September Gathering

[BEAR.]

Abstain from posting here until your respective Clan leader has arrived.

High ranks may post their entrances here, but please redirect your roleplay to this thread (http://warriorcatsonline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22180).

[SuspiciousMindz]

[closed]

Slatesting (https://suspiciousroleplays.weebly.com/slatesting.html) followed her clanmates into the clearing beneath the Seastones. Her green gaze was bright and showed pride for her clan, although she was fairly known for going beyond boundaries when it came to other clans. Ever since meeting Pomegranteseed, the ebony feline was mostly interested in the she-cats of other clans. They were more interesting than WindClan's. She didn't know them and that's what made it exciting... that and the idea of getting caught being too friendly.

[Madelaine]

| Orchidleaf; |

Snailpaw padded beside her clanmates, going her seperate way to meet with some cats. The apprentice decided to not talk to a cat outside her clan and just sit by hersf. She was still in shock after almost getting picked up by a hawk yesterday. Snailpaw's brother gave her something to help her sleep last night. She wanted somebody to lean on.

[Open]
Runningmoon went the opposite way and walked over to another cat to introduce himself. "Hello im Runningmoon.", he meowed to the other cat. He couldn't quite scent what clan this cat was from, but still wanted to say hello. The windclan tom gave his neck fur a scratch.

[Starfall]

RIVERCLAN HAS ARRIVED!

[Cave]

Shadowclan has arrived

[Freesia]

[OPEN]

Dustypaw bounded into the clearing with ShadowClan, his face alight with wonder. This was his first Gathering, and he couldn't be more excited! So many knew scents and sights came to him. Unlike most other apprentices at their first Gathering, he wasn't scared in the least. He loved meeting new cats, so he loved big crowds. Although, since he barely came up to some cats' shoulders, the short tom was having trouble making his was through the group. He settled for just dropping his head and weaving through and bumping into others while apologizing profusely. He was almost out of the throng when he smacked right into the side of another cat. "Oh StarClan, sorry!" he quickly sputtered. He'd headbutted this cat right in their flank, and he wasn't know for being tender-headed.

[Madelaine]

| Rosemew; |
(want to have Sparkheart and Beetlefrost meet up gain?)

Sparkheart padded alongside his clan mates, keeping close with the cats of Riverclan. He knew that some Shadowclan wouldn't appreciate him showing his face. The tom had been in Riverclan for a moon now and had no intentions of ever looking back at Shadowclan. Sparkheart was a Riverclan cat now and he was glad he left before the leader died and the deputy quit.

[Vexing]

| Orchidleaf; |

Snailpaw padded beside her clanmates, going her seperate way to meet with some cats. The apprentice decided to not talk to a cat outside her clan and just sit by hersf. She was still in shock after almost getting picked up by a hawk yesterday. Snailpaw's brother gave her something to help her sleep last night. She wanted somebody to lean on.

[Open]
Runningmoon went the opposite way and walked over to another cat to introduce himself. "Hello im Runningmoon.", he meowed to the other cat. He couldn't quite scent what clan this cat was from, but still wanted to say hello. The windclan tom gave his neck fur a scratch.

Emeraldbush walked behind his clan, a smile on his face as he looked around the clearing at the many clan cats. He took a step forward and saw a few cats shoot him wary glances as if they were scared he'd attack them, then again, this is how it always was and the new cats didn't make it any better. They shot him scared looks, muttered under their breaths and laughed at how big he was. He sighed and was actually about to leave the clearing before he spotted Snailpaw sitting alone. He smiled and slowly made his way over to her, sitting down next to her "Hey Snailpaw, how are you?"

[furrensic]

[ OPEN ]

Beepaw shifted through cats, head held high as his clan was the first to arrive. It was amazing, much like his clan. He sat down, giving a few licks to his pelt just to look presentable if anyone came up to talk to him. Glancing aroun, he spotted his sister, Snailpaw, not too far away talking to some tom. He felt some suspicion rise from his paws to his heart.
The medicine cat rolled his eyes, shaking the suspicion away. "Probably some tom sucking up to her because I'm a medicine cat and her brother." He scoffed.
_______________

[OPEN ]

With every step he took, Chickenpaw could feel his stomach swirling. "how..many germs are there..?!" he cried out to himself, sitting down near the back as he lifted one paw, trying to lift both of them without having to stand on hind legs. The grey and white yom wanted to leap onto some fresh, cool water and let it wash away any germs. But he couldn't swim, so he would wait until it rained..or he could risk it somehow. He shook the thought from his head, every few seconds raising both paws only for them to come back toppling into the sand. "Nasty..." He sulked.

_________

[ GLaDOS ]
_________


Beetlefrost bounded to the seastones , head and tail held high, much like the blonde medicine cat she saw. She saw a somewhat familiar pelt, shrugging it off, she sat down beside the feline without realizing it was Sparkheart. Her gaze was set forward, onto the ledge as she looked up at Agaveheart. A bad time it was for shadowclan indeed, their leader was dead and deputy, well he resigned. "Have you heard about the news in shadowclan? About Windystar and Forestshade?" The name of the leader and deputy now sounded foreign on her tongue, they were no longer a leader and deputy.

[pidgeon]

[OPEN]

Dustypaw bounded into the clearing with ShadowClan, his face alight with wonder. This was his first Gathering, and he couldn't be more excited! So many knew scents and sights came to him. Unlike most other apprentices at their first Gathering, he wasn't scared in the least. He loved meeting new cats, so he loved big crowds. Although, since he barely came up to some cats' shoulders, the short tom was having trouble making his was through the group. He settled for just dropping his head and weaving through and bumping into others while apologizing profusely. He was almost out of the throng when he smacked right into the side of another cat. "Oh StarClan, sorry!" he quickly sputtered. He'd headbutted this cat right in their flank, and he wasn't know for being tender-headed.

"Ouch, watch out!" Pigeonpaw squeaked in surprise as the ShadowClan apprentice bowled her over. She shook herself off and swiped a paw over one ear to wipe off some dust. Once she got a good look at who it was, her eyes widened with shock. She recognized this apprentice from when RiverClan had invaded ShadowClan's camp. He had been one of the first to take notice. She instinctively shied away, not knowing what to say to him. There was a truce, she knew, so no fights would break out, but the young RiverClan cat was still wary of her clan's current adversaries. Besides, it was her first gathering, too.
"Er...it's good to see ShadowClan made it here," she didn't make eye contact, and her fur bristled a little with discomfort. How was one supposed to react when meeting a rival clan so soon after battle?

[Dewberry]

[open]

Slatesting (https://suspiciousroleplays.weebly.com/slatesting.html) followed her clanmates into the clearing beneath the Seastones. Her green gaze was bright and showed pride for her clan, although she was fairly known for going beyond boundaries when it came to other clans. Ever since meeting Pomegranteseed, the ebony feline was mostly interested in the she-cats of other clans. They were more interesting than WindClan's. She didn't know them and that's what made it exciting... that and the idea of getting caught being too friendly.

Dewberry stared longingly at the stars, her solemn ice blue gaze unbroken. Ever since her brother, Flintfur, joined the ranks of StarClan she hadn't been the same. Dewberry sighed softly, she almost wished she had pretended to be sick so she wouldn't have to attend the gathering. She broke off from the other RiverClan cats in the clearing, and moved a little further off, as to not be bothered.

[Dewberry]

[OPEN]

Dustypaw bounded into the clearing with ShadowClan, his face alight with wonder. This was his first Gathering, and he couldn't be more excited! So many knew scents and sights came to him. Unlike most other apprentices at their first Gathering, he wasn't scared in the least. He loved meeting new cats, so he loved big crowds. Although, since he barely came up to some cats' shoulders, the short tom was having trouble making his was through the group. He settled for just dropping his head and weaving through and bumping into others while apologizing profusely. He was almost out of the throng when he smacked right into the side of another cat. "Oh StarClan, sorry!" he quickly sputtered. He'd headbutted this cat right in their flank, and he wasn't know for being tender-headed.

Talonpatch growled, his pelt bristling and was about to make a snarky remark until he realized it was just Dustypaw, an apprentice from ShadowClan, which happened to be his clan. He chuckled, his neck fur settling down. The grey and brown patched tom looked at the apprentice with amusement gleaming in his amber eyes, remembering his first gathering. "Geez, Dustypaw! Is your head made from rocks?" Talonpath joked.

[.:Virgo:.]

[Open, I guess]

Orchidleap looked around distrustfully towards the other cats, keeping close to her cluster of clanmates. This was her first gathering, and even though they were to be meeting in peace, Orchid didn't trust a single one of them. So she just wouldn't talk to them, if possible. She wouldn't be rude of course. She just was anti-social. She didn't like talking to others, and even when she did, it was draining. So she just waited for someone to inevitably come and talk to her.

[Orchidleap, Riverclan.]

[Madelaine]

[ OPEN ]

Beepaw shifted through cats, head held high as his clan was the first to arrive. It was amazing, much like his clan. He sat down, giving a few licks to his pelt just to look presentable if anyone came up to talk to him. Glancing aroun, he spotted his sister, Snailpaw, not too far away talking to some tom. He felt some suspicion rise from his paws to his heart.
The medicine cat rolled his eyes, shaking the suspicion away. "Probably some tom sucking up to her because I'm a medicine cat and her brother." He scoffed.
_______________

[OPEN ]

With every step he took, Chickenpaw could feel his stomach swirling. "how..many germs are there..?!" he cried out to himself, sitting down near the back as he lifted one paw, trying to lift both of them without having to stand on hind legs. The grey and white yom wanted to leap onto some fresh, cool water and let it wash away any germs. But he couldn't swim, so he would wait until it rained..or he could risk it somehow. He shook the thought from his head, every few seconds raising both paws only for them to come back toppling into the sand. "Nasty..." He sulked.

_________

[ GLaDOS ]
_________


Beetlefrost bounded to the seastones , head and tail held high, much like the blonde medicine cat she saw. She saw a somewhat familiar pelt, shrugging it off, she sat down beside the feline without realizing it was Sparkheart. Her gaze was set forward, onto the ledge as she looked up at Agaveheart. A bad time it was for shadowclan indeed, their leader was dead and deputy, well he resigned. "Have you heard about the news in shadowclan? About Windystar and Forestshade?" The name of the leader and deputy now sounded foreign on her tongue, they were no longer a leader and deputy.


Sparkheart glanced at Beetlefrost, but stayed calm. He believed that she might still be angry with him for leaving Shadowclan and almost drowning her, so he didn't expect her to come up to him. he wasn't sure if she knew who she actually sat by. Sparkheart glanced away from her, shifting to the side. "yes I have.", he meowed, hiding his face.

[Madelaine]

Emeraldbush walked behind his clan, a smile on his face as he looked around the clearing at the many clan cats. He took a step forward and saw a few cats shoot him wary glances as if they were scared he'd attack them, then again, this is how it always was and the new cats didn't make it any better. They shot him scared looks, muttered under their breaths and laughed at how big he was. He sighed and was actually about to leave the clearing before he spotted Snailpaw sitting alone. He smiled and slowly made his way over to her, sitting down next to her "Hey Snailpaw, how are you?"

Snailpaw was watching her brother look at her and Emeraldbush and scooted a little away from the older warrior, so Beepaw wouldn't suspect anything. "Hello.", she said. The apprentice looked down at her paws until she felt that her brother's eyes left her.

[Vexing]

Snailpaw was watching her brother look at her and Emeraldbush and scooted a little away from the older warrior, so Beepaw wouldn't suspect anything. "Hello.", she said. The apprentice looked down at her paws until she felt that her brother's eyes left her.
Emeraldbush noticed her scooch a bit away from him and he was a bit hurt at that but he understood "Hey, is everything okay Snailpaw? You seem a bit down." He gave her a worried and sympathetic look which caused a few of the cats in front of them to turn back and stare. He gave them all one glare and they immediately turned away with wide, scared eyes.

[Madelaine]

Emeraldbush noticed her scooch a bit away from him and he was a bit hurt at that but he understood "Hey, is everything okay Snailpaw? You seem a bit down." He gave her a worried and sympathetic look which caused a few of the cats in front of them to turn back and stare. He gave them all one glare and they immediately turned away with wide, scared eyes.

Snailpaw looked at him, remembering yesterday when she almost got taken off by a hawk. "I don't know if you heard, but I was almost carried off by a hawk yesterday and I wasn't able to sleep that well last night.", she meowed, leaving the part out of her going to her adopted brother Beepaw to get something to help her sleep.

[Vexing]

Snailpaw looked at him, remembering yesterday when she almost got taken off by a hawk. "I don't know if you heard, but I was almost carried off by a hawk yesterday and I wasn't able to sleep that well last night.", she meowed, leaving the part out of her going to her adopted brother Beepaw to get something to help her sleep.
"Oh Starclan, I'm sorry to hear that Snailpaw." He was about to twine his tail with hers but he hesitated, remembering that apprentices weren't allowed to have mates "Maybe once the gathering is over I could take you hunting for a bit, you know, try to cheer you up." He gave her a worried smile and rested the tip of his tail on her shoulder. Now he knew this wasn't weird since apprentices did it with each other all the time when comforting one another and the same went for all cats so he was in the right here.

[Freesia]

"Ouch, watch out!" Pigeonpaw squeaked in surprise as the ShadowClan apprentice bowled her over. She shook herself off and swiped a paw over one ear to wipe off some dust. Once she got a good look at who it was, her eyes widened with shock. She recognized this apprentice from when RiverClan had invaded ShadowClan's camp. He had been one of the first to take notice. She instinctively shied away, not knowing what to say to him. There was a truce, she knew, so no fights would break out, but the young RiverClan cat was still wary of her clan's current adversaries. Besides, it was her first gathering, too.
"Er...it's good to see ShadowClan made it here," she didn't make eye contact, and her fur bristled a little with discomfort. How was one supposed to react when meeting a rival clan so soon after battle?

Dustypaw stepped back to give the other cat some space. He didn't recognize her, but she looked about his age. He saw her eyes widen in shock as she realized the same thing he did--they had been on opposite sides of RiverClan's raid of ShadowClan camp not to long ago. The small tom bristled. Although he didn't remember seeing her, he would recognize that fishy smell anywhere. "RiverClan, too," he replied, eyes narrowed. He didn't feel any hostility towards this apprentice specifically, but considering that RiverClan had burst into their camp and threatened to tear their dens apart, he wasn't exactly ready to make friends with any RiverClanners just yet. His green eyes studied this apprentice, her stance, and how she seemed to be avoiding his gaze. With a sigh, Dustypaw forced his fur to lie flat. RiverClan and ShadowClan were at odds, but hostility was unnecessary. They were only apprentices, so it wasn't like they were going to be fighting each other any time soon. "What's it like in RiverClan, just now finding out about Windystar and Forestshade?" he sighed.

shipshipshipshipshipship--

[Freesia]

Talonpatch growled, his pelt bristling and was about to make a snarky remark until he realized it was just Dustypaw, an apprentice from ShadowClan, which happened to be his clan. He chuckled, his neck fur settling down. The grey and brown patched tom looked at the apprentice with amusement gleaming in his amber eyes, remembering his first gathering. "Geez, Dustypaw! Is your head made from rocks?" Talonpath joked.

Dustypaw stifled a whine when he heard the other cat growl. Stepping back, he realized that he recognized this cat. Thank StarClan, it was only Talonpatch, a ShadowClan warrior. "Er, sorry Talonpatch!" he squeaked. "I just wasn't watching where I was going, I guess!" The young apprentice had only talked to Talonpatch a couple times, though he seemed nice.

[pidgeon]

Dustypaw stepped back to give the other cat some space. He didn't recognize her, but she looked about his age. He saw her eyes widen in shock as she realized the same thing he did--they had been on opposite sides of RiverClan's raid of ShadowClan camp not to long ago. The small tom bristled. Although he didn't remember seeing her, he would recognize that fishy smell anywhere. "RiverClan, too," he replied, eyes narrowed. He didn't feel any hostility towards this apprentice specifically, but considering that RiverClan had burst into their camp and threatened to tear their dens apart, he wasn't exactly ready to make friends with any RiverClanners just yet. His green eyes studied this apprentice, her stance, and how she seemed to be avoiding his gaze. With a sigh, Dustypaw forced his fur to lie flat. RiverClan and ShadowClan were at odds, but hostility was unnecessary. They were only apprentices, so it wasn't like they were going to be fighting each other any time soon. "What's it like in RiverClan, just now finding out about Windystar and Forestshade?" he sighed.

shipshipshipshipshipship--

Pigeonpaw saw the rival apprentice bristling, and her fear rose. By this point, her already hugely fluffy pelt was making her look like a ball of sheep's fur. She shook herself off and tried her best to be brave. There's a truce, mouse-brain. He's not going to attack you, she thought to herself. She listened to his idle question, knowing she shouldn't give too much information. That was made very clear to her by her stern superiors.
"It's been...offputting," she began. "Most cats really don't know what to make of it, and some are concerned for ShadowClan and your future." She answered honestly. The pale gray tabby wondered how long a clan could go without leadership like that. She also knew her deputy was rather ambitious, and she felt like he would try again to take advantage of the situation.
"And uh, how are you all doing, having to deal with this? I can imagine it must be distressing."

[Freesia]

Pigeonpaw saw the rival apprentice bristling, and her fear rose. By this point, her already hugely fluffy pelt was making her look like a ball of sheep's fur. She shook herself off and tried her best to be brave. There's a truce, mouse-brain. He's not going to attack you, she thought to herself. She listened to his idle question, knowing she shouldn't give too much information. That was made very clear to her by her stern superiors.
"It's been...offputting," she began. "Most cats really don't know what to make of it, and some are concerned for ShadowClan and your future." She answered honestly. The pale gray tabby wondered how long a clan could go without leadership like that. She also knew her deputy was rather ambitious, and she felt like he would try again to take advantage of the situation.
"And uh, how are you all doing, having to deal with this? I can imagine it must be distressing."

Dustypaw frowned and turned his gaze to the highrock, finding Agaveheart. "It's been difficult for a lot of us. Windystar's death was a shock to everyone. And Lionstorm definitely didn't help anything," he admitted, grumbling the last sentence. A lot of cats found Lionstorm's raid on their camp to be childish and reckless. Some mousebrained ShadowClan warriors move the border and suddenly there's the entirety of RiverClan, ready to fight. The only thing that diffused the situation was the fact that ShadowClan doesn't have a leader. Dustypaw turned his attention back to Pigeonpaw. "I know that StarClan will choose a good leader. They would never leave us hanging like that. It would only make sense for Agaveheart to get a sign from our ancestors telling us who the new leader is," he rambled. He had been thinking a lot about who the new leader would be. Obviously to Dustypaw, it would be a strong, brave, well-known senior warrior who was already experienced with leading. He was only a little upset that he wasn't old enough to be a candidate for deputy. One of his goals was to be the best. So naturally, he wanted to be the leader. As a kit, he'd always claim the position of the good leader during games. Dustypaw may only have started his training 2 moons ago, but he was determined to rise to the top.

[pidgeon]

Dustypaw frowned and turned his gaze to the highrock, finding Agaveheart. "It's been difficult for a lot of us. Windystar's death was a shock to everyone. And Lionstorm definitely didn't help anything," he admitted, grumbling the last sentence. A lot of cats found Lionstorm's raid on their camp to be childish and reckless. Some mousebrained ShadowClan warriors move the border and suddenly there's the entirety of RiverClan, ready to fight. The only thing that diffused the situation was the fact that ShadowClan doesn't have a leader. Dustypaw turned his attention back to Pigeonpaw. "I know that StarClan will choose a good leader. They would never leave us hanging like that. It would only make sense for Agaveheart to get a sign from our ancestors telling us who the new leader is," he rambled. He had been thinking a lot about who the new leader would be. Obviously to Dustypaw, it would be a strong, brave, well-known senior warrior who was already experienced with leading. He was only a little upset that he wasn't old enough to be a candidate for deputy. One of his goals was to be the best. So naturally, he wanted to be the leader. As a kit, he'd always claim the position of the good leader during games. Dustypaw may only have started his training 2 moons ago, but he was determined to rise to the top.

"I wonder who StarClan will choose?" Pigeonpaw wondered aloud. Her heart went out to Agaveheart, the poor old medicine cat stuck with so much responsibility. Pigeonpaw didn't think she could bear it if she was in her place. She thought about all the cats of ShadowClan, and wondered to herself which one was most likely for the position. Ultimately, she didn't know any ShadowClan cats well enough to think of one that could take up the mantle. From her perspective, when she was in the invading patrol, all the ShadowClan warriors just seemed nervous and argumentative.
"What is your mentor like?" She changed the subject, thinking that neither of them were likely enjoying the conversation about the clan's weakness.

[Moonraven]

[Open]
Lunafrost icy eyes swept around the area as cats of all colors and sizes wandered around the gather. The Shadowclan warrior kept to the side, being careful not to get in any one cat's way. The alluring blue-furred feline took a seat a bit off to the side, she's never been that best at socializing. It was harder then it should be to connect with her clanmates, initiating conversation was not something she was well experienced with beside with her apprentice's Rabbitpaw, and she often carried a poised air around her, so she sat, wrapping her graceful tail around her dainty paws and listened to the chatter of others.

[Open]
A large, muscular tom with broad shoulders and a powerful frame had himself laying off to the side. The deep breaths of air rose and fell in time with a large chest, hefty paws were bent underneath his giant frame as his liquid golden eyes stayed firmly on a tiny she-cat several tail lengths away. Whiteshadow was a fierce-looking creature with smooth snow-white fur. He was mostly Maine Coon and extremely large, as well as remarkably intimidating. The Shadowclan senior noticed his daughter's lack of interest in finding friends, but it did not seem to concern Elfinpaw so he did not let it bother him. Whiteshadow's eyes roamed as more cats slowly began to gather around, he was never one for crowds or talking. He merely listened as words were passed from one maw to another nothing truly of any concern to him.

[Open]
Quite a few sounds were running around the gathering along with scents, many might of been missed by those who were focused on the what was in front of them instead of around them. The elfin sized she-cat blinked her eyes a pawful of times and shut themselves firmly seconds later. The faint voices of cats bleed into the distance, the low murmur of their meows engulfed by the gentle sigh of the tide of cool air that fled. It vanished as her eyes parted once again and color return, the odd Shadowclan apprentice was rather skilled with amused herself, whether it was making up weird imaginary bugs or creatures that did not exist or listening to the world around her. This was her first gathering, although unlike normal apprentices the smaller than average apprentice did not dart off seeking anyone to talk to. She was weird like that.

[pidgeon]

[Open]
Lunafrost icy eyes swept around the area as cats of all colors and sizes wandered around the gather. The Shadowclan warrior kept to the side, being careful not to get in any one cat's way. The alluring blue-furred feline took a seat a bit off to the side, she's never been that best at socializing. It was harder then it should be to connect with her clanmates, initiating conversation was not something she was well experienced with beside with her apprentice's Rabbitpaw, and she often carried a poised air around her, so she sat, wrapping her graceful tail around her dainty paws and listened to the chatter of others.

