April Gathering

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Pathos

[ @Noire - I'm assuming that Splotchfeather is near him already, if that's alright? ]

Excitement coursed in the veins throughout Acornflash's body. His paws were a mass of jitters, twitching constantly. His mind was fuzzy, clouded with the buzzing of what almost sounded like bees. Acorn could hear the chatter of the cats from a mile away, only contributing to his anxiety. Never having been to a Gathering before, he was—needless to say—extremely nervous. He had decided to flunk out of the patrol for the last Gathering, as he was terrified of cats who weren't in SkyClan. Greystep had been a big help in that matter, though: he had informed him that the other cats were not as strange as he had originally thought. Nevertheless, he couldn't help but worry.

Well, at least he had Splotchfeather with him to console him. Acornflash wondered how she could even put up with him! He was a mess of emotions, never once having been organized and never once finding steady ground to just be normal. She was his light, his escape to a world without worries and anxiety. He loved to be around her, even if it was for a short amount of time. Acorn swept his tail to the side, barely grazing Splotch's pelt. He was infinitely grateful for her presence, although she did tease him quite often. As in, whenever she found an opportunity. But he tolerated it anyway; the good always outweighed the bad. He supposed that he couldn't call it bad, necessarily; he liked everything Splotchfeather did. It was just... less appreciated.

With a start, whiskers, pulling backwards against his cheeks, he caught sight of all of the cats. "Wow," he murmured, unconsciously shifting closer to his best friend. "T-that's... a lot of cats." It was certainly too many for his tastes. He would endure it, though. If Splotchfeather could handle the Gathering, then so could he. It was just a matter of whether or not he would be able to talk to any other Clan cat without curling up into a ball and hiding from everyone else. Splotch wouldn't let him do that, anyway. He was certain of that much.

Along with the realization that Greystep had told him that he was good friends with Splotchfeather herself, a newfound feeling of joy blossomed in his chest. Maybe Grey was going to the Gathering, too, and they could all chat together! And not have to talk to the other Clans, he added in his head. Mind wandering, he almost forgot about where he was while he fantasized about conversations that they might have together. A small smile crept its way onto his muzzle as he let his mind explore the possibilities. Acorn almost forgot about where he was, too busy wondering about all the potential conversations. Since Splotchfeather was friends with both Greystep and Acornflash, it would only be natural for Greystep and Acornflash to become friends! They could become a trio, a group that could almost fill the loneliness in his heart. They would be the closest of cats, with bonds that exceeded emotional ones and went even further. They would be able to tell what the other was thinking just by looking at them. They would...

...and then, almost as suddenly as it had began, he jolted his way back to reality. Right. They were at the Gathering, the real thing, not at some fantasy world where there were no negatives and no worries to worry about. This was the sad reality. Oh, how he wished he could just escape it somehow. Padding down to the shore, he could hardly keep himself from clinging to Splotchfeather as they made their way to SkyClan's designated area. There were so many cats here; how could they all fit? And, with a glance at the boulder that obviously held the leaders of the Clans, there were only three up there, not including Grousestar! Weren't there supposed to be five? "Oh StarClan almighty, this isn't even the whole of it," he whispered under his breath.

At least he had his beloved Splotch with him.

{You have assumed right! cx }

The calico female was extremely excited when she found out about the gathering. It was her first--and that meant more cats to meet! More cats to befriend! More cats to cheer up! Oh, how the female just loved to make another smile, and as she traveled beside her best friend, her eyes scanned the lot quickly, fleetingly with interest. It was just something about moving that kept the she-cat happy, and as she did so, she bumped her side into Acornflash, giving him a brilliant smile. She knew he didn't do well when it came to a...crowd, but Splotchfeather loved being apart of the attention. The thought of being included always made her heart happy. It meant she wasn't forgotten, and as she looked around, a brighter smile was placed on her maw. ''Wow! Look at all these cats!'' She exclaimed, turning her eyes for a quick moment to give Acornflash a knowing look. ''Do you know what this means?''

He might have thought she was going to say make new friends, but oh no, the feline wasn't interested in making new friends. She could do that on her own because she knew it would make Acornflash a nervous wreck. She didn't mind giving the tom a small--rather large push when it came to things like that. She allowed him to take his time, and hoped that he would be able to stand on his own when she wasn't around. Splotchfeather snorted to herself, of course he would be able to stand on his own. He wasn't a weak tom. At least not in the field that she was thinking about. And, that was okay, because she loved him anyway, and he knew this.

