July Gathering

[Teza]

Originally Posted by Duststorm

Upon seeing her daughter, Feathermist, the queen erupted into a purr, giving the other a motherly, affectionate gaze. All her kits were growing up beautifully and it gave her such joy, she could burst. It was especially exciting to see her daughter pregnant with another litter! A coy smile stretched cross her features as Feathermist settled down next to her. Snorting quietly, Cedartuft raised a paw and gently scuffed the queen over the ears. "You should be in the nursery resting." She chided. Adverting her gaze back up to the leaders rock, she continued eyeing up Snowstar once more, "Speaking of in the nursery... Russetstar hasn't even arrived, although I don't know if that's a bad thing." Glancing over at Quietdance, the senior queen dipped her head back, mouthing a quiet 'hello.' Slowly, Cedartuft lifted her head up the sky, taking a deep breath before wrapping her tail around Feather and looked off into the crowd, trying to spot anyone else. Even though her kits had all grown up, she was still as protective and supportive as she could be. That had its limits of course...

As Cedartuft was scanning the crowd, she managed to lock eyes with one of her sons, Honeythistle. Such a handsome boy! Her body relaxed as he approached, returning an excited yet gentle nuzzle back. A purr erupted from her once more as she scooted closer to Feathermist, offering the spot next to her to her son. She wasn't one to play favorites -although she did admire her sons more than her daughters- but she couldn't help but love when she received affection from her babies. Body pressed up against Feather's, she tilted her head and shrugged half-heartedly. "I don't know dear, I didn't leave with your father. In fact, I got a bit lost in the crowd." She admitted, tilting her head up to scan the clearing once more. "Please, I know he would have some words if he were here, but you know him. Would never hurt anyone, sweet as a flower." The statement was followed by a warm purr at the thought of her mate, Barkfang.

The dilute she-cate glared at her mother with a playful look when she was bopped. "Yes I know but it's so stuffy in there what with all the rain lately. I had to get out," was all she had to defend herself. She knew her mother didn't mind the company, so she didn't particularly need the defense. "Oh sure don't ask me or Quietdance here if we've seen Dad 'cause you know we live in a fox den and never come out for any reason," she sassed at her brother. She wasn't really upset that he hadn't included her in the conversation but simply wanted to jut in with some sort of smart remark, which she did. "Anyway, I haven't seen him since yesterday. I figured he was staying behind with the border patrol?" She was guessing now. However, she glanced up at Snowstar. "Wait, is she expecting?" The queen glanced at her mother, then guessed the answer as she heard how embarrassingly shaky her voice got all of a sudden. Heat raised in her pelt as she realized this, and the queen simply scooched a bit closer to her mother. Maybe she wouldn't swipe her ear again if she acted cute, though that wasn't likely to happen.

The she-cat then looked to her mate and smiled. "Quietdance if you want to, you don't have to watch over me here. There's a truce between the clans, remember? And besides, Honeythistle's here as well as Mom," she said, though the more she spoke the more she sounded like she wanted him to go away, which was the last thing she wanted. "Never mind..." The dilute queen smiled at him, trying to get him to realize she didn't mean to sound, well mean.

[lone]

{ThunderClan}

How ridiculous was it that there was still a Gathering, even after everything that had been going on? Kestrelpaw didn't get it. She couldn't believe that Snowstar would so much as want to look at Blazingstar, let alone have to speak to him. Well, maybe not directly to him, but they would be in the same area. Maybe this was Snowstar's way of showing that she wasn't just a 'kit leader.' The ThunderClan apprentice shifted her weight, making sure she was carefully away from all WindClan cats. Even with a truce, she didn't want to risk getting clawed that night. Aime'Storm taught her well, but who knew what measures a lowly WindClan cat would stoop to? Kestrelpaw used to fear ShadowClan - and they were the only thing she feared, when she was a young cat. Because what did she have to worry about? No one dared attack a kit, except, she had been told, ShadowClan cats. Though now she only hated WindClan. No fear of any other Clans... as far as she knew, they were all equal. Well - not the Clan she now hated, they were worse then anything else. And Kestrelpaw would be glad when this Gathering was over. She wasn't even sure what she was doing here. The experience, she supposed - she'd been to one other Gathering, her first one, and it had been exciting. Now? It was just plain stupid to her. Kestrelpaw no longer longed for the excitement of meeting cats from other Clans, as she had the first time. Her logical mind was once again at work, reasoning that even if she were to meet another cat, she couldn't keep them as a friend. So what was the use?


