December Gathering 2021

Ashfall trudged through the snow next to Daystar, doing her best not to trip on anything hidden beneath the thick white obstacle. She liked rain, not this frozen monstrosity that it was made into. Her limp just made it all worse, even if she did have her leg right up against her body. Her face was twisted into an array of annoyance and anger as she kept making her way through. Though her mate's smile made it... mostly better. A sigh, and an exasperated look at Daystar before she gave her mate a gentle headbutt as she let her go to the other leaders. Of course, as she looked up at the leaders, something was different. Shadowclan had a new leader, their old deputy, and Riverclan's deputy wasn't even there anymore, there were two new cats. As she got even closer, her eyes narrowed at the tom on top of the rock. Involuntarily she exclaimed, "Oh you've gotta be kidding me!" as she saw just who the Riverclan tom was. That rude piece of fox dung that she beat up at the border skirmish! He was their leader?

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Frostgaze's eyes flicked to the grumbling form of Windclan's deputy arriving, something about the cold no doubt. Something else was new about her, it appeared she was pregnant. Not all of that roundness could be from a bounty of prey after all, it was much too cold for that. Then introductions, speaking. Not necessarily something he was fond of, but a duty of a deputy nonetheless. "Frostgaze of Shadowclan." His response was short, however not unkind. He simply didn't have much to say. He was still unsure of how he should be speaking to fellow deputies, how much information about his clan should he share. Then his eyes spotted the dark form of Webshadow inching closer to the front. Perhaps he could use him as an excuse to escape this conversation... he would rather speak to him than others anyway.

Ashfall is open to talk to!
Frostgaze is speaking to Perchfall and Goldenfang!

It was suspended in this very moment, wreathed in the frosty judgement of snow glossy stars and within the immediate spittle-flinging proximity of the evidently raging Minkstar, that Jaystar realized perhaps the greatest newfound truth in relation to the precarious subject of his relationship with Kitefire; ThunderClan truly was a miserable place worthy of ostracization, the ablution of once shared blood and kindred heritage.

The stringent lines of a secondary truth, lesser in importance though hotter in its brief touch of snarky amusement, was also fully clarified in these awkward moments where all others were made to listen to this latest spiel of an evidently long-brewing tantrum- Minkstar definitely enjoyed the sound of his own voice more than he enjoyed the efforts required to fight a competent battle. Did he rehearse this in his head throughout the trek to Fourtrees? Although the occasional wandering gaze shaded by the lingering brushes of curiosity, or even the blatantly uncomfortable gestures of Murkystar likely preparing to intervene should things continually escalate, had not gone entirely unnoticed within the red hazed corners of his pinned vision, it was still second-nature, a natural prelude of anatomy, to posture and rise to the aggression faced. Truthfully, Minkstar's accusations did little to resonate with him, failed to strike any semblance of a tender chord beyond the newfound welling of tiresome irritation and hopeless disgust intricately webbed through his nervous system at the sight of the perpetually ruffled tom. ThunderClan this and that; it went well beyond the simple desire to value cohorts first, and instead slipped into the territory that the foolish loser standing before him truly believed that ThunderClan was the first Clan to ever suffer the brunt of misfortune.

"I'll allow you a moment to.. catch your breath," Jaystar eventually lolled out after Minkstar finally lapsed into prized silence, drawing up to his full height and frowning down at the ginger tom as though he was nothing more than a particularly pestering thorn caught within the soft flesh of his paw, "it would truly be a shame to bear witness to you choking over your own unending words in this grand haste to sling baseless accusations at me."

Feathered tail flicking in a gently curved arc and rounding a sharp shoulder in the immediate direction of Minkstar in a physical show of apparent dismissal, the young RiverClan tom instead turned an unblinking stare upon the scarred features of Bloodstar; a dashing mix of both curiosity at the newfound contender for his finite attention and a futile bid to reign in the sharp temper and pulsing rage knotting tightly within the fathoms of his chest. He recognized the winding rivers of scars and striking disfiguration upon the larger tom very passively, perhaps the only genuinely significant time he had witnessed the SkyClanner in action was amidst the final rising against Asylum. "You need not care for me anymore than you care for the others within our presence," Jaystar eventually mewed after a moment of carefully analysis, unblinking honey and wine gaze dashed with glimpses of pale moonlight, "though truthfully I remained silent only because I did not wish to talk any ears off with an explanation that could be given to all and heard by all in one exchange. If your curiosity must be sated; I am Jaystar, son of Ivystar. My mother died extremely suddenly, and without the ability to name a proper successor to carry her title, and thus StarClan chose me- unfortunate and unexciting, but the reason as to why there is no passing recognition on your part."

