April Gathering 2021

Amberfluff saw guilt in the way Lilacstar looked, and immediately agitation filled her heart. What did he say to her that made her react in this way? Her fur bristled at the thought of what he might have said, knowing the ShadowClan leader wasn't the most sensitive of cats-kind of like Muddypaw, if she thought about it. Maybe it wasn't entirely his fault, but the results were the same.

She had to make sure to not provoke ShadowClan, though. She doubted she wanted the entire clan turning on her because she was rude to their leader, and besides, her clanmates wouldn't appreciate it either. And especially not Lilacstar.

So instead, Amberfluff stepped forward, rushing to the base of the rock. The sting of stares on her back and sides hurt, but somehow, she didn't seem to really mind. "Lilacstar! Are you okay?" She called out, anxiety clouding her mind. The murmurs of the other cats at the Gathering didn't even seem to reach her ears, so focused was she on checking in with Lilacstar.

Amberfluff is speaking to Lilacstar and Flintstar!

Mountainpaw giggled along with Sneezingpaw as they approached Fourtrees. "Hey, no fair! You have longer leggies, you can hop better! I have little legs, like a badger. Maybe my name should be Badgerpaw! Do you think I can get Ma to change it?" She tried hopping like Sneezingpaw, but she was too heavy and had to settle on a clumsy gallop instead. "I hope the other clans are nice! If they don't like fish then they must not be very smart. Everyone smart I know eats fish! Like Momma! And Ma, and Mum! All three of them! And they're all very smart, so the fish must be good for something." She of course didn't consider her own intelligence, which was dismal fish or no fish.

"Oh, I hope so! I haven't seen our birdie friend in forever, I wonder how he's doing? I hope he's doing well. Maybe he'll take us on another flight!"

For once, she was momentarily silent as they bounded into Fourtrees. Her mouth hung open. There were so many cats here! Way more than she thought there would be! She paid no mind to the faint bloodstains or fur tufts she trod on as she followed her sister through the clearing. She nodded vigorously at the suggestion of introducing themselves to another cat.

"HELLO! My name is Mountainmenace! Or something like that. You can call me whatever! If it begins with an M. All my names begin with an M, except for the ones that don't. But there's not many of those!" She gave him a Cheshire grin, believing that her mess of words made total sense.

Quietpaw's words, though, were utter nonsense. Sneezingpaw couldn't be her sister, she was Mountainpaw's! How could they be sisters when they weren't in the same Clan? And they didn't even know each other? "You seem like a real nice cat, but you can't have Sneezingpaw! She's my sister. Just ask our moms! They'll tell you. Maybe you're confused? I'm sure there's lots of Sneezingpaw looka- lookelyk- uh, cats who look like Sneezingpaw!" She put one paw in front of Sneezingpaw, as if trying to stop her from being stolen. Quietpaw would hardly do anything, but what if Sneezingpaw left to go be Quietpaw's sister instead? Who would she eat fish with then? She watched as another cat approached. She knew both their names. How did she know them? Ma must have told her. She gave Sneezingkit an utterly confused look- more confused than usual. "Uh, what's happening? Do you know them?" She looked back at the two cats, paw still in front of her sister and a bamboozled smile on her muzzle. Could someone explain what was going on??
Mountainpaw is talking to Sneezingpaw, Quietpaw and Ashstorm!

Ooc: no spooder for now I'm tired lmao

Moonpaw had been staring at Skyclan intently, waiting to see a flash of ivory and gold fur. She was on her feet in an instant when she caught the first glimpse of lighter fur... but neither of the brighter cats were Dawnhawk. Still... they both looked eerily similar. After waiting patiently and not seeing her father, Moonpaw wondered if something had happened. She stepped away from Shadowclan and began to approach Tornpaw. Moonpaw herself was nearly a carbon copy of Dawnhawk in appearance, with tortie points and slightly greener eyes. She hared his medium-length fur and his white and gold colors.

She approached Tornpaw with a smile, though there was apprehension inside of her as well. She'd heard Skyclan was a very proud clan that kept to themselves. What if her approach wasn't received well?

