Ivysnake's attention was still on Cowpaw's berries. She hardly twitched an ear as he signed, but she focused on his paw movements, attempting to gauge what he meant. Meeting... Oh, these were the berries he'd mentioned at the Starcave meeting. Now the larger medicine cat was moving them toward her so she could inspect them. Ivysnake leaned forward and gave them a sniff. Their scent was pungent, reminding her of the pine trees in ShadowClan and a couple of other types of trees she'd picked up in ThunderClan. As for appearances, it was difficult to make them out in the combination of night darkness and celestial light, but she was eventually able to grip that they were a dull bluish-purple-black color. She didn't know their name - Cowpaw might've mentioned it through sign language, but she wouldn't have known. "I'll keep these in mind," the dark brown tabby meowed flatly. "I'll take note of where they grow in ShadowClan territory, and when we send out herb patrols, we'll tell them to keep an eye out." She glanced at Elmshadow, certain that her mentor agreed with her. There's no reason he shouldn't. This is the logical thing to do.
Ivysnake's attention flitted back to Cowpaw as he continued signing, his mostly white paws flashing in the shadows of the shore. The rain, which was sinking into Ivysnake's pelt despite the slick, dense barrier it provided, clouded her vision; however, she could see well enough, especially since he was close. Announcements, peace... ugh, how she wished for someone to dig her claws into... no injuries... a kit going away... Fawnpaw returning the kit... someone dying, a queen whose name had something to do with fire... Typical stuff. The medicine cat apprentice gave a terse nod and turned her attention to the other medicine cats. Fawnpaw was looking at her steadily and not cowering like an idiot, so that came as a bit of a surprise. But Ivysnake didn't show it, instead meeting her starlit blue eyes with the same amount of disinterest she might give to another Clan's apprentice. Though she couldn't help but agree with the young she-cat as she spoke, her tone unusually casual and matter-of-fact. "It seems you've gained some maturity," she told Fawnpaw with the same flat, disinterested tone of voice that her eyes had portrayed. "Dealing with you will be less of a chore."
Offering no other context, Ivysnake listened as the fish spoke of her Clan's news. Although the tall she-cat usually didn't care much for the small things, keeping tabs on the other Clans was beneficial. So, a little greencough and some new ranks. Ivysnake wondered how many of those apprentices would make it to warriorhood - and how many warriors would go missing. She tried not to roll her eyes as Fawnpaw laid her light brown tail over Cowpaw with a sickeningly sympathetic expression. There's no need to care about another Clan's loss. They benefit you - or do nothing to you at all. Ivysnake did not bother hiding her disapproval as she looked at the two 'paws, showing that such soft-heartedness and weakness would not be tolerated in her Clan.
Her attention was drawn by Pikestar's voice sounding from the Seastones. Craning her neck up, blinking against the raindrops that plopped into her eyes, the ShadowClan cat listened to what he had to say. His announcements were more in-depth than Fawnpaw's, that was for sure, though that made sense - why say everything if it would all be repeated in a matter of moments? Of course, it started with the stereotypical "our Clan is doing well," but the next bit of information to leave the dark gray leader's mouth was much more interesting. Fawnpaw wasn't a 'paw anymore - her name was now Fawnlight. Of course it's something frog-brained like that. Was it meant to show her loyalty and devotion to StarClan or her overly caring personality? Ivysnake's eyes narrowed more than they already had from the rain, piercing amber slits against her dark brown fur, and turned to Fawnlight. "So, you have a proper name now," she meowed, not bothering to keep the hint of scorn from her voice, though she did not explain its presence to Fawnlight. Ivysnake turned to Cowpaw. "Have you gotten yours yet, or are you still holding off?" He'd been WindClan's medicine cat for a long time, and he was more than old enough.
As she awaited Fawnlight's response, she continued to listen to Pikestar's announcements. He put names to the three new warriors, and... oh? Ivysnake's sharply-pointed ears pricked. There was an incident with a RiverClan warrior stirring up trouble with ThunderClan. But unfortunately, Pikestar was being a typical soft-heart and apologizing for it. I would never go behind Dawnstar's back, Ivysnake asserted silently. But, if I harassed another Clan - not against orders, obviously - I wouldn't apologize for it, and Dawnstar wouldn't, either. She wondered what her glorious leader thought of this. Well, at least Pikestar was showing some firmness in his decision by exiling that cat and letting ThunderClan do whatever with them. He wasn't going for mercy, and Ivysnake liked that. Maybe that cat will stray onto ShadowClan territory, she thought hopefully, flexing her long claws. Their sharp tips caught in the moonlight, glinting and deadly. I could do with a fresh kill. And a fresh pelt for Dawnstar would always be welcome.
