April Gathering 2024

⁂ Heatherfrost strode into the gathering with her head high as usual. Despite the fact her stature wasn't overwhelmingly large, the she-cat's demeanor was enough to make her feel like a tall and slender presence. Her silken fur rippled as wind danced through the strands of her coat when pelting down into the clearing. Skyclan was here already. Her nose wrinkled for only a brief second as a nod to her lack of enthusiasm about mingling with the other clans. As before, she stuck close to Windclan, relishing in the familiar scent and trying not to breathe in that of the other clans around her.

Before she knew it, the gathering had started and announcements shared. Rogues and dangerous beasts? Hm, at least it wasn't their territory. Her fleeting thoughts of good will towards the other clans died away as quickly as she could entertain them.⁂

Heatherfrost is sitting with Windclan but is open to conversation even if she will judge you for being from another clan.

✿ The gathering was supposed to be a marvel, and for many, it was. However, Riverclan's meek medicine cat felt a chill down his spine when stepping into the open hallow. Warm winds did nothing to soothe his discomfort around the other clans. Honeydew, Bubblebeam, and Thymelight had done what they could. At least he knew they weren't all blood-lusting creatures. With a farewell wave of his tail to Cindersky, he headed towards the base of the Great Rock where other medicine cats milled about. After the previous medicine cat meeting, he wasn't sure how to approach. Ears falling back slightly, he settled down and wrapped his tail neatly over his paws.

Glancing at Heatherberry's sleeping form before turning to look at the other medicine cats who were engaged in conversation, Littlesplash felt even smaller. After a few seconds, he shifted back slightly so the cool stone of the rock was against his back. Feeling his breath calm, the tom finally felt lax enough to pry, at least the cat he was most familiar with, "Hey, uh, Heatherberry... I'd like to talk to you and the other medicine cats." Then, the gathering had started. His maw snapped shut out of respect and he listened silently, wondering if Heatherberry had even heard him. ✿

✲ With recent events that had transpired within the clan, Crabpaw was more than happy to attend a gathering where he could speak to cats from other clans. He wondered if any other leaders allowed frogbrained cats to become warriors. Admittedly, he knew very little about the other clans and the thought of getting to know them better was exciting. Tonight was a night of peace. They could worry about clawing each other's fur off later when the time came. For now, Crabpaw was free to form friendships with others.

The red-furred apprentice trotted over to a strange cat one that didn't seem as guarded as the rest. Sticking his pink nose up into the air, he declared, "I'm Crabpaw of Shadowclan and I have no tail! Who are you, cat with tail?" As he spoke, the apprentice turned around and wiggled his rump for emphasis before turning back to eagerly await a response from the new cat. It did not bother him at all that the leaders had begun sharing news. ✲

Crabpaw is talking to Mallowcloud.

⌘ Auburnflare picked up the stench of Skyclan before stepping descending down the side of the hallow. Cats were already milling about, sharing tongues, or settled down. Somehow their clan had managed to be last. He glanced towards Acornstar but quickly turned away. No sense dwelling on her own obvious hesitations as if it would change. Kestrelpaw's pelt caught his eye and could hardly stop himself from snorting at her less than friendly expression. Clearly she longed for a reprieve from their shared camp as much as he did. Good. He didn't want to be around her anyways. Right?

The warrior shook out his coat to banish any sour thoughts about his former denmate and focus on anything else. Anything was more pleasant than her. He'd just begun to stretch out when an oddly familiar voice interrupted. To the brown and white patched tom's surprise, he was staring at one of the Skyclan warriors he'd seen on patrol twice now. Not only that, but Hopepaw was at his side. Judgemental blue eyes bore into the other warrior as Auburnflare flicked his tail towards Hopepaw. He offered her a purr before addressing Brackendawn, "I'd say its quite common for apprentices to run around the gathering. Did someone assign you kit sitting duty and not tell me?"  ⌘

Auburnflare is talking to Brackendawn and Hopepaw.

