December Gathering

[gs29513]

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

Splashleap followed to the rear of the party, although she was still at the deputies seat before Dogbark. While she wasn't particularly interested in interacting positively(or negatively really, hostility was unnecessary and would only cause problems given how touchy the Shadowclanners could be, Dawnstar had proved that a hundred time over) with Shadestorm, Wolffang was perfectly fine. Irritatingly large(she definitely had small dog syndrome, whatever you called it when the bark was much too large for the dog), but an ally nonetheless. And they had recently had trouble with the winds, of course.

But before she could ask how things were going in Windclan, if any other cats had been blown away to Starclan know's where, she was interrupted by what seemed to be a Shadowclan apprentice. Shadestorm's......daughter? She seemed far more interesting than her father, and while she was from Shadowclan Splashleap supposed you couldn't choose your birthplace. Ivypaw was polite as well, and a small smile scrawled across the deputies maw as she responded.

I'm sure you've heard how fishy we are! Lots of fish, lots of swimming, a few irritating cats who don't know how to do what they're supposed to do. My guess is your father's told you a bit about the last one. Hopefully that wasn't too much to say, she didn't think there were any real clan secrets given out there. Every clan had a few numbskulls, it couldn't be helped really. Shadowclan must have a few as well, that couldn't be a Riverclan-exclusive issue. Then again, the other clans didn't seem to have as many problems with.......gathering disturbances as they did. She would have to keep a bit more of an eye out this time around, see if she could nip it in the bud. Not that the bud hadn't already been smashed to pulp several times. It just kept growing back! Just DIE ALREADY STUPID PLANT OF IDEAS THAT MAKE CATS THINK INTERRUPTING IS A GOOD IDEA! @TheNyanCatMinecart @Singing Jay @Willowfern

[beau]

Sundust offered a smile to Leafwind, but didn't speak his guesses aloud. If anyone was going to cause trouble, he assumed it would be Nectarflame, but who knew? His attention was momentarily distract by another molly - was she Windclan? It was hard to tell by the scent - suddenly coming around in front of a the two. "Oh, hello-" He cut himself off at the loud gasp, and the stuttering that followed. "I'm sorry, do I know- are you alright?" His gaze clouded with concern and bewilderment as the she-cat stumbled away from them. He cast an anxious glance towards his sister before it clicked in his head.

Not clicked exactly, but it was an odd sense of déjà vu. A familiar warm scent from the nursery... his mother upset over something... his father pulling him and his sister to the side to explain something... and a name at the tip of his tongue. Ha... Harekit? No. That wasn't it.

"Hazelkit?" The tom blurted out, a subtle trace of confusion in his voice. How?? His brain could not form a more comprehensive thought, not even a complete sentence, just... how? His brain fumbled with old memories, trying to pull up a clear memory of the kit who had vanished from his life, a second sister who left so little trace that his mind had practically erased her. He suppose he knew he had two sisters, and that one was gone, but he never really thought on it. He was too young to understand when it happened - he could only recall being disappointed to lose a playmate - and by the time he was a warrior, he could barely remember her. The vague flashes he could remember seemed to check out: clear blue eyes, long brown fur, a sweet scent...

Wow.

The curly-furred warrior stood frozen for a moment, staring at Hazelkit, before he whipped around to face Leafwing, as if she wouldn't be anymore confused. Maybe he was just making sure he wasn't crazy, making sure that there was a Hazelkit. There was no way his brain had made something like that up. Right? The memories were distant, but they were there! It couldn't have been some freaky dream of something. Right?? Oh, Starclan he didn't know. For all he knew, he was hallucinating her right here and now.

@poppy. @Dawnfallstar

[CroissantKitty]

@Mistletoe
Well, it was a start for a good comeback. At least for Aspenleaf. She sighed and sat down next to Mallardstep. In all reality, she kind of liked this toms attitude. Sure, he was a little grumpy, but who was she to judge on that. She smiled, ready to state what she felt was obvious. “If you don’t like gatherings, then why are you even here?”

[Madelaine]

-->Ebonyfang<--

Following behind his leader Ebonyfang was kind of curious about what would happen at this gathering if anything did. This was his first one since his demotion since not soon after that he had been stuck in the nursery. No more though. He was a warrior and he was very happy as one. He looked around, spotting his only remaining son talking to an apprentice from another clan. He wondered how his first gathering was going, but he'd ask once they got back. He was wanting to start being there n his life and now that he was stronger he would definitely be there.

Ebonyfang's next glance was at Bounceberry. It had been a long while since their last interaction. He probably would leave the tom alone for right now. Leafbare was right around the corner. He was sure to be extra busy. Plus Ebonyfang was trying to act more like a warrior now that he had returned. Sitting down in a spot he looked up waiting for the announcements to start.

