April Gathering 2021

A tense silence ensued, his mentor’s face working as she struggled to speak, and it dawned on Pyrik just how badly his good intentions had backfired. “That's probably a lot, I’m s—” Right about then, Mistyfalcon appeared at Murkystrike’s other side with an answer. Pyrik clamped his mouth shut. No wonder Asylum had forbidden Gatherings. After witnessing a mere pawful of warriors from across the Clans working together, he understood the threat they posed. Had posed. Finally, Murkystrike managed to reply, distant but steady enough. She had a point; this was a fantastic opportunity to learn…for a cat brave enough to tear themselves away from ShadowClan. Pyrik was not that cat.

As the conversation moved to Flintstar, he forced himself to look toward the clearing’s center, where one of the leaders (presumably; she was sitting with Flintstar and Lilacstar) was talking to another stranger beneath. WindClan’s medicine cat stepped forward, and the discussion transformed into a squabble, pulling in more cats from atop and around the stone. Ears flicking back, he glanced up at the completely unobscured moon. No fighting, huh. Somehow, the lack of claws involved made it worse. As the argument peaked, the scrawniest creature Pyrik had ever seen sprinted away from the massive rock and out of sight. WindClan’s medicine cat followed soon after. Pyrik shrank back, sheltering behind his mentor as subtly as he could manage, but the WindClanner didn’t so much as glare in his direction.

He tuned back in to hear Mistyfalcon and Murkystrike whispering, Murkystrike rising to her paws. His eyes widened, just a bit. “Are we allowed to just…leave?” Running out on his first-ever Gathering would do him no favors in ShadowClan’s eyes; then again, Mistyfalcon and Murkystrike, both more ShadowClan than he’d ever be, were contemplating that exact thing. Admittedly, they had much better reasons, but maybe…maybe it would be okay. If nothing else, it would give him another moon to figure out a decent adhesive for pine needles and fur. Pyrik gave a faint smile, concern and relief mingling on his face. “No, I-I’d rather wait for a less chaotic night. …Uh, do they get less chaotic?”

Sablepaw found her discomfort fading to almost... surprise, as this kindhearted molly immediately refuted her mumbled apology. Her fur slicked slightly, smoothening on her frame to less of a bush and more normal. Hesitantly, almost wondering at what she was supposed to say to that, she opened her mouth, a hint of shame coming back again."I... They wouldn't, but...."

But it was hard not to look at this and feel the pain in her heart come back. Beecloud wouldn't want her to be sad - he'd tell her to look up and enjoy the freedom. The freedom that all that blood, fur, and stink - already fading away from the clearing - symbolized.

No, she shouldn't run from it - Beecloud deserved more than that. This was probably the last trace of him left anywhere. And somehow... somehow it was almost comforting to realize that - that this clearing streaked with blood had been the last place he'd walked on, the last place he'd fought, and held his last moments.

In that moment, she almost could feel him, his huge presence towering there over all the cats below.

Slowly, slightly hesitantly, a small smile grew on her maw, the flickering end of her tail slowing as Rosepaw sat next to her, taking in a breath and letting it out in a silent exhale. "Um, I guess not - I mean, it is the first one we've had in ages and all..." She blinked gratefully at the other, this stranger who had taken it upon herself to reassure someone she'd never seen before, and butted her shoulder with her head - a gesture she and her siblings often used. "Thank you."

Loonwhisper said nothing to Dayspring as she approached them, rather lifting his eyes in a wordless greeting in which he surveyed her. Her tepid yellow eyes bubbled, her splotched pelt felt kind and warm. She was a cat as much out of her depth as he was, and in that sense, he instantly felt that he might try to befriend her in some way. "Your pelt is like moth fuzz," he purred.