"Hello!" She said to Tornpaw with a respectful dip of her head. "Skyclan, huh? I'm Moonpaw from Shadowclan. This is my first gathering." She'd get around to asking about her father, but would be polite and get formalities out of the way first.

Moonpaw is talking to Tornpaw!

---

Dawnhawk watched as everyone mingled and the lack of reaction to him being there. His disguise was working, it seemed. He visibly relaxed... just in time to spot Moonpaw, though he still knew her as Ivory, and had ice in his veins again. He looked away... only to see Shira as well. There were a lot of cats here who had known him when he was Dawnhawk, the Standard Captain. He casually kneaded a root beneath his claws and glanced at his right shoulder, checking to make sure everything was still hidden. Of course it was. But his paranoia wouldn't just let him rest. His eyes went back to briefly scan over the clearing... and he glimpsed Moonpaw approaching Tornpaw.

Dawnhawk closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. It wasn't like he could warn either of them. So... he would have to be content to sit back and watch whatever chaos might unfold. Ivory had no idea that Smokefeather, should she look over at her, would probably have a heart attack.

---

Bloodstrike sat as stoic as a statue... until his ears picked up the conversation that Ashstorm and the... Riverclan apprentices were having. He turned his head to physically look at them and stared, curious. Mountainpaw... was his? Allegedly? Bloodstrike kept emotion off of his face, but he didn't feel much aside from confusion muddled with disbelief. He would stay out of their conversation for now and just listen.

And then a flash of white and gold and a feathery tail snapped his attention elsewhere. Bloodstrike was on his feet in an instant... but stopped short of doing anything else. The she-cat looked almost exactly like Dawnhawk, if he were a she-cat. She had faint tortie points and her eyes were more green, but that was where the differences ended. When she stopped to talk to Tornpaw and he saw them side by side, Bloodstrike's doubts were gone. This Moonpaw was his granddaughter.

He flicked a glance toward Smokfeather to see where she was and kindly put his body between the two of them in an attempt to spare the gray she-cat anymore panic. She didn't need any reminders right now. He handled the blood and fur on the ground and seeing the root cages again better than he thought he was going to... but Bloodstrike handled a lot of horrible things fairly well.  He understood that not everyone was capable.

"It would be nice if she was," Batbite admitted with a sigh. "But she's not, and we can't bring her back. The most we can do is take our places and hope to live up to the legacy we were left with. This is the life we ended up with, and all that's left to do now is make the most of it."

"You'll do just fine," she assured, nudging him affectionately. "You might want to go ahead and get up there, though. I'll be right behind you - it's the two of us against the world, isn't it? Or, well... The two of us against the four of them, anyway," she mused, studying the leaders that had already gathered. "Eight, if you count me having to make a good impression on all the other deputies." The weight of that responsibility hadn't hit her full force until that moment. "Well, this is going to be fun... For one of us, at least. Wish me luck - I'm pretty sure I'll need it."

With one last deep breath, she made her way to the Great Rock, trying to look confident and professional. She really did want to make a good impression - she was the adopted daughter of one leader and the apprentice of another, though both were some time dead and she was sure few cats cared to know much about her. All the same, it felt like she had to hold herself to higher standards. After all, that aside, she was Minkstream's mate; they were likely to assume that she was only here because of that, weren't they?

---

The sudden commotion of a cat running up to the big rock on which the leaders stood drew Thalia's attention, as had Lilacstar's name being shouted. She was sure she looked as afraid as she felt, but she was careful to keep her eyes on Flintstar after that. He wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, of that she was fairly certain - the longer she remained in ShadowClan, the easier it was to believe. Still, it made her nervous to be surrounded by WindClan cats - and others, too, but the others wouldn't know who she was; there was nothing to fear from them - and to know that it was her own fate being discussed. That one of the WindClan cats had saw fit to cause such a commotion...

She just had to hope nothing bad would come of it.

Flashlight, Thalia, and Zinnia are open to talk to! Batbite has joined the other deputies, and is now open to conversation.