Sharp shoulders, distorted faintly by the angular protrusion of bone and raised flesh of partially healed wounds, were rolled back with the faintest click of billowing tension, the carefully-veiled distaste evident upon the hard lines of Jaystar's somber face ultimately no match for his still fluent familiarity in handling emotion. Though he excelled at the art of purposeful misdirection and careful displays of neatly practiced emotion, he intended to offer a cultivation of no false sympathies on behalf of the raging Minkstar- he would soothe no misgivings about his own apparent guilt in the eyes of the prickling ginger tom. "Now Minkstar, I'm certain that Dewlight informed you of the ill-fate slated against one of our young Apprentices? The one who was murdered by your own Clanmates?" Jaystar exhaled against the paltry backdrop of a freezing, simmering cloud of smoky breath, words just as frigid as the snowy night, "Tell me, Minkstar, how did you respond to such information- did you express remorse on behalf of your own Clan's actions? Did you offer sympathies, condolences to the kin of the young one? Did you offer reassurances to catch and level adequate punishment to be sentenced against the one who bloodied their paws? Did you extend any of these same courtesies you think you're in the favor to demand of me?"

"Or should I just indulge in your little games as well, and skip straight to accusing you of murdering my Clanmate?"

Hailpaw's tail acted on instinct, curling around his companion when he felt Driftpaw's touch. He found himself doing that a lot lately, unconsciously drawn to the other cat when he wasn't thinking about it. Whether it be leaning towards Drift when they sat next to each other or a simple touch of a paw when he felt the magnetic pull the white cat put out. It felt nice to have comforting contact when he wanted it... which was usually whenever Driftpaw showed up in his range of vision.

The white tom purred at the compliment to his name and appearance. "Stars, thank you! You're not a bad-looking cat yourself. I'd be lying if I said I was a tad jealous of your spots." Nothing wrong with a little harmless flirting back and forth. They were from different clans, so it wasn't like anything would arise from it anyway. It was just a different type of banter to him.

Hailpaw only had to think for a moment before coming up with what put Skyclan apart from the other clans. "I think our ability to climb is what makes us real special." Our was a bit of a stretch as his foggy vision and lack of depth perception made the trees a dangerous place for him to explore, but he could speak for the rest of the clan. "Some cats can climb better than squirrels, hopping from branch to branch. Though, my favorite part is that the territory is just beautiful. It's rather rocky, but the flowers are so vibrant and hardy when you can find them."

His ears flicked when Driftpaw piped up with a question. Hailpaw had just taken a breath to press it when another cat burst into the conversation, carrying a stick with them. It had... something on the tip. Hailpaw had to squint to truly catch what it was, his fur fluffing up when he noticed its sheen in the moonlight. It was some type of sticky muck! He had previously thought everything could be beautiful in its own way, when put to proper use, not not goop! What if it got in his fur?!

For once, Hailpaw hesitated to respond when he received a compliment, fixated on trying to find out what the goop even was and how to get it away from him and his friend. Driftpaw's fur was much too pretty to deserve getting goopy if their new acquaintance couldn't keep it contained. "Oh, thank you. I got them myself. I'm Hailpaw and this is Driftpaw." He gestured to the cat beside him with a flick of a tail. "I think Blackpaw was about to tell us a bit about Riverclan, right?"

Hailpaw is talking to Driftpaw, Blackpaw, and Beetlepaw!

---

Cicadapaw gave a light nod in agreement. He couldn't comprehend why battle wouldn't be the first option most picked. It got a cat's point across and dissuaded others from messing with you if they knew they would get claws in return. However, the wish to prove oneself was one he knew intimately. "Right, The best way you can prove your abilities is to put them to the test. A true fight pushes you to do better since it has more stakes. It gets your blood pumping too more than anything else." Even now, battle was exhilarating to remember. He had got one apprentice to flee after just a few harsh hits in his first skirmish. Whenever he needed a pick-me-up he happily employed his selective memory to remember that one moment and forget the rest of the battle.

Cicadapaw is talking to Leopardpaw and Magpiepaw!