And in an instant, the warm moment was blasted with an unexpected chill. Uh oh. Beechface was tearing her way up to the Highrock's base, calling up at Ivystar, demanding answers. It seemed that Sneezingpaw and Mountainpaw belonged to her kin. Loonwhisper's head swiveled, hardly quick enough to beat the tempo of the argument and growing chaos. The medicine cats were in disarray. Somewhere, he caught the edge of the bold statement that Spiderquill had lied; the tom did not deny it and turned to run from the clearing. Uh oh. Softbreeze followed, her mouth running quick as a bee's buzz, never ceasing in her incessant shouting. Lilacstar brought a note of calm to the crowd, and Beechface continued to growl her grievances. Ivystar and Wolfstar agreed to talk later... Uh oh.

The deputy suddenly felt that he was out of place and out of sorts. He was... irritated? Confused? Overwhelmed? He settled on uncomfortable. The arguing, the jeers back and forth, and the roar of the crowd stabbed his brain like thorns in his temples. Loonwhisper's tail tip was twitching rhythmically as he gritted his teeth and softly whispered, "Hoo... hoo. Hoooo....."

Bloodstrike spoke, and the RiverClan tom's chin felt tugged up by the sound of his voice. It was a sudden note of reason in an ocean of emotions he could neither understand nor try to reciprocate. He spoke clearly, in the same guiding way Loonwhisper had seen mentors instruct their newest apprentices. Beechface relaxed her hackles in response to his words.

RiverClan's deputy kept his eyes fixated on Bloodstrike long after he stopped speaking, moving from his scarred muzzle, to his rusted brown tabby markings, to his huge back legs, and back up to his eyes. What he said garnered a mixture of responses. What he said was not a peacemaking statement, and it was quiet unpopular... but it temporarily calmed the waves. So that was the role of a deputy, in essence. He was not really a leader-in-training, though he may one day lead the Clan. He was not an assigner of apprentices or a representative of RiverClan or a patrol organizer, though these were responsibilities expected of him. At the core of his new role... he was Ivystar's closest and most trusted advisor. It made more sense now. She needed him, as did RiverClan. Was that why he was deputy, and not Jayshriek? Not Flashlight? His oddities, it seems, were strengths to his former mentor. They were quite different. Flashlight might have influenced her temper, and her son was as stubborn as she could be. But Loonwhisper was not that way.

His crooked smile was a ghastly grimace as he finally turned away from Bloodstrike. "Had I known that Mountainpaw and Sneezingpaw were SkyClan-born!" he groaned to Dayspring beside him. "I've agonized over it. It seemed so improbable. But of course, a SkyClan kit would not be felled easily by a bird. They're light as feathers themselves..." Loonwhisper's eyes flickered to Mountainpaw. "Well, most of them, anyway. Hoo."

Badgermask padded into the clearing behind the rest of ThunderClan, her eyes wide and bright, ears pricked forward. There were so many cats here again, it seemed like ages since the last time all the clans were together, and she was here for it! As the clan dispersed, Badgermask made her way to the center of the crowd, close to the Great Rock, and sat down to listen to what seemed to be a fairly heated argument with undisguised interest.

just wanted to get badger in here before it was too late - she is open to talk to!

The immediate kindness from the other deputies didn't fail to take Dayspring aback, but she did a flawless job at managing to keep it out of sight. The overall atmosphere of a Gathering was still something that she had to get used to. The various scents of different Clans mingled together to create a new concoction that the she-cat couldn't put a description on. It was overwhelming, that and the echoing voices of the dozens of cats that occupied the clearing, but she figured that staying focused on the small bubble of cats that she had immersed herself in would make it easier to stay calm. Memorizing names and matching them with their respective Clans would be a rather tough task for her, so she decided to make as mental mental notes as she could regarding the identities of the other deputies.

Bloodstrike of SkyClan seemed to be a level-headed and respectable tom. She quietly gave him a nod in return, instantly being aware of the chaos that he spoke of. The leaders on top of the rock and the medicine cats down below seemed to be engaged in quite the quarrel, and considering how close everyone seemed to unsheathing their claws, Dayspring could only thank StarClan that fighting was strictly forbidden at Gatherings. Of course, she had heard various stories of that rule being broken, but surely those in a position of leadership would be the first ones to set the example and stay peaceful. Well, Dayspring wasn't exactly sure she could call whatever was occurring at the moment "peaceful", but there was no fighting nonetheless.

