighter note, she does have her warrior name, and it is Morningdove, as doves are symbolic of peace. Her whole movement was dedicated to bringing peace to the forest, and since she succeeded, it's only fitting that her warrior name reflects that. I'm not sure if she can hear from her coma, but I'll be sure to tell her that you guys were asking about her."

She turned to Ravenmist for a moment, nodding to Ashpaw beforehand.
"I have a question for you, actually. My newest apprentice got blinded, and I was wondering if you had any tips on how to modify her training to accommodate it. I want to give her the best training possible."

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Cherryblossom padded into Fourtrees in the middle of the group of Thunderclan cats attending, and she found herself looking around at the clearing as her Clanmates fanned out around her, searching for their own spots. She found an unoccupied spot and settled down, watching the Great Rock and the conversations going on at its base from afar.

Sure enough, once Ivystar had joined them on the Great Rock, Flintstar shuffled toward her. That explained what he’d been so busy thinking about. Ravenstar watched them for a moment, then, acutely aware that whatever they were discussing probably wasn’t his business, turned to look out over the rest of Fourtrees. SkyClan had joined them. Spottedstar…hadn’t, though one of the pelts near Fourtrees’s outskirts looked an awful lot like his. Wolfcall, too, wasn’t in his usual spot. Nor was he among SkyClan’s warriors, though Ravenstar couldn’t be completely sure of that; with so many cats filtering into the clearing, picking out individuals was getting harder by the second. Feeling uneasy, he gave up his search. Just in time, too—the last Clan had arrived.

No way around it: Oakstar looked terrible. Tonight, the age and experience that suited him so well seemed to be crushing him. Though this, too, wasn’t his business in the slightest, Ravenstar couldn’t ignore the stab of concern in his gut. For one, he had friends—well, a friend—in ThunderClan. For another, Oakstar had been patient with him over the moons, especially when Finchstar had gone missing. If they’d been sitting together beneath the Great Rock tonight, he would have asked; he couldn’t let this stop him. ”We’ve been as good as we could be,” he said in a low voice. ”I went to the Moonstone, my name’s Ravenstar now.” Though a smile rose on his muzzle at that last part, remembering how confused he’d been by Oakstar’s new name so long ago, the light in his eyes dimmed once he’d said it. ”But, Oakstar—how’s ThunderClan recovering? How about you? If you don't mind me asking, of course,” he added hurriedly.

Ravenmist smiled at the fact Morningpaw-no, Morningdove now, was still alive, and she nodded in appreciation. "Thank you, Olivestone." Then Olivestone began speaking directly to her again, and her tail curled with interest. Though, her posture didn't show the full extent of her intrigue. The deputy was eager to hear there was another cat like her in the Clans, though slightly saddened by the fact that another young cat had to go through something similar to what she did.

"It's good to hear that your apprentice is continuing with her training. It's a shame when a cat has to give up their dreams because of an injury. When I was first blinded, Crowfur- my uncle and mentor, started with making sure I relearned the camp and territory by touch, sound, and scent. She's going to need a lot of help early on- it won't be easy, or fast. If she's a quick learner, all the easier. Make a game out of it. Have her race the kits around camp when she gets more confident. Once she's learned to navigate, everything else should be easy."

Above her, the leaders began to talk. She took a mental note of Ravenstar's new name, but only stopped a few moments before speaking again. "Better hearing and smell to compensate for the loss of sight will come around naturally. She'll adjust to hunting and fighting without it, although predators will target her specifically, because her disability renders her weaker in a fox's eyes than another cat. I was attacked by a raccoon on my hunting assessment as an apprentice, before I could catch anything. Just some things to be aware of. Other than that, let her grow and flourish just like any other apprentice. Be aware of her differences but don't let it stop her from achieving any goal she wants. I'd love to meet her, when I have the chance."

She gave another grin towards Olivestone, ears pricked in authentic enthusiasm. She prayed her fellow deputy would have the best of luck with her charge, and that the young cat in question wouldn't be discouraged.

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Crowspirit turned his head to the ginger warrior approaching him, flicking his tail. This tom was of SkyClan. The cowards. He couldn't help but blame them partially for his daughter's current state, as they had left when the other Clans had needed them the most. A few, including the deputy, stayed, but the dark tom wasn't sure this tom was one of them. "Crowspirit. WindClan." He spoke shortly, coldly.

Oakstar’s dull gaze lifted at Raventail, no… Ravenstar’s words. His ears pricked a little in interest and recognition. Hints of joy in his features, but each one was also burdened by further sadness. That meant Finchstar was well and truly gone… and his heart ached for the other tom.
"Congratulations… you have large paw prints to fill, but if any Windclan cat could do it, you’re the best hope." He muttered encouragingly.

The question though… that hit hard. He wasn’t sure what he was going to tell the cats below. His shoulders hunched forward. Head tilted low as he responded in earnest.
"One daughter killed me here in this clearing and was killed by my mate, another ran away in anger at me… My apprentices lack respect and I fear… perhaps my clan was better without me after all." His voice broke at the last sentence. The words were choked out involuntarily as he thought them, but he couldn’t hide it. Everything from the situation had hurt.

Smallbean arrived at the gathering, keeping his head low. He didn't really want to come, but he wanted to be there for Wildpaw's first gathering. He remembered his first gathering, it seemed like so long ago. It was one of the first times the righteous few had made an appearance, but they weren't as scary at the time. Back then it was just threats, but to think that it ended up turning into a battle, right here at fourtrees. That battle was one the last things he'd ever done with Larkflight. His heart dropped at the though or his dead mate. It was only a few sunrises after the battle when he lost Larkflight, but it was also that day when Wildpaw was born. Wildpaw, where was she?