Smokefeather had been intending to keep to herself this gathering, but her ears still caught snatches of conversation here and there. Nothing that really stood out to her, until she heard Ashstorm's voice.

'...Mountainkit...' No, it was impossible. Her voice had been quiet, but Smokefeather of course paid slightly closer attention to her grown kits that had attended the gathering. Especially the ones who had never been to one before, like Ashstorm and Ravenclaw, who she noted was sitting with Birdsong.

What reason could there possibly be for Ashstorm to mention the kits that had been taken from them? Gray-green eyes picked out her daughter's form along with what looked like two apprentice-aged cats and Quietpaw. A flicker of regret made her hesitate. She had spent... an alarmingly little amount of time with her grandkits. One of them was already a warrior, and soon enough Quietpaw would become one too along with the rest of them.

But the two cats that Ashstorm and Quietpaw were talking too looked strangely familiar. One was a black and white mottled she-cat, and the other was a soft cream with darker points... And no tail. Big for her age... And then it clicked.

Unbidden, Smokefeather's paws carried her towards the cats, somewhat less hesitant now. They were alive. Mountainkit and Sneezingkit, well, they had to have been made apprentices by now if they were here, but they were alive!

"Mountain...paw? Sneezingpaw? stars I-" She began, "We thought we'd lost you." She managed, lightly brushing her tail along Ashstorm's side. She'd been so distraught after the kits had been taken, they all had been.

"You've... been in Riverclan this entire time? How?" She had picked up on Mountainpaw's words and picked up the strong Riverclan scent from their pelts. Her mothers... Ivystar and her mates had had the tendency to adopt stray kits just as Smokefeather had done with Redfall's kits, once. Smokefeather therefore assumed it was them.

Her gaze lifted briefly to find Bloodstrike watching them, but just as quickly it returned to the two apprentices, to Mountainkit. As if she might disappear were she to take her eyes off of her.

As Mountainpaw started speaking, Sneezingpaw bobbed her head along emphatically. "Sorry, miss, but I dunno you. D'ya think you're mistaken? D'ya know our moms, is that how you know our names. Or almost our names! We're not kits no more! We're app.. apprentice thingies, yup. I already have a sister. More than one! Ther's Shira, and Mir..somethin', and Cer...Cer... Cerus! We have have our big brothers, Jayshriek and Dennis! Dennisquill is small, though. He's our small brother! I don' think I've seen you bef're, but I hope you find your Sneezi.. well, me lookyl.. look... Your me twin!" Sneezingpaw mewed, not unkindly, as she looked at Ashstorm and Quietpaw with confused eyes.

She looked Mountainpaw's paw and purred a happy tune, placing a black and white paw overtop of Mountain's brown one. "No, Menacemountain, I don' know 'em. I think they're confuse..ed. Confuseed." Then another cat approached, and Sneezingpaw shuffled, a bit uncomfortable for the first time in her short life. "I-I'm sorry but I think you're all mistooken! I'm Mountainpaw's sister, and I don' thinky-- no, no I know I haven' seen any of you bef're!" She wailed, uncomfortable and a bit upset. Why were these cats so confused? Were they okay? She then noticed the gray she-cat had tears in her eyes and she instantly felt bad.

"Awe, shucks, y'don't gotta cry! Well, golly, I supp'se you could be my honorary momma -- and Mountain's too. We do ev'rything together! -- if't makes ya happy! I have three moms already, I'm sure they won't mind, but y'don't have to cry!" Sneezingpaw told her, though didn't move from Mountainpaw's side. "Would'ya mean the whole time? Of'course we were in camp, that's where the kits stay, y'know. With their moms! And Spiderdennis. He's our favoritey brother, but don' tell Jayshriek!"

"Uhm, anyways, I think my sister and I should go.. it was nice to meet you, I think. Hope you found your Menace twin and me twin!" She mewed, then turned back to Mountainpaw, silently pleading with her to go find their moms. This conversation was making her uncomfortable, and now this she-cat seemed like she wanted her sister. What if Mountainpaw went with them? She'd be all alone! No. She couldn't let that happen, she'd-- she'd-- she'd die without her sister, without Mountainpaw.

