July Gathering 2024

Quailprowler wasn't in the mood to interact, not that she ever was or did. But this time, a scowl crossed her face as she pushed through the crowd behind Acornstar. Eyes narrowed she avoided eye contact. Vinecrawler was gone. Into thin air, as if she and their family was nothing. Betrayal was a small word for what she felt. How could he leave, right after they declared they did truly love each other?

Quailprowler looks angry but will talk.

Kestrelchirp padded into the clearing next to his mother, who usually didn't attend. His life was looking up - his children were blossoming and his apprentices were excelling. Seated next to Coyotegrin, he looked around for his children to keep an eye out for them.

Kestrelchirp is open to talk.

Coyotegrin hid her scowl as she entered the Gathering. She had put off her journey when Kestrelchirp's kids arrived to offer her support. She now decided she'd leave in two days time- but gave in to Kestrelchirp's desire for her to attend the gathering.

Coyotegrin is open to talk.

This was Laurelpaw's first Gathering, and she was so excited. There were so many different cats she could talk with, and under the safety of the full moon too. "Hey there!" she said, spotting a cat from another clan. "My name's Laurelpaw, and I'm from WindClan. What's your name?"

Laurelpaw is talking to Ospreypaw.

~~

Rookfire felt worried about how ShadowClan was treating this, but he hoped that Leopardstar would end up keeping tensions low with WindClan when talking about the attack on ShadowClan territory. The last thing he wanted was a war, and he was worried that Leopardstar's emotions would slip through into her voice.

Rookfire is open to talk to.

~~

Kitespring followed Poppystar into the Gathering. She didn't exactly like being close with so many people, cats she didn't know or care to talk about, but she wanted to support Poppystar by showing up. She didn't do so last Gathering and felt horrible about it afterwards, so this time she was going to at least show her face.

Kitespring is open to talk to.

As Rapidfire was about to leave for the gathering little pawsteps could be heard behind her. Turning to look she raised an eyebrow seeing rainkit peaking out from behind a patch of grass. She had been following her. After several protests of how unfair it was that her sister creampaw got to go and she did not the young deputy managed to get her kit back into camp and the nursery under the watchful eye of Lavendercloud

Be good for your grandma rapidfire meowed hurriedly - the delay already set her behind as she just as quickly had to dart out to catch up with her clan.



——

Sprucebark was very interested in this gathering he wanted to see if anyone had seen his missing son. It was of his most important thing on his mind lately. Spotting a windclan warrior he went over to him.

“Greetings, I’m Sprucebark of riverclan” he meowed with a dip of his head. “Recently my son elmstorm has gotten himself lost, has there been any riverclan signs near you? I’m sure it was accidental”


The windclanclanner glanced at the new cat talking to him. “No, I haven’t seen any such things at all” he meowed “names eaglefly I’ll go by your border if I have any news”


—-

“Can’t stand these miserable gatherings” was about on par for what the gruff, big skyclanner would usually say as he sat down flicking his tail annoyed by the recent heat. At least things were not so bad he supposed, he didn’t hate riverclan as much now though he still didn’t love having to share a clearing with them even if for just a night.

It wasn’t long before his ears were flickering and he glanced over squinting at the sound of what apperead to be, a very talkative, extraverted and … loud shadowclan Molly. She was white furred and blue eyed. He was about to get up and move out of the way seeing as how she was making her way down the row of cats closer to him striking up all sorts of conversation. He couldn’t even make friends in his own clan so he hardly saw the point of doing so here-

Before he could escape however, she had bounded up to him and gave him a wide friendly smile, “hey you! Long time no see, remember me? We fought off that badger together!” She purred sitting before him.

He gave a king stare trying to remember her name but his mind never was good with names “Erm right” he finally managed


Stormwatcher right?

He groaned internally… of course she remembered his name. He nodded awkwardly trying to think of anything to draw away attention that he had no idea what her name was. Yeeeuupp that’s me. It’s good to see you again too, he paused Hmm frosthope he decided to guess and almost immediately could tell he should have just left it be.

