September Gathering 2020

Nettlestar lead her clan into the gathering for the first time as its leader, hoping that this night would go better than the last time she had been the one to bring ThunderClan to the gathering. Though considering that had been the gathering where the battle with the Righteous Few had taken place... that was a dramatically low bar to pass.

The scarred gray she-cat climbed onto the Great Rock for what was now the second time, though it was the first time that being up there was truly her place. Reaching the top, she noted that Flinstar and Ivystar had already arrived, along with Olivestone...was Ravenstar simply absent tonight, or had WindClan also received a new leader? She supposed she'd find out shortly either way.

"Good evening," she said, dipping her head in respect to the others on the rock. "Oakstar has decided to retire. I join you tonight as ThunderClan's leader,"

The fur around the bite marks on Snowflight’s leg had finally started growing back in. Coincidentally (mostly), Snowflight had woken up feeling more like himself for the first time in…he preferred to call it “a while.” Though he hadn’t decided if he wanted to be at Fourtrees tonight, he didn’t not want to be, which was close enough that he’d chosen to join the crowd rather than stay in RiverClan’s jam-packed camp.

Considering his first—and only, before the fire—interaction with SkyClan had been a scuffle he’d started after catching one of their warriors in the river, his feelings toward them were less than charitable. (That warrior hadn’t even shown up with them. Snowflight had looked.) The river’s drying up didn’t help. Meeting other cats on their own turf or, better, on neutral ground like this was fine, but in his eyes, SkyClan was taking nests and prey from a Clan that was already at less than their best. Their presence was a burr in his pelt, buried somewhere he couldn’t reach.

…Maybe that was why he’d come here. One displaced Clan didn’t stick out so much when the others were right there with them. Sitting near the outer edge of RiverClan’s crowd, Snowflight glanced around as the rest of the forest found their own seats. Sure, Gatherings made conversation something of a nightmare, but he had time before the real noise settled in.

---

Fourtrees’ landscape on a full moon night was still too new for Thrushpaw to feel at ease. All the intrigue about the fire and SkyClan’s disappearance had made last moon’s Gathering seem so busy; she’d spent the following day and a half of training near-silent and asleep on her feet. But according to the stories she’d been raised with (and some less-than-accidental eavesdropping), that wasn’t anywhere near the most chaotic night the forest had seen. In recent memory, even! However, Gatherings weren’t the sort of thing she could skip out on, especially tonight. Her mentor would be standing with the other leaders…and her father would be where Nettlestar had sat a moon ago.

As expected, Nettlestar on the Great Rock was strange in a way that Nettlestar on the Highrock wasn’t. Not bad strange; just different. A change to get used to. Gently pushing past her Clanmates, Thrushpaw forged a path to the front of the crowd. There, she sat and tucked her tail around her paws. She didn’t like sitting up here much—she realized that as soon as she’d done it—but this offered the best view of the cats clustered in the Great Rock’s shadow.

ooc: snowflight + thrushpaw are open to talk!
(raventail is back home taking a long-overdue nap)

Mothglow followed Flintstar into Fourtrees, taking her usual place with her fellow medicine cats. She was happy to see her friends again, though it had been only a half-moon; time seemed to shift in accordance to whatever made it less of a pleasant experience. The time between gatherings and meetings dragged on and on, and the time spent here in the clearing flew past in the blink of an eye - or perhaps that was simply her age and experience, a lifetime of time passed, blurring past now.

"Spiderquill," she greeted with her usual smile. "It's good to see you again. Are things well in RiverClan?"

---

Batbite padded into the clearing with a small smile on her face. For the first time in some time, the world felt a little bit lighter; a little bit kinder. She felt less of a reason to focus on the negatives, as Nettlestar took her place on the Great Rock for the first time. With time came a simple realization: things changed, and that wasn't good and it wasn't bad. It simply was, like the sun in the sky or the grass on the forest floor.

