September's Gathering [2020]

Padding into the clearing and saying his usual farewell to Cloudbreeze, the large, fluffy leader hopped up onto Great Rock with ease. StarClan watched from above, per usual, but all was not as peaceful as it seemed. Rogues had continued to attack his clanmates and Lightningstar had just about enough of their antics. Something had to be done, preferably sooner rather than later...

Cloudbreeze had given the signature nod to her father, her fluffed tail swishing as she took her typical spot. It had worn just slightly to her specific frame, the she-cat now being the oldest-sitting deputy of the Clans. She kept her spot, her head held high with dignity. It commanded a bit of respect, holding such a title for so long. But it had its effects on her. A gentle graying now affected her muzzle, her whiskers twitching at the tiny breeze that flowed by.

Silverstar walked into the gathering, admittedly a bit afraid of what would happen. Around this time, there was no telling what the next second would bring. He hated this feeling of uncertainty, for the longest time he just wanted to feel completely sure of himself, but that was a luxury he couldn't have. At least not yet.

The SkyClan leader hopped onto the Great Rock and sat next to his friend, Lightningstar.

It felt odd not having Lionflame walking beside her, and even odder to not see him speaking to Coalspark at this gathering. Still, the rouges of the previous gathering haunted her mind and she'd be dead before she let any of her kits go without her.

Mudpaw bounced in behind her mother, lacking all the grace her mother had. Her sunset eyes scanned the crowd looking for one WindClan tom in particular; Shrike!

Breezebranch is OPEN!
Mudpaw is OPEN, although the bobblehead is looking for SHRIKECALL!

Lichenstar gave a fierce yawn as she entered the clearning, her sleepy, but surprisingly stronger clan milling in behind her. RiverClan had gained many warriors to their ranks, in no small part to their intense training. Yet, with so many able-bodied cats, there didn't seem much use in a strong fighting force. Bleary amber eyes scanned the gathered clans with interest. A little bit of pride glowed in her heart. Her mother's clan had grown strong.

The marbled late evening sky, freckled and marred under the silky weight of leisurely-drifting clouds, was wrought under the faintest dredge of an early season chill. Striding through the surprisingly populated grounds, the sharp protrusion's of Brindlestar's ever-prominent skeleton rolled and crept evidently beneath the unkempt mane of her wild coat. Pale gaze widening fractionally, allowing just the faintest sliver of pale to rival large puddles of vibrantly reflective amber, there was a sour touch evident in the depths of her frigid glare. Easily pulling herself atop the sacred stone with little more than a sharp puff, the WindClan Leader's apprehensive shifting seemed obnoxiously loud in comparison to the soft silence radiating out from her fellow Leaders idly perched atop the Great Rock.

Overly-pronounced canines curling against the soft flesh of her dark lip, Brindlestar snuffed our a singular sound as she surveyed those who milled about below. It was difficult to feign interest in hanging about for the entirety of an evening- especially on such poor company.

Gatherings had always piqued Featherpaw’s interest ever since his mother had told him about Four Trees when he was just a little kit. Now he would finally get to see the towering oak trees for himself-- and perhaps meet new friends from the other Clans. He looked around him with his unnaturally wide eyes, fur bristling with excitement as he tried to settle on just one cat to approach first. His attention, however, got pulled away from the gathering crowd of strange cats and directed at the towering oaks overhead. Being born on the open moor meant he’d never seen the sky blotted out by anything but heather and grass. The leafy limbs of the trees were truly impressive and the impulse to try his paw at climbing up to them was strong.

Violetbriar had firmly decided that today, no matter what, she was sitting with Wolfstorm--and the other deputies. Soft green eyes firm yet gentle, she followed her mate to the base of the Great Rock ignoring the shocked stares of her clanmates and curious stares of the other Clans. The Warrior Code said nothing about a deputy's mate sitting with them at a Gathering and as such the RiverClanner was breaking no rules.

Giving a curt nod to the ThunderClan deputy, Cloudbreeze, she knew was her name, the pale cream striped molly leaned into the frame of her dear mate, resting her head on his strong shoulder, gazing lovingly at him. No matter what, Violetbriar and Wolfstorm would live happily together. And that meant showing the other Clans just how in love they were, in case some ignorant mollies thought her mate was charming; which he was. "Hello," She mewed, eyes narrow as she gazed at the other deputies.

