December Gathering 2021

Apprehension tingled in the ginger tom's paws, the growing spread of actual woodland making him slightly uneasy as he followed his clan through the territory of other clans; figuring it mildly inappropriate for an apprentice to walk with the leader and deputy-- despite the former being his mentor and the only cat he was really interacting with on any regular basis. The tom swallowed hard as plenty of scents washed over his maw, drowning him momentarily, and he was surprised to find his reaction more disgust driven than fear or discomfort. Briefly his mind flitted to what the others would think of their sudden shift in leadership; the incredibly familiar Ivystar replaced with his... lovely mentor, and Perchfall taking the place of the less familiar Dewlight, who he hoped to the stars was resting in her nest after the ordeal of the last moon.

He shook out his fur, padding down the slope and into the clearing, finding himself preferring to stay away from the other clans, something he was surprised to see the other apprentices not reciprocating. Whatever, the tom thought with an ill-tempered snort, taking a seat in his clans general direction, steering away from different groups of apprentices that were already lost in conversation. There was an undeniable urge to join them, but he ignored it-- he didn't really want to interrupt despite his want to be included, and his lack of a full nights rest was clearly making him cranky.

---

Buzzardpaw was filled with nothing short of excitement, although he was probably for the first time in his life quite nervous- however, if you asked the apprentice, he would have absolutely no answer as to why he felt any amount of anxiety over the gathering. Instead of dwelling on it, he followed in the pawsteps of his parents, playing a kit-like game of how well he could match up perfectly to the print they occasionally left on the ground. It felt like a few heartbeats before they arrived at the age-old clearing, and the tom still continued to follow his parents, figuring for a first gathering it would be a little better if he didn't rush up to the nearest group of apprentices to start babbling. He sat quietly, gazing up at the rock as more leaders leapt atop and more cats poured in around him, and zoned out to the conversations around him.

Aspenpaw is very much approach at your own risk (but open to chat)

Buzzardpaw is off in his own land

Leopardpaw was completely oblivious to Cicadapaw’s disgruntled response to his greeting. He opened his maw to say more, when his attention shifted to a new cat joining him. The ThunderClan apprentice smiled, greeting the she-cat with a friendly flick of his tail.

He listened to them chat about battles, and he suddenly felt left out. He’d only been an apprentice for little more than a moon, and so far all that he’d done so far was practice hunting and learning battle moves. Leopardpaw was larger than the average cat his age, he was sure he could hold his own in a fight.

“No, I haven’t been in any battles,” he replied. “My mentor told me that fighting should only be used as a last resort, but I can’t help but want to see what I can do. You understand, yeah?”

Frogpaw is open
Leopardpaw is talking to Cicadapaw and Magpiepaw

Murkystar blinked as a new face joined from RiverClan, lowering her head in acknowledgment as he took his place among them. Daystar was the next to arrive, and she returned her nod with a frigid expression, opening her maw to ask about the status of that apprentice who lost their tail, when suddenly Minkstar arrived, immediately spitting venom-laced words at the new RiverClan cat among them. Terrible choice in leaders? Starving clanmates? Well that was no different from the rest of them. Disfiguring a queen? Her eyes scanned the crowd, landing briefly on a face in the front. Wait, she knew that face, that was RiverClan's deputy, wasn't it? If she was there.... The thoughts spinning in her head made her dizzy, and she huffed softly, a puff of white air floating away from her maw. The next words to come from Minkstar chilled her more than the rock below her paws, however. Murder? Her gaze shifted over to glance at the RiverClan tom. Things certainly seemed to be interesting between RiverClan and ThunderClan suddenly... She would wait to see what happened for now, but was prepared to interrupt if things got too far out of paw.

---

Dewlight limped into the Gathering, her fur clinging to her frame. The battle had left her weaker than ever, the fresh scars across her face not the most appealing sight. Still, she had tried to carry herself, caring for her kits and clan, and even tagged along to the Gathering. She wanted Minkstar to see what he had done to her, the state he had left her in. She had been knocked unconscious by his final blow, carried to camp between the newly named Jaystar and Bearspirit, and had missed the final moments of the battle, only knowing once she briefly woke up for the first time that they had emerged victorious, the bitterly fierce battle was won. Now, as she hobbled her way to the front of the crowd of cats, she glared up at Minkstar. She couldn't quite make out what he was saying, but his words for furious, and her own anger rose. Her claws instinctively unsheathed before she realized it, and when she looked down she noticed them digging into the ground underpaw. Forcing them to retract, she chanted time of peace, time of peace, don't attack, he'll get what he deserves, StarClan will be sure of it to herself, taking several deep breaths before turning her scarred face back up to the leaders stop Great Rock. Her gaze briefly met that of ShadowClan's old deputy (a quick glance showed Flintstar was nowhere to be seen in the immediate area, hopefully they would learn more soon) and she quickly moved her gaze to Jaystar.

