September Gathering

[Tallstar]

Reedshade
44 Moons
He/Him
Reedshade approached the gathering with his usual steady, deliberate pace, each step resonating with purpose. The Seastones loomed ahead, their rugged surface bathed in the soft glow of twilight. Despite the undercurrent of tension in the air and Fadingstar’s stern announcement echoing through the assembly, Reedshade remained a pillar of calm. His mind was sharply focused, not just on the larger dynamics of the gathering, but on a deeply personal quest.

The leader’s voice, filled with warnings about behavior and secrecy, was a backdrop to Reedshade’s singular goal: to find his brother, Sedgeflake. Amidst the sea of cats, each with their own agendas and whispers, Reedshade’s eyes scanned the crowd with a blend of urgency and patience. His keen gaze swept over every face, searching for any sign of his sibling amidst the shifting patterns of the gathering.

As he moved through the throng, Reedshade’s attention was split between observing the intricate dance of alliances and rivalries and the more pressing task of locating Sedgeflake. He was acutely aware of the importance of keeping his own clan’s secrets and maintaining composure, yet his heart beat with a quiet desperation to reunite with his brother.

Reedshade's stance was a study in controlled alertness. He navigated the rocky terrain of the Seastones with practiced ease, his posture relaxed but his senses sharply attuned to every shift and murmur around him. Every flicker of movement and soft-spoken conversation was noted, but his eyes kept returning to the search for Sedgeflake.

In the twilight’s gentle embrace, Reedshade’s presence was a harmonious blend of vigilant calm and focused determination. He was prepared to navigate the complexities of the night, all while keeping a watchful eye out for his brother, hoping that amidst the political maneuvers and diplomatic exchanges, he would catch a glimpse of the familiar face he longed to see

@Bear @Velichor

[Luna16]

Rainpaw nodded solemnly at Fadingstar's instructions, swallowing tensely. This would be her and Ravenpaw's first Gathering, and it seemed it be would not be short on tension. She padded forward with her clanmates, relieved to see they were the first clan to arrive. She looked over her shoulder, but Ravenpaw was already gone. Rainpaw sighed, it seemed lately she was getting left behind more and more. She found herself a spot amongst a denmate, looking over and offering a timid, nervous smile.

[OPEN!]

Ravenpaw twitched anxiously as Fadingstar's addressed the clan. She was excited but also nervous, this was her first Gathering after all! And so much has happened! But she nodded in acknowledgement, she would of course be careful around the cats from other clans. She hadn't met any of them yet, so she wasn't entirely she trusted them anyway.

Her eyes found Riftpaw and Brokenstream her idol. Whiskers twitching excitedly, she bounded over. "Heya!" She mewed cheerily as she approached the two. Eyes trained on Brokenstream, though she glanced at Riftpaw and nodded at him in greeting as well. "I'm not sure if I'm more excited or nervous!" She admitted. "It's my first Gathering, but it feels like there's so much pressure and tension too!" Despite her words, her body language definitely conveyed more excitement than anything else.

[@TanghuluCat - Riftpaw and Brokenstream - you can decide if Rift is going to interact with her instead lol! ]

Irisdream acknowledged her leader with a subtle flick of her ears and a nod. With that, she smoothly padded into the Gathering area with her clanmates, settling around the edge with her tail wrapped neatly around her paws.

[OPEN!]

[BEAR.]

tw: thoughts of mild transphobia

Sedgeflake followed his Clan in with an agitated twitch of his tail. It seemed none of the other Clans had arrived yet, so he opted to linger near the edge of the RiverClan crowd.

When he was among his Clan, he couldn't readily glimpse his brother - but now that he had a better view he caught sight of that familiar pelt. "REEEEDSHAAAADE!" Well, he had to yell! How else would his brother hear him over the yammering? Sedgeflake kept his gaze on Reedshade, expecting to be joined. He didn't feel like trying to cut through the masses to get to him... and besides, being on the outskirts meant they had a better chance of spotting Her.

It had been moons since the brothers last spoke to Violetfreckle and Sedgeflake wanted to change that. From the goodness of his heart, he saw an opportunity to reunite their broken family once more and he was going to take it.

Yes, yes. He knew she'd be difficult - she was their blood after all - but damn it! She deserved better than some filthy ThunderClan tom. How dare she leave them for such a disgrace? After everything they'd done? What'd this fleabag have that they didn't, beyond paws coated in RiverClan blood?

He didn't get it. (And he knew, somewhere, some of his anger held no water. But he ignored it, pushed it down, reminded himself to be resolute.) If he wavered, he would seem weak - and he! RiverClan! was not weak!