Hollypaw was waiting a moment, as the Riverclan molly took in her name; she seemed a bit surprised, which was… odd. I mean, I know I said everyone’s gonna know my name… but it’s a BIT soon for that. And her name, perhaps, was uncommon, but hollies were a spiky, dangerous bush. The young calico allowed herself a self-conscious lick of her chest, swirled with wisps of white. But the rest was a dark orange and black, surely fitting. Is it an odd name? Wait -- no! Of course not! It’s beauty itself! And dangerous! Maybe they just don’t have taste in Riverclan--! Probably all named after fish--

...and then the other molly opened her mouth to reply.

Hollypaw blinked… and then raised a paw to her ears, as if to clear them. But the pale grey tabby kept mewing, asking something about leaf-bare--?

Oh, leaf-bare--?

“Um, yes, things are good, prey’s running well, kits galore. The works,” was her reflexive reply, all her prepared speeches coming out in a jumble (and of course she had practiced, Skyclan wasn’t to look weak ‘cause she screwed up and said more than she was supposed to!). She shook her head, as if dislodging cobwebs. “Wait, um, back up a bit. You said your name was… um, Hillypaw? Because for a moment, I thought you said ‘Hollypaw’, but that couldn’t be because... because my sister named me that, and it’s a very special name. She wouldn’t have if someone else had it, too, and it’s supposed to be rare!”

And -- and aren’t all of them named after fish?!

The Skyclan molly must’ve heard wrong. Except -- if that was why the molly was surprised? Her mind reeled, a bit… and then she narrowed her eyes at the Riverclanner. That... was suspicious, if it were true. For… for reasons Hollypaw wasn’t sure of, yet.

But out of all the cats here, what were the chances of the first one she talked to being named ‘Hollypaw’, too?!

It could be true… was it fate? A spirit? Or Starclan? She really looked at the other apprentice, but upon the inspection the other molly didn’t seem at all glowy, or see-through… She definitely looked like you could touch her, and Hollypaw almost reached out to gently see… But, wait -- no!

She wasn’t falling for it. It had to be, like -- like some sort of trick. Like, trying to get on Hollypaw’s good side…? Or!

...er. The calico blinked, and her ear twitched. She didn’t know.

Hollypaw is talking to Riverclan Hollypaw (or Hillypaw, she hopes). And is awfully confused.

"I don't recognize either of the cats standing up there, do you?" Swiftspirit tipped her head towards the cats in the place of Riverclan's leader and deputy, her curiosity clear as she responded to Timbersun. It wasn't long before a vaguely familiar face was joining them, though the golden she cat sat a polite distance away. Skyclan by scent, and Swiftspirit thought she'd seen her before. The battle, maybe, though their paths needn't crossed during it. "Swiftspirit, of Windclan." She inclined her head in greeting, not seeing a need to be hostile or overly standoffish.

---

Beechpaw nodded at her former apprentice as he joined them, an ear twitching as Basilbloom spoke. "Of course." The tortoiseshell had done her and hers no harm, there was no need to cut off the few friendships she'd formed among the current medicine cats. "It was never what I'd wanted. Sagelight had a vision the day before our territory burst into flame. We all thought he was joking when he said I was to be his next apprentice. We had to flee to twolegplace... It delayed the ceremony for a bit, but I had little choice in it." That choice had been ripped from her just as Skyclan's home had been ripped from them. "It's good you find enjoyment in it. Being a medicine cat works out better for everyone when you don't resent it."

Thunderclan had arrived, and Beechpaw was quick to spot Dovefrost among them, her eye widening a bit at the state he and his clanmates were in. "Dovefrost!" She called him over with a friendly wave of her tail, though her tone betrayed her concern, too. "What happened to you?"

Swiftspirit is talking to Timbersun and Primroselight.
Beechpaw is talking to Basilbloom, Muddythorn and Dovefrost.

Dandelionflight bounded through the snow drifts with the rest of her clan. SkyClan was first to arrive, so she found a spot in the clearing to wait. ShadowClan soon arrived after, but instead of Flintstar leading them, Murkystrike was. She knew that either Flinstar’s leg prevented him from coming, or Murkystrike was now Murkystar. She scanned through the small groups of cats and saw Oliverain curled next to one of the trees. She bounded over to her and cheerfully meowed, “Hi Oliverain!”

