September Gathering

[alec]

ROOKFIRE
[ he/him | shadowclan enforcer | purrks ]

rookfire couldnt quite tell if his excitement stemmed from what he had planned or what he knew was to come. perhaps both, he hadnt been to the last gathering, injured and all, so this one would be his very first since coming to shadowclan and rookfire couldnt help but feel giddy at the thought of seeing the riverrats that had once felt like they knew him and just being, well, better. whilst he was sure riverclan had suffered quite a bit since the battle moons ago, judging by dusklions outward appearance recently anyway, rookfire had left his old live behind not only by name, rank but also by growing a good bit since finding his place amongst the shadows.
on the other hand, he had been anxiously waiting for exactly this to happen, for dawnstar to call for meeting and announce the full moon gathering, because now there was really only one thing he was missing. with the funny feeling in his stomach, he now knew wasnt fear or worry but something more akin to positive nerves, swirling around with every step and his chest feeling light, rook quickly went through the motions of grooming his dark fur, not spending long enough to get all of it to lay flat -especially not the unruly pieces- but enough so he would look a bit more like he cared, then slipped into the warriors den to shuffle around his nest and gather what he had hidden.
dont get me wrong, he still hadnt moved out of the medicine den since no one had asked yet, simply moved to where the herbalists took their rest instead of taking up patient space after offering his time in guarding both of them from the cannibal. nothing endangering mossfreckle or grousepaw had happened since, but two bodies blocking the storage was probably better than one at the end of the day anyway.
now, to specify, the second thing that caused a weird mix excitement and dread to loom in his chest was the very same that got him stepping up to mossfreckle with two rook feathers and a slightly off coloured bundle of flowers, he had attempted to dry, held neatly between his jaws. gifts placed upon the ground between similiarly white tipped yet differently tinted and sized white paws, clearing his throat quietly, ear twitching with nerves and maw pulled into a honest smile,
"walk with me?".

____________________________


dark fur brushing light brown one, rookfire followed dawnstar towards the seastones, cementing this day as the first time he would walk to the semi familiar landmark from shadowclan territory, having taken his place close to the front of the group he was able to see and smell that riverclan had already arrived early. fadingsun, dusklion, some brown cat rookfire wasnt sure about but would definitely bark a laugh at if someone told him they were the medicine cat after mistyshard had failed. honestly, what a surprise! rookfire wouldve never expected the cat that earned their warrior name at 36 moons and never worked for their position to fail miserably at being a medicine cat after only a couple of months. especially considering he had pretty much handled all medicine work before being so rudely replaced by a failure of a cat, rook already felt pretty damn good about himself and this gathering. lovely start. a bunch of riverclanners he didnt care about, adderpaw, cobwebpaw (who he noted with a bit of a spark in his heart, looked like absolute death), oh well who cared. but oh. still as small (or had they just both grown?) but not as scrawny anymore, marigoldkit. his heart clenched at the rapid change of emotion, from being happy about riverclans suffering to aching for another chance with his friend. they hadnt spoken in so long. he didnt know if he could. so much had changed, it was bound to happen probably..
mistlewhisker took on the reminder this time, repeating the basic rules for gatherings whilst dawnstar already made her way towards the large stones reserved for high ranks. no sharing sensitive informations, nothing any cat shouldnt know. pretty much the only difference for rookfire was that he was now responsible for keeping his clanmates in line and didnt get to just sit and watch, which he had decided was a good thing though.

next, with the clan actually setting foot on the landmark, rookfire was able to see a lot more of the cats already gathered, silver eyes fell on black-orange fur, narrowing slightly whilst his remaining ear twitched and the enforcer straightened up a bit more, intend on showing off the height he had gained on her. unlike the last gathering, still as riverclan, he had attended, this time he didnt want to sink into himself and hide from every glance, instead presenting himself openly with half a thought about cats seeing him and mossfreckle together lingering infinitely and making him feel a bit giddy. however, back to goldfish, the warrior had taken her place in the riverclan crowd close to the center and appeared to be alone. snarky voices whispered possibly every bad thing one could come up with by that information alone in his ear and instead of supressing a smile entirely, he turned to face mossfreckle again as they walked, putting love and adoration instead of schadenfreude into it. goldfish alone, well, rookfire couldnt say he wasnt happy that she was sitting there, alone and looking not very happy in the middle of the crowd.

still, he averted his eyes, touching his nose to mossfreckles cheek one last time before parting from him to select a seat whilst the herbalist went for his designated one. the one the enforcer deemed suitable was pretty much in the middle of the crowd but a bit further to the outside so he could still see most of the cats in front whilst having the best possible audible ability to identify any fighting. whilst he wasnt really one to brag, his promotion to enforcer was surely something he would like addressed this gathering, be it as an announcement or privately. there was just something marvellous about rising through the ranks at rapid speed after being stuck as an apprentice for moons to long.