A familiar, though not pleasant, scent entered Ivysnake's scent glands. The black-striped tabby turned and saw Sundust making his way through the crowd. Her eyes narrowed. He's very late, and Roseraven isn't with him. Though, despite the lack of punctuality, Ivysnake really didn't care much. It's none of my business, and I'm sure we've all had enough of Gatherings. Although Sundust looked unusually cheerful. His marbled ginger tabby fur wasn't a disaster, and his amber eyes were aglow. Ivysnake wondered why he was so happy. She ignored his congratulations to Fawnlight and continued listening for anything else that was interesting. Twilightstar was making her announcements. Ivysnake still had mixed opinions on the WindClan leader - she remembered the Sky Glade battle, where she had taken one of Dawnstar's lives and also that strip of land, and the thought made her sodden pelt begin to bristle. Yet she forced it to lie flat. Dawnstar had decided to end the conflict, and for someone to take a life from her leader, they had to be strong. As a kit, everyone talked about how weak WindClan was. I suppose they were wrong. But ShadowClan will always be better - and stronger - despite those instances.
Anyway, Twilightstar was surprisingly honest, talking about prey in a way that showed WindClan wasn't starving - though that was something up to debate considering how skinny they usually were - while also letting it be known that there was enough prey. Interesting tactic, and not a bad one in Ivysnake's opinion. She also talked about four new apprentices and a new warrior, smiling in the process. Ivysnake followed the lilac-gray she-cat's one-eyed gaze as best she could and spotted the massive snowy-white tom, Snowybreeze. He was surprisingly big and bulky for a WindClan cat, but then, so were Cowpaw and Wolffang, although Wolffang had a leaner stomach. More announcements: two deaths - Fireflame, which was the one Cowpaw must've mentioned; Ivysnake wondered why he didn't mention Fireflymeadow, but she doubted it was a big deal - and an exile. Willowsky. Another cat for her to potentially rip into. Apparently, the former queen had attacked her own kit, Twistedpaw, at her apprentice ceremony. How stupidly dramatic. Not that Ivysnake cared. She did take note of how Twilightstar's gaze lingered longer on Dawnstar, and she couldn't help the eye roll, their amber color flashing through the haze of rain. Do you really think we'd take in such a nuisance? Though it probably had to do with the long history the two leaders shared.
The other two leaders hadn't made their announcements yet, so Ivysnake turned her attention to her mentor, Elmshadow. He had been silent as usual, and he was sitting next to Cougarivy, his mate. The black-and-white she-cat's belly was bigger than usual; she must be expecting his kits. One of Ivysnake's ears twitched. Cougarivy was the Commander of the Enforcers and plenty eager for bloodshed from what the medicine cat apprentice had gathered, so she trusted her to raise her kits right. I doubt motherhood will make her go soft like it did to Brackenfire. It might put Cougarivy out of business for a bit, but there were plenty of other Enforcers to briefly take over the role - or the others could be trusted enough to sort it out. Ivysnake loved her Clan and believed they were the best, but she also knew that plenty of its members were disappointments. She planned on having kits of her own one day, at a time where not much was going on - which, admittedly, might be now, but she still wanted to wait a little - and raising them to be true, proper ShadowClan warriors. It would strengthen her Clan and return them to the glory days.
Aw, bark bark bark, but no bite. She guesses she should be proud of her ability to get under the slightly older she-cat's fur and leave it at that. Dawnstar, though troubled by the lack of any restraint in the idiot, didn't pay much mind to Badgerpaw's yapping. She did grace the bunny with a glance as she heard Roanpaw meow at him. Oh, she knew that bunny, wasn't that the moron who had disturbed a gathering over a useless kit? Did he do that a lot? Go around barking up the wrong tree without thinking of any consequences?