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Cherrycloud trudged after ThunderClan into the snowy clearing. The thick layer of snow was quite annoying and she didn’t want to lose any of her decorations in it. Most of her flower collection had been killed by frost and most birds had migrated for the winter, so she didn’t have many options. She ended wearing some feathers from a cardinal she killed a few sunrises ago. Cherrycloud looked up at the great rock and noticed two new faces. Murkystrike, wo she assumed to be Murkystar, and an unfamiliar black tom from RiverClan. The clearing was quite loud already, since ThunderClan was last to arrive. Looking around the clearing, she saw her sister, Appledapple. She walked over to her and sat down. “Hey Appledapple,” she meowed, “How have you been?” She hadn’t seen many of her sibling lately, especially since she had been keeping herself busy with patrols.

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Dappledpaw followed after her clan, down into the clearing of Fourtrees. SkyClan was already here and looked around for someone to talk to. RiverClan came just a few moments later and she spotted a small group of apprentices. As she got closer, Dappledpaw noticed that one had a bunch of things in his pelt and another was holding a stick. She approached them and tried to figure out what they were talking about. It seemed like they were talking about feathers and stick goop, huh. Dappledpaw finally spoke up and meowed, “Hello, I’m Dappledpaw.”

---

Dandelionflight is talking to Oliverain!
Cherrycloud is talking to Appledapple!
Dappledpaw is talking to Hailpaw, Driftpaw, Blackpaw and Beetlepaw!

Hollypaw's answers weren't exactly.. Explaining to her, though she wouldn't blame the other molly. Letting other cats from different clans know too much were dangerous. Yet when she told her to back up a bit, she tilted her head. Was 'Holly' supposed to be a rare and special name? The she-cat awkwardly smiled, seeing how confused the other molly was. She herself, was undeniably confused, too. "Well.. No, you heard it correctly. My name is actually Hollypaw, not Hillypaw. Is it really such a special name, as you have said though?" She asked in curiosity.

The other molly's paw seemed to almost reach out to her, and instinctively— she took a step back. She narrowed her eyes, equally just as puzzled too. Or if not, then more. She settled herself down again, flicking her tail stiffly. Was this a way of greeting from SkyClan cats that she didn't know of..? If that was it, Hollypaw blinked yet again, unsure of what to say— or do.

Hollypaw is talking to SkyClan Hollypaw! She is just as confused now.

Dovefrost's head snapped up as soon as he heard his name being called, noting it was Beechface who had called him over. He looked around a little before moving to approach the Skyclan cat. What happened..? He could feel his anger taking him again from the battle that occurred not that long ago followed by guilt at the same time. "Thunderclan and Riverclan fought over Sunning Rocks. We tried to talk peacefully but they weren't having it so we had to use force." He explained. "They tried drowning Minkstar and I jumped in to save him, then they proceeded to attack me, calling me an oath breaker. They ended up taking one of his lives.." He said, reliving the memory in his mind. "They killed Wolfblaze.. after the battle was over. We were trying to leave, and they killed her." His eyes lacked light now, just how much this all effected him. He failed his clan.. he tried to help, and he failed them... his head hung low not really even bothering to look at the others that were in the group.

--

Starlingflare knew that Dewlight wasn't exactly comfortable with him being here. He could tell she didn't exactly like him, but he was glad she indulged him. As she rolled her shoulders, he felt the pain tick in his eye socket. He couldn't help but bring up a paw and rubbed at the phantom pain. No matter what he did, it always appeared.. and at the worst time too.

"Thank you for the undeserved compliment. I seem to have a knack for fighting rather difficult opponents. First Bloodstar and now you. Hopefully one day I will be the warrior others look up to, and find inspiration from." He said with a small chuckle, before he let out a small hiss, and bringing up his paw back to his lack of eye. The pain was sharp this time.. He quickly shook off the pain, doing his best to ignore it from now on.

"I'm sorry don't mind me.. ever since my incident there always seems to be a pain where my eye used to be." He hoped his actions didn't unsettle her even more.

Wasppaw

---

"I personally think Wasppaw is more of an exciting name." SkyClan's Hollypaw's sibling pipes in with a slightly smug smile. Though despite her self-insert, she chooses not to step in quite yet after all, she was enjoying the two cat's confusion.

Wasppaw is sharing tongue with Hollypaws

To Appledapple's surprise, it was none other than her sister who walked up to start talking with her. It occurred to her that she hadn't had a one-on-one conversation with Cherrycloud for some time. "Oh hello," she said, putting enthusiasm in her voice where it probably didn't belong. Her sharp gray eyes noted her sister's unusual additions. A habit of hers since kithood. "Nice feathers," she said insincerely, trying more than anything to seem interested in what was going on around her while the inner turmoil screamed in her head. "Where did you get them?"

