March Gathering 2023

Shrikestar stepped up next. There wasn't much to say that the other leaders hadn't already said, but it wasn't terrible to reiterate. "Like the other clans, WindClan celebrates the disappearance of the twolegs and the return of our clanmates from their clutches. We still remain vigilant for them and their dogs, as well as any other unfriendly beings on our land. Since our last announcement, we have had a pawful of apprentices join our ranks: Tigerpaw, Sparrowpaw, Kestrelpaw, Eaglepaw, and Jaypaw. Brackenwing has retired to the elder's den, though WindClan is glad to have her fervent love of the clan still with us." Maybe not so much her mouth, but at least she fought for what she believed in. "Unfortunately, we must also mourn the loss of one of our warriors: Runningwind. We remain strong through the tests that StarClan gives us, and will continue to protect what is ours." He stepped back after his announcements, thinking about what Birdstar had mentioned. He would keep an eye out for Blackbear, but if they knew what was good for them, they wouldn't step paw on WindClan territory.

Blazefang was apprehensive as she joined the Gathering. Her first time here with ThunderClan! There were so many familiar faces, but she related to them differently now. She could see both Silverwing and Stormdance from where she was standing, but who should she approach? Stormdance was sitting with someone she didn’t know, so Blazefang decided to go with Silverwing, who was with a group of acquaintances. Taking a deep breath, she walked in her former apprentice’s direction. “Um, hey Silverwing,” she mewed awkwardly. They hadn’t parted on great terms, would Silverwing even want to see her?
Blazefang has approached Silverwing.

Lighttail purred in amusement at her apprentice’s enthusiasm. “Sorry, Applepaw, but I honestly don’t see anyone I know here. Why don’t you try introducing yourself to someone? Just… maybe don’t bring up the dogs until after announcements.” Lighttail’s tail swished as she took a step away. “I’ll be right here if you need me”

Lighttail is closed this time around because I don’t have enough braincells to write everyone right now.

Perchstar listened carefully to all the announcements, noting how little was truly said in each of them. Diplomacy really was an art of saying as little as possible. Perhaps that was why the stars considered her fit for this job. When her turn had finally arrived, she stepped forward. There was a bit more to say, given her inability to announce at the last interrupted Gathering, but she would keep it concise nonetheless. "RiverClan has recovered rapidly. Our warriors and apprentices have returned safely, and we have high hopes for the incoming newleaf. Prey runs well and our borders remain strong. We have welcomed new apprentices Martenpaw, Darkpaw and Toadpaw among our ranks, as well as an influx of new kits in the nursery." Well, that was about all she had to say--though she was not eager to end the Gathering just yet. Cats were still free to mingle and speak with each other, though she would remain on the rock. She used to resent staying up here, with every cat's eyes on her, unable to sit with companions of her Clan in the crowd. But now, beside the somewhat warm gazes of Mottlestar and Birdstar, it didn't feel quite so bad as it used to.

--

Flutterpetal felt his face almost begin aching from the wide smile that was spread across it. But he couldn't help it. It had been so long since he'd been like this--at a Gathering, with two of his favorite cats in the forest. Everything felt right again. It was easy to dismiss the past few moons as a nightmare and believe that now, under the bright moonlight with two warm smiles directed at him, that he had finally awoken. "Yeah... we're here." The word meant so much more than just the physical place they were at.

Though Honeylight danced around the question well, it was apparent that Flutterpetal's fears must have been correct, and the Twolegs had in fact managed to take him. The thought nearly brought a cold shudder to his shoulders. Remembering the chaos of Fourtrees and the large paws that had nearly swooped down to grab him as well--but, no. Now was not the time for that. He should allow himself this moment of happiness without playing spoiler. Physically he shook the thoughts from his head, and let the wide grin return to his face. "I'm glad you're all right," he repeated. "WindClan is... we've been... well, about what you can expect. It was scary. But it's okay now. It'll all be fine, right? They're gone." Though the lingering shadow of terror they had cast across the forest still remained, the Clan cats seemed to be making a conscious effort to all put the Twolegs out of their minds. "Things have been changed a little, though. I have an apprentice now! And so does Adder." Flutterpetal nudged his brother softly, meeting his eyes with a smile. "Kinda difficult adjustment to make, given that I still feel a bit like an apprentice myself. But I think we're both managing. Have you ever had an apprentice before, Honeylight?" Green eyes sparkled with light curiosity.

Flutterpetal is still speaking happily with Honeylight and Adderdawn.