WindClan should train their apprentices better, although she supposed stupid was hard to train out of the bunnies. The thick muscles underneath her soak pelt tensed as Twilightstar shot a warning at her. A broad grin stretched across her face in response. She did so love how the clan all assumed that she'd start a fight at the first spark of trouble, it made her seem dumber than she was. Nah, Dawnstar wasn't risking a brawl over a mouthy apprentice who needed to learn some manners. Besides he backed off after Twilightstar spoke so there was no reason to.
After Pikestar and then Twilightstar started announcements, Dawnstar, although preferring to go last, parted her maw to continue. "ShadowClan has had no issues concerning hunting when it comes to prey." She yawned, ignoring the way her muscles spasmed underneath her pelt as she sat up straight.
"Foxpaw, Daypaw, Tallpaw, Eggpaw, Pinepaw, and Starlingpaw have all begun their warrior training." The dark tabby she-cat didn't bother trying to see whether or not any of those apprentices were here. That would be a waste of time.
"We also have two new warriors Darkfall and Larkfire." Between the apprentices and the addition of warriors, despite the lack of a deputy Dawnstar was clearly having no issues running her clan. Still, she makes her judgment very clear about that.
"I'm sure you're wondering where my deputy is, even though it is none of your business. Considering how well ShadowClan has been doing without a deputy, I've decided I will not pick choosing a deputy until I feel like it. The lack of one single cat among my high ranks had done nothing to deteriorate my clan's strength or ability to take care of itself. " The amber glare flashed a wordless challenge for anyone who thinks otherwise is welcome to come and test that theory.
After leading ShadowClan for as long as she has, after going through three deputies with so little improvement compared to their predecessor, Dawnstar has come to the conclusion that having no deputy is pretty much the same as having one, minus the constant failure. At the end of the day, a clan would fall apart without a leader to sort through issues and make the hard decisions, deputies were only needed for aid. They also helped when a clan's leadership was unstable, but Dawnstar had been in power for the longest after Twilightstar. She didn't need a deputy, not right now, but the clans could draw whatever conclusion they wanted for Dawnstar's lack of picking a deputy. the ShadowClan leader glanced at Sparrowstar, giving the spotlight to her, ending ShadowClan's announcements.
siggy art by redshiftreign
Dawnstar is the leader of ShadowClan. She has a semi-closed den policy as in do not enter without asking permission first or her fangs'll greet you. ShadowClan Resources ||| Dawnstar ||| ||| Kit Curriculum Finder
Shadowfur laughed at her immediate assumption that he was checking her out. Beyond Flameheart, he caught sight of Mirehound and a cat he didn't recognize looking at them both. The Enforcer aimed to meet Mirehound's gaze for a fleeting second, but was unsure if he succeeded or if she'd even notice. He was often a quick and cryptic communicator; of all the cats in ShadowClan, Mirehound would be the one to know that.
Realizing that perhaps he and Flameheart were drawing too much attention to themselves, he lowered his voice just a tad. He wasn't under the impression that they were easy to hear, especially over the pounding rain, but some cats had exceptional hearing.
"I think the fact that you immediately jumped to assume that I'm looking you over because I'm interested in you says a lot more about you than it does about me." he responded coolly. "Perhaps you're not as happy with your mate as you think, if you're so quick to be thinking about romance with another cat."
When she insinuated that he might threaten a she-cat's safety with his analysis of their pelt for scars, he snorted. "You have a lot to learn about body language, Flameheart. I am an honorable cat; all I care about is fighting and surviving. I don't wish to partake in such... disgusting practices."
She was certainly hot-headed and overly emotional; that much Shadowfur had easily been able to determine. Underneath, however, he suspected there might be a twinge or two of insecurity. Bloodthirstiness, too, although to what extent he was currently unsure.
At her umpteenth defense of her Clan and its ability that evening, Shadowfur only smiled. "If you struggled so much against a RiverClan cat who is so cowardly they can't be bothered to show up in their Clan after committing a crime, then I don't have much faith in your fighting ability. I have been fighting a lot longer than you." He glanced toward a series of four small scars, all parallel to one another, on his left flank. Although he could not see it, he thought too of the fifth scar on his body, a perfect line running between his shoulders.