Sedgeflake swished his tail, absently having his claws rough up the sand beneath him. It was an idle motion, meant nothing beyond a way to fidget.

[ @Tallstar ]

[squidz]

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

| BERRYPAW |

small & nimble dark brown she-cat with darker flecks and light, leafy-green eyes | the collector

[ riverclan mc apprentice | she-cat | 11 moons | timid, kind, hardworking ]

—

Berrypaw was lost in a whirlwind of internal anxiety as she followed close by Cobwebfern, Dusklion, Wisteriawren, and Fadingstar. She said nothing for most of the walk over, simply nodding to Fadingstar's instructions about Mistyshard. Misty... the remembrance of her mentor sent a pang through her heart. Stars, she hoped she wouldn't slip up in her nervous habits and babble on about everything. Nah, more than likely, she would just freeze up and shut down if she got overwhelmed anyway... she should be fine. I hope.

When the deputy turned to her, Berrypaw made an attempt at mirroring the grin with a weak half-smile to show that she heard and understood."T-Thanks, Dusklion," she mewed softly, genuine gratitude in her meek tones. To know that the fierce, fiery deputy was just a few pawsteps away to come to her aid if needed was certainly a comfort. And the fact that most of the Clan seemed at least somewhat positive of her presence and role... at least, that she could tell. If some weren't, she really didn't wanna know.

Padding forward, Berrypaw noticed that RiverClan were the very first to arrive... was that a good or a bad sign? Regardless, she bunched her haunches and launched her small, nimble frame up to where the medicine cats sat. This was only her second Gathering; the first and last one — the one before RiverClan got exiled, that is — was also her introduction as a medicine cat apprentice. It had been nerve-wracking, but at least she'd been with Mistyshard. But this time... she was all on her own.

Okay. Deep breaths, Berry. She tried to get her little racing heart to settle as she curled her skinny tail tightly over her small paws. The thought of seeing the three Clans again, of smelling their overpowering scents, just like the raid... the mere thought made her whiskers tremble nervously. The raid had been traumatizing, to say the least, both during and after with the tirade of healing that she'd nearly gone mind-numb with. Not to mention the incident with Cobwebfern's leg... oh dear, she can't think about that right now, or she might faint on the Seastones before the other Clans even arrive. The raw, dreadful anticipation made her paw pads prickle uncomfortably and she shifted them a bit restlessly against the smooth stones.

[ @taillow - dusk interaction || @Bean @elio @redshiftreign @Alchemist Kitsune @Dolomedes - for when all the med kitties arrive hehe ]

[dino.]

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

Huff. Okay. Time to deal with one of the most aggravating nights of every single month ever. The last one had been fine due to RiverClan's absence. Bumblestar had a feeling this was going to be a pain in the ass if they were back. And judging by the overwhelming stench of fish, they were. Great.

She paused by edge of the stones, mostly out of earshot of the others, and turned to fix her Clan with a look before they went on their way. "A single drop of any sorta sensitive information gets spilled, I won't shy away from breakin' your jaw to make sure it doesn't happen again," she reminded them bluntly. "I'll know who does it. 'N if I don't, a Hornet will, 'n they'll be sure to tell me faster than you can bolt with your tail between your legs. Go mingle but watch what you say."

With that said, she made for the stones. That Fadingstar guy was, to everyone's shock and much higher displeasure, the one standing in RiverClan's place. She didn't hide the irritation on her face as she hopped up to her usual spot

"Surprised to see you've stuck around." She didn't bother to hide the distaste in the words, even though her expression remained (mostly) neutral. "I was really hopin' your entire group would screw off to wherever you ended up for the rest of my life, but I guess I can't just get that lucky. I hope your little vacation was fun?"

Her gaze drifted down to Dusklion, brows arching minutely before she dropped her attention to her paw as she ran her tongue over her pads. Seems like a certain pair of cats weren't getting along; the deputy's tension was palpable. Would that be useful to her at some point? Hm.

[ @occultation @taillow @Starfall @Bean ]

--- IMPORTANT NOTE ---

AS A REMINDER! Per ThunderClan's last meeting and its news section: Hollowpaw's position as medicine cat apprentice should not be shared with other Clans; instead, the other Clans should only be told Wolfpaw is their sole medicine cat, and that Hollowpaw is a warrior apprentice under Spiderthroat. Cats who spill this secret will be executed by Bumblestar as the point is to protect Hollowpaw due to previous attacks on their medicine cats.

NON-THUNDERCLANNERS: Hollowpaw's position is not public knowledge, hence his absence on the sidebar. Your non-TC characters should not be roleplayed with knowledge of his rank if they have not been told irp.