[ @finley !! - brief cobs mention ; @Blaaze - gold mention ; @Marigoldwhisper - mari mention ; @elio - mossy ]

[constellation]

REDWATER
THE THREE OF SWORDS
| she/her | warrior | 24 moons | riverclan |
| Agatha Kitty |
[ @ChaosBringer.]

Redwater followed her Clan slowly. She hadn’t wanted to be chosen to go to the Gathering. She didn’t want to see WindClan. She kept her eyes on her crimson paws and stepped down onto the Seastones. Her eyes searched the crowd quietly, looking for a quiet spot to sit and be ignored. Red took a step into the mass of cats, keeping her eyes low—which, honestly wasn’t a good idea of her part…but whatever—and slammed right into a cat, “oof.” Redwater looked up. no. the cat she had wanted to see the least.

The cat who had almost killed her.

She backed away, her fur standing on end—

“S-sorry.”

__________________________________________

MINTPAW
[ 7/100 ]
| she/her | apprentice | 6 moons | shadowclan |
| Lyrebird’s Lullaby, Trick of the Eye |
[ @Luna16 ]

Mintpaw bounded alongside her mentor. She was SO excited! It was going to be SO FUN!! She couldn’t wait to meet WindClan apprentices. she was going to ask ALL THE QUESTIONS. She couldn’t wait. “THIS IS GONNA BE SO FUN! I wanna meet every single apprentice in the whole of all the other clans!!”

[nyme]

IN A DREAM YOU SAW A WAY TO SURVIVE
AND YOU WERE FULL OF JOY

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ❊ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

GOLDENPAW . 7 MOONS . HE/SHE/THEY . THUNDERCLAN

Goldenpaw's purr is ragged but heartfelt. Oh, she chose good; this Windclanner's already more fun than the pair that Goldenpaw had bothered last gathering—not that she begrudges those Shadowclanners their moodiness, but it's nice not to have to work for it from time to time.

"You're very welcome," he hums, settling down with a whisk of that mottled red-and-white tail. "Awh, you're very kind. I don't feel too squirrel-y, myself, butcha never know. An' anyway, I've got no qualms with rabbitchasin'. Cats are cats, y'know?" Goldenpaw recognizes the validity behind a lot of clan beefing...but she doesn't put more weight into it than she deems necessary. None of these cats have ever done anything to her.

"Nah, s'not my first. My first was last time 'round, met a couple'a really neat Shadowclanners, don't think they liked me too much but I thought they were pretty neat." He laughs. Come to think of it he's having a hard time remembering their faces, but...but that probably doesn't mean anything. He puts it out of his mind and focuses back, again, on Daffodilpaw. "It's good stuff, really, lotta cats to meet 'n talk to—oop, your first, oh wow," Goldenpaw sits up quickly, brushing their tongue over their coat in a few long, brisk swipes. "Drop somethin' on me like that when I look a mess...stars!" They sigh, playfully exasperated. "Pleasure's all mine, bein' your first not-Windclan buddy. You'll be my first Windclan buddy. Couldn't imagine a better cat for it."

Maaaaybe she's laying it on a little thick, but, gathering-friendships are different from normal ones. She's only got a night's worth of time, after al. Who cares if she comes on a little strong?

"Super, duper, duper cool. What's that like, by the way? Bein' in Windclan?"

@Luna16 ; DAFFODILPAW

[OBigBrainO]

nettlepaw
8 moons - thunderclan - she/her
the collector, agatha kitty, kitty softpaws t2

Nettlepaw nervously sat down with the rest of her clan.
It was her first gathering, and she was SCARED.
If only she was clan born. That would’ve made everything so much easier.
She could’ve at least known someone properly here if that was the case.
And not just that cat over there.
..
Sorry, what was that?
A cat over there that she knew?
Wait a stardamn minute.

ashpaw
8 moons - shadowclan - they/them
silvertongue t2, shadow fiend, dreamwalker

Ashpaw excitedly bounded to a halt near his clan.
Oh, everything was going perfectly! It was just a matter of time..
They sat down quickly, before attempting to keep a straight, neutral face.
..
Hold on.
Was that..
No, it couldn’t be.

[Spider.]

Originally Posted by dino.

Why had they come here, again? To the place where all three Clans could decide at any moment to band together again and drive them out for a second time. They should have stayed back. It meant less of a chance to make a fool of themselves.

Redmire eyed ThunderClan as they filtered in behind her Clan, and with a lash of her tail, moved over to one of the less crowded gaps. Toe-beans crossed that no one irritating chose to bother her this evening; she wasn't sure she could hold her tongue.