Appledapple is talking to Cherrycloud.

A rare smile made it's way onto the older cat's face as Duskflight became instantly hooked. He won't be telling him the whole story just yet. There wasn't much time time for that.

"Well," he began, "Let me first tell you how I got into that mess. Now, listen up and listen good kiddo cause what I'm about to tell you hasn't been heard by many, even those from my own clan. I just feel like I need to open up more in general and not just continue my life being a grumpy ol' cat. Also, don't ask me why I've decided on telling someone not from my clan first. I suppose it was a spur-of-the-moment sorta thing." He huffed and shook his head at himself. He was all sorts of odd that was for sure.

The warrior cleared his throat and continued on, "Anyway, let me take you back to the days after my warrior ceremony. The great Jaystar stood tall as leader of Riverclan and it had been a good couple of moons for us all around. I, an impressionable and foolish youth, was basking in the newfound freedoms that warriorhood had to offer me. I threw myself into as many patrols as I could handle. I had enough energy to supply five other warriors so it had been no real problem for me. With a bright mind and high spirits, I set off on this new path with the intention to be a great provider for my clan. Life was good...until it wasn't. I had been blind to the true dangers and I paid the price." The large tom's voice held a twinge of sadness as he reminisced his youth. Oh how naïve he'd been...

"Around half a moon or so after I'd earned my warrior name, I went out to hunt by myself at around sundown. That was all I was doing at first. Just some simple hunting to occupy myself lest I 'die' of boredom. However, everything had turned on it's head the moment I had wandered a little too close to the Twolegplace farm. The closer I got, the less I began to sense any prey. I hadn't thought much of it then but now, it seemed obvious that something was amiss. It was getting darker and there was an eerie atmosphere around. I had finally gotten my head outta the clouds the second I'd heard a strange rumble in the distance. I was on high alert by then and was considering turning tail and fleeing. However, I was too foolish to really act upon my instincts. Instead, I chose the opposite and went to investigate the noises. My...My younger self wasn't the brightest but I've certainly gained the intelligence I'd been lacking over the moons." he chuckled softly. He wiggled around to get more comfortable. He wasn't as young as he used to be so he needed to watch out for his limbs.

"Anyway, the farm was just a fox-length or two away and by then I was starting to have my doubts. More sounds were blending into the constant rumble. A terrible screeching that honestly hurt my ears and...sharp thumping were getting incessantly louder. Even with how spooked I felt, I continued on stupidly. I was just too curious and had to know what in Starclan's name were making those awful noises. I made my way behind the farm, slowly but surely. Those sounds were coming from there as well as an odd light of sorts was shining from that area as well. The more steps I took, the worse i felt. I should've turned back while I still could but..." The calico warrior trailed off with a darkened expression. He leaned in closer before continuing, "I finally made it to the the edge of the farm. It took all of my guts to continue around the bend but I did it. Big mistake. The moment I rushed around the corner, I was met with..." The fur on his neck rose and he leaned even closer to the dark-furred tom. "I was barely a few tail-lengths from a monster! Face to face with the shiny creature that could easily kill a warrior, even many at the same time. It's terrifying eyes glowed and it shook like it was about to charge. I couldn't move. I was utterly petrified. My fur stood on end and my claws unsheathed as to get ready to defend myself. However, I knew that there was nothing I could against that. I stood no chance against something so big. What was it even doing there? Why was a monster away from the Thunderpath and hiding behind the Twoleg farm? Those were questions that I kept asking myself as I slowly backed away, eyes never leaving it. I couldn't afford to lose sight of it as I made my escape. I couldn't get far though. It let out another rumble and began to slowly move toward me. I couldn't help but let out a cry, startled that it was going after me. I scrambled back in an attempt to escape but those efforts were cut short."

He looked up at the sky as he recollected the next events in his story. "I had crashed into something in my panic. I looked up, mind fearing what other misfortune had befallen me. A tall, lanky twoleg looked down upon me. I could barely see it's face due to the harsh light of the monster's eyes. Again, I stood still but this time, I regained my bearings and began to run away. I wanted to go back to the safety of my clan and never think about this day ever again. However, I had failed to notice the other twoleg that had come from behind me. That one had dropped a huge leaf-like object onto my head. My whole vision was obstructed. I couldn't see! It wasn't heavy and almost seemed like a thin pelt of sorts but there was so much of it and there was no way for me to shake it off no matter how hard I tried. So I had to run blindly while tangled with the strange object but again, I was stopped mid-escape. One of the twolegs had grabbed onto the edges of the pelt and had scooped me up with it. It had lifted me up and I managed to catch a glimpse of it's face before I couldn't see again. By this point I was fully freaking out. I was being taken by twolegs! I couldn't let this happen! I had to fight! So, fight I did. I scratched and bit at the pelt, thrashing and wiggling around as to make it harder for the twoleg to carry me away. Sadly, I was no match for a twoleg's strength and the pelt it had wrapped around me wasn't letting me bite or scratch the twoleg itself." Robinpatch sighed and looked away for a moment. Talking about his experiences were bringing back unwanted feelings but he pushed them back. This wasn't the place to crumble.