What caught the she-cat's attention the most was Wolfstar's rather sharp reply towards Softbreeze. Naturally, even if she did agree that Softbreeze should've let SkyClan and RiverClan discuss their own matters, she felt a sense of protectiveness towards the medicine cat of her own Clan. It would only make matters worse if she spoke up for Lilacstar had already addressed both Wolfstar and Softbreeze with a swiftness that the deputy couldn't help but admire.

Please be careful... Dayspring silently sent WindClan's medicine cat well wishes as she sprinted from the clearing in an attempt to chase after Dennis.

Then, it was back to focusing on the other deputies. Batbite of ThunderClan, from what Dayspring could tell, was conversational and friendly.
"Yes, it is a bit strange. It's going to take a bit of time for me to get used to it all."
She took a moment to glance back up at the tense forms of the leaders before meeting Batbite's eyes once again, "Seems exciting already."

The last deputy was Loonwhisper of RiverClan. His first comment threw her off slightly, but she couldn't help but smile. What an odd compliment that was.
"Thank you," Dayspring began, trying her hardest to conjure up some sort of remark in response, "Your pelt is pretty soft, too."
How embarrassing on her part... that compliment was nowhere near decent. She silently lowered her eyes as she gave the current situation some thought. She could only hope that WindClan would never end up being swept into a matter like this. She wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to have the wisdom to properly handle circumstances regarding diplomatic relationships with the other Clans like this.

She lifted her gaze back up to glance over at the RiverClan tom as he spoke. She was still unsure if giving her two-cents on the situation would be smart, but she figured that speaking about it a little wouldn't do any harm.
"I'm just glad that they're alive and well. It would've been tragic to hear that a bird took the life of two kits. No one deserves to die that way."

It didn't take long for Smallbean to hear his mentor's voice rise above the others. oh no. His stomach dropped as he turned his attention toward the medicine cats. He wasn't a stranger to how Softbreeze would speak up during gatherings if she saw something wrong. Not that it was bad or anything, but sometimes it was better not to cause a scene- especially considering the bad things that have happened in the past because of it. Soon enough his curiosity got the best of him and began to scoot close enough to hear the conversation, maybe it would be a good idea to join in since he was a medicine cat apprentice. By the time he was in hearing range he caught Softbreeze mid-sentence, it sounded as if she were talking about Dennis. Even after meeting him during the half-moon meeting, he still didn't know the tom. All he knew was that Softbreeze seemed to be very good friends with him and that he was a medicine cat despite not having a clan cat name.

He began to lose focus when the leaders began to intervene, but he was snapped back to attention when he heard his name mentioned. "W-wha..?" He stammered, trying to recall what Softbreeze had just said. "Oh- yeah, yeah. Herbs have been... plentiful." He said the words without thought, struggling to quickly respond to the question. Only a moment after that, Dennis darted from the group and out of fourtrees, Softbreeze soon following. "Wait, don't leave!" He called out, standing up and walking a few steps before stopping to process what she had told him. 'Mossbloom?' He looked toward the direction Softbreeze had told him to, soon seeing the she-cat. He had never really taken the time to learn who the medicine cats were before he had become the apprentice of one, so he had never even exchanged words with Mossbloom. He looked uncertainly toward her, then moved his gaze over to Downtuft, who was mid-conversation with another cat. He hoped it didn't get to the point where he had to go to one of them, but he made the mental note to remember where they were.

