October Gathering

[Undercover]

Originally Posted by The Little Robin

The grey-furred warrior did not comment on his apprentice’s talk of angering their ancestors, his paws kneading the ground slightly with uneasy feelings bubbling within him. He knew the dangers of disturbing the peace of the full-moon truce all too well from his past, seeing how cats could wreck the truce in less than a minute at a Gathering - it only took one cat to set off the stars above with one wrong word or action. The Burmilla did not know what to say or do at this moment to comfort or even reassure his apprentice, all he could do was prepare him for the worst if it were to come to such measures. “Me neither..” Flintheart murmured, his tail lashing behind him as he agreed with Ebonypaw when it came to not knowing what would happen on this night, “Just stick close to me tonight, okay? That’s all I ask.” The mentor had grown to care for the youth and while he trusted Ebonypaw to be able to take care of himself - he didn’t want to take any chances. It was just too risky. The mere thought of a fight breaking out and the dark-furred tomcat being lost in the sea of slashing claws and teeth... It made a haunting shiver run up the older warrior’s spine, so he shook his head and decided not to dwell on this thought any longer than needed. The mentor had an uneasy amount of shivers and shudders alike running through his skin under his fur and it refused to let Flintheart rest. Then something popped into his head - Ivorypaw. Was his apprentice’s sister going to be okay or would they need to seek her out among the crowd for safety reasons? No. Flintheart needed to stop worrying so much. Besides, she had a mentor that could protect, he hoped that was the case, at least. With the two males now contently sitting at a vacant spot at the Gathering now, the male choose to distract his nerves by conversing with Ebonypaw in the meantime. “Kittens are the future of the clans.” Flintheart said with a slight smile resting on his maw. The tomcat did not exactly have a good reputation with younger cats - younger than his apprentice, that is. They were loud, always squeaking and screaming in the clearing while he was trying to eat or groom his fur. There were times where the occasional kitten would wobble over to him, pull his tail with their sharp little teeth. It took every ounce of mercy in his heart now to snap at kittens when it happened. Flintheart had no problem snapping at cats around Ebonypaw’s age though, they should know better. His ears twitched to his apprentice’s question about Sprout’s kittens names. This made the male think back to the conversation with Hawkfeather had at the border, he had seen them beforehand when staying with Riverclan several moons ago. “Jaguarkit, Wavekit, Beechkit, Pitchkit and Spottedkit are their names.” He mentioned to his apprentice, “I wish Sproutwhisker the best. He has five little ones to take care of now. Poor fella.” Flintheart gave a softened chuckle. Perhaps, somehow, Flintheart would be able to meet Sproutwhisker’s children someday, when they were apprentices at the Gathering or during a patrol at the border. The Burmilla looked up to the leaders of the clan's once Ebonypaw had mentioned something about the Shadowclan leader. “Ah, yes. Pinewhisker told me that their old leader had disappeared and their deputy had been named leader very recently. This’ll be his first Gathering as Shadowclan’s new leader.” He informed the youth, his tail flicking back and forth. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Hawkfeather’s mate, Carcalspirit had casted a smile their way, but he couldn’t bring himself to return the gesture. The thought of meeting either of them in battle made his claws knead the dirt under his paws. “Good.” was all the Flintheart said when Ebonypaw recalled that he remembered the moves that he had taught him. He was just being cautious and preparing him - just in case something were to happen.

