February's Gathering [2020]

Making his way into the clearing with his clanmates close behind, Lightningstar gave a nod to Sparrowclaw and made his way to the top of Great Rock with a couple agile leaps, making sure to watch his step as his paws pressed onward upton the blanket of snow. Sitting down, he wrapped his fluffy tail neatly over his large white paws and watched as cats began gathering bellow as he waited for the other leaders to arrive. Being his first gathering without Cloudbreeze as his deputy, the large tom couldn't help but feel a twinge of sadness at the thought, but none the less, he managed to keep his usual stoic facade.

~~~~~~~~~~

It was odd not seeing his eldest sister sitting under Great Rock, but even so, Valerianroot knew that the choice Cloudbreeze made was for the better, more or less. Sitting down and waiting for the rest of the clans to join him, the fluffy grey and white pelted tom sat in silence, simply observing as he usually did.

Sparrowclaw padded into the gathering with lightningstar with a small smile on her face. This gathering would be her first one as the new deputy so she hoped everything went alright. What if she slipped on the snow? What if everyone didn't like her? As many more thoughts went through her mind, she padded over to the deputy section and pawed away some snow before sitting down. She wrapped her bushy brown tail around her fur, trying not to notice the stares from the other clans. The Brown Molly smiled as other deputies joined her.

Eveningpaw padded behind the rest of his clan mates eager to go to his first gathering. Maybe he would meet some new friends! He watched as Lightningstar climbed up the Great Rock in awe of how quickly he climbed up with all the snow. As Sparrowclaw sat beneath the Great rock the large fluffy tom found a comfortable spot in the snow and swept the snow away with his tail so he could sit down.

Nightpaw padded behind his brother. He wondered if Splashpaw would be here. He sat in a spot by some trees waiting for Shadowclan to arrive.

(OOC: I'm still writing Leopardspot's leader ceremony (almost finished), so for now let's assume she has already received her nine lives.)

Leopardstar led her clan into the clearing. Lightningstar was already there, on the Great Rock. And now it was time for her, to also sit atop, just beside the majestic leader of ThunderClan. Her heart raced. She took a deep breath and took a few hops to the top of the Great Rock, then nodded politely to Lightningstar in greeting.

Plopping himself down near the edge of the crowd, Alfalfatuft had somehow managed to arrive before the rest of ShadowClan, which surprised even himself. Well, he wasn't complaining and now he would be able to relax until the gathering was over. Hopefully, no cat tried to talk to him.

Leading her clan through the pine forests and to Fourtrees, Maplestar held her head high with a smile on her face. Going to gatherings were one of her favorite things to do. Meeting new cats was just so fun, and it was always a good thing to be up to date on how the other clans were doing. It had been quite some time since she had last seen the other leaders, so she was eager to see how they were all doing. She walked into the Fourtrees, practically jumping through the snow that, in some places, reached up to her chest. It took a moment, but she managed to reach the Great Rock. She quickly shook out her pelt before jumping up the rock, finding herself nose to nose with Lightningstar and a new cat. She quickly recognized the cat as Silverstar's deputy, Leopardspot."Oh no, is Silverstar okay?" She asked with a concerned tone.

Leopardstar greeted Maplestar with a nod. "Silverstaris ill and has chosen to retire." She meowed softly.

Sootheart padded into the clearing. It was still early, cats were still entering the place one by one. She found herself a place, cleared the snow with her white paws, then sat down quietly. I may find someone to talk to when more cats arrive. She thought to herself.

Splashpaw padded into the gathering and instantly looked around for nightpaw. Once she caught sight of him she padded over with a big smile. "Hey Nightpaw" She mewed nudging his side.

---

Sparrowclaw looked as leopardstar joined the leaders and heard what happened to Silverstar. Sparrowclaw didn't really know the leader but Silverstar was still a leader when she was a kit so it hurt to not see him with the other leaders.

---

Whitepaw padded into the gathering with windclan before sitting down with thornpaw.

---

Dovepaw padded into the gathering with skyclan and went off to find silkpaw. When she noticed him she padded towards with a giant smile. "hey silkpaw!" She mewed sitting next to him.

---

Birchpaw padded into the gathering with adderfeather and padded to 2 other medicine cat apprentices that he saw. "Hello." he mewed.

---

Ashpaw slowly padded into the gathering, hoping no one noticed him.

---

Splashpaw is talking with Nightpaw

Sparrowclaw is open to deputies

Whitepaw is open

Dovepaw is talking to silkpaw

Ashpaw is open

Birchpaw is talking to rowanpaw and driftpaw

Blazeheart Isnt coming cause of paradox