---

"Woah, i've never met a Riverclan cat before." Stag said the words with fascination, eyes wideing. He often thought about what it was like to be in other clans, what their territories were like, what they ate, and how different their lives were from Thunderclan cats. This could be his chance to learn more! He quickly became more at ease in Dewlight's presence, delighted that she was so kind to him. He tried his best to ignore when she mentioned his name, averting his gaze from hers. He was glad that she didn't push on it and instead continued the conversation. "Thunderclan is doing quite well, i'm glad to finally be rid of the cold weather." He let out a small chuckle. The cold didn't really bother him, but when it was warmer it was easier to find prey. Continuing, he spoke again. "This is actually my first gathering as well! There's a lot more cats than i thought there would be, but i think i like it.... Even so, it seems like it's rather unorganized." He said the last sentence as he watched some three-legged cat run from the gathering, a she-cat following him. "Who are they?" He thought out loud, watching as they disappeared from sight. What could be going on?


Smallbean is still talkable

Flintstar's ears had twitched at the sound of the heated discussion arose from the medicine cats - something that had grabbed both Ivystar's and Wolfstar's attention. A heavy sigh escaped him as the two joined in for whatever the trouble was - his attention only shifting over long enough to realize that it had nothing to do with ShadowClan before he turned to look at the tom that stood in the place of Nettlestar. His whiskers twitched at the tom made a comment about things seeming to be the same as before, a hint of a smile pulling onto the leader's face. "Hm. I will admit, I rather enjoyed the peacefulness of not having Gatherings. Perhaps the one of the few good things to come out of Asylum's time here..." He paused as Lilacstar stepped over to join the bickering with RiverClan and SkyClan, causing him to shake his head before she returned to awkwardly mention perhaps starting the Gathering. "An excellent idea," he remarked as he pushed himself to his paws, stepping towards the edge of the rock to look at Wolfstar and Ivystar.

"If you two would join the rest of us up here...We are in the middle of a Gathering and I think its time to start." He shook his head as he turned his gaze onto the clearing before them. "This Gathering has started! It has been countless moons since we have all last been gathered here. I am here to report that, despite everything, ShadowClan has thrived. We lost no cats to Asylum - but did lose a few Clanmembers to other means. Following Asylum's defeat, ShadowClan has taken in a few members who did not agree with Asylum's teachings. They are proud members of ShadowClan and I will protect all of them as if they were born within my Clan," he added, eyes glancing towards Lilacstar. He didn't doubt her words but perhaps it was more of a threat towards her Clanmates in general - not everybody would listen to their leader and perhaps one or two would seek to take matters into their own paws. Hopefully a clear wording would discourage them.

"I understand however that my Clan has no doubt been one of the lucky ones. I express my..." he drifted off, trying to find the right word for what he wanted to say. Sorrow? No, that didn't feel like the correct word for this moment... "Sympathy towards those who had lost cats at Asylum's claws. Make no mistake, I hold no fondness for Asylum as a whole - the cats I've accepted into ShadowClan are ones that I've believe are the few good ones. And may those who proudly took the lives of your Clanmates suffer wherever they are now." There was a pause before he dipped his head. "...That is all I have to report." With that, he stepped back to let the next leader speak.

With a slight eye-roll, Ivystar nodded in agreement to Wolfstar's idea that they meet again at a later time to discuss the kits and where they would end up. She decidedly didn't respond to Lilacstar's pointed remarks, instead just focusing on Dennis- who was, as she should've expected, fleeing the clearing. She honestly couldn't have cared less, but when Softbreeze followed, anger began to bubble in her chest once again. With her ears turned back, she leaped back onto the Great Rock and mewed loud enough for only Lilacstar to hear, "Your medicine cat has caused enough trouble to my Clan by defending the actions of my dishonest medicine cat. Please do not let it happen again, or I'll be forced to keep them separated." Her politeness was quite obviously feigned, but she didn't care.