“I’ll always worry about you, that’s my job as your mate.” Hawkfeather murmured with a slight pout on his maw, but his nervous stance seemed to relax as she reassured him with the usual positivity that his mate had despite the tensions when it came to the clans. “You’ll always be smarter than me, my dear, even I know that.” He said with a lighthearted chuckle stirring from the tomcat as he padded along with her at a brisk, yet comfortable pace through the forest with the rest of Windclan. He had a feeling that there would certainly be drama under the full moon, even if claws weren’t shown. As the two walked along, he would glance at his beloved now and then, admiring how beautiful her fur looked in the moonlight. It had always been a routine of Hawkfeather to groom his fur before a Gathering so that he could look pristine and as presentable as he could manage to be - he was representing his clan by attending, so it was only natural to try and look your very best. Caracalspirit, of course, had no trouble looking stunning and so passionate with her unique fur. The male wondered if he deserved to have such a beauty at his side. “You look so beautiful tonight, dear.” Hawkfeather mentioned to his mate, looking at her with a smile, “As you always do.” There was always time in his day to compliment his significant other. Any cat who didn’t give their mate such compliments and attention did not deserve such a relationship, but that was just his way of doing things. He hummed a small tune under his breath as he contently moved along with the rest of the clan as they slipped into the clearing with the rest of the clan. It would be wise to avoid Flintheart tonight since Thunderclan and Windclan were at each other’s throats at this point because of various reasoning. “It looks perfect. Let’s hurry before someone takes it.” Hawkfeather remarked to his mate when she pointed out a spot where they could sit to view the Gathering. He bounded over to the vacant spot with a happy smile on his maw as he did so, his tail waving behind him. There were times were the male just felt happy and carefree in his own life and he always made sure to take advantage of such a happy mood. Though, as he sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws, he couldn’t help but meet gazes with Flintheart from across the sea of cats. There were no words exchanged, so the tan-furred tom just gave a respected dip of his head to the Burmilla. Flintheart, Sproutwhisker and Pinewhisker were basically like brothers to him and it saddened him that he couldn’t even walk over and talk to them tonight. He shook his head though and decided to focus his attention on Carcalspirit, though he didn’t know what to say, so he just licked her forehead with a warm purr.

The small apprentice watched as the other apprentice that had been sitting with her and Ebureanpaw heave to his paws, leaving them with something along the lines of needing somewhere to be. She exchanged a glance with the male beside her, the munchkin's ears flattening slightly. “Did I say something wrong?” She asked him, her tail curling around her paws in a nervous manner. Newtpaw wasn’t the most social of cats that you would ever meet and she often had trouble when it came to talking with others, could she have uttered something to upset that other apprentice? She wasn't sure. Shaking her head, the short female went back to her previous conversation with the Windclan tomcat with a small smile resting on her maw. “Yes, we are truly fortunate.” Newtpaw said, “I’m glad we didn’t have to find a new camp or anything.” It was true that the female was nervous and scared of the idea of Shadowclan having to leave the forest because their home had been destroyed in the process of a flood. At the mention of broken legs, the apprentice seemed shocked at this, but it was completely true. Newtpaw remembered taking fresh moss to the medicine cat’s den to help the healing and she had met Pinewhisker, a Shadowclan tomcat that had broken his back leg during the flood. It looked to be a nasty wound without a doubt, but thankfully, he had recovered. He had stayed back at camp, however, to avoid putting any extreme weight on the healing wound. “The good thing is that it is over and we can strive for a better, more prepared future.” The small apprentice said with a smile still on her maw, though she gave a softened giggle at Eburneanpaw when he mentioned Windclan being a great clan. “Are you sure about that?” Newtpaw decided to tease her newfound friend with a joking smirk, “Because Shadowclan is pretty great too, you know.” The apprentice said this with a proud twitch of her whiskers. The full moon shone brightly overhead and above the two apprentices, making the whole scene seem more peaceful and light-hearted in a certain way, it made Newtpaw smile even more.

Blackfrost looked at her mate, Crowhawk, with a slight smile resting on her maw. He had seemed much quieter and isolated lately, which caused her to worry, of course, but she knew that if she were to question him about such things that he would have a fuss and deny any fact of such - the young warrior knew the tomcat all too well. A softened purr came from Blackfrost when he rubbed against her flank ever so lovingly and close to her, making her feel all warm and fuzzy inside. “Alright, if you insist.” Blackfrost remarked, licking his cheek gently, “I’ll be sure to find us a spot where we can both be comfortable.” Crowhawk’s words always seemed to give her comfort and happiness in the most stressful of times, considering all the high tension that had ensued once they had entered the clearing filled with cats. Leading the tomcat into the crowd, Blackfrost went on a small quest to find them a spot that would suit them most when viewing the Gathering tonight. It took a few minutes, sure, almost stepping on multiple cats tails in the process, but eventually, the young shecat found a nice spot among the rest of Shadowclan where the ground was soft and cold, which was relaxing for her sore paw pads. “Let’s try sitting here.” She mewed to her mate as she rested on her haunches and looked up at the stars that shone above them, signaling that Starclan was watching with an intent and observant gaze. It made her feel safe and protected even more than she already did.

