January Gathering 2023

The journey to Fourtrees this moon, felt a bit quicker than usual. No clogging mud, stagnant water, or Thunderpath residue to slow them down while they made their way to the gathering place. Typically, even a Shadowclan cat would be grateful for the speed at their paws, and the lack of cloying mud, but the absence of being in their home territory, left Nightstar homesick. How many times would they be removed from their home? Was Starclan unhappy with them? He couldn’t fathom why, as all he had done so far was to give Shadowclan the best chances, to make them great.

The tom looked back on his clan briefly, as they streamed behind him as he lead them. Despite the circumstances, they were strong, healthy, and had true warrior hearts. Nightstars eyes flicked briefly to his sister, Leopardsun, and then to Locust before he turned to look forwards again. Anxieties prickled at his paws as they stopped at the crest of the clearing. Nightstar waited for his clan to catch up and gather around before he dipped into the clearing, tail high and putting on his typical bravado and strength he had been forcing himself to carry since the start of warriorhood.

Nightstar didn’t stop and wait to chat, not that there was any cat here he wanted to speak with should he have ever wanted to. With his back better, Nightstar made easy and quick work of the great rock, sweeping his spot to clear it of the debris before he sat down, overlooking the Shadowclan cats, and the foolish Skyclan cats that decided they would camp where the twolegs had laid siege upon the clan cats.


Shadowclan may enter the gathering.

Mottlestar's head swarmed with so many thoughts and emotions as she led Thunderclan to Fourtrees. She knew that Skyclan was keeping camp here, and that she hadn't been able to meet with her Clan the last time they had came. But now, here she was, and she was ready.

Respectfully did the leader tread past Skyclan as they had set up their shelter. It wasn't hard to see that Shadowclan had also made their entrance, and by the looks of things, she wasn't too far behind. Leaping up to the Great Rock, she looked to Nightstar, giving him a dip of her head. So much had gone on in the forest since they last truly got to gather, and there was still worrisome, but great news to share all at the same time.

Life kept going. So would she, so would Thunderclan.

Thunderclan may enter the gathering!

Wolfblossom sat quietly next to Birdchaser at the base of the great rock, staring up at the full moon. It was unlike her to be lost in thought, but these circumstances were proving to be unlike anything she'd known. Would there even be a gathering tonight? The other clans had scattered, leaving Skyclan to remain at fourtrees as a temporary home, and no matter how long they stayed, Wolfblossom wasn't sure she would get used to being around for much longer than just the night of the full moon. Wherever the others were, hopefully they were safe, or as safe as anyone could be with twolegs and their strange traps seemingly everywhere.

The scents of Thunderclan and Shadowclan answered her question, and Wolfblossom eyed the approaching cats with trepidation. The other leaders were quick to take their places on the great rock, with Birdchaser following them moments later, leaving the new deputy alone at the base of the great rock for the moment. She didn't know the high ranks of the other clans at all, save for knowing the leaders by face. Hopefully the night wouldn't be chaotic, though her ears remained pricked, her large frame deceptively relaxed as she glanced around the slowly-filling hollow. This was a night of peace, of course, but Skyclan had much more than just warriors and apprentices here tonight. Her mind was on them just as much as it was on meeting the deputies of the other clans.

---

Stonepaw watched the full moon curiously, gaze quickly swinging towards the forms of other cats as new scents arose on the cold wind. She remembered the other clans vaguely from being in fourtrees as a kit, but she wasn't quite sure if she wanted to interact with them... And it felt strange. Fourtrees had been SKyclan's home for most of their life, but the other clans were simply going to swoop on in because of the full moon? Her expression remained impassive, but Stonepaw was wary of the arrival of so many other cats here.

Wolfblossom is open to talk with the other deputies!
Brackenwing was captured by twolegs.
Stonepaw is open to talk!