Basilbloom nodded back to the medicine cat, accepting the congratulations from the elder medicine cat with a slightly bashful purr - however, the young tortoiseshell's shock was apparent on her face as Beechpaw informed her of her new rank, but surprise was quickly replaced with genuine enthusiasm.  "Oh wow, really?  Well, congratulations to you as well then Beechpaw!  I'll miss seeing you at medicine cat meetings. If you wish though I'd like to remain friends!  If that's how you see me, that is."  She enjoyed chatting with the older she-cat, she seemed wise and logical; in many ways, Beechpaw reminded her of Mistyfalcon.  

Pausing, a bittersweet smile finding its way onto Basilbloom's face, she meowed; "You know, I wanted to be a warrior like most all kits do, but I was born with a weak heart.  There was no way I could've lived that life...now that I'm a medicine cat though, I wouldn't trade my job for anything.  A clan may have many strong warriors - which I'm sure you'll be - but without their medicine cats, how far could they truly get?  The lives of every cat in the forest rest in our paws, we have to be constantly improving and ready for anything, but that just comes in the form of herb gathering and healing rather than hunting and border patrols.  We all have our own callings, and I'm glad you've been able to pursue yours."  

Smiling, she turned away from Beechpaw as Muddythorn joined them, dipping her head with a purr at his own praise of her new name.  "Thank you Muddythorn, I agree!  My mother Murkystar gave it to me, she's quite good at picking names I'd say."  Not realizing that she had revealed her clan's new leadership, she continued on.  "Congratulations to you also, I heard that you're the head medicine cat of SkyClan now!  Are you thinking of taking an apprentice soon?"  An apprentice...Basilbloom realized that soon she would be expected to do the same, and the thought excited her.  I'll have to visit the nursery more often, see if any of our little ones might be interested!

Should he do it? The warrior gave the tom a calculated once-over. He tilted his head just slightly so he took in what he was saying a bit better. After a few moments of assessing his conversation partner...he decided he'd do it. It was about time for him to open up more anyway. Duskflight seemed somewhat trustworthy and Robin wanted to test that. "Mmhm. A long time ago I found myself pondering those same questions. I was around your age in fact." he finally replied after a bit of thought. He suddenly leaned toward the dark-furred tom and leveled him with a dramatized stare before quieting his voice down to a whisper of sorts, "What if I told you that I," he looked around for added effect, "obtained the answers. Would you believe that I was 'unfortunate' enough to see what lies beyond the five clans? It wasn't of my own volition but I now know nonetheless." The older tom forced back a chuckle and curiously eyed the other's reaction at his display. Would Duskflight be interested in hearing a bit of his past or would he have to be left hanging?

---

Dovefrost walked into the gathering, his movements sluggish and slow. His wounds were healing nicely and weren't that much of an issue, but they still bothered him. It had been so long since he had to worry about wounds on himself aside from occasional thorn pokes here and there.. He had certainly got to comfortable with medicine cat life that was for sure.

He settled himself among the Thunderclan cats not really willing to talking with the other medicine cats at this point. He would just keep his distance from the other clans for now. It was for the best.

--

Starlingflare limped into the gathering, yellow eyes scanning the crowd.. Noting all of the cats that were already in the clearing.. when a certain she-cat caught his eye. The one he fought... He wanted to speak with her.. on somewhat better terms than what they were able to at the Rocks.. While the rest of Riverclan wasn't really within his favor right now, he didn't believe that she would have been the one to do Wolfblaze in.. Not with how adamant she was about certain things.

He approached her carefully, making sure he stayed within her view. Trying to keep his expression somewhat bright to show he didn't come over to antagonize her.

"I know I'm probably not a cat you want to see right now.. But I actually wanted to speak with you." Maybe she could give some insight on the situation that occurred after they left. "Well mostly just want to say that you fight really well actually.. You showed me I have a lot to learn. So while the situation at hand wasn't exactly good, I appreciate the experience." Stars.. this was so awkward. "Name is Starlingflare by the way." He didn't really need to bring up the reason why he didn't get a chance to share it before.