As Auburnflare spoke, Hopepaw began lapping at his almost fully healed wounds. His nose scrunched, it was an odd sensation to be groomed and he didn’t want her getting a mouthful of crusty herbs. If it was someone else he would have moved her away or asked her to stop, but it wasn’t like she’d understand that. She’d probably think he was being mean, and he didn’t want to cause a scene. Plus, she was purring happily why upset her peace? “And what of apprentices that bring squirrels to leaders of another clan?” meowed Brackendawn, cocking his head and matching Auburnflare’s own judgy look. “This is the second time you’ve lost Hopepaw, and she’s not a kit. Maybe she wouldn’t get into trouble if you didn’t treat her like one.” His fluffy tail gently brushed against Hopepaw. It was infuriating how much he had grown to care for the ThunderClan apprentice, it was like when he was younger and Harespring was sick and Honeydew was afraid of everything. There was an urge to protect her, and clearly ThunderClan wasn’t doing a good job.

Ivypaw grunted in boredom. The pale night sky painted the air cold, gusts of wind here and there. He saw a cat of RiverClan scent darting through the crowd of cats and gave a skeptical look. Why was she so bouncy and joyful? He approached her. "Hi, I’m Ivypaw," he said, greeting her. "Are you happy to be here?" he meowed, tilting his head in confusion. He had brought a mossball to the gathering, but not to play with other apprentices. He had an idea, a smart idea. He was going to pull the most grand, greatest, elaborate prank ever by keeping it shoved in his fluffy pelt and the dark sky shrouding it from view. No one was able to see it. But no, he had it firmly grasped in his sharp teeth. Maybe he could throw it at a cat or something. That would be entertaining. This wasn’t his first gathering, and he was quite bored by the cats last time. This time he wanted to giggle, and maybe this apprentice could help. "But hey," he whispered to her, not trying to attract attention to get the mossball confiscated, "wanna pull a prank?"


Ivypaw is chatting with featherpaw


_______________________


Scorchlight was sitting in the middle of the gathering, tail swishing back and forth, mostly disappointed in her son. Thinking he could take on a rogue, he sighed but watched as the leaders spoke. Not giving a care in the world, all Wolfstar and Tigerstar spoke of was new warriors, which was usual, and she had learned that. She just wanted this gathering to end, and this made her disheartened, since she usually felt happy and joyful to be at gatherings.

Scorchlight is tired and sad

Auburnflare blinked at the remark. So that was what Hopepaw had intended to do with the prey, carrying it around like a toy rather than eating it. An offering, an apology in a way that only the deaf apprentice could attempt in regards to another clan. Finally, he remarked, "It seems Hopepaw knows the meaning of peace better than all of us." He didn't like the idea of Thunderclan prey lining the stomach of any other clan, especially Skyclan. It made his tail curl in disgust. However, the warrior couldn't bring himself to be cross with her, even as he watched with disdain as she groomed Brackendawn's flank.

He snorted, "Kit sitting is a fitting expression if you're going to act like a misplaced queen. Thunderclan honors her like any other apprentice. Not even her mom feels the need to sit on her tail." Auburnflare's eyes narrowed at the way the Skyclan cat brushed Hopepaw with his tail. The fur along his shoulders threatened to bristle with agitation. Acting like Thunderclan couldn't handle their own while pretending as if he had some care for the apprentice as if Skyclan cats hadn't tried to rip her pelt off a few sunrises ago, "Find me an apprentice that hasn't dipped their paws in mischief. Or tell me how Skyclan has the magic ability to keep all their clanmates in line that I somehow missed, then we can talk, featherbrain." The muttered words lacked any malice but his dislike for Brackendawn was palpable. Once again, he motioned for Hopepaw in an effort to draw her away from the enemy cat.

Feral Tongue
Forest Tongue

His eyes had been closed when Nettlepaw - no, Nettleweaver as ShadowClan's leader had announced - his sandy head lolled to one side as though he had been meditating before being approached. Had he not been approached with his own birth language, Vinecrawler might have ignored the call completely. He wouldn't have dared to cast his native tongue aside; especially not when greeted so enthusiastically. "Congratulations on your strong name, Nettleweaver. It suits you well." Umber eyes cast slightly to Nettleweaver's side where a fluffy black and white molly stood. He bowed his head respectfully, eyes unintentionally boring into hers as he waited for her to introduce herself.