// open \\

[spade]

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

An eerie chill crept up the back of Kestrelstar and the gray tabby turned his head to see Dawnstar leaping onto the rocks a good distance away from himself and Twilightstar. No greeting, but that was pretty standard for the ShadowClan leader and Kestrelstar didn't expect one for as long as she remained on the throne of ShadowClan. The thought of her leadership continuing to extend, her claws continuing to dig into his pelt like a thorn he couldn't remove, sent a flash of irritation in him, only revealing itself through an annoyed ear flick.

While ShadowClan finished settling in, a new scent wafted towards him, indicating the arrival of ThunderClan. Kestrelstar's yellow eyes found Aspenstar, and stars did she look worn down. He was the one sporting new wounds, but she looked as how he had felt in the first few moons of his leadership. For a moment, Clans were forgotten and he felt a pang of sympathy for the honey-colored leader. Then, it was back in a flash. While there was a truce in place, and they were cordial with each other, Kestrelstar was unsure if RiverClan and ThunderClan would ever be friendly. The smile was a nice sign that the peace treaty was upheld, and the tom nodded back to her in return.

Yellow eyes flickered down to Dogbark as he followed his leader into Seastones, and was surprised to see the stony expression on his face. He hadn't expected their little excursion to make them fast friends, but Snakeheart had shared valuable herbs with Dogbark, and had healed him in the face of pretty severe injuries. The small ear flick of acknowledgement made Kestrelstar want to growl, but instead he only pushed his paws into the rock to steady himself. He had to remember though that he was the one who had offered it all, hoping that just maybe it might continue to bridge the gap between ThunderClan and RiverClan.

They needed to stand on their own though, and maybe that's just what had to happen. If Dogbark wanted to act like RiverClan and Snakeheart hadn't done him a great service, then fine. Kestrelstar lifted his chin and allowed his gaze to snake over the rest of the cats gathered. RiverClan had come to their aid for the last time, in his mind. What was a Clan without their own paws to stand upon?

A bit of a commotion garnered his attention back down, and Kestrelstar blinked as some warrior hissed at Dogbark. She appeared to be a ThunderClan warrior, and while the gray tabby refrained from saying anything, he was simply glad it wasn't one of his own warriors causing a fit this time. Whiskers twitched in amusement but the rest of his composure remained.

"Let's get this thing started so we don't have to freeze our tails off anymore than necessary," Kestrelstar grunted, deciding to start them off again. He swung his gaze around to his fellow leaders and gave them a nod before stepping forward on the rock.

"RiverClan is doing well. Land prey has been dwindling, but thankfully the rivers and ponds have not frozen over yet. Fishing is still yielding plentiful results to our Clan." Kestrelstar didn't ever think he would let on if RiverClan was struggling even if their prey-pile was empty. He wanted to showcase strength, resilience. The new era of growth and change him and his Clan was experiencing wouldn't be stopped on his watch.

"Birdpaw, Dawnpaw, and Minnowpaw have also begun their training as warriors, and we expect them to make excellent additions to the Clan once they're finished." As much as he was starting to take a liking to Birdpaw, he sincerely hoped that she had either stayed home, or at least brought her quiet voice with her. He didn't want another fiasco like what had happened with his two warriors the last Gathering. "Shimmerpaw, Hazelpaw, and Reedpaw have now all completed their warrior training and are now known as Shimmerbird, Hazelstorm, and Reedlight. They have been welcomed as RiverClan's newest warriors." He was curious if anyone in ThunderClan would recognize Reedlight from the raid. He didn't really care for their opinion on him making the tom a warrior - truthfully it was none of their business. He knew who Reedlight was, and why he deserved his warrior name.

Casting a look towards where Snakeheart sat with Reedpaw and Bounceberry - the two spots where WindClan and ThunderClan's medicine cats would've joined them vacant - Kestrelstar gave a nod. "Snakeheart has taken on an apprentice as well. Our second Reedpaw," stars he wished the two had different names, as it might sound confusing to the other Clans, "has been chosen to follow in his pawsteps as RiverClan's medicine cat apprentice." He was still a little cautious of his brother having an apprentice at all in the fragile state he was in, but still decided to not speak on it.

Continuing on, Kestrelstar resumed his sweeping gaze across the crowd. "We've also had a bundle of new kits welcomed to the Clan. Sandbreeze has given birth to Frozenkit, and a new addition to our Clan, a former loner Pumpkinsprout, has given birth to four healthy kits; Softkit, Wrenkit, Whisperkit, and Sparkkit." He was starting to be glad about his decision to accept the outsider into RiverClan, despite leaf-bare swinging in. Four healthy kits would make great additions to the Clan once they were older.