[Open]
A large, muscular tom with broad shoulders and a powerful frame had himself laying off to the side. The deep breaths of air rose and fell in time with a large chest, hefty paws were bent underneath his giant frame as his liquid golden eyes stayed firmly on a tiny she-cat several tail lengths away. Whiteshadow was a fierce-looking creature with smooth snow-white fur. He was mostly Maine Coon and extremely large, as well as remarkably intimidating. The Shadowclan senior noticed his daughter's lack of interest in finding friends, but it did not seem to concern Elfinpaw so he did not let it bother him. Whiteshadow's eyes roamed as more cats slowly began to gather around, he was never one for crowds or talking. He merely listened as words were passed from one maw to another nothing truly of any concern to him.

[Open]
Quite a few sounds were running around the gathering along with scents, many might of been missed by those who were focused on the what was in front of them instead of around them. The elfin sized she-cat blinked her eyes a pawful of times and shut themselves firmly seconds later. The faint voices of cats bleed into the distance, the low murmur of their meows engulfed by the gentle sigh of the tide of cool air that fled. It vanished as her eyes parted once again and color return, the odd Shadowclan apprentice was rather skilled with amused herself, whether it was making up weird imaginary bugs or creatures that did not exist or listening to the world around her. This was her first gathering, although unlike normal apprentices the smaller than average apprentice did not dart off seeking anyone to talk to. She was weird like that.



Owlfeather walked with small steps around the clearing, careful not to bump into any cats in the bustling crowd. Her joints ached from the work she had been doing in recent sunrises, and she had no particular interest in mingling with the other clans. Tensions were far too high between her own clan and others, and she wanted to avoid uncomfortable questions from pestering young cats. Her paws eventually guided her to Whiteshadow, and she rested her weary muscles next to him, sitting with her tail wrapped around her paws.
"Have any other clan cats given you trouble yet?" She asked the powerful warrior calmly. She'd managed to avoid being questioned thus far. "I've just seen Dustypaw nearly get into a fight with some young RiverClan cat." She'd have intervened to help the apprentice from her own clan if necessary, but it seemed that the situation had diffused itself rather quickly. The old she-cat stretched her jaws wide in a tired yawn.

[SuspiciousMindz]

Dewberry stared longingly at the stars, her solemn ice blue gaze unbroken. Ever since her brother, Flintfur, joined the ranks of StarClan she hadn't been the same. Dewberry sighed softly, she almost wished she had pretended to be sick so she wouldn't have to attend the gathering. She broke off from the other RiverClan cats in the clearing, and moved a little further off, as to not be bothered.
Slatesting had been watching the other clans arrived, noting cats she'd seen before or talked to before, however a striking she-cat stood out to her. She was alone, staring up at the stars before slipping away from the large group of cats. Ears perking with interest, the ebony she-cat got up and started after the she-cat. Her pace was brisk as she squeezed through the cats.

Finally, she caught up, just a few tail lengths away from her. "Excuse me," she spoke, making her presence known. "You seem lost, the Gathering is back there," Slatesting gestured to the Gathering behind her.

[Moonraven]

Owlfeather walked with small steps around the clearing, careful not to bump into any cats in the bustling crowd. Her joints ached from the work she had been doing in recent sunrises, and she had no particular interest in mingling with the other clans. Tensions were far too high between her own clan and others, and she wanted to avoid uncomfortable questions from pestering young cats. Her paws eventually guided her to Whiteshadow, and she rested her weary muscles next to him, sitting with her tail wrapped around her paws.
"Have any other clan cats given you trouble yet?" She asked the powerful warrior calmly. She'd managed to avoid being questioned thus far. "I've just seen Dustypaw nearly get into a fight with some young RiverClan cat." She'd have intervened to help the apprentice from her own clan if necessary, but it seemed that the situation had diffused itself rather quickly. The old she-cat stretched her jaws wide in a tired yawn.

The old tom twisted his left ear when a certain set of paws came unusually close to him. He slowly turned his head in wonderment who'd dare to disturb him, his golden eyes took note of the familiar senior warrior as she took a seat next to him. Making sure to keep his daughter in his peripheral sight, the warrior used his massive paws to push his tremendous weight upward so that he could sit at his towering height. The fact that he had bothered rising at all spoke of the silent respect he had for Owlfeather. "You honestly think anyone would be foolish enough to test my patience?" He asked rhetorically, his deep voice sounded irritated yet that was normal for him as most viewed him as grumpy. The quiet warrior twitched his tail in responses to the comment about Dustypaw, though did nothing more than that. It was rare to get much of a response from Whiteshadow. "Tired?" He quipped, noticing how the she-cat yawned.

[pidgeon]

The old tom twisted his left ear when a certain set of paws came unusually close to him. He slowly turned his head in wonderment who'd dare to disturb him, his golden eyes took note of the familiar senior warrior as she took a seat next to him. Making sure to keep his daughter in his peripheral sight, the warrior used his massive paws to push his tremendous weight upward so that he could sit at his towering height. The fact that he had bothered rising at all spoke of the silent respect he had for Owlfeather. "You honestly think anyone would be foolish enough to test my patience?" He asked rhetorically, his deep voice sounded irritated yet that was normal for him as most viewed him as grumpy. The quiet warrior twitched his tail in responses to the comment about Dustypaw, though did nothing more than that. It was rare to get much of a response from Whiteshadow. "Tired?" He quipped, noticing how the she-cat yawned.

Owlfeather's whiskers twitched with amusement at his response.
"No, I suppose if I were a young cat from another clan, I might avoid bothering you." She wasn't personally intimidated by the white warrior, but she knew the fear he could strike in his foes. His powerful form was made all the more intimidating by his gleaming, amber eyes.
"And yes, I guess I am a bit tired. Most of us are, after all, with everything that's been going on. But I'll manage, of course. This isn't my first clan crisis and I doubt it will be the last." She droned on absentmindedly. She had a lot to be thinking about. She wondered briefly if she was expecting too much from herself, but she brushed the thought aside. Her exhaustion was temporary; the safety of her clan was far more important than one cat being sleepy. But she mustn't forget that she was not alone, and the other senior warriors were all putting themselves out as well.

[Moonraven]

Owlfeather's whiskers twitched with amusement at his response.
"No, I suppose if I were a young cat from another clan, I might avoid bothering you." She wasn't personally intimidated by the white warrior, but she knew the fear he could strike in his foes. His powerful form was made all the more intimidating by his gleaming, amber eyes.
"And yes, I guess I am a bit tired. Most of us are, after all, with everything that's been going on. But I'll manage, of course. This isn't my first clan crisis and I doubt it will be the last." She droned on absentmindedly. She had a lot to be thinking about. She wondered briefly if she was expecting too much from herself, but she brushed the thought aside. Her exhaustion was temporary; the safety of her clan was far more important than one cat being sleepy. But she mustn't forget that she was not alone, and the other senior warriors were all putting themselves out as well.

A smirk lightly pulled at his maw at her words, unexpectedly Whiteshadow enjoyed the youngsters, they brought an unusual sense of hope to his heart. To say the warrior's bark was worse then than his bite would be a lie, but those brave enough to strike up a conversation with him would find a gentle yet blunt and gruff type of tom, whose appearance did not always match his personality. His ear twitched, like shooing a fly, as she spoke of their current predicament.
He turned his head a little more to peer at Owlfeather before relaxing the intensity of his gaze and parting his maw, "If you need help...managing I'm always willing to lend an ear or my assistance." He did not bother commenting or asking about her health, considering that she knew how to take care of herself.
He was not overly worried about the lack of command in Shadowclan, assured that Starclan alongside Agaveheart would sort the problem out in due time. Until then he'd do his best to assist the clan and those in it as he could. Those who'd dare look down on Shadowclan would learn, no other Clan can walk the paths of the night as they do. Other Clans may be faster or stronger, but they are the most dangerous warriors: fierce, proud, and independent. He'd be willing to do what it takes to protect this great Clan.
Riverclan, however, was a different matter entirely.
"What do you think about the matter with them?" He asked, nodding in the general vicinity of Riverclan. He's heard snippets from other Shadowclan cats, bold and unthoughtful answers, Whiteshadow had put the trouble with Riverclan second to the immediate problem in the clan. Though he had had his own thoughts, he would not mind hearing her thought. However, would not pester Owlfeather if she wished to avoid the topic.

[pidgeon]

A smirk lightly pulled at his maw at her words, unexpectedly Whiteshadow enjoyed the youngsters, they brought an unusual sense of hope to his heart. To say the warrior's bark was worse then than his bite would be a lie, but those brave enough to strike up a conversation with him would find a gentle yet blunt and gruff type of tom, whose appearance did not always match his personality. His ear twitched, like shooing a fly, as she spoke of their current predicament.
He turned his head a little more to peer at Owlfeather before relaxing the intensity of his gaze and parting his maw, "If you need help...managing I'm always willing to lend an ear or my assistance." He did not bother commenting or asking about her health, considering that she knew how to take care of herself.
He was not overly worried about the lack of command in Shadowclan, assured that Starclan alongside Agaveheart would sort the problem out in due time. Until then he'd do his best to assist the clan and those in it as he could. Those who'd dare look down on Shadowclan would learn, no other Clan can walk the paths of the night as they do. Other Clans may be faster or stronger, but they are the most dangerous warriors: fierce, proud, and independent. He'd be willing to do what it takes to protect this great Clan.
Riverclan, however, was a different matter entirely.
"What do you think about the matter with them?" He asked, nodding in the general vicinity of Riverclan. He's heard snippets from other Shadowclan cats, bold and unthoughtful answers, Whiteshadow had put the trouble with Riverclan second to the immediate problem in the clan. Though he had had his own thoughts, he would not mind hearing her thought. However, would not pester Owlfeather if she wished to avoid the topic.

"You're a senior warrior, too, you know. I'd hope that you'd be helping out regardless of whether I needed it or not." The phrase may have come off kind of cranky, but there was no malice or anger in her tone. The predicament had brought a fair amount of overly-proud, power-hungry cats who seemed to leap at the opportunity to seize control. That included cats from other clans, apparently. The fur along her spine bristled briefly when she thought of the RiverClan deputy. She'd like to get the opportunity to claw his fur off, and stifle that surge of pride that had gone to his head. And I thought MY clan was prideful... she took a deep breath and let her fur lie flat again. No point in stirring up unnecessary drama; she would keep her distasteful thoughts to herself.
"The matter with them, I think, ultimately we brought their wrath down upon us. It's almost as if...Well, part of me wonders if the loss of our leaders was StarClan's punishment for our clanmates trying to move the border. I wish Windystar would have done something to stop it before it got so out of hand. But that prey has been caught, and we must move forward. RiverClan may be aggressive and strong, but I feel that their thick-headed pride will be the downfall of their plans. They mustn't think that we can't defend ourselves." She caught herself droning on again. She realized that she'd left all of these thoughts internalized, and hadn't voiced them to any cat. It felt good to get it all out of her fur. She was silently grateful for Whiteshadow's patience listening to her.

[Moonraven]

"You're a senior warrior, too, you know. I'd hope that you'd be helping out regardless of whether I needed it or not." The phrase may have come off kind of cranky, but there was no malice or anger in her tone. The predicament had brought a fair amount of overly-proud, power-hungry cats who seemed to leap at the opportunity to seize control. That included cats from other clans, apparently. The fur along her spine bristled briefly when she thought of the RiverClan deputy. She'd like to get the opportunity to claw his fur off, and stifle that surge of pride that had gone to his head. And I thought MY clan was prideful... she took a deep breath and let her fur lie flat again. No point in stirring up unnecessary drama; she would keep her distasteful thoughts to herself.
"The matter with them, I think, ultimately we brought their wrath down upon us. It's almost as if...Well, part of me wonders if the loss of our leaders was StarClan's punishment for our clanmates trying to move the border. I wish Windystar would have done something to stop it before it got so out of hand. But that prey has been caught, and we must move forward. RiverClan may be aggressive and strong, but I feel that their thick-headed pride will be the downfall of their plans. They mustn't think that we can't defend ourselves." She caught herself droning on again. She realized that she'd left all of these thoughts internalized, and hadn't voiced them to any cat. It felt good to get it all out of her fur. She was silently grateful for Whiteshadow's patience listening to her.

A warm chuckle rolled from his broad chest as strong muscles flexed underneath his thick pelt of ivory. It was clear he did not mind her words, so he did not bother trying to defend himself seeing as he didn't see them as a verbal attack. It was common sense that he'd help whoever needed it, as any warrior should, whether it was requested or not, whether it was wanted or not, the tom had his own code and that promise he made all those moons ago to a particular she-cat that still rests heavy on his heart. His somber and aloof yet calm and tranquil air returned as he listened to Owlfeather.
"Starclan works in the oddest of ways, but I think taking our leader away to join them in such trying times like this would be rather cruel." He spoke, not really agree or disagree just stating his opinion. "Incurring Riverclan's fury and dealing with them is frustrating and punishment enough for us to learn from it. I do think this grudge Riverclan is holding on to and the measures they're taking is rather extreme." It's not like they've caused any more trouble since then, it felt like Riverclan was poking and probing Shadowclan just because they could now, to him. However, he was just one view of many. Continuing to mess with a beehive after getting stung once was begging for trouble.
"Whether Riverclan thinks we're weaker or can't defend ourselves, we'll naturally just have to prove them wrong."Riverclan was becoming rather ambitious and aggressive in his eyes, were they trying to replace Shadowclan as the dark-hearted of the clans? His eyes flickered over to his daughter who appeared to be chatting with a small insect, he made a note in his head to search for a proper mentor for her sooner rather than later. His yellow eyes returned to Owlfeather with a thoughtful frown on his maw.

[pidgeon]

A warm chuckle rolled from his broad chest as strong muscles flexed underneath his thick pelt of ivory. It was clear he did not mind her words, so he did not bother trying to defend himself seeing as he didn't see them as a verbal attack. It was common sense that he'd help whoever needed it, as any warrior should, whether it was requested or not, whether it was wanted or not, the tom had his own code and that promise he made all those moons ago to a particular she-cat that still rests heavy on his heart. His somber and aloof yet calm and tranquil air returned as he listened to Owlfeather.
"Starclan works in the oddest of ways, but I think taking our leader away to join them in such trying times like this would be rather cruel." He spoke, not really agree or disagree just stating his opinion. "Incurring Riverclan's fury and dealing with them is frustrating and punishment enough for us to learn from it. I do think this grudge Riverclan is holding on to and the measures they're taking is rather extreme." It's not like they've caused any more trouble since then, it felt like Riverclan was poking and probing Shadowclan just because they could now, to him. However, he was just one view of many. Continuing to mess with a beehive after getting stung once was begging for trouble.
"Whether Riverclan thinks we're weaker or can't defend ourselves, we'll naturally just have to prove them wrong."Riverclan was becoming rather ambitious and aggressive in his eyes, were they trying to replace Shadowclan as the dark-hearted of the clans? His eyes flickered over to his daughter who appeared to be chatting with a small insect, he made a note in his head to search for a proper mentor for her sooner rather than later. His yellow eyes returned to Owlfeather with a thoughtful frown on his maw.

"Perhaps you're right," Owlfeather sighed, losing herself in thought. What had ShadowClan done to deserve so much trouble? Surely a few vigilante warriors moving the border wasn't punishable by death, was it? Clans moved borders all the time. There would always be some sort of short turf war, squabbling leaders, and that was the end of it. The position that ShadowClan found itself in seemed to extenuate the circumstances. She could only pray to StarClan that this wasn't their doing, and that their clan would survive. They may be disorganized and chaotic now, but she was sure things would resolve eventually. On that last thought, she looked around for Agaveheart, eventually spotting her somewhere in the shadows. She turned to Whiteshadow again.
"Agaveheart is hesitating," she whispered. "I don't blame her; this must be rather difficult. I can't imagine the stress. But what will the other clans think if she waits too long?"

(Not sure if I should tag you in this or not Cave , but I will just in case you were waiting for someone to notice her)

[Moonraven]

"Perhaps you're right," Owlfeather sighed, losing herself in thought. What had ShadowClan done to deserve so much trouble? Surely a few vigilante warriors moving the border wasn't punishable by death, was it? Clans moved borders all the time. There would always be some sort of short turf war, squabbling leaders, and that was the end of it. The position that ShadowClan found itself in seemed to extenuate the circumstances. She could only pray to StarClan that this wasn't their doing, and that their clan would survive. They may be disorganized and chaotic now, but she was sure things would resolve eventually. On that last thought, she looked around for Agaveheart, eventually spotting her somewhere in the shadows. She turned to Whiteshadow again.
"Agaveheart is hesitating," she whispered. "I don't blame her; this must be rather difficult. I can't imagine the stress. But what will the other clans think if she waits too long?"

(Not sure if I should tag you in this or not Cave , but I will just in case you were waiting for someone to notice her)

Whiteshadow glanced in the direction Owlfeather was looking as she turned away from him. He followed her gaze over to their medicine cat after some time. His frown grew deeper as watched the she-cat, Agaveheart was in a rather delicate position, one that she wasn't ready or suited for but unfortunately it was not something they could change. "This is not something that we can rush, no matter how much we want to improve it." He meowed, returning his eyes to Owlfeather. "Picking a leader just to be done with it or because the other clans urge her won't do, especially with Riverclan's fish-breath breathing down our backs. As senior warriors, all we can do is help relieve as much of her stress as we can, I'm sure Starclan will guide her paws to the right cat, if not I trust she'll make the right decision when the time comes." Whiteshadow answered in a low tone of voice. He didn't see them having much to go on besides that. Faith, trust, and trying to keep the clan together as much as they all could.

[pidgeon]

Whiteshadow glanced in the direction Owlfeather was looking as she turned away from him. He followed her gaze over to their medicine cat after some time. His frown grew deeper as watched the she-cat, Agaveheart was in a rather delicate position, one that she wasn't ready or suited for but unfortunately it was not something they could change. "This is not something that we can rush, no matter how much we want to improve it." He meowed, returning his eyes to Owlfeather. "Picking a leader just to be done with it or because the other clans urge her won't do, especially with Riverclan's fish-breath breathing down our backs. As senior warriors, all we can do is help relieve as much of her stress as we can, I'm sure Starclan will guide her paws to the right cat, if not I trust she'll make the right decision when the time comes." Whiteshadow answered in a low tone of voice. He didn't see them having much to go on besides that. Faith, trust, and trying to keep the clan together as much as they all could.

"Yes, I wouldn't want to push her too far, but I'm worried the other clans might." Owlfeather gazed across the clearing with eyes clouded in thought. "We can only hope that those fish-faces leave us alone long enough for us to figure things out for ourselves. We just need time, and everything will settle itself out." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself of what she was saying, rather than Whiteshadow.
"Then again," The old cat continued, "We're ShadowClan. When have we ever let other clans push us around? We'll be ready when we are ready, and not before." She let out a snort of defiance as her pride seemed to return to her. ShadowClan would be fine; she trusted that Agaveheart and StarClan would make sure of it.

[Moonraven]

"Yes, I wouldn't want to push her too far, but I'm worried the other clans might." Owlfeather gazed across the clearing with eyes clouded in thought. "We can only hope that those fish-faces leave us alone long enough for us to figure things out for ourselves. We just need time, and everything will settle itself out." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself of what she was saying, rather than Whiteshadow.
"Then again," The old cat continued, "We're ShadowClan. When have we ever let other clans push us around? We'll be ready when we are ready, and not before." She let out a snort of defiance as her pride seemed to return to her. ShadowClan would be fine; she trusted that Agaveheart and StarClan would make sure of it.

Whiteshadow glanced over to where the clan leaders, their deputies, and Shadowclan's med cat were, considering that Agaveheart didn't let her own clanmates walk all over her he figured she wouldn't let the other clan cats do it either. It was going to be rough giving her background, but he hoped she had enough inner strength, even it wavered at times, to keep her head held high. He knew it was wishful thinking, yet figured it might have been easier if she had brought some senior warriors with her, however, knew that would cause unnecessary trouble with the other clans... Such a tricky situation they were stuck in. His tail tip twitched as he grew amused with Owlfeather's change in mood, her former concerns seemed to melt away as her pride as a Shadowclan cat returned.
"I'm sure Shadowclan will be fine, we'll come out of this stronger than before." He meowed, hoping that they've learned from the mistakes they've made. Whiteshadow looked down at the she-cat, pondering for a moment, it was a little odd that he talk to anyone outside of his little group and even more so took some enjoyment out of the exchange. He would have to seek this she-cat out more often.

[Fuzzy]

Faithpaw trotted after ShadowClan. The small calico was a bit upset not only had ShadowClan been left without leadership and rogues were joining freely, she was left without a mentor. She kept telling herself it's going to get better because everything does but it was still a bit frustrating. Tail lashing a few times Faith stopped in the clearing. There was a lot more cats then she thought there was. "Woah," The young apprentice breathed. So many new scents and sights. Tonight was her first night outside camp and to a gathering. Windystar didn't even take her in a tour before he died.
A bit overwhelmed but excited still Faithpaw made her way farther into the clearing. There's so many cats! Amber-green eyes wide the young molly stoped. What was she supposed to do at gatherings? Talk? But to who?

{Open}

Striding into the clearing after her Clanmates Coralpaw held her tail and head high. This was her first gathering but the RiverClan apprentice wasn't nervous at all. In fact she was slightly excited to show the other Clans that RiverClan was best. Being the second Clan to arrive the dual colored molly found a nice place to watch the gathering and be able to show off. Of course she'd just make the other apprentices jealous of not being RiverClan.
Chest puffed out Coral sat down and began giving herself a few last minute licks. She had to look perfect. The young apprentices pelt was always clean tonight would be no exception.

{Open}

[Madelaine]

[Open; need a elder to help her around]

A shadowclan molly with no eyes stood in the clearing, waiting for the elder that was helping her out come around to help her out. She had no idea that this elder was trying to get her to join them now that her kit was an apprentice. Citrusflower was a pretty young cat, but since the badger got her eyes all those moons ago she started to just sit in camp. The warrior proped her head as if she could see all the leaders and deputies on the rocks ahead of them.

[Vexing]

[Open; need a elder to help her around]

A shadowclan molly with no eyes stood in the clearing, waiting for the elder that was helping her out come around to help her out. She had no idea that this elder was trying to get her to join them now that her kit was an apprentice. Citrusflower was a pretty young cat, but since the badger got her eyes all those moons ago she started to just sit in camp. The warrior proped her head as if she could see all the leaders and deputies on the rocks ahead of them.
Silktail was only recently made into an elder and he pretty much hated every bit of it aside from the kits always gathering around him for stories. He wished he could be a warrior again, he could still fight perfectly fine and he was fast! But he couldn't blame his leader for making this decision, he was 76 moons after all. Plus, him being a warrior just made the long scar on the side of his face more intimidating and he couldn't carry much prey because he could only control the left side of his mouth. Silktail looked around the gathering, smiling at all the other cats communicating and getting along with one another until he spotted a molly sitting alone watching everyone else. He decided that he had nobody else to talk to so he slowly padded over to the molly and drank in her scent but it took him a moment to register the scent as Shadowclan. He smiled at her and said in his cheerful yet soft voice, "Hey, I spotted you from across the clearing and decided you look just as lonely as I do so I decided why not try to say hi? So hi, my name's Silktail, I'm from RIverclan!"