Vinecrawler is speaking to Nettle and Orchid!

---

The first call for the gathering to start from Perchstar was what finally had Heatherberry blinking open an emerald eye, head turning to look at Littlesplash as he nervously pressed into the rock behind them. She could have sworn she had heard him whisper to her, but hearing that over the million voices of other cats was nigh impossible. She blinked at him in question, allowing for him to speak again whenever the leaders had finished their announcements.

Heatherberry has woken from her nap.

Acornstar winced as Wolfstar glanced at her - mentioning her desire to speak. She knew what had happened - she had gotten the story and she wasn't happy at all with what had happened but she knew it was her fault... She nodded, preparing herself for that conversation - but was certainly not prepared for Hopepaw to approach the rock - her eyes widening as she spotted her apprentice casually caring a squirrel. Her heart started to beat rapidly as she realized who Hopepaw was heading forward, dropping the prey to lean up to tap on Wolfstar's tail. W-Why was Hopepaw offering prey to Wolfstar? It had to be an apology, surely but... It seemed the leader was just as confused, and as the leader turned to Acornstar to try to get answers, the ThunderClan leader had nothing to give.

She stood there in shock, her mouth agape as she tried to find the words to speak. She was aware of the situation that had happened - that Hopepaw had crossed the border by accident... A failing of her own work, she should have done better to explain what the separation of the border was instead of relying on the Thunderpath and river as a clear enough mark despite SkyClan being the Clan they were in trouble with. "I-" she started, before her voice failed her. It seemed the silence of her unable to find her words carried on for too long as Perchstar finally stepped up to fill it by starting the Gathering. She sighed, watching with relief as Hopepaw stepped away at that and gave a look to Wolfstar - she would explain things after the Gathering after all, it seemed.

She listened as the other Clans spoke - a rogue problem with RiverClan as of late, and SkyClan dealing with something having managed to kill a fox but not the work of a cat... Troublesome. She was lucky that nothing had posed a problem for ThunderClan so far, but perhaps it would be worth speaking with Sageroot about doubling patrols to keep an eye on their borders if their neighbors were having such troubles... At least ShadowClan seemed to be doing fine - but with that, it was her turn to speak. Clearing her throat, she took a step forward.

"ThunderClan has faced so such troubles the recent moon, but we'll keep an eye on our borders and territory - I think you both for your warnings," she meowed, before twitching an ear as she tried to consider how to announce things. "We've recently welcomed Tinypaw, Irispaw and Lionpaw as apprentices, while our newest warriors are Auburnflare and Ravenloft. That is all," as she stepped back, she turned to look at Wolfstar now that the announcements was done - a sheepish expression crossing her face.

"I greatly apologize for the situation at the border, Wolfstar," she said quickly, stepping closer to try to keep the conversation between the two of them - having used the time afforded by the other leaders to speak to find her words. "Its my fault - I admit that. Hopepaw is my apprentice, however... She is deaf and I...failed to stress the importance of borders marked only by scent to her. I don't know if she fully understands what happened - it may be why she attempted to offer a squirrel, to make up for the misunderstanding but its..." A sigh escaped her, shaking her head. "Still I apologize, for that and the disrespect my warriors showed you. I will do my best to make sure Hopepaw takes the lesson afforded to her to heart and remind my warriors to treat you and yours with respect despite our previous tensions."

There was a pause, a thought suddenly hitting her. An oversight when it came to their new agreement with RiverClan - it was another thing that Hopepaw couldn't be told about. She spun to face the regal leader. "Hopepaw might pose a problem with you as well - being deaf, she isn't aware of the change in our agreement," she meowed, trying to keep things vague - Perchstar had not mentioned that their alliance was no more and after the last Gathering... Acornstar didn't want to make a mess of things by speaking of things she had no right in sharing again. "I can only hope that the situation at the SkyClan border, as brief as it was, may teach her to be more mindful of scent borders but I do not know if that will apply to our border so... That will be something to keep in mind but I'll do my best to teach her."

