October Gathering 2020

Softbreeze had settled a short distance away, and Mossbloom knew all too well the look in her eyes. Without a word, the old calico made her way to the younger she-cat's side, pressing against her gently and wrapping her tail around her haunches. She didn't say anything yet, just silently offered a companion and a shoulder to lean on. After all, she had lost her parents, and both of her mentors - warrior and medicine cat. A low rumble in her chest, the medicine cat set about grooming Softbreeze's neck fur methodically.

Blossomstep is still open for conversation!

Smokefeather affectionately flicked her tail across her daughter's ear. Oh, hearing the word 'deputy' out of Ravenmist's mouth had been surprising for the younger she-cat, she was sure. Smokefeather had been startled herself, really, but more because she had been too absorbed in her own thoughts to realize who she was confronting on the border. Still, the fluffy tortoiseshell hoped that the revelation would help her daughter more than anything. Primrosepaw could use the confidence, and knowing that she wasn't as limited as some seemed to think would help.

Smokefeather glanced up at the great rock, gray-green eyes glinting in the moonlight. Two new leaders, though she only recognized them in passing. "Seems like Skyclan missed a lot, being away. Congratulations on becoming deputy, Wildflower." She dipped her head slightly in a show of respect out of habit, fully aware that neither of the three she-cats would see her action.

"She gets into less trouble than her siblings. And actually listens to her mentor. For that I'm grateful." Smokefeather smirked. "Your advice was invaluable, Ravenmist." She added. Primrosepaw's training had been challenging at points, but Primrosepaw was determined.

Smokefeather turned her head at her mate's voice, face brightening a bit and posture relaxing somewhat as he drew nearer to their conversation. He'd found what looked to be another Windclanner that she was unfamiliar with.

"Hey," she mewed a friendly greeting to the pair of approaching toms.

Pebblepaw's tail lifted as a familiar cat came forwards. "Kestrelpaws, rights?" He asked. "I's havents seens yous arounds much!" The grey and white tom sat down. "I'ms doings fines. Hows has yous beens? Ares yous havings funs with trainings?" He tilted his head and with a little wiggle, he slumped down into a lay. "It's a bits..." He trailed off, licking his chest nervously, remembering the predator he encountered while hunting. "Its has stuffs..." Pebblepaw couldn't find the words for it and trailed off again. He turned to the quiet white cat, "hows abouts yous? Hows is yours trainings?"

(ooc: Pebblepaw is talking to Driftingpaw and Kestrelpaw- and sorry for the late reply!)

Driftingpaw was content to stay in his little quiet corner he had found, his blue gaze sweeping across the gathered cats as he watched them mingle and lost himself in thought. His solitude was cut short when a bouncing ball of white and gray tabby patched fur plopped itself down in front of him. The younger apprentice spoke in a blur of words and the slightly older white tom blinked his eyes as he tried to catch up and formulate his own reply. Before he could open his mouth to respond yet another young tom from presumably the same Clan by his scent wandered over to join his Clanmate and the young RiverClan apprentice. Thrown off by the sudden company, Driftingpaw felt his heart stutter. He was used to being near the edges and in the shadows, without anyone paying him much heed. He'd grown quite used to being on his own, so the sudden presence of two other cats was throwing him for a loop. Suddenly he realized both toms were looking at him expectantly and it dawned on him he had yet to introduce himself.

"O-O-Oh! M-my name is D-d-driftingpaw," He stammered with a small shuffle of his paws. "I-I-I', from RiverClan, b-b-but I d-don't think I-I-I smell th-th-that b-b-bad..." His voice trailed as a wave of self consciousness flooded over him. He loved his Clan, and loved fish as well, why did it seem like his scent offended others so easily? Even if they weren't picking on him, he felt as though because he came from the odd Clan out, they looked down on him. He shook away the feeling with a sigh and forced an awkward smile to Pebblepaw. "M-My training has been g-g-g-good! I f-f-fought a raccoon awhile b-b-back, or a-a-at least tried. H-H-Honeytongue d-d-did most of the f-f-fighting." Another wave of embarrassment flooded the young tom and he sighed, wondering why others made him so nervous and why it was so hard for him to make friends.