[anika]

Larkswoop - ThunderClan Warrior
Killer Aptitude Tier 3
Flock Together Tier 3
Lyrebird´s Lullaby
________________

Larkswoop nodded to Bumblestar, her green eyes narrowed. ´´Got it, Bumblestar,´´ She mewed, beckoning Ravenpaw and Bramblepaw to her side with a flick of her tail tip. ´´You´re both to stay beside me. I´m not taking the chance of letting you talk to any of the RiverClan cats just yet, since they´ve just returned and we don´t know how they´re going to react. I doubt Fadingstar will be all oh-so friendly with us other Clans for driving them out.´´

The broad-shouldered tabby sighed and headed toward the left side of the clearing, where most of her Clanmates still stood. She took her place beside her littermates, Breezepool and Willowfrost, and murmured a soft greeting to them.

[ @dino. - brief lark / bumble interaction // @Idiotic.Bean101 - Raven // @jane - Bramble // @Apollo. - Breeze // @TanghuluCat - Willow ]

[squidz]

— STAGHEART —

very large, muscular, & scarred light brown tabby tom with stark blue eyes and a torn ear; killer aptitude 3 | just a scratch

[ riverclan warrior | tomcat | 53 moons | gruff & battle-hardened, yet thoughtful; loyal to a fault ]

—

Stagheart prowled in behind his Clanmates, piercing blue eyes narrowed as he scanned the Seastones. Ah... they were the first to arrive. He tasted the salty air, both nostalgic and a bit foreboding. To think that the last time they'd been there had been the catalyst for the awful raid that tore apart their Clan and their home...

His fur bristled at the mere thought, and he gave his shoulder and chest a quick lick to soothe it down. The last thing he needed was to provoke some suspicion or outburst based on his prickly behavior. Like Fadingstar was pointing to, they just needed to sit down, get through this... and for StarClan's sake, not give away what their Clan was still enduring and figuring out. This was their first real entrance back into the forest — they would make themselves known, seen, heard, and certainly not underestimated again. He'd make sure of that.

Always tending to hover off near the back on his own, as if trying to be the eyes and ears for the rear of the pack, Stagheart sat down on the sand. The large, scarred tom's ears were perked towards the opposite ends of the forest, the trails he knew that the other Clans would take on their arrival. Would they be shocked to see RiverClan here? Disgusted? Impressed? It could go any way. Whatever it was, he just hoped they understood now more than ever that they couldn't take out his Clan.

RiverClan was a lot of things... but it was also resilient as stone. They would persist, just like they always did.

[ open to rc or other clans <3 ]

[Whitestarliner]

Snakepaw

22 Moons | She/Her | No purrks

ThunderClan Apprentice (demoted)

So RiverClan had returned now? Finally she’d have the opportunity to speak to her brother again! Snakepaw rushed in after Bumblestar's warning, surely Duskleaf had to be somewhere amongst the crowd! Her eyes scanned the area to see if he was…but it didn’t seem like it…

…Oh no.

He'd been killed, hadn’t he? In the 3v1…

Come to think of it, Snakepaw hadn’t seen him since then at all. He looked injured, maybe some cat finished him off as he was trying to leave? If she found out one of her own clanmates had killed her brother, she would- well…what could she do really? Any cat responsible would be tarnished in her eyes forever, but it wasn’t like she could actively seek revenge. Or maybe she’s just overthinking, maybe he’s fine and just didn’t want to attend. It didn’t seem like him to do that at all, but it was better to cling onto some hope at least. It echoed what had happened when her father didn’t show up though, by now Reedclaw surely wasn’t still alive, was he? Duskleaf wasn’t here, Reedclaw wasn’t here…was she truly alone now?

[Idiotic.Bean101]

ThunderClan
Skunkridge is at the gathering.

[Beaan]

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

- Wolfpaw -
- He/Him - 7 Moons - ThunderClan Medicine Cat -
- A large dark brown tabby tom with green eyes and a missing hind leg -

This was it. The gathering. The tripod medic has never been to one, but he wasn't exactly looking forward to it. But nevertheless, he chose to go. Anxiously, the tom hobbled after Bumblestar, green eyes flickering around. This would be the first time he has been to a gathering, as well as even seeing another clan cat. Before the clan reached the gathering, Bumblestar stopped them. Of course, don't spill important information. He knew that Hollowpaw was one of them.

Fish. He smelled fish. Probably RiverClan. As he hobbled behind his leader, he noticed one cat on top of a big rock, and watched as Bumblestar joined him. Now... where does he sit? "Uh... Bumblestar? W-where do I sit?" the brown tabby called out.

[ @dino. ]