March Gathering [2020]

Wolfpaw saw a cream-colored she-cat. He padded towards her to talk. ”Hi! I’m Wolfpaw of Riverclan.” he introduced himself to the she-cat.

Swiftpaw didn’t find anyone to friend so went back to her mother and siblings.

Badgerpaw looked around and saw Oakpaw talking to others. He padded towards her and wrapped his tail with hers as he listened in on the conversation.

Only the soft flourish of silky fur scraping against stone and a silvery cloud of simmering breath announced the otherwise silent arrival of Brindleface, the newly cemented WindClan Leader easily scaling the ancient stone to join Lightningstar and Silverstar. Lightningstar and Silverstar were rather unfamiliar, unlike several of the Clans respective Deputies, as she had hardly earned her Warrior name by the time they were already pushed into higher-ranking positions within their Clans. Her sudden presence atop the stone hardly seemed to incite much dysfunction- the conversation between the two Leaders appeared to be rather dry and disingenuous, done more out of the desire to feign politeness than any real reason of subsistence. At first, Brindleface had worried about how it would feel to sit atop the Great Rock with the other completely unfamiliar Leaders, especially as the newest to addition to the inner circle of Leadership. Now? It wasn't so bad- she was just as tall as Silverstar, and Lightningstar looked only like a cat with thick fur who had gotten stuck in a gorse bush for a few heartbeats or so.

"Greetings." Brindleface mewed softly, ears giving a polite little flick as she took up an unoccupied space close to the quietly conversing toms, thick tail neatly winding its way around her paws in an attempt to limit the total space she inhabited.

---

Nettlesplash could feel a residual ache building in the joint of his jaw, blossoming in the aftermath of another swallowed down yawn, unable to resist rolling his eyes as a collection of young Apprentices continued their voracious chatter with little abandon. It was difficult enough to find enough energy to the devote to the task of coming to the Gathering, let alone scraping together the energy required to pretend like he enjoyed being surrounded by so many cats. Keeping to the outskirts of the clearing, the ruddy tom opted to simply find a seat atop a gnarled mess of roots- effectively keeping him off of the half-frozen mixture of snowy sludge, while also giving him a relatively clear line of sight to the Great Rock as he settled down for a long night.

Cinderpaw saw the group of cats when he padded in and instantly wished he was back in camp, shyly, he brought himself to sit near one of the trees, gazing at the clearing with wide, fearful eyes and a tail that was curled tightly around himself, as if it protected him. Still, he found himself wanting to talk with someone but was too shy to try.

Magpiewing padded into the gathering, his fur fluffed up against the cold air. Despite the breeze, he could see the snow melting slowly beneath his paws. Newleaf was coming quicker than he expected. Good. Leafbare was always harsh for ShadowClan, not many toads or lizards enjoyed the cold air.

The deputy padded up to the High Rock, glancing around for the other deputies. Cloudbreeze sat as proud as ever, Sorrelwing sitting with an air of superiority as well. The tom huffed. Ivyfall had yet to arrive. Brindleface as well. Magpiewing glanced up to see which leaders had taken their spot. Lightningstar and W- Brindleface? His face showed clear confusion.

Wildstar must be sick. There was no way that she-cat could be leader. Her deputy position was clearly out of pity on Wildstar's side. She wasn't fit for the role, after all.

Firestar's rust coloured pelt joined the fray as she leaped silently onto Great Rock. Not a word was said to the other leaders as she nodded and took her place among them. Empty conversation wasn't something she partook in regularly; though seeing the WindClan deputy in place of Wildstar was a bit... curious.

Ratpaw padded into the clearing along with the rest of ShadowClan, again taking a seat far away from others and tucking his freezing paws under him. If only Sunpaw were here... He was sure that fool would at least keep his ears warm from talking so much. Or even... that one fellow from WindClan... what was his name? The one who looked like a cloud.

Finally, RiverClan was here. Better late than never. Lichenstar's confident steps into the clearing hid her relief, seeing that none of her warriors were trying to cause a diplomatic issue with ThunderClan that she'd have to patch up. While indeed those forest-tromping cats could be irritating, Leafbare was not the time to be starting fights. Wildflower would chew her ear off if she had to go through her herb stores for something stupid and preventable. The calico leapt onto the Great Rock, noting that Wildstar was missing, with his deputy Brindleface taking a spot amongst them. 'If she doesn't explain tonight, then I suppose he's simply taken ill.'