An approaching figure caught Dewlight's eyes, and after a quick glance she huffed, the small puff of air hanging in front of her mouth as she returned her attention to the leaders. She blinked as he spoke, the only indication she had heard him a flick of her ear. He wanted to talk to her? About what? She blinked at his compliment, taken aback. She hesitated, narrowing her eyes. Why was he suddenly complimenting her? His leader had disfigured her visage, was he trying to smooth things over? Suspicious, she steeled her expression before grumbling. "I've been a warrior for many moons. You don't survive a Greenleaf with twolegs and dogs roaming your territory and not get stronger - I had to in order to survive." The scars on her back were suddenly aching, and subconsciously she rolled her shoulders. A brief moment of silence fell before she sighed and glanced his way, briefly shoving down the animosity between their clans and forgetting about the new scars streaking across her face. "You fought well too. With more practice and experience, you'll get there. I'm Dewlight."

Rabbit-chaser was thrilled when she trotted into the gathering with her Clan, her head held high. She had been to one gathering before, and that was as an apprentice. Now, she had her full warrior name to boast! Then again, she didn't exactly know many cats, and the ones she did know also already knew she got her name already..... Well this was a chance to meet some new cats!

Meanwhile, Bumblepaw was coming to the gathering for the first time. And boy, there were a lot of trees. I mean, he should have expected that, it was called fourtrees for a reason, but wow. But of course, he wasn't scared! He was never scared! Ha ha ha! Yeah..... not scared at all.....

Rabbit-chaser and Bumblepaw are open to talk to!
Mistypaw is still healing from her fight.
Amberdawn has stayed to comfort Ratpaw.

As the older warrior leaned closer to him, Duskflight's eyes beamed in wonder, even more curious now that he'd heard what the tom had to offer. Beyond the five clans?  If this didn't pull him towards the conversation even more, the tom had no idea what would. There was a flicker of doubt in his eyes for just a split moment, though only a very brief one. He was invested in the story that the warrior was going to tell, and he wanted to hear more about it. If all RiverClan cats seemed this interesting, he'd have no trouble talking to them all day long.  Though as unfortunate as it was, this was only a Gathering— and it probably wouldn't be next moon until they could meet again. Their territories were not so close to each other, too.

Nonetheless, Duskflight grinned, giving Robinpatch a nod. "What lie beyond the clans? What was it like? Were there other cats, too?" The questions seemed to flow out from his maw, and the tom found himself much more interested. He just couldn't be left hanging there.

Duskflight is talking to Robinpatch!
RiverClan Hollypaw is talking to SkyClan Hollypaw!

Internally, Hollypaw settled a bit, as the Riverclan apprentice gave her a serious nod and brief agreement. Quiet, huh? Or... reserved, Hollypaw supposed. She wasn’t really used to that. (But then, Hollypaw thought, thinking of Newtspring, At least she doesn’t seem dumb like him. She looks too — composed.) She gave the other molly a considering, side-eye look.

Graaaanted, the molly didn’t look like anything special or dangerous, either. (Maybe her fur seemed to lay perfectly, but — Hollypaw was just active, okay! And her fur liked to stick up!) Nor did it seem like she’d seen too much battle.

After a moment’s consideration, Hollypaw tilted her head. Well, might as well spread her name now while she had an audience. “So. I’m Hollypaw. From Skyclan of course. Bloodstar is my grandfather.”

Her tail curled at that, glancing at the leader’s rock. They weren’t close, but he was her mom’s dad nonetheless. She lifted her chin confidently, then added, “I’m sure you’ll hear my name around here soon enough.” Because I’m sure I’ll kick some serious butt soon, went unsaid, ‘cause she wasn’t totally clumsy in the tongue. She’d have her warrior name soon enough.

Hollypaw is talking to Riverclan Hollypaw.

Appledapple didn't walk so much as stalk into the Gathering. Her mood had been strange lately, she felt like she was constantly on edge for one reason or another. The wounds from the skirmish sank deep into her pelt, and while she felt well enough to go, she sure didn't feel well enough to talk to anyone from another Clan. Even the scent of RiverClan and SkyClan sent her fur bristling. She couldn't even make herself say a thing to the leader and deputy as they went off towards the Great Rock... She was liable to bite someone's head off if she had to talk to them. Before these last two moons, she'd been doing so well controlling her emotions... now it felt like she was backsliding. Especially now that... Prickletail... no. Stop. Don't think about it. You hated him anyway. But deep down, she knew that wasn't true. She needed someone to talk to as desperately as she wanted to sink her fangs into the throat of the next cat who tried it. Someone....

Appledapple is only open for ThunderClan cats.