[ OPEN ]

Plumshade padded over towards redmire, she looked angry as she often dose. Plumshade sat next to the other warrior looking at them " Hello redmire " she greeted with a slight smile " so, redmire any thoughts about the gathering?" she asked

[Luna16]

Daffodilpaw nodded in fervent agreement. "Yes exactly! Even though we're from different clans, we're supposed to be able to unite and learn from each other." She mewed earnestly. "That's what StarClan wanted for us from the beginning right? Hating each other and calling each other names accomplishes nothing in the end. We all go to the same place when this life ends." She pointedly lifted her gaze to the stars. Marveling at their light for a moment before looking back at Goldenpaw, eyes sparkling. She was glad to have found a cat who understood!

She tilted her head to the side in honest confusion. "I've heard ShadowClan can be grouchy. I can't imagine why they wouldn't like an awesome cat like you otherwise!" She mewed, nodding to herself as though she had made some kind of brilliant deduction. She remember when she first scented the ShadowClan border, the potency had almost burned her nose. Here, the scents were truly overwhelming. But at the same time, the mingling of all the scents was...interesting. She found herself wondering if this was maybe what StarClan's scent was like.

She couldn't help but laugh giddily when Goldenpaw jokingly fused over their appearance. "Looks perfect to me!" She purred. "My own pelt is messy half of the time! I do love to run!" She blinked in surprise when Goldenpaw said she was their first WindClan friend. "Really??" She chirped, eyes widening in joy. "That's so cool! We're each other's first friends in a special way, that's amazing!" She purred loudly, and she meant every word. She felt a little bashful when Goldenpaw said she was the "perfect" cat to share in this first with them, but they were right! "It's like StarClan themselves ordained it or something!" She purred with a nod of agreement. "I'm positive of it! We were absolutely meant to meet each other tonight and become friends!" Daffodilpaw never considered that Goldenpaw was laying it on too thick, because she was laying it on pretty thick herself. But she was earnest, she truly meant every word.

Daffodilpaw's faith in StarClan was absolute. So of course, any friendship she made tonight, on this sacred night, was meant to be. She would believe that with all of her heart. "Being in WindClan is perfect for me honestly." She meowed in response, puffing her chest out proudly. "I'm going to be the fastest cat in all of WindClan!" As she spoke, it wasn't boasting. It was as though Daffodilpaw was making a statement about the sky or the weather. It was something she had already decided was going to be her future, all that was left was to work hard. "What about you? What's ThunderClan like?" She asked eagerly. "I hear y'all learn how to climb trees! I wanna climb trees too! The sights must be stunning!"

[@nyme - Goldenpaw]

"Wait, Mintpaw!" Stars, was this was it felt like to have kits? In this moment, Hemlockleaf wasn't sure if his heart could handle the stress and anxiety. He rushed forward to stand in front of Mintpaw. "Listen, this is important." He mewed. "This Gathering is your first Gathering yes, which is monumental in it's own right. But RiverClan has also returned now." His gaze softened as he looked at Mintpaw. "Just...please be careful." He finally meowed. Yes, this is what was right. He needed to allow Mintpaw to experience the Gathering to its fullest.

"Now, go have fun!"

[@constellation - Mintpaw]
[OPEN to other interactions too!]

[nyme]

WE'LL BUILD A FIRE IN YOUR EYES

── ⋅ ⋅ ── ! ── ⋅ ⋅ ──

SALAMANDERPAW . 6 MOONS . SHE/HER . RIVERCLAN

"Of course they're not the same, they're better. My mentor could break yours in half easily. Mistyheart...tss! What kind of a name is that? Everyone knows -heart is a pity name leaders hand out to warriors with no real skills. It's barely any better than -fur or -pelt. Your mentor sounds like a mushy sop." Baby, that mouth is runnin'. Mistyheart did not deserve that stray (though it goes without saying that none of this is deserved), but Salamanderpaw doesn't like that Slugpaw has the gall to stand up for herself and she especially doesn't like that the other little calico has gone right on ahead to chat happily with her two clanmate. To make matters worse, now that Salamanderpaw's shooting an urgent look at the pair—hurry up and help me tear this monsterling a new one already!—she's realizing that she appears to be the only one who came into this with rage on the mind. Her scruff prickles uncomfortably. What...are they....are we not doing this?? Salamanderpaw swallows thickly, overwhelmed by the unique embarrassment of a bully with no back-up. Little claws dig into the sand and for a wild split-second she considers shoving Slugpaw, hitting her, something. Something to do with the anger, somewhere to put it. But she can't. It's been made abundantly clear what awaits cats who act out tonight, and none of those consequences are ones that Salamanderpaw is willing to suffer just to feel like she's come out of this uncomfortable situation on top.