Key: Open  Taken

Breezebranch fought the maternal urge to sit beside her daughters as she made her way over to where the other deputies sat. "Hello, where is Cloudbreeze? Is she ill?" The molly asked the brown tabby sitting beside her, confusion and concern in her voice. Cloudbreeze was the oldest deputy in the Clans. Was she terribly sick? Had she retired?

---

It was with a heavy heart that Violetbriar desperately tried to find Softcloud. The last time she'd seen her, she'd been terribly injured. It seemed, however, luck would not be kind to her as she searched for the medicine cat to no success. Tail drooping, Violetbriar went on her own and sat away from the crowd, looking sorrowful.

---

Mudpaw bounded into the clearing, and wished her mother a farewell. She crunched snowflakes beneath her paws, laughing like a newborn kit, as she bounded through it, tumbling and landing at the paws of another cat, sending snow flurries through the air. Her coat was covered in snow, but the thickness of it kept her monthly warm and eyes were bright and shiny. "oof, sorry! I wasn't looking where I was goin'! I'm Mudpaw!"

---

Marshmallow padded in quietly, curiously noting that SkyClan seemed to have had a recent leadership change, as had ThunderClan. Sweetpaw settled beside her, and Marshmallow acknowledged her with a nod.

---

Sweetpaw scanned the crowd desperately, looking for one black coat in particular. Would Coalspark be here? Not finding her, she settled down beside Marshmallow, one of the few cats in her Clan she could tolerate.

---

Marbledstrike hummed as she entered Fourtrees, giving Sparrowclaw a nod as she walked by. Her strides were elegant and well placed, and with a brisk few flicks of her tail, she cleared away the snow so that she could sit.

---

All of my cats are open to talk! Breeze is sitting with the deputies!

Her normally white and clean fur was noticeably dirty, greasy and streaked with moss, making her already small frame so much more evident. Bright eyes that once greeted the world with such enthusiasm were now dark and sunken in her head, downcast as she mustered up the energy to keep her paws moving. The snow sapped her of energy, struggling against the icy prison that encapsulated her paws, wanting just to lay down and let the cold drain the heat of her fever away. The young molly resisted the urge, forcing herself to pad in her father's pawsteps, trying to conserve energy and push away the tightness of her chest.

Arriving in the clearing, Applestem felt a coughing fit overtake her, stumbling on her paws into another warrior- one that reeked of fish, and appeared much stronger than her. "S-sorry," she managed, breathing heavily with a noticeable wheeze, bowing her head. Crakecall scrunched up his nose, the smell of sickness greeting him as she padded away, towards the medicine cats.

Her vision was rather bleary, and she tried to walk through a large group of apprentices, paw getting caught on something and launching her forward, falling on her face and feeling embarrassment well up in her chest.

Help me, she thought pleadingly, looking at the cats that were not much taller or younger than her.

"Help her, Wolfpaw!" a voice hissed, and a large tabby tom stomped forward, visibly angry but following orders regardless. His teeth met her scruff, pulling her up with a grunt, and she found her paws-- shakily, but she stood nonetheless.

"Thank you," the medicine cat whispered, and he looked at her with disgust, returning to the apprentices without another word. She felt herself struggling along, paws barely clearing the snow, and stopped to catch her breath, hoping it wasn't obvious how badly she was struggling.

A body was suddenly pressed against hers, one with thick fur and stubby legs, who seemed just as tired but incredibly willing to help. "Come on Applestem, let's get you sitting down," the voice was soft in her ears, and she recognised it immediately as one of the leaders who sat atop the rock with her father. As she attempted to thank the other molly, a coughing fit took over, and she had to pause the regain her breath. "Don't worry about thanking me. I don't understand why you're here tonight, but let's just get you warm and comfortable."

They trudged along, Heronstar depositing the young medicine cat with the others, wondering briefly where Cloudbreeze was, before launching atop the rock, taking a seat a little ways away from the others. Curling her tail around her paws, the molly waited for the gathering to begin, wanting nothing more than to be at home, in her nest.

(OOC: no need to help apple please! you can acknowledge seeing her struggle but she got there. thank you!)

Featherstep had followed Heronstar’s-- and then, Applestem’s-- pawsteps towards the rock, his clear blue gaze filled with easily read concern. What is she doing this far from her camp? And in this weather, too, he thought, suddenly very aware of the snow that was beginning to clump to his long fur. He was certainly no medicine cat, but even rabbits knew the cold was no good for the sick. But Heronstar- - Stars, bless her!-- got the poor scrap to where she needed to be so Featherstep hadn’t need to interfere. Casting one last worried look towards Applestem, he made his way to the other deputies.