{WindClan}

Cinderpaw's bright blue hues flashed with anger as she entered the Gathering. Her mixed black and grey tail swished behind her with an 'I-don't-care' air, though in reality she was paying attention to everything. This didn't excite her. She had come to learn strengths and weaknesses - nothing more. Come to learn who in the Clans could make valuable allies, and who could not. Even at this age, Cinderpaw was already dreaming of her future. Of a brighter future, though truth be told, she almost liked the way things were being run now. Yes - the apprentice was certainly manipulative, but that didn't mean everyone around her had to be. She was mature enough to see the value in having many different types of cats. Even the shy ones were good for something... surely they had to be, right? There was no way they were all that useless. The feline took a seat, wrapping her tail about her paws. It was a warm night, and she was not too happy to be out - but in the future, this would do her some good. It better do her some good. Otherwise she would have wasted a whole evening, for nothing.
*****

Butterflywing was positively bouncing with excitement. She was all over the place - watching the other cats, especially SkyClan, whom she found to be very mysterious. Maybe she'd get to make a new friend or two tonight! It was a rare occasion when Butterflywing got the opportunity to do that, so she was excited about it. Bright, sparkling eyes focused themselves on first one cat, then another, and sometimes on two or three at once. Her eyes were a bright golden, tortoiseshell pelt dimmed as the only light provided was that of Silverpelt and the moon, but that didn't matter to the cheerful warrior. She was at an older age - almost old enough to be considered a senior warrior - and she had lived in WindClan all her life. Yet every time she went to a Gathering, she was always amazed by the dozens of cats there were. Why, there must have been at least a hundred or so here now! Butterflywing had never imagined there would be that many cats in the world, let alone here in the Clans! Though she might have suspected that, seeing how many cats were in WindClan alone, after all.


{SkyClan}

Ashfeather was nervous. No, she was beyond nervous, she was... about to faint from all the stress she could feel. It was embarassing, really, an older warrior like her being so scared of something so harmless... but the crowds made her want to pass out every time. Now, normally Ashfeather avoided the Gathering, but this time was different. There was no Ashenstorm back in the Clearing waiting for her. There was no one waiting for her there and so, she would come here instead. Being in the Clearing alone and hurt would be all too much for poor Ashfeather. She had tried it the last time, and it hadn't gone well. So this time she was doing something new. She was going to go to the Gathering, try and have a good time, and hope that she wouldn't get too nervous with all the cats. The noise of all the chatter was quite loud, and Ashfeather folded her ears back as though to shield them from the sound. She disliked it very much. Dismay fell over her as she realized how many cats must be here. Too many. But, it was too late for the silvery cat to run away... so she was going to have to face this fear.
*****

Careful paws fell on the ground as Dingopaw entered the area, taking a seat somewhere near the back. His tan fur was ruffled, though that didn't matter. Sharp, attentive brown eyes watched the others, though he made no movement to actually engage in conversation. See, Dingopaw was still a little untrusting - though curious - of the other Clans. They had only been discovered in the past ten moons or so... probably less. Dingopaw had been very, very, very young when it had happened. He hadn't been a part of the attack, still being a kit, though longing to join the fight had burned through him. He remembered the other Clans, though. They had all seemed nice. And he had been to the last Gathering. But now there was a type of tension in the air, something that made Dingopaw feel more worried. He was intelligent. Snappish. Very loyal and honest, but something was bothering him that he couldn't put his paw on. Nor did he have a snappish remark about it, not quite sure what 'it' was. Or what to say. So Dingopaw remained silent, although his eyes were constantly moving, on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary.

{all are open!}

[ShiningFern]

Originally Posted by Nighty

Peachpaw had caught onto what he was about to say and she couldn't help herself when a small giggle and blush came from her. "Over there is fine." She meowed, already trotting in the direction herself. As Ashpaw sat down, she did as well, sitting closer to him than she would have normally sat to any cat. But then again, she didn't want to loose him in the bustling of warriors. "So, Shadowclan huh? What's it like there? Yknow with all the trees and stuff." She asked, looking over at him with her dark blue eyes sparkling in the moonlight.

