October Gathering 2021

The half-familiar voice of Jasminepaw had Mistyfalcon glancing her way. He wasn't quite sure what to make of new Shadowclan apprentice, especially given that she was from Skyclan. Still, she'd chosen to stay, and he'd treat her as he did any other clanmate.

"Don't need to thank me for that," He mewed, mind wandering to an apprentice he'd been too late to save from another fox, guilt weighing heavily on his shoulders.

---

Beechface slunk after Wolfstar, head and tail drooping. Attending a gathering was the last thing she wanted to do. She still didn't want to be near fourtrees at all, and with everything else that had happened, the battered medicine cat was finding that she wasn't much keen on leaving her nest most days. Birdsong and Shadewing, Wrenspring... Mountainheart and now Lichenblaze were all gone. Grief and guilt weighed on her, and it was plainly obvious that she was just going through the motions right now because she had no other real choice. Skyclan reached the edge of the hollow, and Beechface stopped, saying nothing as she hung towards the very back of the crowd. Her single, dull, red-rimmed eye stared down at the ground, ears flattening against her skull. If Smokefeather were here, she might've chastised Beechface, saying that her ears would stay like that permanently if she kept it up. They might as well have, for all Beechface cared.

Mistyfalcon is talking to Jasminepaw.
Beechface is open to talk with medicine cats.
Swiftspirit has not arrived yet.

Cloverheart followed briskly behind Ivystar, head low. The little medicine cat looked incredibly tired as she weaved through the already gathered cats to settle in the shadow of the Great Rock. Two younger cats reeking of ShadowClan were gathered there, one she vaguely thought she recognized. Cloverheart bowed her head to the two, offering a half-hearted "Hi there," and little else in the way of a greeting.


Newtspring trailed into Fourtrees alongside Spottedfrog and Pigeonpaw. He gave his sister a gentle bump on the shoulder, offering what little he could in the way of comfort. She seemed.. agitated, but he looked quite moody, too, and couldn't think of anything to say, so he just found a spot not too far off from her. If she needed him, he'd be around.

Cloverheart is talking to Basilpaw (and Loudnose).
Newtspring is moody and sitting next to Spottedfrog.

Basilpaw let out a friendly trill as her brother approached, always happy to see him, but her eyes still kept darting around the growing crowd as RiverClan and SkyClan joined their midst.  "Hi Loudy!  Oh, you're too sweet, it seems we have the same goal tonight though.  I want to meet some of the medicine cats since I missed the half-moon meeting and I was too scared to introduce myself at the last Gathering.  Thing is, I don't really know what they look like...hey, want to do me a favor?  If you see any of the medicine cats or anyone who might be, could you send them my way?  We could meet them together!"  With a broad smile and a purr she nodded at Batglow too, who had just joined them.  "You also Batglow, if you don't mind.  If you see any of the medicine cats send them my way so I can meet them!"

However, it didn't take long for someone to catch her eye; a young she-cat with patches of ginger who seemed to hail from RiverClan.  She also scented of herbs.  Basilpaw's face brightening, she returned the cat's disinterested greeting with an excited purr and took a couple of steps to close the distance between them.  "Hello there, I'm Basilpaw!  I'm ShadowClan's medicine cat apprentice, it's nice to meet you.  You're a medicine cat too right, RiverClan's?"  She couldn't help the fact that her voice was getting a bit too loud and overbearing, she and Loudnose were alike in that way, but her heart was too full for her to care.  I've been wanting to meet another medicine cat for so, so long, I hope we can be friends!

Daystar was silent as she led WindClan into Fourtrees, but silence wasn't out of the ordinary for her. She quickly glanced over her shoulder in order to ensure that all of the cats that had left camp were still behind her before making a beeline for the Great Rock. Gatherings were never pleasant, and staring down at all of the warriors and apprentices below only made her feel sick. Gatherings were far more enjoyable from down below, and even then, there were still too many odd scents and sounds for Daystar to call it enjoyable.

Bearflower was silent as well, but silence definitely was out of the ordinary for her. She was tired, really. Considering the fact that she had been working overtime, sleep had practically become a privilege. Going to a Gathering wasn't at the top of her priority list, but she figured that complaining about being sleepy was immature and useless. She decided to simply keep it to herself.

bearflower is tired but open for conversation.
daystar is open for conversation.

Bloodstrike made his way into the gathering with powerful strides, commanding respect from all who laid eyes on him. It was something he would do until the day he died, and had been something he did since his very first gathering as an apprentice. He took his seat with the other deputies and gave them all a nod... noting that there was no deputy for Riverclan. ....Huh... He thought to himself, but didn't say anything about it out loud.

---

Bearspirit trotted into the gathering with a new kind of energy. He was determined to not feel so broken up about Loonwhisper being gone and... the fact that Switspirit and him were just not meant to be. He was a big, strong and handsome tom... he'd find someone. Right? But the only way he was going to get noticed was to make other cats notice him. Bearspirit carried himself in a manner similar to Bloodstrike... without the anger and the unnecessary amount of assertion. Strong and confident strides with a jovial pep in each step carried Bearspirit forward into the gathering. He sat down with a rather graceful movement for a cat so large and kept his chin up.