What it came down to in the end - the trick of it all - was whether you would let it. Whether you would simply let time and change roll on past, or do your best to affect it. If the Righteous Few, if Morningdove's rebellion, had taught her anything at all... It was that simple truth.

(Well, that and that complacency was rarely a good thing. Look at where the Clans stood now, learning nothing from that entire experience; allowing pointless traditions to carry on for no reason at all.)

She sat on her own tonight, wondering if anyone would approach her this time around - she would have her harsh words from the last Gathering to answer for, wouldn't she? Well, she intended to own up to her own actions, at least.

---

Watching her mate take a place on the Great Rock as if she was meant to be there, Zinnia felt a rush of pride. Olivestar would be an excellent leader, she was sure; but her fleeting thoughts drifted quickly onto how pretty she looked in the moonlight. Beyond that, she had few concerns - a lingering curiosity, wondering if another cat would have questions for her as last time, but this time around she felt more prepared.

---

Flashpaw walked into the Gathering with purpose, her calico-patterned head held high and confidence easy to see in her stride. Her mismatched eyes scanned over the clearing, looking out for any interesting faces. She would keep searching, keep watching and waiting, until something - or rather, someone - finally caught her attention. The leaders could speak of politics and ceremonies, which was the purpose of the Gathering as she understood it; but her own goals were far more simple.

Social connections; one of the most powerful things she knew of. A leader could order their Clan about, certainly, and ideally have their loyalty. But an ally could bring news of places she couldn't see with her own two eyes, could bring skills that were virtually unknown to her. Because, in the strictest sense, Flashpaw didn't want power - no, she didn't want the responsibilities of authority, at least not yet, though she admittedly quite liked the feeling of respect and admiration - she wanted connections, and she wanted knowledge.

Things that, as she understood it, the Gathering could certainly provide; if only she knew where to look.

---

(Mothglow is talking to Spiderquill, the other three are open to talk to!)

Robinloft gazed over the large clearing as she followed Nettlestar into the gathering. It felt odd following Nettlestar to he gathering instead of Oakstar, but it also felt... right. She had always looked up to Nettlefire, and she had been deputy since she could remember, so it still felt somewhat normal. Jumping into the crowd, she soon spotted a cat she recognized. "Wisteriapaw! Hey!" She called out over the sea of cats, making eye contact with the Riverclanner. She padded up to her, her green eyes alive with excitement. "How are you?"

Robinloft is talking to Wisteriabloom!(she doesn't know that she's a warrior yet)

---

Smallbean kept his head low, anxiety hanging over him like a cloud. This was the first gathering since Cedarheart had confessed her love, the first time since then where they could speak to each other without having to keep it hidden. He looked over to the opposite side of the clearing and saw Thunderclan arriving. Surely Cedarheart is there, right? He sat with his paws tucked under him, keeping his eyes on the underbrush in wait for the tabby she-cat.


Smallbean is waiting for Cedarheart! He is closed for conversation!

As she watched her Clanmates mill around and start talking to old friends, Nettlefire, presumably Nettlestar, from how Oakstar was not present, and that a new cat took her old place at the foot of the rock, jumped up to join the three leaders already gathered there. Sure enough, the other gray she-cat introduced herself as ThunderClan's new leader, and with a smile, Olivestar returned the greeting.
"Welcome, Nettlestar! I've also recently come into leadership, and I am now Olivestar. Raventail decided to step down and rejoin our ranks as a warrior."

---

Redwolf padded into the clearing, head held high, and demeanor relatively neutral for once. She settled down in a clump of her Clanmates, and looked at the Great Rock, where four out of the five leaders stood, two of which were new. She recognized Olivestone Or is it Olivestar now?, and the cat who had been ThunderClan's deputy for as long as she could remember.

---

Cherryblossom followed her Clanmates into Fourtrees, immediately noticing the roster change with the leaders on the Great Rock. She made no comment, and settled down alone, though her Clanmates weren't too far off.

