June Gathering

[dino.]

// @marni

>Bumblebreak<

What she had expected was more outcry from her Clanmates. From warriors with more than half a brain in their heads. From anyone who had ears to hear and eyes to see the absolute crapstorm that had just erupted. What she had not expected was for Cinderstar to round on her and say her name with such ferocity that she half-expected the very stones she stood on to crack open.

She met her leader's cold stare with a hot, fiery one of her own, a biting insult on the tip of her tongue. Red closed in around the edges of her vision as Cinderstar turned to the rat in charge of RiverClan, and the start of a sentence, a sharp, "You-" broke past her lips. This wasn't fair! RiverClan had proven time and time again that they were not to be trusted, that they were wicked and cruel, that nothing was too low for them, and now what? She couldn't call them out on it? Call the ring-leader of it all out? She called fox-dung!

Sides heaving in anger, she closed her mouth with a flash of teeth and turned her hatred back to Skystar, though this time she remained silent. Perhaps Cinderstar wished for her to step away, but she remained firmly rooted where she stood. Nothing short of claws ripping through her throat—or an invitation to tear her own through Skystar's—would move her from her place.

[taillow]

Fawnpaw
There was so much going on. So much. All of the different voices, the arguing, the shouting. And still Fawnpaw felt as though her throat was constricted and her heart was racing. Pounding in her head made her wince in pain and draw into herself even more as her ears folded back against her head. Despite moonlight that cut through the darkness of the night all she felt around her were shadows. Unfamiliar cats with differing scents poking and prodding her until she finally noticed she had scrambled backwards.

And then came a voice that range through the crowd. It was loud, and it called for... oh stars. A sudden wave of nausea hit Fawnpaw and the young she-cat froze, whiskers twitching as a tremor passed through her from head to tail. What was happening? She needed to get out of here, her muscles screamed at her to run. But she didn't know the territory!

Mumbling something incoherent under her breath, Fawnpaw was unaware of a figure approaching her until she glanced up and took sight of a black and white apprentice smirking down at her. "You know, crybabies aren't allowed at gatherings. Why don't you run on back to your nursery, little kit?" A sinister laugh followed and Fawnpaw let out a tiny squeak.

Her legs trembled a bit as she attempted to stand, to look up at the cat who had spoken to her, when a hard paw shoved into her chest and pushed her back onto the ground. Air was pushed out from her lungs and suddenly the world spun underneath her. She detected more words being spoken but they were muffled as Fawnpaw backed up some more. At some point, she had turned and now all that stretched ahead of her was a rather long path. But nonetheless, the light brown tabby she-cat ran as though her life depending on it, fur fluffed out all the way.

[ Fawnpaw has left the gathering! ]

*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*

Laurelpaw
With the recent argument dying down, so too was the adrenaline that Laurelpaw felt. Boring. A few more shocked mews rippled through the crowd at the news, but the WindClan apprentice found it to be a yawn fest now. No claws? No angry hissing fluffed up pelts? No bloodshed? With a roll of her eyes she turned to look around at the cats nearby. Most of them seemed not worth her time, but near the back a figure caught her eye. A small, trembling figure.

Rolling up to the she-cat with a smirk, it was clear to tell some sort of existential crisis was happening to her. Shaking like a leaf on a barren branch, Laurelpaw couldn't help but snicker. "You know, crybabies aren't allowed at gatherings. Why don't you run on back to your nursery, little kit?" Laughing after the words were out, she noticed how the fluffy apprentice seemed to shiver even more. It wasn't even that cold out - so whoever this was must've been terrified.

It was like sweet honey to Laurelpaw, watching as the stranger tried to stand up. There was an attempt made to speak, and the black and white she-cat had to admit she was a little impressed. But her fun was not over yet. Lifting a paw the WindClan she-cat drove it hard against the apprentices chest, effectively shoving her back down into the sand. It was as easy as pushing down a stalk of grass; there had been no resistance.

"What do they even teach in RiverClan? How to be push-overs? Come on! Do something!" There was no response, only more shaking and shivering. Although soon the brown tabby seemed to be turning around. Turning and... running off? "Aw, boo! You're no fun." Now where would they get their fun? With a pouting expression, Laurelpaw took a seat with hunched shoulders and used a single claw to draw in the sand. When would it be time to go home? She was over this gathering stuff.