Moonlily had been taken and Yewfrost was beside himself for what to do. The number of cats crammed into this hollow would've been tolerable if she were here. If the situation weren't so dire he'd have to laugh at himself for getting so clearly attached to a cat yet again, despite the number of times where friendship had torn a hole in him. The unease made him wander into the trees on walks that took him nowhere and only served to make him shiver from the cold. He knew those walks were stupid and would likely get him captured or ambushed by some other predator. His paws had to do something, but what? Stars, there was nothing he could do to bring her back, was there?

Yewfrost is having a bad time!

---

A young tom followed behind Mottlestar up until the edge of the clearing, paws crunching through the fresh snow with every step. Redpaw gave his mother a quick, affectionate, and hopefully encouraging bump with his head before she split off from the rest of ThunderClan to join Nightstar and... the SkyClan she-cat. What was her name again? She was huge, not unlike most SkyClan cats he'd seen. After a moment of idle thought he realized he'd stopped moving and was standing a little more than in the way of the cats behind him, so he swiftly side-stepped and stretched up onto his hind paws to see who all was here.

Redpaw is Looking

---

Was… was that mom?

Snailkit peered out from within a bush to see not just her mother’s pelt, but what seemed like most of ShadowClan, and ThunderClan too! Was everyone coming back? The thought of Fourtrees being warm and lively again made her heart thrum with excitement. Although, something about the look on her mother’s face made her not want to leave the safety of her (mostly bare) bushy hiding place. A little seed of guilt squirmed in her gut, like it was Snailkit’s fault that her mother had that intense expression.

Snailkit doesn’t know what she should be doing.

Locust trotted with the rest of the group toward the clearing, his stride strong and confident. He was already feeling better being among his clan again, but his heart thrummed in his chest the closer and closer they got to fourtrees. It was silly to be anxious. He was meant to be there and it wasn't his first gathering. There was nothing for him to stress over. The scarred tom continued onwards with his head high, as though portraying security would quell the unease in his belly.

He watched his friend take his place upon the great rock before sitting down among the crowd of cats, his gaze flicking around to see who was around him. There were plenty of new faces that he didn't recognize and he didn't know if that soothed his anxieties or heightened them. His tail curled around his paws, the tip twitching restlessly. He kept to himself for now, resuming the usual tall posture he used to do at gatherings.

Locust is (reluctantly) open to talk to!

Oh- it was a Gathering night, wasn’t it? Dawnfeather had almost forgotten that these things existed until someone asked her to help situate the kits and fresh-kill pile. The golden she-cat gazed absently at the snow, blinding white as the moonlight bounced off of it. It reminded her… reminded her of running down the slope with Olive and Dandelion… she was… she shook off the sudden melancholy and turned to watch the other Clans run down the rise- ShadowClan and ThunderClan for now, it seemed. It- it gave her a bit of strength, that no matter what they would keep to tradition, but also a twinge of worry that WindClan and RiverClan weren’t here yet. Surely- surely they were alright.

The golden she-cat suddenly caught a glimpse of her son, sitting straight and still and totally unlike himself- had no-one thought to tell him of the Gathering? Dawnfeather loped over, gently bumping his shoulder. “It’s a Gathering,” she mewed, eyes scanning the hollow. “Every full moon all the Clans meet up. Sometimes they can be… dramatic, but usually everyone just sits around and gossips. No-one’s allowed to fight, as the consequences can be… dire. Why don’t you try to talk to someone your own age? There are plenty of apprentices who haven’t been to a Gathering yet either. Oh, and if you see Mistpaw, tell her where I am, okay? I think I lost her in the bustle…”



Frondpaw was- well- incredibly nervous might be an understatement. On the one paw- what was stopping everyone from fighting? What was stopping the evil WindClanners from trying to take him again? He was half-convinced that this was just an elaborate ploy to start the biggest fight the forest had ever seen.

On the other paw- he’d heard stories of StarClan punishing cats! Sending down lightning! Cracking the earth open! Making cats just keel over dead! What- was that going to happen to him for worrying about everyone fighting? What if everyone did start to fight? Would he be caught up in the lightning?

The brown apprentice paced near the edge of the hollow, wondering what he was even supposed to do.