Ashpaw grinned, looking at the shecat as she spoke. "I like it, except the pine needles get soaked when it rains. And then the elders whine." He said, "What is it like with like no trees and stuff?" He fluffed up his fur slightly as he felt a small breeze and looked back at Peachpaw. Was she sitting a little close? Or was it just crowded from a number of warriors here? He pushed the thoughts back as he waited for her reply.

[red_inactive]

Originally Posted by Rubinaito

@Duststorm

Ashpaw looked around excitedly. "Golly, I didn't think so many cats would be at the gathering!" He said to Nightbreeze with a beaming smile. "I can't believe I'm at the gathering..." He said, bouncing on the tips of his toes, looking around before spotting Breezerunner and Neverwing. He blinked, watching their hostile exchange before bounding over to them before Nightbreeze could say anything to him. "Hey! Aren't you supposed to be getting along at the Gathering? StarClan's gonna get mad at you!" He declared, lashing his tail and puffing out his chest. Golly-gee, I feel so important! He thought to himself proudly, shooting a stern glare at them.
Neverwing and Breezerunner blinked at Ashpaw.
"Ah... I guess you're right..." Breezerunner stifled a 'd'aww' at the apprentice's behavior, the tension in her shoulders disappearing as she observed the SkyClan kit. "We should be getting along." She shot an apologetic glance at Neverwing, although there was still some trace amounts of suspicion in her eyes. "Right, Neverwing?"
Neverwing stared at Ashpaw for a moment, quite bewildered before nodding slightly. "Yeah... what Breezerunner said..." he said awkwardly, flicking his tail.

Quick bump for @Duststorm ~

[wickedvirtues]

Originally Posted by Nighty

Storkflight watched as the feline seemed to distract herself by looking at the leaders, and he cast a glance that way as well. Not to sure on why he had done it, he glanced back quickly. He nodded in agreement with the warrior. "Mhmm. I almost miss it. It was quite an experience when we all mingled mindless, not really caring about anything. Now it's almost as if our two Clans are fearful that the other might just spring into action." He said in a bit of a disappointed tone. "Hopefully by the next time we do this our interactions with each other will be over."

Caracalspirit and Tealeaf were both glancing in different directions, Tealeaf at Storkflight and Caracalspirit at the leaders. "It was nice, when we didn't have to worry about war and drama and cats would chat with old friends, despite their Clans." Tealeaf sighed, giving a nod of her head. She was disappointed at the tension in the air, and the hostile looks some cats were giving.

[Captain]

Originally Posted by Constellation

The small calico feline listened intently to the story that Redfeather was saying. At first a smile was on her face, believing it was something happy, then it turned into a small smile, until it ended up in a frown. She didn't think his past would be so...tough. It was devastating. The fact that his mother didn't want him. The she cat had no words for him, and all she felt she could do was comfort him, so gradually she relaxed her tail on his shoulder for a few moments, allowing soft thoughts to past through them. Splotchfeather hardly had anything not to say. She was a feline known to keep a conversation running. And, besides that, it was hard enough getting her to listen, but she wanted to listen to Redfeather. He had been listening to her all day. He had been dealing with her all day, and the she cat dearly started to enjoy his company. He was, indeed, a charmer. Splotchfeather just couldn't put it in words of how she felt at that current moment. As he began to speak, she lifted her tail away from him, breathing softly to hear what he needed to say. The small feline stood up from her seat, her pelt clinging to her sides like a warm blanket. She as heavily marked with white, ginger, and different shades of brown. Her eyes were wide like two yellow suns. She was ready to comment on his story, telling him how brave she though the was. A remarkable tom, but he started talking before she even got the chance to. She perked her ears at this, and at hearing his words she felt her eyes grow wider. She almost stumbled back, bringing up a paw out of confusion at hearing his words. "You wanna see me again?" She asked, her mouth making a tiny gape. It had truly surprised her. Just last gathering she had been here with her best friend, and though occasionally she had talked to a few of the cats, they never said they wanted to see her again. Besides that, Splotchfeather, at the time, stayed near Acornflash because that was her best friend. He was always there for her, and she was there for him, but this gathering he did not come because of he did, she would need the advice from him. Right about now. Or, from Greystep. Or, Yarrowpounce. Or, anyone who she seemed her friend within Skyclan's territory. And, when it came to Splotchfeather? Everyone was her friend. It was till surprising, as if the information haven't sunk in good enough already. She didn't know what to say. She knew one thing for certain. It would be wrong for them to see each other again. But he sounded so sincere. They were from different clans. She made him feel important. It was a sign of disloyalty. She made him smile. To Splotchfeather, making another smile was a great present. Every frown she had seen, but every smile was rare and different, and if she made him smile, she might have made his world a little better. Splotchfeather gave him a delicate smile, giggling. "I could never forget you, silly. I have a very photographic memory. I could remember the last thing my mother had said to me before she...died." Splotchfeather twitched her nose, tilting her head a bit as she did not know why she had said that, but it was something to say. Usually, that's what it was like when it came to her. It was just something to say. Something to add. Something to improve the conversation. But, she still felt iffy about this entire ordeal. This massive tom wanted to see her again. He wanted to see her in less than three moons. He wanted her to travel back here, so they could spend time together. It sounded tempting--it really did. It was something that she wanted, but then again, most of her clan mates believe she didn't know what she wanted. Splotchfeather was a kit at heart, always ready to play instead of facing the real world. She was the type of cat to not believe in any type of atrocious crimes--even when seeing it, she refused to acknowledge it. Most would think she lives with her head in the clouds, but Splotchfeather was truly scared. She knew of the dangers in the world, and that life was short, but she chose the path of a naive, sweet she cat because someone needed to be the angel in a dim world.

