November Gathering (2023)

For once, Wolfblossom had not been looking forward to talking with the deputies. She wanted to go home, to be away from the noise of the gathering crowd, and focus on her clan. Forcing her emotions aside, the Skyclan deputy managed a bright smile. Hopefully Poppyshine would not realize how forced it was, though any Skyclanner watching would likely be able to tell. "Hello Poppyshine," Injecting false cheer into her voice was easier, "It's good to see you too." She would have asked how Riverclan was doing to be polite, but one look around fourtrees and it was painfully obvious how all the clans were doing.

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To Graywind's surprise, a black and white tom approached her, smelling of Shadowclan. A polite introduction was made, and before she could reply, her brother's impolite voice interjected.

"Brother." Graywind rolled her eyes at Sunfire's interjection, gently bumping his shoulder. "Mom would be upset if you started anything here, you know. Relax." She admonished gently, turning her attention toward the Shadowclan tom who approached - Rookfire, "I apologize for him... He's a ray of sunshine, really. I'm Graywind." If Sunfire hadn't scared the tom off, maybe she could smooth things over. Talking would distract her from the clawing hunger at her belly, at least Graywind hoped it would.

Wolfblossom is talking with Poppyshine!
Graywind is talking with Rookfire and Sunfire!

Swiftheart was walking in with her clan and looked around the clearing.  She hoped to see somewhere somehow her brother.  She felt her tail droop a bit.  If he had been lost he could have come here or at least shown up now knowing that she would be here.  The fact that she didn’t seen him made all her worries of the worst outcome come back… he had been injured from the rat fight she knew that much.. and his trail had gone cold despite her best efforts to find him.  She closed her eyes and tried not to think of him laying in some ditch slowly bleeding out.  Please oh please come back she whispered to herself quietly. 


She shook her head clearing her thoughts and went to go try and meet some new friends. 


Swiftheart is open to talk to but is also keeping an eye out for night




Sprucebark:
Watching perchstar struggle up to the rock sent a sinking feeling in the warrior.  Luckily only mottlestar had seen that but it didn’t exactly take a detective to see how weak riverclan had become.  That being said as more and more clans showed up no one seemed to be doing well during this time. 


He felt exhausted already and the night had just begun.  He had 0 socaliazing energy to go out and meet new cats right now.  Seeing a comfortingly familiar pelt he went towards it and settled in with his older brother stormdance.  


Wanna chill near the back? He purred quietly as he nuzzled a little into his older brothers big Wooly fur coat.  At least storm would be warm it seemed.  

Frostpaw was not exactly the most charismatic of cats, nor admittedly the most observant, but even a blind maggot would’ve found it hard to ignore how Swiftheart’s tail drooped, how her gaze was a little burdened, a little sad. She had not known her mentor as long as others in the Clan, but even the small apprentice knew that this behavior was wrong. Deeply unsettling, even. What could be weighing on her mentor? Perhaps it was simply the harsh season; perhaps Swiftheart’s mind was filled with the same worries as her own, strengthened every time she saw her Clanmates’ dull pelts or dreary eyes. Frostpaw considered flicking her tail against the white molly’s side in… solidarity, perhaps? but decided against it, not quite sure of herself.

Oh. She did not think she was supposed to hear that. Flattening her ears, the small apprentice glanced pointed up to the night sky, trying her best to forget the almost desperate words. Now was not the time to be curious. She did not need to know who Swiftheart had lost, but she did not know how to be there for her the way the older molly had been. These things did not come naturally to her. Perhaps when the flowers came back in the spring, she could leave some in her mentor’s nest. Yes. That sounded like a good idea.

Frostpaw trotted after Swiftheart, pressing her shoulder against her mentor’s briefly, in a silent hello-I’m-here. It was hard to watch where she was going when the night sky was so big, so clear, so easily seen with the help of the clearing, when there were so many cats (and so much noise). The small apprentice slicked her ears back, trying to ignore the calamitous noise drowning her thoughts out. She did not think she liked Gatherings. There was too much to see, too much to smell, and certainly too much to hear.