Ivystar took her place on the rock as she watched Flintstar give his announcements, waiting patiently for her turn. She truthfully didn't pay as much attention as she should've, as she was still riding the flames of the heated argument just moments ago. When he was done and turned back to join the other leaders, she quickly padded forward and began her own report. "Like most of you here, RiverClan suffered during Asylum's reign. We lost our beloved warrior, Shrikefrost, to the claws of a ruthless Asylum she-cat. We honor his courage and spirit and take comfort in our memories of him." With a sigh, she gave a moment of silence to honor the fallen RiverClan warrior. "Many of our ranks were imprisoned under Asylum's rule, myself included. While we were all kept separate, Loonwhisper rose to the position of deputy. Stormbringer made the decision to step down on her own terms, and she is healthy and well. We are currently sheltering two of the kits so cruelly stolen from us by Asylum. Let it be known that if any of the kits who found themselves displaced after Asylum's treachery wish to find a home in RiverClan, we welcome your loyalty and will be happy to have you. That is all." She mewed, turning back to face the other leaders and eventually sitting back down, waiting for the next leader to take their place and make their announcement.

Lilacstar narrowed her eyes as Ivystar spoke to her. Keep them separated? For some reason, Lilacstar did not like the sound of that. "Yes, of course, Ivystar. It is not as though medicine cats share some sort of bond with each other or anything. I will make sure that Softbreeze no longer cares for your Clanmates, because StarClan knows that you do not." Despite her sarcastic words, part of Lilacstar did agree with Ivystar. Softbreeze was entirely too close to a cat who resided in a different Clan, and although Ivystar could look out for her medicine cat more, in the end he was her responsibility. But what Lilacstar could not condone was how the other leaders seemed to threaten her medicine cat. "Now, I am a peace-loving leader, and I see no reason for us to quarrel. That being said, just as you wish to handle your own Clanmates, I will deal with mine accordingly. I will have a discussion with Softbreeze, and I expect that the rest of you do not try to take action against my medicine cat, or any cat in WindClan, or I may not be so inclined should my Clanmates decide to take action against you. I believe we have all learned from the mouse hunt that our warriors may have their own solutions to Clan problems."

As both ShadowClan and RiverClan gave their reports, Lilacstar decided that she herself would share news from her Clan. She might have been a bit more nervous, but as of now the words she perceived to be threats was at the forefront of her mind, and she could no longer be bothered to worry about something so trivial as performance. "WindClan had not gone without it's losses, as one of our senior warriors, Goldengale, was slaughtered by the claws of Theron herself. Three of our elders, Dappleshine, Raventail, and Gingertalon had also been killed by these brutes, and one of our warriors, Morningdove, had disappeared, along with Olivestar, and Maplewhisker was forced to step down due to injury. With StarClan's favor, I have been granted my nine lives, and was appointed the new leader of WindClan, with Dayspring as my deputy. We have also welcomed a couple cats into our Clan, one of which was a kit who had been stolen from us by the Asylum. And we will continue to welcome in more should they have the need for a home. That is all."

Moving back, she sat back on the rock, clearly still agitated. This was not how she imagined her first gathering as leader would go, but if it had to be this way, so be it. Brindlestar had granted her the life of ferocity for a reason, after all. She was clearly in need of that now.

⍟ Fawnstep wanted to take up the role of the dutiful mentor and he knew that meant leading the former Asylum cat into the gathering. This was his first time at a gathering, second time at fourtrees. A sense of foreboding seemed to crawl through his pelt. There was little change to the warrior's expression but his teeth clenched. Here was where he had been held by the creatures of Asylum. He still had yet to reconcile the convoluted way in which he regarded them. One thing he found himself likened to think was that he'd absorbed their brutish strength and made it his own, especially since his captors hadn't left many long standing wounds on his pelt. That brought a glint to his eye.

