dark side of the moon [CLAN MEETING]

This was certainly a first. Usually when Perchstar called a Clan meeting, it was for a ceremony, or some other change of affairs within the Clan. Though this technically fell into the latter category, it was a very different kind of meeting than what her Clanmates would be accustomed to. Some part of her wondered whether they would accept this change quite as readily as she had. Maybe it would be easier due to ThunderClan's status as an allied Clan rather than an enemy. The leader glanced behind her as the journey neared its end. Murky had been following her dutifully, almost like a shadow, for the entire walk. Thankfully, the storm was beginning to die down. Well--though she wasn't a fan of the hot sun's return, it was convenient that the new Clanmate's first meeting wouldn't be literally dampened by such harsh rainfall. Camp was just up ahead. "I'll call a meeting, then introduce you," she told her companion. "I will name you my apprentice, and make the position official. Then you may meet your Clanmates, and I will get you set up with a nest of your own. No doubt you will be tired after being barraged with questions."

There was no more time to discuss. They were here. Perchstar gave a nod to the camp guard, signaling that the strange-smelling newcomer was in fact welcome, rather than an intruder. A few quick strides to the center of camp were all it took. Then, in the same graceful manner that she had perfected through her long moons of leadership, the gray and white she-cat leapt atop the Willow Branch. Familiar words came pouring from her mouth. "All cats old enough to catch their own fish, gather for a Clan meeting." Hopefully this would go over well.

Under any other circumstances, the cat in question would have been making their way to camp with a racing heartbeat. Emotions would have coursed at such a high and rapid rate that it would have been tangible to whoever they walked past, the thought of hiding just what went on in their mind more than impossible. Such a case would have potentially helped them, humbling them to the new path they'd forged themselves, or hindered them. So easily could it have been seen as a weakness to wear their heart on their pelt, so easily could it have become a pain point to bring hesitance for those who they were to now share a home with to end up being the ones that struck them down for good.

But those weren't the forces at play. Instead, it was a shadow that followed. Silently, allowing the rain to cover her presence as she glided into unfamiliar terrain. Her gaze shifted, taking in the new land, adjusting and absorbing how it felt under her paws. Every step placed, she assessed. How loud was her steps? How did the new terrain feel beneath her paws? Did she move too loudly, to obviously along the sparse foliage? Already, she was attempting to reteach herself the very way she lived. It didn't take long for her to feel more than used to the rain, to know just when to shake out her pelt. Oddly enough, it was beneficial to allow it to get slightly more soaked than what was comfortable to her before shaking, and it had been Perchstar's lead that she followed on such an unconscious, habitual act. While she lacked the sheen that hid amidst the leader's fur, soon enough the dutiful sentry behind her would hopefully bear it.

No words were spoken in response to the orders that were given, just a sharp nod of acknowledgment. Thankfully, the queen of the river didn't have the need for emotional exchange like her mother did. It somehow made it much easier for her to take everything in, to simply perceive. As the silver molly would glide across the small stream that protected camp, much like a minnow darting in the water of its home, Murky would follow suit. Her movements were slower as she adjusted to wading through the otherwise dissuading waters, and gave a respectful tip of her head towards the guard. Well aware of her place in the pecking order here, there was no place for the privilege of her blood in this place.

A new call to learn, a new summon to take to heart. Her ears perked in response, her signal of listening. Studying the dampened sands of the camp, it was easy enough for her to decipher where most cats seemed to gather. It was packed down tighter than some of the rest, with an overall dip in the terrain that suggested many cats had rested their full weight amongst it time and time again. That would be where she went, the core fish-and-water scent of Riverclan now truly floating in her nostrils. Tactfully, the newcomer chose a place towards the front, but also towards the middle. Preparing herself for whatever questions would rise, it was simply instinctive for her to slip into the posture of a sentry. Always guarding, always protecting. She could gape and stare at the camp to study it at a later time.

Silently, a prayer of thanks was sent to Starclan for the rain. While she'd patrolled the border to Sunningrocks and adjusted herself to Riverclan's smell, being in camp was much different. The rain had muddied that scent just enough to not make it sting her unadjusted nostrils so sharply. Even if it had, her face stayed eerily still. Truth be told, her posture much more suggested the keeping of a vigil than any sort of hostility. With her feathered tail already drying from the pouring rain, it stayed curled around her paws as she swept her gaze back towards the willow branch. Back towards her new leader. Deep down, that ember pulsed. Fear. Just for a moment, it flickered, before being covered up once more. Hopefully, they would accept her. She had been accepted by Perchstar, and her word was law-but Murky had been witness first-paw to the ways that it could be circumvented.

Painful memories pelted at her harsher than the rains had. If not for her moons of practiced abyssal surveillance, her jaw would have tensed as they stabbed at her inner mind. Thoughts of Darkspirit, shoving her away because he had been betrayed and called a traitor by Starlingflare. Firefly's battle, her vehement anger against their mother as the truth of their sire had been revealed. She had to dismiss those thoughts. Destroy them, bury the fragments that they were captured in. Those were not pieces of her current life, but the ashes of what she had left behind.

