September Gathering 2023

Crocuspaw startled slightly as another cat came into her view and close to her, a white-furred fellow with multi-colored eyes. The young she-cat looked perplexed as Rainpaw rambled on, her fur growing hot at the compliment and an immediate request... or wish? With hopes to meet again. "O-Oh uhm! T-Thank you!" Crocuspaw blustered, her voice rumbling as she looked away shyly. "This is my first too... I'm from T-Thunderclan." She tried to explain, her face fur hot all the while. She was admonishing herself internally though, at the thought that she was being so easily flustered by a simple compliment. But he did call her pretty, no one else called her pretty.

There was an air of resignation about Leopardstar as she approached the clearing, though she'd made at least some effort to hide it. Gatherings were tiring; it had been tolerable when she was only socializing and dealing with Nightstalker's social blunders, but less so now that she was the one making their announcements, and the stress and fatigue of leadership was starting to truly set in. It wasn't the first time she'd stood on the Great Rock, but she didn't even like standing on ShadowClan's Jaggedrock—having the judgmental eyes of every Clan fixed on her wasn't something she had ever wanted, and while she'd been recognized as deputy there was certainly less attention.

Still, she had to adjust, didn't she? If she let herself fall into isolation and paranoia, then she was just the same as Nightstalker.

She shook her head in a failed attempt to clear her thoughts, then approached and ascended the Great Rock. A cordial nod to her fellow leaders led her to realize ShadowClan was last to arrive—well, it didn't really matter, it wasn't like they were late.

"I hope all of you have been well this past moon," she said simply.

Would anything bad happen under this full moon? She couldn't help worrying about it a little more than usual, with all the stress she already felt.

ShadowClan may now enter the Gathering!

The she-cat way of response surprised the Riverclan apprentice. Due to her size and muscular physique, the cat expected a more straightforward and abrasive personality. Rainpaw's ears perked with interest as the molly spoke with a shy voice, avoiding making eye contact. "That's great! There's only the river separating our clans so it shouldn't be trouble to meet... if you want, of course!" They purred as they sat down a few paws away from her. It was interesting for them to see her so flustered by a simple compliment but the Riverclan cat didn't want to step over her boundaries. "My name is Rainpaw. My mentor is that tom over there." They mewed, looking back at Sprucebark for a few seconds. "What's your name?" The cat tilted its head, trying to meet the she-cat's golden gaze.

Padding in silently next to ShadowClan, Heatherberry joined the other medicine cats. "The full moon always has an eery beauty to it these days, doesn't it?" She spoke to no one in particular, but at least she had said something instead of her silence these last few moons.

Heatherberry is open to talk to!

---

Feral Language
Forest Language

Vinepaw had padded in with his brothers and sister, though he was quick to separate himself as amber eyes locked into someone who looked rather lost alongside a russet warrior. "Hello-" The sandy tom cleared his throat, recalling his dad's words that the feral tongue wasn't known or liked by the forest. "Never been a gathering before... My name is Vinepaw. With ThunderClan." His forest tongue was a bit choppy, but not because he didn't know most the words already. He just didn't enjoy using it when his fathers language was more superior and flowed off the tongue better.

Looking over the two strangers, Vinepaw couldn't help but feel like a fox overshadowing a mouse with how much bigger he stood than the gray she-cat.

Vinepaw is talking to Kitespring and Cinderpaw!

---

Firefly is not in attendance.

Kitespring smiled warmly at Cinderpaw. "Well... yeah, you do," she replied. "Though it's still hard for me to, you know... Open my horizons. You know?" It was hard to remember to talk with other cats. Perhaps she was on the more anxious side when it came to opposing clans, but RiverClan was currently allied with two other clans. It wouldn't be bad if she talked with any of them, right?

Just as she thought that, a young ThunderClan warrior approached them, introducing himself as Vinepaw... Okay, not a warrior. "It's nice to meet you, Vinepaw. My name's Kitespring. I'm a RiverClan warrior." It would be best to let Cinderpaw choose whether or not to introduce herself to Vinepaw.