Quietpaw's ears lowered as Sneezingpaw didn't recognize. Her eyes lifted up from her sister, as her Grandmother and mother came in. Her eyes then shifted back to Sneezingpaw and Mountainpaw, with Sneezingpaw looking a bit uncomfortable. Did she really not remember her? No it must be the name! Dad would always call me Deliah whenever he saw me and Sneezingkit in the nursery. Maybe its that! But before she could tell Sneezingpaw her other name, Sneezingpaw expressed that she wanted to leave. Quietpaw's tail lowered at that. "O-ok Sneezingki- er paw. Maybe we can see each other another time." Quietpaw said, sounding defeated.

Ashstorm listened to both Sneezingpaw and Mountainpaw's response and she shook her head.  Even though they had there doubts, Ashstorm had no doubt it was them and it seemed that Quietpaw and Smokefeather felt the same way.  "Herbo Karen!" She stopped her, trying to see if she remembered anything about that name.  "Do you want to know how you got that name?  Why you are one of the only cats who has that name?  Who gave it to you?"  Her bottom jaw was shaking.  "My mate, Himbo Bob, he was the one who gave it to you.  You must remember something!"

She looked to the ground to blink away tears, then looked at her once thought to be dead daughter.  "Mountainpaw is your aunt.  Your first time out of the nursery, you went and met Mountainpaw.  I wasn't watching as good as I should have been and a hawk swooped down and took you away.  Your father broke his leg trying to save you and I spent the entire rest of the day looking for you two... Before I, well, I thought you were dead."  She looked towards Quietpaw.  "This is your sister, Quietpaw or Herbo Delilah.  Your brothers name is Larkkit or Himbo Karl"  Her voice got softer, quieter.  "Please," she said almost begging.  "You must believe me."

_______________________________________________________________________


Shira flinched when Tawnyflare came near to her, but quickly settled a moment later.  Tawnyflare was the only one that could possibly be feeling what she was feeling.  First, they were told much of what they had been told was a lie.  Next, not long after both of them found themselves hidden inside of a dark cage, not being able to fight and not being able to do anything.  Their lives in other cats paws.  If they so much as decided they might fight back one day, all those other cats would have to do is take away their food and water and they would be dead in a couple days.  It made her shiver.

She felt like saying something, but at the same time did not feel like anything needed to be sad.  Shira let down her shield and leaned into Tawnyflare.  Both of those she-cats were fighters, but, if Tawnyflare was anything like her, the hardest battle they would ever have to face, is their own mind.

Mountainpaw was even more confused now. Why did they think she and Sneezingpaw were their family? They already had a family. And their family didn't... cry this much. Well, except for Dennis. But he was small, of course he cried! She would cry too if she was that small. She looked at the latest cat to join the circle of sad cats. She looked skinny. If Mountainpaw had a fish, she'd offer it to her. "Miss, you're confused. I have a momma! I have three! I think you're looking for someone else. It's okay, I get confused sometimes too! Like right now! Sometimes brains don't work that well. I don't know what a brain is, but Dennis-bro says that they're what makes you think. So maybe yours is tired! Or hungry! I can help you find your Mountainpaw, if you'd like! Me and Sneezingpaw both can!"

She looked over at her sister, expecting a nod, but was shocked to find that she looked rather distraught (a word she's learned from Dennis, he was full of weird words). Were... Were the other cats making her sad? That was... rather mean of them. She turned back to the three, side pressed into Sneezingpaw's and her friendly smile faded a bit. "I think we have to go. You're making my sister sad, which is really quite rude. I hope you find your Mountainpaw, but I'm not her and I'm not anyone's aunt. It was lovely meeting you, but my sister and I should get going to our family." She gave them one last, slightly forced, smile, and directed her sister away from the conversation with her shoulder.

"Are you okay Karbo? You look dis- dist- distraught." She glowed with pride a little at her successful use of distraught. Successful. There's another big word! She nuzzled her sister and wrapped her paws around her. "I'm happy you didn't go with them. I don't want you to have a new sister."

