August 2021 Gathering

Bloodstrike lead his clan to Fourtrees this time. Wolfstar had requested him to lead Skyclan to Fourtrees, and he would oblige. There was worry in the back of Bloodstrike's mind as well, wondering if all was well with Wolfstar and why his father had asked him to lead tonight. A lot had happened in just a moon, and it was heavy on the deputy's mind. With this added on top, it was almost enough to have Bloodstrike enter the clearing looking less than his usual self. Almost.

The big, powerful, tabby bob-tailed tom entered Fourtrees with his head high, shoulders back, and his gait strong and steady as he always had at every gathering since his apprenticeship. Skyclan was not allowed to be weak... and once he received his nine lives he vowed that it could never even be argued that his clan were cowards or weaklings ever again.

Bloodstrike took Wolfstar's place on the Great Rock and sat down, patiently awaiting the arrival of the other clans. The expression on his face was fairly neutral, though mildly suggested he wasn't interested in being here. As for the battle with Windclan and Skyclan and Riverclan making a mistake that they would one day pay very dearly for, Bloodstrike would make no mention of it if neither of the other two clans involved did. There was no need to let other clans in on their struggles.

If Lilacstar even had half of a brain cell, she would realize this as well. Ivystar he felt might be smart enough to keep her mouth closed... but Bloodstrike had been wrong before.

Flintstar huffed as he stepped into the Gathering, feeling far better than he did the last moon but it didn't make him feel any better - not with the rogues that were prowling his territory. He doubt they would target the other Clans as he had an idea of what they were after... He gave his head a shake, before he came to a stop at the bottom of the rock and spotted not Wolfstar up there, but Bloodstrike. Hm... He leapt up onto the rock, giving the SkyClan deputy an even look as he took his own spot. He opened his mouth to speak - to ask if Wolfstar - and SkyClan as a whole - was well, but found himself hesitating. There was a mood in the air that even Flintstar could pick up. Not from Bloodstrike, who seemed collected, but the rest of SkyClan. Something had happened. He couldn't make sense of the mood in the air - he could simply feel the presence as he scanned the SkyClan cats with a twitch of his ears. Hm...He wasn't sure if he was to be concerned - ShadowClan had enough to worry about, he wasn't about to stick his paw into business that he didn't want to be involved with. No doubt he would an idea of what had transpired from the announcements, once the other Clans arrived...

Minkstar lead his Clan to the gathering - a hint of stiffness in his step from a couple of recently acquired battle wounds given by a certain benevolent predator - and stepped out into the warm, moonlit clearing, letting his eyes flick over the cats already gathered. They narrowed slightly, a hint of surprise flashing at the sight of the massive tom who was meant to be SkyClan's deputy currently sitting on top of the rock. Bloodstrike. At least his name was easier to remember - as memorable as the scarred tom himself. Either Wolfstar's sick, or.... His eyes idly played over SkyClan's ranks, the scent of tension thick in their fur. And not just that....

Ear twitching in a flash of his own unease, he slowed on the way to the rock, turning slightly to murmur to Thrushnose and Dovefrost before their paths split, "Does it look like more cats in SkyClan have scratches than usual?" The scent of marred but healing flesh was an undertone to the acidic smell of taut nerves lingering in the clearing, but it still tingled unpleasantly on the back of his tongue. This was... something to do with that last gathering? He struggled to remember exactly what had happened last time, but it had been thick with tension - much like this one probably would be, if the thunderstorm that was SkyClan collected a few more clouds.

A twinge of melancholy welled in his heart for a moment, thoughts turning briefly away from the clearing in front of him. Bat would have paid attention - she would have been intrigued to figure out what exactly was going on here. He forced the twinge away as best he could. He'd just have to relay what they found among themselves when they returned. Maybe it would give a little bit of life back to her....

Minkstar is talking to Thrushnose and Dovefrost.
Sablepaw is back at camp, still recovering from a light cough.

It was a shock, to say the least, to come into the gathering and see Bloodstrike sitting atop the great rock, and unnerving as well. Out of all the high ranks, Bloodstrike had proven himself to be the cruelest and most ruthless, doing despicable things to both her deputy and another one of her warriors. If he was leader now, StarClan knew the blood he would shed. Then again, they would have bees in their brains if they actually gave that monster lives. He was ugly inside and out. And he made a point to show it.