Kitespring is talking with Vinepaw and Cinderpaw!

~~

Ambersun needed excitement, and tonight was the perfect night for some interesting conversations.

She had unfortunately been dreadfully bored out of her mind today. Not that spending time with her friends wasn't fun, or rewarding, but she wanted to make more friends.

Despite ThunderClan being one of SkyClan's allies, Ambersun did not want to hang out anywhere near them. She still had no clue where that ThunderClan apprentice was, but the last thing Ambersun wanted here was a fight. Scanning the clearing, she noticed two WindClan warriors chatting in the distance.

"Good evening," she said, dipping her head at the two WindClan warriors. "I'm Ambersun, from SkyClan. How are you two doing tonight?" Perhaps they would ignore her, but honestly Ambersun felt it was more likely they'd at least try to entertain her. And if they just did that, I'd be happy with that.

Ambersun is talking with Sootstorm and Fennelbreeze!

~~

Rookfire and Poppycloud will be attending but are not here yet.

Hickorypaw padded into Fourtrees alongside her Clan. It was her first! The apprentice was slightly nervous, but refused to let it show, instead adopting an almost haughtily raised chin and curled tail. She wanted to meet cats from other Clans; she’d never met one before. Hickorypaw wandered around the edge of the clearing, seeking cats that looked around her age.

-

Turtlepaw’s eyes were wide as he bounded into Fourtrees. He’d seen it before on border patrols, but never too closely and never at night. The full moon illuminated the gathering space impressively. The large tom hoped none of the other Clan cats would react too badly to his and his siblings’ unusual size and somewhat differing accent and scent, but even cats from his own clan sometimes treated him- not badly, but… differently. Regardless, Turtlepaw was excited for the night, and wandered amongst the cats as he waited for the Gathering to start.

Acornstem padded quietly after Mottlestar - doing her best to keep her energy up. While for the most part, she had been doing...Well enough since Cedarstalk's death. ...If you didn't count the fact that she had found herself unable to do ceremonies for a while. It had been unexpected but she had found the task... It was overwhelming - it reminded her of what she had lost and the words would start to fail her. It was shameful, but Mottlestar had been willing to step up and she was starting to feel better in that regard. Still...

The Gathering was one thing she hadn't really thought about - having to pretend everything was fine to the entire forest. Oh sure, she could be truthful of her feelings or perhaps not even gone but...No, it was for the best to provide a unified front - mostly if the situation with Trufflesnap came up. The matter was dealt with, but certainly it would be good to alert RiverClan to what had transpired...? Even if it only involved part of the three-way alliance... It was hard to know if Perchstar would take offense if she learned through gossip later of something that had threaten to break it so quickly.

She shook her head as she reached the base of the Great Rock, taking a seat with a soft huff. She was sure she could hold herself together for the night - thought... Mottlestar would likely make mention of his death... Her ears slicked back, staring down at her paws. She felt foolish for how much it hurt - cats died. She...She knew it was unexpected - unfair. There was always a chance she would never see the next morning, same with any of her Clanmates but it still...

It still hurt so much, and she wasn't sure how to deal with it.

Acornstem is sitting with the deputies, but isn't her normal cheerful self.

-----------------------------------------

Duckpaw barely kept their paws from dragging on the ground, a tired grumble escaping them. Despite knowing what tonight was - despite a few naps here and there throughout the day...They felt exhausted. Part of them had wanted to remain behind but they had been so eager to get another chance to meet more cats - more friends - but now... Shame prickled at their pelt as they came to a stop, hunching into a tired sitting position. Already they were swaying on their paws but they shook their head in an effort to keep the exhaustion away. The Gathering wouldn't even take that long - it would be fine. ...Right?

Duckpaw looks ready to fall asleep on their paws but is open to be talked with.

Creamsky and Badgermask both have elected not to attend.

