[plum]

[OPEN]
The Gathering already seemed so huge, that by the time Elderpaw found herself among the sea of strange faces, the little gray tabby had no idea what she was meant to do. She supposed that she should sit among Clanmates, but it was suddenly just a little bit difficult to discern even her own scent from the numerous others. It didn't matter how outgoing she was, the apprentice just couldn't fathom how many other cats there were. It was indeed, truly an awesome spectacle!

But Elderpaw wouldn't get anywhere just standing in the way with her mouth agape and eyes unfocused. The newly made apprentice pushes herself to move among the throng of other cats, searching for a space to sit or someone to chat with. That seemed to be the right thing to do, after all. It was a pity she didn't have anyone to follow right off the bat, but taking matters into her own paws was easy enough too. It isn't long until she catches sight of the first familiar face of the evening: Coyotesnarl. He was WindClan's own, and that was the only way the young she-cat knew him. He seemed just as lost as she felt. But the apprentice was in a vastly different world than he was, and she didn't want to put her paws where they didn't belong.

She turns her eyes away from her Clanmate and tries to spot anybody closer to her own age. It was worrisome, the idea of spending her first Gathering alone. But even that wasn't the worst that could happen. With a little sigh, the she-cat gives up and sits right where she was- curling her tail around her paws in a stubborn gesture of defeat. With as much going on around her as there was, she couldn't find the energy to thrust herself into it.