Silverwing took note of the cat leaving, though she didn't dwell on it for too long. Harriertalon replaced her, and the news of earning her warrior name was just too much! "Harriertalon! Stars, that's such a cool name! Congratulations Harriertalon!" Silverwing nudged her Shadowclan friend affectionately. It was a far cry from the pretty name she had envisioned the she-cat getting, but it still fit, and it was something to be proud of! "Ah, don't worry about it, you didn't interrupt! Fuzz and I were just catching up a bit."  

While she had been engrossed in her conversation with the two, Silverwing had completely forgotten to listen to the announcements. Shrikestar was up, which meant she needed to listen, in case he said anything about her. Brackenwing's name left the tom's mouth, and instantly Silverwing's smile was gone. Eldered? Brackenwing? That... That wasn't right. She was old but she wasn't that old, had she done something to deserve being thrown in the elder's den? Was she hurt? Was she being forced into retirement? The thrum of conversation grew quiet to the she-cat's ears as she lost herself in her thoughts. Her mind felt like it was running the moors despite being stationary.

A voice she could never forget broke her mental daze. Stars, why now! Silverwing could feel her head beginning to grow hot, and as she opened her mouth it felt like a squirrel was working her tonsils. "B-Blazef-fang, hi!" Work, stupid! The command had no effect on her however. Silverwing stared at her old mentor for a long while, wondering what she could even say. Her last talk with Blazefang had ended with a rejection of her love, and a crying apprentice, could she ever come back from such a thing? "I-I'm, uh, yes I'm Silverwing!" Stars, she wanted to scream! Her brain was clearly malfunctioning, why couldn't she just be normal? Silverwing fell back on her haunches. Above the sound of chatter was something new, the sound of her heart beating so fast she was sure it would pop. Once more, Silverwing tried to speak. "How... Are... You?" Each word was slow, deliberate, carefully picked so that she wouldn't say something stupid.

"I think I'm good." Moondancer scoffed at Harriertalon's invitation. "I'll stay out of it. I just don't think it's worth it." You know nothing, Harriertalon, her gaze seemed to say, but if you want to entertain them, go right ahead. She watched as her clanmate moved off, glancing back to Badgerpaw. "I'd rather stick with family at these things, anyways." She told her sister.

Blazefang flushed with embarrassment. This was not going well. This was awkward. Why did she think this was a good idea? “Um, so how are you doing? I’m more or less okay, some of my kits are here tonight though so I’m a little nervous and yeah but mostly I wanted to see how you are.” Great, rambling. She totally hates me now.

Blazefang is embarrassing herself to Silverwing.

While he should've expected cats to come up to them from curiosity, Pipsqueak still had an uneasy feeling settled in his stomach as a younger cat approached them. Without a thought, Forest began to converse with this cat and the tom found himself in a sort of disbelief as he inquired about this gathering, or whatever they called it. Why in the world was his brother so comfortable with so many cats in one place, not to mention the fact that they were all complete strangers. Well, not all of them apparently...

Before the lengthy tom was able to get a word in edgewise, another cat joined them. This one smelt completely different than the last and wrinkling his nose, he couldn't helped but be a bit overwhelmed by all the different scents. They were all cats that lived near each other and yet they all were so diverse, it was truly odd.

Ears perking at the mention of his name, Pipsqueak turned to Forest who had begun to introduce him to this "friend" of his, and then looked to him as if he was required to say more on the subject. "I'm his brother," he mewed flatly, though he wonder if they even cared. Deep down, there was so much more that he wanted to say about where they were from, who their father and grandfather was... It was all quite important to Pipsqueak, though he wasn't sure if these were the cats to explain it all to. Though, it wasn't as if he would've been able to get anything more out anyway, seeing as though Forest had already begun to chat away with this Astershine cat. Closing his maw, he continued to sit there in silence, focusing his ever-so-cold and suspicious gaze on the younger cat, not realizing that it was in fact rude to stare.

Pipsqueak is with Forest, Lightningpaw, and Astershine.


~~~~~


Purring at Rosepaw's comment, he should've assumed she would want to do anything except sit down. Looking around, he wondered if she was looking for any-cat in particular, but quickly realized she just enjoyed cat-watching and he couldn't help but feel just as giddy as she was. So many cats in one area, it was truly amazing and he loved these sociable nights. Turning his amber gaze back to Rosepaw, his fuzzy ears quickly flicked at her comment. "Not sure that's the best idea..." he mumbled, his voice was filled with uncertainty.

Then it dawned on him; who was he to keep her from doing what she wanted? The last thing he wanted to do was put out her spark. Besides, she'd only learn lessons by making mistakes, not from him keeping her from the world, right? "Well, if you can find him," the warrior mewed with a smile, his tone a bit more playful this time. Thankfully thus far he hadn't seen that WindClanner and silently he prayed that he wasn't actually here for Rosepaw to find, but if she wanted to be adventurous then so be it. Of course, his worst fear was that she'd suffer a similar fate as Firepaw, but if things ever got like they had the last gathering, he'd be sure to really intervene this time.

Curlyfluff is with Rosepaw and co.