Bright -> Look for Big

Rowanpaw padded quietly behind Applestem, he didn't understand why she was so insistent on going to the Gathering. Yes, it was his first Gathering but she was obviously sick.... His ears flattened briefly in frustration as he picked his way through the snow. Clearly it didn't matter what he thought. She was his mentor so... She could do whatever she wanted. He wished Lightningstar would have objected but...

He stopped, looking up at the stars twinkling overhead, almost overshadowed by the brilliant glow of the full moon. Was there a sign of some kind? Rowanpaw blinked out of his thoughts to the commotion of other cats helping Applestem back to her paws. He hurried to catch up guiltily, he should have been there to support her... By the time he caught up, another cat was helping her to where, he assumed, the rest of the medicine cats were gathered. The tabby cast a worried glance to Applestem but didn't ask if she was okay. He already knew she wasn't.

He gave a brief nod to the greyscale tom who greeted them, likely still an apprentice given his size. "Hello, I am Rowanpaw of Thunderclan." He solemnly introduced himself.

---

Poppydawn followed her clan into the clearing. It felt... Wrong. Following Leopardstar and Breezebranch. Her stomach twisted slightly. Okay, well. Maybe not wrong. It felt... Maybe different was the right word. Yes, different. They were still Skyclan. That much hadn't changed. Even without Silverstar, together they were Skyclan.
The orange tabby broke off from the group. It had been a while since she'd attended a Gathering, especially with all the snow the past full moon. A mostly black she-cat sitting alone attracted her attention and she padded over, as she approached she caught the scent of Shadowclan. "Hello," she mewed, kicking some snow away to create a clear space for her angular form, "I'm Poppydawn of Skyclan, a bit chilly tonight, isn't it?" She mentally kicked herself. Starting off with the weatherreally? It really had been a while since she'd spoken with anyone outside of Skyclan...

---

Willowblossom grimaced as he made his way through the thick snow. Why was he even attending tonight? His tail lashed a few times before he cooled his annoyance. Entering Fourtrees a number of cats had already gathered. But looking at the Great Rock was... Certainly different.

In Silverstar's place stood Leopardspot, perhaps Leopardstar now? Especially given the presence of- What was her name? That tortoiseshell... Breezebranch! That's the one.- gathered with the other deputies. And it appeared that Cloudbreeze had been replaced as well... Some brown tabby... Perhaps Sparrowclaw? He'd need to verify that. He made it his business to know everybody on sight, whether anyone knew him was not his problem. But on top of that...

The Thunderclan medicine cat looked downright awful. He sneered, wrinkling his nose at her sorry appearance. Clearly she couldn't take care of herself let alone the clan. Willowblossom almost felt bad for the brown tabby trailing after her. He'd never seen the tom before, likely her apprentice since he followed Applestem to the other medicine cats. And of course Heronstar helped her up. At least he knew who to blame if all of Windclan got sick with some Thunderclan disease.

He snorted, eyeing the gathered cats for someone to talk to. A black and white she-cat caught his eye, it took him a moment to pinpoint her name Marshmallow of Shadowclan. He sidled over, picking his way around the most snow covered areas. As he approached he noticed a grey and white apprentice pressed against her side. Whatever. "Well, looks like some clans aren't having a great leafbare." he mewed, flicking his tail in the direction of Great Rock.

---

Brightpaw bounded into the clearing, skidding on a pile of snow. Despite the chill in the air warmth filled her veins. Was Bigfoot here tonight? The big, golden tom was always so fun to be around! On her initial scan she didn't see him and a wave of disappointment filled her. The pale calico quickly shook it off. It was fine. He was in Thunderclan anyway, maybe it would be better to talk to someone else. Afterall, getting to know other cats was kind of the point of the Gathering...

((Rowanpaw is with the medicine cats

Poppydawn is talking to Sootheart

Willowblossom is talking to Marshmallow and Sweetpaw

Brightpaw is looking for Bigfoot but open to others as well))

Silkpaw padded in with the rest of Shadowclan. He took in everthing around him. There were so many cats. So many cats that didn't know he was a prankster. This could go in his favor.


Well one cat knew. Silkpaw turned his gaze towards Dovepaw. "Oh hey Dovepaw!" He greeted, sitting down. "How you've been. Made some friends?" He added, with a teasing tone.


Grasssnake followed behind Maplestar. He was a lot more confident in his abilities since the last gathering. He sat down next to the other deputies and turned his gaze towards a new one. Breezebranch was it? He also saw a brown tabby, where Cloudbreeze usally sat."Hello! I'm Grasssnake." He greeted to the two deputies. "And yea, what happened to Cloudbreeze?"