---

Darkpaw looked up at Quailpaw and blinked at his kindness before she gave her shoulder a few more nervous licks and settled in beside her denmate. He was right, there were plenty of other ThunderClan cats that were milling about. She spotted Pebblepaw and Kestrelpaw talking to an unfamiliar white tom, and her mother was up mingling with the other leaders. She noticed Dovepaw as well, mingling about but seeming to be on his own. She entertained the thought of calling him over but decided against it at the last moment, turning her gaze back up to Nettlestar. Watching her mother gave her a sense of pride and she sat a little taller. "Are all Gatherings this busy and this crowded?" She asked Quailpaw, glancing over at him. He was older than she was, and she was sure he'd been to at least a few more Gatherings than herself though she couldn't quite be sure. Having kept to herself through most of kithood she had not made many friends nor did she know much about her own Clanmates. She was beginning to realize her lack of wanting to socialize may have been a poor choice on her part.

Eyes dull, Smallbean began to zone out, hey eyes still set on the moon. It wasn't as if there was anything else to keep his attention, after all. It had been a few moments, but the feeling of a gaze piercing his fur snapped him back to reality. Who was looking at him? It wouldn't be exactly odd, it was a gathering and there were many cats, but it made him anxious. What if the cat staring at him knew about his secret? Did they hate him? Turning around this way and that, his gaze rested on a young cat.

Immediately, a wave of panic washed over Smallbean as one of the cats he had noticed looked similar to him was staring at him.Was the young tom onto him? Was he even a kit of Cedarheart's? Although he spotted similarities, there was still a possibility that he wasn't his kit, right? Struggling to decide what he should do, he didn't even notice Cedarheart and the unfamiliar apprentice approach until he heard the young she-cat speak. Jumping in surprise, he turned his head to find himself nose to nose with a cat who looked even more like him. Heart speeding with panic, he turned his gaze to Cedarheart. "Wh-who.... who's this?" His words hid no emotion, it was obvious to a deaf kit that he was afraid. Afraid of the question, and afraid of the answer. Despite that he still asked the question and knew the answer. That was his daughter. No... Wildflower was his daughter. This couldn't be his daughter, could it?

Finally addressing the apprentice, he turned toward her, anxiety creating a pit in his stomach. "I- I'm S-Smallbean of W-Windclan." Not long after he replied to Ospreypaw, his fears were confirmed. He was this cat's father. "Is- Is there any others?" He tired his best to mask the fear with a fake smile, but any cat could tell when he was nervous; he was no good at hiding it. Remembering the cat who had been staring at him, he pointed toward the tom with his paw. "Is... is that one yours too?" Although he couldn't mask emotions, he could definitely hide words. Never would he let himself say that they were "our" kits. He felt bad for them... growing up without a father. He couldn't imagine growing up without Crowspirit.

Buzzardpaw immediately got up at his mother's signal to join her, delighted that he had been noticed. He thought perhaps as he was walking forward that the other cat had motioned towards him with his paw, as well, but he wasn't sure.

Now he really was beyond just casually curious who this new cat was. His mother knew this stranger...so what did that mean? How exactly did they know each other?

Too shy to ask outright, he simply pressed his small frame against his mother's side like he were still only a kit and continued to stare (now intentionally) at the unknown cat.

"Hi," he said in that soft, melancholic monotone of his, "I'm Buzzardpaw,"

Ivystar nodded as each leader ascended the Rock, giving Wolfcall a knowing look when he took a seat among the rest of them. She waited for a moment as the stream of cats began to slow, the buzz growing as it did. Once she felt there had been enough time for everyone to get settled, she gave the other leaders a swift nod before stepping forward, ready to give her report. "Let the Gathering begin!" She yowled, silencing most cats and waiting for the rest of the conversations to wane before she started speaking again. "RiverClan has fared quite well given the circumstances this past moon. Lilypaw, Bluepaw, Leopardpaw, and Cinderpaw have joined the apprentice's den, and Fernfluff has rightfully earned her warrior name. We hope to see a rise in the river soon given the change of seasons. That is all." She thought it might be best to let Wolfcall decide whether to reveal SkyClan's current status, so with those final words she stepped back and opened the rock to whomever decided to go next.

Shrikepaw smiled at Snowflight. Even though she felt uncomfortable with Streamtail, she tried to hide it. She guessed that Snowflight had taken a long time answering her second question due to the fact that it was personal information. Regardless, he still gave her an answer, to which Shrikepaw gave support. "I'm glad that your clan is doing well! ThunderClan is doing good too!" She turned her head to Streamtail. At the very least, she was also talkking to Snowflight instead of staring at her.