~~~~~


Listening to Silverwing, he nodded his head at her directions to where she was currently staying. Barn... northwest of camp... remembering her words would be difficult, but he would do his best so that he could someday hopefully visit her. Though of course, he wondered how far away it was, maybe she could meet him in the middle. Well, he'd worry about that later. As she continued to speak, he couldn't help but miss her presence back home. She was his only friend and while he wasn't big on talkative or overly happy cats, he had to admit that her being gone had really dampened things.

Opening his maw to speak, he wasn't able to get any words out before another cat joined them and the two of them began to chat away. Typical she-cats.

Before long, another she cat had joined this ever-growing clowder and Fuzzface grew a bit overwhelmed at all the chit-chat, not to mention a bit tired from all the activity today. Shrikestar had begun to speak though, which meant hopefully things would quiet down at least a little. Letting out a yawn, the plump warrior shuffled his way downwards and stuffed his paws tightly underneath his fuzzy chest so it looked as if he didn't have any front legs. His tail wasn't long enough to fit entirely around his body, but he placed it as closely against his round side as possible. Sighing once situated, he looked up and continued observing Silverwing converse with the others, content to be silent and just exist.

Fuzzface is with Silverwing, Harriertalon, and Blazefang.

As the other leaders spoke their announcements, Mottlestar listened intently to what they all had to say. She'd kept her head tilted down whenever Nightstar had stepped forward to speak, the feeling of butterflies in her belly that she had somehow managed to keep down emerging at the moment she had to think about it. It was certainly uncouth to announce that she had lost her first life, which was why she had kept it quiet. Not even all of her Clanmates knew about the life that she had lost. But what had come with it was news that was much heavier, much more potent. The small tortoiseshell took solace in the appearances of both Perchstar and Birdstar, the two mollies having become welcomed faces among the great rock that otherwise could feel so stoic. Warm smiles were given to both of them, small whispers of congratulations for how their clans fared.

Once Perchstar had stepped back, it was time to offer proper congratulations. The gathering had been quick, with no real need to immediately disperse. Not yet, anyways. "I'm glad to hear that it seems the twolegs have left the rest of the forest alone. Let us hope it stays this way, yes?" One ear tuned into some of the idle banter that found itself close to where they sat, and as it began to come to a lull, Mottlestar rose to her paws. "I hope everyone has had a good evening, but I think now's the time for us to return home." One final dip of her head signaled her farewell, before she moved towards the edge of the rock once more. "Thunderclan, we will be heading home! Say your farewells, and we will be leaving."

Before she lept off the Great Rock, there was one final piece of business to attend to. It was better to get it over with now, rather than later, when even more trouble could arise from it. Turning towards the onyx tom that sat atop the rock as well, the tortoiseshell's voice dropped to a whisper. "Nightstar, if you could, meet with me in three sunrises at the Thunderpath. I have something to discuss with you." By some luck of the stars, she had managed to keep her voice a whisper. A steady whisper, at that. But with that taken care of, she left, once more giving a friendly face and wave to any cat who tried to speak to her as she moved to lead Thunderclan back home.

Thunderclan has been signaled to say their farewells and leave the gathering!

Blazefang flicked an ear at Mottlestar’s words. “ThunderClan’s leaving! I… I have to go, I’d better go, Um, bye!” Regret sank into her pelt as she ran off to join her clan. I just brushed her off again. Mousebrain!

Blazefang has excused herself and is leaving, unless Silverwing chases her or something.

She wanted to see me? Instantly Silverwing's head felt light, the warmth in her pelt turning to a blaze. The companions that she had been so happy to talk to were now forgotten as Silverwing stared dumbly at Blazefang. Her tongue felt thick in her mouth, preventing her from saying a word, that is until she began to leave. Silverwing's paws moved before she could think, reaching Blazefang in a couple of strides. "Wait, Blazefang don't go!" There was a hint of desperation in her words, but at least Fuzzface and Harriertalon wouldn't be able to hear that. "I-I, uh I want to... See you again, can I?" It wasn't a very bright idea. She knew there could never be anything between them, but... Blazefang was still Blazefang, and she didn't want to live a life without her mentor. Even if their meetings wouldn't be as frequent as before.

Silverwing has chased after Blazefang c:<