[marshy]

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

Goddamn it. Did Skystar just need to start having RiverClan skip gatherings, because at this point it seemed to cause more harm than good. Some dumbass apprentice let it spill that RiverClan had Cinderpaw and everyone was having a meltdown about it. Including his own deputy, Dear StarClan this had gotten out of hand fast. “Last I heard Snowleap you weren’t asked, I’m not completely sure where in the hell you got the idea that I or anyone in RiverClan would hurt your family or when all of this doubt came up, but if you truly think that then we need to have a talk.” About whether or not you belong in RiverClan is what Skystar wanted to finish with but he decided against it for the time being. Turning to Cinderstar he spoke again. “Your apprentice is fine. She was found wounded after the battle by one of our Shields, so we took her in because it seems you didn’t care enough to bring her back yourself. She’s been treated with the upmost respect, given our best prey and Snakeheart has been tending to her. Believe us or not, she’s fine. As for prey and herbs, if you think we’re just going to heal an apprentice that isn’t our own for free, then you’re wrong.” Turning to Bumblebreak, Skystar’s expression remained emotionless. “Yell if you want, it seems all that you’re capable of honestly. You’re the ones that lost her among everything, you should be thankful we took her in instead of leaving her for dead.” Turning his gaze back to the ThunderClan leader, he sighed. “I suppose we should.” He said before starting his announcements. It was a bit unnerving the way Cinderstar was staring at him but he decided to ignore it the best he could. “RiverClan has been fine. Prey has been abundant and herbs have been as well. Fawnkit, Icekit, Reedkit, Whisperpaw, and Seedkit have all had their ceremonies and are no known as Fawnpaw, Pondpaw, Reedpaw, Sunnypaw and Seedkit. Pebblepaw has also completed their training, and is now known as Pebblecreek. That is all from RiverClan.” Skystar stood on the stone for one more moment to see if anything more was to be added, if not he would send RiverClan home and talk with Cinderstar.

@marni @zenosaurus @Moonraven @Undertaker @Slushie

[SpiritedWarrior]

Littlepaw stared up at Skystar as he gave his announcements, her shoulders tensing as the tom continued. Sorry, Skystar... Vinewatcher would not be pleased once she hears of this, but Littlepaw didn't care. All the Clans know about it, there's no need to worry about one more cat. All I did was spill a Clan secret and get into an argument with another apprentice.

Snowleap might get exiled for his fear, but who can blame him? He's just looking out for his kin! And with Skystar's leadership, he has a right to be afraid, after all, he is Skystar's deputy and no one seems to trust Skystar anymore! Littlepaw tried her best to stand still, and even unsheathed her claws to dig into the grass and dirt beneath her small frame. She had a feeling she'd be called into the leader's den shortly after RiverClan would return to camp.

I'll never spill a Clan secret again! she promised herself.

[Captain]

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

SNOWLEAP
⸻⸻⸻⸻

➢ As soon as the words left his mouth, there was something within the dark-furred deputy that made him immediately know that he messed up very badly in that exact moment. The sheer dread and fear that coursed through his veins was enough to make Snowleap feel light-headed, like he would faint right then and there, but somehow, he managed to keep himself standing. Various chatter erupted throughout the crowd to which Snowleap couldn’t focus on whatsoever. It was inconceivable.

The first thing that the RiverClan oriental noticed though was Fawnpaw scrambling onto the deputy perch and putting herself between him and the other deputies. A voice in his head screamed ‘NO.’ at this, but that single word wasn’t able to make it to his tongue. All he did was stand there, his heart pounding uncomfortably in the center of his chest. The ShadowClan deputy, Cinderblaze, was the first one to say something about the young apprentice being here. All Snowleap could do was watch as the large tomcat grabbed her by the scruff and carried her down to the base ground. She stayed there, crouched low, as Cinderblaze came back up. His words were eerily calm to Snowleap, but he knew better than to argue, so he just simply nodded in understanding. Hopefully, Fawnpaw wouldn’t come back up here. The last thing the tall tomcat needed was to have her involved in this whole mess. Once that was said and done, he heard the familiar tone of Twilightstar from the leader’s perch, though Snowleap’s head felt like it had been slammed against the rock repeatedly, so her words were muffled and he could only make out a few words here and there. Somehow, without a word being spoken to him, he already knew that he had lost the respect of WindClan for his cowardly actions today. He glanced back towards the crowd, seeing that Fawnpaw had disappeared elsewhere from the scene. It was both a good and a bad thing to Snowleap. He wished Lynxfall was here to watch and console her.