As they continued to walk, she moved her head closer to his, whispering in his ear, ''We're going to seek out some cute toms!'' She laughed, pulling herself away from him. In all honesty, the she-cat didn't mind the company of toms. It was her who usually drove them away after they got a hint of her out-of-whack personality. The she-cat who was too energetic for her own good. The she-cat who could never settle down, and always had to appear anxious. Splotchfeather couldn't help this! She was extremely optimistic, and she played a huge role of being a sweetheart. Possibly, naive...but a sweetheart, nonetheless.

The feline was unaware that Acornflash and Greystep had previously met. And, that was the tom she was searching for. She couldn't see Greystep in the crowd of cats. She haven't talked to the stuttering warrior in a while. Frankly, she missed his attention. She missed playing with him, and asking him questions as if she were a kit, being told a story. There were so many other cats she wanted to see, but she knew that she had to start at one spot first. And, her main goal was to not leave Acornflash alone. Not only was it Skyclan present, but also Thunderclan, Riverclan, Shadowclan, and Windclan. The she-cat took a look up at the bolder and her ears pinned to her head for a second, before she shook it and turned to Acornflash. She took a seat on her haunches, and watched the other cats, a smile on her face. ''Think about it,'' she giggled, ''A forbidden relationship, you up for that Acorn?'' Her voice was playful, and she knew that he knew that she was playing. It was the way the she-cat worked with him. She adored teasing him, something as an older brother. As she nudged him with a paw, she said, ''You see all these cats out here? I think it's Starclan calling out to me to make everyone my friend! Okay...that's a large exaggeration, but I can at least make a few of them as my friend. I never had friends from another clan before! Oh, what fun that must be! But is there any cats I can cheer up around here? You know, I don't know if Greystep is here. He's like on of my greatest friends! That warrior is like a father figure in my eyes--so wise, and so...ughhhhh, stammer-y. I swear, you would had laughed at the first moment we met!'' Splotchfeather paused, giggling. Then, she continued quickly. ''Though I like him! I haven't seen him in a while, and it's only respectful if I could introduce him to my best friend, right? I have to start introducing you to a lot of cats! You need to have a valuable social life, and I can make those pretty good friends...and speaking of toms,'' She giggled once more, looking around the area to see if she could spot some handsome ones out and point them to Acornflash.

''Gosh, there's so many cats.'' She commented, her voice soft. She was happy that there were so many cats to meet. It meant that she could go on a friendly rampage, recruiting others to care for them, dote on them, and cheer them up if need be! That's what she was there for after all. And, most would think the calico had her head twisted, that she refused to be exposed to the real life tragedies. Splotchfeather knew them all. She lived through it all. So, it didn't matter what others thought on how she viewed the world because her taste was different than theirs.

The feline would had a sang a happy song, but instead she hummed a resonate tune, her tail thumping in the process from her anticipation.

[Deerlie]

Is Thunderclan, ShadowClan, Riverclan, wind clan, or Sky clan here yet?)

Swiftpaw padded in. His black pelt shown in the stars and he purred remembering the she cat he met on a border.


Hawkpaw raced in.

[ameko]

Originally Posted by Beep Beep Im a Blue Sheep

"Some cats are to set on their ways to change..." Crimsonsky said.
"I think the clans would be more powerful together then alone..." She statted

"I suppose you're correct," Fennelnose agreed with Crimsonsky for the moment, continuing. "but I personally think that it's good to keep the Clans separate. Sure, we might be more powerful if we were to be together, but we would all still be divided, wouldn't we?" Pausing for effect, they glanced back at their acquaintance before fixing their attention back on the representatives on the boulder. "Oh look, they're all up there now. Except for Halestar," meowed Fennel; it was simply an offhanded comment, one to simply lighten the mood until they continued with what they were saying.

"Continuing with my what I was talking about, if the Clans were all smushed together, it would still be obvious as to who was originally in what Clan, right? The former RiverClan cats would still be the best swimmers, the former ShadowClan cats would be amazing at stealth, and the former WindClan cats would be the fastest. We wouldn't all be equal. It would take seasons for the cats to gain skills in each category, but yet, we wouldn't be proficient in one skill; we would merely be average. You understand?" Sure, Fennelnose had rambled a little, but they thought that they had got their point across well.

[Teggy]

Originally Posted by Pathos

"I suppose you're correct," Fennelnose agreed with Crimsonsky for the moment, continuing. "but I personally think that it's good to keep the Clans separate. Sure, we might be more powerful if we were to be together, but we would all still be divided, wouldn't we?" Pausing for effect, they glanced back at their acquaintance before fixing their attention back on the representatives on the boulder. "Oh look, they're all up there now. Except for Halestar," meowed Fennel; it was simply an offhanded comment, one to simply lighten the mood until they continued with what they were saying.