She wanted to leave it all behind.

Kitespring was one of the first to notice the ThunderClanner.

She had been prancing around like a fool up until she saw the new she-cat come back with Perchstar. She had no problems with ThunderClan, of course, but this close to camp, being led behind Perchstar like some sort of prisoner... she had to wonder what happened that caused her to be here.

As Perchstar called a clan meeting - to discuss their new guest's presence, surely - Kitespring padded to the crowd. Was the alliance with ThunderClan breaking? Would Sunningrocks be under fire now? Or was this cat supposed to ease the tension between the two clans?

Was the she-cat even a prisoner?

Well... guess it's time for me to find out.

Swanpaw's head lifted at the sound of a meeting being called. It wasn't often those were called for reasons other than a ceremony, so that was her first thought. Swiping a paw across her face and smoothing the fur at her chest, Swanpaw made her way toward the willow branch with the rest of her clanmates, stopping when she saw a strange, unfamiliar cat standing in Perchstar's shadow. She didn't look like any Riverclanner she knew, and the scent that drifted toward Swanpaw made her nose wrinkle. Her gaze traveled from the stranger to Perchstar, curiosity and apprehension shining in Swanpaw's blue eyes.

Duckpaw let out a soft grumble at the call that rang across the camp - rolling over in their nest. They had just woken up from an unexpected nap - or well, they had meant to nap but they hadn't been expecting to get as tired as they were. However, as they blinked away the lingering tiredness they found they were feeling rather refreshed so they pushed themself from their nest and poked their head out of the den.

Cats were already gathering - Perchstar on top of of the Willow Branch with a stranger sitting at the base. ...Huh. They slipped from the den to make their way to the crowd as they stretched a bit before sitting down, tail curling around their paws. They could smell the familiar ThunderClan scent rolling off of the she-cat - what was this all about? Their eyes flickered between their leader and the stranger, before turning their attention onto their Clanmates - what did they all think about this?

As Perchstar's call reached his ears, Scarletpaw wasted no time at all in heeding it. There was something off about this meeting, to be sure: most Clan meetings didn't have some stranger he didn't know trailing behind the leader before she ascended the Willow Branch.

His face curved into a frown; was there really some need to involve this outsider in RiverClan business? He had to assume that it would be to address their visitor, at least. Even as his thoughts wandered, the fading storm kept a consistent drizzle overhead; but water only killed a RiverClan cat if they were stupid about it, so that wasn't much of a concern.

The questions were on the tip of his tongue, but he hadn't yet received permission to speak.

Well.

In the meantime, he settled near Duckpaw. No harm in speaking to one of his own denmates, after all; even if they weren't any more likely to have an answer than he himself was.

"Who is that?"

He made no secret of the judgment dripping from his voice, though it wasn't all that different from how he spoke to most cats (namely those that weren't his beloved little sister, or his respected mentor). This was an outsider, not one of their own; until she gave some reason for her presence, she was only an intruder.

Owlcall and Ravenpaw were sitting off to the side of the camp, the duo in a heated discussion, irritation clear on the older's face. Whatever the younger was up to seemed to have been foiled by the large brown tom, but it was quickly forgotten when Perchstar called for a meeting. The two cats turn to face the Willowbranch.

Owlcall's blue eyes looked from his former mentor to the stranger in the camp, then back to Perchstar. He didn't know what this was about but due to the presence he could only assume she was here to join Riverclan. Not that he was against the action, but he would certainly have to see what this she-cat was about.

Meanwhile Ravenpaw couldn't take his eyes off the stranger, yellow eyes narrowed as he took in the warrior. He didn't like her presence in the camp. Something about her felt.. off.. He didn't know if it had to due with his repeating dreams or if it was just a wrong feeling, but there was something he didn't like. Owl didn't seem to reflect the same thinking, so he turned away, keeping his eyes to the ground. Hopefully this meeting would be over soon.

It didn't take long for the rest of RiverClan to appear at her summons. Perchstar noted each of her Clanmates' individual reactions--some suspicious, some excited, most just curious. Her eyes lingered for a moment on Rowansong, who did indeed seem to recognize the formerly ThunderClan she-cat, therefore corroborating her story just with his actions. Hopefully the few who seemed somewhat hostile towards the newcomer would become less so once her reason for being here became clear. After the murmurs had settled down somewhat, the leader spoke. "I'm sure you all have noticed the she-cat that I brought with me. She was formerly a warrior of ThunderClan. However, her past name and past affiliations are no longer relevant. You may feel free to ask her about them, but I see no need to focus on them, as they are not the reason for her presence here."