Oliverain's paws dragged behind her clan, which were making their way through the snow towards Fourtrees. She looked around the forest, gazing at the glimmer of the frost. Leafbare. Great. She didn't look forward to hunting more than she already had been. The trip seemed as if to last the whole night, but eventually they arrived. The ragdoll stood at the edge of the clearing, watching her clanmates spill into the shimmering hollow. Their paws kicked up all the snow, which was a different kind of beauty. The she-cat's eyes drooped, and the cold seemed to seep into her brain. Oliverain took a deep breath, able to see her exhale. Not a fun time, and her den sounded way better, but no way she was missing a gathering. What if a fight broke out? She needed to be there to defend her clan.

Padding into the clearing, she barely gave a glance to the other cats. She settled down near one of the massive trees and curled into herself. Her long fur was able to keep her from becoming an ice cat, and it wasn't in any way as good as a den, but comfortable enough for Oliverain to slowly fall asleep. Though at her state she could probably sleep anywhere.

Oliverain is asleep, though open to talk to.

Loudnose bounced along his clanmates, scattering the snow and covering himself in it. How the tabby didn't freeze to death was a mystery. He playfully stomped around, the sound very pleasing. Birds took off from their branches as he passed by, sending clumps of snow down onto his head. He laughed and carried on with bouncy movements, most of the powder falling off easily. His excitement built up as he followed along, which peaked when they arrived. Loudnose always loved gatherings and this would be no different.

He ran into the crowd, for once not too intent on finding a new friend. For now he wanted to roll around in the snow before all of it got ruffed up. And he did so, becoming more white than brown. Shaking it off caused it to fly in the air, eventually falling back down. Loudnose watched his self-made snowfall with glee, vaguely wondering what this gathering would be like.

Loudnose is open for conversation.
Pheasantpounce will not be attending.

As the molly in front of her began to introduce herself, Hollypaw widened her eyes. She had the same name as her.  Well, that seemed like a rather interesting coincidence. Soon, Hollypaw from SkyClan told her how Bloodstar was her grandfather, and she gave her an impressed look. Why, that surely wasn't something small. Her mother— Scarletriver, had been deputy for a while back too, though only for a short while. Ivystar had.. well, appointed her as the deputy when she was still a young warrior, and it was reasonable how multiple deputies had to be changed in her clan. All until Perchfall, now.

"Well.. How unexpected that was," She spoke, pausing briefly in her words. "We have the same names. I'm also Hollypaw, though from RiverClan." She smiled in greeting. Figuring out that she should probably talk some more, the molly spoke up again. "How has leaf-bare been going for your clan? Everything still alright?" She'd inquire.

Duskflight is talking to Robinpatch!
Hollypaw is talking to SkyClan Hollypaw!

Bloodstar had been stoic... and angry at the cold... the entire time. Murkystrike gave him a nod in greeting, which he returned. There didn't seem to be any hostility in her movements or her expression, but he certainly noticed that Flintstar was not among the clan. He had to assume that meant Murkystrike was now Murkystar. A lean forward to see who sat at the base of the great rock confirmed his suspicions. A deputy he didn't know, a white tom, had taken her place as Shadowclan deputy. Well... congratulations to her.

What happened next caught him entirely off-guard. Some unknown warrior pounced upon the Great Rock as well. A Riverclan warrior, from the smell of him. Bloodstar didn't bother hiding his surprise, blinking once, before leaning to look over the Great Rock again. Yes... another deputy he didn't know. What the heck had happened to Riverclan? Where was Ivystar? Wasn't that dark molly the deputy last... Oh dear lord... what had happened to her face?

A second look at the Riverclan cats pouring in and he realized that they were all covered in freshly healing wounds. Wonderful... Was Ivystar injured or dead then? His tail nub twitched as he thought about how to handle this unexpected turn of events. He even glanced at Murkystar to try to get information out of her expression, but she seemed just as surprised as he was.

Bloodstar might have even asked the unknown warrior a question... if Minkstar hadn't shown up next. And dear stars was he vocal. He listened carefully to what the Thunderclan leader had to say. Ah... so Riverclan had been responsible for this... did Minkstar kill Ivystar? It didn't sound like it. What in the world was going on? Riverclan apprently murdered a Thunderclan cat as well. What was it about Thunderclan cats that apparently made other cats want to kill them? He had fond memories of Beecloud... but he supposed that was the only Thunderclan cat he really got to know.

"Even Bloodstar had enough honour to let our warriors go in peace once they were defeated; isn't that right, big guy?"

Now... Bloodstar peeled back his lips... or at least the right side of it that wasn't already peeled back permanently anyway. A low growl rumbled in his throat... just a little one... before he let it die. His fur had bristled only slightly before he forced it to lie flat again.