She flashes Rainpaw and Shellpaw a look, somewhere between hurt and expectant. They're not being the mindless, battlehungry yes-men that she expects them to be. So, what? Should she punish them somehow? No. She couldn't, not ever. As disappointing as this situation is, those two are still Riverclan, which makes them fundamentally better than everyone else and worth a little bit of grace and patience—even if it kills Salamanderpaw to bite her tongue and swallow a scornful, 'hey, what gives?!'. Maybe she'll have a terse word for the both of them back at camp, but that admonishment can't happen in front of this Thunderclanner.

Maybe...maybe they're just being smart, but does avoiding a brawl mean playing nice like this? Does it have to? She can't stomach the thought of sitting with monsterspawn and just chatting, even if Slugpaw's questions have her skipping around all giddy on the inside. Yeah, what Rainpaw said! Lots of us have different names! I want my warrior name to be something cool, like Salamanderflame or Salamanderstrike or— No. She's not playing. But she can't count on Rainpaw and Shellpaw to match her energy right now. Salamanderpaw squashes the cruel urge to pressure Shellpaw into it, to make them say something, or even just agree with her.

"You guys are dumb," she manages blandly, exasperated, and backs off from the group a bit. She's not leaving—doesn't want to take her eyes off of Shellpaw—but she doesn't have any interest in a fun, normal chat. Fortunately, this also means that she should be done being nasty to poor Slugpaw.

@Luna16 ; RAINPAW
@Bonsai ; SLUGPAW
@sleepyyjax ; SHELLPAW

[furrensic]

SQUIRRELRISE
she/her. 15 moons. small, scarred russet molly with brown markings and yellow eyes.
[ chill of death, hulk SMASH ]

squirrelrise is drained. she is oh, so drained from recent..events, but she still trods through the territory and onto the sandy floors of the beach. her maw settles into a frown and her brows furrow in disturbance, fur along her spine bristling at the familiar— no, strong scent of riverclan as her own clan approaches the beach. they had come back. with the mixture of the clans coming into view, her gait slows and she feels a strong wave of cold unease wash over her, a chill running down her spine. it's true that there was a truce during gatherings, but clearly that never stopped a war from happening when the night was over.

with a deep inhale, she forces herself to venture further, pushing through the throng of cats from all clans. maybe twistedpaw was here, stars knows she needs a distraction of any sorts to help get her mind off of him. she feels a lump form in the back of her throat and her eyes sting at the mere thought, murmuring incoherently under her breath as she finally takes a seat.

or maybe gutspaw, she considers, gaze flitting about momentarily when she doesn't spot twistedpaw. she's not entirely sure if gutspaw was with the clan or not when they were making their way to the seastones. not that she'd blame bite after what it'd found. there's a heavy weight on her soul from finding the sight, she imagines it must be much worse for the black tabby. even worse, she can't exactly tell mistlewhisker which makes her feel..bad. like she's keeping something from her mom. she is but for the sake of gutspaw!!

my head hurts, squirrelrise thinks, feeling a headache forming. uncomfortable, but not unbearable. still, it's enough for her to sigh.

[ open! ]

[goodacacia]

Floodsight
✦ she/her | RiverClan | 21 moons | Mind Reader ; Beefed Up T1 ; empty slot

"Yes, so it does." She murmured, tilting her head up to the sky watching the colours change and cloud blow pass. Soon the world would be covered in white and life would be frozen all over. Fleetsmoke was right. Hungry clans does make for dangerous ones, as well as, idiocrasy spawns. And as a clan who's just gotten out of a crisis, there's a lot to do and prepare for the coming seasons. The winds all around already started to blow cold. Leaf-fall was nigh, and the first snow is just around the corner.

In the corner of her eyes, she'd spotted the arrival of the next clan. The next clan and the last Clan. ShadowClan. It was a surprise to see Dawnstar lead her clan so slowly into the Gathering. You would think she'd be here first. Afterall, ShadowClanners were always so...prideful. The silver warrior tilted her head curiously at the late arrivals and softly mumbled, "Here they come..."

[ @paedyn ]

[ Also open for new interactions with other clans ]

[constellation]

MINTPAW
[ 8/100 ]
| she/her | apprentice | 7 moons | shadowclan |
| Lyrebird’s Lullaby ; Trick of the Eye ; Mind Reader |
[ @Luna16 ]

Mintpaw blinked. Her excitement faded slightly, and her grin slowly became a questioning look. She cocked her head. “Okay. But. Are you okay?” she kept her voice soft as they stopped in the clearing. “I’ll be alright. If anyone tries to hurt me, I’ll just talk them to sleep!” she smiled. Then Mintpaw walked by her mentor, giving him a reassuring glance as she passed her fluffy fur pressing against him. Then she stopped.

She didn’t want him to be worried. Mintpaw studied his face carefully. Something about him seemed like he didn’t want her to go. She opened her mouth—“I’ll stay with you! If you want.” she didn’t want to act like she could read his mind. Could she? No…she just had some kind of super sense, hah!