He scanned the clearing trying to find the pale pelt before his gaze rested upon what he was looking for. Wildpaw seemed to be talking to other apprentices. That was a good thing, right? He sighed, finding a secluded spot near the outskirts of the clearing. He didn't want to bother Wildpaw, he felt as though she gets a bit annoyed by how much he worries about her. If he was her, he would be annoyed too. He looked toward where the leaders stood, eager to get this gathering over with.

Willowheart padded into the Gathering. Immediately, her mind was full of bad memories. The Righteous Few cat, slamming onto her head. Moonlight, Moonpaw then, had fought along with her...and now, she was dead. Dawngaze, turning on Oakstar and taking his life away. Dawngaze, getting killed by her own mother. Willowheart did NOT want to be here...but she had to. She needed to see what would happen in this Gathering...and if something would spark up again. If violence started again...well, then she would fight.

Cedarheart padded in, against her mother. It had been a lot different these past few sunrises. Her brother was injured, her mentor had become an apprentice, and her best friend had eft. Still, she hoped that the gathering would be peaceful . With a nod to Ferretnose, she set off, looking for someone to speak too. She spotted a small cat, and walked up to him, hoping she could make conversation. ”Hello!” she mewed, sitting down. ”I’m Cedarheart.” she introduced herself to the tom, who smelled distinctly Windclan.

Daisybloom walked in, a bit nervous, but also proud of her new status at a full medicine cat. She found herself in the spot where the members of their group congregated, and with surprise, saw a sleeping Softpaw. She nudged the she-cat with her nose. ”Softpaw?” Her voice was soft and melodious. She felt bad for the medicine cat apprentice, she had probably been working hard this last moon.

The tension at this gathering was so thick that Bloodpaw could literally smell it. Stress scent here, fear scent there... The apprentice's hackles rose as he entered the gathering. So many unfamiliar scents and cats... This was his first gathering. He crouched around the edges, unsure of what to do. His eyes scanned all of the faces present today, spotting Redfall and Mistpaw after a few moments. Upon seeing his shy sister in the middle of the groups, Bloodpaw immediately straightened up and strode toward her. His head was high, his shoulders were back and his tail stood tall behind him. His ears swiveled around, picking up bits and pieces of a conversation here and a conversation there. He finally heard why everyone was so tense: The last gathering had been violent. At that news, Bloodpaw's pace quickened to be nearer to his sister.

As he brought himself up beside her, he stood as sturdy as a stone. His paws were placed evenly apart in a perfect rectangle shape with the weight of his body balanced on all four paws. His tail and head remained high, a posture commanding respect from anyone who looked at him. Furthermore, Bloodpaw stood as tall and as thick as the average adult cat now, and he was only 7 moons old. His apprentice ceremony had happened just after the last gathering, so he'd had a bit of practice with his father and mentor, Wolfcall, on how to be a true Skyclan warrior.

"I'm here if anything happens, Mistpaw." Bloodpaw spoke with a voice that was starting to deepen into the tones of an adult tom. "So is Redfall and our grandfather." He watched Spottedstar from afar, knowing who he was but never speaking to him much. Bloodpaw spared a small but encouraging smile and a glance at his sister. "Do you want me to walk with you while we mingle, or do you feel okay on your own?" He wasn't at all trying to sound condescending, but he knew how shy she could be sometimes. Furthermore, he did not trust these other clans.


Bloodpaw is open for conversation, he's just got a grumpy face on.

Mistpaw turned towards her brother and smiled. “Can you stay? I heard about some...bad things that happened last time.” Shivering slightly, she wrapped her fluffy cream and gray tabby tail around her forepaws. “I don’t like the tension.” She shifted her paws around awkwardly. Mistpaw liked how Bloodpaw stuck to her even though he was sometimes quick-tempered. “How’s your training going?” Her soft voice drifted away as if swept by the wind. Mistpaw didn’t know if her brother had even heard her. “My mentor is pretty cool. He taught me how to climb trees. Did you know that our dad never learned how to climb trees? Poor him.”

Sunpaw padded along with a group of cats to the fourtress as she was nervous when she arrived. “Finally”she thought to herself as she sat down quietly, waiting for the gathering to start. Sunpaw felt her heart beat beating faster than before, thinking back to the last gathering, a cat was dead, and she hoped that it won’t happen again.

As Ravenmist responded to her question, Olivestone felt her spirits lift a little as the ShadowClan deputy eagerly gave her advice on how to accommodate Wildpaw's blindness into her training, and she felt that she now had a better grasp on how to go from there.
"Thank you, Ravenmist, I really appreciate it. Wildpaw's adjusted fairly quickly to the change, and I'm very proud of her and what she's accomplished. As well, she's actually here at the Gathering tonight! It's her first, and I can only hope that it's calm and easy. I had no such luck for my first Gathering. I had the misfortune of my first Gathering being the first one that the Righteous Few decided to interfere with."

She let out a small chuckle as she remembered her first Gathering, before turning back to Ashpaw. She sensed that he still had something else on his mind, and she didn't want to ignore him if he still had something to say.

It did seem as though him being SkyClan affected the WindClan tom's mood towards him. As he mentioned the words SkyClan, Crowspirit's expression visibly soured, and when he spoke, his words were short and clipped. Redfall's fur bristled slightly, but he forced it down, muttering under his breath, "Oh, 'cause WindClan's so amazing." Clearing his throat, and hoping Crowspirit hadn't heard, he tried to make slight conversation, though Redfall wasn't good at this. "So... how are you doing?"