GATHERING #1

[le Dawnz]

OOC// That's right. That's why Dawnfur's leading. This gathering is placed before the Sunningrocks attack, and Rimestar hadn't been appointed yet.

And y'all, wait for me! I'm working on my post but I won't be able to post it until Sunday because I'm going to a friend's wedding, so just, HOLD ON for like, 2 more days okay?

[le Dawnz]

Dawnfur gave a polite nod of greeting to the leaders who joined them, but remained silent. She knew Badgerstar would be nervous, and was giving her time to acquint herself with the others and relax a bit. It was hard for the tortoiseshell to concentrate on the conversations happening right under her nose, what with so much else to think about. All of it fought for the position of top priority in her head. How could she focus on the gathering when she had many other things to worry about?

The old warrior stubbornly pushed everything else to the back of her mind. Tonight, ThunderClan was well. They were thin only because they'd just endured the thick of leaf-bare. Dawnfur was representing them only because their leader was on a StarClan-sent quest and their deputy was ill. Their numbers were scare because they had many queens tending to kits and a few warriors left to guard their camp. Most of the elders had decided to stay behind complaining of aching joints, and the medicine cat was busy taking trying to make them as comfortable as possible. That was the picture that Dawnfur painted in her mind. And that was the truth, as far as the other clans were concerned. The she-cat could only hope that none of her apprentices would give their secret away.

Badgerstar's voice tore her away from her thoughts. "Yes. We should." she replied calmly. "Pebblestar, would you like to call the clans together?"

With her sister so wound up, Honeypaw was certain she wouldn't have to do much socializing at all tonight. Sometimes she wondered how she and Jitterpaw were related at all. They were so different. Sitting beside her sister, the golden apprentice managed to catch the mumbling of one of the ThunderClan apprentices. He was a gray tabby, and had an annoyed expression on his face. The tom looked like one of those cats that hardley ever smiled. Honeypaw flattened her ears against her head for a moment, not at all pleased with his comment about her sister. But Jitterpaw's voice drew them forward again.

Counterpart? Was that some sort of joke? It must have been, because the she-cat gave her a playful look before continuing on. She listened to her sister's rantings, all the while gazing around the clearing, taking in her surroundings. All the clans had finally arrived, and another cat, ThunderClan by the smell of her, had joined them. She sized up the two apprentices, who hadn't been able to get a word in edgewise since she'd arrived. They appeared to be about their age, perhaps a tad bit older. They looked like most ThunderClan cats. They had strong haunches, for leaping and climbing trees. And their coats were short and course, colored to match the undergrowth of the forest. But something that didn't seem quite right also caught her eye. They appeared to be rather skinny. In fact, they might have been even skinnier than the lean WindClan cats who roamed the moors hunting rabbits. How peculiar. she thought to herself.

Any bit of sympathy she might have had for them left her body with Smokepaw's next remark. "Is your sister always this much of a mousebrain?" he muttered to her. She narrowed her eyes angrily. "My sister is not a mousebrain!" she growled quietly, stepping forward to shove her nose into his face. Honeypaw was not one to make a scene, but she had become especially protective of her sister ever since their mother had died.

"Woah! Hold on there." Rabbitpaw intervined, stepping between the two haughty apprentices (hotty apprentices, lol). "Smokepaw was only making small talk, he didn't mean nothing by it. He's just rude that way. Right, Smokepaw?" He nodded to his friend, knowing very well that he'd probably be slightly offended by it, but it would hopefully diverge the growing conflict Rabbitpaw sensed growing between them. Besides, Smokepaw could be rather blunt, to the point of being rude. He spoke his mind and didn't care if it hurt anyone's feelings. "I'm Rabbitpaw." he said, trying to take her mind off of the other apprentice.

Honeypaw glared at the smokey tom behind Rabbitpaw before stepping back and sitting down. What should she care what another clan's apprentice thought of her or her sister? The only time they'd meet was here, at gatherings, or in the midst of a battle. She reverted her gaze to the other tom, who seemed inclined to introduce himself again. "Yeah, Jitterpaw just said that." she replied, flicking the tip of her tail. "Hmm, I guess she did, didn't she?" he replied, undeterred. Honeypaw got the feeling that he and her sister would get along just fine.