The next announcement was not one he was looking forward to. Grief momentary clouded his gaze - at least it had not been another Clan that could be held responsible. "Lastly, there have been an increase in rogues and loners trespassing onto our territory. I was on a patrol when I came across Eveningwhisper’s body - she was killed by an outsider, and has been laid to rest in RiverClan's thicket." A sad death to announce, but Kestrelstar wanted to both get it out and state a warning about the outsiders.

His throat felt tight as he tried to clear it. He let silence hang for a moment in recognition of the life lost, before nodding to the crowd, Kestrelstar called, "That is all from RiverClan," before stepping back and taking a seat, indicating that one of the others could go now.

[ getting this posted now since i'll be on a small hiatus coming up - hope that's alright with everyone ]

@poppy. @Moonraven @Undertaker @Willowfern @gs29513 @Rani @Nixey

[JackHunt_17]

Originally Posted by Pheasantflight

@Hanukkah Hawkice
She didn't managed to cover her laugh. "I'm sorry, I'm not laughing at you. It's just..." She paused. "I'm pretty sure Dawnmstar purposely acts mean in front of the other clan leaders to sound scary. You're a complete change of pace." The russet molly snorted. "Do you like being an apprentice? Did you get a good mentor? Who are your parents?" She liked this cat, his seemingly innocent nature. She wasn't used to anyone acting like that.

"Did you see that tall brownish red tom before with me? Thats my dad, Fiercefire. My other dads here somewhere, I think. And sure, Dawnstar wants everyone to know we are strong so she tries to intimidate the other clans. If Twilightstar did that then maybe Windclan wouldn't be nicknamed the bunnies." Lynxpaw mewed, not seeing the problem with any of this

[Dawnfallstar]

Originally Posted by Naiad

Sundust offered a smile to Leafwind, but didn't speak his guesses aloud. If anyone was going to cause trouble, he assumed it would be Nectarflame, but who knew? His attention was momentarily distract by another molly - was she Windclan? It was hard to tell by the scent - suddenly coming around in front of a the two. "Oh, hello-" He cut himself off at the loud gasp, and the stuttering that followed. "I'm sorry, do I know- are you alright?" His gaze clouded with concern and bewilderment as the she-cat stumbled away from them. He cast an anxious glance towards his sister before it clicked in his head.

Not clicked exactly, but it was an odd sense of déjà vu. A familiar warm scent from the nursery... his mother upset over something... his father pulling him and his sister to the side to explain something... and a name at the tip of his tongue. Ha... Harekit? No. That wasn't it.

"Hazelkit?" The tom blurted out, a subtle trace of confusion in his voice. How?? His brain could not form a more comprehensive thought, not even a complete sentence, just... how? His brain fumbled with old memories, trying to pull up a clear memory of the kit who had vanished from his life, a second sister who left so little trace that his mind had practically erased her. He suppose he knew he had two sisters, and that one was gone, but he never really thought on it. He was too young to understand when it happened - he could only recall being disappointed to lose a playmate - and by the time he was a warrior, he could barely remember her. The vague flashes he could remember seemed to check out: clear blue eyes, long brown fur, a sweet scent...

Wow.

The curly-furred warrior stood frozen for a moment, staring at Hazelkit, before he whipped around to face Leafwing, as if she wouldn't be anymore confused. Maybe he was just making sure he wasn't crazy, making sure that there was a Hazelkit. There was no way his brain had made something like that up. Right? The memories were distant, but they were there! It couldn't have been some freaky dream of something. Right?? Oh, Starclan he didn't know. For all he knew, he was hallucinating her right here and now.

@poppy. @Dawnfallstar

"Yes, she does look like our sister." Leafwind said not sure how her sister was in Windclan.

[furrensic]

@Angelique //

➸ cornpaw - he/him

following aspenstar to the seastones eagerly, cornpaw skittered off in his own direction once they arrived. jeez, it was so cold!! shaking his fur to try and get rid of the biting cold, the apprentice searched all the cats that were fathered. shadowclan, thunderclan (the BEST), windclan and...riverbutts.

he wondered if his mom was here, thinking there could be a chance she could have joined a different clan. eventually he gave up, and his eyes landed on a scary looking cat and he grinned stupidly, deciding that this cat would be the one to suffer tonight. hurrying over, he sat down right beside the tom, who he was pretty sure was shadowclan.

he inhaled, staring at the tom, "HI!!" he greeted loudly. "you look SCARY!! just like dawnstar - she looks MEAN. I heard she's mean, is that true?" he asked, aiming a small nudge at the shadowclanner, turning his head to look at the leader. "anyways!! i'm cornpa-aw," he said, giving a slight shudder. cold, cold, cold!! too cold! "alrighty!! i've told you my name, whats yours?" he asked, turning his attention to kestrelstar momentarily before looking back to the shadowclanner.

open //

➸rainypaw - they/them

walking to the seastones with the rest of thunderclan, rainypaw frowned when they noticed just how cold it was. it seemed much more colder here than it did in camp - they guessed that was to be expected since the seastones were so close to the water. taking a seat, they hoped that they'd end up falling asleep. so far, the gathering didn't seem that bad, hearing the news that kestrelstar had to give. but still, if it ended up anything like the meeting they sat through .. they'd just leave, honestly.