Eburneanpaw shrugged. "I don't think so. Maybe he's just nervous around all the other cats." He shifted his small paws beneath him and flicked his ears at her comment.
"Yes," he purred. "Sometimes, danger can bring a clan together."
The young tom cat looked up at the leaders, his eyes watchful. As she spoke again, he turned back to face her, a smile lighting his maw.
"WindClan's better 'cause we're faster!" He meowed, eyes sparkling with humor.
Sorry it isn't short, kinda in the middle of a writer's block.

[Brilliance]

Originally Posted by Beau

Cloudstrike hadn't meant to wander off! She had just forgotten for a moment and it wasn't her fault that she'd started following the wrong cat! She had thought she was following Honeythistle. These thoughts didn't fill her mind as they might a different cat when they were upset, but they were interspersed into the usual random ones. Cloudstrike wasn't paying attention to where she was walking. If Honeythistle wanted to yell at her for getting lost, than he could make sure that she didn't again. As the silver tom moved up beside her, Cloudstrike just kept walking, not even bothering to look up. She could see his larger paws walking beside her dainty ones, picking up speed, and stuck her tongue out at them for a moment since she couldn't do it to Honeythistle's face. His tail against her and his murmured voice steered her in the direction Honeythistle wanted to go, so Cloudstrike saw no need to start paying attention to where she was walking. When he stopped walking, the white queen sat down and wrapped her tail over her paws, head still bowed so she didn't notice Honeythistle looking at his other mate, not that she would've known who the other cat was anyway. Her diamond eyes remained on her paws as Honeythistle settled beside her and wrapped his tail around her, speaking in a tone that wasn't likely to cheer her up. Cloudstrike just shrugged petulantly and continued to sulk, still put out by being yelled at. It wasn't that she was embarrassed, since Cloudstrike was too innocent to feel such an emotion, but she was indignant! There was no need for Honeythistle to take out his bad mood on her.

It wasn't best to take his attitude out on others near him. It just wasn't fair, but Honeythistle hardly noticed the fact that he was deteriorating his companion's mood. It was a chain reaction. He had an attitude, so she was developing one. Because he had one with her. She didn't even react to him, just continued to be sad, making the Tom slightly confused. Why wasn't she talking to him? Was she...outright ignoring him? Surely not! Why would Cloudstrike do that? They loved each other. You just don't ignore the one you love...Honeythistle felt his nostrils twitch, steadying his gaze on the feline who wouldn't even look at him. All she simply did was shrug. A simple shrug. "What, you have an attitude now?" He grunted, a blow of air escaping his maw. It was a funny thing to accuse the white Molly of having an attitude problem. Even though that's exactly how he felt right now. If she wanted to play the silent game, then Honeythistle knew he could win it. If she was going to be sulking at this gathering the whole time they were here, then she could forget about ever coming to one again. Honeythistle felt that he was entitled to run her life, not make her decisions, but to keep her safe. He felt he was working with her best interests. He never told Cloudstrike the reason why he his mood had dampened, because he figured it wasn't any of her business to know. Truly it was for him and Crimsomblaze to handle. The thought of being a grandfather in his prime time made his paws itch with a sudden fieriness that he needed to spread his anger as quick as his love did. There was no doubt in the silver cat's mind that the she cat beside him held a silent knowing of indignant towards him. Her actions showed them well. She may not think he had been paying attention, but Honeythistle kept his eyes focused on whatever belonged to him. At all times. "Aw, come on, Cloudstrike. Stop acting like such a kit who got grounded." He narrowed his gaze. This was ridiculous! She was being pouty, like a kit who got in trouble. Honeythistle should had known that scolding her would withdraw her from him. But, being affectionate would at least - hopefully - help her open up a bit more. But, even in this snappy mood, his affection was vague because he felt drowned in anger and drained of love. But, the Tom managed to keep his tail around her. More so, to keep her near him instead of wandering off. He leaned his head downward to give her a swift lick between her head. "And. Stop sulking. You can't be mad at me for worrying about you. You need to learn how to pay attention to your surroundings more. I'm telling you this because it is a dangerous world out here. Anything could happen. I'm telling you this because I love you, and I cannot afford to lose you." Honeythistle spoke, keeping his voice stern and serious. Everything he told her was important, and she should never question him. Roughly on his part, he felt he was talking to one of his kits instead of the Queen he wanted to be his mate.