Loonwhisper was a specter for a moment, making undulating rounds around the clearing as he entered with Ivystar. He was interested in the regrowth of the grass, and the strange wiry, thorny dens that were fraying apart throughout the clearing. They would need to be totally dismantled with time. He lowered his gaze all the way to a patch of grass soaked in crimson. Upon it, an ant scuttled, though it was quickly frightened away by Loonwhisper's baited breath. Life moved on. He was ready to, as well.

But there was the matter of the deputies, who he was in no way prepared to acquaint himself with. He was quite sure they would not like him and his feeble-mindedness. He knew SkyClan's deputy by face only, and the rest all seemed new. He bit his tongue at the thought that so much could change in a mere season. Obviously, they had all suffered alongside RiverClan. Some more than others, but suffering everywhere. The tom realized, with a twist in his gut, that he was perhaps the youngest, but at least the second-or-third-youngest, deputy in the forest. He was in deep mud now, not at all equipped for this kind of social interaction.

Ivystar made it clear to him that it was good sense to not reveal incriminating secrets about RiverClan to outsiders... but Loonwhisper had not the faintest idea what was incriminating and what was common knowledge. Should he speak of his brother's death, if it means they're down a warrior? Should he talk about the former Asylum cats who have remained, if it implies that RiverClan's laws have changed? Should he talk about his supper, if it reveals the fish-to-land-prey ratio of their freshkill pile?!

The tom scampered to the bottom of the rock, where the rest of the deputies now resided. He saw two. Perhaps WindClan and ShadowClan's deputies were milling about elsewhere at the moment. Loonwhisper swallowed a very large, uncomfortable lump in his throat. His expression was nearly ghastly: his eyes were wide as the full moon, his smile was crooked like an old stick, and his fur tufted out like the vines of a weeping willow tree. "They call me Loonwhisper, like the bird," he whispered. "I am RiverClan's deputy. Stormbringer has returned to warriorhood. How... do.. you do?"

The latter half of his greeting dragged slowly, as he mulled over his words in real time. He settled on something quite safe and ordinary, though he very nearly asked them how many of their clanmates had given their life to defeat the Asylum. That would have been considered very rude, he decided. But he had to say something.

He sat on the fringe of the group and leaned to acknowledge Batbite. "You are of ThunderClan? Hoo... So it was your clanmate who freed my sister, and my leader?" His eye twinkled just a touch. "Even though we may someday meet again unhappily as rivals, tonight, your clan has my sincerest adoration. I hope that the stars endow your camp with multitudinous blessings."

His head tilted in intense thought as his eyes drifted towards Bloodstrike. "You seemed quite the young tom when I first saw you as deputy, though I was only seven moons myself," he murmured. "We are all elders inside, after this. Beneath my pelt, in my skin... I feel quite decrepit."

Loonwhisper is talking to the other deputies (specifically Batbite and Bloodstrike right now)!

Be polite, be professional.

The mantra running through Batbite's mind was simple, but effective. She had not, historically, made her dislike for SkyClan any sort of secret, and now she was meant to stand next to their leadership at every Gathering. RiverClan's rivalry with ThunderClan was certainly stronger, historically speaking, but in her own life she'd found herself rather fond of the cats across the river - Minkstream and Dacedream and Dappleshine, all cats she cared for who had once been RiverClan; and she certainly respected their leader. As he spoke, odd and unfamiliar - far from the stiff formalities she'd expected - she decided she rather liked their deputy as well.

(Distantly, she noted that she hadn't seen Dappleshine or Raventail anywhere among the WindClan cats. That was a pity, even if she couldn't abandon her post for a simple greeting - and certainly not at her first Gathering as ThunderClan's deputy. Still, it would have been nice to know for certain that they were alright.)

"My name is Batbite," she offered, dipping her head politely. "You're correct - following recent events, I've become ThunderClan's deputy - though I have hope that there isn't great need for rivalry between us, at least for now." It was only right to return the compliment, as well - especially when it was perfectly in line with how she truly felt. "Your Clan is due great respect and admiration, I should think. As for all that trouble... They freed us, as well. I must admit, it's strange to be here again so soon, in such a different place than I had grown accustomed to... All the same, there isn't any changing what's already done. May the stars light your path, and whatever fate has in store for us be kinder than it has so far."