His eyes stayed away from Windclan as he forced back the dull ache hidden in his chest.

Minkstar walked into the gathering and strode across the clearing to the leader's rock, jumping up and taking up his usual spot among the other leaders.

Swiftspirit padded into the gathering after Daystar, quietly settling in among her clanmates. A brief scan of the hollow revealed no deputy among Riverclan and tired faces. Her gaze landed on Bearspirit briefly... And then Swiftspirit looked away. He was Riverclan, they were hardly needn't to be friends, let alone anything more. The warrior understood that, but it didn't keep away the flicker of hurt she felt.

Swiftspirit is open to talk.

It was with squeals of delight that Rabbitpaw made her way to the gathering, completely forgetting to compose herself. And why would she want to? She was glad to be here, there was no need to be all serious and brooding and boring and so not awesome! That would just take all the fun out of the gathering! And she wouldn't want her very first gathering to not be fun!

Making her way to the clearing, her jaw had nearly dropped. There were so many cats! Where would she even start? The ShadowClan cat over there? Or maybe that RiverClan cat? Argh, there were so many decisions! She decided to just go up to a random apprentice, or at least she hoped they were an apprentice, and introduce herself.

"Hiya! I'm Rabbitpaw, from SkyClan! What's your name? I want to get to know you so we can be the bestest of friends!"

Silverlight padded into the Gathering behind his clanmates, a weary demeanor about him. He was tired... very tired. Tired of pain and loss. Despite this, he was still trudging on and wasn't going to stop and give up anytime soon. He was a trooper, a warrior. Daystar's words still hung with him and he was going to do his best while still taking care of himself. He needed to do this. It was the only thing that felt right. However, this didn't mean that he was ready to talk much to anybody outside of WindClan. Not quite yet.

---

Back at the Gathering he was, along with his clanmates of course. These events used to thrill him but now, they caused him worry. He couldn't help but think something drastic was about to happen out of nowhere. It just seemed like it was happening more often than anyone was comfortable with. He hoped his clan stayed safe. For now, he was just going to eavesdrop on passing conversations while keeping an eye out for trouble.

Murkystrike padded into Fourtrees next to Mistyfalcon, blinking as she surveyed the empty clearing. Giving her pelt a quick shake, she flicked her tail to Mistyfalcon's shoulder briefly before making her way through the clan to the base of Greatrock, taking up her position where the deputies usually sat. She kept her ears perked for signs of the other clans showing as she slowly raised a paw to groom her ears. Ivystar came next, leading RiverClan behind her, looking.... off. She couldn't quite tell what it was, but there was an air of impatience around the she-cat. Wolfstar came next, leading SkyClan behind him. He looked exhausted, and for a moment Murykstrike wondered if perhaps it would be best for each leader to discuss their happenings quickly and each clan disperse so they could rest. It seemed ShadowClan wasn't the only ones with troubles keeping them awake at night - though she supposed that both RiverClan and SkyClan had their own troubles that they had mentioned at the last couple Gatherings.

---

Dewlight padded along with the rest of RiverClan as they entered Fourtrees. The atmosphere was off, there was little excitement through the clearing. The air seemed stiff and heavy, and she found herself wishing that she had stayed behind to sleep in camp instead of making the journey. Settling near the edge of the clearing closest to RiverClan territory, Dewlight yawned and tucked her paws underneath her chest as she waited for the rest of the clans to arrive and the announcements to start.

Murkystrike is open to talk to by other Deputies once they arrive!
Dewlight is open to talk to, though she may be short if you are not from RiverClan!

Dawnfeather’s roving gaze landed on a familiar brown tabby pelt. Jasminepaw! For a moment she could’ve sworn the younger molly glanced in her direction, but she started talking to an unfamiliar tom, so she couldn’t have seen her. Dawnfeather made her way quickly through the crowd, tail held aloft. Thank the stars she was a bit taller than the average cat, able to thread her way through the murmuring cats. While she didn’t command respect like her mentor did (a glance over at him revealed a very imposing cat) the young warrior slipped through the crowd like a fish through water.

”Jasminepaw!” She greeted happily, waving her tail. She didn’t sit down, not yet, not sure the older tom would tolerate her presence. “Oh! Hi, I’m Dawnfeather, Jasminepaw’s friend! What’s your name? Oh, and Jasmine, how’s it going?” Her tail flicked from side to side as she awaited their responses.

Hentooth stalked into Fourtrees with her head held high and her shoulders back… at least until she glimpsed the SkyClan deputy. Hissing under her breath, she deliberately turned away from him and trotted over to where the medicine cats usually sat. It seemed everyone was here now… scat. She wished SkyClan as a whole would go fall down a tunnel. Her tail lashing, the young medicine cat was obviously irritated, although it was mostly under control.