A tom's voice had appeared behind her, and her head was quick to turn to see who she would be met with. A tuxedo cat, no doubt smelling of Skyclan. Though she didn't leave camp anymore, her moons as a warrior still served her well. Immediately, feelings of defense crept into her paws, but they were only ebbed away by the peaceful oath they all swore beneath the full moon. What did he want to do with..? She searched her memory incessantly. Did she know of any times he'd sought the company of this cat? No. Perhaps his former apprentices would have, but she herself did not. Shaking the thought away, Mistwalker at least figured she could offer some information if the tom knew Rowansong by name. "I apologize for the disappointment, but Rowansong is no longer able to attend gatherings." She allowed that sentence to hang in the air, before a realization hit her. "He is alive--let me clarify. He is alive. But will no longer be able to come." She was... somewhat unsure just how much to share. It hurt her heart to see how the tom had been struck by the wolves. However... all Clans had been there for that. Surely, whoever this was would understand.

Mistwalker is talking to Crookedlight!


His rasping urge for her response gave way to a strange feeling in her chest. Was this... nerves? She couldn't quite tell. Not that it truly mattered, but, part of her truly hoped that he approved. "Snowvixen." The white molly had leaned forward, just slightly, to pass it along to the tom as if it were some contraband. A secret that the world didn't quite get to know yet. But all the same, there was pride in her voice as she spoke it. "I requested from Tigerstar that I no longer be called Pipit. That... was a name from a cat who caused me a lot of pain. So I wished to find a name that would suit me better. One where I am not an annoying bird." She scrunched her nose at the idea of still being the tiny little thing that her name had hailed from.

"I kind of like being called Snowvixen. It reminds me of you, a bit. A vixen, a fox, and a wolf. Two really strong beasts." She looked at her paws, the heat creeping to her cheeks. Hopefully, he approved. He had to like her name. What if he didn't? The thoughts seemed to tug at her a bit more than they should, but she wanted to know what he thought. Any indication that he liked it.

Snowvixen is talking to Wolfpaw!

Ivypaw nodded, smirking as well. "Great," he meowed, with the mossball still clenched. He didn’t want to be held accountable for anything, so he pawed it to Featherpaw. But as he did, he nearly felt... guilt. Making her throw it, making her possibly get a punishment if caught... What was he feeling? Love or something! He tried to make it go away, but he stood to no avail. "Oh, hm... throw this mossball at..." He watched the crowd of cats and saw a tortoiseshell of WindClan. He smirked even wider, but guilt still clung at his fur, not letting go. "Throw it at that one," he said silently and quickly, his eyes pointing towards the WindClan warrior. Making sure no one was looking, he hoped Featherpaw knew to do it as discreetly as possible so some warrior wouldn’t come scolding them.

Perchstar listened carefully to the other announcements. Little from Leopardstar, which was characteristic. Wolfstar's news of the dead fox was... worrying, to say the least. It was easy to remember how her Clan had been torn apart by repeated issues with predators during a greenleaf season early in her leadership. If there was something that could kill one that easily, and leave such a mess... it was good to be warned. The wolves that had taken one of her lives jumped to mind, and she could see similar thought processes on her fellow leaders' faces. She offered a nod to those who mentioned her, but mostly sat back until Acornstar walked closer with a whisper. So they were not going to talk about Sunningrocks. It was a gesture she appreciated--one that showed Acornstar had grown already from the deputy that she used to be. News of a deaf apprentice who did not understand borders, however, was slightly concerning. She did not want to make any exceptions to the very important border rules. Cats who had disabilities should be accepted and allowed, but they should not be permitted to break the rules. Perchstar's torn ear flicked once. "I appreciate the warning," she said, keeping her voice low. "Whatever it was that transpired between her and the SkyClan border... I would prefer if there was no repeat. Her being your Clanmate means she is your responsibility to teach, difficult or no. If I encountered her trespassing, I would know it was not malicious, but most of my Clanmates would not know the same. She still will not be welcome past the borders." It was important to clarify. She did her best to speak with neutrality rather than unkindness.