Somewhere, a cat was trying to talk to both the deputies and leaders, spouting something about stopping and how things had gotten bad after the death of Kestrelstar. The RiverClan tomcat disagreed with that notion, but he kept on holding his tongue. Another cat, one whose voice he recognized from the battle for the cove, rang throughout the crowd, cursing out Skystar and demanding that Cinderpaw be returned. It was at this point that Snowleap felt like he would be incredibly nauseous again, the stress of this whole situation making the tomcat’s stomach feel like it was being flipped and kicked over and over and over again. Cinderstar’s voice was next. "You had a choice, Snowleap." Those words alone repeated themselves constantly in his head and he felt tears well up in his eye, but he refused to let it fall. No, not here. Not now.

Then Skystar finally spoke up. Oh StarClan, he was really in for it now. Of course, Snowleap was the first thing the golden tomcat addressed. He just hung his head low and said nothing as his leader’s words felt like claws in his throat. Would he be stripped of his rank? Would he be exiled? At this point, he did not know his fate, but at this point, the oriental longhair knew it would be deserved. He was a coward. A fool. A disgrace to the clans. Even thinking those cruel, but earned words made him want to cry even more, but he’d be damned if he let anyone at the gathering see him cry like a kitten. He turned away from the other deputies and stared at the rock surface between his paws. There was nothing he could say. His words already had cost him his whole livelihood. It was over. This was it. Everything was crumbling down.

And it was all his own fault.

⸻⸻⸻⸻

( @marni @Jayvines @Moonraven @NinjaBloss @Undertaker @starry. @marshall )

[Pitou]

**Doeheart of Riverclan**

The gathering sped on as it normally did. The rogues were far enough away that Doeheart was able to keep to herself and stay out of the way. Beyond it not concerning her, her thoughts were on the kits growing heavy in her belly, getting in the middle of any skirmishes was a risk she wasn't willing to take. Likewise she stayed out of the spreading news of the Thunderclan apprentice held in their camp, it would be to no benefit for her to add her voice to the countless others. She wasn't sure how she herself felt about holding onto Cinderpaw. Through it all her thoughts were more consumed by looking out for one particular tom. She hadn't seen the father of her kits since she'd known of them in her belly so she figured it was easy to assume he didn't know. She tried not to worry over him, figuring he was simply busy with his own clan. She understood where the first loyalties needed to lie, they couldn't let their responsibilities suffer, but it didn't make it hurt any less. If she could just find him, just tell him about their kits, maybe... It was Cinderstar's announcements that stopped Doeheart's musings. Exiled...Pushed an apprentice out of a tree...Sleethound...Sleethound...No, no he couldn't have...Not Sleethound... Her mind reeled as the gathering disappeared from her consciousness. It can't be true. They must have something wrong. There must be a misunderstanding. She tried to snap herself out of her confusion and then a thought struck her. She was sure she could get this all worked out. She just had to ask a Thunderclanner! As she pulled herself out of her head, though, she realized with a sinking heart that the tensions between her clan and the clan of her kits' father were mounting and the gathering was drawing to an abrupt end. Her breathing deepened as she settled on the sinking feeling that she'd have to return home, knowing even less about Sleethound than she had when she walked here earlier that night.