[Undercover]

Originally Posted by SamCats

Breezetail was just about ready to give up when he noticed a flash of dark tabby between a couple of gossiping cats. Could that... He couldn't help but smile when the owner of the pelt revealed themselves; Oakenshade! He greeted the RiverClan warrior with a respectful dip of his head, responding to his greeting with, "And you, Oakenshade. Things..." He frowned. He'd never been good at lying, even if it was for his Clan's benefit. "Tensions are definitely high in WindClan right now, but otherwise we're fine."

"You'll be happy to know that the rabbit went straight to the elders." The black and white tom added, sitting down beside the RiverClan warrior and wrapping his tail about his paws. He let himself be distracted for just a moment by the fact that Oakenshade was bigger than him; it made sense, since WindClan were built for speed, not strength. He shook his head a little to clear it and meowed, "And how are things in RiverClan?"

Oakenshade purred quietly, carefully sitting down opposite the thin WindClan tom. He blinked and slowly wrapped his thick brown tail 'round his strong tabby paws. He twitched one brown ear, otherwise remaining motionless, as Breezetail chatted on. The keen tom cat could tell from one simple glance at the place where the leaders stood, that something was up. There was an unfamiliar tension that thickened the air, and wasn't surprised at the WindClan tom' she comment.

"Yes," he agreed with his deep mew, meeting Breezetail's gaze with his own steady one. Oakenshade smoothed his chest fur with one neat stroke and looked up again. "The gathering has a cooler tone than usual." The tom cat looked around a tree the cats, and saw that, despite the different feel, many were having no trouble conversing as usual at the typical gatherings. As the WindClan asked his question following the comment, Oakenshade looked up again and smiled. "Good," he purred I'm glad to hear it." He always stacked close to the code, and when he brought prey home, made sure the elders and queens had been fed before taking anything for himself. "RiverClan is doing great." He replied with a satisfied twitch of his shoulders. He repositioned himself, tucking his paws beneath him further and giving a nod. "The tension is not added to by RiverClan, I can tell you that."

[bobtail]

Originally Posted by Undercover

Oakenshade purred quietly, carefully sitting down opposite the thin WindClan tom. He blinked and slowly wrapped his thick brown tail 'round his strong tabby paws. He twitched one brown ear, otherwise remaining motionless, as Breezetail chatted on. The keen tom cat could tell from one simple glance at the place where the leaders stood, that something was up. There was an unfamiliar tension that thickened the air, and wasn't surprised at the WindClan tom's comment.

"Yes," he agreed with his deep mew, meeting Breezetail's gaze with his own steady one. Oakenshade smoothed his chest fur with one neat stroke and looked up again. "The gathering has a cooler tone than usual." The tom cat looked around a tree the cats, and saw that, despite the different feel, many were having no trouble conversing as usual at the typical gatherings. As the WindClan asked his question following the comment, Oakenshade looked up again and smiled. "Good," he purred I'm glad to hear it." He always stacked close to the code, and when he brought prey home, made sure the elders and queens had been fed before taking anything for himself. "RiverClan is doing great." He replied with a satisfied twitch of his shoulders. He repositioned himself, tucking his paws beneath him further and giving a nod. "The tension is not added to by RiverClan, I can tell you that."