Looking back at Flameheart, he growled in a low voice, "Do you see those four scars on my side? A cat gave them to me when I had their throat in my jaws. It's a reminder of what it means to truly be a good fighter: even in the jaws of death, with blood running down their neck, that warrior still landed a perfect strike. Precise, harsh, and perfectly timed." His green gaze glittered in the rain. "Time will tell if you can do the same."
Dawnstar's harsh, permanently irritated voice caught his attention. Turning his gaze away from the ThunderClan Keeper and up to the hulking molly on the Seastones, Shadowfur remained perfectly quiet. He chanted the names of their new apprentices, and of Darkfall and Larkfire. He was disappointed that Dawnstar did not announce the new Enforcers she'd named, but he wasn't surprised.
What did surprise him, though, was that Dawnstar chose to directly address her lack of a deputy. Whether it was the right call or not, Shadowfur wasn't sure. Did it send a strong message, or a weak one? He thought for a moment about what Flameheart had said; ultimately, it was ShadowClan as a whole that suffered because of Dawnstar's inability - or unwillingness - to choose a deputy.
However, no cat would know he was thinking such things. A look of fierce pride remained on his face. To anyone looking at him, he simply looked proud of his Clan.
Fadingstar is currently RiverClan's leader. He has an open den policy; his den can be found here. If you have any questions or concerns about RiverClan, or any plots to propose, feel free to leave me a VM or DM! Please do not take my characters' IC opinions as reflective of my own.
Roosterflame chuckled at her little quip, “I knew there was something off about you RiverClan cats, and now I know your secret,” He jokes in retort as he moves to take her seat with a grateful purr, “Thank you, Pebblesplash. Ha, I don’t mind the rain, but it’s nice to be under shelter.”
Roosterflame found that he and Pebblesplash were quite like-minded in their idea of clan politics. Color him surprised! He’d never thought he’d share so much in opinion with a RiverClan Warrior, yet here he was! What a nice Gathering this was turning out to be. “Yes, I agree, wholeheartedly. The clans are so peaceful now, it would be horrible for anything to erupt and cause any more strife after we’ve just settled into a groove, y’know?” The ThunderClan warrior fluffed up his fur against a chill before continuing, “I’d like it if we never have a battle again but…” He looked at the leaders perched on the Seastones, “…conflict is inevitable.”
@IvyHasSpirit
__________________
Sting is a jerk. I am not. He is an unreliable 3rd person narrator
Don’t heed anything in his posts as my opinions augh
Of course his first gathering since his return to shadowclan had to take place during the grossest weather ever, and this of course, appalled him. He refused to go, there would always be more gatherings, and it wasn't worth wrecking his pelt over. Besides his past experiences with the other clans never ended well, and he had the scars to prove it (neither of which he started by the way, despite what that slimy apprentice might say.) So he stayed behind in camp, safely nestled in the apprentice den. He watched reluctantly as the majority of camp left, and the air fell silent.
Too silent.
And the silence weighed him down. He was soon to be a warrior, and had yet to attend a gathering. How pathetic that would be? To be a warrior without ever having a conversation, or at least a peaceful one, with the other clans. How could he become an enforcer, or better yet a deputy that way? Of course either of those were unlikely to happen, due to his previous arrangements, but he could hope. For now he was cursed with a secret authority, the price of being a talon. Begrudgingly he got to his feet. He still had time to catch up, hopefully, and he was smart enough to figure out how to get to seastones. He just had to move fast.
The scents had been mostly washed away by the rain, but enough remained. The rain also had softened the ground, and every step he took had him on the verge of mental tears as his white paws got caked in mud. At last the sound of voices coaxed him forward. He easily recognized the molly's booming voice, he could recognize it anywhere, Dawnstar was bragging about how well Shadowclan was doing, because that's what you did at gatherings he guessed. The scowl that had crossed his face at the mention of Larkfire (that was born more out of envy than anything else), was wiped away by the mention of the lack of Deputy. He was coming for that spot, maybe.
As much as he wanted to sit up front to view the high ranks up close, showing up in the middle of a gathering would probably bring unwanted unnecessary attention to him. So instead he crept around back sitting as far back as he could. But as he glanced around at the other cats all talking amoungst each other, he felt left out. AS much as he didn't want to talk to some stupid strangers, ti would help him with his goal to be more... tolerable. He picked a pair of apprentice aged cats, simply because they were closest. As he approached he recognized one as a fellow Shadowclanner apprentice, though much younger, by the name of Gentlepaw. The other was from Windclan. "Do you mind if I sit here?"