"You speak as if I am not honorable, Minkstar..." He paused a moment before a smile slowly spread across his face, taking the place of his snarl. He even barked out a short chuckle. "Though I can't say I actually care what another clan thinks of me at the end of the day." He fully admitted and let the issue roll off of his shoulder. He finally turned his attention to the new tom, seeing as this was as good a time as any.

"I am curious too, as I am sure the other leaders are. You just thought you'd hop onto the Great Rock and not say a word to anyone?" There was much more that Bloodstar could tack onto the end of that, but he let the words die in his mouth for now. He would test this new tom, prod him for his strengths and his weaknesses. The fact that Riverclan may or may not have murdered a Thunderclan cat... well... Bloodstar hadn't decided yet if that should matter to him or his clan in the slightest. He had already paid his debts to Minkstar for the loss of Robinloft. Beyond that, what happened in Thunderclan was Minkstar's business to handle. If he wanted assistance, he'd have to ask for it. Bloodstar was not the naïve apprentice he was long ago and he wasn't about to get his clan dragged into unnecessary conflict, especially uninvited.

"I don't even remember seeing you at any previous gatherings... yet here you are, standing on the Great Rock. Should we... care who you are? Minkstar doesn't seem to think so." Alright... the stage was set. Now only to see how this new tom would react. Was he a hot-headed fool? Was he cold and calculating? Was he simply just... a fool? Bloodstar was eager for these answers, as well as the answers to Minkstar's... rant? Whatever that was... that too.

Frostgaze slipped past his side not longer after Webshadow had found a quiet spot to settle, and his friend's assessment made his whiskers twitch. White tail gently flicked against his flank, and the tabby hummed his acknowledgment. Before he could think up a response, the shorter tom drifted away just as quickly as he came.

Sit by the deputies? Webshadow batted a dark paw through the snow, his expression of irritation twisting. He always sat at the back during Gatherings... this was his spot, so to speak. He never sat up front, for that and the fact so many cats' eyes would inadvertently be on him. But... He wanted to talk to Frostgaze.

Pushing to his paws, Webshadow weaved his way through the ever-growing crowd to sit right at the fringes, just a few tail-lengths away from the deputies. Frostgaze was already engaged with two of the other deputies, and as ThunderClan arrived and Minkstar took his place on the Rock, something tense rose up between the leaders. Webshadow fidgeted anxiously before eventually settling enough to sit down, fur bristling as he did. His tail beat restlessly against his forelegs, and a rumble of unease left him as he turned his attention back to his friend. The Gathering had barely even started, and Webshadow already want to return to camp.

The approach of pawsteps went ignored by Newtspring– too many cats were marching around to really acknowledge it –but a voice piping up not far from his ear caught his attention. Orchidmask's grin prompted him to offer a toothy smirk of his own, and his feathery tail waved through the drifts of snow.

"Hey, if ya wanna slip out early with me, I'm not complain'," he purred smoothly as he turned to face her. A beat, then he snickered, "Gettin' awful close t' the leader's son there, aren'tcha?" A louder, deeper laugh left him, and his restlessly waving tail moved more decisively to tap against her flank. "Nah, I'm fine, 's just–" he struck out at the snow, the powder kicking into the air. Some of it clung to his foreleg, and he gave a sharp shake of his leg to get it off.

"Don't think 'M super excited for leaf-bare. Already gettin' cold– makes me think, whadda I got all this fur for if I'm gonna be cold anyway?" A heavy sigh left him, but there was no sadness there. "Eh, you look like you're havin' a good time though! Enjoyin' it a bit more than I am, at least."


Cloverheart fell in not far behind Jaystar and Perchfall, her expression clouded with exhaustion and apprehension. The sudden shift in leadership, the numerous border skirmishes– that one with ThunderClan had been especially vicious... –and so much more. It felt like RiverClan would never be allowed a chance to heal from the wounds of green-leaf; Cloverheart was exhausted. Stars, the whole Clan was. Sighing, the little she-cat lifted her head.

Most of the medicine cats were up there... except her, it looked like. And was Beechface not with them, either? She hadn't been at the last few Moonstones, and now she wasn't even with Muddythorn or Basilpaw. Cloverheart's ears twitched, distantly wondering if she was somewhere else in the crowd before shaking off any sense of care for the SkyClanner. Another turn revealed Dewlight, talking to a cat she didn't recognize. She seemed okay, though, if a bit... stiff. It was hard to tell from the distance. Huffing, Cloverheart trudged through the snow to find a spot on the edges of RiverClan.

Webshadow is sitting near the deputies, watching them talk.
Newtspring is talking to Orchidmask.
Cloverheart is open to talk– try your luck.