Hazelstripe smiled warmly at her friend, nodding in understanding. She hadn't had her apprentice for long, but she knew without experience that they were often defiant and easily distracted. She sat down infront of him, curling her own thick tail around her white paws. For now, the only ones around were the two of them. The she-cat liked it that way. Brighteyes was the only cat she trusted completely, despite their seperate lives. "As well as can be, considering." she replied with a nervous flick of an ear. She wanted to tell the black tom everything that was happening to her clan, but she knew that if she did, she would be disobeying direct orders from Dawnfur. She averted her hazel eyes, studying the ground with sudden interest. The she-cat had never been good at hiding her emotions, and especially not from Brighteyes. "Which one is yours?" she asked, flicking her tail at the apprentices speaking with Rabbitpaw, Smokepaw, and Morningdove in a feeble attempt to change the subject. She glanced over at the group, just as her own apprentice, Otterpaw, joined them. But the moody she-cat got up a moment later and strode over to speak with an apprentice Hazelstripe did not recognize.

"With the two-legs confined to their nests RiverClan has plenty of prey, thank you." Rosebloom replied. Looking around wearily, she made sure no one was watching before stepping forward and quickly touching noses with the tom. Stepping back once more, the deputy studied her mate. He looked slimmer than last time they had spoken. She was about to say more when another cat, a ShadowClan warrior, sat down beside Foxtail.

Distress filled her eyes for only a second before she pushed it away, determined not to give anything away. She hoped they would be able to find a moment alone at some point tonight. She wished she had the chance to tell Foxtail about her new position before Badgerstar announced it, but it didn't seem likely now. Rosebloom glanced up where the leaders gathered, and saw Dawnfur gesture toward the end of the Highrock. Why was Dawnfur leading ThunderClan anyway? She would have to ask Foxtail later. "It was nice speaking with you." she said when she turned back toward the tom. She said goodbye to both warriors before padding toward the Highrock. It was custom for all the deputies to sit beneath it once the leaders were ready to begin the gathering. She flicked her tail, anxious for the night to begin.

[Roxie !]

OOC// xDD Hotty apprentices. Deff.

IC// "My sister is not a mouse-brain!"

Jitterpaw turned her gaze away from Morningdove for a moment, her eyes flickering from Honeypaw to Smokepaw in curiousity. Trouble in paradise? She guessed, her whiskers twitching slightly. The flame-colored apprentice was used to skeptisism by now, being the energetic little furball that she was. If she would have heard Smokepaw's comment, she would have taken it a bit more good-naturedly. Unfortunately for Smokepaw, it had been Honeypaw who'd heard him. Jitterpaw let out a quiet sigh. She knew her sister was protective of her, but Smokepaw seemed to be provoking a fight. "Honeypaw--" She warned, about to tell the golden she-cat to ignore the comment, Smokepaw had gotten to his paws, bristling.

"Come any closer and I'll--" He'd began to snarl as Rabbitpaw pushed his way between them. Jitterpaw felt herself relax once again. It would not be good if a fight broke out here, especially when things were tense enough as it was. She flicked her tail against Honeypaw's side, trying to get her sister's temper to cool.

The dark fur alone Smokepaw's spine still stood on end as he glared at the RiverClan apprentice, but he refrained from protesting as his best friend pushed between them. He gave Rabbitpaw a sharp glance as he spoke, although Smokepaw knew that he was simply trying to calm Honeypaw down. His claws gripped the ground, remembering the warrior code, and sat back down. "Yeah. Whatever." He muttered grumpily. If this hadn't been a Gathering... The dark grey tom thought darkly, his easily-provoked temper still boiling slightly. For now, he contented to fall silent and sit back down again, though his narrowed green eyes were fixed mockingly on Honeypaw.