Walking after Brindleface felt odd, but not uncomfortable. Cloudpaw padded down with WindClan, noting how few cats there seemed to be at tonight's gathering. Certainly fewer than last moon. His yellow gaze took in all who did appear tonight, and found the same tom he'd spoken with previously. Finding that his fellow denmates had conversation partners of their own, the fluffy tom approached with that same, warm gaze. "Hello again, Ratpaw." He sat a bit closer than last time now that they were properly acquainted, but hopefully far enough away so as to not make the black tomcat uncomfortable. He had a bit of an... issue with accidentally getting too close.


He did not want to be here. It was a waste of time.

A grumpy runt of an apprentice lagged behind the ShadowClan posse, his eyes and ears focused on the path ahead. From what he'd heard, Gatherings were just a mass of cats squabbling and making inane conversation for StarClan-knows-how-long until they all finally got to go home. Crowpaw's vibrant yellow eyes lazily moved across the cats gathered before he joined them, finding Oddpaw sitting with Bramblepaw, and some unknown she-cat from WindClan by the smell of her. He padded quietly towards them, though he did nothing to answer the stranger's question. What did she want?

Turning his attention to Silverstar as he approached and took his place next to him, Lightningstar gave the tom a nod of greeting. "Yes, we are," the burly voiced tom mewed. He would've reciprocated the conversation, but the rest of the leaders began to arrive, and his attention turned to them.

WindClan's deputy arrived first, which led him to wonder what had happened to Wildstar, and one by one, each leader took their place on the rock, until last but not least, Lichenstar arrived, and she was just the cat he wanted to see. Although his clanmates and her clanmates had their... differences, to say the least, the two of them seemed fair well with each other, he found himself intrigued by the idea of some sort of treaty with the RiverClan leader. Of course, he would need to make sure he worded his proposition as to not make ThunderClan look as though they were in need of help, but he would at least bring forth the idea.

Once every-cat seemed to have settling down, more or less, the large leader stood up and made his way towards the front of Great Rock. "Let the gathering begin!" he yowled. Waiting a few moments for the clowder of cats to settle down, he continued. Like last moon, ThunderClan is fairing well. Prey is bountiful and our clan continues to grow. Flashpaw is ThunderClan's new medicine cat apprentice, and we have welcomed Valerianpaw, Palepaw, Cinderpaw, and Elkpaw into the apprentice's den. Unfortunately, the scent of rogue has yet to leave our clan borders, and although we have not encountered any as of yet, my warriors and I are keeping a close lookout for any suspicious happenings around our territory. On that note... I would like to make a proposition," he continued before ever so slightly turning his gaze back to where Lichenstar sat.

"Lichenstar, I would like to bring forward the idea of an alliance, of sorts," he began, his heart beginning to pound. Was this really the right decision, or would he look like a fool for such an idea? No, if anything, he was brave for proposing such a thing, and if she denied his offer, then oh well, there was nothing he could do about it. He just had to word it right...