Dawnfeather is open to interact!
Frondpaw is open to interact but might run off if you’re WindClan
Astraeus has been kitnapped (but totally would’ve attended otherwise)
Russetrye isn’t here yet (but is probably racing Sleepypaw to the hollow)

Snowfoot was back. For once the she-cat held her head high, striding into Fourtrees with confidence. Snowfoot knew who she was and that made all the difference. The black-and-white warrior glanced around the clearing, checking out who was and wasn’t here. SkyClan, of course, were present, and it looked like ThunderClan had just arrived too. Wait a minute. That wasn’t Briarstar on the Great Rock! Had SkyClan had yet another leadership change?
Snowfoot is open to talk to.

Lighttail wasn’t about to admit it at a Gathering, but she was worried. Her brother and Sunpaw were gone, she hadn’t seen Astraeus at all lately, and to make matters worse she’d eaten something that disagreed with her. Being nauseous at a Gathering was not her idea of fun.
Lighttail is open to talk to.

Sagepaw trilled a little happy noise in her throat as she followed her clan back to Fourtrees. She’d been here as a kit, but this was still her first Gathering. As cats began to spread out, Sagepaw approached another apprentice. He was her Clanmate, but she hadn’t talked to him before. “Hi, I’m Sagepaw!” she chirped. “We sleep in the same den but I don’t think I know you.”
Sagepaw is talking to Echopaw.

It felt... surreal to be going back to Fourtrees. Something that had become a wonderful routine had been plagued by nightmares of twolegs snatching up their fellow warriors and apprentices. The thought of Whisperear made the WindClan leader shudder, but he still pressed on. His paws crunched through the dusting of snow as he led his clan to the clearing, his tail held high as he exuded as much confidence as he could muster. His eyes were still glancing back and forth though, as if he expected twolegs to suddenly swarm out of the forest and grab more of them.

Shrikestar made his way to the Great Rock, climbing onto it and taking his place with the other leaders. "Lovely weather we're having," he quipped, looking out unto the clearing, at his cats as they dispersed. Would things every truly be the same again?

WindClan may enter the Gathering!

Blazefang was at the rear of the WindClan group for once, padding to Fourtress with anxiety clawing at her belly. Dayquill would most likely be here tonight, and tonight she’d tell him the big news. She was coming to ThunderClan, and bringing her unborn kits with her. The ginger wandered a bit searching out her mate.
Blazefang has arrived and is looking for Dayquill.

Russetrye panted fiercely as she struggled to keep pace with the newly-named Sleepyhollow, take two strides for every one of Sleeps’ yet managing to keep up with her friend. Sleeps glanced over, and Russ grinned, all sharp gleaming teeth and firey eyes. If she’d had the breath to say it she would’ve pointed out that this was the pair’s first ever Gathering- but she didn’t need to point it out, did she? They both knew it. Tonight, they would join the ancient custom, one that would outlast them as it had outlasted their ancestors.

The red-pelted molly skidded to a stop behind Sleepyhollow, taking a moment to shake out her pelt and catch her breath. Eavesdropping? Her eyes gleamed with mischief. “Stars yeah. Who looks important? What about that tortie tom- he looks important, he’s sitting all straight an’ stuff. The ShadowClanner- oh! There’s Snowpaw! Hey Snowpaw!” She waved her tail at the ShadowClan molly. “Yeah, the scarred calico tom looks coolest to me. But he also kinda looks like he might eat us. So. Maybe you’d better decide.” Where was Silverwing? The silver she-cat had seemed quiet lately- Russ’s eyes scanned the hollow, looking out for her mentor.


Dawnfeather smiled fondly, looking after Foxpaw as he approached a brown tom about his age. Wasn’t he just a dear. The golden molly’s gaze unfocused as she stared past her son, mind conjuring up images of the past- her first Gathering, when Beechaunt had been injured. Running down the slope and diving into the snow right next to Olive. Meeting a WindClanner late at night, when the stars hung over the horizon. Meeting Cicadapaw- no, she’d never met him here. Some other calico must’ve stirred her memory. Stars- but that was a long time ago. Not recent. Anyone would misremember that.

