October Gathering 2021

...Why did everyone assume he was a bloodthirsty revenge-monger? Minkstar fought to keep his gaze from going flat, firmly ordering the sigh that wanted to escape back where it belonged, instead keeping his tone reasonable as he inclined his head. "Nothing so violent. I doubt it was pre-meditated, unless she makes a habit of this kind of thing. If it had been around the other way, I'd have them cleaning ticks off elders and confined to camp for the next couple moons. Starling might think otherwise, but I'm not going to demand exile or death for it," He said, a hint of dryness slipping into his tone. His expression sobered a moment later, the horrific implications of the injury coming back to mind. "Not that I can blame him for feeling like that. It's your choice how far you want to go - I'm not going to lead your Clan or discipline your warriors for you. All I ask is that she learns her lesson."

Flintstar gave a nod as the leader spoke. Ah, a reasonable cat - he was relieved of that. He knew emotions could cause cats to act...Rash and he was never great at telling who was the type to be swayed by them - or how they would react even if he had assumptions. Seems he could rely on Minkstar to be level-headed...That was good to know. "Very well. I will keep your type of punishment in mind - I will wish to still speak to your warrior if given a chance, if simply to get his side of the story before I confront the apprentice but think of this matter as settled. Murkystrike and I will see fit that she is properly punished and understands her mistakes and if you have any further problems, do not hesitate to speak to me of them," he added with a dip of his head. "I can only hope if any more trouble sparks between our Clans, we can resolve it as easily as this."

Exciting was certainly the word for it. She questioned him about liking them himself. The Thunderclan tom allowed his eyes to rake the clearing, one ear twitching to catch the words of the leaders that echoed from the highrock above. Side conversations would never detract from his desire to draw as much information from the gathering as possible. This was a source of news and he would be certain to take it. Satisfied that he'd caught enough, the tom leaned back slightly.

"Liking them might be taking it too far." He laughed, with a soft huff lining the words, "Rather I like what they can do for me. The information it always useful. Learning about your enemy will help you survive a long leaf-bare season, or so I'm told. Better to be prepared." Stoatfur paused humming thoughtfully as he looked up at Minkstar. Thoughts buzzed at the fringes of his mind and he found himself speaking them aloud to the she-cat next to him.

"Mannerism, speech patterns... anything you can draw out and notice about others is helpful. Anything you could learn about anything, really." His whiskers twitched and there was a twinge of excitement to his voice, a clear indicator of the passion he had for this eternal quest for knowledge, the very quest that had made his unseasoned self so skilled, "Think about it this way. If a Riverclan cat dunks themselves in a river enough times, their scent is diluted. But it doesn't change who your clan is, the way the move, the broadness of the shoulders."

He shrugged, satisfied with his own speech. The entire time the little warrior didn't turn to look at her, rather leaned ever so slightly and lowly meowed out the words from the side of his maw. Half the time, the only indication he was speaking to Scarletriver was the emphatic twitching of his tail tip. Whether any of it meant anything to her mattered little to Stoatfur but it was fun to share nonetheless.

What the Gatherings can do for me?  He makes a good point.  She was not sure how much of what he said was towards her.  He did not look at her often, but then he would be talking to himself, he could be talking to a different cat, but she did not think so.  Or, he could be trying to talk to someone else and they could be ignoring him.

But she decided to listen to what he said.  It was good advice none the less.  She looked up at the leaders, watching their movements and watching how they acted.  There were some things she had never noticed before, those were interesting, but there were other things that each one did that was pretty recognizable, which she did not like as much.

There was a long bit of silence after he was done speaking and while she was watching the leaders.  "Yes, I think I see what you mean."  What he said was some great advice, not only for watching others, but for herself to. If she ever wanted to have cats question who she is, she would need to change how she acted.  It would most likely make them question what they already knew.  And, at the thought of that, she smiled.

Maplewhisker watched silently as the Gathering unfolded, same as it always had.  Different groups of cats making casual conversation with the other Clans, their leaders discussing their current problems, and the ever so slight rustle of the leaves of Fourtrees.  She loved it here, even if she wasn't conversing with another cat.  The bubble of excitement that came once a moon made her glad to come every time she did.

From the corner of his eye, the tom caught her smile; it prompted a flickering expression across his own maw before it returned to the neutral, half-interested state. Stoatfur noted with mild interest the exchanged that had occurred between his own leader and Shadowclan's. His ears had pricked curiously but there was little to draw from this far back. Perhaps he would prod Minkstar about it later. For now, he returned his focus to the she-cat next to him. Her interest, whether feigned or not, brought him some levels of satisfaction.

It was rare cats truly indulged him in his babbling speech. To many, it seemed Stoatfur simply liked to hear himself talk, which was only partially true. He preferred to share his knowledge and found so many things interesting, the warrior just wanted to discuss it with other. Thankfully, this encounter had proven to be at least a tad more than pleasantries. His whiskers twitched as he realize that he had no idea who this Riverclanner was. Stoatfur tipped his ear closest to Scarletriver towards her and meowed a low question, "What is your name?"

Scarletriver watched for a while in silence.  The only movement she had was her tail flicking up and down a few times.  Her head turned towards the other cat at his question.  She laughed a little at the realization that she did not know his name either and they did not waste time talking about things like that earlier.  "My name is Scarletriver," she responded.  "And what's your name?"

"Stoatfur, of Thunderclan, of course." He added the last bit, not remembering whether or not he'd introduced his clan. Regardless, the she-cat could probably tell because of his scent. It was strange how accustomed one could become to the scents that were around them, and the unfamiliar became something striking, but it also made sense. Stoatfur's tail slowed and rested in the dust as he stared up at the rock. Somehow, sitting next to a cat for another clan, he felt nearly as comfortable as he did around most of his clanmates. The thought scared the young warrior and he wanted to inch away from Scarletriver. At the very least, this thought was sure to not leave his mind for sometime. A realization was just under the surface and his pushed it away - this was no tom's fault other than his own.