[Moonraven]

Faithpaw trotted after ShadowClan. The small calico was a bit upset not only had ShadowClan been left without leadership and rogues were joining freely, she was left without a mentor. She kept telling herself it's going to get better because everything does but it was still a bit frustrating. Tail lashing a few times Faith stopped in the clearing. There was a lot more cats then she thought there was. "Woah," The young apprentice breathed. So many new scents and sights. Tonight was her first night outside camp and to a gathering. Windystar didn't even take her in a tour before he died.
A bit overwhelmed but excited still Faithpaw made her way farther into the clearing. There's so many cats! Amber-green eyes wide the young molly stoped. What was she supposed to do at gatherings? Talk? But to who?

{Open}

Striding into the clearing after her Clanmates Coralpaw held her tail and head high. This was her first gathering but the RiverClan apprentice wasn't nervous at all. In fact she was slightly excited to show the other Clans that RiverClan was best. Being the second Clan to arrive the dual colored molly found a nice place to watch the gathering and be able to show off. Of course she'd just make the other apprentices jealous of not being RiverClan.
Chest puffed out Coral sat down and began giving herself a few last minute licks. She had to look perfect. The young apprentices pelt was always clean tonight would be no exception.

{Open}


The small apprentice had wandered farther away from her father when she noticed him enraptured in a conversation with another senior warrior that wasn't Lunafrost. Her eyes were focused on the small insect that she was currently following around, she was being as careful as she could with not running into any cats. She might have hung around her mentor had she had one, but for now, she was entertaining herself. As she wandered further into the clearing, she paused when a particular set of hind paws and a tail drifted into her line of sight. As her insect friend crawled underneath the cat and away from her, Elfinpaw lifted her head to look at the she-cat she had stopped behind. "Hello, Faithpaw." She meowed to her fellow Shadowclan cat as if they were old friends, a warm smile on her maw with a dreamy expression in her green eyes. "Did you see where it went?"

[Sharp moon]

[Open!]





The apprentice sat there, he looked as he thought of Rockclaw not being able to attend, he looked around to his if his brother might have attended but quickly gave up as he saw other cats from different clans, the tom stayed there in his spot.

[Fawn]

By the time Fawnpaw emerged from RiverClan's territory and into the open field with the Seastones ahead, he knew he was in trouble.

Oh no. This wasn't good.

Fawnpaw suppressed a frustrated, panicked squeak as he saw the moon was high in the nighttime sky, shining down on the cats that were gathered by Seastones... meanwhile, he was a distance away and barely within eyeshot, having been caught up in his apprentice duties until the very last minute. And almost certainly, he was going to be late. He hoped he wasn't missing anything important!

Desperate, Fawnpaw kicked himself back into gear by forcing his tired paws to scramble forward and continue his sprint. Harsh pants erupted from him, ragged breaths that barely refilled his need for air while his sides heaved from the exertion. Going from RiverClan camp to the Seastones in an attempt to catch up with the others had been the most exhausting jog of his life, and he still hadn't reached the goal.

Just a little bit... more...

Fawnpaw's legs were numb when he finally reached the crowd, but his problems didn't end there-- he couldn't slow his pace fast enough and barreled straight into another cat.

[edit: not open anymore!!!! please do not respond to this starter]

[RedHead]

Dipper

The blue-gray tomcat hadn’t wanted to come to the gathering. It was full of cats who smelt terrible. And they were loud. Real loud. But after a little bit of grumbling and brooding on his part, the young tom realized something. Gatherings would be the perfect place for him to watch other cats and criticize them. All in his head of course.
Darkeningpaw was focusing on two young warriors who were talking in very loud voices, laughing almost every other sentence. It was hilarious to him, just watching them be so... stupid. But it was at that moment that he had opened his mouth to shout something to them when he was run into.
He stumbled forward, and not having been prepared for the impact, tripped over his fumbling paws and fell over. He pulled his muzzle up from the ground and shook his head, green eyes blinking quite a few times as he tried to readjust. Hearing somebody breathing behind him, Darkeningpaw turned his head and cast a head accusatory glance in the cat’s direction.
He pushed himself to his paws and turned around, feathery tail twitching in indignation. “Why are you in such a hurry?” He questioned the other cat, voice iced with judgement as he continued to stare at him. He smelt terribly of fish, and Darkeningpaw noticeably wrinkled his nose in disgust. Gross. Water-lover.

[furrensic]

Sparkheart glanced at Beetlefrost, but stayed calm. He believed that she might still be angry with him for leaving Shadowclan and almost drowning her, so he didn't expect her to come up to him. he wasn't sure if she knew who she actually sat by. Sparkheart glanced away from her, shifting to the side. "yes I have.", he meowed, hiding his face.

As soon as she heard the voice, her pelt bristled, narrow eyes kept forward. Her fur relaxed soon , tall feline glancing over with a look of hidden hatred, she looked forward. "Sparkheart." She said , voice neither welcoming nor cold. "Your kits , do they know they're half shadowclan yet?"

[Zero]

Quiverpaw padded in among the WindClan cats, her amber eyes wide as she looked around the Seastones in awe. Other clan cats were pouring into the empty space in waves and the young apprentice couldn't help but to stop and watch. Unfortunately, standing around was a bit of a mistake. When she returned her attention to her surroundings, she realized she didn't recognize a single cat that stood or moved around her. And when she opened her mouth to try to catch the scent of WindClan to find them, so many scents flooded her senses she didn't know which was which.
She did what any young cat would probably do when they were lost; panic a little bit. She was realizing that this was exactly the reason Buttercupbreeze had previously told her to stay close to Cottonspirit. Heart thundering in her chest, Quiverpaw tried to peer over the shoulders of the other cats around, desperate to catch sight of at least one cat she recognized from her clan but was so small compared to the other cats that she couldn't get a good view of anything over them. She whimpered softly, tears threatening at the edges of her eyes. This was scary and overwhelming and she honestly didn't know what to do. "Cottonspirit?" She called, but her voice was most likely drowned out by the others around her.

Gemini (Hopefully this lost prompt is okay with you, I thought it'd be fun to torture my shy babe a bit - but, thankfully, Cottonspirit to the rescue!!)

[gemini]

(I too love torturing my babies no worries!)
The white Tom cat flooded in with the rest of his clan in toe. He kept his headband high scanning for any cats that he may know among the crowd. Almondspice was nowhere to be found and as buttercup hat told him, no gossip stay with Quiverpaw. He rolled his eyes a bit gossip was the only reason he went to gatherings continuing to walk he didn’t even notice the absent shape beside him. He remembered his first gathering like it was yesterday. How he has played with the other apprentices, how he had tried to keep close to his mentor but the excitement was too much. He closed his eyes letting the WindClan scent mingled with the other clans to surround him, “Quiverpaw, try to find another scent.” He said trying to remember why he was here. After a few moments of no response he froze. “Quiverpaw...” looking beside him the cat was not in fact there. Cottonspirit felt his heart drop as she disappeared from his side.
He brought his head up he spotted the deputy at the head of the group, no Quiverpaw. Yet that was good! She didn’t need to know that Cottonspirit has lost her daughter at a gathering. He slowly turned his head around and stopped as the cats parted ways around him make a funnel. As he began to slowly move like a salmon up stream he heard what sounded like his name, he stoped and tried to spot anything. The large tom stood up on his haunches trying to get some sort of veil of the molly. “Quiverpaw!” He called seeing her and realizing that’s where his name had echoed from. He slowly began to weave through the other cats towards her. Opening his maw again he called “Are you alright?” As he continued to walk, and weave through the cats trying not to step on any tails. Zero to Hero

[Zero]

(I too love torturing my babies no worries!)
The white Tom cat flooded in with the rest of his clan in toe. He kept his headband high scanning for any cats that he may know among the crowd. Almondspice was nowhere to be found and as buttercup hat told him, no gossip stay with Quiverpaw. He rolled his eyes a bit gossip was the only reason he went to gatherings continuing to walk he didn’t even notice the absent shape beside him. He remembered his first gathering like it was yesterday. How he has played with the other apprentices, how he had tried to keep close to his mentor but the excitement was too much. He closed his eyes letting the WindClan scent mingled with the other clans to surround him, “Quiverpaw, try to find another scent.” He said trying to remember why he was here. After a few moments of no response he froze. “Quiverpaw...” looking beside him the cat was not in fact there. Cottonspirit felt his heart drop as she disappeared from his side.
He brought his head up he spotted the deputy at the head of the group, no Quiverpaw. Yet that was good! She didn’t need to know that Cottonspirit has lost her daughter at a gathering. He slowly turned his head around and stopped as the cats parted ways around him make a funnel. As he began to slowly move like a salmon up stream he heard what sounded like his name, he stoped and tried to spot anything. The large tom stood up on his haunches trying to get some sort of veil of the molly. “Quiverpaw!” He called seeing her and realizing that’s where his name had echoed from. He slowly began to weave through the other cats towards her. Opening his maw again he called “Are you alright?” As he continued to walk, and weave through the cats trying not to step on any tails. Zero to Hero


Suddenly, Quiverpaw heard her name shouted and then finally caught sight of a familiar white pelt drawing closer through the sea of cats. She too hurried toward him, probably stepping on a few tails along the way, but was too pre-occupied with relief at seeing her mentor to realize and apologize. When she finally made it to his side, she had to force herself to keep from pressing herself into his fur like a kit would do to their parent. However, she did hover very close by, not risking the crowd separating them again. The apprentice sniffed, wiping at her eyes quickly. "I'm okay," She meowed shakily, amber eyes still wide. So many cats were kind of overwhelming for the young she-cat, but she did her best to put on a brave front - not wanting to be a bother to her mentor.

[pidgeon]

By the time Fawnpaw emerged from RiverClan's territory and into the open field with the Seastones ahead, he knew he was in trouble.

Oh no. This wasn't good.

Fawnpaw suppressed a frustrated, panicked squeak as he saw the moon was high in the nighttime sky, shining down on the cats that were gathered by Seastones... meanwhile, he was a distance away and barely within eyeshot, having been caught up in his apprentice duties until the very last minute. And almost certainly, he was going to be late. He hoped he wasn't missing anything important!

Desperate, Fawnpaw kicked himself back into gear by forcing his tired paws to scramble forward and continue his sprint. Harsh pants erupted from him, ragged breaths that barely refilled his need for air while his sides heaved from the exertion. Going from RiverClan camp to the Seastones in an attempt to catch up with the others had been the most exhausting jog of his life, and he still hadn't reached the goal.

Just a little bit... more...

Fawnpaw's legs were numb when he finally reached the crowd, but his problems didn't end there-- he couldn't slow his pace fast enough and barreled straight into another cat.

[open]

Pigeonpaw let out a shrill mrrrow of surprise as yet another cat bowled her over. She flung herself back onto her paws, pelt bristling, eyes wide with surprise. Another ShadowClan cat? she thought fearfully. She was already having a difficult time conversing with the ShadowClan apprentice who had run into her the first time. Her fur flattened against her pelt almost immediately after she realized that it was just Fawnpaw.
"Fawnpaw, you made it!" She exclaimed, eyes darting between her friend and Dustypaw. "I thought you might have gotten lost," she joked, whiskers twitching with amusement. She turned to the pale apprentice she had been talking with previously.
"Dustypaw, this is my friend, Fawnpaw."
Delta

[Fawn]

Pigeonpaw let out a shrill mrrrow of surprise as yet another cat bowled her over. She flung herself back onto her paws, pelt bristling, eyes wide with surprise. Another ShadowClan cat? she thought fearfully. She was already having a difficult time conversing with the ShadowClan apprentice who had run into her the first time. Her fur flattened against her pelt almost immediately after she realized that it was just Fawnpaw.
"Fawnpaw, you made it!" She exclaimed, eyes darting between her friend and Dustypaw. "I thought you might have gotten lost," she joked, whiskers twitching with amusement. She turned to the pale apprentice she had been talking with previously.
"Dustypaw, this is my friend, Fawnpaw."
Delta
Dazed and disoriented, it was a second or two before Fawnpaw could drag himself to his paws again to shake his fur out, then survey whatever damage he caused. He blinked the blurriness from his vision to see Pigeonpaw there, and really, that should've been a welcome sight since she wasn't about to claw his ears off, but it left him somehow more flustered than before. Maybe in part because he was hunched over with his sides continuing to heave as he fought to refill his lungs with air. "Hey," he could merely breathe, sounding winded, "I..." That was about the time she introduced him to Dustypaw, and he stopped short, almost forgetting to breathe for that second because oh stars, he recognized him.

And not in a good way either.

"No, I-- I didn't get.... lost," he resumed sputtering between rough gulps for oxygen, "just had to... finish... finish something up." But unlike before, there was an element of discomfort to his voice, his posture, everything, as he awaited Dustypaw's reaction. It'd be impossibly convenient if he didn't remember their first meeting.

Fawnpaw hoped for the best as he twisted his expression into an attempt at nonchalance to greet, "It's nice to meet you, Dustypaw." This was definitely going to be awkward, but perhaps they could at least pretend that first meeting never happened if only for the sake of maintaining serenity around Pigeonpaw.

Delta

[Fawn]

Dipper

The blue-gray tomcat hadn’t wanted to come to the gathering. It was full of cats who smelt terrible. And they were loud. Real loud. But after a little bit of grumbling and brooding on his part, the young tom realized something. Gatherings would be the perfect place for him to watch other cats and criticize them. All in his head of course.
Darkeningpaw was focusing on two young warriors who were talking in very loud voices, laughing almost every other sentence. It was hilarious to him, just watching them be so... stupid. But it was at that moment that he had opened his mouth to shout something to them when he was run into.
He stumbled forward, and not having been prepared for the impact, tripped over his fumbling paws and fell over. He pulled his muzzle up from the ground and shook his head, green eyes blinking quite a few times as he tried to readjust. Hearing somebody breathing behind him, Darkeningpaw turned his head and cast a head accusatory glance in the cat’s direction.
He pushed himself to his paws and turned around, feathery tail twitching in indignation. “Why are you in such a hurry?” He questioned the other cat, voice iced with judgement as he continued to stare at him. He smelt terribly of fish, and Darkeningpaw noticeably wrinkled his nose in disgust. Gross. Water-lover.

Fawnpaw tried to brace for the impact or even yelp a warning, but it was too late; he and the gray blob collided, and the best he could hope for was no injuries. From either the crash itself or the ear-boxing he imagined he was going to receive. Letting out a groan, he hauled himself back upright and mustered the courage to peek at whoever his unlucky victim had been -- some cat he didn't recognize.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked but instantly became sheepish over talking at the same time as the tom. "Sorry- I..." He trailed off there to clock his head, processing the question that was a bit too steely to be friendly. Well, he didn't exactly expect a warm reception.

Fawnpaw scuffed his paw at the ground. "I thought if I ran into you fast enough, it'd knock the sourness out of you." Of course, it was sarcastic, and he amended it a moment later by saying, "Look, I was late, rushing to get to the gathering on time, and I didn't that you were there. So, uh, yeah. It was an accident."

[gemini]

Suddenly, Quiverpaw heard her name shouted and then finally caught sight of a familiar white pelt drawing closer through the sea of cats. She too hurried toward him, probably stepping on a few tails along the way, but was too pre-occupied with relief at seeing her mentor to realize and apologize. When she finally made it to his side, she had to force herself to keep from pressing herself into his fur like a kit would do to their parent. However, she did hover very close by, not risking the crowd separating them again. The apprentice sniffed, wiping at her eyes quickly. "I'm okay," She meowed shakily, amber eyes still wide. So many cats were kind of overwhelming for the young she-cat, but she did her best to put on a brave front - not wanting to be a bother to her mentor.

he gave the molly a doting look at her shaky response as he met her face to face. His mismatched gaze kind and calm for once he sat down and patted the ground beside him with his tail. “Here sit on down.” He said with a smile creeping across his maw. “You see.” He started off “I can name about fifty of these cats, and one day you’ll be able to as well.” He gave her a forced smile as he realized that he couldn’t be able to talk to any of them tonight seeing as he was with his new apprentice. And it’s not like buttercup would be thrilled if she found out that he left her daughter all alone.

[Zero]

he gave the molly a doting look at her shaky response as he met her face to face. His mismatched gaze kind and calm for once he sat down and patted the ground beside him with his tail. “Here sit on down.” He said with a smile creeping across his maw. “You see.” He started off “I can name about fifty of these cats, and one day you’ll be able to as well.” He gave her a forced smile as he realized that he couldn’t be able to talk to any of them tonight seeing as he was with his new apprentice. And it’s not like buttercup would be thrilled if she found out that he left her daughter all alone.

Quiverpaw sat down beside the white tom, and kind of felt better almost instantly. She felt centered when sitting, like a steady boulder with a stream of cats flowing around them. The apprentice stared at her paws and took the short moment of silence to calm herself down so that she could talk without her nervous shaking habit making her voice quiver.
Her amber eyes flickered up to Cottonspirit's mitch-matched gaze as he spoke, and she blinked, surprised. "Will I?" She asked, finally looking around once more with a bit less fright. Suddenly, she spotted a WindClan cat here and there as her panic fully subsided and her eyes really opened. In her previous panic, she hadn't been looking close enough - her desperation had clouded her gaze. The apprentice already did recognize a few cats, she realized. Not as many as she eventually would, but at least a few. "Oh," She mewed softly, deflating into a more relaxed sitting position.

[pidgeon]

[OPEN]

A large, black she-cat wrinkled her nose in disgust as she sorted her way through the crowd. She towered above many of the younger cats, often looking at them with harsh judgement in her amber eyes. Her huge paws stepped ungracefully along the soft ground, her claws only half-sheathed. She clearly cared not for appearance.
Her neck fur bristled, uncomfortable with being around so many...other-clan cats. Why did I come here tonight? she thought. She never liked gatherings. What did she care if the "prey was running well", or that "kits were born" in some other clan? Really, she was only here to pummel the fur off from any cat who thought her clan looked weak due to their current circumstances. Just let them try to insult us, she thought, They'll not do it a second time...

She shoved past a senior warrior from her own clan, a tortoiseshell she-cat.
"Iceheart," The tortoiseshell looked at the huge black cat with a quiet disdain in her eyes, sitting upright and making direct eye contact with her. "You should watch where you're placing your paws."
"Stay out of my way, Owlfeather," Iceheart growled, continuing on past the old she-cat as if she wasn't even there.
She hated that old hag, always bossing everyone around and acting like she was better than them. It made her sick.

Iceheart kept shoving her way through until she reached the front of the crowd, closest to where the leaders and deputies were positioned. She looked up at the empty spot where her own leaders were supposed to be. They wouldn't be there tonight, that was for sure. Maybe that's for the best, she thought. She had never been a particular fan of Windystar, disagreeing with much of his political choices. She could only hope that soon someone more capable would be appointed to lead.
She made a point to make direct, glaring eye contact with the leaders. She wanted them to know she was watching, listening. Sensing for any form of disorder that she could possibly take advantage of.

Her dark gaze was so clearly focused on the leaders that she had barely noticed that while she had shoved her way to the front, she had aggressively bumped her shoulder into some smaller cat next to her.

[panchiko]

[OPEN]

A large, black she-cat wrinkled her nose in disgust as she sorted her way through the crowd. She towered above many of the younger cats, often looking at them with harsh judgement in her amber eyes. Her huge paws stepped ungracefully along the soft ground, her claws only half-sheathed. She clearly cared not for appearance.
Her neck fur bristled, uncomfortable with being around so many...other-clan cats. Why did I come here tonight? she thought. She never liked gatherings. What did she care if the "prey was running well", or that "kits were born" in some other clan? Really, she was only here to pummel the fur off from any cat who thought her clan looked weak due to their current circumstances. Just let them try to insult us, she thought, They'll not do it a second time...

She shoved past a senior warrior from her own clan, a tortoiseshell she-cat.
"Iceheart," The tortoiseshell looked at the huge black cat with a quiet disdain in her eyes, sitting upright and making direct eye contact with her. "You should watch where you're placing your paws."
"Stay out of my way, Owlfeather," Iceheart growled, continuing on past the old she-cat as if she wasn't even there.
She hated that old hag, always bossing everyone around and acting like she was better than them. It made her sick.

Iceheart kept shoving her way through until she reached the front of the crowd, closest to where the leaders and deputies were positioned. She looked up at the empty spot where her own leaders were supposed to be. They wouldn't be there tonight, that was for sure. Maybe that's for the best, she thought. She had never been a particular fan of Windystar, disagreeing with much of his political choices. She could only hope that soon someone more capable would be appointed to lead.
She made a point to make direct, glaring eye contact with the leaders. She wanted them to know she was watching, listening. Sensing for any form of disorder that she could possibly take advantage of.

Her dark gaze was so clearly focused on the leaders that she had barely noticed that while she had shoved her way to the front, she had aggressively bumped her shoulder into some smaller cat next to her.

thump. she padded around slowly, listening to everycat's conversation. sometimes clan cats could be so interesting; other times, it was like watching leaves fall from the trees on a leafbare morning. this gathering was one of those leafbare mornings, leaving her feeling cold and uninterested. she supposed she should talk with somecat, but couldn't find the courage in her to do anything but listen, slowly building up information and stuff she could use against people. amazonpaw wasn't the type of cat to use blackmail, but she was a nosy shadowclan cat, and so she loved knowing what was happening in everyone's life, whether she knew who's life it was or not.

amazonpaw looked around wildly; she didn't remember so many cats being at the gathering last time. oh well, more people to bug with my presence, she thought casually, glancing around desperately to find a cat that she either recognized or thought would be worthy of her attention. nothing caught her eye. disappointed, she turned around and began walking in a random direction, hoping someone would strike a conversation with her. no one did so after a few minutes, and so amazonpaw sat down quietly, laying her tail on her paws. only several moments after, a cat larger than her bumped into her side.

"well that's one way to introduce yourself, isn't it?" amazonpaw said with a slightly sarcastic eye-roll. she turned to see who the culprit of this form of disrespect was, looking the cat up and down before deciding she had no clue who this warrior was. well, she supposed it was a warrior from their size in comparison to her. "well, since we're here," the apprentice said without waiting for any response to her former comment, "i'm amazonpaw. who're you?" she asked the inquiry with a harsh undertone, but it was more or less unintended. the she-cat wasn't trying to build a bad reputation or first impression with this stranger, she just really wasn't enjoying this particular gathering.

amazonpaw figured that neither was this stranger, from the way that they aggressively shoved her aside to get to the front. either that, or some odd reason that amazonpaw didn't think was worth disrespecting her for. nevertheless, it had occurred, and finally she could entertain herself. her fur bristled with a subtle hostility as she glared neutrally at the unnamed character, her eyes sparkling in dismay.