Hollypaw walked into the gathering, his head lowered. He didn't want to be here. He didn't want to sit amongst his clanmates, who didn't care about his mother, or him. He just wanted to go home, and sit in his nest, which he moved to the corner. Whereas he might've wanted to be near the front, so everyone could see him, he didn't want that anymore. He just wanted nothing to do with his clanmates.


Envy. Hailstorm watched with envy as he saw Breezebranch walk up to the other deputies. If he had been more worthy, would he have sat up there? With all the other deputies, and leaders? Maybe next time, I'll be deputy. I just have to work harder. He thought, losing himself in his thoughts.

OOC: Grasssnake is sitting with his fellow deputies! Silkpaw is talking with Dovepaw. Hailstorm and Hollypaw are both open to talk to, though Hollypaw might not want to talk to any of his clanmates, and Hailstorm, well, he's a jealous bean. My other cats might or might not come!

Beetlepaw made her way into the gathering, eyeing the other clans with suspicion. She turned away with a snort from the other clans and stuck with her own clan-mates, though she couldn't help but glare up angrily at the Thunderclan leader.



Condorpaw padded into the gathering with Skyclan, her eyes shining with excitement as she made her way through the crowd. But her attention was mostly set on the other medicine cats, some still looking young but older than her, and another that looked terribly ill. Condorpaw sat as far away from Applestem as she could, she didn't want to get ill, "I know I'm new here, but I think you should have stayed home, you're going to infect everyone with what you have." She said bluntly, her eyes never leaving Applestem. She was new yes, but she was soaking up as much medicine cat knowledge as she could. She returned her attention to her peers, despite being the youngest she was quite large and burly for her age and impressive form with her fluff and muscles, she almost wanted to brag as she analyzed them.

"I would say yes," nodded the black she-cat, "Pleased to meet you. My name is Sootheart, from ShadowClan." She knew little about SkyClan. She knew ShadowClan shared borders with ThunderClan, and as far as she knew SkyClan lived south to ThunderClan. She did wonder how things were going in other clans. "I hope everything is going well?" She meowed, improvising.

(ooc: I AM SO SORRY I FORGOT TO POST THIS IS SUPER LATE)

Wolfstar had been distracted lately, and found himself leading his clan in late. He sighed, his fluffy tail sweeping the rock as he leapt up. With a courteous nod towards the other leaders, he waited for the gathering to start. Even though he had thick fur, he was growing sick of the cold weather and was longing for Newleaf. The snow had been fun when it had first started, but the grey skies and harsh winds had been slowly nipping away at him.

Sweetpaw didn't bother looking up as a tom approached them; he wasn't Coalspark or one of her kits. Looking miserable, Sweetpaw curled up even closer to Marshmallow, pressing against her. The quiet she-cat was truly one of four ShadowClan cats she could stand. The others being Briarpaw, her sister, Wolfpaw, her brother, and Darkpaw, a she-cat who wasn't annoying.

---

"Willowblossom," Marshmallow greeted, dipping her head. Her eyes focused onto the Great Rock, noting with a lack of compassion, the struggle of the ThunderClan healer, Applestem. "Lightningstar's a fool." Marshmallow answered curtly, snorting, "His prideful arrogance will be his downfall one day. It certainly hadn't helped Magpiestar." The black and white molly muttered, and the gray and white apprentice beside her bared her teeth at the mention of her former leader.

"Maplestar's sensible. What about WindClan? Are you fairing well during the cold weather? Our prey doesn't seem to mind the cold." Marshmallow mewed smoothly. It was true; the frogs and lizards didn't mind the snow like ThunderClan's birds did. While the lizards didn't like the cold weather it made them much slower and easier to catch.

Watching as each leader took their place atop Great Rock with their clans scattering to mingle bellow, Lightningstar stood up and made his way to the front of the rock. Times were changing and fast, but that didn't mean that traditions could go overlooked, even if they had postponed last moon's gathering for the sake of everycat's safety.

"Let the gathering begin!" the large, fluffy leader's voice boomed as he stood on the edge of the rock. Waiting a few moments for every-cat to quiet down, he began his usual news. "ThunderClan has been fairing well this past moon... pray is plentiful even in this cold season and we have welcomed several new apprentices and warriors to their new ranks. Cloudbreeze has stepped down from deputy rank and we have a new deputy, Sparrowclaw; who StarClan and I entrust the position with," Lightningstar spoke. "That is all for ThunderClan," he finished, turning his stoic gaze to the other leaders before taking his place back among them.