Wolfblossom reluctantly kept pace with Birdstar as Skyclan approached the fourtrees. It seemed as though every other gathering ended in chaos, and when they didn't, the chaos was brought directly to the clan itself. That chaos was evident in the half-healed mess of scratches across Wolfblossom's shoulders, her gait and posture just as weary as Birdstar's was. Still, when they approached fourtrees, the deputy gave herself a shake, grimly determined not to let it show. With a smile plastered onto her expression, the pale-furred Skyclanner forced her paws forward, joining the deputies at the base of the great rock. She offered a quiet greeting to Poppyshine and a polite dip of her head to Acornstem - who would know the reason for her injuries. The deputy sat, gaze sweeping over the crowd as both Windclan and Shadowclan arrived. Lightning, a double-pawful of foxes, Trufflesnap... She would survive whatever this night threw at her, too. Skyclan always would.

---

Stoneheart padded into the gathering, less than cheerful about the prospect of entering fourtrees. After the chaos, there was a large part of the fluffy she-cat that simply wanted to turn around and head right back to Skyclan camp. Still, Skyclan needed to appear strong, and there was little better way to show that than their numbers. Stoneheart sat near the back of the crowd, her expression unreadable as she glanced briefly toward the leaders and deputies.

---

Graywind trotted into the clearing behind her clanmates, gold eyes glancing around warily at the other clans. Though the last gathering had not ended in chaos, too many that she had attended did, and combined with the events of the last moon the warrior found herself tired, even if the wounds she'd sustained against the battle with the foxes had healed up. For the moment she stuck nearer to her clanmates, but she wasn't against talking if another cat approached.

---

Swanpaw padded into fourtrees, bright blue eyes glancing around at the other cats in attendance. Like before, so many conflicting scents and faces, and the dull roar of many conversations taking place at once was a little overwhelming to the apprentice. After Morningpaw's death, Swanpaw was in little mood to interact with many cats, though she wouldn't be too hostile if someone approached her. She was Riverclan, and Riverclan was better than those idiot Windclan and Shadowclan cats, after all.

Wolfblossom has offered a quiet greeting to the deputies.
Stoneheart is open to talk.
Graywind is open to talk.
Swanpaw is open to talk.
Aurelia, Beechfang and Brackenwing are not in attendance.

Blazefang couldn’t keep down a purr as she entered with ThunderClan, this time with an apprentice by her side. Turning to Fallowpaw, she mewed, “Stay close. You can talk to the other cats, but make sure you can see me.” After all, the youngster had just barely been apprenticed. Tonight was a big night!
Her own teal eyes wandered across the clearing, scanning for a particular silver pelt with SkyClan. She just had to see Silverwing sometime!
Blazefang is watching Fallowpaw and looking for Silverwing.

Lighttail’s heart pounded as she looked out over Fourtrees. Somewhere in this crowd, Stoatclaw was probably waiting for her. Her mate. How was that even possible? She’d been sure no cat would ever love her with her history, but somehow he had.
Lighttail is looking for Stoatclaw.

Sunflare sat in Leopardstar’s line of sight, posture perfect and a dignified expression on his face. The cinnamon tom was many things, father, brother, mentor, mate, but tonight he was a respectable ShadowClan warrior above all else.
Sunflare is open for conversation!

Sageroot sat off at the edge of the crowd, leaves fastened on her ears as per usual. She rhythmically tapped the ground with a paw as she scanned the crowd, watching various cats intently.
Sageroot is also open.

The sight of Fourtrees just about took Duskpaw’s breath away. “I had no idea the clans were this big,” she whispered. Before her mentor could even offer any advice, the tabby padded down to join the others.
She soon found another apprentice, blue eyes matching her own. “Hello,” she purred. “I’m Duskpaw, what’s your name?”
Duskpaw has approached Swanpaw.

Snowfoot is at home with a killer migraine.