Padding alongside Tawnyflare, the brown and white tom seemed to stand with his head a little higher. No cat from another clan would look down on him. He'd lived a life purely underneath the rule of Asylum and had hardly any knowledge about the complex interworking of clan relationships; for this reason he was resigned to regard them with caution while inflating his own self-importance. His companion seemed to be pressed with her own weight and thoughts. For this reason, he settled back and drew his attention towards the great rock. There was obvious tension, which he noted with interest, and was contented to watch the events unfold. ⍟

∆ Padding into the clearing felt like something out of a dream. To Kitefire, it was so surreal that the creeping numbness of her paws hardly felt the scuffed earth below. Her eyes raked the crowd as she sought to drink in the scent of Riverclan. It was comforting, reminded her of Jayshriek. Bitterly, she considered that it bought about more of a sense of peace than milling about her own camp these moons. Maybe it was now that the Thunderclan clearing had been tainted by unpleasant memories of Asylum and the losses that they had incurred. She shook her head and tried to briefly forget about the midnight black coat she so longed to see. Eventually, the warrior's gaze found the pelt of her sister. The words of the leaders sounded muted and muttered in a similar manner to speaking next to the river and she tried little to strain for it. Settling next to Shrikesong, she meowed lowly to not draw attention from those nearby, "It feels strange to be back here after so long for me. How are you feeling?" ∆

Bloodstrike's words took Wolfstar by surprise, and for a moment he stood there, staring at his son with a mixture of confusion and worry. Had his captivity been so detrimental that it had changed his entire... outlook? He wasn't sure whether to be relieved. But that was a matter for another time, he just met his deputy's gaze and nodded once, then turned to follow Ivystar back on to the rock.

Lilacstar's snark, directed at Ivystar, brought an unexpected surge of anger within him, and he couldn't help but bristle a bit, one fang bared for the briefest moment before he composed himself. He didn't even like Ivystar, but the WindClan leader had somehow managed to become ever so slightly higher on his list of dislike, even if not for entirely her own actions. An annoyed sniff followed her completed news, and Wolfstar stepped forward to deliver his own.

"SkyClan fares well after Asylum's defeat," he began. "But we, too, have losses to report. Our elder, Nightwing; several warriors, Flashstorm, Adderflare, Flowerthorn; and apprentice, Jaypaw. The kits stolen from SkyClan have yet to return, and if anyone has information on their location, or... well-being... it would be much appreciated. In addition, I-" Wolfstar's gaze had been absentmindedly sweeping the crowd, and as he passed a group of cats together, one pelt stuck out to him. He did a double-take, the words dying in his throat as his gaze locked on to her form. Honeysong? Wolfstar's mouth went dry, and he stared, bewildered and confused, at his sister. Several long moments passed like that before he remembered where he was, and Wolfstar snapped his mouth shut, "I... have nothing else to report, that is all."

He stepped back then, ears slicked back, eyes wide, staring down at the Great Rock. She was alive? But... she wasn't here with SkyClan...

"I don't give a rat's tail if she cares about him. It's defending his dishonesty that has put my Clan in a place of tension with SkyClan that is unacceptable. It is not her place to defend the actions of another Clan's medicine cat. And if you dare insinuate that I don't care for my Clanmates again, I'll show you just how much I do. Don't make me." The last part she hissed under her breath, and it was probably not audible to the WindClan leader as she continued to talk. Ivystar simply gave a curt nod and let her finish speaking before she continued, "I won't take action against your medicine cat, or any WindClanner for that matter, unless she gives me a reason to. See to it that she doesn't cause any more trouble and I believe we won't have any further issues with the matter."

Ivystar didn't comment any further on the matter and simply listened to what Lilacstar had to say. Her jaw dropped, however, when she mentioned that not one, not two, but three elders had been killed by Asylum. She honestly wouldn't have cared much if that hadn't included Dappleshine and Raventail, who she cared about greatly. She sat quietly until Lilacstar finished and sat in shock as Wolfstar gave his own, staring off seemingly at nothing with her maw parted slightly. She snapped back into reality after a few moments, however, and she stood up from her place on the rock and approached Lilacstar slowly. Her muscles were relaxed and her claws remained sheathed- she didn't want to come off as hostile, but this conversation wasn't one that she wanted the entire forest to hear.