Frostpaw is sticking close to Swiftheart.
Goldenpaw is on the verge of play-fighting with Tallpaw.

Tigerdance followed his leader into the gathering, green eyes switching between clan mate after clanmate, taking note of them to make sure they all came home after everything was said and done. Things weren't looking good for them right now, and as he entered the clearing it seemed to be the same for the rest of clans.. Not that he could care about them right now anyway. Windclan was his focus, it was the only thing he could afford to focus on. He moved to his usual spot, dipping his head towards the others, before sitting down and curling in on himself somewhat, trying to keep warm.

Tigerdance is open to talk, the rest chose not to attend.

rolls:

The member 'Reaper King' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 7, 5, 1, 10, 3

The member 'lostfanboy' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 6, 3, 8, 4, 8

Doing dice rolls now, will edit later

Sable: 9
Silver: 5
Soft: 7
Stoat: 3

The member 'Romantica' has done the following action : Dice roll

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'Hunting Dice' : 9, 5, 7, 3

Seiftheart felt a little reassuring tap on her side and turned to see her apprentice who had been right by her side this whole time. She gave a thankful purr and nod to frostpaw. She understood the gesture and was grateful for such an awesome apprentice. She felt a little bad not offering to show frostpaw around a bit more and being so distracted by her search to find night but frostpaw seemed to understand and besides, the apprentice was a bit shy and probably did not want to meet lots of new cats all at once especially on her first gathering.

Thanks frostpaw she whispered quietly touching her forehead gently to her apprentices shoulder as she sat next to her. They could stay here together for now. Night wasn’t anyeahere to be seen and swift wanted to keep close to her apprentice.







Sprucebark gave a little nod as he curled up closer to his older brother. Stormdance was right, looking around all the clans looked Ill fed and hardly anyone looked to be doing well. His shivers soon died down as he took comfort cuddled up in his protective older brothers fluffiness. He was so grateful for stormdance always being there for him and pawed at him playfully and gave him a little hug we will be okay storm. This will pass just as the twolegs did





Stormwatcher flicked his tail as his apprentice Stoneheart came over to join him. He appreciated that though his face remained mostly neutral. He yawned feeling pretty drained from his lack of food, though patch had said he was the least to be concerned of with starving saying he had “enough reserves” to keep him alright. He had blushed pretty hard at that one proving that yes he did have emotions as much as he tried to play that off.


Hmm he grunted in greeting to Stoneheart. If it wasn’t for the happy flicking of his tail there wouldn’t be any indication that he was happy to see her even though he very much so was. That eas his apprentice!! And he was proud of what she had become, a fierce warrior and a very smart one too.

With all now present in the clearing, the exhaustion was practically palatable in the air to the tortoiseshell. She could only do so much work to guide her ally to her paws before the mantle of duty weighed heavier on her shoulders. The distant bell of its call chimed, and she had to heed its call. Her glance swept across the remaining leaders that had gathered upon the Great Rock with her, and within them, she could see the distance of pain. Of brave faces, of masks that were put on for that night. There was enough evidence and proof that the forest had been trying all of them, and Leopardstar's statement could not have been more true. Truthfully, it meant a grim cold settled into the tips of her paws, and it was not just the breeze that spread its way through Fourtrees that was causing such a nipping chill.

She had been originally intending to discuss the matter with only those of her alliance. With Perchstar, whose lands had seen a poison sweep through the river and take much from them. With Birdstar, whose lands seemed to be overrun with predators that now seemed to match them claw-for-claw for the dwindling food sources. However, it was now clear to see that they were not the only ones. As she had avoided their border with the clan that dwelled in the marshes after her last trip there, her gauge on how they had been doing had slipped. The way her Clan was also struggling with food had also taken precedence over those at their borders, the focus as a leader turning much more sharply inward to protect her own. But now, on the night of peace, where they were quite literally there to understand how each Clan was faring... she was not alone. All clans seemed to be harrowed by a storm they could not predict, could not outrun.