[Dust]

[OPEN]

The Skyclan elder looked exhausted as he hauled himself foward, no longer sure which clan was flooding into the clearing with him. Duststorm was crawling at the speed of a slug, his fur disheveled and breathing heavy, giving an annoyed grunt every so often as he pushed himself through the crowd of felines until he made his way to the front edge. Physical ability wasn't the only thing failing him these days - his hearing was starting to go as well. Wriggling into a nice sandy patch, Duststorm let out a long and satisfied sigh. "Ah.." The tabby grumbled, his joints creaking as he lowered himself onto his belly. None of this sitting up straight business would be had and if anyone wanted to talk to him, they'd have to come to him!

____________________________________

[OPEN]

Pebblepaw had managed to squeeze his way into the gathering patrol again! He just couldn't help it! Ever since the last gathering, all he could think about was Shadowclan and to his dismay, it didn't seem like Windystar or Forestshade were there. Pouting slightly, Pebblepaw bundled past the rocks and into the ocean of other cats. Off in the distance he could recognize the familiar gray pelt of his sister, Pigeonpaw. If he could recall it was her first gathering! He didn't want to embarrass her though, so instead he skirted around her area to try and find someone to talk to!

[Madelaine]

As soon as she heard the voice, her pelt bristled, narrow eyes kept forward. Her fur relaxed soon , tall feline glancing over with a look of hidden hatred, she looked forward. "Sparkheart." She said , voice neither welcoming nor cold. "Your kits , do they know they're half shadowclan yet?"


Sparkheart didn't look at her at all, "Nor do they know im part rogue also.", he replied. The Riverclan tom had finally met his father on the Riverclan territory. He was a rogue that didn't care that he was alive.

[pidgeon]

thump. she padded around slowly, listening to everycat's conversation. sometimes clan cats could be so interesting; other times, it was like watching leaves fall from the trees on a leafbare morning. this gathering was one of those leafbare mornings, leaving her feeling cold and uninterested. she supposed she should talk with somecat, but couldn't find the courage in her to do anything but listen, slowly building up information and stuff she could use against people. amazonpaw wasn't the type of cat to use blackmail, but she was a nosy shadowclan cat, and so she loved knowing what was happening in everyone's life, whether she knew who's life it was or not.

amazonpaw looked around wildly; she didn't remember so many cats being at the gathering last time. oh well, more people to bug with my presence, she thought casually, glancing around desperately to find a cat that she either recognized or thought would be worthy of her attention. nothing caught her eye. disappointed, she turned around and began walking in a random direction, hoping someone would strike a conversation with her. no one did so after a few minutes, and so amazonpaw sat down quietly, laying her tail on her paws. only several moments after, a cat larger than her bumped into her side.

"well that's one way to introduce yourself, isn't it?" amazonpaw said with a slightly sarcastic eye-roll. she turned to see who the culprit of this form of disrespect was, looking the cat up and down before deciding she had no clue who this warrior was. well, she supposed it was a warrior from their size in comparison to her. "well, since we're here," the apprentice said without waiting for any response to her former comment, "i'm amazonpaw. who're you?" she asked the inquiry with a harsh undertone, but it was more or less unintended. the she-cat wasn't trying to build a bad reputation or first impression with this stranger, she just really wasn't enjoying this particular gathering.

amazonpaw figured that neither was this stranger, from the way that they aggressively shoved her aside to get to the front. either that, or some odd reason that amazonpaw didn't think was worth disrespecting her for. nevertheless, it had occurred, and finally she could entertain herself. her fur bristled with a subtle hostility as she glared neutrally at the unnamed character, her eyes sparkling in dismay.

"You don't recognize warriors from your own clan, kit?" Iceheart snorted with indignation at the puny cat. She had seen this cat around before in the ShadowClan camp, but had never paid her any mind. This wasn't her apprentice, so why should she give a mouse-tail about her?

"And who said anything about introducing myself? If you don't know who I am already, then you don't need to. Clearly it doesn't matter that much to you," The massive she-cat hissed. Leave it to an apprentice to be careless enough not to know her own clanmate's names. This kit wasn't worth her time. Her black pelt bristled in irritation, and her tufted ears were flat against her head, although she sat straight and tall, eyes fixed ahead of her.

Iceheart cared not for first impressions, and it didn't matter to her whether or not this cat liked her. She treated Amazonpaw with the same cold judgement she gave to any cat. She was only here to learn what she could about the other clans, to pinpoint some small weakness in which she could sink her claws, claiming any amount of victory for her crumbling clan. She was not here for idle conversation. Though it didn't surprise her when the apprentice kept talking.

[The Cannibal]

[OPEN]

Pebblepaw had managed to squeeze his way into the gathering patrol again! He just couldn't help it! Ever since the last gathering, all he could think about was Shadowclan and to his dismay, it didn't seem like Windystar or Forestshade were there. Pouting slightly, Pebblepaw bundled past the rocks and into the ocean of other cats. Off in the distance he could recognize the familiar gray pelt of his sister, Pigeonpaw. If he could recall it was her first gathering! He didn't want to embarrass her though, so instead he skirted around her area to try and find someone to talk to!
This was his first gathering as an actual warrior now, and though excitement was typically a hard emotion to come by for Dampbark, he could feel the dullest spark of it in his gut. So many cats, so many possibilities, so many lives he could worm himself in to. It was endless. And as the leaderless Shadowclan was lead into the gathering with the medicine cat at the head, the young tom let his gaze sweep the beautiful sea of various furs and scents. A shining sea of opportunity. Slowly his clanmates filtered in, seeking out cats they already knew, seeking out quiet corners to hide, whatever it was they wanted to do, while he stood there for a moment, contemplating. It was easier to get allies in his own clan, they would be more useful that way anyways. But to have allies in other clans.. Now that, that was tantalizing.
Who should he talk to? An apprentice? That could be interesting, young minds were easy to mold and they were also typically easy to befriend. A warrior? That could be a tantalizing ally, an inside scope into another clans life, secrets, delicious secrets..
His yellow eyes caught the form of an apprentice moving in no particular direction, eyes searching for someone not already in a conversation. Meeting Pebblepaw's gaze, the tom with swirled brown fur raised his tail high in a friendly motion and began to approach the younger tom.
"Hello, you smell like you're from Riverclan! I'm from Shadowclan, the name's Dampbark!" He purred, raising his voice so that he could be heard from above the din of the clearing. "This is my first gathering as a warrior, but I don't think I recall seeing you around at any of the other gatherings when I was an apprentice?"

[panchiko]

"You don't recognize warriors from your own clan, kit?" Iceheart snorted with indignation at the puny cat. She had seen this cat around before in the ShadowClan camp, but had never paid her any mind. This wasn't her apprentice, so why should she give a mouse-tail about her?

"And who said anything about introducing myself? If you don't know who I am already, then you don't need to. Clearly it doesn't matter that much to you," The massive she-cat hissed. Leave it to an apprentice to be careless enough not to know her own clanmate's names. This kit wasn't worth her time. Her black pelt bristled in irritation, and her tufted ears were flat against her head, although she sat straight and tall, eyes fixed ahead of her.

Iceheart cared not for first impressions, and it didn't matter to her whether or not this cat liked her. She treated Amazonpaw with the same cold judgement she gave to any cat. She was only here to learn what she could about the other clans, to pinpoint some small weakness in which she could sink her claws, claiming any amount of victory for her crumbling clan. She was not here for idle conversation. Though it didn't surprise her when the apprentice kept talking.

listening with hidden interest, amazonpaw smiled in her head. a challenge. this cat was one of those stonehearted warriors that came to gatherings without a request for chitchat. this was the perfect chance to annoy a warrior who couldn't even take the time to learn an apprentice's name during a gathering. amazonpaw was going to make sure that this warrior would know what they had gotten themselves into.

amazonpaw hissed back and made a point of rolling her eyes this time, unlike her subtle former eye roll. "and i understand that you didn't recognize my name before i told you? yeah, i don't think we're very different, other than the fact that you've got the manners of a fox," the apprentice responded, glaring at the still-unnamed she-cat. "and, for your information, i thought you'd be smart enough to know kits aren't welcome to gatherings. maybe you should familiarize yourself with the rules, cat. also, kit isn't a very insulting nickname." amazonpaw said this coldly, though it was no match for this warrior's merciless judgement, since amazonpaw was only a master of sarcasm. the female winced at the ranting continuation of her voice, but knew that talking on and on would surely irritate this disrespectful little brat. at least amazonpaw's efforts were going to an important cause; aggravating an ill-mannered clan cat.

her paws were getting sore from her earlier exercises, but she wasn't going to let the warrior see that. she would turn it into a point of sarcasm. with an unnerving calmness and underlying contempt, amazonpaw sat down on the ground, wrapping her fluffy tail over her soft paws. the apprentice looked at the figure with the patience of a ticking time bomb. tick. tick. tick.

[Calliecat]

[OPEN]

The Skyclan elder looked exhausted as he hauled himself foward, no longer sure which clan was flooding into the clearing with him. Duststorm was crawling at the speed of a slug, his fur disheveled and breathing heavy, giving an annoyed grunt every so often as he pushed himself through the crowd of felines until he made his way to the front edge. Physical ability wasn't the only thing failing him these days - his hearing was starting to go as well. Wriggling into a nice sandy patch, Duststorm let out a long and satisfied sigh. "Ah.." The tabby grumbled, his joints creaking as he lowered himself onto his belly. None of this sitting up straight business would be had and if anyone wanted to talk to him, they'd have to come to him!

____________________________________

[OPEN]

Pebblepaw had managed to squeeze his way into the gathering patrol again! He just couldn't help it! Ever since the last gathering, all he could think about was Shadowclan and to his dismay, it didn't seem like Windystar or Forestshade were there. Pouting slightly, Pebblepaw bundled past the rocks and into the ocean of other cats. Off in the distance he could recognize the familiar gray pelt of his sister, Pigeonpaw. If he could recall it was her first gathering! He didn't want to embarrass her though, so instead he skirted around her area to try and find someone to talk to!

Tigerstripe had just arrived at the Gathering with the rest of ThunderClan, her mouth open to draw in all the strange scents. She padded across the sandy sea stones when she spotted a lonely-looking apprentice - what clan was he from? - looking about nervously. Without hesitation, she invited herself over, "Hey, there. What's your name?"

[pidgeon]

listening with hidden interest, amazonpaw smiled in her head. a challenge. this cat was one of those stonehearted warriors that came to gatherings without a request for chitchat. this was the perfect chance to annoy a warrior who couldn't even take the time to learn an apprentice's name during a gathering. amazonpaw was going to make sure that this warrior would know what they had gotten themselves into.

amazonpaw hissed back and made a point of rolling her eyes this time, unlike her subtle former eye roll. "and i understand that you didn't recognize my name before i told you? yeah, i don't think we're very different, other than the fact that you've got the manners of a fox," the apprentice responded, glaring at the still-unnamed she-cat. "and, for your information, i thought you'd be smart enough to know kits aren't welcome to gatherings. maybe you should familiarize yourself with the rules, cat. also, kit isn't a very insulting nickname." amazonpaw said this coldly, though it was no match for this warrior's merciless judgement, since amazonpaw was only a master of sarcasm. the female winced at the ranting continuation of her voice, but knew that talking on and on would surely irritate this disrespectful little brat. at least amazonpaw's efforts were going to an important cause; aggravating an ill-mannered clan cat.

her paws were getting sore from her earlier exercises, but she wasn't going to let the warrior see that. she would turn it into a point of sarcasm. with an unnerving calmness and underlying contempt, amazonpaw sat down on the ground, wrapping her fluffy tail over her soft paws. the apprentice looked at the figure with the patience of a ticking time bomb. tick. tick. tick.

"Don't test my patience, apprentice," She used the word "apprentice" with an even more scornful tone than when she had called her a kit. "I can promise you won't like where that gets you."
Her tail flicked back and forth with unbridled contempt, trying to ignore Amazonpaw's back-sassing words. Why am I arguing with an apprentice? I'm above this, she scolded herself for even bothering to spend her time lecturing this kit.
"Apprentices with such a nasty attitude may not make it to be a warrior. Have some respect for your elders," She hissed once again, hypocritically. She pricked her ears to listen to the leaders once more, to see if there was anything meaningful being exchanged.

[Mango]

Soaringpaw scowled at everyone angrily, she didn’t want to be here nor did she want to make friends.

[panchiko]

"Don't test my patience, apprentice," She used the word "apprentice" with an even more scornful tone than when she had called her a kit. "I can promise you won't like where that gets you."
Her tail flicked back and forth with unbridled contempt, trying to ignore Amazonpaw's back-sassing words. Why am I arguing with an apprentice? I'm above this, she scolded herself for even bothering to spend her time lecturing this kit.
"Apprentices with such a nasty attitude may not make it to be a warrior. Have some respect for your elders," She hissed once again, hypocritically. She pricked her ears to listen to the leaders once more, to see if there was anything meaningful being exchanged.

amazonpaw stifled a laugh. she found this whole conversation extremely entertaining. before continuing, she took a few deep breaths to get rid of an y sign of the giggles coming back. "a promise from you means little to me, since i can't hold you accountable if i don't even know your name." at the stranger's next comment, amazonpaw very clearly looked the warrior up and down, sized her up, and spoke. "then could you explain to me how you earned your title, cat? you're being as nasty to me as i am to you." the apprentice inquired in a hostile manner.
though it'd been entertaining, she was getting somewhat bored, and thought about simply letting the stranger win this "argument", or whatever this was. looking the warrior dead in the eyes, she waited for another "oh youre such a terrible apprentice oh boo hoo you're terrible" response. this cat was extremely predictable. im so over this, she thought. in the span of a few moments, her mood had gone through several swift changes.

[panchiko]

Soaringpaw scowled at everyone angrily, she didn’t want to be here nor did she want to make friends.

duskblossom was feeling rather lonely at the moment. surrounding her, tons of cats had found themselves conversation-partners and here she was, left with the leftovers; the cats who didn't want to talk. oh well. a little nudge in the right direction never hurt anyone. unless it was over a cliff, she thought, walking up to a cat who, in comparison to duskblossom, was noticeably smaller. probably an apprentice, from the looks of it, or it could just be a small warrior. only one way to find out. "hello, i'm duskblossom!" the warrior introduced herself, looking at the cat with a smile that prompted a response. she heard lots of other clan cats talking, a few voices she recognized, and got a sudden headache. as abruptly as it had started, it stopped. she blinked a few times in confusion, then continued her smiling expression, tail waving in a friendly style.

[Mango]

duskblossom was feeling rather lonely at the moment. surrounding her, tons of cats had found themselves conversation-partners and here she was, left with the leftovers; the cats who didn't want to talk. oh well. a little nudge in the right direction never hurt anyone. unless it was over a cliff, she thought, walking up to a cat who, in comparison to duskblossom, was noticeably smaller. probably an apprentice, from the looks of it, or it could just be a small warrior. only one way to find out. "hello, i'm duskblossom!" the warrior introduced herself, looking at the cat with a smile that prompted a response. she heard lots of other clan cats talking, a few voices she recognized, and got a sudden headache. as abruptly as it had started, it stopped. she blinked a few times in confusion, then continued her smiling expression, tail waving in a friendly style.

Soaringpaw narrowed her eyes at the warrior, she angrily meowed,” Good Evening.” She meowed hoping that Duskblossom would shut up and leave her alone. She scowled slighlty.

[Freesia]

Dazed and disoriented, it was a second or two before Fawnpaw could drag himself to his paws again to shake his fur out, then survey whatever damage he caused. He blinked the blurriness from his vision to see Pigeonpaw there, and really, that should've been a welcome sight since she wasn't about to claw his ears off, but it left him somehow more flustered than before. Maybe in part because he was hunched over with his sides continuing to heave as he fought to refill his lungs with air. "Hey," he could merely breathe, sounding winded, "I..." That was about the time she introduced him to Dustypaw, and he stopped short, almost forgetting to breathe for that second because oh stars, he recognized him.

And not in a good way either.

"No, I-- I didn't get.... lost," he resumed sputtering between rough gulps for oxygen, "just had to... finish... finish something up." But unlike before, there was an element of discomfort to his voice, his posture, everything, as he awaited Dustypaw's reaction. It'd be impossibly convenient if he didn't remember their first meeting.

Fawnpaw hoped for the best as he twisted his expression into an attempt at nonchalance to greet, "It's nice to meet you, Dustypaw." This was definitely going to be awkward, but perhaps they could at least pretend that first meeting never happened if only for the sake of maintaining serenity around Pigeonpaw.

Delta

Dustypaw yelped and jumped out of the way as Pigeonpaw was yet again bowled over. The small apprentice bristled slightly, eyes wide with surprise, as the two cats got to their feet. He forced himself to relax and gave his chest fur a few quick licks to calm himself. When he had composed himself, he focused his attention on this newcomer. One could say he was less than excited to realize it was yet another RiverClan apprentice. It seemed as if StarClan themselves were personally giving him the worst luck.

He was certain this had to be true when he realized he had seen this cat before, when RiverClan burst into ShadowClan's camp. This apprentice was one of the cats in the patrol. He was sure if he was more shocked or angry at seeing Fawnpaw, but the fur on the back of his neck bristled all the same.

He sat down, wrapped his twitching tail around his paws, and replied through, "You, too." This RiverClan apprentice wasn't responsible for the invasion of ShadowClan camp--that had been Lionstorm's doing--but being a part of the battle patrol was bad enough. In the back of his mind, Dustypaw wondered if he would have had to fight Fawnpaw if there had actually been a battle.

CasperCreates

[pidgeon]

Dustypaw yelped and jumped out of the way as Pigeonpaw was yet again bowled over. The small apprentice bristled slightly, eyes wide with surprise, as the two cats got to their feet. He forced himself to relax and gave his chest fur a few quick licks to calm himself. When he had composed himself, he focused his attention on this newcomer. One could say he was less than excited to realize it was yet another RiverClan apprentice. It seemed as if StarClan themselves were personally giving him the worst luck.

He was certain this had to be true when he realized he had seen this cat before, when RiverClan burst into ShadowClan's camp. This apprentice was one of the cats in the patrol. He was sure if he was more shocked or angry at seeing Fawnpaw, but the fur on the back of his neck bristled all the same.

He sat down, wrapped his twitching tail around his paws, and replied through, "You, too." This RiverClan apprentice wasn't responsible for the invasion of ShadowClan camp--that had been Lionstorm's doing--but being a part of the battle patrol was bad enough. In the back of his mind, Dustypaw wondered if he would have had to fight Fawnpaw if there had actually been a battle.

CasperCreates
Dipper

Pigeonpaw's excitement faded when she noticed the tension between the two. It didn't take her long to put two and two together. She wondered briefly if there was anything she could do to diffuse the situation.
But she quickly realized she had no idea what to say to them. Part of her wanted to console Dustypaw by saying she disagreed with the invasion herself, but she also didn't want to befriend this cat too closely, in case the border dispute did turn into a battle later on. She would hate to have to fight someone she cared about.
"Uhm, Dustypaw and I were just talking about how everyone's reacting to their situation," Pigeonpaw filled in Fawnpaw on the subject at hand."What do you think about the whole thing?"
She probably would have changed the subject, but this topic was so relevant right now that she couldn't think of any other topic that would be half as interesting.

[Madelaine]

[Open]

Striker sat beside the elder's at the gathering. The former Rogue now lived in Shadowclan had come with them now that he was staying with the clan. He didn't have any anger towards the clans and had no intentions of going against the clan. Striker was an elder and wasn't able to take care of himself. Once there was a leader he would take on a clan name.

[pidgeon]

amazonpaw stifled a laugh. she found this whole conversation extremely entertaining. before continuing, she took a few deep breaths to get rid of an y sign of the giggles coming back. "a promise from you means little to me, since i can't hold you accountable if i don't even know your name." at the stranger's next comment, amazonpaw very clearly looked the warrior up and down, sized her up, and spoke. "then could you explain to me how you earned your title, cat? you're being as nasty to me as i am to you." the apprentice inquired in a hostile manner.
though it'd been entertaining, she was getting somewhat bored, and thought about simply letting the stranger win this "argument", or whatever this was. looking the warrior dead in the eyes, she waited for another "oh youre such a terrible apprentice oh boo hoo you're terrible" response. this cat was extremely predictable. im so over this, she thought. in the span of a few moments, her mood had gone through several swift changes.

"I earned my title by not talking back to warriors," Iceheart snarled. She was growing tired of listening to this apprentice go on and on. She sunk her long claws into the soft ground.
"Now why don't you shut up and pay attention? I'm here to listen to them, not you." She stoically turned her nose to the front once again, looking up at the leaders on the seastones.

[Madelaine]

"Oh Starclan, I'm sorry to hear that Snailpaw." He was about to twine his tail with hers but he hesitated, remembering that apprentices weren't allowed to have mates "Maybe once the gathering is over I could take you hunting for a bit, you know, try to cheer you up." He gave her a worried smile and rested the tip of his tail on her shoulder. Now he knew this wasn't weird since apprentices did it with each other all the time when comforting one another and the same went for all cats so he was in the right here.

Snailpaw scooted back after she felt her brother's gaze leave. "I would love to go hunting after the gathering. It might get my mind off it.", she replied, looking at Emeraldbush. The young molly wrapped her tail around her paws, getting comfortable.

[Vexing]

Snailpaw scooted back after she felt her brother's gaze leave. "I would love to go hunting after the gathering. It might get my mind off it.", she replied, looking at Emeraldbush. The young molly wrapped her tail around her paws, getting comfortable.
Emeraldbush looked around the clearing for a moment, curious about a question he had yet to ask Snailpaw "Did you come here with any family Snailpaw?"

[Madelaine]

Emeraldbush looked around the clearing for a moment, curious about a question he had yet to ask Snailpaw "Did you come here with any family Snailpaw?"

Snailpaw nodded, "My biological Aunt is Buttercupbreeze and my adopted brother is Beepaw the medicine cat I also came with some of my adopted family.", she meowed, leaving out the part that her biological father had passed away a couple of moons ago.

[Vexing]

Snailpaw nodded, "My biological Aunt is Buttercupbreeze and my adopted brother is Beepaw the medicine cat I also came with some of my adopted family.", she meowed, leaving out the part that her biological father had passed away a couple of moons ago.
Emeraldbush gave her a stunned look "Your brother is Beepaw?" He took a deep breath and chuckled slightly "Well, that's a bit...interesting to say the least. You know, now I'm curious, what kind of brother is Beepaw like? I've never personally talked to him so I can't make a guess." He smiled and looked around the gathering until he finally spotted Beepaw and he kept his eyes locked on him.

