July Gathering 2021

Ears flickering with curiosity, Ivystar leaned in to listen closely to Lilacstar as she spoke in a hushed tone, clearly urgent in whatever it was she had to say. Slight shock was evident on her features as she mentioned a cat with a kill-order on his head, but she quickly covered it up and continued to listen, confusion clearly the dominant emotion swirling within her emerald eyes. Once Lilacstar finished her spiel, Ivystar looked at her with a blank expression. There were so many things left unsaid that Ivystar felt she was lacking most of the necessary context in order to make a reasonable decision on the matter. What, exactly, had this tom done that Lilacstar was asking her to defend? In what manner was she supposedly defending him? Did this mean a full-scale war between Clans, or was it a petty argument? Ivystar gave her a slight nod as she padded away, stepping back and maintaining her neutral expression as the other leaders joined them atop the rock and started the gathering.

Once several leaders had made their announcements, Ivystar stepped forward and began RiverClan's own report. "RiverClan fares well. Mountainheart has received her warrior name, and we have an influx of apprentices beginning their training. Be on the lookout for any twolegs or dogs that could pose a danger to your Clans, as we've been dealing with them in large numbers. That is all." As Ivystar turned to return to her place on the rock, she brushed past Lilacstar and mewed, "Could I speak with you after the gathering, please?" and before she could respond, Ivystar continued to her seat. She'd wait after the gathering ended, and if Lilacstar really wished for her help, so would she.

Smallbean padded into the gathering, his head low with apprehension. With Dawnhawk's recent reveal and Wolfstar's announcement from the previous gathering, he could only wonder how long it would take for Skyclan to find out where Dawnhawk had gone. Windclan was in danger, he could tell. Even he thought that Dawkhawk was a changed cat, though. The tom had never even shown any violent tendencies- at least not around him. His pawsteps were light as he weaved his way in between cats, the many scents clashing together. He could sense tension among the sea of pelts, it increased when he caught sight of Beechface. He could only hope that claws would not be used tonight.


∞ Smallbean is open for conversation
♢ Stag is back at camp

✘ Fangsnap had padded in with Shadowclan. There was an awkward gait to his step, one caused by the still healing wound caused by a raccoon's sharp teeth. It's massive jaws had nearly swallowed the whole shoulder bone in one go, crunching away with astonishing power. Thankfully, he and Mistyfalcon had been able to best it. Regardless of the fact that he was healing fairly well, at least according to Rookfire, it did not make the journey any more pleasant. But the stoic warrior would do little more than keep a neutral expression across his maw.

As he found a spot at the edge of the rest of the throng of Shadowclan cats, the grizzled warrior settled back onto his haunches. He did not look eager for company. Among the rest of the crowd, he was far from certain that he was the only one picking up on the rising tensions in the air. It was hard to hear much of anything over the relentless chatter of many conversations but there was still... something, underneath it all. Fangsnap's eyes scanned the crowd and he kept a keen watch just in case anything would arise. Allegedly, this was a sacred space, where no claws were to be unsheathed. But with this many cats around, he was certain anything could happen.

His ear hardly flickered as the leaders spoke. There was little of merit to note in their taut speeches. At least Flintstar's admission was relatable. Fangsnap scoffed lightly. Perhaps one day the charcoal tom would not force them to attend such a pointless commune. ✘

⍟ Fawnstep could never decide if gatherings amused, or disgusted him. Either way, it brought back the unpleasant memories of being imprisoned here for so long. He stuck close to Tawnyflare and sought little in the ways of chatting with others outside of Windclan. However, the tom's gaze was cast across the clearing. Something was in the air tonight. The warrior did not seek to find it, but he was wary of it. Windclan was harboring a Skyclan fugitive and that knowledge alone meant there would be tension between them both, even if the opposing clan had no knowledge of it. ⍟

♢ The tom had filtered in among the rest of the clan. Although he was never opposed to chattering with cats from other clans, he stuck close to the familiar. Over the past few moons, so many things had happened, such weighed on his shoulders and made this journey less pleasant. Wrenspring remembered coming here with Graybird when she was an apprentice. Such things were bittersweet now. He settled back and watched the leaders give their messages. Every so often, his gaze flickered to keep an eye on the medicine cats. No matter how much he tried, even now, the former warrior could not keep himself away from Beechface. It seemed for good reason too that he had kept on eye on her - something was wrong. He slipped through the crowd, hesitating not far off from the medicine cats, and ultimately not opting to say anything whole announcements were being made. But he was here, nearby, just in case she needed anything. ♢

Stoatpaw is at home because he's toeing the paradox line.
Fangsnap is open for conversation but he looks unpleasant.
Fawnstep is not open for conversation.
Kitefire is in baby jail - a whole new type of baby jail.
Wrenspring is open for conversation but is focused on Beechface.

Waterlily padded to the gathering with almost all the rest of the Thunderclan cats.  Her kits that were still home should be fine... right?  Well, it was her first gathering since she had kits and she didn't want to miss it, even if all the cats still made her a bit uncomfortable.