"I was thrown into a cold, hard den of sorts. It was small, barely bigger than me so I had to crouch down to be able to even fit. I couldn't take a better look at where they had put me into before they had blocked the den's opening with some shiny sticks that I was sure I couldn't fit through and then the pelt from before. My vision was once again obstructed. It was dark and there were so many sounds all around me before there was total silence. Suddenly, the whole place started to shake, the familiar rumble of the monster now coming from all around me. I realized what this meant...I was inside the monster's belly! Panic couldn't even begin to describe what I was feeling. I tried to call out for help. For anyone that could hear me. Unfortunately, nobody came to my help. The entire ground began to shift again and I assumed that the monster was moving again, taking me with it. I was doomed. I got as comfortable as I could in the tiny den and awaited my fate once the monster stopped. There's where my journey would truly begin."

The tom stopped speaking for the moment so he could catch his breath then looked at Duskflight with a twinge of curiosity. "Tell me, Duskflight, what would you have done if you were in my paws? What would you have felt?" He hoped the younger would be much smarter than he was. Someone who would've left at the first signs of dangerous trouble.

---

"Thank you!" he meowed brightly at Hailpaw's compliment. He'd been so engrossed with their conversation and Hailpaw's decorations had been so eye-catching that he hadn't noticed the other cat that had been sitting near Hail. "Ah! I have heard about Skyclan's climbing abilities but not it's territory. I think it sounds very lovely. I really love flowers in general so I'm probably a bit biased." he said with a toothy grin. His attention was suddenly pulled to the other cat once he'd finally spoken up.

"O-Oh! Sorry for not noticing you earlier! I guess Hailpaw's feathers caught my attention real good." he chuckled sheepishly while rubbing one of his forelegs with a paw. "Nice to meet you Driftpaw. I really like your name. Super cool! I bet your warrior name will be just as good." The dark-furred apprentice was about to answer Drift's question but was interrupted by a familiar voice. His head whipped around and his face lightened up even further. "Beetly! You're welcome to join us!" he laughed loudly. He was often amused at his sibling's antics. Where had they even gotten that stick? And what even is that gooey thing? Finally noticing Hailpaw's discomfort at 'the goop' Blackpaw decided to step in to calm thing down before his sibling would accidentally do something that'd be regretted. "Alright, alright. Settle down Beetly. You can play with the stick while we all chat but try not to get it on the others. You don't want to ruin their pretty fur and Hail's feathers right?" he instructed gently, amusement clear in his green gaze. He took his job as big brother seriously. Despite how goofy Blackpaw often acted, he could be mature and serious when it was needed.

He turned back to address the other two and offered them a lopsided grin. "Alright, where were we?" he asked but then he remembered, "Ah! About Riverclan...well...I guess it's common knowledge that Riverclanners are great swimmers and that we mostly eat all types of fish. However, we aren't doing much of that cause it's well into leaf-fall and the water's either really, really cold or just frozen over. It doesn't mean that we can't catch fish now though. Just gotta be mindful of the cold and all the slipperiness. I haven't had a chance to experience the territory in newleaf or greenleaf yet but from what I've heard from the older apprentices and the warriors, when the sun hits the water just right, the whole river can sparkle. However, I do think that our territory is real peaceful right now during leaf-fall. We can find pretty shells and shiny stones all around the river and we have a bunch of our own flowers too and other neat stuff. When we can't hunt much fish we have places to hunt other prey that don't live in the water. Overall I think our territory is great..." he trailed off before turning to his sibling. "You wanna add your opinion about our clan Beetly?" he asked with purr. Another voice made him look over. Someone else was wanting to join in. This excited Blackpaw. He was quite the social butterfly and loved to meet new cats. "Hello there Dappledpaw! What clan are ya from? Oh! You wanna join in too? Then come on over! We'd be happy to include ya!" he said to the she-cat with a chipper tone, friendly smile lighting up his face.