She shook her head laughing no but I do like that name I’ll have to remember it. It’s swiftheart

Soon enough, the pair were actually talking about all sorts of things which was very easy for swiftheart to do and he hardly even remembered he had been so awkward at the start of it. For once the skyclanner found he was enjoying this even to the point he hoped the leaders took their time on beginning announcements

A fawn tabby joined the deputies, a haze of exhaustion still lingering from her recent illness. She gave the other cats a nod, and then settled down without a word.

Sageroot is not open.

She didn't have to scan the crowds for long. Before she'd managed to catch sight of any of the cats she'd been looking for, one of them found her. Bubblebeam couldn't quite contain the way her body reacted at the brush of Silverbird's side against hers, and the purr that rumbled into her frame. Despite the sudden shiver down her spine, she turned to look at him with bright pale green eyes. "Hey, Silverbird," she responded, echoing his purr. The night felt much nicer now. All plans of turning around to go back to camp vanished like an afterthought. "Nowhere near as bad as last moon. And... tonight is pretty good." She smiled warmly. "I've just been waiting, and thinking, and... well, y'know. Preparing myself, mentally. But how are you? How've you been? Anything new going on?" She bumped her shoulder against his, then sat down comfortably. It was just so easy to be in his presence.

Bubblebeam is speaking with Silverhawk.

--

Well, it seemed like no one was going to go talk to him. That was fine--he'd just seek them out. Perhaps they were all too shy in the wake of his dazzling charisma. Larchbreeze shook his fur out, cleared his throat, and continued his searching walk. Eventually his golden eyes locked on a she-cat who looked about his age, with a wide smile. She did smell like ShadowClan, but... he supposed he could refrain from wrinkling his nose at the muddy, marshy scent, if only for one night. It would be good practice. He strode up to her with a warm grin on his face. "Hey there," he greeted her. "It's a beautiful night, isn't it? I couldn't help coming to talk to you. You just look happy, and I find that those who are happy make the best conversation partners." The flame-orange calico tabby sat down close to her, but not too close. It wouldn't do to make her uncomfortable. "What's your name? I'm Larchbreeze, by the way."

Larchbreeze is speaking with Larkshine.

--
Hedgepaw kept scanning the crowd, but didn't end up seeing any of the Clanmates she was looking for. Silverhawk was gone already. Briefly she caught sight of Fishpaw, but he scampered off in a different direction without even talking to her, leaving her feeling hurt. What about Fernpaw, or Nettleweaver, or anybody else she knew? Maybe they hadn't come... or maybe they'd gone off without her as well. Then by the time she turned back to Wolfpaw, he was leaving too, muttering something about her staying where he could see her. "Where are--?" she started to ask, but he'd already darted off to speak with some WindClan apprentice who had started approaching him. Was she supposed to just stick around and wait for him, then? But he could go talk to someone? The small brown-and-white apprentice bristled, then stamped a paw on the ground. She liked following her brothers around, but this was ridiculous! Gatherings were for meeting new cats. If no one she knew wanted to spend any time with her, if she was too annoying to bother with, then she should just go off on her own. She turned angrily and began stalking off in a different direction. However, the further she got from the familiar scent of her brother, the more the clearing seemed to grow. It was so big, and so loud... and she didn't see many cats her age to speak with. But if Wolfpaw could talk to some WindClan cat, then so could she! Mustering her bravery, Hedgepaw approached an apprentice that smelled like the moors, who was staring in awe at the clearing. "Hey there," she greeted him, hoping that she sounded friendly and not too anxious. Her voice shook a tiny bit, but she cleared her throat and smiled. "Is this your f'rst Gathering? I'm Hedgepaw, of ShadowClan. N-nice to meet you."

Hedgepaw is talking to Ryepaw.

It had seemed all of the clans had arrived, including the stragglers that sometimes happened on the way to the clearing. So Tigerstar took the moment to go ahead and start the gathering so everyone could get home. "Let the gathering begin!" He called out loudly to the surrounding cats, attempting to quiet conversations.