---

Having been in WindClan for this moon, seeing Violetbriar sitting with the deputies was a shock, until Softcloud realized Wolfstorm was behind her. Shaking her head fondly, she's looking for someone to challenge her right to sit with her mate, she thought, exasperated, though amusement glimmered in her eyes. Glancing over her shoulder to ensure Yewpaw was following, and walked over towards where Adderpaw sat. "Adderpaw, this is Yewpaw! How have you been? You haven't tormented the cripple, have you?" SHe asked cheekily, introducing her two apprentices to each other.

Violetbriar is OPEN to talk among the DEPUTIES!
Softcloud is talking to ADDERPAW, YEWPAW, and any other MEDICINE CATS
Breezebranch is still OPEN
Mudpaw is OPEN to talk, and she still scanning for SHRIKECALL

Her paws followed the familiar trail towards the place where deputies resided during a gathering, paws skilfully avoiding outstretched paws and tails, her short stature giving her a minor advantage in navigating the growing crowd. Purring softly, she shook out her fur, settling in the familiar spot that she always sat in, and had been sitting in since being named WindClan's deputy. She flicked her ear in acknowledgement at ThunderClan's deputy; Cloudbreeze had always been quiet, and in recent moons she had grown comfortable with the quiet respect that hung in the air between the duo. As she turned to give a similar greeting to RiverClan's deputy, Heronfeather's olive eyes quickly caught sight of the lighter molly who stood out starkly against Wolfstorm's fur. No, it can't be a new deputy already, we just welcomed Acornpetal, she thought in exasperation, before noticing the way she cuddled into the tom, a way she thought with a pang she desperately wanted to do with a certain white-furred tom in her own clan. His mate? she thought, tipping her head lightly to the side, wondering if this was allowed. She certainly wouldn't be the one to say no; the deputy found it rather endearing that she was willing to test an unspoken rule like this. "Hello, you must be here with Wolfstorm. I'm Heronfeather, forgive my lack of knowledge- what's your name?" she queried, keeping her voice light and friendly. The more the RiverClan molly remained here, the more Heronfeather grew uncomfortable, but like she was adamant on-- she would not be the one to say that.

It felt strange walking alongside his clan toward Fourtrees. He had stayed home the last few gatherings and had gotten used to walking around his clan's territory on his own while the majority of his clanmates were away. He was feeling good enough to come along this time around though. Maybe he'd get to see a few familiar faces.

Once his clan fully disbanded to go and wander around, his first course of action was to stare confusingly at a peculiar scene where the deputies were gathered at. Violetbriar, his mother, was sitting plastered against Wolfstorm, his father. Whitepaw couldn't be more perplexed by the display. Why was she there with them? Since Wolfstorm was RiverClan's deputy, he was supposed to be there. His mother however... The apprentice just couldn't wrap his mind around the ordeal no matter which way he looked at it. He'd probably ask his mother later but for now, he'd try to avoid laying his sights in that particular direction.

The large tom settled himself in a random spot and let out a quiet sigh. Was coming to the gathering a good idea? He felt like he didn't have anything useful to contribute to anyone here. He kneaded the ground as he nervously glanced around, simultaneously wishing for someone to come and start up a chat and for everyone to leave him alone. Hopefully the gathering would start soon. It'd be a wonderful distraction from his oh-so rotten thoughts that he wished would just cease to exist...

The moon glowed particularly bright in its critical loom over the clearing. Yewpaw found himself glancing to the sky more than once, finding himself decidedly unimpressed with the twinkling stars dashed by stray clouds. Their navy backdrop seemed soulless and endless. The Windclan tom huffed slightly as he padded into the clearing and shook his pelt against the cool night air. Last gathering had been fine, unexceptional, really. At first he had intended to pad after Heronfeather and settled down in a similar manner, perhaps pester Skyclan's tortoiseshell deputy once again, but in a rare moment, it seemed Softcloud demanded his attention. It took a moment for her words to reach his ears and when they did, his ear flicked in annoyance. Of course it was to meet Adderpaw, the Riverclanner that his mentor had dedicated spending too much of her time to. While the duty of a medicine cat was to heal, he had found himself unimpressed with the ideal of investing into another clan's kin.

He hardly spared the she-cat a glance before resuming an equally as casual position as last time. The tabby fell to his side, facing the masses of cats gathering before them. Yewpaw allowed his gaze to drift lazily across the crowd while finally meowing to Adderpaw in a rather distasteful way, "If I didn't know better I'd swear some cat had stuck a fish up my nostrils." There was a brief pause before he continued about his antagonistic ways, "You know, I've always found it one of the forest's greatest mysteries that Starclan would even speak to Riverclan personally. Between the smell and general disposition, I'd say they'd have better luck communing with frogs, don't you think?" There was a devilish smile across his maw, mostly hidden by the way his face pressed into the earth. Yewpaw didn't even spare a glance towards the other apprentice and instead allowed his half-lidded eyes to close contentedly.