Once she was close enough to Lilacstar that the cats below the Great Rock wouldn't hear her words, and likely the other leaders as well, she sat down and curled her tail over her paws neatly. Despite the anger that burned behind her emerald green eyes, she seemed rather composed. "Lilacstar... I'm unsure whether you know much about Dappleshine's background, but I wish for you to understand that she meant a great deal to me personally. She was family- that much is undeniable." It was hard to hide the slight tremble in her voice as she spoke about Dappleshine being family. She was, quite obviously, still in shock after hearing about her death so suddenly and without warning. "With... With that in mind, I wish to know the circumstances surrounding her death, as well as Raventail's, please. Both of them meant a lot to me and... I hope you understand that knowing how they were lost would... Help. They had to have done something for Asylum to murder them." She tried to choose her words carefully as to not come off as hostile. Truthfully the she-cat was very angry that the two elders had been slaughtered by Asylum under WindClan's care, but that wasn't something she was going to reveal at the time. Right now, she just wanted closure- knowing how they'd gone down might help her with that.

Batbite strained her ears to catch each detail as the leaders started their announcements proper, listening carefully. ShadowClan spoke first, and they had fared surprisingly well under the paws of their captors (she wondered, distantly, what the reason for such a thing may be). They'd taken in some of the Asylum refugees, something their leader stated plainly and with a tone and phrasing that allowed no room for question. He spoke vaguely, giving no unnecessary details (and perhaps missing some she might have considered important), and she couldn't help but respect that.

RiverClan's announcement was more of what she'd expected. Pain and suffering brought about by Asylum, announcement of their new deputy, the return of kits lost to the cruelty of Asylum. A call that RiverClan, too, would welcome those who had left them behind. WindClan had similar announcements, but that wasn't unexpected; the thing that caught her attention was the mention of Dappleshine and Raventail amidst the casualties.

She was sure her mask slipped, if only for a moment. It certainly explained why she hadn't seen them here tonight. SkyClan's announcements came and went - nothing especially unusual, aside from the growing list of Asylum casualties. Strangely, though, it had sounded as if Wolfstar had wanted to say something, and then cut himself off. As she waited for Minkstream to finish out the announcements with their own, she let the grief she felt silently wash over her. A quiet memorial for friends and allies alike.

(Death was inevitable, that much was true, but it always seemed to sting a little bit more when it was someone she knew.)

He had to agree with the ShadowClan leader's assessment, in a way. In any case, this wasn't the return to Fourtrees he'd hoped for, standing on the Great Rock in the middle of hostilities between RiverClan, WindClan, and SkyClan. Despite the vague ache in his head and the way his thoughts slipped just slightly off the details, he couldn't miss the way Ivystar and Lilacstar's fur bristled as he listened with half an ear to ShadowClan's report, which the leader was being intentionally vague about anyway.

He stayed quiet as Ivystar broke away from Lilacstar with a few more exchanged hisses, his own fur on edge as uneasiness crawled down his spine. ThunderClan is supposed to have an alliance in place with WindClan.... The thought of them clashing wasn't a great one. Breathing in and letting it out slowly, he forced himself to focus on her words, whiskers twitching in surprise at the mention of a new deputy. His eyes flicked towards where the cats were gathered at the base of the rock, catching a glimpse of black and white fur. So Stormbringer had stepped down? At least I can remember her name.

Lilacstar stepped forward, her maw parting. This time the first bit of news was the death of one of their warriors, and he let his lip curl briefly at the mention of Theron, eyes flashing darkly as a flicker of a memory surfaced - pain and separation, blackness. That name....

He shook it off, composing himself again and listening in time to catch-

"...Dappleshine, Raventail, and Gingertalon had also been killed by these brutes, and one of our warriors, Morningdove...."

The breath died in his lungs, the rest of her words fading. Dappleshine and Raventail....

It felt like someone had just kicked him in the ribcage, utter numbness flooding through his body like the creeping chill of leaf-bare. The clearing faded, the other leaders shadows nearby - he barely noticed her stepping back and Wolfstar coming forward as the abrupt loss of feeling slowly turned to a deep ache, throbbing softly in his chest. It didn't... feel real. But it sat like a river stone in the pit of his stomach. A haze had covered his mind, the pressure in his head tightening as he closed his eyes and let out a slow breath.