"Windclan is fairing well this moon. We welcomed a new warrior, Cloudjumper, and two new apprentices. Snakepaw, and Firepaw respectively. I hope that the season is treating everyone else just as well." With that the tall striped tom stepped back for the other leaders to speak.

Bubblebeam had just barely begun to feel some sense of comfort--ready to push all the worries to the back of her mind, to leave them there until after the Gathering's end--when they burst back into her life without warning. The scent of WindClan, strong and earthy, hit her nose first. Then just moments later, a familiarly rough sensation bumped into her, with a voice she'd heard all her life. "Hemlockfox," she mewed in response, her voice a mixture of gladness and confusion. Somewhere, deep in her stomach, curled disappointment, but she couldn't make any sense of that emotion so she left it alone. "I'm so glad you're all right." Her brother... he was okay. One of the many things keeping her up at night dissipated. And yet, even as she returned his gesture and pressed her head against his own, it felt as if her mind still swirled full of unpleasant thoughts. After all the Gatherings she'd attended looking for him, why now did he come to see her? Had he only now remembered his sister that he'd promised he never wanted to leave? Why hadn't he come back?

There wasn't much time for her to consider the unspoken questions, because soon the warmth her brother showed turned icy cold. From her other side, Bubblebeam felt Silverbird shifting, moving away from her. Her heart leapt into her throat. She felt as if she had been caught trying to sneak out of camp, or doing something that her grandmother would scold her for. But--she hadn't been doing anything, they had just been talking, and wasn't that allowed? It was a Gathering, a night of peace. She could talk to anyone she wanted. The SkyClan warrior glanced between the two toms, her pale green eyes blinking away the twisted mess of shame and joy and resentment and uncertainty. She turned to her brother then, putting a small smile on her face. "Hemlockfox, this is Silverhawk." She did her best to keep her voice from shaking, to sit up straight. It would probably be a bad idea to call him by a different name than he had just called himself. "He's a friend of mine, like he said. Silverhawk--" she turned to him. Surely he'd understand, even though she knew that sometimes Hemlockfox was... not the most polite. With her gaze, she pleaded for him to not be offended. "This is Hemlockfox. He's my brother... the one I told you about."

Stars... now what was she supposed to do? Neither of them seemed too pleased with the presence of the other. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Bubblebeam felt glad that at least Hawkmist was not here--he would be uncomfortable in a situation like this too, and it was good to not have another set of feelings to worry about in this complicated scenario. Her eyes kept looking between the two of them. Brother and friend. WindClan and ShadowClan. The two ways she had been torn, left and right, every single evening, and just as she'd begun leaning in one direction here came the other one to drag her away. If they both kept glaring at each other like that, she'd shatter into pieces. She had to say something, had to get them talking--but mentioning the weather or some other kind of small talk felt foolish. Yet it was also strange to ask both of them the deep questions she had in the presence of someone they obviously would prefer not to hear the answers. "Hemlockfox..." To say her brother's name out loud after so long keeping it hidden, knowing how to hear his name hurt Wolfstar and her sisters, felt odd. But the question fell off her tongue. She couldn't keep it cooped up inside any longer. "Why haven't you come?" she whispered. "I've been to nearly every Gathering since. I've seen you, up there. I know you've been busy, but you... you promised."

Bubblebeam is talking to Hemlockfox and Silverhawk.

Leopardstar and Poppystar arrived... Just one more leader. It seemed as if the waiting dragged for hours, though Wolfstar resisted the desire for her tail to lash with impatience. Expending energy on such a small, useless action would not make the night end any faster.

Acornstar finally arrived, though Wolfstar only offered a short nod to the Thunderclanner. Tigerstar managed to start the gathering before she could, and the Skyclan leader only half-listened as she waited to speak. The sooner she did, the sooner Skyclan could go home and sleep.

"Skyclan welcomes new apprentices, Foxpaw and Wasppaw, and a new kit to the nursery. Greenleaf has brought good hunting, and our borders remain patrolled and defended." There was, she decided, no need to mention how their ranks seemed to thin.