Perchstar has finished her announcements but is speaking with Acornstar.

--

Physical affection had always been one of Bubblebeam's love languages. She would snuggle with her littermates, press her face into her grandmother's fur, nudge Uncle Rain's shoulder. But... with Silverhawk, it was always different. Even now, just the way he leaned in close to her ear made every hair near his warm breath stand on end. They were in a public place. That was the only thing keeping her from getting closer to him, from responding physically to the magnetism of his greeting. But her gaze met Hawkmist's, and she couldn't help blinking at the way that the shock on his face curdled into a more sour expression, complete with the lash of his tail. Yet, the way he said her name made her spine tingle slightly. He wasn't mad at her, then. He couldn't be if his regular growl contained a sweeter undertone. "Regular," she called it, though she'd only met him once before--as deep as that conversation had been, she didn't know his mannerisms as well as Silverbird's. Glancing between the two of them was strange, though. They were friends? Best friends, from kithood? It didn't look like it somehow.

It discomforted her a little, how they both spoke to each other without meeting the others' eyes. Were they unhappy with her presence? Was she the common denominator? She would fear that she'd been intruding, if not for the fact that they'd initiated the conversation with her. Perhaps it was just awkward for them, being such good friends and having known her independently. Trying to figure out the exact inner workings of Silverbird's mind was always an enigma; she didn't know Hawkmist enough to read any differences between the various flavors of scowl that generally graced his features. She'd just have to take their words at face value, for now. Her smile did not falter. Pale green eyes hopped from striking gold to deeper forest-green in turn, glancing at each when they spoke. It was strangely electrifying, to see both of them at once like this, at the same time as she wondered what the word "friendship" meant to both of them.

Perhaps she ought to stop using the nickname. Maybe it would make them uncomfortable; he'd mentioned being proud of his name, after all, and that was... their thing. It might make both of them upset. Not that it mattered much, not really, though it made her throat tighten inexplicably for a moment "Silver...hawk and I have run into each other a few times at the border," Bubblebeam explained, looking first at the gold-and-white form of Hawkmist. If the two did know each other as well as they said, she couldn't help being a little bit surprised that Silverbird hadn't mentioned her to him. Though heat rose under her pelt at the memory of her last meeting, and... she was a bit less surprised. After all, she hadn't told any of her siblings or friends about him, had she? And she certainly didn't want Hawkmist to know about the word "mine." Something about the deep glare of his gaze, about the way his paws tightened into the ground, made her think he wouldn't like it.

The odd path in which her thoughts ran was disrupted by Silverbird asking a question. She glanced over to him, the tip of her fluffy tail twitching once behind her. How odd that this felt like an interrogation. Still though, she had no reason not to answer. Would he be... upset? Was he upset? It would be odd, for someone feeling upset to purr in the way he did. "We had a conversation once across the border. It was a bad day for both of us, I think, so talking made us feel better. Or at least... made me feel better. I hope I was more than just an annoyance. Just only the once--but I thought Hawkmist seemed nice. It's really not a very long story. Not yet, anyway. Though it's nice to see him again." She shot the lanky tom another glance, warm and genuine, before returning with a cocked head to listen to Silverbird's words. (It took effort not to react to the soft brush of his tail against her flank.) Hawkmist having difficulty making friends... she could see it. He did seem somewhat standoffish, especially moreso in this interaction--but at the border, talking to him had been so easy. He'd been nothing but kind to her, even though he could've had every excuse to be grumpy or mean. "Well, if he's got you for a friend, then he's doing pretty well already. It's nice to have someone close to you. I wouldn't dream of trying to take the 'best friend' title." Thinking of the phrase "best friend" and who she used to apply it to did make her ear twitch once, though. Mintglade... How long had it been since she'd thought of the she-cat as a friend? Instead of... the strange gulf that now lay between them?