An angel? Splotchfeather looked up at the stars once more, realizing that she hadn't really given him an answer. She was still scared of what would happen if she chose to agree to his proposal. Just throw everything away and risk her home to spend time with some tom? Putting it that way sounded rude. But, what any other way could she put it? Splotchfeather stated quickly towards the leaders, catching a glance at Grousestar. He was such a strong leader. She admired him, greatly. Kind, understanding, compassionate, and a protector. She would always be grateful to the brown tabby for taking her in. Clan life was a lot different than roaming around as a loner--and, perhaps that's something they had in common. They weren't from the clans. Splotchfeather felt that she could relate to this tom beside her when it came to that area. So, after a while of thinking. This was something that Splotchfeather rarely did. She never liked to think much, feeling that it would be getting in the way of whatever else she wanted to do. Like chase the fireflies, but being around other cats it seemed uncivilized for her to do such s thing, so she stayed put, and leaned closer towards the tom. "It don't seem like any harm in meeting you here in a quarter moon." She pulled away slightly from him, giving a small smile. Even though she agreed to it, she still felt something sick in her stomach. She was nervous as she thought about what could lay ahead of them. The foremost thing that Splotchfeather would do was focus on her clan mates. She had to make sure they were okay, and well cared for. Especially Yarrowpounce. The she cat knew she shouldn't be thinking of the tom much, but she couldn't help it. Her heart had ached for him, and she promised that she would stay there with him to heal that cracked heart of his so he would be a strong leading warrior of Skyclan once more. Now, she had promised to another tom that she would continue meeting with him, knowing it would be wrong.

"Do you think Starclan will be angry at us?" Her voice was small, almost scared, but she wanted to meet with him. Splotchfeather liked to change others' lives--for the better. She liked to be a positive outcome out all the negative things. She adored these things, just being herself in the process. She just hoped she wasn't punished with it. As long as she could make Redfeather happy, then all should be good. The only question was; how long would it last? How long would their friendship last before he want more? Something else? Something less? Just thinking about the future had freaked Splotchfeather out. Not the fact of growing up, but the pressure of growing up. The she cat liked to take things slow as she liked to keep everyone happy. Right now, she was quite baffled but remained a smiling face the entire time. She stayed near her new friend, occasionally feeling the picks of his fur against her own. She knew he was a massive cat, much heavier than she would be. Splotchfeather was light. Well...as light as a feather some might say. "I would love to sing to you the madrigals that my mother taught me." She tilted her head once more so that she could get a good luck at him. "They're soft and sweet. And they always put the kits to sleep back in Skyclan." She giggled softly. "I just adore the kits falling to sleep after hearing a lullaby. They're just so cute! Kinda make a she cat want to have her own!" She gushed, thinking about the little ones back in the nursery. They were saddened that they found out Splotchfeather had to go to the gathering. Splotchfeather was like a designated kit sitter. She loved hounding the kits together and playing a game with them or singing new tunes with them. It would give their mother a break from them, and time to relax. Since Splotchfeather was always full of energy, there was never a boring time with the calico feline. But, as much as she loved kits, Splotchfeather knew she was not ready for them. Not that she was scared, or that she was looking for the perfect one, but mainly the fact that she wasn't where she wanted to be at the point of her life her. It was a complicated matter with her.