Prickletail’s pelt was shining as he followed his Clan into Fourtrees. He’d spent the day grooming it, ridding it of the prickles and burrs that tangled so easily in his long tail. He glimpsed the SkyClan apprentice who had been with that SkyClan rat… a growl rose deep in his throat… but he wasn’t about to cause trouble, not when the Great Oak still lay in pieces.

Eyes still fixed on the SkyClan apprentice, he bumped into one of his Clanmates. K… Kestrelswoop, he thought. The sandy tom looked apprehensive as well. “Hope nothing happens…” He mewed, eyes scanning the clearing. “Though we’re never lucky enough for that, are we?”

Dawn is talking to Mistyfalcon and Jasminepaw!
Hen is open to talk to!
Prickle is taking to Kestrelswoop!

Swanmist walked calmly into the clearing. Her tail flicking at every step. She looked more confident, and she was more confident. Not for any specific reason she just thought she might try and interact with more cats. She felt like an unknown cat, someone that not many cats could say 'oh, I know her!' And that was just in Riverclan. In other clans? They've probably never even seen her before. So she sat, a little closer to the crowd than she normally does, looking welcoming, her expression calm and gentle. Hopefully some cats would interact with her.
Swanmist is open for interaction, trying to look approachable

Timberpaw is not attending this gathering

Marshpaw didn't want to go to the gathering

Starlingflare didn't really want to be here.. Not after.. well.. But he came anyway. Despite his rather.. serious injury.. He wanted to see someone. A single yellow eye scanned the crowd looking for a certain tom he had gotten in a scrap with almost a moon ago. A paw coming up to nudge the bandage he had on his right eye before he stopped himself, knowing Dovefrost would not let him hear the end of it if he messed up his bandage.

The more he looked the more he realized how overwhelming this all was. It was hard seeing with only one eye. Everything seemed to blur together there for a second before he paused and closed his eye.. Thorns.. This was going to be difficult...

----

Dovefrost followed Minkstar into the gathering. Green eyes cutting over to Starlingflare for a second. He only gave the tom the okay to go as long as the bandage was not touched, and he didn't shove himself into any drama. For now it seemed the tom would be sitting by himself, hopefully he would stay out of the way for now.

With a sigh, the white tom pushed forward, noticing Cloverheart talking to someone.. Was that Shadowclan's Medicine Cat Apprentice? The white tom padded up to the growing group, dipping his head in greeting. "Greetings. I'm Dovefrost, Thunderclan's Medicine Cat." He said to the group before turning and giving Cloverheart a small nod.

Starlingflare is looking for Newtspring.

Dovefrost is talking with Basilpaw's group.

CreamFrost worried a little bit… she had no one to talk to. Would this gathering be worthless? So she went up to a random cat. “Hi I’m CreamFrost of RiverClan” she hoped the cat was not busy or actually responded.

OrangeHeart followed closely behind MinkStar and was eager to visit his first gathering in ages. Also not so excited to see the whole of SkyClan so he stood as far as he could from any SkyClan cat and found himself around a lot of WindClan Cats.

FrostPaw was a bit behind the group that was making the journey to Fourtrees she wanted to wait a little before talking to anyone. Or be instantly spotted by another cat and immediately get talked to.

CreamFrost is open to talk to(still)
OrangeHeart is open to talk to
FrostPaw is not open to talk to

Cloverheart's ears lowered slightly at the ShadowClanner's energy and the pure amount of cats who had gathered around them, but she offered the most genuine smile she could. "Yeah, that's right. I'm Cloverheart. It's nice to properly meet you, Basilpaw." She hummed warmly. She thought to ask what ever had happened to Rookfire, but another set of approaching pawsteps quickly quieted her. Finding a way to flatten her ears further, Cloverheart was pleased to see it was only Dovefrost, and she gave him a happy nod in return. "It's good to see you again, Dovefrost."


For everything he loved about himself, Newtspring at least knew he was far, far too easy to distract. Too quick to make cross-Clan friends, too, but that was a problem for another moon.

Currently, he was watching a bulky tom stumble his way through the swelling crowd. The bodies crowding around him made it hard to pick out who the cat was, but as soon as Newtspring could see most of his body recognition made his eyes widen. Giving his sister a briefly look, he muttered something about an important conversation before getting to his paws and half-bounding over to close the distance.

"Hey! Hey, Starlin'– stars." His yappy greeting was cut short by a stunned gasp as he caught sight of the other tom's face. For a moment, Newtspring just stood there and stared, mouth agape, before he started to circle Starlingflare slowly. "Well, I– hah, well I didn't do all that t'ya. What happened?"


A sudden voice at his side made Webshadow startle, and he glanced over to see a RiverClan cat had sidled her way up to him. "Uh– oh. Uhm. Hi... Creamfrost. Hi." The tabby mewed curtly, his tail beating the ground off-time. "I'm Webshadow. ShadowClan, but... uh. You can probably, you know... smell. That." His ears twitched, and he gave the cat a half-confused look before turning away, though his ears were still pricked in her direction.