Stormpaw followed his clanmates into the clearing. His steps were heavy. Things had...changed a lot. He still remembered the first time he entered this place, joyful and curious, with his father still alive as his mentor. But things had changed a lot. He sighed and shook his head.

Sporting a shiny new name and confidence from it, a newfound authority was evident in Sorrelnose's step. The newly-named warrior looked up, eyes reflecting the full moon. Her pelt shone iridescent silver in the light. Because of some sort of mistake on Lichenstar's part, she had not been chosen to come to the last Gathering. From what she had understood, nothing important had transpired. And last moon did not matter. She was here now. Sorrelnose rested comfortably on her haunches and lifted her head up high. She would not look desperate for company. She would look in control, so someone would have to come to her.

Sorrelnose is open to talk!

Brightpaw bounded after her clanmates into Fourtrees, meeting the other clans, how exciting! She eagerly scanned the crowd for fellow apprentices her age, not wanting to bother any of the warriors. Spotting a ridiculously fluffy white apprentice she raced over, tripping herself in the process. Brightpaw skidded across the dirt, coming to a tumbling halt in front of Featherpaw. "Oh, uh, oops!" She popped up to her paws, giving her shoulder an embarrassed lick. The apprenticed smelled of Windclan. "Uh, sorry. Hi! I'm Brightpaw of Skyclan! You're... Windclan, right? What's your name?

xxx

Willowpaw padded into the gathering, ears pricked. He caught sight of some calico she-cat falling at Featherpaw's feet and snorted disdainfully. Why anyone would be so excited to meet that fluffball he hadn't the faintest idea. He purposely gave them a wide berth while making his way through the crowd. Ears pricked for any particularly interesting conversations to listen in on.

Brightpaw is talking to Featherpaw
Willowpaw is open.

Wolfstorm padded toward his usual spot, unaware of the presence of his mate behind him. As he sat down, he did open his head in greeting to the deputies from the other clans. That was when he heard the rumble of Violetbirar’s voice. He looked around, eye widened. Had this been done before? Sitting silently for a moment, he let the warrior cuddle into him, but he realized the uncomfortably of the air. Heronfeather was being polite, at least.

”Er, this is Violetbriar.” he introduced, a bit awkwardly. His eyes meeting the green ones of his mate, he silently asked what she was doing. This was a bit strange, and he didn’t want any cats to get the wrong ideas. Like Nettlesplash.

Featherpaw tore his eyes from the greenery of the trees overhead to meet an almost identical green in the eyes of the molly in front of him. He sucked in a sharp breath of surprise and took a few pawsteps back to give her some room to stand. “Brightpaw of SkyClan,” he echoed with obvious awe. “Yeah, I’m from WindClan! You’ve got a pretty good nose. I’m Featherpaw.”

The ShadowClan leader nor his deputy had shown up yet which was a bit concerning, but even so, they needed to get things started before it got too late. "Let the gathering begin!" the large, fluffy leader's voice boomed as he made his way to the edge of the hunk of rock. Waiting a few moments for every-cat to quiet down, he began his usual speech.

"ThunderClan has been fairing well this past moon, prey is bountiful and we've had several new litters as well as new apprentices and warriors. Rogues are still prowling about, but their threat seems to be diminishing. Even so, every-cat needs to keep their guard up. That is all," Lightningstar finished with a nod, his voice serious as he stepped back and sat back down next to Silverstar.

"Heronfeather," Violetbriar repeated, musing, "That's a nice name. Violetbriar, I'm Ivyfeather's only living kit, Wolfstorm is my mate," She introduced, an odd intensity of emphasis on only. "Softcloud is a good friend to us, right honey? WindClan is lucky to have such a kind, wise, and skilled medicine cat." Her words, which were honey sweet held no malice or negativity, pure and fully meant with only the kindest intent. The cream molly would wish no ill will on Softcloud, who was one of her truest friends.

Gazing up at Wolfstorm, she met his silent plea with a fierce and fiery determination, green eyes shimmering like emerald fire. Because I'm not afraid to show how much I love you.

Brightpaw purred in amusement, "That name really suits you! You're so fluffy!" She paused a moment, switching gear, "I've never talked to a Windclan cat before! What's Windclan like? It doesn't look like you have many trees or much shelter, is that why you're so fluffy? To stay warm? Well, I guess that doesn't really make sense, so many Windclan cats look so thin and skinny..." She trailed off, staring as she pondered the topic.