[panchiko]

Soaringpaw narrowed her eyes at the warrior, she angrily meowed,” Good Evening.” She meowed hoping that Duskblossom would shut up and leave her alone. She scowled slighlty.

duskblossom looked at soaringpaw with a determined smirk. she wouldn't give up this easily, if that was what this cat was hoping for. "it is a good evening. what's your name?" the female inquired, giving the stranger a prompting facial expression. at least she'd made a bit of progress, and she could go off of that. she sat down to make a point of her patience when it came to these matters. duskblossom winced, as she'd forgotten to check where she had been standing and felt a rock digging into her. she got up, swept it away with her tail, and sat back down, struggling to keep a straight face. duskblossom tripped a little as she sat but caught herself before anything embarrassing happened. this cat did not know what they were getting themselves into.

[panchiko]

"I earned my title by not talking back to warriors," Iceheart snarled. She was growing tired of listening to this apprentice go on and on. She sunk her long claws into the soft ground.
"Now why don't you shut up and pay attention? I'm here to listen to them, not you." She stoically turned her nose to the front once again, looking up at the leaders on the seastones.

"that is exactly what i was doing before i was so rudely interrupted by your kind self," amazonpaw hissed, clenching the dry ground with her claws. her patience, which had started small to begin with, was running very thin. saying nothing more, she quickly shoved aside iceheart to get a better view of the clan leaders and listen more intently to their announcements. if this was what the stranger wanted, she would follow a warrior's directions. anything to please a clanmate. amazonpaw sat down with a content smirk to show her "appreciation" of the warrior being oh so kind and allowing her to sit in front.

[Fawn]

Dipper

Pigeonpaw's excitement faded when she noticed the tension between the two. It didn't take her long to put two and two together. She wondered briefly if there was anything she could do to diffuse the situation.
But she quickly realized she had no idea what to say to them. Part of her wanted to console Dustypaw by saying she disagreed with the invasion herself, but she also didn't want to befriend this cat too closely, in case the border dispute did turn into a battle later on. She would hate to have to fight someone she cared about.
"Uhm, Dustypaw and I were just talking about how everyone's reacting to their situation," Pigeonpaw filled in Fawnpaw on the subject at hand."What do you think about the whole thing?"
She probably would have changed the subject, but this topic was so relevant right now that she couldn't think of any other topic that would be half as interesting.
Dustypaw yelped and jumped out of the way as Pigeonpaw was yet again bowled over. The small apprentice bristled slightly, eyes wide with surprise, as the two cats got to their feet. He forced himself to relax and gave his chest fur a few quick licks to calm himself. When he had composed himself, he focused his attention on this newcomer. One could say he was less than excited to realize it was yet another RiverClan apprentice. It seemed as if StarClan themselves were personally giving him the worst luck.

He was certain this had to be true when he realized he had seen this cat before, when RiverClan burst into ShadowClan's camp. This apprentice was one of the cats in the patrol. He was sure if he was more shocked or angry at seeing Fawnpaw, but the fur on the back of his neck bristled all the same.

He sat down, wrapped his twitching tail around his paws, and replied through, "You, too." This RiverClan apprentice wasn't responsible for the invasion of ShadowClan camp--that had been Lionstorm's doing--but being a part of the battle patrol was bad enough. In the back of his mind, Dustypaw wondered if he would have had to fight Fawnpaw if there had actually been a battle.

CasperCreates
Oh, great. Dustypaw definitely remembered him, the fur rising on his neck and defensive stance providing everything he needed to know, answering every question with an affirmative he'd been dreading because of the discomfort that'd follow. No, not follow -- it was here. The silence hung heavily over them after his clippy reply. Although he would usually attempt to fill it with something, even awkward ramblings, he couldn't find the words. Throat tight with stress, Fawnpaw averted his gaze.

It was an instant relief when Pigeonpaw spoke again to temporarily alleviate the terrible reverse-staring contest where they tried to avoid meeting one another's eyes. "Yeah?" he inquired, coughing to clear away the nervous break in his voice. "Like... ShadowClan's situation?" The clarification was both to buy him time to think and to ensure he didn't put his foot in his mouth with the vague explanation. "I guess it's... I don't know, unfortunate? Sorry, I didn't know Windystar or Forestshade very well. Um.." Fawnpaw inhaled, shakily, aware of their attention lingering on him. "I-- okay, I know this sounds weird, but it's also a chance to sort of start over, too. They ruffled a lot of fur with what they said about the borders, and this might be ShadowClan's opportunity to distance themselves from that, maybe." As much as he took note of and was fascinated by the political situation of the forest, it was anxiety-inducing to be sharing his thoughts in the presence of a cat who was directly involved. Fawnpaw feared coming off as insensitive, or... perhaps worse, ill-informed.

[Freesia]

Tallmarsh, already tired after a day herb hunting in ThunderClan territory, had decided to stay near the base of the rocks this time. Normally she would be out chatting and catching up with the other Clans, but tonight she couldn't be bothered. If someone wanted to talk to her, they would come to her. So she lay there, just watching the other cats and taking everything in. She had noticed that it was Agaveheart representing ShadowClan tonight, which intrigued the ThunderClan medicine cat. Was there a fight? Did they just not feel like coming? Were they dead? She didn't know, but she hoped they would find out. She was tempted to find a ShadowClan cat and ask them, but the thought of having to get up out of the comfortable position she was in made her groan internally.

[OPEN]

[The Flying Pizza]

Tallmarsh, already tired after a day herb hunting in ThunderClan territory, had decided to stay near the base of the rocks this time. Normally she would be out chatting and catching up with the other Clans, but tonight she couldn't be bothered. If someone wanted to talk to her, they would come to her. So she lay there, just watching the other cats and taking everything in. She had noticed that it was Agaveheart representing ShadowClan tonight, which intrigued the ThunderClan medicine cat. Was there a fight? Did they just not feel like coming? Were they dead? She didn't know, but she hoped they would find out. She was tempted to find a ShadowClan cat and ask them, but the thought of having to get up out of the comfortable position she was in made her groan internally.

[OPEN]


Larkpaw from ShadowClan was nearby Tallmarsh and looked up. "What?" the she-cat apprentice asked.

[Freesia]

Larkpaw from ShadowClan was nearby Tallmarsh and looked up. "What?" the she-cat apprentice asked.

Tallmarsh heard a nearby apprentice say something, but she couldn't hear what she said. Wrinkling her nose, the medicine cat turned and glared at the young she-cat. "Did you say something to me?" she snapped. Ah, how she had missed being mean. It was so draining to have to put on her 'doting medicine cat' act. Of course, she really did care for her Clanmates and her 'doting medicine cat' act wasn't fake, but she couldn't care less about the other Clans or what they thought about her. So, for tonight she had fallen back into her old, snappy, vain ways.

[The Flying Pizza]

Tallmarsh heard a nearby apprentice say something, but she couldn't hear what she said. Wrinkling her nose, the medicine cat turned and glared at the young she-cat. "Did you say something to me?" she snapped. Ah, how she had missed being mean. It was so draining to have to put on her 'doting medicine cat' act. Of course, she really did care for her Clanmates and her 'doting medicine cat' act wasn't fake, but she couldn't care less about the other Clans or what they thought about her. So, for tonight she had fallen back into her old, snappy, vain ways.

Larkpaw gestured a paw at a nearby warrior, Greythrush. "Hm?..oh Larkpaw....what is it?" Greythrush padded towards the apprentice, nodding at Tallmarsh. "I hope Larkpaw isn't bothering you she's a bit..annoying at times.."

[gemini]

Quiverpaw sat down beside the white tom, and kind of felt better almost instantly. She felt centered when sitting, like a steady boulder with a stream of cats flowing around them. The apprentice stared at her paws and took the short moment of silence to calm herself down so that she could talk without her nervous shaking habit making her voice quiver.
Her amber eyes flickered up to Cottonspirit's mitch-matched gaze as he spoke, and she blinked, surprised. "Will I?" She asked, finally looking around once more with a bit less fright. Suddenly, she spotted a WindClan cat here and there as her panic fully subsided and her eyes really opened. In her previous panic, she hadn't been looking close enough - her desperation had clouded her gaze. The apprentice already did recognize a few cats, she realized. Not as many as she eventually would, but at least a few. "Oh," She mewed softly, deflating into a more relaxed sitting position.
he gave her a sincere look. keeping his gaze low and scanning the crowed he knew no cats would die without hearing about his latest ventures. at her lack of assurance he wrapped his long snowy tail around her back and looked at her “I’m sure you will Quiverpaw.” He chucked with a smile. He could feel her uneasiness and watched as her harsher feelings slowly melted away. Keeping his gaze set on the crowed he looked up, “see, your mom’s at the base of the rock. I’m sure she’s going to come find you later.” He said with a smile, trying to find Buttercup for his own reassurance purposes.

[.:Virgo:.]

Fuzzypaw sighed and yawned. She was honestly just about to fall asleep since she hadn't gotten any the night before. The molly stretched and yawned at the same time, her grey tabby fur standing on end as she stretched her back, eliciting multiple satisfying pops to come from her spine. She sat back down, a bit less drowsy than before, although still very tired.

Fuzzypaw looked around the clearing looking to see if there was anyone to talk to, as she was bored.

(OPEN.)

[Dirtfur]

Fuzzypaw sighed and yawned. She was honestly just about to fall asleep since she hadn't gotten any the night before. The molly stretched and yawned at the same time, her grey tabby fur standing on end as she stretched her back, eliciting multiple satisfying pops to come from her spine. She sat back down, a bit less drowsy than before, although still very tired.

Fuzzypaw looked around the clearing looking to see if there was anyone to talk to, as she was bored.

(OPEN.)
Redpaw searched the gathering for any cats to talk to. Leaftail was somewhere, talking to Riverclan cats, not noticing that the molly's second apprentice left her side. The Selkirk rex apprentice stumbles into each conversation resulting in getting denied or neglected.
Dejection plastered on Redpaw's face. The miserable tom lied down, waiting for another cat to talk to him.

[Mango]

duskblossom looked at soaringpaw with a determined smirk. she wouldn't give up this easily, if that was what this cat was hoping for. "it is a good evening. what's your name?" the female inquired, giving the stranger a prompting facial expression. at least she'd made a bit of progress, and she could go off of that. she sat down to make a point of her patience when it came to these matters. duskblossom winced, as she'd forgotten to check where she had been standing and felt a rock digging into her. she got up, swept it away with her tail, and sat back down, struggling to keep a straight face. duskblossom tripped a little as she sat but caught herself before anything embarrassing happened. this cat did not know what they were getting themselves into.
She narrowed her eyes at the warrior,” Soaringpaw.” She stated plainly not bother to say anything else.

[.:Virgo:.]

Redpaw searched the gathering for any cats to talk to. Leaftail was somewhere, talking to Riverclan cats, not noticing that the molly's second apprentice left her side. The Selkirk rex apprentice stumbles into each conversation resulting in getting denied or neglected.
Dejection plastered on Redpaw's face. The miserable tom lied down, waiting for another cat to talk to him.
Fuzzypaw's green eyes locked onto another apprentice, probably her age. The grey molly padded over to him quietly, hoping to not disturb him. "Hello! Who are you?" She asked, her fuzz a bit poofy from the factor of humidity from being near the ocean. Fuzzypaw's green eyes reflected the stars above, making her meadow colored orbs gleam.

[Zero]

he gave her a sincere look. keeping his gaze low and scanning the crowed he knew no cats would die without hearing about his latest ventures. at her lack of assurance he wrapped his long snowy tail around her back and looked at her “I’m sure you will Quiverpaw.” He chucked with a smile. He could feel her uneasiness and watched as her harsher feelings slowly melted away. Keeping his gaze set on the crowed he looked up, “see, your mom’s at the base of the rock. I’m sure she’s going to come find you later.” He said with a smile, trying to find Buttercup for his own reassurance purposes.

Quiverpaw attempted to follow his gaze, having to stand in order to get a better venture point. She brightened when she suddenly saw Buttercupbreeze through the sea of cats, sitting at the base of the giant boulder on which all the leaders sat. The young apprentice smiled, hoping all was well between her mom and all of the high ranks - still young and oblivious to all of the politics of clan life. "I hope so," She mewed softly, settling back down next to her mentor. She turned her gaze back to him, looking much less anxious - though not completely relaxed. "What do you normally do at gatherings?" The apprentice suddenly asked, not wanting to sit in silence.

[Dirtfur]

Fuzzypaw's green eyes locked onto another apprentice, probably her age. The grey molly padded over to him quietly, hoping to not disturb him. "Hello! Who are you?" She asked, her fuzz a bit poofy from the factor of humidity from being near the ocean. Fuzzypaw's green eyes reflected the stars above, making her meadow colored orbs gleam.

The lonely red furball jumped off his paws and saw that it a molly, grey and pretty fluffy. "I-I'm Redpaw. Nice to meet you, what's your name?" the tom stammered in a downhearted manner.

Redpaw descried Fuzzypaw's green eyes which sparkled from the stars above their heads. The Selkirk rex turned their head to one side. Finally, someone to talk to! Redpaw squealed inside their own head then looked back at the grey molly and smiles, trying to show a warm presence; however, his eyes betrays his feelings of worry as if he thought that the green-eyed molly will turned around on him and leaves.

[panchiko]

She narrowed her eyes at the warrior,” Soaringpaw.” She stated plainly not bother to say anything else.
"great name!" duskblossom responded. "soaringpaw," she tasted the word on her lips, figuring she liked the sound of it. her tail flickered back and forth invitingly, but the apprentice was still being rather harsh. the warrior sniffed, but couldn't decipher what clan soaringpaw was from because of the overwhelming amount of other scents from the surrounding clan cats. she could sense that the cat was familiar, and so decided that soaringpaw was also a shadowclan cat without bothering to ask. "so, well, is your apprenticehood going well?" she asked, racking her brain for conversation topics that weren't plain and boring like 'the weather'.

[Mango]

"great name!" duskblossom responded. "soaringpaw," she tasted the word on her lips, figuring she liked the sound of it. her tail flickered back and forth invitingly, but the apprentice was still being rather harsh. the warrior sniffed, but couldn't decipher what clan soaringpaw was from because of the overwhelming amount of other scents from the surrounding clan cats. she could sense that the cat was familiar, and so decided that soaringpaw was also a shadowclan cat without bothering to ask. "so, well, is your apprenticehood going well?" she asked, racking her brain for conversation topics that weren't plain and boring like 'the weather'.
Soaringpaw was surprised that the warrior was still fighting to have a conversation with her, so she grumbled,” It’s fine.” She replied hoping the warrior would quit trying.

[panchiko]

Soaringpaw was surprised that the warrior was still fighting to have a conversation with her, so she grumbled,” It’s fine.” She replied hoping the warrior would quit trying.

duskblossom smiled. "that's great! so, anything been stressing you out lately? what's the highlight of your day? anything good been going on?" she said, a little bit on the quieter side because she was getting kind of thirsty. at this point, she was just shooting out any conversation topic that would come to mind from former personal experience. this cat was really making it hard to keep the conversation going, but duskblossom wasn't going to give soaringpaw a break. no, not today.

[.:Virgo:.]

The lonely red furball jumped off his paws and saw that it a molly, grey and pretty fluffy. "I-I'm Redpaw. Nice to meet you, what's your name?" the tom stammered in a downhearted manner.

Redpaw descried Fuzzypaw's green eyes which sparkled from the stars above their heads. The Selkirk rex turned their head to one side. Finally, someone to talk to! Redpaw squealed inside their own head then looked back at the grey molly and smiles, trying to show a warm presence; however, his eyes betrays his feelings of worry as if he thought that the green-eyed molly will turned around on him and leaves.
"My name is Fuzzypaw if it wasn't obvious." She said, smiling brightly. "What clan are you from? I'm from Windclan. And a word to the wise, don't ever ask a Windclan cat how the prey is running. They always say that it's fast. And trust me. It is." She joked, her smile turnnig to a playful smirk.

[gemini]

Quiverpaw attempted to follow his gaze, having to stand in order to get a better venture point. She brightened when she suddenly saw Buttercupbreeze through the sea of cats, sitting at the base of the giant boulder on which all the leaders sat. The young apprentice smiled, hoping all was well between her mom and all of the high ranks - still young and oblivious to all of the politics of clan life. "I hope so," She mewed softly, settling back down next to her mentor. She turned her gaze back to him, looking much less anxious - though not completely relaxed. "What do you normally do at gatherings?" The apprentice suddenly asked, not wanting to sit in silence.
’see buttercup! I’m doing great’ he wanted to scream as her anxiety began to slowly melt away. His snowy fur pricking on end as he thought about what he normally did at gatherings a wide smile crossed his face. “Well you see...” he slowly began a wide smile crossing his maw, Quiverpaw was about to be in for a very long ride, as she changed her vantage point he began “well you see, I gossip, and help people.” he pointed a paw at a large tom “that’s Almondspice, he’s from riverclan, I’m trying to set him up with other cats but he refuses.” He said rolling his eyes putting his paw down and back up after a second “then there’s your mom, I usually bother her a lot and try to set her up but she also refuses.” He rolled his eyes again, “nobody lets me help them.” He whined a bit like an apprentice, but tried not too. “But I usually have a few random chats now and then, but you’ll find your place.” He said with a bright smile and looked back down at her.

[Mango]

duskblossom smiled. "that's great! so, anything been stressing you out lately? what's the highlight of your day? anything good been going on?" she said, a little bit on the quieter side because she was getting kind of thirsty. at this point, she was just shooting out any conversation topic that would come to mind from former personal experience. this cat was really making it hard to keep the conversation going, but duskblossom wasn't going to give soaringpaw a break. no, not today.

Soaringoaw was so over the warrior, but she knew she had to answer as that cat was a warrior,” Not really. Nothing. Again, nothing.” She grumpily replied.

[panchiko]

Soaringoaw was so over the warrior, but she knew she had to answer as that cat was a warrior,” Not really. Nothing. Again, nothing.” She grumpily replied.

her smile faded. the interested twinkle in her eye was pretty much gone. her energy was going nowhere, being wasted on this unfriendly cat, and she had a minor headache. absolutely great. now what was she going to do? all of the other cats had already found conversation partners, and here she was, talking with the most boring sack of meat in the clans. "the weather's nice today," duskblossom said blandly, giving soaringpaw an exasperated look. she was finished asking her a bombardment of questions. even a friendly cat like herself had her limits.

[Mango]

her smile faded. the interested twinkle in her eye was pretty much gone. her energy was going nowhere, being wasted on this unfriendly cat, and she had a minor headache. absolutely great. now what was she going to do? all of the other cats had already found conversation partners, and here she was, talking with the most boring sack of meat in the clans. "the weather's nice today," duskblossom said blandly, giving soaringpaw an exasperated look. she was finished asking her a bombardment of questions. even a friendly cat like herself had her limits.
Soaringpaw sighed,” I guess.” She was wondering why this cat was still trying to get her to be chatty.

[panchiko]

Soaringpaw sighed,” I guess.” She was wondering why this cat was still trying to get her to be chatty.

"well, aren't you good at guessing," duskblososm replied, an undertone of sarcasm hidden beneath her voice. she waited for soaringpaw to choose a topic to talk about, sick of being the only one who was actually encouraging this conversation. the warrior gave soaringpaw a look which said 'please just say something, i'm so done with this', hoping that soaringpaw was as good at guessing facial expressions as she was guessing how well the weather was; which, technically, soaringpaw wasn't good at. she was simply stating the obvious, but duskblossom simply couldn't care less.

[Dirtfur]

"My name is Fuzzypaw if it wasn't obvious." She said, smiling brightly. "What clan are you from? I'm from Windclan. And a word to the wise, don't ever ask a Windclan cat how the prey is running. They always say that it's fast. And trust me. It is." She joked, her smile turnnig to a playful smirk.

The joke made Redpaw chuckled. "I'm from ShadowClan, nice meeting you Fuzzypaw!" the Selkirk rex meowed.

| .:Virgo:. |

[.:Virgo:.]

The joke made Redpaw chuckled. "I'm from ShadowClan, nice meeting you Fuzzypaw!" the Selkirk rex meowed.

| .:Virgo:. |
Fuzzypaw looked at Redpaw, her green eyes fully open since she was awake now. "Well, it's nice to meet you too, Redpaw!" She said, her face morphing back into a smile.

[Dirtfur]

Fuzzypaw looked at Redpaw, her green eyes fully open since she was awake now. "Well, it's nice to meet you too, Redpaw!" She said, her face morphing back into a smile.

The red apprentice nodded. "So who's your mentor?" asked the red Selkirk rex.

[.:Virgo:.]

The red apprentice nodded. "So who's your mentor?" asked the red Selkirk rex.
she doesn't have a mentor, so NPC NAME))

"Hm? Oh, Mine is Warmheart." Fuzzypaw flicked her tail towards a mostly white molly with a marbled orange tail tip, and orange ear tips as well. "Who's yours?"

[Dirtfur]

she doesn't have a mentor, so NPC NAME))

"Hm? Oh, Mine is Warmheart." Fuzzypaw flicked her tail towards a mostly white molly with a marbled orange tail tip, and orange ear tips as well. "Who's yours?"

(Oh, sorry)

"Mine mentor is over there talking with other warriors," Redpaw replied, using his tail to point his mentor. "Her name is Leaftail. She umm doesn't notice I'm here." the red apprentice slightly chuckled awkwardly.

[Mango]

"well, aren't you good at guessing," duskblososm replied, an undertone of sarcasm hidden beneath her voice. she waited for soaringpaw to choose a topic to talk about, sick of being the only one who was actually encouraging this conversation. the warrior gave soaringpaw a look which said 'please just say something, i'm so done with this', hoping that soaringpaw was as good at guessing facial expressions as she was guessing how well the weather was; which, technically, soaringpaw wasn't good at. she was simply stating the obvious, but duskblossom simply couldn't care less.
She could tell what Duskblossom wanted and finally grumbled,” Why are you fighting to have a conversation with me?”

[Fawn]

A yawn fell from Fawnpaw as the night dragged on, stars growing clearer and leaders talking for what seemed like moons, but perhaps his sleepiness was clouding his judgment of time's passage. His eyelids continued to grow heavier, micro-naps more infrequent, until he'd blink himself awake for a second or two. Then, the cycle would repeat. As much as he enjoyed conversing with the cats of other Clans, he couldn't help but think this gathering had been surprisingly unproductive on that front given his uncomfortable encounter with Dustypaw, and he simply wished to go home to RiverClan soon. Preferably before he made a mouse-brain of himself by snoring in the middle of the leaders' announcements.

Despite his concerns, sleepiness was overtaking him again, and he began to nod off. Fawnpaw's head lowered, body gradually drifting to the side until it landed against something.... soft. It was nice, comfortable.

Realizing that wasn't right, Fawnpaw startled awake and whirled around to see what he'd been resting against -- to his horror, another cat. An apprentice, judging by her size. "Oh my gosh, I-- I am so sorry," he fumbled through a flustered apology, voice cracking. He was mortified "It's just-- it's getting pretty late, and.. I've had a long day-- I'm sorry."