"Though ThunderClan and RiverClan are strong and currently in no need of aid, I believe that an alliance might be in order. Rivalries between clans is only natural, but even so, I am not a fan of such constant and trivial... feuding, and with the possible, ongoing threat of rogues at our territories, I believe that we may find solace with strength in numbers," he mewed before taking a breath and continuing. "I am not suggesting that we become the best of friends, nor combine clans or territories, but rather form a sort of agreement between our two clans, so that we may help one another in times of need and so forth. Of course, we can speak about the details later, if you so wish. I am not looking for a response right away, but merely ask that you think it over. That is all," with that, Lightningstar made his way back to his spot next to Silverstar and kept his gaze forward. Great Silverpelt did he hate sucking up to another leader in such a manor, but if it meant tilting the odds in his favor, then so be it.

~~~~~

Padding into the clearing, Valerianpaw found himself a spot near the front of the crowd. Sitting down, the regal apprentice neatly curled his fluffy tail over his paws and looked up at his father and the other leaders. He wondered what they talked about before the gathering, but then came to the conclusion that they must just make small talk before things began, seeing as though that was the only reasonable explanation. He was somewhat surprised to hear his father speak of an alliance with the RiverClan leader, of all cats, considering the two clans didn't exactly get along too well, but he assumed there was a method to his madness.

Minnowpaw padded into the gathering looking around for a cat to talk to. She did want to gossip. But she was really tired. Why did Lichenstar get Riverclan so late. Yawning Minnowpaw decided to simply lie down and listen. Maybe the leaders have intersting news. Maybe.

When Lightningstar started talking he decided to sit next to a silver Riverclan she-cat who just got there. He blinked before introducing himsels shyly. "U-Uh, I'm Cinderpaw." Cinderpaw mewed nervously. "Y-You're from Riverclan, right?" He looked at the leaders. "This is m-my first gathering..." He looked to his paws. "What... What about you?"
(Cinderpaw is talking to Minnowpaw.)

Minnowpaw turned her gaze to see another cat. "Oh hello. I'm Minnowpaw. This is my second gathering." Said Minnowpaw.

The medicine cat gave Flashpaw a warm smile at the apprentice's hesitance. "And I am Mistedsong, SkyClan's medicine cat," the tom meowed. "I'm glad Logleap finally made a decision. I thought he was going to drive himself mad, but now that I've got my own apprentice I understand the stress.." he trailed off, bashfully looking at Blizzardpaw. He nodded back to Softpaw and gave her a soft smile, looking back to the other pair of apprentices. "I don't see... any of the other full medicine cats. This leafbare has been a tough one," Mistedsong sighed, turning to listen to the leaders speak.

---

Rimepaw looked at Patchpaw a little curiously, surprised that he'd stayed so quiet for so long. "I'd probably be a warrior by now if my mentor were not more interested in finding a mate than training me," he grumbled to the group of apprentices. He sat down as Lightningstar began speaking, eyes growing wide as the leader continued. A ThunderClan alliance with RiverClan? That was unheard of, and that put the other three clans at a huge disadvantage if everything went paws-up. To say that made Rimepaw nervous was a bit of an understatement.

ThunderClan and RiverClan strong and currently in no need of aid, eh?

Eyes narrowing a fraction, Brindleface's sharp features shifted in a near imperceptible display of blatant interest. Gaze flitting between the two conversing Leaders, entirely without shame for such an obvious act of sizing, her whiskers twitched for a brief moment. Obviously, if such a prickly tom felt the need to try and resort to something akin to flattery then there was some sort of issue worthy of consideration. Shifting on the cold stone beneath her paws, she made a mental note to discuss these happenings with Wildheart after returning home. "Seeing as Lichenstar might understandably need a few moments to think over such an offer," She began after an unbearably long moment of rather awkward silence, seeing as none of her fellow peers seemed too concerned with filling the silence, "I see no harm with delivering WindClan's news."

"Although this Leafbare has been quite cold, it has also been very kind- we have more apprentices than ever, and several of them are very close to earning their warrior names. Come Newleaf, I'm sure that our Nursery will be equally as full." Brindleface began, confident and methodical tone a far cry from the tremor of faint anxiety that curdled somewhere low in her belly. Blinking down at the sea of unfamiliar faces milling below, the new Leader let the rest of the faint discussion bleed away before launching into the more highly anticipated part of her explanation. "I'm certain that most every cat here has noticed Wildstar's absence tonight. Due to an unknown illness that has been resistant to all treatments on behalf of Swiftstream and Softpaw, Wildstar is no longer able to lead WindClan. As his Deputy, I will succeed him- I plan on traveling to the Highstones within a day or two so that I may receive my nine lives. By the next Gathering, I will be able to announce the newest Deputy of WindClan. "

Turning to look back at her fellow Leaders seated atop the Great Rock, Brindleface's features pulled together in a brief display of severity as she considered her next words carefully. Taking a step back towards her previous seat, the pale she-cat's tail gave an unsettled twitch as she gazed at each of her fellow Leaders for a very brief moment. "Similar to ThunderClan, we have also found rogue scents along our borders in the past few sunrises. I would advise your Clans to watch carefully during these next few days, as some of these rogues appear to be pressing our borders and searching for weak spots."

Lichenstar's ears flicked at the sound of her own name. 'What's Lightningstar thinking?' She needed proper time to think about such a thing, and indeed she was glad Brindleface stepped forward, the fellow molly's pelt hiding her own puzzled expression from those gathered. And indeed she did a bit more, answering the question on every cats' minds tonight. With her thoughts together now, RiverClan's leader moved forward to replace WindClan's new representative. She gave a respectful nod. "I hope that he remains a part of WindClan for many more moons."

She would go through the pleasantries, for now. She wasn't giving herself more time to think about the tom's offer, no. Definitely not. "RiverClan is growing stronger, the apprentice's den is fit to burst." Her gaze briefly flickered to Wolfpaw, the only new apprentice with the clan tonight. "Leafbare's grasp is weakening. While we have yet to find any traces of rogues, we will continue to ensure that they do not take advantage of this resurgence in prey. As for your offer, Lightningstar," she turned, amber eyes fixed on the large grey tabby, "I am willing to speak with you further on this matter at a later time. Though I hope neither RiverClan nor ThunderClan will ever have need of such aid, the future is never as kind as we wish it to be." With that, she returned to her seat.