Another Gathering. Dovepaw exhaled, trying to shake off his nerves as he followed Perchstar into the clearing. At least there weren't too many cats here yet, right? Especially not those two apprentices from ShadowClan. His fur prickled slightly when he thought about the awkward, strange interaction they'd had. Hopefully he wouldn't see them again. But at least that had been better than the thundering Gathering before that one. He'd only been to two... it remained to be seen whether the first one was normal, or the second. Nothing to do but try and talk to others again. However, his moment of indecision had been a little bit longer than he believed. He thought maybe he'd just spend time with one of his siblings, but they had already dispersed, looking for other cats or friends they'd made. For a second he considered making sure Murkypaw was doing all right in the chaos, but then saw her with a tom from ThunderClan, and remembered she'd probably been to far more Gatherings than he had. That made his throat tighten for some unexplainable reason. Instead, he just made his way to the fringes of the RiverClan group, glancing around for anyone who might be safe to speak with.

Dovepaw is open to talk to. (Please talk to my awkward son)

--

Bubblepaw was only a tiny bit less enthusiastic in her entrance to the Gathering, compared to how she'd bounced in last time. But it was with no less happiness that her face beamed upon seeing the scores of cats filling the clearing. So what if the thought of foxes made her want to be sick? So what if most of her Clanmates had wounds and somber faces? She was here to forget about all that! And what better way to do that than to track down her friend? Shouldn't be too hard to find her, hopefully. She began scanning Fourtrees, and sure enough--there! Pale green eyes burst to life with a sparkling light as they caught sight of a familiar cream pelt. "Pigeonpigeon!" The small gray apprentice barely managed to restrain herself from tackling her RiverClan friend, remembering belatedly that such an act might be seen as breaking the peace of the Gathering, even though she never meant any harm. "Heyhey! How's the last moon been for you? I learned how to climb trees with my Gramma Wolfblossom and went hunting and accidentally made Crookedlight upset but it's been a pretty okay moon! 'Cept for the foxes. But how 'bout you? Anything crayyyyzzy going on in RiverClan?"

Bubblepaw has found Pigeonpaw!

The last gathering had been too peaceful, though she didn't regret spending the night next to Littleflower. This night would have to be better, maybe she could even probe one of her old clanmates for- was that Ambersun? Silverwing was quick to follow her friend through the crowd and up to her destination. By the scent of her conversation partners, these were the types of cats she wanted to meet, but they weren't anyone she had known. That gave her a strange feeling, but she pushed it aside as she dove into the conversation uninvited. "And I'm Silverwing, also from Skyclan!"

The spotted molly's eyes caught sight the entwined tails, not particularly interesting but something she could mention nonetheless. "Oh, you two are mates? How lovely! You're such a cute couple!" She purred. Cute indeed. They seemed so close with each other, something Silverwing found herself missing. "I'm a bit jealous of you two, if I'm being honest." Wait, I was supposed to be asking them something... Oh well, if I can't remember then it must not be important.

Silverwing is speaking with Ambersun, Sootstorm, and Fennelbreeze

Sablestrike followed his leader through the clearing to the Great Rock, but as she ascended the rock he was forced to stay on the ground with the other deputies. One of them- Wolfblossom is he remembered correctly, had still healing wounds on her shoulders. The Thunderclan deputy seemed to have other matters on her mind as well. If anything major had happened to either of their clans it would be announced soon enough, there was no need for him to try and pry information from them. For now he just offered the gathered deputies a respectful nod and took his seat at the base of the rock.

Sablestrike is sitting with the other deputies

Stoatclaw picked his way through the crowd, the flutter in his stomach pushing him to find that one pelt among all the cats that he constantly searched for. His efforts were rewarded, a silver pelted molly his reward. An instant smile appeared on the tom's face as he made his way toward his mate. It felt so right being able to call her his mate, though he didn't like how sparsely they were able to see each other. The tom gave Lighttail an affectionate lick to the cheek, his voice filled with excitement as he spoke. "Lighttail, you're here! I'm so happy to see you!" Only a few days had passed since their last meeting, but it felt like entire moons had kept them apart.

Stoatclaw is talking to Lighttail