Jitterpaw watched the scene play out, her tail still twitching unsurely. Everything seemed to be cooling down now, but things had gotten increasingly more awkward. She fidgeted slightly, discontent with the silence and still aware of the tension in the air. "Uhm...yeeaaahh..." She mewed slowly, sensing that this would be a good time to change the subject. But it was times like these, when a conversation was needed most, that there seemed to be nothing to say. Refusing to be stricken speechless, she shook herself and brightened again. "So, Rabbitpaw," She addressed the ThunderClan apprentice who seemed least hostile at the moment. "Have ya been to Moonstone yet? Apparently apprentices are s'possed to go, or something." Jitterpaw rolled her eyes as if she couldn't understand this rule. "It was pretty cool, though. We didn't get to go into the cave or anything, but Honeypaw and I went with Badgerstar, didn't we Honeypaw?" She asked quickly, giving her sister a little nudge.


Brighteyes gave a tiny nod, at first satisfied with Hazelstripe's reply. Then he did a double-take. The she-cat was surveying the ground with what seemed to be an anxious expression. His ears pricked. He knew that when his friend didn't make eye contact, it meant she was distressed in some way. His orange eyes narrowed slightly. What could this be about? Was there something that Hazelstripe didn't want to tell him? That seemed odd, because ever since apprentice-hood they'd usually told each other everything. Maybe there was something she couldn't tell him, he opened his mouth to speak to her. "Hazelstripe--" But before Brighteyes could get the question out, she'd already asked him one of her own. The tom's mouth shut awkwardly, although his fur still prickled with concern. Whatever the problem was, she obviously didn't want to talk about it. Maybe he was just imagining things. He would let it go...for now, though he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold his tongue.

Distractedly, he turned to the apprentices. "What? Oh, the lighter one, Honeypaw." He answered, twitching an ear toward his apprentice. "What about you? Have you got an apprentice yet?"


Foxtail's gaze softened as Rosebloom touched noses with him. Even the briefest of contact made his heart soar, and he wished he could say more to her. But that was too risky in front of all these cats, and besides that, a ShadowClan tom had already padded over to them. There was nothing more they could say to each other now. "You too," He meowed, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice. Dipping his head as she walked away("BEFORE anyone could stop her," xDD), he shifted slightly and turned to Darkbird. "Good evening." The ThunderClan warrior meowed politely.


OOC//Gah, that was so rushed

[{ tessa }]

Lionclaw surveys the crowd with interest. Everyone seems to be mingling happily. He just hopes that no cat questions why WindClan is so low on members tonight. They seem to be significantly outnumbered by the the other Clans, which makes Lionclaw worry. He doesn't want to show any weakness in front of them. His claws flex anxiously into the ground, but his expression remains benign. The WindClan deputy looks over to where the leaders have Gathered. Everything seems at ease there; the leaders are reserved as always, but seem friendly. Lionclaw knows that Pebblestar is always careful not to give too much away in front of them. Then his gaze drifts to where many apprentices have gathered. The golden tabby stiffens.

Two apprentices, a golden she-cat and a dark tabby tom, are at there paws glaring at each other. Lionclaw can feel the tension from here. He snorts, hadn't their mentors ever taught them about the full moon truce? Though neither of the apprentices are from WindClan, Lionclaw dissapproves of any warrior code breaking. But before he can rebuke them, another apprentice intervenes. Lionclaw loosens the muscles in his shoulders, and pads past the group.

"Morningdove," He greets the ThunderClan warrior with a nod. He doesn't say anything to the apprentices, but he fixes the two most hostile apprentices with a stern glare.

The leaders seem to be shifting, so he guesses that the Gathering will begin soon. Lionclaw changes course and heads for the base of the Great Rock, where it is the custom for deputies to gather. As he pads toward it, he passes Drizzlepaw and a ThunderClan apprentice he does not know. Lionclaw eyes them thoughtfully. Drizzlepaw has never been the most social of apprentices, and he worries about her sometimes. This experience will be good for her. The deputy pauses and noses the gray tabby gentley.