Dipping her head to Flintstar and Minkstar, and pointedly ignoring the SkyClan deputy, Lilacstar took her spot among the leaders, eyes narrowed as she looked at the cats below. The quicker they were in and out, the better.

---

Rosethorn followed behind the rest of ShadowClan. She wasn't really in the mood for talking, not really, she was mainly here as a formality at this point. She kept having the feeling like she was being watched, as if Galloway was stalking her, ready to finish what he had started. He wanted to kill her that day, as for why he didn't, she would never really know. She had no plans to walk up and ask him. She would be happy to never see him again. So for now, she sat, waiting for the night to be over already.

A nervous growl arose in Hayglow's throat as she stepped into the clearing, seeing that SkyClan had already arrived. The memory of the fight was still so clear, the damage done was... She wasn't thrilled to see SkyClan, that was for certain. She felt weight at her side as Muddyleap pressed himself against her, giving him a look which he solemnly returned.

"Its fine, momma. It will be fine - you can go sit with with Sunnyskip," he meowed, his voice low as he tried to calm his mother's nerves. He didn't blame her - he felt immense amounts of guilt over how...Lightly he had taken the battle, being caught up in the thrill of getting to properly fight for once that he forgot about the stakes. He had taken it so lightly while his Clanmates had gotten so hurt...

His ears perked as his mom spoke. "...I can go sit with Sunnyskip? Does that mean...Where are you going?" she questioned, causing him to blink. He lifted his head to look at her, a nervous laugh escaping him.

"Oh, well, uh...I wanna try to find a new friend. I-I haven't been great at meeting other Clan cats so..." he explained, shifting on his paws. There was an awkwardness to his words - if only because he already knew the cat in-mind...And it was a SkyClan cat. He wanted to try to find Newt, get the rest of his name and just make sure the tom was okay in general! He knew things weren't good between their Clan but maybe some friendship would make things...Better?

"...Be safe, Muddyleap."

"Momma, its a Gathering! Of course I'll be fine."

"...Okay."

With that, Muddyleap and Hayglow slowly parted - Hayglow turning back to the crowd of WindClan cats to locate her daughter while Muddyleap started to weave between the gathered cats, trying to locate his newest friend.

Hayglow is looking for Sunnyskip while Muddyleap is looking for Newtpaw (SkC)

Poppypaw padded behind a band of warriors, following Flintstar. There was an energy here that something went horribly wrong. She looked to the moon, scrying for answers. Perhaps they would talk about it later. The mottled black and white she-cat scanned around her, marveling at the size of Fourtrees.

Burrpaw was still embarrassed by getting his tail handed to him by a RiverClan apprentice. He was still sore from the ordeal, though he wished he could say that was the worst part of the journey… The lanky curly-furred tom stretched out, flexing his claws. Hopefully no blood would have to be spilt tonight. The last battle was enough battles for him.

Burrpaw of SkyClan and Poppypaw of ShadowClan are free to be interacted with!

If the tension a moon prior had been sparks blooming into fire, tonight’s was solid stone. It jolted Thrushnose out of her worries the moment she entered Fourtrees. SkyClan looked ragged under the moonlight. Their deputy alone seemed unaffected—but he was sitting in Wolfstar’s place, which was more than strange enough to cancel that out. Thrushnose’s gaze lingered on him. Being a stranger among strangers, she hadn’t thought much of his attitude at the last Gathering; some cats were just prickly by nature, and anyone with that many scars must have gotten at least a few from fights they’d started. Now she wondered if it had a different root. Her ears swiveled toward Minkstar, and she tilted her head. “Maybe the dogs…?” On top of Ivystar mentioning them, Thrushnose frequented ThunderClan’s section of the river too often to miss the night-fires or the dog scents. Nothing could stop them and their Twolegs from moving further down into SkyClan; those beasts didn’t respect borders.

WindClan (led, as usual, by Lilacstar) trailed into the clearing. Impossibly, the air thickened. She could chalk it up to coincidence—though they generally got along like cats and badgers, WindClan and SkyClan were too far apart to justify fights over land or prey—but they were adding up fast. Thrushnose looked from the newcomers to her father and Dovefrost, eyes narrowed in thought. “I’ll tell you if I hear anything.” Clearly, her reservations about eavesdropping on the other deputies’ conversations last moon had been misguided. She gave a wave of her tail, then split off to take her seat beneath the Great Rock.