This was not only a meeting--it was, in and of itself, a ceremony. A renaming and an apprentice ceremony in one, combined with the welcoming of a new cat into the Clan and an explanation for her confused Clanmates. This was a time where Perchstar's ability to say as much as possible in as few words as she could would come in handy. "She has come to join RiverClan, and I have granted her request. All former attachments and duties have been willingly left behind. She will be joining as an apprentice despite her older age, since that is the best and fairest way for her to learn our traditions and our culture. Her name is Murkypaw. I will be her mentor, and teach her everything that she needs to know." In a graceful move, as every cat in the Clan would be familiar with, Perchstar leapt from the Willow Branch. As was customary during an apprentice ceremony, she briefly touched noses with Murkypaw. Icy blue met stark orange for a brief moment before the leader's gaze moved back onto the rest of RiverClan. "I expect that you will all treat her the same as any other Clanmate. She will fulfill all the necessary duties of an apprentice, and in time, will be granted her warrior name. If you have any questions or concerns, then you may come to me. You can also speak with Murkypaw, provided that you treat her with politeness and respect. That will be all."

It would be easy to simply leave to speak with her Clanmates--perhaps Poppyshine, who would have unfortunately had no advance warning of this addition to their ranks--but Perchstar would not leave Murkypaw to the wolves quite yet. Though she knew other cats would wish to speak with her, it would be best to get her a place to rest and have some quiet before attempting to jump headfirst into her duties. Light blue eyes scanned the crowd before landing on a cat that would work well for what she needed. "Dovepaw," she called out, meeting the young apprentice's gaze. "Please show Murkypaw to the apprentice's den, and help her get a nest set up." The tom had shown himself to be responsible and capable, and she saw no hostility in his eyes, unlike some of his fellow apprentices. He would be as good a choice as any for this duty.

--

Dovepaw had been restuffing some of the nests in the apprentice's den when he was interrupted by the leader's summons. He had no clue what this could be about. A ceremony, maybe? Well--only one way to find out. He wasn't too upset about the interruption; his paws were starting to ache, and it was lonely work. Swiftly he found two of his brothers in the crowd. The air was a refreshingly cool temperature now that the storm had passed, and he felt comfortable settling down next to Ravenpaw and Owlcall. "Do you know what's going on?" he started to ask, but the answer appeared to his eyes by the time he'd finished the first query. A dark cat--a living shadow, he momentarily thought--was settled beneath the Willow Branch. A cat he'd never seen before. A cat who didn't smell like RiverClan. A cat with piercingly orange eyes. That, certainly, had not been what he was expecting.

Several cats were openly suspicious as they thronged around--Ravenpaw being one of them. Dovepaw noticed the way that his brother's fur prickled. He would be lying if he said that the same sense of unfamiliarity did not also make him somewhat uncomfortable. There was something about her scent that he couldn't quite place, but--oh. ThunderClan scent. That was why. Aside from Sunningrocks, that deep foresty musk was a scent that haunted him only in his dreams. Did Ravenpaw also...? His pale blue eyes inspected his brother for a moment, feeling his stomach twist in a strange manner, before he shook his head. This was a matter that could wait. He could ask some other time. If  he didn't ask, he reasoned to himself, it couldn't possibly be real. It was just a dream.

As for the other half of his curiosity, he wouldn't have to wait long. Perchstar spoke, as concisely as ever, explaining the strange presence in their camp with an answer he hadn't been expecting in the slightest. This cat--Murkypaw, apparently--had once been of ThunderClan, but no longer. She was choosing to join RiverClan. The thought made him blink. Leaving her birth Clan? What reason could she possibly have to do so? He technically had not been born in RiverClan, but he might as well have been, given that he was raised in its nursery and learning its traditions. He supposed that it would be as good a question as any to ask Murkypaw herself... if approaching her did not seem so intimidating. She couldn't have been too much older than him, but something about her stature and the shimmering darkness of her mottled pelt made the concept of speaking to her seem daunting at best. But his agency in the matter was swiftly taken from him when Perchstar's voice called out his name. Startled, he glanced back at Owlcall and Ravenpaw, before moving forward to answer the leader.

"Please show Murkypaw to the apprentice's den, and help her get a nest set up."

Oh. So that was to be his job, then. Nervously, Dovepaw glanced towards Murkypaw, then back at the leader. Her gaze was resting on him expectantly. Well, the word of the leader was the warrior code, he supposed. "All right." Perchstar moved off, leaving him to it. She's an apprentice too... you're the same rank. Actually, you know more than her about RiverClan, so maybe you kind of outrank her? Either way, there's nothing to worry about. Don't be so apprehensive. The apprentice steeled his nerves, letting out a shaky exhale, before weaving his way through the crowd of curious cats to get to her. Murkypaw. She was taller than him, and the second she looked at him, he felt his heart struggling to beat. Scary... He swallowed. "Um. Once you're ready, Perchstar said I should help you get a nest in the apprentice's den. But, uh, I don't want to interrupt. You can talk to everyone else first if you'd like."