---

When Bluepaw had been selected to go to the Gathering so soon after being apprenticed, she'd felt her heartrate tick up a few notches, and even though the other apprentices always looked forward to the meeting every moon, she had a hard time getting excited for something that seemed so scary. She still went, keeping to the center of her group of Clanmates before they dispersed, and suddenly Bluepaw was alone in the clearing. Anxiety building, the apprentice found the closest bush and attempted to hide under it, though admittedly, not too well due to her large size.

---

red and cherry are free to talk! red's in a bit better mood as of late, she's not as grumpy
blue is nervous, though feel free to try to talk to her!

Stormbringer followed her leader into the gathering. Whole Ivystar hadn't stopped to admire the view in front of them, the gray deputy took a second to take it all in. Just a small moment to let the peace of the night sleep in. Once she was satisfied with her moment she followed after her mate, catching up in no time. The gray warrior let out a pure as Ivystar brushed her affectionately before taking her spot underneath the rock.

Cedarheart walked into the gathering. She was excited to see Smallbean again, of course, she always was. But she was also nervous. He needed to know about her discovery. If she didn’t tell him, what kind of...well, she didn’t know the proper word to describe their relationship. But the point was, she had to tell him. Spotting him, she secularly walked toward him.

”Hi!” she smiled, emerald eyes glowing with happiness, and a bit of something more; infatuation. Her tail wrapped neatly around her paws. If you just glanced at her, you wouldn’t be able to tell she was pregnant. Her stomach hadn’t yet began to swell very much.

Cedarheart is talking to Smallbean!

Spiderquill, who was preoccupied with gazing absently around the clearing, jumped a little when Mothglow approached him. Guess ShadowClanners really were silent when they walked. The more you know. The startled expression on his face soon melted into a calm smile when he realised that the cat approaching him was in fact his friend and not a Righteous Few survivor here to finish him off. He waved his paw in greeting. "Hey Mothglow, it's great to see you too. We're holding up okay, though food is a bit scarce cause of the river drying up. I can count each one of my ribs now." He smiled ruefully. His mothers had tried to get him to eat more, but the elders and queens deserved the food more than he did. He didn't expend his energy hunting or anything, he could deal with a little food shortage. "We're doing better every day, though. Better off than Sk-SkyClan in any case, erm. So, how's ShadowClan? Did the fire affect you guys much?"

Nettlestar nodded as Olivestar confirmed that she was now WindClan’s new leader. The ThunderClan she-cat was actually somewhat relieved to hear it; it was nice to not be the only new leader there tonight. It made it feel less like all eyes would be on her. Even though the she was normally fairly composed, the idea of being the center of attention on such a large scale was still enough to make her feel a bit unnerved.

“I suppose this will be a new experience for both of us, then,” she responded, smiling politely.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crowpaw bounded into the gathering, filled with eager anticipation. This night meant he was finally going to get to meet cats from other clans; and what a wonderful opportunity that would be. He’d already begun working at becoming friendly with his clanmates, and he was thrilled at the idea of getting to start making connections outside of ShadowClan, too.

He was all the more thrilled that someone had decided to come talk to him almost the instant ShadowClan had entered the clearing.

“Hey! It’s nice to meet you, Shrikepaw. I’m Crowpaw, from ShadowClan,” The dark pelted tom watched as more cats appeared, presumably from the other clans. “This is my first gathering, too, actually. It’s so interesting to see all these new cats! I don’t think I’d ever really grasped how many there were until now,” he smiled jovially. There was something about this other apprentice that he’d instantly found likable, and he was glad to be talking to him.

Crowpaw is talking to Shrikepaw

Spotlake walked into the gathering.

Quailpaw puffed up his chest eagerly, a scent of pride wafting around him.

OOC: Quailpaw, Spotlake and Nightwolf are all open to talk to!