Thrushnose is open to talk to the deputies. (and is kind of talking to Minkstar + Dovefrost)

Lilacstar had given her permission to attend the Gathering on the grounds that she wouldn't overexert herself. Dayspring had agreed with those terms despite the fact that there were still sour thoughts swirling in her head like a cyclone. Fortunately, she had become accustomed to walking with a splint on her front leg, but she hadn't had the opportunity to walk such a long distance with it before. She refused to verbalize her discomfort in front of her Clanmates, but having to lean against Ashfall every now and then was enough to let them know that she was struggling. She, Ashfall, and Swiftspirit had met up at the camp exit when WindClan was preparing to leave, and they had decided to make the trek to Fourtrees together.

Despite the calmness that she displayed on her face, every step toward the Gathering clearing made the she-cat feel heavier and heavier. Worries were weighing her down. SkyClan would be there... their high ranks would be there. She was unsure if they had already arrived or if they were still on their way, but their presence would be known in Fourtrees sooner or later.

When they reached Fourtrees, Dayspring instantly felt physically ill at the sight that greeted her. She stopped in her tracks as her eyes widened for a brief moment.
"W-why is Bloodstrike on the Great Rock?" She spoke quietly as she addressed Ashfall and Swiftspirit so that any surrounding cats wouldn't be able to easily eavesdrop.
The discomfort in her voice made Dayspring feel miserable. She preferred to keep her fears hidden in order to properly uplift her Clanmates, but this wasn't a frivolous fear like bugs or water that she could conceal behind a smile. Bloodstrike wasn't an ordinary fear.

Besides, what had happened to Wolfstar? It was a relief to not see him on top of the Great Rock, but the SkyClan deputy wasn't much better.

dayspring is speaking to ashfall and swiftspirit.

Bearpaw seemed distant, almost as if she wasn't there in spirit but only in body. The only thing that she had been looking forward to tonight was the chance to speak with Smokepaw again, but when she scanned the clearing and didn't catch sight of her, she began to grow worried. There was no point in jumping to conclusions. Perhaps she hadn't been chosen to walk with ShadowClan this time. The apprentice decided that she would ask around and see if any other ShadowClan apprentices knew what happened.

It was a chore to pick out specific Clan scents in the midst of Fourtrees, considering the fact that the scents of all five Clans mingled here at the mark of every full moon, but she managed to approach the first apprentice that she could tell was from ShadowClan.
"Pardon?" She asked, padding up to the she-cat, "I'm looking for my friend... her name is Smokepaw. Do you know if she's back at your camp or something?"

The she-cat was still unaware of the deadly tragedy that had fallen upon Smokepaw.

bearpaw is speaking to poppypaw.
cloudpaw won't be attending.

Poppypaw felt the presence of another cat beside her, and turned to face her. "Smokepaw?"

Poppypaw grimaced, not sure how to tell the other cat about them.

"Well, she was made into a warrior. She was Smokepelt."

The she-cat swallowed, bracing to give the rest of the news.

Was that really her place, though? The calculations in her head whirred as she considered leaving the foreign cat on a good note. But, if they were friends... Poppypaw knew that she'd want to know if her friend was dead.

"She's joined StarClan, soon after she was made a warrior."

The stranger did not need the grisly details.

Poppypaw is giving bad news to Bearpaw.

Meeting up with Ashfall and Dayspring at the entrance of camp, Swiftspirit was happy to fall into step beside the two as they made their way towards fourtrees. Having spent the better part of the moon in the medicine den, she was glad to finally be out and moving around, though a sharp twinge of pain still lingered. The scar that had ripped open her underside wasn't pretty, but it didn't hinder movement and had healed better than Smallbean had initially thought it would, thankfully. Bearspirit getting her to the medicine cat as soon as he could probably had a paw in that, she'd have to thank the Riverclan warrior when she saw him again.

The clan finally entered fourtrees, and Swiftspirit grimaced as she saw who sat atop the great rock. Dayspring's words caught her ears, and she gave the deputy a sympathetic glance. She wasn't too keen on the tom after seeing the damage he'd been able to do on his own, either.