---

Hollypaw shook her head, but couldn’t quite shake her uncertainty as the Riverclan molly insisted that, no, her name was also ‘Hollypaw.’ But... what?

That couldn’t be… right? Hollypaw noticed the other molly recoil, slightly, pulling away from her — and it made Hollypaw’s eyes widen. Did she startle the she-cat? Well — she blinked — maybe it was her name, too... She even asked about it.

“Hmm. That’s... weird. Unbelievable? It is special, though. Hollies are — gah!”

With a jolt, the dark-furred apprentice nearly startled out of her fur as her sister’s voice piped in. Wasppaw!!! She whirled around, a glare in her eyes. Where had her sister been this whole time?! And wait a minute — this wasn’t her business! Hollypaw was... figuring things out!

Her sister’s voice was a bit smug, like she’d been listening this whole time, and Hollypaw’s blood turned to flame in — self-consciousness. Did she sound like an idiot, or something?!

Then her blood turned cold, with realization. Did Wasp see something she didn’t? Like... that this she-cat was obviously lying?

Granted, Hollypaw was quite intelligent. And beautiful. And strong. And — well, you got the picture. But... sometimes, Wasppaw had a better sense of things like this, like when cats were teasing you, or... meant something that they didn’t say, with words that meant something else. The cream tabby just knew (and usually made sarcastic comments about it).

Hollypaw narrowed her eyes, suspiciously. Was... this one of those times?

Bristling, instinctively, Hollypaw shifted her gaze to Wasp, and replied, “I don’t know, your name isn’t that great. Didn’t Muddy name you that to be silly?”

With a flick of her tail, Hollypaw suddenly felt very restless, and jumped to her paws. As she turned the pale Riverclanner, she gave her another long, evaluating look. Is she lying? Wasp probably knows, but will laugh at me if I ask..

In the back of her mind, though — something didn’t make sense. Riverclan was all reeds, wasn’t it? I don’t think they even have holly there! So — it couldn’t possibly be the molly’s real name! And besides, she didn’t look dangerous like a holly. And then it clicked in her mind.

She gave the polite she-cat a searching look. Hollypaw had been (maybe) hedging about her ability to take on hulking Windclan warriors (just a bit!), but how would anyone else know that? Is she giving me a false name ‘cause she doesn’t want me to remember her?

“Look, you know—“ and here she gave Wasp a sharp look, to not interrupt, before returning with a reassuring smile — “—you can tell me your real name.. I mean, you can call yourself Holly all you want. But I’m not going to go shouting your real name from the great rock or anything.”

Somehow — that didn’t seem right, though? (Not that she wasn’t intimidating! But Hollypaw knew while she wanted to be, she wasn’t a fearsome warrior yet.)

It then occurred to Hollypaw that the emotion on her face — it must be embarrassment. Does she have a terrible name? Oh, Starclan, that must be it! No wonder I’m confused. She definitely felt sympathy. What if she was named Stinkypaw?

“You don’t have to tell me! If that’s better,” she hastily amended. Very pleased with herself for being so very perceptive and thoughtful, she licked her chest. And then added, kindly, “I can just call you Hillypaw. In fact, I will!”

"I speak as if none of us are honourable," Minkstar said flippantly with a small flick of his ear, eyes still locked on the new leader of RiverClan as he addressed Bloodstar, though he thought he caught a brief, almost inaudible growl. The sound didn't really bother him - he'd already died once, was bound to die seven more times, and didn't particularly care if he trod all over the SkyClan leader's feelings, though his ire at the other tom had cooled. After all, he wasn't the one who'd claimed he held the only honour in the territories and then gone ahead and murdered Wolfblaze once they were defeated. "Forgive the disillusionment, it's been a moon."

At least he didn't care if Minkstar insulted him - Bloodstar's attitude was one he himself could have done with learning the easy way, outside of a bloody battle where he'd had it forcefully torn in red-stained symbols over his mind.

At the young black tom's words directed - hah, more like flung as if they were mud - at him, Minkstar felt a stir of deep loathing come to life in his stomach, a contempt that didn't stir the rest of his impassive face flashing for a second in his eyes. "Appreciated. I have to admit, I was starting to get tired of filling the silence on my own."