"Continuing with my what I was talking about, if the Clans were all smushed together, it would still be obvious as to who was originally in what Clan, right? The former RiverClan cats would still be the best swimmers, the former ShadowClan cats would be amazing at stealth, and the former WindClan cats would be the fastest. We wouldn't all be equal. It would take seasons for the cats to gain skills in each category, but yet, we wouldn't be proficient in one skill; we would merely be average. You understand?" Sure, Fennelnose had rambled a little, but they thought that they had got their point across well.

''I understand completely!'' The molly mewed.
''I think you would be a good deputy in my opinion!'' [:3 congrats btw] She sais smiling

[Aquarius]

Originally Posted by Sweet Skittles

Stammerpaw and Snarlingpaw glared. "It's not Creampaw or Owlpaw's fault. Leave them out of this." Snarlingpaw nudged Owlpaw and Creampaw away.
(Please don't kil Dewpaw. I want to make an inter-clan love.... Or we can do Creampaw x Duskpaw, but I liked Owl x Dew better) They looked down and said, "Well, first of all, this wasn't our idea. It was Shrikepaw, now Shriketooth,. It was his idea. He's in Thunderclan, like me and Stammer. Creampaw and Owlpaw are in windclan. Anyway, Shriketooth threatened to drown us if we didn't help him with his 'Testing'. Me and Stammerpaw are the only ones that were ever fully involved. We just secretely got Creampaw and Owlpaw to help if we were ever attacked. And Hawke is Owlpaw's.. Dad-ish thing. Not biologically, but yeah. Gay dads." She turned to face Hawke, who was bandaging Duskpaw's leg in a cast made of palm leaves. Hawke turned around and said. "Be right back!" He ran into the bushes, and dragged out a raft-like thing made out of sticks and leaves. He put Duskpaw in it and dragged him to the ocean. "All aboard, The Hawke-Floater is leaving to Gather-Place!"

Swiftecho unsheathed his claws. "Either way, I'm reporting this to Snowstar." He glanced at Moonsong and saw tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared at Duskpaw's body. Oh... Oh no... He thought. Suddenly he leapt over Duskpaw, shoving his way toward Dewpaw. Quickly he pressed down on her chest, and then her neck. For a few seconds, nothing happened, but soon he continued as Moonsong just watched with wide eyes. After a moment, Dewpaw awakened. She spluttered, unable to breathe as water filled her lungs. She was coughing violently until Swiftecho repeated his manuever again, and within a matter of seconds Dewpaw was retching up water. He turned back to the ThunderClan apprentices, an authoritative scowl on his face. "Stammerpaw, Snarlingpaw, Shriketooth, Creampaw, and Owlpaw. I'll remember those names," he growled, the fur on the back of his neck rising as he stood over the much smaller apprentices. "Do you know what could've happened back there? You could have killed two apprentices, by listening to a foolish warrior. I thought ThunderClan knew better then that!" He snapped, towering over the two apprentices.

[Serendipity]

Originally Posted by LostintheEchoes

Swiftecho unsheathed his claws. "Either way, I'm reporting this to Snowstar." He glanced at Moonsong and saw tears rolling down her cheeks as she stared at Duskpaw's body. Oh... Oh no... He thought. Suddenly he leapt over Duskpaw, shoving his way toward Dewpaw. Quickly he pressed down on her chest, and then her neck. For a few seconds, nothing happened, but soon he continued as Moonsong just watched with wide eyes. After a moment, Dewpaw awakened. She spluttered, unable to breathe as water filled her lungs. She was coughing violently until Swiftecho repeated his manuever again, and within a matter of seconds Dewpaw was retching up water. He turned back to the ThunderClan apprentices, an authoritative scowl on his face. "Stammerpaw, Snarlingpaw, Shriketooth, Creampaw, and Owlpaw. I'll remember those names," he growled, the fur on the back of his neck rising as he stood over the much smaller apprentices. "Do you know what could've happened back there? You could have killed two apprentices, by listening to a foolish warrior. I thought ThunderClan knew better then that!" He snapped, towering over the two apprentices.