Feeling slightly spooked, Dawnfeather’s gaze scanned the hollow- instinctively lingering on every grey tabby, cream, or dark brown pelt. She’d always sought out her aunt, mother, or older brother when she needed reassurance in the past- but now she wasn’t the one who could receive it. She had to give it, didn’t she? And that was alright.

The golden she-cat noticed Stonepaw sitting in the snow and padded over, purring a greeting before sitting beside the younger cat. “Have you seen your sister?” she asked politely, gaze scanning the hollow once more. “I don’t want Mistpaw to be lost in the bustle… how are you liking your first Gathering?”


Frondpaw was doing a very good job watching from the slope of the hollow. He really was. But somehow he missed the black tom until he spoke??? Somehow??? The young ThunderClanner nearly jumped out of his pelt at the other’s voice- how embarrassing! He speedily licked down his chest fur, forcing his pelt to lie flat before answering the… erm… SkyClanner, maybe? He smelled kinda like the woods, but wasn’t ThunderClan. “Erm- no? I- just watching.” Frondpaw forced himself to sit, curling his tail around his paws. “Uh…. You?”


Russetrye is talking to Sleepyhollow and has waved to Snowfoot.
Dawnfeather is speaking to Stonepaw
Frondpaw is talking to Foxpaw, albeit nervously.

Leopardsun would not hear anything at all about missing the Gathering, pregnancy or no: as much as she wasn't particularly fond of Fourtrees, it was important to represent ShadowClan properly- that, and she wanted to keep on top of any new developments. She took her place in Nightstar's shadow, beneath the Great Rock, with some apprehension; knowing just how quickly these events could go badly. She was a deputy, nowhere near a leader yet, and she was incredibly grateful that she wasn't expected to stand in as such in front of the other Clans tonight.

She found herself glancing around at the SkyClan cats camped there as well as the other arrivals. It was- strange, truthfully, to see kits here; just not something she'd expected.

Birdchaser and a SkyClan cat she didn't know by name had been nearby, though Birdchaser had scrambled up the Great Rock and Briarstar was absent; that simple fact was not lost on her- and she dipped her head in greeting. She was a sociable cat by nature, after all, and maintaining positive relations with the other Clans was ideal for ShadowClan; she had no desire to make any enemies. "I hope you've been well? Or as well as anyone can hope to be, given our circumstances."

---

Nightdancer slowly drifted in after Mottlestar. She wouldn't have come, but she didn't like the idea of losing sight of her leader- one of the few cats she cared quite deeply for, for some reason or another- so soon after her return. She had, at least, bothered to properly groom her fur; though she couldn't smooth away the tiredness in her eyes or the lethargic feeling of her movements.

---

Lightningpaw had been taking a nap when the Gathering sort-of started, and she had started awake; haphazardly smoothing down some of her fur. She didn't care too much about looking proper or anything like that, but- was it bad form to look like she'd just woken up, even if she had? Well, at least it meant the other Clan cats wouldn't be afraid of her, probably- she was looking forward to actually talking to some of them, now that she wasn't just a kit existing in the same space. In fact, she spotted a cat that seemed like he was maybe also an apprentice nearby, and bounded over with enthusiasm. "Yo! Name's Lightning- or Lightningpaw, if you'd prefer. Who're you?"

---

Mistpaw, who spooked remarkably easily, had at least had fair warning that the Gathering would be taking place in their own camp; and had pre-emptively taken shelter behind a nearby rock when she heard her own name. That was her mentor's voice, so- it meant her, and not some other Mistpaw. Slowly, she edged out of her hiding place, making her way to Stonepaw and Dawnfeather. "...It's loud," she said, speaking only slightly above her usual volume. "Is it always?"

It wasn't so bad, if she pretended none of the other cats were around and it was just the three of them.

She paused, considering something, then spoke again. "...It won't... Always be here?"

Leopardsun is speaking to the other deputies!
Nightdancer is (reluctantly) open to talk to.
Lightningpaw is talking to Echopaw!
Mistpaw is talking to Stonepaw and Dawnfeather!