Waterlily is open to talk!
_____________________________________________________________

Hearing her name being called, Ashstorm turned to see a young warrior.  She said her name was Ashfall which made Ashstorm smirk at the name resemblance, having no idea who this cat was or why they were talking to her or how they knew who she was.  Although quickly all of that became answered.

"Dawnhawk is alive and is in Windclan."

Ashstorm tilted her head and her eyes widened in surprise.  So that's where he's been.  No longer was she just thinking about the name, she had so much more to think about.  That was why Beechface was yelling.  She snapped back to the conversation.  She wasn't about to ask her questions now, those could wait for later.  Right now she just needed to listen.

"I am his daughter."

Wait, WHAT???  Okay, um, well hello niece.  Her mind said, she tried to hold back from talking until apparently Dawnhawk's daughter was done speaking.  And then she asked about the kill order.  What a nice family visit this was.  For a moment, Ashstorm was silent and just looked at Ashfall.  She was feeling so many emotions at once.  She blinked a few times and remembered to respond.

"Oh, uh, hi Ashfall.  So, just so I'm clear, Dawnhawk is in Windclan and you're his daughter and you want to know how he got the kill order?  Um, okay then,"  She said.  Again, she was silent for a moment, trying to figure out how best to put this for the younger warrior.  She wanted to save her from stress, but Ashfall came to her and asked.  She couldn't lie to her.  "One of the reasons was that he brought the Asylum to Skyclan.  He helped them and sometimes hurt for them.  He claimed to me when I was an apprentice that he was doing it for the good of Skyclan..."  For a moment, she thought about that day.  She came and asked him questions about what he was doing and why he was doing it.  She had no idea what to expect.  She had no idea what curses and blessings the Asylum would give her.  They gave her her mate, even though he had passed.  They gave her her kits, even if some of the stories with them had been hard.  She used to imagine what life without the Asylum would be like, but by the time they left she just couldn't anymore.  "He became one of the Captains.  Some... events happened which ended in some deaths.  Dawnhawk has blood on his claws, but so do many of us.  Anyway, when the Asylum was defeated the leader of Skyclan made all of the Asylum cats leave.  One of which included my mate who even swore to be loyal if he could stay.  That is when your father got the kill order."

She smiled slightly.  "I'm still glad he's alive though.  And I'm glad that I get to meet you."  Honestly, she didn't really know who this cat was, but she knew that she was her niece.  Ashstorm sighed.  She definitely didn't expect this to happen today.  Then, suddenly she had a horrible thought thinking back to when she saw Beechface.  She looked towards her sister again.  She knows.  Ashstorm thought, with a scared expression.  Soon, they'll all know.

Ashfall watched Ashstorm as she explained Dawnhawk's kill order. She had wanted specifics, but she also didn't want to ask too much of a cat who likely didn't trust her. The shock was very noticeable, but everything her aunt said seemed genuine. It sounded like he hurt and killed more than he had originally stated, though, which irritated Ashfall. Of course, he had probably lied, even when he said he murdered two cats, there was more. Dawnhawk, was he trying to change? Did he think his other transgressions weren't important enough to mention? It was obviously a combination. With a short grunt, Ashfall dipped her head. "Thank you for telling me this. I..." She paused for a moment, hesitant to say anything else, yet she continued. "I'm glad to have met you too. Seems as if Dawnhawk cares for you a great deal, at least because I may've been named after you. I hope we meet again under less... tense circumstances." With that, she made her way far, far away from the majority of Skyclan. As she did so, leaders began their announcements, and Ashfall could not wait to just go back home.

Ashfall is not open to talking!

Her heart was pounding.

Whatever was going on below her, it had her deputy on edge, and that scared her. Especially as it seemed to be the SkyClan deputy who was causing problems. Did SkyClan know they had Dawnhawk? How could they have found out? Whatever had transpired, it seemed as though Wolfstar did not yet know. Or at least he acted as if he did not know. But then again, his announcement didn't include Dawnhawk this time......

After Ivystar had finished her announcement, she asked for Lilacstar to speak with her after the gathering, although she did not give any time for her to say yes or no to this request. So instead, as Ivystar sat down, Lilacstar gave her a slight nod before stepping up to make her own announcement.

"WindClan is also doing well. We have named many warriors, being Silverlight, Goldenfang, Ashfall, and Ryesnap." Not wanting to say anything more, Lilacstar stepped back, her eyes on Dayspring as she took her seat. Whatever was going on down there, it could not be good. If SkyClan did in fact know that Dawnhawk was in WindClan, then their Clan depended on the help of RiverClan now more than ever.

Wasp paw looked at Night paw as if he'd grown a second head. What was it like what, exactly? Surely he couldn't be implying that his beautiful pelt looked strange? His immaculate fur bristled for just a moment before he forced it to settle, though his eyes betrayed his sudden dislike of the other apprentice. This was war.

He opened his mouth to retort, but before he could he heard his Clan being mentioned. An opportunity to talk about ThunderClan! Yes! He grinned, the grave insult pushed aside but not forgotten. "ThunderClan is fur superi- I mean, really different from SkyClan! They do a lot more jumping an climbing, and they eat an awful lot of birds. The elders told me so. We eat more rabbit, and we catch it on the ground." Though his words were fairly neutral, he managed to worm just a little bit of haughtiness into his speech as if to say that birds were the inferior option.