#58
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“Whatever you are physically, male or female, strong or weak, ill or healthy--
all those things matter less than what your heart contains. If you have the soul of a warrior, you are a warrior. All those other things, they are the glass that contains the lamp, but you are the light inside.” -Jem Carstairs
Roosterflame chuckled at her little quip, “I knew there was something off about you RiverClan cats, and now I know your secret,” He jokes in retort as he moves to take her seat with a grateful purr, “Thank you, Pebblesplash. Ha, I don’t mind the rain, but it’s nice to be under shelter.”
Roosterflame found that he and Pebblesplash were quite like-minded in their idea of clan politics. Color him surprised! He’d never thought he’d share so much in opinion with a RiverClan Warrior, yet here he was! What a nice Gathering this was turning out to be. “Yes, I agree, wholeheartedly. The clans are so peaceful now, it would be horrible for anything to erupt and cause any more strife after we’ve just settled into a groove, y’know?” The ThunderClan warrior fluffed up his fur against a chill before continuing, “I’d like it if we never have a battle again but…” He looked at the leaders perched on the Seastones, “…conflict is inevitable.”
@IvyHasSpirit
PebbleSplash
RiverClan She/Her
PebbleSplash gave a nod as her head turned up to the Seastones... "I like to imagine myself up there, sometimes... I like to wonder if I'd have to take such a high position to make a difference," she mews softly... "Like you said, though, There will probably never be a difference. In a place like this, with many unique types of personalities and different ideas... There is bound to be conflict, Even if it's over silly things like what prey tastes the greatest or what pelt color looks the best..." she chuckled with the last example. "It's nice to find someone that doesn't see a point in the conflicts... If I was brave enough, I'd grab every leader by the face and tell them they're a bit mousebrained-" the last line was obviously a joke, for she was laughing as she spoke.
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bump anytime! I don’t mind!
CHECK OUT: PebbleSplash
Flowerfang rolled her eyes at her leaders proclamation of not needing a deputy... really? really could a she-cat with so many enemies truly succeed long without a deputy in case she croaked? Flowerfang huffed, well at least if the leader didn't have enough brain-cells to pick a deputy, then the more chances one would have to prove themselves worthy of the rank. Flowerfang was as her name suggested, a Innocent Hotie, But with a Kite to Match her bark. Don't get her started on how foolish some cats had been in falling for her beauty, but she wasn't a delicate flower, no! She was a Flower of Poison and Death. (open)
Gentlepaw was silent before widening her eyes as she watched Berrypaw watch her with uncertainty. Way to ruin it Gentle! She took a step back, flattening her ears. “S sorry!” she mewed. “I-I didn’t mean to scare you!” she looked up at the cat, watching her ears pin back. The two molly’s fear-scents were hovering in the ear. Oh dear. Berrypaw was looking at her warily. Gentlepaw sighed. Every time she tried to make friends, or talk with a cat, she would creep up to them. It would sometimes, well..most of the time it scared them. She didn’t mean it, she was just used to stepping on the ground quietly. That’s why she was quite a good hunter, she also knew the ground beneath her had consciousness - feelings. She felt bad if she stamped her foot against the ground. She looked up pleadingly at the cat, unsure of what to do.
Of course his first gathering since his return to shadowclan had to take place during the grossest weather ever, and this of course, appalled him. He refused to go, there would always be more gatherings, and it wasn't worth wrecking his pelt over. Besides his past experiences with the other clans never ended well, and he had the scars to prove it (neither of which he started by the way, despite what that slimy apprentice might say.) So he stayed behind in camp, safely nestled in the apprentice den. He watched reluctantly as the majority of camp left, and the air fell silent.
Too silent.
And the silence weighed him down. He was soon to be a warrior, and had yet to attend a gathering. How pathetic that would be? To be a warrior without ever having a conversation, or at least a peaceful one, with the other clans. How could he become an enforcer, or better yet a deputy that way? Of course either of those were unlikely to happen, due to his previous arrangements, but he could hope. For now he was cursed with a secret authority, the price of being a talon. Begrudgingly he got to his feet. He still had time to catch up, hopefully, and he was smart enough to figure out how to get to seastones. He just had to move fast.