"Think he's too injured to attend? I dearly hope that's not Bloodstar up there." Swiftspirit muttered, gently pressing against Dayspring as she spoke. She was clearly uneasy at the sight of the massive scarred tom, and Swiftspirit couldn't blame her for that. "They wouldn't attack us during the gathering... I just hope things aren't too tense tonight." Her gaze drifted across the cats filtering into the clearing, not at all looking for a certain Riverclan warrior in particular. They hadn't arrived yet it seemed, and Swiftspirit intended to stay near Ashfall and Dayspringif she could.

---

Beechface stalked silently after her father as Skyclan made their way to fourtrees, tail tip twitching in ill-concealed irritation. The idea of simply turning around and going back to camp was a sorely tempting one, but she refrained for the moment. The medicine cat's fur was ruffled, still-healing injuries visible beneath her fur, though she didn't care who saw them. Maybe Lilacstar would think better of attacking a medicine cat the next time they crossed paths. Beechface would be happy to teach her that lesson again, if the chance presented itself.

The medicine cat silently sat beneath one of the great oaks, cold gaze watching as the other clans arrived. She curled her lip upon seeing Lilacstar, though said nothing. She wouldn't have minded a distraction from both her anger and what had happened over the past moon, and she doubted that she would get a distraction from either tonight.

Swiftspirit is talking with Dayspring and Ashfall, and is hoping to see Bearspirit.
Beechface is open to talk to... If you fancy your head ripped off.
Birdsong has elected to stay home.
Mistyfalcon has stayed home, both to guard the camp and watch over the kits.
Smokefeather has stayed in camp.

Rookfire padded with ShadowClan to Fourtrees. ShadowClan seemed to be facing more and more problems with rogues recently, which put the black tuxedo in a worse mood than normal. Perhaps a nice conversation would get him in a better mood. Looking around, he saw that many cats were talking to each other, and yet he didn't know who he could talk to. Noticing a brown tabby on ThunderClan's side, he padded up to them with a grin. "Hey! I'm Rookfire, medicine cat of ShadowClan! What's your name?"

---

Shrikesong had padded into the Gathering behind Minkstar's grasp. It would be a bad look for one of ThunderClan's most senior warriors to not attend a gathering, she mused. Therefore, it would probably be good for her to be here, just to listen along. Of course, she wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone at the moment, so the she-cat thought it would be good to step in the front of the gathering ThunderClan cats before stepping b-

The appearance of a cat - Rookfire, as he introduced himself - surprised the she-cat. "Oh! Uh... my name's Shrikesong. I... didn't expect someone to talk to me today. How's ShadowClan doing?" It was a sensitive question for many, but it was also a weirdly common small-talk subject for cross-clan cats.

"Pretty good," the black tuxedo replied, giving Shrikesong a confident grin. "How about ThunderClan?"

"ThunderClan's doing good as well," Shrikesong said. She turned her head to SkyClan and WindClan, who both looked extremely hurt by something. Did the Dawnhawk incident... She didn't want to think about it. "What's Bloodstrike doing on the Great Rock?"

Rookfire blinked, before turning up to look at the leaders. He didn't realize that Bloodstrike was on the Great Rock until the she-cat pointed it out. "Honestly, I have no clue. I'm not a SkyClan cat, after all. Maybe Wolfstar died recently? I dunno."

Shrikesong nodded. "Or maybe Wolfstar's just sick."

"Yeah, he could just be sick. Again, I have no idea."

---

Foxspark padded into the Gathering with ShadowClan. He didn't exactly like gatherings much, except for whenever he could listen to gossip. Listening to gossip was fun. Eavesdropping on his clanmate talking to a SkyClan cat, he heard her... talk about Smokepelt's recent death.

Correction, listening to gossip was usually fun.

Either way, the ginger tom was content to stay here, with the rest of ShadowClan, unless someone approached him.

Rookfire is talking to Shrikesong.

Foxspark is open to talk to.

Brookthistle wasn't one for large crowds, she wasn't the nicest to be around, yet WindClan needed all the strong faces it could use. Ashfall was partially blind, Dayspring's leg had been broken by SkyClan's brute of a deputy, and Swiftspirit had been injured but was healing well. Otherwise, WindClan was still strong. Unlike SkyClan, who they'd thoroughly dealt with. they've learned not to march into our camp and expect to win!