“Wow,” Smokepaw mewed. “Nightpaw, Bumblepaw, you catch birds? In the trees?” She had tried, once, and had fallen into deep mud- it had taken her a half an hour to struggle out. How did SkyClan do it? She’d heard tales of the cats that ran in the trees like solid ground, but she had never really believed it. Suddenly, she realized that Wasppaw might be angry at how she tossed his Clan aside like crow-food. She hadn’t meant it- SkyClan was just so much more interesting.

“Er, Wasppaw, how, uh, do you keep your pelt so clean?” It was the first thing she thought of, but it was something she was curious about. Disregarding his ridiculous puffball of a mane, the ThunderClan apprentice’s fur was strangely clean. Looking around, many cats were relatively free of muck or dust, although not as much as Wasppaw. Smokepaw lifted a paw and inspected the mud on it. Maybe she should have cleaned herself up before she went to her first Gathering.

Murkystrike's eyes narrowed as she watched the interaction between Dayspring and Bloodstrike, looking between the two other deputies, concerned and a bit curious. What was all the tension for? What had she missed? She huffed, casting a glance to the sky before standing and moving to sit between the two cats, adding another body to the distance between them. Once she had settled back down, she searched the edge of the crowd for Mistyfalcon, longing to meet his gaze and take comfort in his presence, even if he wasn't all that close. The fur along her back was prickling uncomfortably, and she hoped that locating her mate would help relieve it.

---

"Thanks, momma." Sunnyskip mewed quietly as silence stretched between the two, a comfortable silence this time. It was swiftly interrupted by her brother, and she purred as he pushed his way between Hayglow and herself. "Thanks, Muddy. Love you." She mewed, butting her head against his shoulder gently as the Gathering was called to start.

Loonwhisper watched Dayspring's mouth snap shut at the appearance of a group of short and stout cats cloaked in shadow. The SkyClan warriors appeared to be built of teflon. The RiverClan deputy noted their faces distorted with bitterness which ripples throughout their crowd. Their ranks were easy to spot, even as they continued to disperse into the groups that now collected in pockets around the clearing. He merely blinked in Dayspring's direction. It become clear who they were harboring, though Loonwhisper knew not the specifics. Whatever WindClan had done, they were dancing with the devil across the forest.

Bloodstrike's bearlike steps hinged on the most minute display of self-restraint Loonwhisper had ever witnessed. He began a greeting, only to be swiftly silenced by the SkyClan deputy's spitting remark in Dayspring's direction. As his mouth opened in a thinly veiled threat, every deputy could see the tom's large fangs part in warning.

Reflexively, Loonwhisper looked to the sky. "To quarrel is to tempt the stars," he hummed in a warning of his own. "I smell rain, Bloodstrike. Whatever nips your Clan's heels is not worth their StarClan forgive us." He turned back to SkyClan's finest. "I speak in earnest. This night is our most fragile oath; it should not be broken by hostility."

---

Ryesnap felt tremors of insecurity drum across his skin like waves upon the ocean. Everywhere around him, the scent of SkyClan invaded his senses. He was vaguely aware of his clanmate brushing past him to approach a tree-faring warrior. He could not begin to look in that direction. He was afraid. Everywhere he looked, he feared he would find his own ears, nose, or eyes looking back at him. He did not want to know. He did not care to find out who they were. He was safe when he was hidden.

Would Dawnhawk claim him as his son, before all these cats, their kin?

He prayed not. He prayed they never knew. In all the blurring noise, Ryesnap waited for Wolfstar's address. It was the most important event of the night. SkyClan's leader held the answers to the question Ryesnap kept asking... what happens now?

---

Ryesnap is not open to talk... yet.

Offering only “hey, hang on” for an explanation, Newtpaw vanished into the crowd as abruptly as he had appeared. Emberleap, nonplussed, blinked after him. He didn’t even have time to start tapping his paws against the grass before Newtpaw came trotting back with another apprentice-sized stranger—one who did look remarkably like him, though with no orange in her pelt and a scowl that suggested she’d been all but dragged over. That they were siblings was no surprise. “ShadowClan, actually. I’m surprised the mud didn’t give me away,” Emberleap said on a laugh. “It’s nice to meet you. I’m guessing you’re from SkyClan, too?”

Flintstar stepped forward to start the Gathering, and Emberleap went quiet, as much for Newtpaw and Maplepaw’s benefit as his own. Lots of apprentices, a few warriors… No mention of Dawnhawk. Or anyone else he recognized, for that matter. The news wasn’t much different from last moon’s, yet in the silence following each leader’s announcements, an odd tension seeped into the air. Maybe it had something to do with the dogs and “Twolegs”—whatever those were—RiverClan had mentioned. Doing his best to shrug off his unease, Emberleap turned back to the two apprentices. “What’s it like, living over there? I’ve never been much of a climber, but I bet the view’s nice.”