The scents had been mostly washed away by the rain, but enough remained. The rain also had softened the ground, and every step he took had him on the verge of mental tears as his white paws got caked in mud. At last the sound of voices coaxed him forward. He easily recognized the molly's booming voice, he could recognize it anywhere, Dawnstar was bragging about how well Shadowclan was doing, because that's what you did at gatherings he guessed. The scowl that had crossed his face at the mention of Larkfire (that was born more out of envy than anything else), was wiped away by the mention of the lack of Deputy. He was coming for that spot, maybe.
As much as he wanted to sit up front to view the high ranks up close, showing up in the middle of a gathering would probably bring unwanted unnecessary attention to him. So instead he crept around back sitting as far back as he could. But as he glanced around at the other cats all talking amoungst each other, he felt left out. AS much as he didn't want to talk to some stupid strangers, ti would help him with his goal to be more... tolerable. He picked a pair of apprentice aged cats, simply because they were closest. As he approached he recognized one as a fellow Shadowclanner apprentice, though much younger, by the name of Gentlepaw. The other was from Windclan. "Do you mind if I sit here?"
#58
Berrypaw
Post Count: 146/100
Swallowing her fear (or at least, attempting to) as the ShadowClanner began apologizing, and.. stuttering(? ShadowClanners were capable of stuttering?), Berrypaw shifted on her paws, cringing slightly at the way the icky sand clung to her pelt and stuck between her toes. "It's... It's okay." She murmured, ducking her head to train her mismatched, blue and green eyes on the sand underfoot. Could Berrypaw get any more awkward? How was it so easy to socialize with her own Clanmates? To even go to a length that Berrypaw teased Snowyn- Snowybreeze about certain things.
Craning her neck, the small, speckled damsel searched the crowd for her best friend, rounded ears perking slightly as she spotted him among the cluster of gathered cats. But... She wasn't that rude, to just leave this ShadowClanner behind in the dirt, no matter how intimidating they seemed. And besides... Snowybreeze had Ashpaw to keep him company. Her heart pained for a moment at the thought, at the mere thought that Snowybreeze could enjoy someone else's company more than hers. But it was possible. Entirely, fully possible, and with how good of friends Snowybreeze and Ashpaw seemed to be and how pretty the other apprentice was, Berrypaw had no doubt that she could be the less favorable option.
Eyes crinkling at the corners as Berrypaw suddenly internally reprimanded herself for thinking so poorly of her best friend, for surely Snowybreeze was too sweet to purposely ignore anyone in WindClan, the spotted damsel shook her head and returned her attention once more to Gentlepaw, because oh no, she'd left the other-Clanner without a response for too much time.
Feeling rather sheepish with herself, the 11 moon old apprentice opened her mouth to speak again. "I'm Berrypa--" She began, but practically almost leapt sideways out of her spot when a new voice suddenly entered her hearing. Wide, doe-eyes landed on Aspenpaw with no minimum amount of shock, and for a few moments Berrypaw just stared at the ShadowClanner in dumb silence. "N-no." She stammered, heterochromatic hues widened. Where were these ShadowClanners coming from? Realizing her barely perceivable reply, the peppered molly scrambled to fix her words. "I mean- You can sit h-here."
Sootfur switched his focus from Dovefluff and stared at Dawnstar in shock, his mouth almost fallen open at her mention of how strong her clan was without a deputy. Has she lost her mind? What the heck is going on in Shadowclan?!
His gray eyes searched in the crowd for Flameheart, but her bright orange pelt was easy to identify even with so many cats around. Especially beside that black shape of a cat. Sootfur narrowed his eyes at the huge black tom, noticing with disapproval that they were still talking together. And they seemed to be pretty lost in their conversation. How can she hang out with a Shadowclanner? He thought with rage. But then, he remembered that a few tail lengths beside him there was Dovefluff. She was from Shadowclan, too. But... she's different.
His pelt bristled in annoyance, but he wouldn't dare come in and show it.
His eyes fell again on the vicious, scarred leader that had declared the unbelievable.
He stepped forward and yowled defiantly, sinking his eyes into the Shadowclan leader. "You're defying Starclan by denying your clan a deputy! What is a clan without its warrior code?!"
Re: January Gathering
Re: January Gathering
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