Even though she'd blacked out after almost taking down that warrior, she'd been told of her bravery, and how she had faced off against three opponents, and won twice while paving the way to an easy victory for Sunpaw against the SkyClan warrior. We showed those brutes! She thought, eyes narrowing at the sight of Bloodstrike on the Great Rock. "There's no way he's leader now, not with the disrespect he showed Lilacstar during the battle," She hissed angrily.

brook is open to talk but any skyclan cat will get a yowling at!

Henpaw paused at the edge of the clearing, heart pounding in her ears. SkyClan’s deputy was now SkyClan’s leader. No. No, it couldn’t be true. Wolfstar, though she liked him none too well, wasn’t his deputy. She refused to name him, even in her head. No queen would name a kit like him. He was a monster, a scarred bobcat with a heart of stone- no, of blood. No, no. He wasn’t leader. Wolfstar was sick, or busy, or… something, for StarClan’s sake! No, no, he wouldn’t stay behind, not on a night like this when SkyClan looked weak without it’s leader. There was no cat sitting as SkyClan’s deputy, at least not yet. Reassuring- perhaps Wolfstar was recovering from injuries, or hunting down Dawnhawk- yes. That made sense. He was hunting down Dawnhawk. That had to be it. SkyClan’s medicine cat surely wouldn’t come if her leader was so ill he couldn’t lead his Clan to a Gathering.

Henpaw spotted her mentor talking to Muddyleap, and momentarily wondered if she should stick by Hayglow. No, she wouldn’t, she was a brave WindClan wa- apprentice. If anything, she might stick by her father, but he might think she was scared. No, she’d… walk down herself. In front of all these cats. And sit there. She hesitantly walked down the slope, fur bristling as though the monster on the Greatrock was scrutinizing her every move. There, something she could do. Stick by the wounded. She walked towards the deputy and Ashfall, fighting down a spring in her step. Ashfall was awesome. She looked wicked cool. Henpaw remembered the sheer relief that had come once Ashfall appeared to fight off Bl- the monster. On her way there, however, she couldn’t help but overhear Brook…mistle, a new warrior.

“He can’t be leader. StarClan wouldn’t allow it. Besides, there doesn’t seem to be a new SkyClan deputy. By the way, disrespecting Lilacstar is the least of what he’s done. I was a kit during the battle, and I remember the way he threatened us kits. He’s a monster.” Henpaw suddenly cleared her throat, remembering Brookmistle might not know who she was- she was a new apprentice, after all. “Henpaw. This is my first Gathering, as I’m sure you gathered.”

Henpaw is talking to Brookmistle Brookthistle.

Newtpaw filed into the clearing with the rest of SkyClan, looking unusually somber. His head was hanging low, and his ears were pinned to his head as he took heavy steps into the clearing. He felt exhausted, and his chest felt tight. He just wanted to go home, curl up in his nest and sleep forever. And yet, here he was, watching his father climb the Great Rock and the rest of the Clans start to fill in. Maybe he could talk to his sisters? But they had both already wandered off. Great, so he would sit here alone and brood until they went home.

At least, he thought so until he saw a familiar pelt weaving through the crowd.

That was the cat he'd fought in WindClan, wasn't it? It was probably weird to make friends with someone he probably tried to kill you, but... he'd been unusually happy. Despite the fact they were fighting, Newtpaw couldn't convince himself Muddyleap actually meant any harm. Well, some socializing was better than none, so with a labored huff the tabby got to his paws and picked his way through his Clan to close the distance between them.

"Uh... hi," he started slowly, just barely lifting his head. "D'ya remember me?" Weird question to ask, but... Oh well.


Webshadow hovered near the back of ShadowClan as they joined the Gathering, hesitating at the top of the ridge as they descended. The air was already heavy with tension, even he could feel that, and it made his fur prickle. There was nothing to do but get it over with, he supposed... And the sooner they did that, the sooner he could go home, so he settled on the fringes of ShadowClan and glanced around. SkyClan looked.. worse than he remembered, though it had been a while since he could say he'd seen them up close. He just hoped tonight wouldn't be a mess.

Newtpaw is talking to Muddyleap!

Webshadow is open to talk!