December Gathering

[Yeeter]

Gingerice, they/them. Open.

Despite being the first clan to arrive, Gingerice was late to settle down in front of the leaders. They had been pacing around, unwilling to sit still in the cold and start to freeze. The word ‘ice’ may be in their name, but they preferred it to stay in their eyes and not the rest of their body. They tried to keep a fair distance from RiverClan, they did not want to be tempted to leave with them; loyalty to windclan was the only thing they wanted right now, and besides, they would be abandoning their clanmates, and that shouldn’t be allowed. They listened in to Kestrelstar’s speech absently and cheered the new apprentices and warriors names, bowed their head as a sign of respect for the dead cat, and made a mental note to keep an eye out for rogues. What they were really looking forwards to was Dawnstar’s speech, as that could possibly give them information. The last thing they wanted Dawnstar to do was disrupt such a seemingly peaceful gathering, as there was no need to tonight. It was just a normal gathering, nothing to see here, at least that was what they hoped it would stay like.

[Toodle]

Originally Posted by Ravensong

**Sunsetpaw of Shadowclan**

The young apprentice smiled as she turned to face an approaching cat. She tried to be discreet as she parted her lips just slightly, breathing in the young cat's scent. She recognized the scent of Riverclan though when it was just one cat she could make out subtle differences. So they don't all just smell the same. Even though each Clan has a distinct collective scent, they still also have their own individual scents as well. That only made sense though, she'd never considered any of her clanmates to smell like Shadowclan, they all just smelled like them.

She sat up straight, chin high as she stole one quick glance towards Elmshadow before looking back to the Riverclanner. He was much bigger than her and had lost the youthful softness of an apprentice but he was still younger and leaner than most of the warriors; he must be a young warrior or old apprentice. "Hi! I'm Sunsetpaw. What's your name?"

**Codpaw of Riverclan**

Codpaw's attention was redirected as the shadowy movements of cats filtered onto the beach. He looked over and was instantly met with the crisp smell of pine. Shadowclan had arrived! He scanned through the faces, looking for either familiarity or at least an open friendly face. Dawnstar jumped onto the seastones beside the other two leaders. He watched her curiously as she seemed to not even notice the other leaders. Was that a leader tired or was she as cold and distant as the rumors claimed? But then his eyes found a familiar face breaking away from the rest of the group of Shadowclanners as they were settling into their places. Codpaw perked up, smiling, and bounded airily through the gathered cats. He stopped as he approached Firepaw. "Hiya, Firepaw! How've you been?"

**Elmshadow of Shadowclan**

Elmshadow had regained much of his normal confidence and self-assuredness, a trait he'd lost for a brief, but difficult, couple days. He'd taken his place again, leading Goldenstep through the territories. It felt good to be in the role of protector again, no matter how unnecessary the role was in this particular instance. He felt a protectiveness over her that he'd only faked in the beginning; everything he'd faked in the beginning had somehow developed into reality as time wore on, including how much he enjoyed her company. He couldn't help but believe the two things were related.

He watched her split away from him and approach one of their daughters. He turned his attention back to the top of the Seastones until he felt Goldenstep's warmth return beside him, her tail wrapping around his back. His gaze shifted as Thunderclan finally spilled into the clearing but he quickly lost interest and turned to Goldenstep. "How's she doing?"

**Cougarivy of Shadowclan**

Cougarivy turned to her apprentice. This would be her second gathering. She smiled at the fluffy grey she-cat. "If you'd like to talk to cats from other clans, don't be shy, that's what most of the cats here are here for." She lowered her voice and crouched down closer to Pigeonpaw. "Poking their sore spots is sometimes fun too but you have to be careful about it. Don't end up like Maggotpaw." She stood back up. "Can you tell which cats are from which clans?"

Goldenstep felt Elmshadow turn towards her, feeling his emerald gaze fall on her. She suppressed a smile and sighed but she was cut off by his question. He just asked how she's doing? Is he talking about Ashpaw? She shouldn't be shocked about a father asking about his daughter but, Elmshadow asking about Ashpaw's feelings? She felt a shocked purr rising in her throat. "How's who doing? Ashpaw?" Her voice cracked as she tried not to get too excited too soon.

