February Gathering 2023

As if things couldn't get any worse. Shrikestar hadn't even given his little 'WindClan's doing a-okay' speech before his medicine cats were calling him, clearly to warn him about something. He hadn't even gotten to hear that before the clearing was thrown into darkness. Wind buffeted his fur as thunder crackled in the skies above. He looked up to see a spark of lightning cross the darkness. Well that couldn't be good. Over the commotion, he could hear the other leaders calling for their clans to leave. There was no point in staying, unless he wanted a Gathering to himself in terrible weather. "WindClan, we head home as well!" he yowled over the other noises, heading around to make sure everyone was leaving before he himself hit the grass. It was then that he heard Mottlestar's terse words, and came upon a sight he did not wish to see: two apprentices having finished fighting, obviously the cause of StarClan's fury. There was blood running down the side of one apprentice's face, and the other was... 'Unbelievable...'

"Jaypaw!" he hissed, frustration evident in his tone. "What do you-" What was the point in asking anything? The damage had already been done. "Back to camp, now. I will deal with you there." He hit Jaypaw's flank with his tail, then side-eyed the other apprentice before dipping his head to Mottlestar. "I apologize for my apprentice's behavior. No matter who started it, this is not the place to get into petty squabbles." As if things couldn't get worse, again, now he had to apologize to a fellow leader. He didn't know who started it, but it didn't matter. Both apprentices would have to be dealt with when they got home.

Jaypaw let out a pain-stricken yowl as Firepaw's claws met with his ear and ripped downwards. Blood welled from the wound instantly and ran down his face, covering his eyes. Wounded, he was, but his rage was far from extinguished. Lashing out once more, his claws connected with Firepaw, although he wasn't able to tell where; his eyes were squeezed shut from the blood running into his eye.

The whirling winds and calls from leaders were nothing but background noise; his only focus was Firepaw. The sound of pawsteps nearby heralded the coming of Mottlestar, although he didn't know it until she spoke. What she said made him want to snarl and lash out more, but he stayed silent, struggling to keep his eyes open and challenge the leader's gaze. Who did she think she was to tell him what to do? He wasn't even in her cowardly clan. Then, though Shrikestar approached. The disappointment evident in his words made him feel embarrassed. He averted his gaze and looked away until Shrikestar was no longer nearby. "This is all your fault." He didn't know if Firepaw was looking, but he fixed a scowl on his face just in case.


Jaypaw hit Firepaw... again

The buzz of cats leaving the clearing began to return to Firepaw's ears as her mothers voice called out to her. Her temper ebbed as Mottlestar openly expressed disappointment not only in the WindClan apprentice, but in her daughter as well. She felt shame for only a heartbeat. That's when Jaypaw swung at her once more, his claws grazing her right ear. Oh, it was her fault now? This was pretty ironic to say, but Jaypaws temper was the start of all this. Even now he chose to continue to provoke her, a nasty scowl plastered on his ugly mug. His face would look much nicer with claw marks on it-

A flash of light burst between her and the WindClan apprentice, making her ears ring and her fur stand on end. The ear Jaypaw had snagged earlier burned, the smell of burnt flesh and fur filling her nostrils. Pain across the left side of her face caused her mouth to gape in a silent yowl. All anger gone, she was filled only with fear, eyes still locked on Jaypaw. This was his fault.

And then there was complete silence. Darkness slowly eating away her vision. Why had she been standing here...? It was whose fault? Rosekit. Where was Rosekit?

Firepaw has fainted.

Jaypaw turned away from Firepaw, eyes squeezed shut to prevent more blood from flowing into his eyes. He'd only made it a fox-length or two when a deafening crack reached his ears, and before he had any time to react a burst of energy knocked him off of his paws. At first he thought that Firepaw had come back for more, but the pain he faced was unlike anything a cat's claws could replicate. Every square inch of his flesh stung, and as much as it hurt, it was gone within a heartbeat - he didn't even have the time to call out. For a moment he laid on the ground, shocked at what he'd just experienced. Some of his body still stung, but he couldn't tell if it was from the wounds Firepaw had given him. He was still unable to open his eyes, but the smell of burning flesh reached his nose. Jolting upwards, he panicked, hoping that it wasn't himself he smelled, only to fall right back down to the earth. He feverishly rubbed his face on his paw, and was able to clear his vision enough to scan his pelt, but caught a glimpse of Firepaw behind him.

He was both satisfied and horrified. She looked dead. The she-cat he'd just been fighting was now lying on the ground, face covered in burns. Upon further inspection, though, he could still the faint rise and fall of her flank. His alarm ebbed. That could have been him... but Firepaw totally deserved it. Starclan must have saved him from wounds because they knew he was in the right. Somehow he'd managed to get off unscathed - as far as he knew.

Finally standing to his paws, he stumbled, only realizing then that he couldn't feel one of his front legs. The dirt beneath it might as well have been nothing. He stared at it, unsure whether to be alarmed or amazed. He could move it, albeit with mild inaccuracy, but he couldn't feel it. This was surely a dream - that was the only other time he'd experienced anything akin to this. But the call of nearby cats still reached in his ears. The whirling winds still ruffled his fur. The dull sting of his wounds was still evident. He was still at the gathering. This was all real. It was time to leave.

Without bothering to spare Firepaw another glance, he trudged after Windclan, awkwardly stumbling on his front paw before regaining his balance again. Figuring that it would soon wear off and was merely an effect of the lightning, he just put pressure on his other leg instead. There was no way he'd be telling his family, not immediately. He wouldn't look like a coward to them after ending the gathering - it didn't even hurt anyways. He'd take it up privately with Batsong later.

He'd been standing there the whole time, but within an instant his vision had gone blurry as a bright light flashed overhead. What... what had happened? Firepaw an Jaypaw had been arguing, and then Jaypaw had hit her, and she had hit him, or something? Then the sky had grown dark, the gathering was ending, but before they could leave... a ray of light had come crashing down from the sky above right in front of them.

Blinking a few times followed by some squinting, he did his best to see, but it took a few moments for his eyes to adjust. Unfortunately for him, what he saw when his vision cleared up made his heart sink. Just a few paw steps in front of him was Firepaw's motionless body, slumped over on the dirt.

Rushing over to her side and skidding to a halt, a burnt scent made him wince. Pawing at his side, her lack of movement alarmed him even more and he wondered why not cats seemed to be affected by this. "Some-cat! Fawnshine! Help!" he cried out, crouching over his clanmate's still body.