Stammerpaw glared at him. "I repeat. Keep Creampaw and Owlpaw out of this. And we didn't listen to Shriketooth. Shriketooth killed Hawke's brother, ok? When Hawke refused to become part of this, Shriketooth killed Denver. You get that? If we didn't do this, Thunderclan would be missing a couple of apprentices." She hissed. "Blame Shriketooth. We did this for out lives,
ok? "

[Starfall]

@woly @Lawlipop

A black tom slunk into the clearing filled with cats of all sizes and scents. His ears were pricked and his gaze was cold, but only towards the leaders and deputies, he hated them, despised them, but he would never state that aloud, how could he? Fallenstream lashed his tail and looked around for a particular molly, Honeypool, although they were apart of the same clan they haven't spoken since he spoke to her near the Windclan border. He had grown quite attached to the molly and hoped to see her once more, but, instead of the awful stench of rabbit chasers clinging to her pelt, he wanted to smell the sweet scent that wafted around her, the scent that mingled so well with his. He missed it. After a few minutes of looking he let out a sigh and sat himself next to the river, dipping his tail tip in the fresh water. The warrior felt relaxed and calm, but only for a few moments, a familiar stench wafted into his nose, almost making him gag. He swiveled his head and looked at the cat the odor came from, it had a mix of Windclans usual scent, moor, rabbits, but this one had something else wafting around him, something horrid. The ebony warrior scrunched up his nose and let out a snort, his blue hues danced with discust as he glared at the windclan warrior.
How annoying.

[ameko]

Originally Posted by Beep Beep Im a Blue Sheep

''I understand completely!'' The molly mewed.
''I think you would be a good deputy in my opinion!'' [:3 congrats btw] She sais smiling

[thank you! <3]

The young warrior turned to look at their clanmate, whiskers twitching. "Well, it's good that you understand. I normally lose cats when I ramble," Fennelnose meowed, a soft smile quirking the corners of their mouth upwards. They were warming up to Crimsonsky rather quickly. It was odd; they didn't usually grow fond of cats as cheerful as this one was. "You think so?" meowed the cream tabby, a hint of disbelief in their yellow hues. "If I were to be deputy, I'd be going against what I had said a good deputy needed anyway. But I trust your opinion, so... thank you." There was sincerity in their eyes.

Just as suddenly as the genuine emotion had appeared, it dispersed into nothingness once they stared back up at the rock. "They're all up there now. I wonder when the Gathering will begin..."

[Aquarius]

Originally Posted by Sweet Skittles

Stammerpaw glared at him. "I repeat. Keep Creampaw and Owlpaw out of this. And we didn't listen to Shriketooth. Shriketooth killed Hawke's brother, ok? When Hawke refused to become part of this, Shriketooth killed Denver. You get that? If we didn't do this, Thunderclan would be missing a couple of apprentices." She hissed. "Blame Shriketooth. We did this for out lives,
ok? "

Swiftecho ignored their fleeting excuses. "Do NOT bring a rouge into this!" He snapped, turning his back on them and back to Duskpaw. He lapped at his apprentice, who was luckily breathing normally. He was about to say something to Moonsong when he threw a cold glance over his shoulder at Stammerpaw. "Don't forget your place, kit. I am moons older then you, and I refuse to be disrespected." Swiftecho, one of the kindest cats in the Clan, would do anything to protect his apprentice. Little did he know that he had failed in doing just that, for Darkzephyr was watching from the Shadows of the ShadowClan crowd where he lurked.

As Hawke walked off, Darkzephyr suddenly took interest and silently padded along in the shadows, hiding himself well until he was behind Hawke by a rabbit-length. For he had stayed silent the entire time, like a normal ShadowClanner, he came with a rather startling entrance. The gaping wound in the left side of his face where his eye should've been was glittering pink with the light from the sky. He growled, a deep rough sound emerging from his throat as he stepped out so he could be seen. "A rogue at the gathering?" He inquired, his voice rough and scratchy like water attempting to flow - no, more like ice - over jagged stones. "A rogue meddling with my apprentice, nonetheless?"

[Teggy]

Originally Posted by Pathos

[thank you! <3]

The young warrior turned to look at their clanmate, whiskers twitching. "Well, it's good that you understand. I normally lose cats when I ramble," Fennelnose meowed, a soft smile quirking the corners of their mouth upwards. They were warming up to Crimsonsky rather quickly. It was odd; they didn't usually grow fond of cats as cheerful as this one was. "You think so?" meowed the cream tabby, a hint of disbelief in their yellow hues. "If I were to be deputy, I'd be going against what I had said a good deputy needed anyway. But I trust your opinion, so... thank you." There was sincerity in their eyes.

Just as suddenly as the genuine emotion had appeared, it dispersed into nothingness once they stared back up at the rock. "They're all up there now. I wonder when the Gathering will begin..."

''Glad to know some cat who rambles to!'' Crimsonsky mewed. She followed Fennelnose's gaze to where the leaders where and hear their responce.
''I sure hope soon! Other wise were gonna be in StarClan before they start!'' Crimsonsky joked.