----------------

Pigeonpaw smiled and nodded once. "The fishy smelling ones are Riverclan. They have the shinier coats from all the fish they eat." She looked around for other different cats. "Windclan are the scrawny-looking ones. They're fast but so is their prey. And..." she turned as another clan moved into the clearing. "Thunderclan! They're...um...the squirrelly ones? They like to climb trees." She couldn't pick out exactly what set them apart, although she did recognize their scent from her outing with Couvarivy.

Pigeonpaw scanned the cats to find another apprentice to talk to, and maybe try out Cougarivy's advice. She spotted an apprentice, using what she knew, she figured they must be a part of Windclan. A small smile split her maw and she weaved through the cats to approach the Windclan apprentice. Keeping her chin up, she chirped, "Hi! I'm Pigeonpaw of Shadowclan," she nearly growled the "Shadowclan". "I may still be young but I'm going to be one of Shadowclan's strongest fighters. What's your name?"

She looked up to Kestrelstar as he started his announcements. New apprentices, new warriors, new kits, and another dead Riverclan warrior. Pigeonpaw locked onto the announcement of the new warriors' names and the cheering that followed of their new names. She couldn't wait for her new name to be cheered for like that, hear her name said by all the cats of all the clans!

@Raven~ [For Dustypaw or Dirtpaw, or both]

[dino.]

Originally Posted by marni

Cindersky
It had been a last minute decision to come to the Gathering. Back at camp, there were quite a few kits and apprentices who were still reeling from a rather disaster of a meeting and Cindersky felt a familiar tug in her bones to watch over them. But another part of her, the part of a warrior, wanted to make sure that ThunderClan and their relationship with the other three Clans, did not sour any further than it already had. The only Clan that could serve an issue with would be RiverClan, so as the spotted gray feline came onto the sand, she shot a thoughtful glance up towards the Seastones. Aspenstar looked ragged, Kestrelstar seemed to be sporting new wounds, Twilightstar was calm and Dawnstar looked evil, but those were all typical looks for the leaders.

It seemed as though the RiverClan leader was already speaking, giving his account on what the water resistant cats of the river had been up to. Cindersky listened half-heartedly while making her way through the crowd. She tended to move away from her Clanmates at these Gatherings in favor of seeking out those from rival Clans. It was a night of peace and clarify, so long as the full moon hung in the sky. Spotting a familiar pelt in the crowd, matched up with a grumpy face she had seen before in passing, Cindersky decided to try her luck. "Hello there, mind if I sit with you?" she asked in a soft, fluttering voice as a respectful smile stretched across her face.

>Goosefury | RiverClan Warrior<

Mmmm, he'd missed the start of the announcements. Kestrelstar was already speaking. Unconsciously he tuned his leader out, voice fading from his ears to a quiet, distant hum. Nothing about that was interesting, just basic announcements that had already been said during Clan meetings. He turned his single eye to the far edge of the growing crowd, flickering aimlessly over random forms before returning his gaze to the leaders' stone.

A soft voice beside him made him whip his head around to blink at the cat it had come from. ThunderClan scent washed over him like a flood wave. Images of Lionstorm and Fawnsqueak followed, and for a moment his expression seem to contort into that of a snarl - and then it faded almost as quickly as it had appeared, and Goosefury bent his neck with a small sigh. "I'm- sorry, you startled me," he answered, voice gruff. "No, I... I don't mind, go right ahead." He scooted over to make a bit of space for her and wrapped his tail around his paws.

Hm. Awkward. "Soooo... ThunderClan?" He tried for a sideways glance. "Aspenstar isn't looking so great - what's going on there?"

[Madelaine]

-->Rabbitpaw<--

Showing up late to the party the former rogue padded after her foster clan to what they called a gathering. Her grandfather had mentioned it before and she knew a bit about it. Rabbitpaw was hoping to talk to someone. It didn't matter if they were from her clan of Windclan or another. She wasn't a shy cat at all.