Orchidleaf

[Vexing]

A yawn fell from Fawnpaw as the night dragged on, stars growing clearer and leaders talking for what seemed like moons, but perhaps his sleepiness was clouding his judgment of time's passage. His eyelids continued to grow heavier, micro-naps more infrequent, until he'd blink himself awake for a second or two. Then, the cycle would repeat. As much as he enjoyed conversing with the cats of other Clans, he couldn't help but think this gathering had been surprisingly unproductive on that front given his uncomfortable encounter with Dustypaw, and he simply wished to go home to RiverClan soon. Preferably before he made a mouse-brain of himself by snoring in the middle of the leaders' announcements.

Despite his concerns, sleepiness was overtaking him again, and he began to nod off. Fawnpaw's head lowered, body gradually drifting to the side until it landed against something.... soft. It was nice, comfortable.

Realizing that wasn't right, Fawnpaw startled awake and whirled around to see what he'd been resting against -- to his horror, another cat. An apprentice, judging by her size. "Oh my gosh, I-- I am so sorry," he fumbled through a flustered apology, voice cracking. He was mortified "It's just-- it's getting pretty late, and.. I've had a long day-- I'm sorry."


Orchidleaf
Dovepaw had decided to sit down next to an odd cat who appeared at the very least to be tired, she didn't think much of him until he fell against her fur. At first, she stared at him in confusion and bewilderment at this tom resting his head against her but, by the looks of it, he needed the rest so she decided to say nothing. A purr rumbled in her throat but she swallowed it at once.

She stayed like this for a moment, then the tom jerked awake and began floundering like a piece of trapped prey, causing her to snort. She rested her tail tip on his shoulder and chuckled, smiling at the tom as she said, "Hey, it's okay, no harm done but if you had tried to attack me in your sleep, then we would've had a problem." She ducked her head in greeting and continued to smile at him, "My name's Dovepaw, okay? What's yours?"

[Fawn]

Dovepaw had decided to sit down next to an odd cat who appeared at the very least to be tired, she didn't think much of him until he fell against her fur. At first, she stared at him in confusion and bewilderment at this tom resting his head against her but, by the looks of it, he needed the rest so she decided to say nothing. A purr rumbled in her throat but she swallowed it at once.

She stayed like this for a moment, then the tom jerked awake and began floundering like a piece of trapped prey, causing her to snort. She rested her tail tip on his shoulder and chuckled, smiling at the tom as she said, "Hey, it's okay, no harm done but if you had tried to attack me in your sleep, then we would've had a problem." She ducked her head in greeting and continued to smile at him, "My name's Dovepaw, okay? What's yours?"
Fawnpaw blinked at her snort, shocked that she was taking it so well when he'd been certain he was about to receive an earful about that. He was supposed to be a warrior in a few moons, he couldn't be falling asleep at a gathering, much less on someone else. However, his bristling fur gradually laid flatter in relief, grateful that she wasn't as belligerent as she could've been regarding the incident. "Whoa, geez! Attack you?" He blanched. "I know I'm RiverClan and... you smell kind of like ShadowClan, and they're on pretty bad terms, but that's really taking it to a new level."

He'd never heard of sleep-attacking- not in RiverClan at least, was that something specific to ShadowClan? "Wait, is that a thing? Cats... attacking one another in their sleep?" Fawnpaw asked after a second in mild disbelief and curiosity. "I've never had that happen, to be honest, but now I'm slightly more afraid of sleeping ShadowClan cats." Realizing he'd never offered his name in response, he corrected it with a sheepish, "I mean, I'm Fawnpaw. It's nice to meet you, Dovepaw. Probably would've been even nicer if I hadn't literally fallen asleep on you, though.."

[Vexing]

Fawnpaw blinked at her snort, shocked that she was taking it so well when he'd been certain he was about to receive an earful about that. He was supposed to be a warrior in a few moons, he couldn't be falling asleep at a gathering, much less on someone else. However, his bristling fur gradually laid flatter in relief, grateful that she wasn't as belligerent as she could've been regarding the incident. "Whoa, geez! Attack you?" He blanched. "I know I'm RiverClan and... you smell kind of like ShadowClan, and they're on pretty bad terms, but that's really taking it to a new level."

He'd never heard of sleep-attacking- not in RiverClan at least, was that something specific to ShadowClan? "Wait, is that a thing? Cats... attacking one another in their sleep?" Fawnpaw asked after a second in mild disbelief and curiosity. "I've never had that happen, to be honest, but now I'm slightly more afraid of sleeping ShadowClan cats." Realizing he'd never offered his name in response, he corrected it with a sheepish, "I mean, I'm Fawnpaw. It's nice to meet you, Dovepaw. Probably would've been even nicer if I hadn't literally fallen asleep on you, though.."
Dovepaw swished her tail over her muzzle as she tried and failed to hold back a laugh. She caught her breath and moved her tail out of the way, "Calm down Fawnpaw, I mean sometimes cats will kick or squirm in their sleep and can end up kicking or prodding another cat, I just like to call that sleep fighting, you won't find a Shadowclan cat asleep, pouncing on your neck, claws unsheathed in his sleep anytime soon, I promise."

Honestly, this cat took everything too literally, he seemed to be so scared of just about everything and, to be honest, Dovepaw found it kind of cute. But not in 'that way' of course, just that it was kind of funny how much like a scared kit he acted. She swished her tail to playfully flick Fawnpaw's ears, "So, what's made you so tired you can't stay awake to watch your leader try and claw off the other's ears?" She gestured to the leaders.

[Fawn]

Dovepaw swished her tail over her muzzle as she tried and failed to hold back a laugh. She caught her breath and moved her tail out of the way, "Calm down Fawnpaw, I mean sometimes cats will kick or squirm in their sleep and can end up kicking or prodding another cat, I just like to call that sleep fighting, you won't find a Shadowclan cat asleep, pouncing on your neck, claws unsheathed in his sleep anytime soon, I promise."

Honestly, this cat took everything too literally, he seemed to be so scared of just about everything and, to be honest, Dovepaw found it kind of cute. But not in 'that way' of course, just that it was kind of funny how much like a scared kit he acted. She swished her tail to playfully flick Fawnpaw's ears, "So, what's made you so tired you can't stay awake to watch your leader try and claw off the other's ears?" She gestured to the leaders.
Upon her clarification, Fawnpaw eased into a self-conscious chuckle at his misinterpretation. "Oh. Right, of course. I'm glad I wasn't doing that, because I actually am kind of a restless sleeper when I can manage to get sleep. I'm sure the other apprentices will be happy once I move into the warriors' den." Calling it sleep fighting was intriguingly creative, he took note of that for future use. At her joke, he replied, "Hey, what was I supposed to think? I've just heard that ShadowClan cats like to use their claws for, uh, extracurricular activities." RiverClan made a point of accentuating their ruthlessness.

He peered to where the leaders and deputies were on the Seastones, then back at Dovepaw, questioningly. "Fallenstar? Or.. Lionstorm? Well, I guess it doesn't matter," Fawnpaw shrugged, "since they're both a little..." That was where he trailed off with a shake of his head to address her question. "You know, just staying up all night worrying about a sleeping ShadowClan cat that's going to stealth-attack me," was his first answer, sarcastically teasing as he gathered his thoughts and evaluated whether he should be open about the real reason. With a sigh, he went on more seriously, [b]"It's weird-- so try not to laugh, but I have a lot of thoughts, and they won't be quiet enough to let me rest sometimes."

[Vexing]

Upon her clarification, Fawnpaw eased into a self-conscious chuckle at his misinterpretation. "Oh. Right, of course. I'm glad I wasn't doing that, because I actually am kind of a restless sleeper when I can manage to get sleep. I'm sure the other apprentices will be happy once I move into the warriors' den." Calling it sleep fighting was intriguingly creative, he took note of that for future use. At her joke, he replied, "Hey, what was I supposed to think? I've just heard that ShadowClan cats like to use their claws for, uh, extracurricular activities." RiverClan made a point of accentuating their ruthlessness.

He peered to where the leaders and deputies were on the Seastones, then back at Dovepaw, questioningly. "Fallenstar? Or.. Lionstorm? Well, I guess it doesn't matter," Fawnpaw shrugged, "since they're both a little..." That was where he trailed off with a shake of his head to address her question. "You know, just staying up all night worrying about a sleeping ShadowClan cat that's going to stealth-attack me," was his first answer, sarcastically teasing as he gathered his thoughts and evaluated whether he should be open about the real reason. With a sigh, he went on more seriously, [b]"It's weird-- so try not to laugh, but I have a lot of thoughts, and they won't be quiet enough to let me rest sometimes."
Dovepaw gave him a questioning glance then her eyes widened in understanding, "Ooooh, like a cat is yelling at you inside your head? I get those sometimes, they come whenever I'm worried about something I did and you better believe sometimes I don't sleep cause of em." She chuckled then sighed, looking up at the leaders for a moment and staring, almost like she was seeing something else.

She shook her head and smiled at the cute- I mean cautious tom as she continued, "You know, I've learned that sometimes a few words is all you need to get rid of those voices or thoughts or even feelings all writhing inside you." She looked at the ground, "Recently, I went out hunting with a friend of mine and I almost caught a rabbit but I looked into its eyes and saw how scared it looked so I let it go, that night I kept beating myself up over it and just being all-around angry with myself but then I yelled at myself something that's helped me ever since," she looked up at Fawnpaw with a smile and determined eyes, "so what? I just yelled that at myself, so what if I let it go? Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with me, so what if I felt sorry for it? Any cat would if they saw its eyes. I just kept reassuring myself and eventually, they went away."

She sighed and rested her tail once again on Fawnpaw's shoulder, "Now, I'm not saying this will work for you or even that you have the same problem as me but I do think you can do something about it, if voices are keeping you up tell them off, same with thoughts and feelings. It's not weird." She smiled at Fawnpaw.

[Fawn]

Dovepaw gave him a questioning glance then her eyes widened in understanding, "Ooooh, like a cat is yelling at you inside your head? I get those sometimes, they come whenever I'm worried about something I did and you better believe sometimes I don't sleep cause of em." She chuckled then sighed, looking up at the leaders for a moment and staring, almost like she was seeing something else.

She shook her head and smiled at the cute- I mean cautious tom as she continued, "You know, I've learned that sometimes a few words is all you need to get rid of those voices or thoughts or even feelings all writhing inside you." She looked at the ground, "Recently, I went out hunting with a friend of mine and I almost caught a rabbit but I looked into its eyes and saw how scared it looked so I let it go, that night I kept beating myself up over it and just being all-around angry with myself but then I yelled at myself something that's helped me ever since," she looked up at Fawnpaw with a smile and determined eyes, "so what? I just yelled that at myself, so what if I let it go? Doesn't mean there's anything wrong with me, so what if I felt sorry for it? Any cat would if they saw its eyes. I just kept reassuring myself and eventually, they went away."

She sighed and rested her tail once again on Fawnpaw's shoulder, "Now, I'm not saying this will work for you or even that you have the same problem as me but I do think you can do something about it, if voices are keeping you up tell them off, same with thoughts and feelings. It's not weird." She smiled at Fawnpaw.
"I don't know, kind of," he said, uneasy as he considered his own shortcomings in that department. It felt beyond his control. "It's like... I can't stop thinking about things, it's hard to describe. Not just self-deprecation." Occasionally, not always. More often, it was his general wonderings that wouldn't stop long enough so he could fall asleep. His mind's never-ending reeling that knew no limits kept him in an alert state. However, it was oddly soothing that she faced the same, and he smiled faintly. "I was worried it was only me who had that problem." In particular, he found it fascinating they had over-active minds that contributed to insomnia.

He nodded to commit her advice to memory even if he was uncertain about getting his hopes up. "It's mostly just my mind being too active.. but a little self-reassurance wouldn't hurt, probably." Fawnpaw paused to consider her idea, envisioning its practicality as he mused aloud, "...If I did that--like, if I had been in your situation--I think I could've told myself 'so what' but then I would've thought about the answer to that, which would be fretting about the kits that'll go hungry, the elders that might be malnourished, or my mentor who'll be disappointed in me and... how it reflects badly on my skills-- sorry," he cut off his ramble with a sigh, "I'm not meaning those things for you, but.. if I did that, that's what'd happen. I'd be anxious over a whole new set of things." He wished his brain would simply stop sometimes and be numb, tune out the world around him.

"Wow, geez... I can't believe I just told you all of that," he meowed, scuffing at the ground. With a light laugh, he said, "Sorry you decided to sit next to such a weirdo, huh?" Falling asleep on her, then sharing his insomnia issues too. That's a new low, Fawnpaw thought.

[Vexing]

"I don't know, kind of," he said, uneasy as he considered his own shortcomings in that department. It felt beyond his control. "It's like... I can't stop thinking about things, it's hard to describe. Not just self-deprecation." Occasionally, not always. More often, it was his general wonderings that wouldn't stop long enough so he could fall asleep. His mind's never-ending reeling that knew no limits kept him in an alert state. However, it was oddly soothing that she faced the same, and he smiled faintly. "I was worried it was only me who had that problem." In particular, he found it fascinating they had over-active minds that contributed to insomnia.

He nodded to commit her advice to memory even if he was uncertain about getting his hopes up. "It's mostly just my mind being too active.. but a little self-reassurance wouldn't hurt, probably." Fawnpaw paused to consider her idea, envisioning its practicality as he mused aloud, "...If I did that--like, if I had been in your situation--I think I could've told myself 'so what' but then I would've thought about the answer to that, which would be fretting about the kits that'll go hungry, the elders that might be malnourished, or my mentor who'll be disappointed in me and... how it reflects badly on my skills-- sorry," he cut off his ramble with a sigh, "I'm not meaning those things for you, but.. if I did that, that's what'd happen. I'd be anxious over a whole new set of things." He wished his brain would simply stop sometimes and be numb, tune out the world around him.

"Wow, geez... I can't believe I just told you all of that," he meowed, scuffing at the ground. With a light laugh, he said, "Sorry you decided to sit next to such a weirdo, huh?" Falling asleep on her, then sharing his insomnia issues too. That's a new low, Fawnpaw thought.
She winced at what he said about the kits and elders but shook her head at the last bit, retracting her tail, "You're not weird I thought I already told you that." She smiled sympathetically and thought for a moment before leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder, "Wow, I can see why you did this, it's pretty comfy." She sighed and smiled as she got off of the tom, eager to see his reaction but yet, a strange feeling arose inside her, almost a tugging sensation that was telling her to keep her head there, with him. It was at that moment that she realized, she wasn't worried, her worries, fears, everything had disappeared when she was with Fawnpaw, but why?

[panchiko]

She could tell what Duskblossom wanted and finally grumbled,” Why are you fighting to have a conversation with me?”

"look around. everyone else is talking. i'm trying to be a pleasant person, but you're making it quite impossible. i just want to enjoy this gathering," duskblossom replied, looking at soaringpaw with slightly pleading eyes. she doubted soaringpaw would understand, given the treatment the apprentice had been giving her all gathering long. she flickered her tail in a circular motion to gesture to other cats who were having a great conversation, and then looked soaringpaw in the eyes unblinkingly.

[Mango]

"look around. everyone else is talking. i'm trying to be a pleasant person, but you're making it quite impossible. i just want to enjoy this gathering," duskblossom replied, looking at soaringpaw with slightly pleading eyes. she doubted soaringpaw would understand, given the treatment the apprentice had been giving her all gathering long. she flickered her tail in a circular motion to gesture to other cats who were having a great conversation, and then looked soaringpaw in the eyes unblinkingly.

Soaringpaw nodded,” Well...I don’t like any clan but Shadowclan. I don’t want to be here.” She grumbled in annoyance.

[panchiko]

Soaringpaw nodded,” Well...I don’t like any clan but Shadowclan. I don’t want to be here.” She grumbled in annoyance.

"I'M FROM SHADOWCLAN," duskblossom exclaimed angrily, eyes widening as she gave soaringpaw a slightly hidden stinky eye. she calmed herself down and brought herself back into a neutral expression before continuing. "it doesn't seem to me like someone would be able to force you here," the warrior responded, noting soaringpaw's apparent stubbornness. she was getting quite annoyed as well, ears twitching as she listened to her accelerated heartbeat, which had quickened because of the intensity of her former proclamation. the female looked at the apprentice, wondering what in the name of starclan was racing through soaringpaw's thoughts. it probably wouldn't interest her if she knew, but soaringpaw was causing her so much unnecessary distress that duskblossom just wanted to know why. why can't i have a nice conversation at a gathering for once? why did i have to pick the least talkative cat in the clans? why is this such a failure? whyyyyyyyy, she grumbled to herself, but after thinking for too long she stifled a laugh. whatever, she thought, a small smile lingering on her face.

[Fawn]

She winced at what he said about the kits and elders but shook her head at the last bit, retracting her tail, "You're not weird I thought I already told you that." She smiled sympathetically and thought for a moment before leaning over to rest her head on his shoulder, "Wow, I can see why you did this, it's pretty comfy." She sighed and smiled as she got off of the tom, eager to see his reaction but yet, a strange feeling arose inside her, almost a tugging sensation that was telling her to keep her head there, with him. It was at that moment that she realized, she wasn't worried, her worries, fears, everything had disappeared when she was with Fawnpaw, but why?
Fawnpaw's smile was wry. "I guess I just can't envision anyone talking to me and thinking, 'hm, what a regular apprentice' at the end of the interaction, but I'm glad you, uh, don't mind." He knew he had unique interests and was an odd one in some regards, perhaps a bit quirkier than what would be socially acceptable... but everybody had their faults.

When he felt Dovepaw press against him, Fawnpaw unconsciously stiffened in surprise, pelt heating from the touch. He'd almost forgotten to speak and it was another challenge to even find his voice, but he managed, "Y-yeah-- you think so?" It was essentially a squeak, despite how she'd already moved away. "I... if you wanted to stay there, you could, maybe. Um, I don't know if there are rules against that at the gathering." Fawnpaw figured it likely was, they weren't exactly clanmates, so forging friendships was supposed to be off limits.

[Vexing]

Fawnpaw's smile was wry. "I guess I just can't envision anyone talking to me and thinking, 'hm, what a regular apprentice' at the end of the interaction, but I'm glad you, uh, don't mind." He knew he had unique interests and was an odd one in some regards, perhaps a bit quirkier than what would be socially acceptable... but everybody had their faults.

When he felt Dovepaw press against him, Fawnpaw unconsciously stiffened in surprise, pelt heating from the touch. He'd almost forgotten to speak and it was another challenge to even find his voice, but he managed, "Y-yeah-- you think so?" It was essentially a squeak, despite how she'd already moved away. "I... if you wanted to stay there, you could, maybe. Um, I don't know if there are rules against that at the gathering." Fawnpaw figured it likely was, they weren't exactly clanmates, so forging friendships was supposed to be off limits.
Dovepaw looked around the gathering to see no cat was staring at them, they all seemed to be paying attention to the leaders. She let out a small purr and rested her head back on Fawnpaw's shoulder, giving it a small lick as she did so. Sure, this wasn't supposed to be allowed since they were from other clans but riht now, she didn't care, being with this quirky apprentice made her feel somewhat safe and that caused her eyes to slowly close as she fell asleep on his shoulder, her Riverclan scent mixing in with his Shadowclan.

[Fawn]

Dovepaw looked around the gathering to see no cat was staring at them, they all seemed to be paying attention to the leaders. She let out a small purr and rested her head back on Fawnpaw's shoulder, giving it a small lick as she did so. Sure, this wasn't supposed to be allowed since they were from other clans but riht now, she didn't care, being with this quirky apprentice made her feel somewhat safe and that caused her eyes to slowly close as she fell asleep on his shoulder, her Riverclan scent mixing in with his Shadowclan.
Fawnpaw squeezed his eyes shut momentarily as the sensation of flushing became overwhelming, opening them again to check to ensure this was going unnoticed while alarm bells were going off in his mind at how inappropriate this behavior would be, considering they were from different Clans. But... he didn't have the heart to disrupt Dovepaw when she was cozy against his side. Fawnpaw was motionless, simply watching the leaders but not hearing what they were saying with the blood rushing in his ears -- there was no way he'd fall asleep now, but he determined he'd wait until the end of the gathering to wake Dovepaw if she slept until then.

[Mango]

"I'M FROM SHADOWCLAN," duskblossom exclaimed angrily, eyes widening as she gave soaringpaw a slightly hidden stinky eye. she calmed herself down and brought herself back into a neutral expression before continuing. "it doesn't seem to me like someone would be able to force you here," the warrior responded, noting soaringpaw's apparent stubbornness. she was getting quite annoyed as well, ears twitching as she listened to her accelerated heartbeat, which had quickened because of the intensity of her former proclamation. the female looked at the apprentice, wondering what in the name of starclan was racing through soaringpaw's thoughts. it probably wouldn't interest her if she knew, but soaringpaw was causing her so much unnecessary distress that duskblossom just wanted to know why. why can't i have a nice conversation at a gathering for once? why did i have to pick the least talkative cat in the clans? why is this such a failure? whyyyyyyyy, she grumbled to herself, but after thinking for too long she stifled a laugh. whatever, she thought, a small smile lingering on her face.
She growled slightly,” I don’t like warriors either.” She grumbled,” My mentor said I’d being stuck in camp for the next moon if I refused to go, so as I said I was forced.” She replied

[BEAR.]

It was nice to not have much going on this gathering. Sure, ShadowClan was without leadership, but that was a small price to pay after all the drama the last Gatherings had. Besides, it wasn't really RiverClan's problem. As long as ShadowClan kept their head down and didn't agitate Fallenstar or Lionstorm, things would be fine.

Probably.

Ears twitching, Thistlestep glanced over his shoulder at Violetpaw, the young feline unfortunately assigned to him. He was sure she was a fine cat, it was just.. he had enjoyed the time without an apprentice. It felt ripped from him too soon.

"Violetpaw," he spoke her name quietly. "Perhaps it'd be best for you to socialize with cats your age? You can get to know the other Clans more." And not sit beside him. That sounded good to him.
Fuzzyfeline

[Vexing]

Fawnpaw squeezed his eyes shut momentarily as the sensation of flushing became overwhelming, opening them again to check to ensure this was going unnoticed while alarm bells were going off in his mind at how inappropriate this behavior would be, considering they were from different Clans. But... he didn't have the heart to disrupt Dovepaw when she was cozy against his side. Fawnpaw was motionless, simply watching the leaders but not hearing what they were saying with the blood rushing in his ears -- there was no way he'd fall asleep now, but he determined he'd wait until the end of the gathering to wake Dovepaw if she slept until then.
Dovepaw stayed like this for a while and it was nice, resting her head, breathing in Fawnpaw's scent, it made her feel so safe and warm...she knew it was wrong. Sadly, this meant that she knew she couldn't stay like this with him, she had to stop so she did, slowly lifting her head off of his shoulder and looking away embarrassedly to see that one of the Riverclan elders known as Silktail had been watching them from afar, grinning from ear to ear as he watched her snuggle up to Fawnpaw. Quickly, she recoiled, even though she had met with Silktail not too long ago and knew how kind the elder was, she knew he wouldn't tell anyone but she still felt embarrassed at being seen. She started to paw at the ground as she avoided Fawnpaw's gaze until finally, she asked a question that had been building up for a while now, "H-hey, w-would you like to m-meet up a-after the g-gathering?"