Remembering the words from her conversation with her apprentice, her yellow gaze searched the crowd of cats for the large molly. For just a moment, they settled onto her pelt, willing herself to remember every single word. What she was about to say, what she was about to propose. Not only to the leaders, but... to every Clan.

It felt a bit selfish beginning the gathering with this discussion. However, it was clear that they all were in a time of need. All of the events of the forest whirled through her head as she got to her paws. All that had happened simply since the time she had taken up the mantle as leader of Thunderclan. The end of the Dark Forest, the earthquake that had displaced her Clan out of camp and their other clanmates. The two-leg invasion that saw so many of their kin and allies stolen beyond their grasps and returned changed, or not renewed at all. All that had happened between her and Nightstalker, and the murders that had come and gone. Whatever war and fight that had brewed between Shadowclan and Windclan that had pushed her to create her alliance. Now... the famine. The sickly faces that now sat in Fourtrees. The seeming disconnect from Starclan, and the frustration she knew that it brewed beneath Fawnshine's pelt. Yes... it was time to bring this to fruition.

Willing confidence into her veins, it was a leader that stepped forward. "Let the gathering begin!" What strength it was that filled her to call in such a loud voice was one that she could not entirely place. It had to have been a blessing from Starclan, a nudge that she would at least be making a turn in the right direction. Whether or not that was actually the case, it did not stop her from continuing as the nerves rippled a singular line down her spine. "Cats of all Clans, as we gather this moon, it is clear to see that the forest has not been kind to us all. Thunderclan is blessed to be able to welcome cats in new ranks since the last time we joined, but there is a more pressing manner on our paws." She began her speech, and as she spoke, she forced herself to sit up just a bit straighter. It showed how small she looked-how frail-even with the strength that came through her voice. Mottlestar also made it a point to look at every cat she could within the crowd, willing their ears and attention for what she had to say.

"It is clear that our forest is hurting. Has been hurting for some time-if I must say. Those who have walked the forest for any amount of time can see that we have had nothing but one harm after another come our way and hit us, hit the forest itself. As such, I wish to offer a call to action. A call to attempt to give our forest the time to heal that it must need for us to truly return to our homes. Leafbare will soon be upon us, and it is clear to me that none of our Clans will be able to see it through with the strength in the current state we are in." The tortoiseshell leader did her best to allow her phrasing to be considerate of each Clan, to not call any particular one weak. They all were struggling. It would do no help to make such a slander. "While we have the strength to survive, and I do not propose this lightly, I suggest the Clans to all make a journey together. Beyond the territories and Highstones, where we can give our forest time to heal. It is clear that there is something that has hurt our forest deeply. Given it wounds that it cannot recover from. I fear that if we do not give it time to heal now, then we may lose our homes, or clans, forever."

Her gaze swept straight to where the medicine cats gathered. She had not yet had the time to speak to Fawnshine, but perhaps... hopefully, they had been told something from Starclan. "As for where we would go: Not long ago, Thunderclan saw visitors of outside blood-cats that are not quite like us-come to our aid and bear their kin. They came from a place not far beyond Highstones, and it was a place with plentiful prey. With the necessary resources all our Clans would need to temporarily leave and survive Leafbare." Her suggestion was made. It would hopefully alleviate much of the skepticism that would likely fuel the cats of the forest. "Medicine cats of the Clans, have the Stars told you anything of our situation? Of any ways to remedy what tragedy has fallen all of our Clans? Leaders, I urge you to consider this suggestion, but should those who speak with our ancestors know of what their will truly is, that will supersede my recommendation."

Mottlestar has made a call to action, and has called on the Medicine Cats to share any recent prophecies!

(I still have to roll even tho my cats aren’t attending)

Quick: 2

Jay: 1

Blue is exempt