Shrikepaw, if you don't feel comfortable with her, maybe go somewhere else, her brain told her. They are both from RiverClan, so they would probably not miss you that much. Realizing that could help calm her nerves down, she told the RiverClan cats that she was going. "I'm going to go talk to some other cats, if that's okay with you guys." She assumed that it was okay with them, so the young apprentice left calmly before they could say no. Silently breathing a sigh of relief, she wandered around where ThunderClan was sitting. As she saw her mom and her siblings sitting together, she realize that she forgot to stay with Cedarheart in her excitement to go to the Gathering. How could I have forgotten? she scolded herself as she ran towards her mom. "Sorry I was late, I was talking with a couple of RiverClan cats. They were pretty... nice!" At least she was telling the truth. If anything, the RiverClan cats were very cordial and certainly were not thinking of breaking this full-moon truce. Noticing the cat that her family was talking to, she said hello to him. "Hi there! I'm Shrikepaw of ThunderClan! You have obviously met my siblings and my mom. There's nothing that can stop us from being the best family that ThunderClan has seen!"

Shrikepaw is talking to Cedarheart, Buzzardpaw, Ospreypaw, and Smallbean.

The last time he'd stood in this spot, Wolfcall had been shy, and perhaps even a little afraid. He'd been a deputy for hardly the blink of an eye. But now, the dark tom had no such holdbacks - he was a father now, a grandfather even, and had seen more death and bloodshed than he ever would have imagined being able to handle.

Now, this big rock, all the eyes on him, didn't bother Wolfcall at all, and as Ivystar finished her part and stepped back, the deputy was quick to take her place.

"SkyClan's territory has been mostly destroyed by the fire," he began, his voice strong and unwavering, "and we lost two clanmates, Murkpelt, and Mistrain." There was the slightest hitch in his voice as he mentioned his daughter's name, but he sought strength in Blossomstep's gaze and steadied himself, letting that news settle over the crowd before he continued. "We sheltered for a moon within Twolegplace, until a patrol from RiverClan and ThunderClan came to find us. We are now residing within RiverClan's territory until our own is safe to return to, and we are grateful for the assistance." Wolfcall flicked an ear, pausing again.

"We have a new apprentice, Mintpaw, and Sagelight has taken a new apprentice as well, Beechpaw," he nodded to his granddaughter, then returned his gaze to the crowd. "Though SkyClan has suffered loss of territory and clanmates, we are still strong, and determined to return to our territory as soon as possible. With Leaf-fall moving in, the cooler temperatures are healing the forest, and I predict that SkyClan's territory will be safe again before Leafbare." Satisfied, he stepped back, allowing another of the leaders to take his place. He hadn't mentioned Spottedstar's condition or his decision to stay behind. They could dwell on that themselves.

With a yowl from Ivystar, the Gathering fell silent, and the RiverClan leader stepped forward to deliver her piece, Wolfcall stepping forward to speak on SkyClan's behalf soon afterwards. Once he'd stepped back, Olivestar took her turn, giving a nod to the cats that had already spoken.
"I'm glad to know that SkyClan is doing well in the wake of the fire, and I wish you all many moons of peace and recovery.
That aside, WindClan is doing well this moon, and we welcome Wildflower to the position as WindClan's deputy. We welcome Downtuft as a full warrior, and as well, we welcome three new apprentices this moon, Violetpaw, Dandelionpaw, and Shrikepaw."

She waited a moment to let the information sink in, and then dipped her head.
"That is all."

She then stepped back, nodding at Flintstar and Nettlestar.

Nettlestar stepped forward next. She was still in a relatively good mood, as the news she had to share was all positive, and it was good to hear that SkyClan was on their way to recovery. She still wondered about Spottedstar's absence, as she had noted that Wolfcall's report had not mentioned the leader's status. Perhaps that was information he did not want to discuss publicly. If so, then she would respect that for now.

“I am happy to say that ThunderClan has been doing well lately. We have had a very full nursery, and a number of kits have recently become apprentices-- Pebblepaw, Shrikepaw, Buzzardpaw, Crowpaw, Ospreypaw, Dovepaw, and my own daughter, Darkpaw,” the gray she-cat announced, pride dancing through her green eyes. “We have also welcomed two new warriors to our ranks, Pinefrost and Thrushnose,”

She signaled that she was finished with a brief nod, then took a step back.