"Go on Drizzlepaw, she's right." He motions to Otterpaw. "Why don't you make some friends with the apprentices over there?" The golden tabby gives her an encouraging nod and pads on.

Finally reaching the Great Rock, Lionclaw sits down under it beside Rosebloom and curls his tail around his paws. "Good evening, Rosebloom. It seems we're the only deputies present this evening. I take it you have been made RiverClan's new deputy?" he adds with a smile, but his mind is still fixed on his first comment.. Although his tone is casual, Lionclaw's eyes narrow with instinctive interest. After all, was instinctive to be curious about the other Clans, especially if there was a potential weak spot involved. And what a weak spot it was if ShadowClan and ThunderClan did not have deputies. His expression is not sinister though; only curious.


Mistystar stands up as well and looks at Pebblestar expectantly, waiting for him to be the first to jump up onto the Great Rock and call to the clans.

[trissea]

With a curt nod Pebblestar adressed the requests of the other leaders and leaped onto the Great Rock, almost effortlessly. His tabby fur reflected the moonlight, and, with a final glance upwards at Silverpelt, he turned his gaze back to the Clans. After a moment's pause he called to the Clans to gather beneath the Great Rock, and, hesitating until all was relatively quiet, he flicked his tail as he began to speak. "I have been given the pleasure of starting the Gathering this moon," he began, keeping his expression as flat as possible. "WindClan has little to report. We are well-fed these moons, and our numbers continue to grow. We remain able to run out any predators or unwanted visitors," he added, flashing a slightly challenging look around the clearing.

It was important to make sure the other Clans didn't think there was anything weak in his Clan- he had no intention of being attacked, but this way at least he could drive the point home. With a small smile to his deputy, he stepped back, nodding to Mistystar. "Would you like to go next?"

He didn't feel comfortable asking Badgerstar to go second, not at her first Gathering as leader of RiverClan. After all, it wasn't as if he were heartless. And Dawnfur wasn't even leader, so that was out. And although Mistystar had only just arrived, he supposed she'd understand why he'd asked her.

Not like it mattered. Pebblestar's eyes wandered slightly to rest on Drizzlepaw, who he had recently mentored briefly.She needs a permanent mentor, he reminded himself, smiling slightly at the skinny silver tabby. One day she'll make a great warrior.


Darkbird glanced to one side as Foxtail addressed him. Good evening? He almost snarled. As if I'm going to say something to give out ShadowClan secrets! Smiling sweetly he returned the greeting, trying to keep himself from growling. These stupid ThunderClanners! They think they're so high and mighty! " Good evening, " he replied, his pale yellow eyes glinting as he spoke. " I hope ThunderClan are doing well."

He did not expect an answer, to be honest, but in any case he heard the WindClan leader call out for them to hush. WindClan at least know they're puny, he added, but when the large tabby spoke of growing numbers and running out enemies, he couldn't help but hiss under his breath. "Right. Like you could run out a ShadowClan patrol."


Morningdove, caught off-gaurd by the aprentices' sudden anger, welcomed the appearance of Lionclaw, the WindClan deputy. "Good evening, Lionclaw," she replied as he passed her. She slowly realized that the leaders were beginning to speak. Although she preferred not to listen too closely, she focused in on Pebblestar as he spoke.

[{ tessa }]

Mistystar springs up onto the rock after the WindClan leader, and then listens quietly as Pebblestar speaks. The ShadowClan leader is well aware of the slight challenge in his words. She doesn't respond except to flick her ears; she has no quarrel with WindClan when their leader is merely asserting the Clan's strength. After all, any good leader would do the same. After Pebblestar has concluded his speech, the white-and-gray she-cat gives him a slight nod of thanks after he addresses her. She then steps foreward, her chin lifted proudly as she speaks to the many cats below her. Mistystar has been leader long enough that the sight is no longer intimidating to her; her air of confidence is apparant.