[Brightlight]

Originally Posted by tokyo_driftin

After a bit of time passed, Snowleap broke away from his clan and sat towards the back of the large group of cats that gathered within the Seastones. The tall warrior’s ears flattened against his head as he looked down at his paws. All the loud noises of his clanmates and other cats around him started becoming nothing more than muffled nonsense in the background. He felt weird, like he didn’t belong here. It all felt like too much all of a sudden and the tomcat wanted to run back to Riverclan territory, but how would that make his clan look to others if he ran from a gathering? Lynxfall agreed that they would meet again at this moon’s gathering, but where was he? Snowleap wrapped his tail around himself, feeling so frustrated internally. Being rather tall compared to his clanmates, it was quite hard for the Riverclan warrior to make himself small and not attract attention, but he was starting to lose his friendly, open demeanor as he sat by himself. Maybe it was for the best that nobody talked to him, maybe all those cats that he talked to these last couple of days thought he was strange. He didn’t know. The dark-furred feline just wanted to go home and go to bed. This was a mistake. He shouldn’t have come to this gathering. It was all too much. It had been so long since he had genuinely wanted to cry, but he refused to - not here, anywhere but here.

[ Snowleap: *starts to become overwhelmed and overstimulated in an overly crowded area where he proceeds to have a panic attack and overthink and start to isolate himself again*][ OPEN to anyone who wishes to console the poor man, this is his first gathering since he first became a warrior and he forgot how bad his anxiety can get. ]

--Brittleshore of Riverclan--

The grey elder nodded along as his leader spoke. Yes, yes. And they had a new medicine cat apprentice. It was nice to know some cat could take care of him when he started dying. Yes.

Brittleshore sighed in annoyance when a small breeze literally blew through his fur, and he gave an almost unnoticeable shiver. Why in Starclan had he decided to come here, he didn't know.

Brittleshore got up and headed towards the back of the crowd, moving slowly. The cold made his bad leg even worse. He didn't really need to hear anything quite so clearly any more, so to the back he went. Brittleshore was preparing to sit, when he noticed a cat who looked like he wanted to be anyplace but here.

"Are you alright, young one?" Brittleshore asked, his tone mostly neutral, but with a hint of concern.

[Captain]

Originally Posted by Brightlight

--Brittleshore of Riverclan--

The grey elder nodded along as his leader spoke. Yes, yes. And they had a new medicine cat apprentice. It was nice to know some cat could take care of him when he started dying. Yes.

Brittleshore sighed in annoyance when a small breeze literally blew through his fur, and he gave an almost unnoticeable shiver. Why in Starclan had he decided to come here, he didn't know.

Brittleshore got up and headed towards the back of the crowd, moving slowly. The cold made his bad leg even worse. He didn't really need to hear anything quite so clearly any more, so to the back he went. Brittleshore was preparing to sit, when he noticed a cat who looked like he wanted to be anyplace but here.

"Are you alright, young one?" Brittleshore asked, his tone mostly neutral, but with a hint of concern.

❰ Snowleap of Riverclan ❱

As a chilling breeze brushed through the Seastones and among the crowd of cats, Snowleap felt colder than usual on this night, despite his long dark fur. His body shivered slightly as he curled his tail around himself tighter, wishing he had just stayed back at camp. Maybe then he would not look like such a minnowbrain. The tall warrior thought he had gotten better with crowds, that his anxiety had subsided since he stood up to Lynxfall those several sunrises ago.

But no. Sure, he had gotten used to the hustle and bustle of Riverclan’s camp clearing, but this? This large of a group made him feel lightheaded and uncomfortable. Even as Kestrelstar began to speak to all the clans, Snowleap couldn’t focus, it all just sounded so far away, so muffled and unheard. It wasn’t until a voice, much closer than any other voice, sounded beside him and made him realize how tightly closed his eyes were. He opened them, his icy-blue eyes resting about another tomcat who was much older than him. His pelt seemed familiar and his scent screamed Riverclan, but it was someone whose name he did not know. He blinked at the other feline, realizing that he had been staring for a moment longer than needed.

“Ah…yes,” Snowleap said, sitting up to keep himself from not remaining hunched over while someone was looking at him, “I apologize for my strange display… I’m not a huge fan of crowds…” His tone was quiet, shy even. He felt ashamed.