The gesture of dismissal didn't move him, the younger tom's kit-like refusal to face his questions drawing only the faintest wrinkle of a curled lip. He was obviously only delaying it, doing his best to control the conversation and put him on the back paw. Fine, let the kit play it this way; Minkstar was ready to rise to the challenge, a frission of dark anticipation stirring an unexpected current in his chest. Words were a battleground he was used to, the internal politics of his fellow leaders and their dynamics more familiar than the feel of flesh carved under his claws, and usually far less messy.

So he settled in and waited. And waited. A hint of boredom bubbled to the surface as the kit prattled on in language he hadn't heard since... eh, Scorchstar, probably. Stars, does he like to hear himself talk or what? He almost couldn't believe the croaking frog could spill his lexicon unrehearsed. Or perhaps he'd just spent too long monologuing to himself in puddles....

The news of exactly who he was, though, sent a flash of surprise through his mind, his eyes sharpening for a heartbeat in shock. Oh stars no. This... this is my nephew?? Or cousin, or whatever. In any case, they were related. He was related to this pile of frogdung - made sense, in retrospect.

Great.

The vague mention of Ivystar's death, and the casual way in which... Jaystar - he would never be able to forget that name, perhaps it was a good thing he disliked both versions, though he had at least respected one - brushed over it, brought an unusual mixture of grief and anger simmering to the forefront of his emotions. Something he carefully pushed aside in favour of a cold calmness as Jaystar finally turned to him. Good - even if the other was unbearably pedantic in the way he talked and moved, at least he didn't show any of the anger he'd displayed at Sunningrocks. Minkstar had rather been hoping to discuss this without turning the whole of Fourtrees into a bloodstained mess yet again.

"As I recall, I was in the middle of a battle," Minkstar replied dryly - snarking back at the other leader's spate of words could wait, no matter how tempting - his gaze level with the bright amber of his rival's, unflinching. "I responded by clawing the cat who'd foolishly chosen such a bad place to bring it up. Luckily for you, however, I haven't forgotten."

He raised an incredulous brow at the other leader's ultimatum, so done with his posturing he couldn't even summon the ability to feel curdling anger at the way he brushed Wolfblaze's murder off and redirected it straight back at ThunderClan. If he had to admit it, the other's speech had given him time to cool down and distance himself from the more deeply personal aspects of the whole thing. For that, he supposed, he could sarcastically thank the other at the first opportunity. "Little games? I don't know what you'd find fun in my Clanmate being murdered by a RiverClanner, Jaystar, the scent of RiverClan clinging to her pelt and reeking in the bushes all around where she died. Along with the blood of her attacker, who obviously had some fresh wounds on their pelt at the time, all of which stank of RiverClan. Or maybe you would find that funny? It depends on which of your patrol was the killer, I'd guess."

Whoever this apprentice was, he hadn't heard a thing about it until the battle itself. Couldn't remember the name, either, though he was vaguely sure the grey molly had mentioned that somewhere in there. Not that he cared too much. A small twinge of guilt reminded him that he should, since this cat's death would have affected their Clanmates just as much as Wolfblaze's had impacted ThunderClan. Staring unblinking into the black tom's eyes, he continued, "I'm perfectly willing to discuss punishment of a ThunderClan cat for your own murder, but I'd need definite proof that one of my Clanmates even did the deed. For all I know, it could be an internal conflict between hot-headed apprentices that ended in one of them dead. It's happened before. Could have been a rogue. That's happened too. Did you find ThunderClan scent all over their body, or are you just accusing my Clan for the fun of it, since we're rivals?

"I can give you proof of Wolfblaze's murder. I can show you the spot where she died, where the bushes and weeds were trampled as her neck was torn open. It's a little cold now, but the area was sheltered enough to keep some stale RiverClan scent and a bit of spattered blood. How much do you need? Or are you suggesting the scent was just leftovers from the battle and she bit her own throat?"

As Marshmallow walked around the clearing, she spotted a cat- from her own clan- that she didn't really know that well. "Fallpaw? Fakepaw? F... Fishpaw?" She muttered as she approached. "Hi Fl... Flarepaw? I... Really don't remember your name, is it Flarepaw? Shamepaw?... Oh whatever, I'm Marshmallow, I had my warrior's ceremony recently so you might remember my name, you should, though, because I think we should be friends, or at least... Not strangers." She flicked her tail as she went to sit down next to the tom. "So, you can ask me questions and I can ask you questions."

Not to say that I'll answer honestly... She thought, but didn't add that to the end.

Marshmallow is talking to Flamepaw (though, she doesn't remember his name)