Then, the she cat sighed. It was nice sitting in the back of the crowd, but still able to see the leaders of she squinted her eyes long enough. Since she was behind everyone, the she cat was pretty small, so she could hardly see anything, but she did make out Grousestar, where her loyalty laid. Then, she glanced at Redfeather. Possibly, he was another part where her loyalty laid. Where her new friendship laid. But, the she cat was still scared, but he wanted to see her again. Just thinking about it made the she cat flustered. She felt embarrassed for some odd reason, and she didn't understand why he wanted to see her again in particular. And, for once...she had nothing to ramble on about. So, in the distance she focused her gaze on a moth, staring as if flee about. She hopped to her paws, swishing her tail gently behind her. "Watch this." She told the tom quietly before she stepped past him, keeping her belly low to the ground. The moth was still hovering, just above her head. When she shot up, paws extended but claws retracted, she tried to catch the small critter, but it flew away, so she began to run after it in a short distance until she lost her footing, and slipped over one of her paws. As she tumbled about, applying friction at holding her claws into the ground, the she cat let out rapid breaths, her yellow eyes wide--with laughter. Yes, she began laughing. Giggling all sorts. Her fur was pretty much filled with dust, much to her dismay, but she head her fun. It was fun! "Wow! That moth sure got me! Did you see the look of that thing!" She called to her new friend. "It just came at me! And, I almost had him! I think I was too slow at catching him thought. He got away this time...but he can't be Hunter Splotch. I'm the bomb at it!" She laughed once more and walked towards her companion. Everything was always fun and games with this she cat, but right now, she needed to groom her pelt from that fall. "Sorry, that I got carried away there. I get..dis-" her eyes followed another moth, the wings on it glowing brilliantly in the moonlight. "I get distracted very easily." She shakes her head to rid the moth, and quickly glances over at Redfeather before she began to lightly groom her fur.

Her reaction to his heartfelt words made his ears flatten against his head and he backed up from the she-cat slightly, as if he was a monster for suggesting such a thing. “What were you thinking?” The voice snapped at him in his head, “Look what you did, you idiot..” Redfeather knew he had made a mistake in asking to see her again, what had he been expecting in the first place? She had only just met him and he had to be the creep to ask her about getting to you each other better. At this moment, he wanted to run, escape into the crowd and disappear like he had never met her. He almost did just that, heaving himself to his paws, but her question made him pause mid step and the warrior looked at Splotchfeather for a quiet moment before replying. “Yes, I would like to see you again.” Redfeather said, his tone low, almost scared to go too far with this now, “I.. I’m sorry.. I should leave you alone now..” His body seemed to ache at his stupidity and the tom-cat wondered why he had come to the gathering in the first place. The maine coon, however, listened to the Skyclan warrior once more when she spoke, claiming that she wouldn’t forget him - but he wasn’t so sure. He felt bad for her, hearing about her mother and how she was not with her anymore. He never even knew what his own mother was like. All he knew was that this was his chance to have a connection with someone, a friend that could make him happy again or something even more - but he was thinking too far ahead, even he knew that. Redfeather never knew what it was like to have a family or a group of friends to care about, he felt alone most of the time in his clan and some cats hated him, thought that he didn’t belong there. This was his chance, however, to have a new chance at feeling emotions.

Redfeather watched as she looked to the stars above them and he followed her gaze, wondering if she was questioning Starclan and their thoughts about doing such things. He believed that following your heart was the right thing to do and even Starclan had to have some sense of mercy if someone was unhappy and needed another chance. The male lowered his head, looking down at his paws in dismay before turning his line of sight towards the leaders of the clans, thinking for a moment as silence passed between them for a few moments, still awaiting an answer from her and dreading every second that went by, knowing that she could see him in a different light with one thought leading to another in the blink of an eye. However, her next words surprised him and he turned back to her, looking at Splotchfeather with his jaws parted with surprise. “I.. I really wasn’t expecting you to agree to it..” He admitted, his whiskers twitching as his heartbeat quickened in his chest, “T-Thank you, I’m so glad that you are okay with this.” Deep down, Redfeather had a feeling that she wasn’t 100% okay with doing this and he knew that, seeing her reaction to all this on her face and body language.