"ShadowClan continues to thrive as well." She reports with the calm authority of any Clan leader. "I would like to introduce three new apprentices: Hazelpaw, Maplepaw, and Brindlepaw." At this point Mistystar's gaze flickers to Pebblestar for the briefest of moments. It is no secret that the three apprentices had WindClan blood as well as ShadowClan, but as both their parents are dead now, there is no need for any more controversy over the subject. Mistystar will not let three innocent young cats take the blame for what their parents did. Confident as ever, she goes on.

"I also have the honor of introducing a new ShadowClan warrior to you all: Copperpaw is now known as Copperpelt." There is a slight purr in her voice now. Warrior ceremonies are one of Mistystar's favorite duties, and she is proud to announce them to the other three Clans. Falling silent, Mistystar steps back and glances at the RiverClan leader. "Badgerstar?" She prompts, politely inquiring whether the she-cat would like to go next.

[Roxie !]

Smokepaw scowled as the WindClan deputy passed them, his eyes narrowing. He looked away as Lionclaw shot him a glare, however--even Smokepaw wouldn't dare defy a Clan deputy. Grumpily, he turned his gaze to where the leaders were speaking, determined not to give Honeypaw so much as a glance.


Drizzlepaw sat rigidly as Otterpaw approached her. The young she-cat had enough trust issues as it was, and she was especially reserved around cats of other Clans. What could this ThunderClan apprentice possibly want with her? No doubt she thought that Drizzlepaw looked like an ideal target to weasel WindClan secrets out of. Despite the ThunderClan cat's friendly words, Drizzlepaw surveyed her with suspicious, narrowed eyes. What good would sitting with the other apprentices do? It would only scare her out of her fur, and make her look weak in front of cats of other Clans. No, that was a very, very bad idea. She shuffled uncomfortably and averted her gaze from Otterpaw's, shaking her head quickly as an answer.

It was then that Lionclaw padded up behind her. Drizzlepaw looked up at the deputy with wide eyes, surprised that he had spoken to her. The golden tabby's words were encouraging, but they only made her feel even more uneasy. Great. Now if she ignored a suggestion from her Clan's deputy, what would the ThunderClan apprentice beside her think? Drizzlepaw froze and surveyed her paws, trying to decide what to do as Pebblestar began to speak, followed by Mistystar. Ducking her head, the grey tabby stood up and glanced at Otterpaw. "Okay. Let's go." She sighed in a whisper, padding slowly over and slumping down a few rabbit-lengths from Honeypaw and Jitterpaw.


Her fur prickling, Badgerstar leaped up on the Great Rock after Pebblestar and Mistystar, padding to stand beside the ShadowClan leader. Her heart was beating so hard that she felt sure it would pound out of her chest. Eyes narrowed, she tried to focus on listening to what the other leaders were saying. First, Pebblestar spoke, reporting that all was well in WindClan. Next was Mistystar, announcing a few of the naming ceremonies that had taken place in ShadowClan. Both of these cats seemed so experienced! They were so confident, and they knew exactly what they were doing. How was that possible? Would she ever become as comfortable with her leader duties as they were?

Too soon, it seemed, Mistystar had finished speaking, and had asked her to go next. Badgerstar felt herself freeze. She met the ShadowClan leader's gaze steadily, hoping desperately that the other she-cat couldn't read the panic that the RiverClan leader was beginning to feel. This was it. She had to make a good impression on them now, or everyone would think that RiverClan was weak. Every muscle in her body tense under her white-and-black pelt, Badgerstar stepped foreward. Her gaze swept across the tide of cats before her. There were so many of them! Her claws scraping against the rock, she began to speak.

"Unfortunately, I must report sad news this moon. As many of you know already, Morningstar has been missing from her Clan for awhile now. A half-moon ago, we found her dead in our territory." Badgerstar's voice was as steady as she could keep it, though her head bowed slightly. She did not go into details of the former RiverClan leader's death; could not bring herself to speak of how Morningstar had been slaughtered and robbed of many of her remaining lives. That was RiverClan's buisiness alone. Instead, Badgerstar went on, "I have taken her place as leader, and RiverClan's new deputy is Rosebloom." The she-cat's blue gaze flickered to her sister sitting beneath the Great Rock for a moment. Feeling a bit more confident, Badgerstar turned her gaze to the crowd again. "Though her clan-mates grieve her, the strength Morningstar had restored to her Clan after Swiftstar's reign lives on." She'd only been a kit when Swiftstar had lead RiverClan, but she remembered well how RiverClan had suffered from water poisoning, floods, and lack of members. When Morningstar had become leader, RiverClan had grown strong again, and Badgerstar intended to maintain that strength...whatever her inward doubts might have been.