Tinypaw had followed Ebonysong into the gathering, his fur prickling with excitement. This was his first gathering— he had yet to meet the other Clans, and he was eager to begin learning all he could about them. He gave his mentor a friendly wave of his tail before he bounded off to find any cat other than his clanmates to talk to.
His gaze passed over the familiar forms of his brothers as he looked around the gathering cats. Crowpaw had found himself some cat new to talk to, while Frogpaw had settled down away from the others. He wouldn’t cower from new opportunities like Frogpaw-- and he wouldn’t let Crowpaw show him up on the social front. He sniffed and puffed up his chest as a new surge of determination surged through his tiny frame. Tinypaw’s search ended when he caught sight of a calico molly he didn’t recognize. With his head and tail held high, he trotted over to her and offered a friendly nod. “Hi. I’m Tinypaw.”
ooc: Tinypaw is talking to Flashpaw

Streamtail nodded at Splashpaw. "Yeah, the number of cats can be overwhelming at times. I remember my first Gathering. It was...not fun at all." She knew that the younger apprentice didn't know about the Righteous Few, but Streamtail remembered it. Giving her shoulder a few nervous licks, she looked around and spotted another apprentice in a bush. Hiding a small laugh, Streamtail flicked her long tail, beckoning Splashpaw to follow her. Streamtail sat next to the apprentice in the bush, seeing that it was Bluepaw, another RiverClan apprentice. "You okay, Bluepaw?"

((Streamtail is talking to Splashpaw and Bluepaw!))

Ebonysong nodded at Tinypaw as he padded off to talk with an unfamiliar calico apprentice. Shrugging, the warrior looked around, trying to find someone to talk to. She spotted an unfamiliar WindClan cat and slowly padded towards her, settling down next to her. Hoping that she wouldn't be hostile, Ebonysong greeted the other she-cat. "Uh, hi. I'm Ebonysong, a warrior of ShadowClan."

((Ebonysong is talking to Zinnia, forgot to mention.))

Daisybloom followed her sister into the gathering, and quickly spotted her fellow medicine cats that and already arrived. She didn’t see Softbreeze yet, but she spotted Mothglow, Spiderquill, and Thornpaw. ”Hello. How have Riverclan and Shadowclan been recently?” asked the light brown molly with a small smile.

Wildflower had been chosen for whatever reason to attend the Gathering. She would have much rather stayed home, since, well... Smallbean was there. And, great, talking to Cedarheart. She would've loved to march in and bust up their conversation, but she was keeping it a secret - and would continue too, no matter how much it tore her apart. At least meeting others was a distraction, something to keep her mind fresh. Her anxiety took a backseat when her mind hunted for stimulation of any sort, and tonight, it would be talking to someone outside of her Clan. She scented the air. The scarred molly had gotten better at distinguishing scents among large groups and eventually found two she-cats. She forced her head to stay up as she sat down beside them. It sounded like they were still working on introductions, which was perfect. "Hello," she managed, voice sounding strangled. "I-I'm Wildflower..."

Wildflower is talking to Wisteriabloom and Robinloft!

Smallbean's eyes lit up when he saw the familiar she-cat wander into Fourtrees, despite how worried he was about their situation. What could he say? Cedarheart was just a joy to be around. "Hello!" He smiled, though a hint of nervousness lingered in his mew. "How have things been going with you? Well, i presume? Oh- and how are you guys doing with Nettlestar? Windclan's been adjusting a bit to Olivestar, but things seem to be going well." He was hoping that their newly-confirmed relationship wouldn't be brought up, but it seemed as though Cedarheart had something important to tell him. He could tell by her posture. He could only wonder what it could be, and hope for the best.

---

Robinloft's ears perked up when she heard another voice enter the conversation. "Why, hello there! Nice to meet you Wildflower, i'm Robinloft. Say, you sound a bit troubled. You alright?" Her eyes softened when he looked at the younger warrior. She hadn't spoken to Wildflower much, but she did know that she was in Windclan and younger than she was. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it."