The dark orange-furred warrior looked up at the stars at Splotchfeather’s question, his tail waving back and forth behind him for a quiet moment. “I don’t think they will be pleased with our choice, but I would think they would like cats to follow their heart and do what makes them happy.” He sat back down beside her and proceeded to go into a laid down position, the sand feeling cool on his stomach as they both were there in silence, both thinking about different fears, memories, things that kept them quiet. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see her looking at him before speaking once more about singing and how she sung kittens to sleep. The maine coon nodded and stayed silent as she explained that she wished to have kittens of her own in the distant future. Redfeather himself didn’t know where he stood on the subject of being a father to young ones, he never knew his father, so he wouldn’t know how to be one. He turned his head slightly to watch the she-cat beside him, expressing her interesting and hopes that would surely come to her in the meantime, he was sure that life would give her the best - in his eyes, this young female deserved such in her days.

His ear twitched at her sigh and the large tom-cat rested his head on his paws for a moment, listening to the quiet, respectful chatter in front of them and it made him wonder if the tension would become more intense as the gathering continued - would it be just as bad at the next gathering or better or even worse? He didn’t know, the maine coon would never assume such things and just chose to stay out of it. Redfeather eyes began to flicker as he gave a small, slight yawn to show that all this relaxing talk was making him feel rather sleepy. Splotchfeather’s gentle voice stirred him awake and he looked over to her, seeing the she-cat focused on a moth that was flying around in the air in front of them. The maine coon raised an eyebrow and rested one paw over the other as he watched her with his soft amber-hued eyes. He watched, with faint surprise, as she ran after the winged creature, which made him sit up rather abruptly to see her lose her footing and tumble through the sand. “Splotchfeather!” He remarked and trotted rather quickly over to the she-cat, “For Starclan sake, are you alright?” Rapid breaths and wide-eyes could be seen, which worried him, but was soon greeted with her laughter, all the giggles and kitten-like sounds as she got up. Her fur was covered in sand and dirt, but she didn’t seem to mind at all, walking over to him. “I’m sure you’ll get ‘em next time.” Redfeather said, tilting his head slightly with a caring smile, “You are the master hunter, indeed.” The male watched as she began talking, but soon grew distracted at another moth in the air, whose wings shimmered in the moonlight. It was truly a sight to behold and Redfeather watched with her in awe before she spoke again, claiming how distracted she was. He saw her glance at him and then begin to groom her dusty fur. The maine coon blinked and looked around before sitting down beside her. “You.. You need any help grooming the sand out of your fur by chance?” Redfeather offered, his tone embarrassed, but polite and even sincere.

[Starfall]

Originally Posted by Lonestar23

Cinderpaw's bright blue hues flashed with anger as she entered the Gathering. Her mixed black and grey tail swished behind her with an 'I-don't-care' air, though in reality she was paying attention to everything. This didn't excite her. She had come to learn strengths and weaknesses - nothing more. Come to learn who in the Clans could make valuable allies, and who could not. Even at this age, Cinderpaw was already dreaming of her future. Of a brighter future, though truth be told, she almost liked the way things were being run now. Yes - the apprentice was certainly manipulative, but that didn't mean everyone around her had to be. She was mature enough to see the value in having many different types of cats. Even the shy ones were good for something... surely they had to be, right? There was no way they were all that useless. The feline took a seat, wrapping her tail about her paws. It was a warm night, and she was not too happy to be out - but in the future, this would do her some good. It better do her some good. Otherwise she would have wasted a whole evening, for nothing.
*****

A snowy white molly was sitting by herself in the middle of the clearing, her ears perked as she listened to the nearby conversations. She had noticed something peculiar about this gathering, most Thunderclan cats weren't speaking with the Windclan cats, how odd. The apprentice then focused her golden optics upon the leaders and noticed the same thing, Snowstar and Blazingstar refused to speak with one another, this made the molly pity Grousestar as well as Halestar. After a few more seconds of just silently staring at the leaders something moved in the corner of her eye, catching her attention. Daisypaw licked her maw and looked the other over, noticing that by the height of the other molly that she would have to be an apprentice, and judging by the smell, rabbit smell, she was Windclan. She decided to make her move. She picked resell up and quickly walked towards Cinderpaw, her golden orbs blazed with excitement. She stopped a mouse length away and just stared, her ears perked, head up, and eyes slightly wider than normal, and after a few awkward moments passed Daisypaw smiled brightly and layed herself down "Hi!" she chirped, "My names Daisypaw...what's yours?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.