---

Honeypaw glanced up, somewhat surprised that another cat had approached her at all. The tom didn't smell of the clans that bordered Skyclan territory, so she assumed that meant he was Windclan. "Well enough... Though I prefer the sunlight." She mewed, ducking her head, "I'm Honeypaw of Skyclan. Who are you?"

Honeypaw is talking with Falconpaw.

Bubblebeam wasn't sure what kind of answer she expected; the question had slipped out with no possibility of response. It festered in her while she lay awake at night, wondering for her brother's wellbeing, grieving the many losses that hit hard and fast and never stopped. She knew logically that it wasn't his fault. She didn't blame him for his part in her grief. And yet, the way he bristled at her question, the way he rose to defend himself... Her limbs tensed. She missed the comfort of Silverbird's fur against hers, but she knew that he would be in trouble if she acted too close with him now. This was something she'd have to face on her own. Hemlockfox spoke quickly, and offered the excuse that she'd filled in for him on the nights she couldn't sleep. He'd been busy. "I know," she murmured. It would've been nice to offer a smile, but her face wouldn't respond. "I understand. I know you didn't want to go, and I know you've got a hard job. That's okay."

Even as she felt him pressing close in apology--the same way he had so many moons ago, when he confessed that he'd known he would have to leave--she wanted to lean into the brotherly embrace, but something that he said struck her heart like a physical blow. Graywind. Her Auntie Graywind. And Honeydew, and Brackendawn, and Mallowcloud, and Sunfire, and--Bubblebeam stepped away. Not out of anger or revulsion, but something, a visceral reaction of the sorrow that lay dormant in her. He'd known? He'd spoken to Graywind, and she hadn't told her? And then, he knew about everything that had been happening, and he couldn't have even bothered to send word of comfort? "Graywind's dead," she said, and the words felt sharp like thorns on her tongue. "So many cats died, after you left. I don't blame you for that. I just... it's been so hard, without you. Without everyone. I guess I just thought that since everyone else was leaving me anyway, you might be the exception." What was wrong with her? Why was she acting this way? She loved her brother. She'd missed him, dearly, and that pain thrummed within her even now. "I don't blame you. I don't. But that... that doesn't make it better."

This was just like last time. He'd asked if she was mad, and she hadn't been mad at him, but that hadn't stopped the hurting. It just made everything worse. Why, in a time like this, was he worried about what she thought of him, rather than telling her what he thought of her? Would it be so hard to say that he needed her, like she needed him? That he'd come to the Gathering tonight with the intention of reuniting their shattered family bonds? Bubblebeam was not even aware of the way her chest heaved. However, she found her heart torn once again between her repentant brother and the silent form of Silverbird. He hadn't said anything. What could he say during a family argument like this? He probably felt uncomfortable. She didn't blame him. WindClan or ShadowClan. Family, or... love. Love and friendship and horrible selfishness to pick a choice that would give her more support, and leave her siblings stranded. How could she even think of such a thing? Disgusted with herself, but unable to revoke the inward choice she'd already made, Bubblebeam stood alone. She fixed her gaze on Hemlockfox. "I don't blame you," she said quietly, miserably. "But, I... I can't go to WindClan with you. Not anymore."

Bubblebeam is talking to Hemlockfox. (Silverhawk is there for moral support.)

Acornstar glanced over as Tigerstar started the gathering - reporting nothing amiss within WindClan and Wolfstar echoing much the same for SkyClan. It was a relief, the last thing they needed was trouble within the Clans so she eagerly stepped forward to speak next. "I must report much of the same for ThunderClan - we've had no real troubles in the last moon and our kits are growing close to their sixth moon so we'll be seeing new apprentices in the coming moon and hopefully a few warriors," she added - there was a few apprentices who were nearly ready... She opened her mouth, considering repeating aid for any information on the multiple missing cats that had plagued ThunderClan the last few moons but... No, the other Clans would have said something if they knew, wouldn't they? She huffed softly, but tried to keep her voice light as she spoke once more. "That is all for ThunderClan," she simply finished with as she stepped back to let Poppystar or Leopardstar speak.