[Fawn]

Dovepaw stayed like this for a while and it was nice, resting her head, breathing in Fawnpaw's scent, it made her feel so safe and warm...she knew it was wrong. Sadly, this meant that she knew she couldn't stay like this with him, she had to stop so she did, slowly lifting her head off of his shoulder and looking away embarrassedly to see that one of the Riverclan elders known as Silktail had been watching them from afar, grinning from ear to ear as he watched her snuggle up to Fawnpaw. Quickly, she recoiled, even though she had met with Silktail not too long ago and knew how kind the elder was, she knew he wouldn't tell anyone but she still felt embarrassed at being seen. She started to paw at the ground as she avoided Fawnpaw's gaze until finally, she asked a question that had been building up for a while now, "H-hey, w-would you like to m-meet up a-after the g-gathering?"
Fawnpaw stood stiff as a board, barely breathing both from his own jittery nervousness and concerned about disturbing her. But soon, Dovepaw retracted from him, and he watched her with wide eyes to ask, "Uh... is everything alright?" Maybe he'd accidentally made his shoulder a less-comfortable pillow somehow. It was even more anxiety-inducing that she couldn't meet his gaze, but he tried to keep his budding panic in check, fearful somebody had seen them. At her question, Fawnpaw swallowed thickly, paws shuffling. "Look... it's sort of-- I mean, isn't it against the Code?" he questioned, fretting. He'd met cats at borders before, but none actually a plotted meeting; the intentional aspect was daunting and weighed on his conscience. A wavering sigh trickled from him as he said, "Maybe... if we're super careful, okay?"

[Vexing]

Fawnpaw stood stiff as a board, barely breathing both from his own jittery nervousness and concerned about disturbing her. But soon, Dovepaw retracted from him, and he watched her with wide eyes to ask, "Uh... is everything alright?" Maybe he'd accidentally made his shoulder a less-comfortable pillow somehow. It was even more anxiety-inducing that she couldn't meet his gaze, but he tried to keep his budding panic in check, fearful somebody had seen them. At her question, Fawnpaw swallowed thickly, paws shuffling. "Look... it's sort of-- I mean, isn't it against the Code?" he questioned, fretting. He'd met cats at borders before, but none actually a plotted meeting; the intentional aspect was daunting and weighed on his conscience. A wavering sigh trickled from him as he said, "Maybe... if we're super careful, okay?"
Dovepaw smiled brightly and before she knew it, she was rubbing her cheek against Fawnpaw's, purring wildly. She saw a few apprentices turn their heads but she didn't care, she was too happy to care as she continued to nuzzle Fawnpaw. She kept purring for a moment before finally pulling away, a hint of red creeping past her dark grey muzzle as she smiled at him, "You know, if you still need some rest, you could keep laying on me, I won't mind and I'll make sure to wake you up once the gathering is finished."

[BEAR.]

"What's going on here?" Thistlestep's voice was sharp as he approached Fawnpaw and Dovepaw, eyes narrowing at the ShadowClan apprentice that seemed.. strangely cozy with his brother. Beyond friends, which was an uncomfortable thought for the largely rule-abiding warrior. "Get away from him. Now." His voice had dropped to a low hiss. "Fawnpaw, come here."

If Dovepaw tried to argue, Thistlestep had no qualms with giving her a piece of his mind. It was one thing to be polite to another Clan, it was another to act like they were in some sort of.. weirdly underaged forbidden relationship. As far as Thistlestep knew, they didn't even know each other beyond this first meeting.
Orchidleaf, Dipper

[Fawn]

Fawnpaw tentatively grinned at her happiness, grateful he'd somehow--for once in his life, probably--managed to say the right thing at the right time. Her affectionate display had his eyes going wide, gawking in surprise and only shaking himself from it when she offered sleep to him. Sputtering for several moments in the aftermath of that, Fawnpaw found his voice to begin, "I'm not actually sleepy--" anymore, but that was cut off by Thistlestep's interruption. With a sharp intake of breath, he involuntarily stood up straighter to choke down a gasp. "Hey, uh..."

He rose to his paws and padded toward Thistlestep as he was told to join him. Fawnpaw wasn't sure what to say to either of them -- caught off guard, his mind was still reeling from the entire interaction, and he needed an opportunity to collect his scattered thoughts.

Orchidleaf ; BILL.

[Vexing]

"What's going on here?" Thistlestep's voice was sharp as he approached Fawnpaw and Dovepaw, eyes narrowing at the ShadowClan apprentice that seemed.. strangely cozy with his brother. Beyond friends, which was an uncomfortable thought for the largely rule-abiding warrior. "Get away from him. Now." His voice had dropped to a low hiss. "Fawnpaw, come here."

If Dovepaw tried to argue, Thistlestep had no qualms with giving her a piece of his mind. It was one thing to be polite to another Clan, it was another to act like they were in some sort of.. weirdly underaged forbidden relationship. As far as Thistlestep knew, they didn't even know each other beyond this first meeting.
Orchidleaf, Dipper
Fawnpaw tentatively grinned at her happiness, grateful he'd somehow--for once in his life, probably--managed to say the right thing at the right time. Her affectionate display had his eyes going wide, gawking in surprise and only shaking himself from it when she offered sleep to him. Sputtering for several moments in the aftermath of that, Fawnpaw found his voice to begin, "I'm not actually sleepy--" anymore, but that was cut off by Thistlestep's interruption. With a sharp intake of breath, he involuntarily stood up straighter to choke down a gasp. "Hey, uh..."

He rose to his paws and padded toward Thistlestep as he was told to join him. Fawnpaw wasn't sure what to say to either of them -- caught off guard, his mind was still reeling from the entire interaction, and he needed an opportunity to collect his scattered thoughts.

Orchidleaf ; BILL.
Dovepaw gasped at Thistlestep and was about to protest but saw the gleam in the warrior's eyes, she knew it would be a bad idea. So, she stayed silent, her tail drooping and her smile fading as she watched them leave and begin talking, that's when Silktail made his way over to her. The elder sat down next to her and looked over at Fawnpaw and Thistlestep, purring in amusement as he muttered, "You know, I used to love someone from another clan too." Dovepaw looked up at him, the red blush tinting her fur as he continued, "Yup, I went out to meet her almost every night then my mentor found me and you best believe he punished me. I was never allowed to see her again." His voice sounded solemn as he placed the tip of his tail on Dovepaw's shoulder, "I can distract your mentor whenever you want to meet that apprentice if you want, I know what it's like to be in love and to have that stripped away and I would never wish that on another apprentice."

[BEAR.]

Ah, but Thistlestep hadn't quite left yet, and he stared daggers at the elder and ShadowClan apprentice. "Both of you should be ashamed of yourselves. I don't care how much you think you 'love' my brother, you just met him and you've spent this entire interaction being inappropriate toward him." His icy gaze was furious as it flicked between the two. This was something he'd definitely bring up to Agaveheart when he had the chance-- there was no excuse for this behavior.

Turning away, he protectively tucked his tail around Fawnpaw to guide him away from the gross ShadowClan cats. "Stay by me. I don't want to see you around those predators again."
Orchidleaf, Dipper

[Fawn]

Fawnpaw didn't recognize the elder that came to speak with Dovepaw but tried to listen, tilting his head in curiosity at what was exchanged. Feeling the sting of his brother's disapproval, he was listless as an observer, muzzle twisted in worried lines. Puzzled, he said softly to Thistlestep, "I thought Dovepaw was being nice to me." He'd enjoyed her company but knew connections to other Clans were against the Code. Fawnpaw understood Thistlestep's irritation at the situation, or at least thought he did as his tail drooped in disappointment with himself. When he was ushered away, he asked, concerned, "Wait, are we leaving?"

Orchidleaf ; BILL.

[BEAR.]

"There's a difference between being nice and rubbing herself all over you. She crossed that line several moments ago." Thistlestep's tail flicked irritably as he led Fawnpaw away, thankfully through the crowd. That should put some distance between them, and get Fawnpaw away from those.. deplorable cats. "No, I just wanted to get you away from those two. I can't believe that elder was trying to encourage that behavior. It's against the Warrior Code for a reason."
Dipper

[Vexing]

Fawnpaw didn't recognize the elder that came to speak with Dovepaw but tried to listen, tilting his head in curiosity at what was exchanged. Feeling the sting of his brother's disapproval, he was listless as an observer, muzzle twisted in worried lines. Puzzled, he said softly to Thistlestep, "I thought Dovepaw was being nice to me." He'd enjoyed her company but knew connections to other Clans were against the Code. Fawnpaw understood Thistlestep's irritation at the situation, or at least thought he did as his tail drooped in disappointment with himself. When he was ushered away, he asked, concerned, "Wait, are we leaving?"

Orchidleaf ; BILL.
"There's a difference between being nice and rubbing herself all over you. She crossed that line several moments ago." Thistlestep's tail flicked irritably as he led Fawnpaw away, thankfully through the crowd. That should put some distance between them, and get Fawnpaw away from those.. deplorable cats. "No, I just wanted to get you away from those two. I can't believe that elder was trying to encourage that behavior. It's against the Warrior Code for a reason."
Dipper
Though his hearing was impaired, that didn't stop Silktail from overhearing Thistlestep and now he was mad, which didn't happen often. He sauntered his way to the two and gave Thistlestep a gentle look laced with fury, "That elder has a name, I'm Silktail and, no offense, but I don't expect you to understand what these two seem to have since judging by your personality, nobody has ever acted that way with you have they?" He said it sweetly but smirked with his scarred face, he'd never had that feeling before either.

[BEAR.]

Thistlestep couldn't help but snort at the ridiculousness of the elder. "Are you kidding?" he inquired roughly. "You're condoning the violation of the Warrior Code to apprentices. They have their entire life ahead of them, and you're encouraging them to break the warrior code because one of the apprentices got an instant crush on another one. Do you realize how absurd and inappropriate that is?"
Orchidleaf

[Vexing]

Thistlestep couldn't help but snort at the ridiculousness of the elder. "Are you kidding?" he inquired roughly. "You're condoning the violation of the Warrior Code to apprentices. They have their entire life ahead of them, and you're encouraging them to break the warrior code because one of the apprentices got an instant crush on another one. Do you realize how absurd and inappropriate that is?"
Orchidleaf
Silktail lashed his tail irritably then quickly stopped it, clearing his throat, "Well, if I don't condone this and instead discipline her, what if she decided to abandon our clan to be with the one she loves or vice versa?" He sighed and kept his gaze calm as well as a tired smile on his face, "Look, all I'm saying is that they could end up together no matter what we do or we could let them decide for themselves whether this is right or not and if they decide not then it doesn't matter but if they decide yes then shouldn't that be something to celebrate?"

[BEAR.]

"Why would you celebrate treason?" Thistlestep could hardly believe this cat. Maybe Lionstorm was onto something with ShadowClan cats being crazy! Was this cat related to Forestshade? They both seemed to have similar beliefs regarding traitors, and that was.. honestly concerning. "Are all ShadowClan cats so insane they think breaking the code is acceptable behavior? You're supposed to be loyal to your Clan, not the first cat outside your Clan that you lay your eyes on. That's.. disgusting, you'd even consider that to be a good idea."
Orchidleaf

[Vexing]

"Why would you celebrate treason?" Thistlestep could hardly believe this cat. Maybe Lionstorm was onto something with ShadowClan cats being crazy! Was this cat related to Forestshade? They both seemed to have similar beliefs regarding traitors, and that was.. honestly concerning. "Are all ShadowClan cats so insane they think breaking the code is acceptable behavior? You're supposed to be loyal to your Clan, not the first cat outside your Clan that you lay your eyes on. That's.. disgusting, you'd even consider that to be a good idea."
Orchidleaf
"Dovepaw, come here for a second," Silktail called to the now scared apprentice still sitting in her original position. She flinched but obeyed, making her way quickly behind the elder who gave her a reassuring smile. He then turned back to Thistlestep, "And to answer your first question, no, not all Shadowclan cats are as insane as me, I'm mostly the only one." He chuckled and that's when Dovepaw realized what he had been saying about this elder whom she cared about so much. Her neck fur stood on end and she growled, "Hey," She yelled at the warrior causing heads to turn, "Silktail is the kindest elder in the world! He's not insane, you are!" She immediately flipped her tail across her mouth as she shrunk back.

[Fawn]

Suddenly uncomfortable with the hostile direction this conversation seemed to be steering toward between Silktail and Thistlestep, Fawnpaw coughed awkwardly, kicking his paw into the dirt while he lingered behind his brother. The tension in the air was palpable. Even tuning into the announcements couldn't drag his thoughts from the argument happening a whisker away, having been so distracted by everything else that he couldn't keep up with the leaders' discussion. Mood drooping, Fawnpaw's ears folded back and his tail tucked, wishing things had gone differently yet feeling guilty for how it'd ultimately transpired.

"Thistlestep, I'm... gonna go, I think." His statement of intentions was rather quiet, but he still slunk off, distancing himself from the commotion to sit near the edge of the Seastones clearing. And there, he could breathe again without stressing over whether he was on the brink of breaking down. The calm was precisely what he needed.


[[open]]

[BEAR.]

"Are you both so deaf you can't hear yourselves?" Thistlestep was beginning to lose his cool, frustrated the duo didn't understand the consequences of what they were spewing. "I am obeying the laws and traditions placed by our ancestors, and you both are advocating betrayal and the violation of the laws you swore to obey upon being in a Clan. If neither of you want to obey the rules, you're no better than rogues."

And frankly, they were acting like it with their flippant dismissal of logic. He was glad Fawnpaw was excusing himself-- this might take a while. Yikes.
Orchidleaf

[Vexing]

"Are you both so deaf you can't hear yourselves?" Thistlestep was beginning to lose his cool, frustrated the duo didn't understand the consequences of what they were spewing. "I am obeying the laws and traditions placed by our ancestors, and you both are advocating betrayal and the violation of the laws you swore to obey upon being in a Clan. If neither of you want to obey the rules, you're no better than rogues."

And frankly, they were acting like it with their flippant dismissal of logic. He was glad Fawnpaw was excusing himself-- this might take a while. Yikes.
Orchidleaf
Dovepaw bit back unsheathing her claws and instead nudged the elder next to her, "Let's just go Silktail." She muttered but he didn't budge, instead, his calm gaze disappeared and a scowl replaced his smile as he swept up Dovepaw with his tail, "Not until I'm done with this ignorant warrior." He cleared his throat and began again, "Allow me to ask you a question, if you loved another cat but, oh no, they're in Thunderclan! Now before you answer, I'm not saying this will or has happened it is simply an example. What do you do? Say, you love them with all your heart, you want to be near them all the time what will you do? Because I can guarantee I know what almost every warrior would say they'd do."

[Dust]

Orchidleaf BILL.

Humphing just a few pawsteps away was Duststorm, a Skyclan elder. His fur unkempt and grey with age, his amber eyes furiously fixated on Silktail. "You-" Duststorm jabbed his paw at the other elder, "-should know better! Even in Shadowclan, the code comes first!" The tabby scolded in a gruff, coarse voice. He was fuming. Every single hair on his body was standing on end. Duststorm pushed his old creaky bones upwards to pace beside Thistlestep - though comepletely unsure who he was - to defend his fellow clanmate... Er.. camp mate? Riverclan, Skyclan, Bah. He wasn't picky right now.

"It's not ignorance, it's respect.... And you!" A phlegm-y grumble sounded from his chest as he narrowed his eyes at the apprentice, "Should learn to respect warriors and elders."

[BEAR.]

"I wouldn't get that close to a ThunderClan cat," Thistlestep snapped. "Do you despise your Clan-mates so much you'd rather flirt your way through the other Clans to get affection from a cat you'll hardly see? Are you that thirsty for attention you're not even satisfied by the company of your own Clan-mates, the cats you swore to defend with your life?" Using that example on a cat who put his Clan first wasn't going to work.

When Duststorm took his side, he felt relief-- finally, a cat with some sense! And not from ShadowClan, either, which was pretty funny. "Did the Warrior Code stop mattering to ShadowClan when Goldenstar resigned, or has your Clan always been so backwards?"
Dust, Orchidleaf

[Vexing]

Orchidleaf BILL.

Humphing just a few pawsteps away was Duststorm, a Skyclan elder. His fur unkempt and grey with age, his amber eyes furiously fixated on Silktail. "You-" Duststorm jabbed his paw at the other elder, "-should know better! Even in Shadowclan, the code comes first!" The tabby scolded in a gruff, coarse voice. He was fuming. Every single hair on his body was standing on end. Duststorm pushed his old creaky bones upwards to pace beside Thistlestep - though comepletely unsure who he was - to defend his fellow clanmate... Er.. camp mate? Riverclan, Skyclan, Bah. He wasn't picky right now.

"It's not ignorance, it's respect.... And you!" A phlegm-y grumble sounded from his chest as he narrowed his eyes at the apprentice, "Should learn to respect warriors and elders."
"I wouldn't get that close to a ThunderClan cat," Thistlestep snapped. "Do you despise your Clan-mates so much you'd rather flirt your way through the other Clans to get affection from a cat you'll hardly see? Are you that thirsty for attention you're not even satisfied by the company of your own Clan-mates, the cats you swore to defend with your life?" Using that example on a cat who put his Clan first wasn't going to work.

When Duststorm took his side, he felt relief-- finally, a cat with some sense! And not from ShadowClan, either, which was pretty funny. "Did the Warrior Code stop mattering to ShadowClan when Goldenstar resigned, or has your Clan always been so backwards?"
Dust, Orchidleaf
SIlktail refused to answer anything these two cats said but instead bowed his head and motioned with his tail for Dovepaw, "Come now, that's our cue." He then swept her up with his tail and turned, heading back for their original spot with Dovepaw following suit.

Once they got back, Dovepaw looked up at Silktail and saw the usually calm elder's eyes slitted with anger as he glared at nothing, "Umm, Silktail? What was that all about?" Silktail shook his head and sighed, licking Dovepaw swiftly between the ears, "You know, maybe he's right, I mean, you two being together is against the code so...maybe it would be best if you didn't see him again."

[lone]

Suddenly uncomfortable with the hostile direction this conversation seemed to be steering toward between Silktail and Thistlestep, Fawnpaw coughed awkwardly, kicking his paw into the dirt while he lingered behind his brother. The tension in the air was palpable. Even tuning into the announcements couldn't drag his thoughts from the argument happening a whisker away, having been so distracted by everything else that he couldn't keep up with the leaders' discussion. Mood drooping, Fawnpaw's ears folded back and his tail tucked, wishing things had gone differently yet feeling guilty for how it'd ultimately transpired.

"Thistlestep, I'm... gonna go, I think." His statement of intentions was rather quiet, but he still slunk off, distancing himself from the commotion to sit near the edge of the Seastones clearing. And there, he could breathe again without stressing over whether he was on the brink of breaking down. The calm was precisely what he needed.


[[open]]
Amberpaw had chosen to sit near the edge of Seastones so she could converse with another cat without disturbing the others. It had been a good plan, she thought, in the few minutes she'd come up with it while she was on the way here. The problem was, no one seemed to want to sit this far out. She almost felt bad, like she was being disrespectful, and was about to move toward the front when something - or someone, rather - caught her eye. "Fawnpaw?" It hadn't been a long time since she'd last seen him, but long enough that she was pleasantly surprised.

"I thought you'd be up at the front, listening to Lionstorm, or..." Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of how nervous he looked. A shadow came over Amberpaw's face as she tried to bring something, anything to mind as to what could've happened. Giving up after a few minutes of dead silence, she abandoned her position from a few feet away in favor of one where she could lightly brush her tail against his in (what she hoped was) a soothing gesture.

"Are you okay? Did something happen to you?"

[panchiko]

She growled slightly,” I don’t like warriors either.” She grumbled,” My mentor said I’d being stuck in camp for the next moon if I refused to go, so as I said I was forced.” She replied

"not liking warriors isn't great either. what'll you do when you're a warrior yourself? isolate yourself just like you're doing right now? yeah, i've done that before. trust me, life is hard without friends," duskblossom replied. her ear flickered with a spark of attitude. duskblossom wasn't a cat to love talking about herself and her past, but she would do it to prove a point in this case. she wanted soaringpaw to have a good attitude towards life, though duskblossom hadn't met her before. soaringpaw was an apprentice of the best clan; shadowclan. soaringpaw deserved to have a good life, at least in duskblossom's opinion, even if she was being a total pain in the tail at the moment. the warrior thought about this as she rested her head on her tail in a laying down position, hoping everyone would look where they were walking and not accidentally stampede over her, which sounded very painful.

[Mango]

"not liking warriors isn't great either. what'll you do when you're a warrior yourself? isolate yourself just like you're doing right now? yeah, i've done that before. trust me, life is hard without friends," duskblossom replied. her ear flickered with a spark of attitude. duskblossom wasn't a cat to love talking about herself and her past, but she would do it to prove a point in this case. she wanted soaringpaw to have a good attitude towards life, though duskblossom hadn't met her before. soaringpaw was an apprentice of the best clan; shadowclan. soaringpaw deserved to have a good life, at least in duskblossom's opinion, even if she was being a total pain in the tail at the moment. the warrior thought about this as she rested her head on her tail in a laying down position, hoping everyone would look where they were walking and not accidentally stampede over her, which sounded very painful.
She grumbled,” Friends betray you. I’d rather not be upset when I lose friends and I’m perfectly happy being alone.” She replied,” Besides. I’ll hate apprentices when I’m a warrior.” She replied stubbornly.

[Fuzzy]

It was nice to not have much going on this gathering. Sure, ShadowClan was without leadership, but that was a small price to pay after all the drama the last Gatherings had. Besides, it wasn't really RiverClan's problem. As long as ShadowClan kept their head down and didn't agitate Fallenstar or Lionstorm, things would be fine.

Probably.

Ears twitching, Thistlestep glanced over his shoulder at Violetpaw, the young feline unfortunately assigned to him. He was sure she was a fine cat, it was just.. he had enjoyed the time without an apprentice. It felt ripped from him too soon.

"Violetpaw," he spoke her name quietly. "Perhaps it'd be best for you to socialize with cats your age? You can get to know the other Clans more." And not sit beside him. That sounded good to him.
Fuzzyfeline

Violetpaw wasn't enjoying the sheer amount of cats at this gathering. Where they all this big? She didn't think that there where that many cat in the other Clans. Yeah there was a lot in RiverClan since SkyClan joined but she didn't think there where this many cats.
Being party lost in observing the cats around her the tabby almost missed her mentors words. "What?" Violetpaw sounded in disbelief. "You want me to go hang out with a bunch of strangers? Why would I want to do that?" The molly inquired her tail twitching. Thistlestep must be crazy to think she'd just go hang out with random apprentices. "I can learn enough about the Clans from here, it's not like cats are quite enough you can't hear them." Violet added with a small huff.

