SkyClan 'Gathering' April 2022

Beechfang had slowly withdrawn from her clanmates, choosing to spend her time alone (or as alone as one could be with a constant guard of dark forest cats) and making herself scarce. It was better that way, she'd decided, better to keep her heart hardened and distance herself from her clanmates. The dark forest was here to stay, so all she could do was keep her head down and do as asked, as much as doing so enraged her. She'd taken to a quiet corner of camp, dark gaze idly watching as Skyclan's occupiers milled among themselves talking. She had little interest in conversation, but if anyone was to approach her Beechfang would oblige them. Not like she had much else to do at the moment.

Myrtleturtle's whiskers twitched as a quick glance at the sky told him what tonight was. A pang of mourning hit his heart through his fluffy pelt at the reminder of what had happened a moon ago. Life had been such a rush for him since then, but... he still missed what should have been. The medicine cat apprentice would find his spot amongs the edge of the crowd, hesitant to engage in any true conversation. Usually, he'd have gone right for interacting with the elders... but not tonight. He felt almost more inclined to hold a silent vigil to hope for the return of their starry ancestors.

Morningstar milled about on a low hanging branch near the center of the camp. He swept his eyes around the camp multiple times, reading the body language and expressions of his "clanmates". He wasn't the Dawnhawk that lead the Asylum here so long ago... no. He didn't need to make friends. He didn't need to win anyone's favor. Not this time. One word from me and you all lose your lives. What an astounding attitude change this has brought about. Though the thought filled with him with very little true joy. If anything, he was downright bored.

While Morningstar always enjoyed his victories in the past, he found total success to be rather... lacking. An entire lifetime of constant struggle to get to the top had made him hungry for challenges. Now there were none. He had reached his peak and not even clouds were above him.

Not even stars.

I have ascended above the stars... so what else is left? Is there nowhere higher that I can climb? Is there no more to achieve? His eyes peered upward as if there were answers there. Only patchy, cloudy skies broken up of blue and gray answered him. Even killing Smokefeather brought him almost no satisfaction. Killing Bloodstar had been an anticlimactic joke. Bringing Beechfang to heel had happened very quickly...

His eyes dropped to her, a bored, tired expression on his face. They lingered for only a moment before he curled his limbs in closer to himself on his branch and he looked elsewhere. Perhaps later he would go to the barn and see how the Forgotten Order was doing. Skyclan was as dead as their leader, as far as he was concerned.

---

Wildfang busied herself cleaning up the nursery. She'd been much quieter since the invasion, but she couldn't deny that she was pleased that they turned out to be less violent than she was expecting. The only casualty in camp had been Smokefeather and that had seemed to stay the Dark Forest cats' wrath. Losing a clanmate was always a tragedy, but she knew things could have been much worse. Newleaf had arrived too. The days were getting warmer and prey was more plentiful. Maybe one day soon, this nightmare will only just be a memory.

Morningstar and Wildfang are open to talk!

The first full moon since the appearance of Morningstar and the Dark Forest cats rose peacefully in a cloud-filled night sky. From her position in the branches of a tree on the edges of camp, Spottedfrog watched the cats below mill about, uncertain. Like many others, she was sure, the warrior had kind of hoped there would be some sort of Gathering... something, anything to break up the monotony of life in SkyClan at current.

But no. The day had come and gone with no mention of being allowed to Fourtrees... and now the bright moon hung over them like a singular, unblinking, watchful eye. Spottedfrog lifted her chin off her paws and tilted her head upward, to look at it, searching for something, a sign, anything... but the stars were gone. They'd been gone.

Frustrated, she pushed to her paws and dropped down into camp, brushing past SkyClanners and Dark Forest cats both as she quit the camp and stormed into the forest.

There was not much Ashstorm could do now.  The Dark Forest was here, and it seemed they were intent on staying.  Both her parents were dead.  Skyclan had no leader. Well, no real leader, as far as Ashstorm was concerned.  Morningstar lived - well, he was not necessarily alive, but he was there - and that was enough to make the strongest cat have shivers.  She emerged from her den and looked up at the sky.  Her eyes briefly caught sight of the golden furred tom, but she quickly moved her focus elsewhere.

Ashstorm is open to talk to.

Primroselight, like her sister, had been spending a lot of time alone, much to her son's dismay and desperate attempts to keep her from her own thoughts. The clan had started to gather for the full moon, but it was only Skyclan, and no living strangers mingled amongst them. It was surprisingly quiet, with almost every cat not wanting to or too scared to start up conversation. She sat beside Beechfang, her tail over her sister's in a way of silent comfort. She knew getting through this would be easier together, but she didn't have the energy, and couldn't bear to be reminded of Smokefeather. Their father was gone to, but somehow that felt less permanent. He'd died before, after all.

---

Muddythorn joined his clan when they gathered together, almost sitting down beside his mother and trying to coax conversation out of her. However, on realising she was with Beechfang, he left them be. Instead he took a seat alone, happy for any cat to join him, but he couldn't help but expect no-one to say much. He kept his eyes as far as possible from Morningstar the whole time, trying his best to imagine his presences away.

Primroselight is open to talk (but probably won't willingly)
Muddythorn is open to talk!