Breezetail nodded thoughtfully at Oakenshade's response. RiverClan was perhaps the luckiest Clan at the moment; they weren't worrying about the distant threat of the Dusk Syndicate, or in danger of the sparks flying between WindClan and ThunderClan. Yes, they had their own problems, but the black and white tom couldn't help but feel they paled in comparison to his own, regardless of how selfish that seemed. He quickly shook away the thought and cleared his throat in order to meow, "It's good to know everything is well with you. It gives me one less cat to worry about."

He paused for a moment before sighing, "I find it hard to lie or even omit, so I have to say I think you lucky, Oakenshade. WindClan is so tense at the moment I can hardly walk through the camp without my fur prickling, and I know others feel the same." He decided not to say anything about Blazingstar's plans, feeling it would be disloyal to his Clan. All the same, he couldn't help but worry. What if Russetstar decided to pick a side in this war? What if he didn't pick WindClan's? Loyal as he was, he didn't know if he could bring himself to attack Oakenshade. With luck on his side, no cat would dare break the truce, and he could simply avoid the RiverClan tom in any battles that occurred. Of course, that was if Blazingstar even decided to announce this; maybe he'd change his mind last minute. The chances of that were very low... Oh StarClan, please let this end peacefully!

[wolfie]

Originally Posted by itsyaboirussetbird

Drizzleflower brushed her tail against her son's back, smiling at him. "It's fine. I know that you get like that sometimes." She was surprised at the rate that Wolfpaw was growing. He was already taller than her, but she was kind of short. He must have been taking after his father. She sighed at just the thought of the tom who she was mates with previously, shaking the thought from her head.

Wolfpaw gave a nod, " I'll try to not be so hot-headed!" He always thought his mother is the only one who wouldn't exactly snap back at him. A yawn escaped his mouth. " Are gatherings always so boring?" He asked his mother, Wolfpaw's eyes trailed off. Wondering if Webpaw was going, he had forgotten if she was or not. Draining out the somewhat loud sound of chattering, he listen in to the leaders. I wonder what they have to say, can't wait to go to sleep. His golden eyes shine brightly, maybe the only bright color on him.

[Gone]

Originally Posted by SparkleDemon

Spiderpaw sat motionless as he purred with a excitement. Not because it was his first gathering, but because he finally knew what he was feeling inside his chest. It was his heart. His heart was beating, because he was in love. We Must keep that to myself until we are warriors.
You have so much training to do and plus your still an apprentice. You'll be a warrior before you know it.

Blossompaw met his gaze, face heating up as she heard his heart, she then finally spoke. "S-Spiderpaw... I-I want you to promise me to always be there..." She mewed and pressed her nose into his neck and nibbled on it, tail tightly wrapped around him. "Because I want you to stay close to me..."
She admitted.

[russet]

Originally Posted by SpiralWhirl

Wolfpaw gave a nod, " I'll try to not be so hot-headed!" He always thought his mother is the only one who wouldn't exactly snap back at him. A yawn escaped his mouth. " Are gatherings always so boring?" He asked his mother, Wolfpaw's eyes trailed off. Wondering if Webpaw was going, he had forgotten if she was or not. Draining out the somewhat loud sound of chattering, he listen in to the leaders. I wonder what they have to say, can't wait to go to sleep. His golden eyes shine brightly, maybe the only bright color on him.

Drizzleflower smiled at her son's comment. "Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't. It depends on the news. The leaders seem to be taking a while to share, so that might be dragging it out." She chuckled a bit, her heart swelling.

(aa their relationship is so adorable already)

[Deerlie]

Originally Posted by Eclipsemoon the Therian

"Hm. I like WindClan. WindClan is cool." Burrpaw purred. "How is your training going?" he asked. The tom didn't have a warrior name, so he must be an apprentice, right? He had to be. Burrpaw would be surprised if he was wrong.

"My training is good. My mentor...... Not so much. She is very sick so, i have been training myslef." He lied. His mentor died three days ago from sickness.