~~~~~~~~~~

Having arrived a little later to Fourtrees than usual, Bigfoot slowed to a halt and looked around at all the cats that'd already begun to mingle. At first he wondered who to chat with, but then remembered that Brightpaw was most likely here tonight and that sent a twinge of excitement through his pelt. Looking around, he spotted the younger she-cat who seemed to be looking for some-cat.

Crouching into a stalking position, the thickly built warrior snuck up behind the apprentice, holding his breath and trying his best not to burst out into laughter. "Boo!" he meowed playfully, swatting Brightpaw's tail with one of his large paws. As soon as he did so, his father started the gathering, but per usual, it wasn't as if he payed any attention to what was going on around him.

As Lightningstar finished announcing news from ThunderClan, the golden spotted she-cat began her talk.
"In the last moon, Silverstar has decided to step down due to illnesses. I, Leopardstar, have received my nine lives from StarClan, and I am now the leader of SkyClan." She paused, then continued with her talk, "I have also appointed a new deputy for SkyClan, Breezebranch." She meowed pointed her nose at the she-cat among deputies. It was her first time talking on the Great Rock, with all the cats watching her all eyes and all ears, and she felt...great. She felt powerful. She felt everything was under her control and she liked that feeling.
"SkyClan has enjoyed a peaceful time during the last two moons. Prey is plentiful, and there is no sign of predators. We have a new medicine cat apprentice, Condorpaw, under the training of Mistedsong. We also have a new apprentice, Dovepaw, mentored by Lilystream. That's all for SkyClan, thank you."

After watching both Lightingstar and Leopardstar share their news, she stepped forward, taking her turn to share Shadowclan's news. "Shadowclan is currently doing very well. Although we have not had any new warriors or apprentices since the last gathering, i'm sure that we'll have a few to announce during the next moon's gathering!" Her smile grew wide with the last few words, already knowing that she would soon be making Beetlepaw a warrior. Composing herself, she continued her announcment with a straight face. "Prey has been abundant on the marshes and we have seen few predators. That is all, thank you!" With that she stepped back, allowing the next leader to take their place

The WindClan leader listened to the others speak, concern bubbling in her chest as she tried to plan out her words. Do I mention Softcloud? Do the others know I've lost a life? Am I the only one who has? Do we look weak tonight? Heronstar's mind was abuzz with worries and fears, and it took all she had to take a deep and shakey breath as her turn to speak rapidly came upon her. Taking a step forward, the mottled molly cleared her throat, trying to chase away the nerves. "A few days ago, our medicine cat Softcloud was viciously attacked by a fox as she was leaving RiverClan's territory. She is currently recovering, and is doing well. We sent out a patrol to make sure the danger was gone, and thanks to Violetbriar it was." Heronstar turned, dipping her head to Wolfstar, before turning back. "I would like to thank Violetbriar for saving Softcloud, and the warriors that returned her to us. WindClan appreciates it. Apart from this, we've been dealing with the cold as well as one can, and we look forward to warmer weather soon. Thank you." The leader turned around with a flick of her tail, taking up her former position, allowing the last leader to speak. As she did so, she cast a glance to the scrap of fur that was Applestem, concern glimmering in her eyes. I hope she's alright.

As Heronstar began speaking, Violetbriar snapped to attention. Is Softcloud okay!? She wanted to scream, but instead just bit her lip, and waited. Eventually, Heronstar brought up the fox incident, as predicted. The molly shakily sighed in relief as Heronstar said she was recovering, tears shimmering in her eyes. "Thank StarClan for that.." She whispered to no cat in particular.

Then Heronstar did the unthinkable.

She called her out and thanked her. Embarrassment heated her cheeks. She hadn't done anything; she'd only tried to save her closest friend from death. Any cat would've done the same, Violetbriar just wished she'd been sooner. She met Heronstar's gaze, suddenly feeling much respect for the WindClan leader, and dipped her head. "I only did what any cat would've done." She murmured.

Well, maybe not any pregnant cat. Betulakit and Swankit had been born shortly after that escapade, and Wolfstar had all but panicked with fright. If it hadn't been for her stubborn pride and concern, he wouldn't have allowed her to come to this Gathering at all.