Tornpaw didn't know what to make of the cat that had approached her. She didn't think anyone would bother her so far in the back but due to the fact that this cat took time to approach her might as well talk a little right? It wouldn't go too badly? "Err.. Yeah Skyclan." She said in a clearly not exciting way. She didn't really find her clan to be all that great right now but she remained for.. some reason.. Maybe nothing bad enough happened yet for her to leave.

"I'm Tornpaw." She said, her voice a little on the quieter side. "I haven't been here before either. This is.. all new to me." She informed the other.

---

Batglow smiled, a big grin overtaking his maw. How cool it was to share a name with a friend he had met many moons ago. "I'm Batglow, I guess our leaders had the same idea in mind when naming us." The lanky black tom informed the Windclan warrior. As soon as she mentioned her son, he glanced over to the younger tom, yellow green eyes taking him in. "I wouldn't mind meeting him! If he is anything like you, I bet it would be nice to speak with him."

---

Dovefrost was a little startled when another tom approached him. Green eyes meeting the new figure. Uh.. Rookfire? The name sounded familiar. Daisybloom might have mentioned it once or twice, but he couldn't quite recall off the top of his head.

"I'm Dovefrost, I'm uhh.." He wasn't sure if he was even supposed to share his position in the clan but.. The other clans needed to know about him right. "I'm Daisybloom's apprentice. This is actually my first gathering as her apprentice." He wasn't going to admit that he was unsure of what he was doing out loud. He didn't need that attention on Thunderclan. He was just going to do his best to be a good apprentice for Daisybloom and for Thunderclan.

---

Stormbringer was a little bit behind the rest of Riverclan, but that was because she had gotten a pebble stuck in between her paw pads on the way to gathering. She had to take care of it, promising the rest she would catch up shortly after she removed it. Once the blue gray warrior made her way into the clearing, amber eyes scanned over the crowd, taking in the scene of the fourtrees that was slowly being covered up by cats. Blood and fur still clung to the ground, but the stale scents were being replaced with fresh ones as the night continued on.

The former deputy, pushed a little further into the crowd, looking for two cats in general. Her two youngest. She didn't want them to get into too much trouble, knowing this was their first gathering. So when she saw them both looking rather.. uncomfortable surrounded by Skyclan cats trying to step away she couldn't help but call out to them. "Mountainpaw, Sneezingpaw! Come over here please!" She didn't need to provide them a reason, just needed to give them an out.

Hayglow gasped as Batglow revealed his own warrior name, a huge smile splitting her face as she could barely contain herself from bouncing on her paws in joy. "No way, we both got -glow as our warrior names? How crazy is that!" she raised a paw, playfully batting at the tom. "Guess our friendship was meant to be, eh?" she added before she turned to look at where Muddypaw had been joined by another apprentice. "Come on, then! He is a sweetheart, he isn't far off the mark of being just like me which is a good thing. He helped me find myself when I needed it," she added with a sigh, although it was a happy one. "He just wants to make people smile and did whatever he could to make sure I was happy." She padded toward the small group as she talked,  making  sure to keep an eye on Batglow with a sense of relief - as the sight of him put her at ease. A friend....Just what she needed to see again after everything, it was a relief to know that he was okay and got through Asylum unscathed.

Muddypaw blinked as a new voice spoke up, turning to look at the new arrival. A gasp of his own escaped him as the apprentice introduced himself - also as Muddypaw. The WindClan apprentice jumped to his paws as his eyes glimmered with excitement - the fact that another cat could have the same name as him had never crossed his mind but it was the coolest thing ever! "No way! I'm Muddypaw as well!" he chirped, tail lashing in excitement as he shifted on his paws, barely able to remain in a single spot. "I'm from WindClan," he added, giving the new Muddypaw a sniff before he drew back in disappointment. Nothing. "What Clan are you from?" His visible disappointment didn't last long as he heard Hayglow's voice getting nearer, turning to see that she was approaching with the tom that had called out to her. "Momma! Momma, you wouldn't guess who I just met! I met another Muddypaw! He is from..." he drifted off as he gave another sniff as if something had changed before he shook his head. "I dunno what Clan he is from but he is another Muddypaw, how cool is that?"