[Fawn]

Amberpaw had chosen to sit near the edge of Seastones so she could converse with another cat without disturbing the others. It had been a good plan, she thought, in the few minutes she'd come up with it while she was on the way here. The problem was, no one seemed to want to sit this far out. She almost felt bad, like she was being disrespectful, and was about to move toward the front when something - or someone, rather - caught her eye. "Fawnpaw?" It hadn't been a long time since she'd last seen him, but long enough that she was pleasantly surprised.

"I thought you'd be up at the front, listening to Lionstorm, or..." Her voice trailed off as she caught sight of how nervous he looked. A shadow came over Amberpaw's face as she tried to bring something, anything to mind as to what could've happened. Giving up after a few minutes of dead silence, she abandoned her position from a few feet away in favor of one where she could lightly brush her tail against his in (what she hoped was) a soothing gesture.

"Are you okay? Did something happen to you?"
A semi-startled hum escaped Fawnpaw as he heard his name, then was twisting his head every-which-direction to attempt to locate the source through scanning eyes. And when he found it, pupils widened with his inhale. "Oh, wow-- hey. I... didn't know you were here, Amberpaw." He didn't recall seeing her until now, as if she'd materialized from thin air to join his moment of solitude.

Expression softening, he laughed a little albeit without much joy, distantly relieved to be away from the fight about to happen, and Amberpaw's company was always appreciated. "I haven't been paying attention, to be honest.. Um, has he been talking a lot again?" he asked, briefly flicking his eyes toward the leaders and deputies. "Because that's usually... not a great sign..." Fawnpaw's jaw tightened under her scrutiny, only deflating again when she settled beside him and somehow, that gesture was crumbling his exterior. "Yeah, it's not that important. Just..." Fawnpaw didn't know how to begin to describe it. "I think I might've, maybe, started an argument?"

[lone]

A semi-startled hum escaped Fawnpaw as he heard his name, then was twisting his head every-which-direction to attempt to locate the source through scanning eyes. And when he found it, pupils widened with his inhale. "Oh, wow-- hey. I... didn't know you were here, Amberpaw." He didn't recall seeing her until now, as if she'd materialized from thin air to join his moment of solitude.

Expression softening, he laughed a little albeit without much joy, distantly relieved to be away from the fight about to happen, and Amberpaw's company was always appreciated. "I haven't been paying attention, to be honest.. Um, has he been talking a lot again?" he asked, briefly flicking his eyes toward the leaders and deputies. "Because that's usually... not a great sign..." Fawnpaw's jaw tightened under her scrutiny, only deflating again when she settled beside him and somehow, that gesture was crumbling his exterior. "Yeah, it's not that important. Just..." Fawnpaw didn't know how to begin to describe it. "I think I might've, maybe, started an argument?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. I haven't been able to hear very well," She mewed with a slight shrug. "I wanted to sit back here and talk to... well, whoever was back here with me, so we wouldn't disturb everyone else, but as you can see, there aren't many opportunities for conversation." She giggled a little at that, composing herself a moment later. There will be other Gatherings, Amberpaw reminded herself. Next time, she wouldn't choose to sit back here. She would've moved now, but she was more than content to stay and talk to Fawnpaw; he seemed like he needed a friend, anyways.

Concern flooded Amberpaw's gaze, mingling with the confusion already there. She couldn't picture Fawnpaw starting an argument. He didn't seem like the type of cat to get involved in a lot of drama in the first place, and... he definitely didn't seem like one to go around starting arguments. "Are... you sure? What happened?" All fragments of sensitivity seemed to exit her mind, and once she had regained them, she quickly followed her questions up with a more understanding response. "Actually, it - it's not that important. You're a good cat, Fawnpaw, I know you wouldn't intentionally hurt anyone."

[Fawn]

"Your guess is as good as mine. I haven't been able to hear very well," She mewed with a slight shrug. "I wanted to sit back here and talk to... well, whoever was back here with me, so we wouldn't disturb everyone else, but as you can see, there aren't many opportunities for conversation." She giggled a little at that, composing herself a moment later. There will be other Gatherings, Amberpaw reminded herself. Next time, she wouldn't choose to sit back here. She would've moved now, but she was more than content to stay and talk to Fawnpaw; he seemed like he needed a friend, anyways.

Concern flooded Amberpaw's gaze, mingling with the confusion already there. She couldn't picture Fawnpaw starting an argument. He didn't seem like the type of cat to get involved in a lot of drama in the first place, and... he definitely didn't seem like one to go around starting arguments. "Are... you sure? What happened?" All fragments of sensitivity seemed to exit her mind, and once she had regained them, she quickly followed her questions up with a more understanding response. "Actually, it - it's not that important. You're a good cat, Fawnpaw, I know you wouldn't intentionally hurt anyone."
Her explanation prompted him to look around, receiving verification that there weren't many cats around; it was precisely why he'd selected this spot, though he was quizzical of Amberpaw's reasoning. "Wait, you wanted to talk to someone, saw nobody around, and then decided to stay here?" he asked, blinking. Huh. The logic didn't align with his own, but he didn't press the issue when his thoughts were still flashing too fast to hold onto anything more than a minute. Fawnpaw's pupils darted everywhere but on Amberpaw, an uncomfortable cough erupting from him to betray his uneasiness. "It… was nothing, probably over by now anyway." Oh, he could only hope so. "Just a weird situation, I guess." A weird situation for a weird cat, his internal monologue reminded him as he winced.

The reassurance knocked the wind out of him and left him stunned, speechless. Compassion was overwhelming in this moment that he felt too guilty over to even formulate an accurate interpretation of the events. Eventually, he settled on a choked, "I don't know." He knew it had been unintentional this time, but… it hurt. No, not hurt. It was downright gut-wrenching that Amberpaw thought he was so much less morally gray than what was true. Fawnpaw didn't have the heart or words to tell her that she was wrong, so he simply let the silence pool between them — normally, he'd be hyper diligent in breaking it, but this was different.

[lone]

Her explanation prompted him to look around, receiving verification that there weren't many cats around; it was precisely why he'd selected this spot, though he was quizzical of Amberpaw's reasoning. "Wait, you wanted to talk to someone, saw nobody around, and then decided to stay here?" he asked, blinking. Huh. The logic didn't align with his own, but he didn't press the issue when his thoughts were still flashing too fast to hold onto anything more than a minute. Fawnpaw's pupils darted everywhere but on Amberpaw, an uncomfortable cough erupting from him to betray his uneasiness. "It… was nothing, probably over by now anyway." Oh, he could only hope so. "Just a weird situation, I guess." A weird situation for a weird cat, his internal monologue reminded him as he winced.

The reassurance knocked the wind out of him and left him stunned, speechless. Compassion was overwhelming in this moment that he felt too guilty over to even formulate an accurate interpretation of the events. Eventually, he settled on a choked, "I don't know." He knew it had been unintentional this time, but… it hurt. No, not hurt. It was downright gut-wrenching that Amberpaw thought he was so much less morally gray than what was true. Fawnpaw didn't have the heart or words to tell her that she was wrong, so he simply let the silence pool between them — normally, he'd be hyper diligent in breaking it, but this was different.
"I kept thinking someone might show up any second, you know? I kept telling myself 'one more minute' until - well - you showed up." She paused for a moment, then hurried on to a kinder statement. "Which is a good thing, by the way. I like hanging out with you." His answer to her questions didn't exactly reassure her, but Amberpaw reminded herself that no one liked having their business poked into. Leave it alone. Give him the benefit of the doubt. He was a good cat. From every interaction with him, she had to believe that. What reason did she have to believe otherwise?

She couldn't think of anything else to say as silence crept between them, and eventually, moved her tail so it wasn't brushing up against him anymore. Was it her fault? Had she done something wrong, had she... offended him? What did I do? The last thing Amberpaw would've thought was that telling Fawnpaw he was a good cat would upset him. "I'm really sorry," She said meekly, after the silence had become too much for her to handle. She couldn't afford to lose a friend. Amberpaw knew she wouldn't handle that well, no matter how much she might want to. She couldn't think of anyone who would cope well with a friendship ending. She'd never truly argued with anyone before, but if it came down to it, she knew she'd fight to keep Fawnpaw in her life.

[Fawn]

"I kept thinking someone might show up any second, you know? I kept telling myself 'one more minute' until - well - you showed up." She paused for a moment, then hurried on to a kinder statement. "Which is a good thing, by the way. I like hanging out with you." His answer to her questions didn't exactly reassure her, but Amberpaw reminded herself that no one liked having their business poked into. Leave it alone. Give him the benefit of the doubt. He was a good cat. From every interaction with him, she had to believe that. What reason did she have to believe otherwise?

She couldn't think of anything else to say as silence crept between them, and eventually, moved her tail so it wasn't brushing up against him anymore. Was it her fault? Had she done something wrong, had she... offended him? What did I do? The last thing Amberpaw would've thought was that telling Fawnpaw he was a good cat would upset him. "I'm really sorry," She said meekly, after the silence had become too much for her to handle. She couldn't afford to lose a friend. Amberpaw knew she wouldn't handle that well, no matter how much she might want to. She couldn't think of anyone who would cope well with a friendship ending. She'd never truly argued with anyone before, but if it came down to it, she knew she'd fight to keep Fawnpaw in her life.
Fawnpaw felt trapped, the walls edging in further. This was bad. There was nowhere left to go but down. Amberpaw would find out about him, feel like their friendship was founded on lies, and a burning question nagged at him: what if he wasn't a good cat? Regrets were paralyzing, none that he could voice and that alone was more fodder to the belief that he was being dishonest in his silence.

However, her apology finally snapped him from his daze enough to return him to the present. Fawnpaw's ears fell back, disarmed. "What—?" he asked, breathless. Finding his footing again, he shook his head quickly to reassure, "N-no, it's … you don't have to apologize— it's not.." With an inhale, he attempted to unscramble his thoughts to say more calmly, "I'm not sure why you're sorry…? You didn't do anything wrong." The absurdity of it formed a mangled, soft laugh in the back of his throat. "I mean, you were being perfectly nice to me and it's just… me, being caught in my thoughts again." Fawnpaw wished he could do better than that, she deserved so much more than a lame attempt of describing his difficulties in expression.

[lone]

Fawnpaw felt trapped, the walls edging in further. This was bad. There was nowhere left to go but down. Amberpaw would find out about him, feel like their friendship was founded on lies, and a burning question nagged at him: what if he wasn't a good cat? Regrets were paralyzing, none that he could voice and that alone was more fodder to the belief that he was being dishonest in his silence.

However, her apology finally snapped him from his daze enough to return him to the present. Fawnpaw's ears fell back, disarmed. "What—?" he asked, breathless. Finding his footing again, he shook his head quickly to reassure, "N-no, it's … you don't have to apologize— it's not.." With an inhale, he attempted to unscramble his thoughts to say more calmly, "I'm not sure why you're sorry…? You didn't do anything wrong." The absurdity of it formed a mangled, soft laugh in the back of his throat. "I mean, you were being perfectly nice to me and it's just… me, being caught in my thoughts again." Fawnpaw wished he could do better than that, she deserved so much more than a lame attempt of describing his difficulties in expression.
Amberpaw had gotten used to being sorry. There were so many things that could be taken the wrong way... too many, in her opinion, but it had never bothered her. There was nothing wrong with apologizing. "Oh." What else was she supposed to say? 'I'm sorry,' again? For what? What am I supposed to be sorry for? Biting back the words, she turned her gaze up to the sky instead. StarClan was supposed to be watching over them, guiding them, right? Especially tonight? Somehow, it didn't feel like they were there at all.

"Look, I don't know what happened, and if you don't want to talk about it, I don't need to know, but I-" She stopped herself, taking a deep, bracing breath before turning to look at him. She wasn't going to avoid this. Head on. Face it head on, Amberpaw. "I need to know you aren't going to cut me off, because you're really important to me, and if I said something dumb I am really sorry because I didn't mean to hurt you at all." If she could've thought of something else to say, she would have. She didn't want to lose a friend. What if I said something wrong again? She'd pushed it too far, hadn't she? Oh no. What did I do?

[Fawn]

Amberpaw had gotten used to being sorry. There were so many things that could be taken the wrong way... too many, in her opinion, but it had never bothered her. There was nothing wrong with apologizing. "Oh." What else was she supposed to say? 'I'm sorry,' again? For what? What am I supposed to be sorry for? Biting back the words, she turned her gaze up to the sky instead. StarClan was supposed to be watching over them, guiding them, right? Especially tonight? Somehow, it didn't feel like they were there at all.

"Look, I don't know what happened, and if you don't want to talk about it, I don't need to know, but I-" She stopped herself, taking a deep, bracing breath before turning to look at him. She wasn't going to avoid this. Head on. Face it head on, Amberpaw. "I need to know you aren't going to cut me off, because you're really important to me, and if I said something dumb I am really sorry because I didn't mean to hurt you at all." If she could've thought of something else to say, she would have. She didn't want to lose a friend. What if I said something wrong again? She'd pushed it too far, hadn't she? Oh no. What did I do?
Fawnpaw followed her gaze to the stars, resting there for a couple moments before he peeked to her as if wordlessly asking what she'd been searching for up there. It would be easier if the stars had the answers written among them, but he'd never had such luck. Although he parted his muzzle, nothing came; there were a pawful of things he could be confessing to with varying degrees of seriousness, yet he was deterred by the possibility of her revolt or disappointing her with falling short of her expectations of being a good cat.

Fawnpaw was unprepared for the brutal vulnerability that she suddenly offered him, and he was visibly rattled by it. Partly because he couldn't see himself meaning that much to anybody, least of all Amberpaw. "Cut you off?" Fawnpaw echoed softly. "No, it's… not like that, I don't think— and you didn't hurt me, I just never thought about it before. Like, really thought about if I was good and it's… complicated." His crooked, quivering grin that illustrated no happiness begged her to let that lie momentarily. "But you're not the problem. I mean, ...it's you, Amberpaw. How could you have anything to do with it? You're really sweet, and kind, and there for me. You actually know what to say when others don't." Feeling as though he'd overshared and shying away from the rawness of that, he cleared his throat, shifting his line of sight away. "Ah, I guess that was kind of dumb to say. But yeah, I… I wouldn't do that to you."

[lone]

Fawnpaw followed her gaze to the stars, resting there for a couple moments before he peeked to her as if wordlessly asking what she'd been searching for up there. It would be easier if the stars had the answers written among them, but he'd never had such luck. Although he parted his muzzle, nothing came; there were a pawful of things he could be confessing to with varying degrees of seriousness, yet he was deterred by the possibility of her revolt or disappointing her with falling short of her expectations of being a good cat.

Fawnpaw was unprepared for the brutal vulnerability that she suddenly offered him, and he was visibly rattled by it. Partly because he couldn't see himself meaning that much to anybody, least of all Amberpaw. "Cut you off?" Fawnpaw echoed softly. "No, it's… not like that, I don't think— and you didn't hurt me, I just never thought about it before. Like, really thought about if I was good and it's… complicated." His crooked, quivering grin that illustrated no happiness begged her to let that lie momentarily. "But you're not the problem. I mean, ...it's you, Amberpaw. How could you have anything to do with it? You're really sweet, and kind, and there for me. You actually know what to say when others don't." Feeling as though he'd overshared and shying away from the rawness of that, he cleared his throat, shifting his line of sight away. "Ah, I guess that was kind of dumb to say. But yeah, I… I wouldn't do that to you."
Amberpaw wished she could've found some semblance of empathy to share with him, but Fawnpaw's joyless grin, begging her to leave it alone won over her first instinct in the end. She'd never had to worry about whether she was actually good or not. The day she had to make a decision she wouldn't be able to take back, she guessed she'd find out. Hopefully, that day wouldn't come for a long time. She was nowhere near ready to make a decision that could have severe, lasting consequences. She'd have to make one at some point in her lifetime, as most cats did, but for the moment, she was content.

Amberpaw released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, relief flooding her as Fawnpaw reassured her. "It wasn't dumb. It was really nice of you," She responded quickly, confused as to why he would think it was dumb. What was wrong with being nice? Those were all good things to hear; Amberpaw appreciated reassurance, and it was good to know that she meant something to him, too. "Thanks for saying all that, I... kinda went off on you, huh?" She hadn't meant to say, well... everything she had said. He'd taken it a lot better than she'd expected, especially with the state she'd found him in.

"Anyways, anytime you need to talk to someone, or if you just don't want to be alone... like you said, I'm there for you." You deserve that much. Everyone deserved someone, right? It was hard to handle things on your own... having someone to trust was what made life easier. That's what she'd always understood, anyways.

[Fawn]

Amberpaw wished she could've found some semblance of empathy to share with him, but Fawnpaw's joyless grin, begging her to leave it alone won over her first instinct in the end. She'd never had to worry about whether she was actually good or not. The day she had to make a decision she wouldn't be able to take back, she guessed she'd find out. Hopefully, that day wouldn't come for a long time. She was nowhere near ready to make a decision that could have severe, lasting consequences. She'd have to make one at some point in her lifetime, as most cats did, but for the moment, she was content.

Amberpaw released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, relief flooding her as Fawnpaw reassured her. "It wasn't dumb. It was really nice of you," She responded quickly, confused as to why he would think it was dumb. What was wrong with being nice? Those were all good things to hear; Amberpaw appreciated reassurance, and it was good to know that she meant something to him, too. "Thanks for saying all that, I... kinda went off on you, huh?" She hadn't meant to say, well... everything she had said. He'd taken it a lot better than she'd expected, especially with the state she'd found him in.

"Anyways, anytime you need to talk to someone, or if you just don't want to be alone... like you said, I'm there for you." You deserve that much. Everyone deserved someone, right? It was hard to handle things on your own... having someone to trust was what made life easier. That's what she'd always understood, anyways.
In spite of her promise that it hadn't been dumb, a warmth still collected on his cheeks and mindlessly guided his paw to scuff over the ground. "It's not really a big deal," he said, quiet, "you were worried and just…" Fawnpaw shrugged away the rest of the sentence because he felt drained, and they both already knew as it was. After a breath of silence, he went on to express a fear that'd been formulating in the recesses of his guilt, "It's not like I'd ever cut you off, but.. what if— I'm a bad influence, or something? And shouldn't be around you?" The devastating possibility of being a bad cat at heart kept his anxiety levels high, and he was unwilling to knowingly drag Amberpaw with him.

Fawnpaw's heart grew heavy at the sentiment, grateful but undeserving of her kindness. As much as he enjoyed being around her, he inwardly promised to keep maintenance at a minimum for her sake and to avoid placing an undue burden on their friendship. "Hey, thanks.. that means a lot." Earnest, he peered to her affectionately. "It's really nice, having you as a friend," a brisk, nervous laugh, "and I am kind of terrified of ruining that someday."

[lone]

In spite of her promise that it hadn't been dumb, a warmth still collected on his cheeks and mindlessly guided his paw to scuff over the ground. "It's not really a big deal," he said, quiet, "you were worried and just…" Fawnpaw shrugged away the rest of the sentence because he felt drained, and they both already knew as it was. After a breath of silence, he went on to express a fear that'd been formulating in the recesses of his guilt, "It's not like I'd ever cut you off, but.. what if— I'm a bad influence, or something? And shouldn't be around you?" The devastating possibility of being a bad cat at heart kept his anxiety levels high, and he was unwilling to knowingly drag Amberpaw with him.

Fawnpaw's heart grew heavy at the sentiment, grateful but undeserving of her kindness. As much as he enjoyed being around her, he inwardly promised to keep maintenance at a minimum for her sake and to avoid placing an undue burden on their friendship. "Hey, thanks.. that means a lot." Earnest, he peered to her affectionately. "It's really nice, having you as a friend," a brisk, nervous laugh, "and I am kind of terrified of ruining that someday."
The last thing (or at least, close to the last thing) Amberpaw would've expected was Fawnpaw being a bad influence. She got the feeling there was more to this than he was telling her, but if he didn't want her to know... she'd leave it alone. Besides, he'd been a good enough friend that Amberpaw was confident in putting her faith in him. "You're not going to corrupt me or anything." She responded, her voice soft as she spoke. "I'm comfortable enough with my instincts that I'd realize if you were trying to influence me." Amberpaw paused for a moment before continuing. "You haven't done anything wrong to me, Fawnpaw." She couldn't think of anything that had changed because of him.

Well, she was happier, but as far as bad things went, Amberpaw's thoughts went blank. It was sweet that he was worried, but even so, she wished he wasn't. Fawnpaw wasn't going to hurt her; with his reassurance that he wouldn't cut her off, she was confident in that now. New concern flooded her mind as he voiced his fears, and she moved her head so she could meet his gaze while she spoke. "You won't ruin it. I told you, you're important to me. I wouldn't give up on you." She wouldn't give up on anyone.

[Fawn]

The last thing (or at least, close to the last thing) Amberpaw would've expected was Fawnpaw being a bad influence. She got the feeling there was more to this than he was telling her, but if he didn't want her to know... she'd leave it alone. Besides, he'd been a good enough friend that Amberpaw was confident in putting her faith in him. "You're not going to corrupt me or anything." She responded, her voice soft as she spoke. "I'm comfortable enough with my instincts that I'd realize if you were trying to influence me." Amberpaw paused for a moment before continuing. "You haven't done anything wrong to me, Fawnpaw." She couldn't think of anything that had changed because of him.

Well, she was happier, but as far as bad things went, Amberpaw's thoughts went blank. It was sweet that he was worried, but even so, she wished he wasn't. Fawnpaw wasn't going to hurt her; with his reassurance that he wouldn't cut her off, she was confident in that now. New concern flooded her mind as he voiced his fears, and she moved her head so she could meet his gaze while she spoke. "You won't ruin it. I told you, you're important to me. I wouldn't give up on you." She wouldn't give up on anyone.
Fawnpaw hummed in thought and tried to clarify, "Not corruption, I guess, because you're probably too smart for that and I… uh, am seriously not that influential. I mean, I'm awkward and weird— have you met me?" His nervous rambling stopped with a chuckle and cough as he attempted to recollect himself. "It's more like, by association with me… you'd be under the same scrutiny." There were few things worse than inadvertently making life harder for her, someone who he cared deeply about. Finally, after she promised he hadn't done anything wrong to her, the internal buzzing of anxiety dulled, and he released an exhale of relief. "I guess I'm just overthinking things again."

Amberpaw's gaze on him was a challenge to hold in the wake of his recent troubled wonderings about his moral compass, but he managed to avoid the temptation to look away. And with every second, it was easier, more comforting, but Fawnpaw was wholly surprised by hearing he was important to her—there was still something about that didn't compute, feeling like an impossibility even if he felt the same. His shoulders fell to their usual position as he relaxed somewhat, warm and giddy. "Okay."

It was all he could say when he was flustered and at a loss for words.

[[i think we could leave this off here! :heartbounce: ]]