[Dust]

Originally Posted by RedHead

(Poor Rainpaw he's so forgetful </3 makes for bad conversations XD)

The white and black furred apprentice nodded as Badgerpaw spoke about the leaders. He couldn't sense any hostility coming off of her. But that was just him, the little sweetheart who tried to see the good in everyone. "Well, Snowstar certainly looks a lot more laid back." Rainpaw wasn't just saying this to make her feel better, he truly belived it. But what did he know about the leaders?

As the feline stated her name, Rainpaw's ears flattened at her tone of voice. "Oh no, I forgot again didn't I?" The tom scuffed the ground in front of him with his paw, digging his claws into the dirt. "I'm sorry for kit remembering your band Badgerpaw! I have the worst memory in the world."

(Would you mind if I tagged someone, Red? o: They directed a post at the Badger starter, but I just saw it now and could incorporate them next post if it's ok?)

Giving the other a sympathetic look, Badgerpaw nodded quickly although the apprentice found it a bit amusing. "It's ok, I forget names sometime as well." It was rare that she forgot someones name, but she'd reassure the other for now. The conversation was going swell and having cross-clan relations wasn't always a bad thing... right? Although, the thought of having to fight this cat one day made Badgerpaw tense up, her ears slipping behind her head for a brief moment. If or when it came down to it, the molly truly had no clue what she would do, and with how the tensions between Thunderclan and Windclan were going, it could end up being soon. Blinking away the thought, she locked green with blue, tilting her head slightly to think for a moment as her jaw parted slightly. "What's it like over in Windclan? Like... how do you guys stay dry during storms and stuff?" She could predict what it would be like. Despite never being near the border, Badgerpaw had heard stories about their territory and camp. To live somewhere so open and vulnerable. The thought made her shudder. No way I could do that!

[vellichor]

Originally Posted by Teza

"Well, I can't say we're doing terrible, but not too great either in my opinion. There's too much rain and water. It makes the moores so muddy and slick. Otherwise, we seem to be doing well. Kits are being born seemingly every day and growing in the blink of an eye, you know, life stuff." She was joking now, trying to get the tom to laugh. He didn't seem like a bad cat, so she decided to let her guard down. AFter all, it was the gathering. There was a truce under the full moon. She shouldn't have to keep her guard up.

Sprucefur chuckled. "That's good. I'm glad WindClan is faring well," he purred, sincerity in his deep voice. He flicked his fluffy tail and sat down, inviting her to sit next to him. After a few moments of silence, Sprucefur decided to start up conversation again. "So, do you think Snowstar and Blazingstar will mention... you know...?" He asked, honestly concerned and curious.

Originally Posted by Constellation

Royalflash was ready to stalk off, find something more suitable to his liking but at her words, the young warrior turned his head to look behind him. His ginger fur, long, thick, and downy ruffled slightly at the night time breeze. He gave her a quizzical look, that soon turned into a smirk more than anything else. The tom flicked his ears back for a quick second. She was toying with him, as he were with her. It was good that she could play along, however. Most cats were downers in Royalflash's eyes, and the tom certainly did not like a cat that was always depressed or that took him seriously.

"I mean, why do you care?" He spoke, rolling his eyes. That, very much was obvious after all. "I'm pretty sure you can smell the scent of Shadowclan--all amazing and addicting." He boasted. The tom did hold a prideful nature when it came to his clan. Just like any other cat that was loyal to their clan. Royalflash stepped a tad closer to her, leaning his head in towards her, just to predict her scent. "And, I'd say you're Windclan. Just by how you presumed that we're evil, you must be rabbitbrained." Royalflash snorted. Shadowclan had nothing against Windclan, but still. She still had him riled up at the unnecessary comment. Then again, he figured that all windclan cats were as dumb as the rabbits they chased.