Stepping back, Badgerstar dipped her head to Dawnfur and waited for the ThunderClan warrior to speak.




Foxtail nodded briefly in response to Darkbird's words, unaware of the ShadowClan tom's darker thoughts. "We're fine, thank you. And ShadowClan?" he prompted. Polite, automatic small-talk. It was commonly used at Gatherings...unless, of course, he was speaking to someone like Rosebloom, who was really the only cat he was close to outside of ThunderClan. And anyway, Pebblestar had begun to speak. Speaking of Rosebloom...Foxtail's brown ears pricked in surprise as he noticed the pretty black she-cat sit with Lionclaw, where the Clan deputies traditionally gathered. Had Rosebloom been appointed RiverClan deputy? His gaze fixed on her for a moment, before Darkbird spoke again. The brown-and-white warrior flicked an ear at his companion, but made no comment. Typical ShadowClan. They think so highly of themselves. He thought irritably.

The ThunderClan tom listened with mild interest as Mistystar spoke, letting out a short murmur of approval as she mentioned Copperpelt. He'd met the ShadowClan she-cat several times before, and knew that she had a reputation of being quite friendly. That, and she was descended from the former ShadowClan leader Goldenstar. But it was when Badgerstar stepped foreward to speak that Foxtail's interest really heightened. Though his first loyalty would always be to ThunderClan, he couldn't help taking an interest in RiverClan's affairs for his mate's sake. As the black-and-white she-cat finished her speech, Foxtail's amber gaze shifted to Rosebloom once again. It was true, she had been made deputy! Supressing a purr, he quickly turned away. He didn't want to seem too interested in her in front of all of these cats.

[Otterpaw]

She stared at the WindClan apprentice with a frown. If she was not going to behave in a civil manner, then Otterpaw didn't have time for this. This was what she got for trying to be nice. She had only wanted to help, because this apprentice had been sitting all alone. Otterpaw guessed she just didn't want to be bothered. She could relate to that, but this cat seemed abnormally shy. Otterpaw looked away. The Gathering was already starting, and she wanted to get back to her clan mates. The WindClan cat was not planning to answer her, obviously.

Otterpaw let out an impatient sigh just as Lionclaw walked by. She looked up at the bigger cat in surprise. This was the WindClan deputy! As a serious and ambitious ThunderClan apprentice, Otterpaw had to respect that. She dipped her brown head as he walked by. Then she turned to walk away. This was boring. But then her ears angled back when Lionclaw spoke. At first Otterpaw thought he might have been addressing her, but he was actually speaking to the apprentice she had just turned away from. Otterpaw heard him call her Drizzlepaw, and stopped as he encouraged her to take Otterpaw up on her offer.

Even Drizzlepaw could not deny her Clan deputy. The WindClan apprentice trotted past Otterpaw, who looked on in brief confusion. She shrugged. It didn't make a difference to her if Drizzlepaw tagged along, but at least this cat could enjoy the Gathering now. Otterpaw bounded to catch up and said "I'm Otterpaw." quietly. She didn't need Drizzlepaw to introduce herself, because she'd already heard Lionclaw call her name. But maybe the WindClan cat didn't know that.

Otterpaw sat down on Drizzlepaw's other side. There was no time to introduce her to the other apprentices, because the Gathering had already started. She perked up her ears and listened intently to Badgerstar's voice.

[le Dawnz]

Oooooookay then. Gathering over. xD About time for a new one anyway. Actually, way past time for a new one, but we don't have enough people to make a new one yet. So we'll wait. Again.