Kestrelpaw couldn't help the small upward quirk of the corner of his mouth. He was thoroughly amused. His clanmate was sure a whirlwind of fun. He'll have to ask him if he'd like to hang out at a later time. For now though, he had to focus on what Pebblepaw was asking him. He patiently waited for the other to finish. His mind lingered around the small change of tone within his denmate's words but he didn't dwell on it too much. He filed it for a later 'investigation'. He wouldn't try to pry too much but he wanted to make sure Pebble was alright.  

"I haven't seen you around much either. Hopefully we can change that soon. I'd like to get to know you better." he replied with a warm smile. The soft-spoken tom tilted his head in thought for his next set of responses. "I've been doing good lately..." he started, "Training's been going decently well for me. I suppose it's also been rather fun..." He turned to look at the RiverClanner right as Pebblepaw did. The white-furred tom needed to be included in their conversation too. It was kind of Pebblepaw to make sure of that.

Ah. Driftingpaw of RiverClan. He had quite the stutter but honestly, it was endearing. "You don't smell bad." he agreed. "RiverClan has a rather distinct and kinda strong scent though. Fish smell could sometimes be a bit powerful. It doesn't mean it's bad though. Just a bit strong and identifiable at times." he said directly after, tone changing to reassurance near the end when he realized that his words could be interpreted a different way. Kerath has no problems with the tom's scent and most likely never will.

The older apprentice's next set of words made Kestrel's brows raise. He fought a raccoon? Even though the RiverClan apprentice had quickly downplayed his involvement with the battle, Kestrel was still impressed. Raccoons were known to be quite nasty. "That's really neat Driftingpaw. Did you chase it off or kill it? Did it hurt you?" asked the ThunderClan tom, his mother hen side slowly slipping in. He swiftly pushed it away and gave the other tom an apologetic look. He hated when he got like that. It was one of those things that he sometimes couldn't control. He sheepishly shuffled his paws and he looked anywhere but the other two. Hopefully they could just ignore what had just occurred. Luckily, he was saved by Ivystar announcing the beginning of the Gathering. He settled down and looked up at the leaders with an eagerness to learn and witness his first Gathering.

Cedarheart was pretty good at reading emotions. She wasn't amazing, by all means, but Smallbean's expression was off-putting, to say the least. She thought there would be more happiness. Then again, he was a new father, she had seen worried toms before. And the Windclanner was just naturally nervous, so it made sense.

"It was a litter of six. Ospreypaw, Buzzardpaw, of course," the queen was suddenly interrupted by another one of her daughters. "Shrikepaw is right here, Crowpaw, Kitekit, and Tempestkit." she hoped her mate(?) liked the names she had picked out. It had been more difficult than expected.

She wasn't quite sure how to introduce him to her kits. Should she come clean? Wait? Something inside her made her feel cautious, and nervous. Maybe it was best to stay on the safe side, for now. For the sake of her family. "This is Smallbean. He's a...friend of mine." she felt bad lying, and it felt weird referring to someone she loved as that, but Cedarheart knew what she had to do.

Pebblepaw's whiskers twitched in interest when the white apprentice began talking. "Oh wows! You'res reallies cools!" He sat down. "Yous knows hows to swims, you'ves gots a cools voices things and yous helps foughts a raccoons!-" His attention turned to the voices on the rock. "The leaders ares talkings..." He whispered, sitting down. "Don'ts yous thinks there's so cools?" He asks. "I means, theys ares so braves! Theys cans dos anythings!" He listen to Skyclan's report. "Mamas saids thats Skyclans wents missing-ing..." His eyes widened as Pebblepaw listened to the leader. "Skyclans musts be so scareds, I'ms glads theys are safes." Next was Windclan's report, they had a new deputy and a handful of new apprentices. "Theys don'ts haves muchs to says..." The white and grey tom observed. He lifted his ears when his leader began talking. "Nettlestars saids mys names!" He stood up proudly after hearing it, sitting down when Nettlestar stopped talking.

Shimmerpaw had settled down at the far edge of the crowd, as far away from other cats as she could get. She wanted some time to herself, but had to come along. Now, she was sitting with her head low, in the quiet-est place she could find.

---

Willowpaw had settled down beside Shimmerpaw. She wasn't very good at just keeping someone company without talking their ears off, but Shimmerpaw was upset and she figured this was how she should help. Things were getting a little awkward for her with no one talking, though.

---

Amberpaw had went over to the RiverClan/SkyClan group to hang around. She didn't talk, but simply looked around and listened in on any conversations that were happening. She didn't want to socialise with anyone, really, as always.

((OOC: All are open to talk to. Shimmerpaw and Willowpaw will be a package deal to talk to this time.))