Royalflash's golden green hues shone with slight amusement-- and surprise. Did she apologize to him? It had caught him off guard, but he wanted to hold the peace. His father's voice was definitely nagging him in the back of his mind, being annoying as much. "I'd say they are. What?" The tom stood. One thing he did love, as young as he was, he held a massive size that he inherited from his father. His size of the family always had large cats, and Royalflash found himself being lucky that he was one of them. "Do I display fear?" He asked, deepening his voice and narrowing his eyes. Of course, he was playing with her but still-- if he wanted to give her a real reason to fear Shadowclan. More specifically, him. He would had.

Wavesplash grinned in response to the tom's smirk. She flicked her plumed tail, kind of tickling the ShadowClanner's nose. "Oh, lighten up," she teased, laughing. She loved messing with cats, but never really takes it too far. She knew he was messing with her as well. That made it a bit more... fun. Who could outwit the other? The she-cat winked, her blue-gray fur smooth despite the slight breeze. The breeze made her shiver a bit, though not visibly.

"Amazing and addicting? Ha!" she responded to his first comment. "You mean smelly and miserable like the swamps you live in." Wavesplash smirked, her eyes gleaming. She didn't have anything against ShadowClanners like this one, but took most opportunities to mess with cats. The molly frowned at the "rabbit-brained" comment. "And you're basing that on the fact that we eat rabbits?" she asked, slight venom in her voice. "So does that mean you're frog-brained? Bird-brained? Hmm?"

Though the tom was larger than her - by a lot - Wavesplash hid her fear and stared back up at him. Only a few signs indicated that she was intimidated. Her barely twitching tail too, for one. Her front claws were sheathing and unsheathing, digging into the ground below. And last, a dead giveaway was that her blue hues were darting around, focusing on anything but the tom standing before her. "Do you really want to know the answer to that question?"
Wavesplash asked, barely masking the faint trace of fear in her voice.

[Dust]

Originally Posted by Rubinaito

@Duststorm

Ashpaw looked around excitedly. "Golly, I didn't think so many cats would be at the gathering!" He said to Nightbreeze with a beaming smile. "I can't believe I'm at the gathering..." He said, bouncing on the tips of his toes, looking around before spotting Breezerunner and Neverwing. He blinked, watching their hostile exchange before bounding over to them before Nightbreeze could say anything to him. "Hey! Aren't you supposed to be getting along at the Gathering? StarClan's gonna get mad at you!" He declared, lashing his tail and puffing out his chest. Golly-gee, I feel so important! He thought to himself proudly, shooting a stern glare at them.
Neverwing and Breezerunner blinked at Ashpaw.
"Ah... I guess you're right..." Breezerunner stifled a 'd'aww' at the apprentice's behavior, the tension in her shoulders disappearing as she observed the SkyClan kit. "We should be getting along." She shot an apologetic glance at Neverwing, although there was still some trace amounts of suspicion in her eyes. "Right, Neverwing?"
Neverwing stared at Ashpaw for a moment, quite bewildered before nodding slightly. "Yeah... what Breezerunner said..." he said awkwardly, flicking his tail.

Trailing after the apprentice, Nightbreeze let out an annoyed sigh, her tail lashing back and forth as they made their way into the clearing. It had only been a short amount of time that Ashpaw was under Nightbreeze's guiding wing, but the warrior felt as if she had aged twenty more moons. He was so rambunctious and wild, even the feisty cat couldn't keep up with him. I swear... his mother didn't teach him anything. She sighed quietly to herself. Taking in a deep breath, the warm scent of the sea comforting her, Nightbreeze scanned across the clearing to see if she could find anyone to sit by. It would be nice to introduce Ashpaw to some other clan cats. After moons of isolation in Skyclan, Nightbreeze couldn't imagine not being friendly with them. Turning back, a gasp left her chest as she frantically looked around for her apprentice, quickly whipping her head back and forth. "Where has he run off to this time?!" The warrior hissed in annoyance before spotting Ashpaw over by a few cats she had never met before. Sprinting after the apprentice, she snatched the end of his tail, giving the two other warriors a sympathetic look. "Sorry if he bothered you, still getting him used to interacting with others." She shot Ashpaw a serious look before dragging him over by the tail and picking up the young apprentice by the scruff, carrying him away into the crowd. "You need to stop running away, it's easy to get lost during a gathering. I don't wan't you ending up in another clans camp by accident, so stay close, got it?" Nightbreeze muttered through the apprentice's fur. Really, she sounded like a worried mother more than an upset mentor. It was obvious she cared for her apprentice, but she'd be lying if she said that he wasn't running her gray.