Hayglow blinked as her son introduced her to another Muddypaw apprently, giving a taste of the air. Ah, SkyClan. "That is wonderful. And he is from SkyClan, sweetheart. You should take this Gathering to get used to their scents," she added, missing a shift in Muddypaw's expression at that. "Anyways, this is Batglow of ShadowClan, I met him at a previous Gathering when we were both apprentices. Batglow, this is my son Muddypaw. Then we have...Other Muddypaw - wonderful to meet you," she added quickly, before she turned to look at the third cat - the one that Muddypaw had run into. "And what is your name?"

Hayglow and Batglow have joined Muddypaw x2 and Bubblepaw

Bloodstrike realized that a tom was approaching him... an odd tom. The more he spoke, both to Batbite and himself, Bloodstrike was less and less sure of what to say. He certainly was... different. Bloodstrike himself had very faint memories of Batbite and still didn't know that much about her. He hadn't been deputy for very long. Were they all new deputies here?

"Old and decrepit?" Bloodstrike gave a short chuckle and swiped his tongue over his permanently exposed fang. "I doubt I will ever know what it's like to be an elder, whether inside or out." And that was all he had to say on that matter. He would decide when he was going to die, not Starclan, not twolegs, not monsters, not natural causes, nothing but him. As they gave each other compliments on their clans, Bloodstrike was content to stay quiet. His clan had been there too, as well as himself, but he wouldn't be half the warrior that he was now if he needed a pat on the back for it. He neither feared death nor craved rewards.

His eyes went back to the Riverclan apprentice that was supposedly his offspring and flicked an ear toward their conversation. Mountainpaw wasn't convinced, but Bloodstrike couldn't quite bring himself to feel much about it. Inside he knew that his kits would probably be better off in other clans until the ridiculous rule of no outsiders was lifted. Mountainpaw already had a head start. Why stop her?

---

Moonpaw hesitated a moment, unsure of what else to tell Tornpaw. She wasn't very good at beating around the bush for very long, it seemed. "Isn't there a Dawnhawk in your clan? I'd like to talk with him, if he's around." Moonpaw sat down and wrapped her tail around her paws. "He's my dad... I've seen him a few times but we never really had a chance to talk. I would like to... if that's alright."

Any cat that knew Dayspring was well aware that she was opposed to large crowds. That only meant that tonight was yet another thing that the she-cat had to add to her endless list of fears. Now that the forest was beginning to revert back to a somewhat normal state, the pre-Asylum traditions were returning as well, meaning that Gatherings were officially back in session. This would not only be her first ever Gathering since the day she was born, but her first ever Gathering as the deputy of her Clan. She couldn’t help but shudder as she followed close behind Lilacstar with the rest of WindClan’s chosen cats padding along with them. She had one job tonight, and that was to represent both WindClan and herself as gracefully as possible. The other deputies... would they be kind? Would they be hostile? Dayspring wouldn’t blame them if they decided to be a tad bit aggressive. It was understandable for cats to be on edge now, especially after so many loved ones had been lost and spirits had joined StarClan.

She cleared her throat once the other deputies came into view. It seemed as if three were already there, so at least that meant that she wouldn’t be the last one to join them. Introductions were never one of Dayspring’s skills, but she supposed that she couldn’t simply sit down in silence.
“Sorry to intrude,” She began, her worried expression swiftly morphing into a cheerful one, “I do hope this is the right place to stand. I’ve never done this Gathering thing before.”

Her eyes quickly flicked up to stare at the leaders as they conversed on top of the rock. Of course this was the right place to stand... what other place would there be? What a mindless question to ask. She quickly covered up her hidden embarrassment with a sigh.
“I’m Dayspring, by the way, of WindClan. It’s a pleasure to meet you all for the first time.”

dayspring is speaking with the other deputies.