Some part of him registered silence as Wolfstar stepped back, and he came to his paws by rote, the surface of the rock like slick ice underneath them. He didn't feel it as he turned to WindClan's leader, distantly noting that Ivystar had moved up to her, the two of them talking. He didn't want to hear it - he didn't want to know how they'd died. The pain in his own chest was enough without hearing the agony they would have felt as some Asylum monster tore their lives away.

There was anger at that, dark and throbbing. He pushed it away for now as he interrupted them with a murmur. "I'm sorry..." Taking a deep breath, he attempted to clear the fog of grief that pulled at his heart, the churn of emotion that muddled his thoughts. "I'm sorry for WindClan's loss - I knew both Dappleshine and Raventail personally. They shouldn't have had to die at Asylum's claws." He glanced at the other leaders. "Or anyone else."

Dipping his head to her, he stepped up to the edge of the rock, barely seeing the cats below. If he'd had the capacity right then, he probably would have felt terrified. The numb grief that swamped him instead was a poor trade.

"ThunderClan has suffered its own losses, brave warriors that tried to fight against the evil of Asylum. Beecloud and Pinefrost among them." He almost winced at the way that sounded, but... stars, he couldn't really bring himself to care about any of the eyes from the other Clans that blinked up at him right now. "Unfortunately, Nettlestar..." He bowed his head and steeled himself, ploughing on, "...died protecting an apprentice from a badger. I'm left in her place, and have appointed Batbite as ThunderClan's new deputy. While we were separated from the rest of the Clans, life still moved on, and we have new apprentices and warriors in our ranks, including a couple of missing kits who abandoned Asylum."

None of the others had mentioned names, so he didn't try to play hunt-the-rabbit with his memory, instead turning his head to glance at the leaders on the rock. "I'd like to thank the other members of the Mousehunt who joined with Beecloud and Shrikesong to free us from the claws of Asylum. Beecloud gave his life to take down the head of the snake, and I know others suffered for this, too." Dipping his head and letting out a slow breath, he stepped back and addressed the group - whoever they might be - that had given their skills and bravery to free the Clans, his voice dropping slightly and a hint of a crack breaking the last word in spite of himself. "Thank you for your sacrifice."

He set his jaw, forcing himself to meet the gaze of the other leaders as he said more quietly to them alone, "ThunderClan's willing to discuss alliances with any of you. I don't care about your arguments, or any past ones our ancestors had, I just want my Clan not to suffer any more than it has to after this."

With a quiet sigh, he muttered under his breath, "Stars know we've lost enough already."

As the argument became more and more heated, Amberfluff was finding it incredibly difficult to keep her composure. From the snapping of the cats at one another and especially at Lilacstar, she could sense disharmony among the Leaders-and what was worse, they seemed to be allied against WindClan. Why? What did Lilacstar do to deserve this at her first Gathering?

Oh, have you considered that your impulsive jumping forward might have caused this?

No, it can't have such a big effect. Shut up. Despite her words, Amberfluff felt unease pooling in her stomach. It wasn't a stretch, and if her going up caused other Leaders to doubt Lilacstar's competency as a Leader...Not to mention this would cause them to trust the young Leader even less as they might think she was incapable of caring for herself...Oh stars, what have I done?

Nothing much, just mess things up for your clan, that's all...

---

Willowdance and Shimmerdust eyed each other. For now, SkyClan and RiverClan were fine with each other, but the same can't be said from WindClan. "They better not make a whole clan stop coming to Gatherings. That's just so rude to the WindClanners, especially since Softbreeze was the only one involved in this..." Willowdance muttered to the other two.

Shimmerdust frowned. "At this rate, we'll kill ourselves without the Asylum coming into the picture." She murmured. Willowdance shuddered at the thought.