She moved towards where there was many cats and sat down. "This is my first gathering! It's really exciting don't any of you think?", she meowed to anybody who was listening. She really just wanted someone to talk to.

// open \\

[error]

He snorted, a small grin on his face. “You don’t have to lie about liking gatherings, these things suck. It’s chaos and arguing, I just come here because I rather be where everyone else in the clan is going instead of staying at camp.” His bushy tail bumped the brown she-cat playfully. His eyes gleamed with mischief, and big smile on his face. “And if you don’t like it that much, I’ll sneak you out and we can explore while everyone’s busy arguing.” He gave her a sympathetic lick on the ear.

( @WinterMara )

[poppy]

 

Originally Posted by duskfire1

Duskfire of Windclan ll open!

He gave an irritable grunt as he fluffed his fur out against the cold. Take me now Starclan. His mind moaned as he shook the steady growing frost on his fur. He glanced around, and sat down, the chill of the hard, gritty floor seizing his bottom, but he ignored it. Hell to this! His mind snarled as he furiously stomped the ground. Contract. He stomped. Your muscles. He stomped again. To make. He stomped once more. Yourself. He pummeled the ground. WARM! He stomped the ground once again. Erg. He thought, giving up.

Usually, Silentfeather didn't attend Gatherings. They stressed her out, and she wasn't the biggest fan of the aggression that she was faced with whenever she stood here. Being called a bunny wasn't something she was okay with, not a fond nickname at all, really. But, what could one do? Just let the other Clans fester in their immaturity and child-like insults. Fine by her, she only saw these cats once every couple moons, if she was lucky once every couple seasons, since she usually volunteered for hunting patrols as of late. Having her pelt hung on Dawnstar's den wall and her corpse rotting away on the border wasn't exactly something she looked forward to.

As she padded to the Seastones, even thought she had seen the sight multiple times in her youth, it felt unfamiliar. Strange. Foreign, if you would. Inhaling shakily, she looked around for someone to sit by. Duskfire! She hadn't seen her brother come down here. Trotting up beside him, she noticed how angry and cold he looked. A soft trill rumble din her throat as she licked his cheek in greeting. ''I'll keep you warm if you keep me warm.'' She offered, pressing against him. Usually, he didn't snap at her. He was overall the supreme grumpy-pants of the world, but she couldn't remember the last time he yelled at her.

Well... she could. But it was a long time ago.

[WinterMara]

Softpaw rolled her eyes, smirking so it seemed a bit playful. While she herself was used to her friends being rebelious, sneaking out and doing pranks, the young molly was not into it at all. She’d actually considered that type of thing to go against her vow she made to herself moons back, sneaking out, especially during a gathering, was very much not approved of by a lot of older cats, and it was for safety reasons. With how much of her vow and even the code she felt like she was breaking, even with her mere existence, she didn’t want to mess up more than she already had.

' 'I don’t mind it that much, not to the point where I’d just leave without warning, besides, it’s disrespectful.' ' She said with a flick of her tail, it was a bit more stern, but it didn’t mean to come off that way. She took into account what Kestrelstar had said, she felt bad for Riverclan with it’s latest loss. The she-cat silently hoped that they had a good leafbare, every clan should have a good one, after all, at least they had tons of new warriors and apprentices, and even a medicine cat apprentice, so maybe things will look better for them.

Still felt a bit wrong to hope for it though, a bit of bias and all that.

| @error

[gs29513]

@Shade.
It was Gathering time! Normally Deadmoon wasn't excited for any kind of social event, but THIS social event involved Rookie, and she was always excited when her best frenemy was involved! So, as was her usual practice upon arrival, the molly prowled through the crowd, in search of one particular pelt. Which she saw! Yes! Her friend would NEVER know what hit her! Actually she would know immediately what hit her, there were only so many Windclanners willing to endure such close proximity to a Shadowclan cat, let alone one that looked quite ready to swallow whoever aggravated them first. But still! It could be a shock!