[vellichor]

Originally Posted by Blue Jay

Sorry I'm late, but once I finished my post it decided to completely delete when I pressed the preview button. I'm just done -_- ))

Darkpaw wasn't like most apprentices. He didn't appear to have many friends or much of any emotion. He also couldn't seem to detect how others were feeling. He was... oblivious, but he had emotion locked up inside of him for a long, long time.

The apprentice simply sat in a small break in the crowd, staring up at Silverpelt. He let the incomprehensible commotion of voices cloud out into a low rumble in his ears, instead listening to the faint song of the crickets, the hoot of an owl, and the thundering pawsteps thudding across the forest floor.

Suddenly, his mind subconsciously snapped out of his daze, focusing on Sharppaw - one of his few friends - bounding towards him. Darkpaw slowly turned his head, facing the fellow apprentice. He gave a shallow nod and a quick flick of his left ear to acknowledge his presence. "Hello, Sharppaw," The tom greeted bluntly, which only seemed as cheerful as he could get, "What brings you here?"

Sharppaw slowed, kicking up sand in his wake. As he skidded to a stop, he tilted his head to the side ever so slightly. Scooping out a hollow in the sand, he sat and became comfortable. Seeing the look on his Clanmate’s face, he furrowed his brow. “Are you alright, Darkpaw?” he finally stammered, feeling dread engulf him. He felt something awful was to happen that night. He lifted his fluffy head to gaze at the full moon. Small, wispy clouds curtained the full moon, casting a small shadow. He flattened his ears, determining that something would happen that would change the Clans forever. Battle was the only thing that crossed his mind that could leave a pit in his stomach that large and looming. He knew WindClan and ThunderClan were at each other’s throats, but to attack at a Gathering? To force everyone to choose a side? It would be against StarClan’s will. It’d be awful, unjust. To throw the other clans into their petty conflict, why? He would find it hard to choose a side. He had no friends, really, in either clans. No reason to fight for either. No reason to directly involve himself in their little prey problem. ShadowClan had its paws full already! It didn’t need anything else to worry about.

Originally Posted by Phoenix Flames

Blizzardfrost stared at Wavesplash as the blue-gray she-cat nudged his shoulder. "What?", he meowed.

”It’ll be alright,” she finally sighed, not even believing her own words. Blazingstar was about to declare war at the Gathering — of all places! But what better way to inform the clans? Now would the other clans get involved or stay out of it? Ugh, it was all giving her a headache. She leaned her head on Blizzardfrost’s shoulder using it as a support. “We'll be okay.”

[Blue Jay]

Originally Posted by Aura

Sharppaw slowed, kicking up sand in his wake. As he skidded to a stop, he tilted his head to the side ever so slightly. Scooping out a hollow in the sand, he sat and became comfortable. Seeing the look on his Clanmate’s face, he furrowed his brow. “Are you alright, Darkpaw?” he finally stammered, feeling dread engulf him. He felt something awful was to happen that night. He lifted his fluffy head to gaze at the full moon. Small, wispy clouds curtained the full moon, casting a small shadow. He flattened his ears, determining that something would happen that would change the Clans forever. Battle was the only thing that crossed his mind that could leave a pit in his stomach that large and looming. He knew WindClan and ThunderClan were at each other’s throats, but to attack at a Gathering? To force everyone to choose a side? It would be against StarClan’s will. It’d be awful, unjust. To throw the other clans into their petty conflict, why? He would find it hard to choose a side. He had no friends, really, in either clans. No reason to fight for either. No reason to directly involve himself in their little prey problem. ShadowClan had its paws full already! It didn’t need anything else to worry about.

Darkpaw faintly cocked his head. Not many ask me if I'm alright. "I-uh... I'm perfectly fine, Sharppaw," he stuttered after a moment, "What could be wrong at a time like this?" He searched for an expression amidst the other tom's face. It was as if Sharppaw was concentrating on something as he looked up into the overcast abyss. Why did he flatten his ears? Darkpaw narrowed his eyes, surveying harder. "Is something wrong, Sharppaw? You seem to be concentrating on something that is up to no good," He meowed, finally looking away from the other apprentice with a light sigh.