Bubblebeam caught her shoulders slumping but stopped them, flicking the tip of her tail dismissively. Why on earth did her unhappy thoughts keep trying to drag her down? That was the whole reason she was talking to these two, the whole reason she had come to the Gathering. To feel better. To stop worrying about the messed-up situations with her Clan and her family and just stop. She shook her head and smiled again. "I guess I just get two friends for the price of one. Lucky me, huh? If Hawkmist doesn't have many other friends, it's nice that I get to take second place automatically. If your Clanmates knew what was good for them, I'd have to get in line. With how handsome the two of you look, I'm surprised they're not all throwing themselves at you already." The paleness of her eyes gleamed in the darkness. She pushed away the wonder of how many other friends Silverbird had--and whether he'd claimed any of them as his. It wouldn't help much to think like that. She was in a different Clan, after all, so they couldn't be... well. That thought would only worsen her depressed moping if she let it see the light of day. "It would be a lot nicer to call you two Clanmates than... some of the ones I've got to deal with. But I didn't come to the Gathering to complain."

Bubblebeam is speaking with Hawkmist and Silverhawk.

--

Hedgepaw felt her tail lash once behind her--a fairly unfamiliar movement. She rarely got upset, not with such wonderful family and Clanmates around her. But for some reason, this rogue tom got under her pelt with his insistence upon doing such dangerous things. Hadn't he learned his lesson after trespassing on ShadowClan territory before? She didn't want him to get eaten. "What do you mean, you didn't know this was Clan territory?" she asked, her voice a quiet hiss among the loud calls of leader announcements and general hubbub of conversations. "You must've had to cross some border to get here! B'sides, how many other places nearby do this many cats gather? It's pretty obvi'us they're not rogues." She wasn't really angry, though, so much as just upset. Why was he purring at her? Why did the rumble feel so strange traveling from his chest and up through her paw? "I mean--I don' mind talking to you, I guess. But this isn't a good spot to be."

But finally, the reality of the situation seemed to catch up to him. His glee faded as he stepped back, a more sober expression making its way to his face. It caused a twinge in her heart, for some reason. She wasn't quite sure why. She wanted him to leave so that he'd be safe, didn't she? Her small ears perked up and seized upon the word he used--"friends." "We're... friends?" Hedgepaw's head cocked to the side, green eyes wide. She had a couple friends back at the Clans, she thought, but... to hear Fish say it was different. They'd only really met once. But she couldn't deny, as scary as anything beyond ShadowClan borders were to her, that he was... interesting. She had a lot of questions for him. And maybe, if they were friends, he'd have to be more careful. So she found herself nodding. "I mean--sure! Yeah. Friends. I'd like that." Another frown came, though, when he mentioned his brother. He had brothers like she did? Why weren't they here protecting him, then? Why would Fish's brother have run off into the crowds? That wasn't very responsible of him. Still, she found her paws gearing up to move after him.

A familiar, stern voice came from behind, stopping her movement. Hedgepaw's fur stood up for a moment--then it settled back down, and she smiled. "Mamma!" Pineblossom could do anything. If she was here, then there was no longer anything to be worried about. Thank goodness someone else was here to back her up, too, about how dangerous this place was. Now no one could hurt Fish. At the mention of Fish's father, her thoughtful green eyes returned to the tom's. "Yeah. Mamma doesn't let me wander off alone at all, 'cause of all the scary things. Isn't your dad worried that a fox or badger or some'n else scary could get you? If I hadn't been here some warrior might've eaten you up." Meeting another rogue... Even if he was Fish's brother, she worried a little bit. What if he was a big and scary brother like Wolfpaw, or a much older brother like Silverhawk? She couldn't quite see him through the crowd. So she ducked briefly behind Fish, simply because he was closer to her than Pineblossom was, though either would offer suitable protection.

Hedgepaw is talking to Fish and Pineblossom, and waiting for Louse.