So, despite the fact her plan was probably not the most foolproof, the molly sunk into a crouch and prowled along the edge of the gathered crowd. She might be SLIGHTLY more social than Rookie, but she drew the line at interacting with a crowd of that size. Nope, no, not for her, too many irritating kitbrains. And now she was close.........RAAAAGH! she screeched, although not at the earsplitting volume that she COULD attain. No sense totally embarrassing herself. The noise was acompanied by a lunge that left her just short of her friend, who she immediately wrapped an arm around, pulling her close. As friends do, you know? Rookie! How are you doing? What's going on in the swamp? she inquired, tail flicking.

[Shade.]

Originally Posted by gs29513

@Shade.
It was Gathering time! Normally Deadmoon wasn't excited for any kind of social event, but THIS social event involved Rookie, and she was always excited when her best frenemy was involved! So, as was her usual practice upon arrival, the molly prowled through the crowd, in search of one particular pelt. Which she saw! Yes! Her friend would NEVER know what hit her! Actually she would know immediately what hit her, there were only so many Windclanners willing to endure such close proximity to a Shadowclan cat, let alone one that looked quite ready to swallow whoever aggravated them first. But still! It could be a shock!

So, despite the fact her plan was probably not the most foolproof, the molly sunk into a crouch and prowled along the edge of the gathered crowd. She might be SLIGHTLY more social than Rookie, but she drew the line at interacting with a crowd of that size. Nope, no, not for her, too many irritating kitbrains. And now she was close.........RAAAAGH! she screeched, although not at the earsplitting volume that she COULD attain. No sense totally embarrassing herself. The noise was acompanied by a lunge that left her just short of her friend, who she immediately wrapped an arm around, pulling her close. As friends do, you know? Rookie! How are you doing? What's going on in the swamp? she inquired, tail flicking.

Rookscreech did not expect the gathering to be any different than usual. She honestly hoped Dawnstar wouldn't announce her warrior name to the clans since it felt safer to not attract attention to herself. Something in the way Dawnstar had acted at her ceremony had her on edge. It felt like she was somehow seeing the disloyalty inside. So she'd better keep a low profile.

Unfortunately that would turn out quite hard as her ears were suddenly met with a roar and a vicious hug. Rookscreech let out a yelp and flailed to defend herself but quickly realized that it was Deadmoon. How had she not expected this? Rookpaw quickly composed herself and looked around nervously.
"Shhh, why did you have to scream like that?! Anyway, hi, swamp's been great I..." she looked around once more and took a deep breath. Deadmoon might notice that her usual sass wasn't there.
She looked back at her. She wasn't sure about her yet. Everything seemed too good to be true. An instinct born from the pain of betrayal and raised by the moons of mocking and humiliation whispered to Rookscreech that this was all an elaborate ruse, some sort of revenge on her for being ShadowClan. That, one day, Deadmoon was going to humiliate her and tell her that they had never been friends and that she'd been a fool. She pushed those thoughts aside. After all, who knew what Deadmoon had faced. Come to think of it, she wondered what her clanmates thought when they saw her do this. They likely didn't like ShadowClan. And, on a more urgent note, she certainly didn't want Dawnstar to notice. Rookscreech had always been a rebel when it came to social norms. However, she was really on thin ice now. But she supposed it was worth it...
"I was doing great until you decided I was your next assassination target. Anyway, That's Ms. Rookie to you, I got my name. Rookscreech. Though maybe screech would've been a better suffix for you. Wait, you guys weren't here last time. What happened?" she asked. Dawnstar hadn't said anything so maybe this time her clan wasn't the problem. That or Rookscreech hadn't paid attention as usual.

[Mistletoe]

Originally Posted by CroissantKitty

@Mistletoe
Aspenleaf nodded, "Well, I suppose that's a good reason." She looked back up as Kestrelstar began the meeting. She glanced down at her paws as she remebered Eveningwhispers death. She hadn't known the other molly well, but it still saddened her to see a cat die. "May StarClan give her swift swimming, good hunting, and shelter where she sleeps," she muttered.

~Mallardstep~

“I’m sure a warrior brave enough to fight off rouges will be honored in Starclan for many moons to come.” The Riverclan warrior had become visibly upset by the mention of her clanmate’s death. Mallardstep wanted to reassure her somehow. Maybe I should have laid off on the rude comments earlier…