[SpiritedWarrior]

Originally Posted by Ravensong

**Doeheart of Riverclan**

The gathering sped on as it normally did. The rogues were far enough away that Doeheart was able to keep to herself and stay out of the way. Beyond it not concerning her, her thoughts were on the kits growing heavy in her belly, getting in the middle of any skirmishes was a risk she wasn't willing to take. Likewise she stayed out of the spreading news of the Thunderclan apprentice held in their camp, it would be to no benefit for her to add her voice to the countless others. She wasn't sure how she herself felt about holding onto Cinderpaw. Through it all her thoughts were more consumed by looking out for one particular tom. She hadn't seen the father of her kits since she'd known of them in her belly so she figured it was easy to assume he didn't know. She tried not to worry over him, figuring he was simply busy with his own clan. She understood where the first loyalties needed to lie, they couldn't let their responsibilities suffer, but it didn't make it hurt any less. If she could just find him, just tell him about their kits, maybe... It was Cinderstar's announcements that stopped Doeheart's musings. Exiled...Pushed an apprentice out of a tree...Sleethound...Sleethound...No, no he couldn't have...Not Sleethound... Her mind reeled as the gathering disappeared from her consciousness. It can't be true. They must have something wrong. There must be a misunderstanding. She tried to snap herself out of her confusion and then a thought struck her. She was sure she could get this all worked out. She just had to ask a Thunderclanner! As she pulled herself out of her head, though, she realized with a sinking heart that the tensions between her clan and the clan of her kits' father were mounting and the gathering was drawing to an abrupt end. Her breathing deepened as she settled on the sinking feeling that she'd have to return home, knowing even less about Sleethound than she had when she walked here earlier that night.

Mapleleaf looked around at the angry cats and noticed a queen nearby. A queen? At the Gathering? A bit odd, but whatever. The calico she-cat approached Doeheart and smiled.

"Hi! I don't believe we've met before!" she purred. "I'm Mapleleaf of ThunderClan. We may be from different Clans, angry ones at that, but it doesn't stop me from approaching a cat I believe to not have any part in Cinderpaw's kitnapping. Are you alright?"

//Ha ha see what I did there with 'kitnapping'? Lol

[Ian]

High Rank Announcement [#hrannouncement]

Oh, StarClan, this was not the Gathering Fallownose had expected. He barely had a moment to bow his head in mourning for Wolffang and Perchclaw before the chaos resumed between ThunderClan and RiverClan. Snowleap's words had shaken the WindClan deputy and his thoughts on the other tom. If Skystar would stoop so low as to hurt his own deputy's kits and family, then why hadn't Snowleap left with them? He would have questioned why RiverClan as a whole hadn't kicked Skystar out if he was threatening to hurt kits, but Dawnstar was still ShadowClan's leader, so...

The same ThunderClan tom that had shot up earlier was now yowling up at Skystar, who had yet to speak, but Cinderstar wasn't having any of it. And it seemed she also didn't think highly of Snowleap's actions either. When Skystar finally spoke, it was to denounce that he would ever hurt Snowleap's family and that Cinderpaw was fine. Honestly, this whole thing made Fallownose's head hurt. He made a note to speak to Twilightstar after the Gathering about their alliance with RiverClan and where they stood on it. It was his opinion that they should break ties completely despite the aid that Lionstar had given them in the past. Whatever the hell was going on within that Clan, he didn't want WindClan to have any part in it.

A glance towards Snowleap let Fallownose know the tom was in no mood to talk, so he simply shook his head and glanced towards Cinderblaze and Sparrowflight for their reactions. Accusing Skystar of such a thing and then immediately cowering and keeping silent... it seemed many cats had been wrong about Snowleap, him included.

@zenosaurus @Jayvines @starry

[Rizo]

~Moonfrost of Riverclan | @marni @zenosaurus~

Watching in astonishment, she listened to the clearing erupt in chaos after the revelation that Riverclan was hosting an apprentice from Thunderclan. She should have known, expected, that the other clans didn't know. Of course they wouldn't. Her eyes caught the pelt of Fawnpaw making her way to the deputy rock to defend Snowleap. Moonfrost felt useless, her muteness preventing her from calling out to stop the apprentice. She tried to give Snowleap a glance of sympathy and support, but was quickly distracted.
Her pelt prickled with apprehension as she watched the massive Shadowclan deputy pick up the little she-cat and, to the dark tabby's surprise, gently remove Fawnpaw from the rock. Well, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Or whatever the equivalent she could muster from her brain was. As she began to pad forward to retrieve Fawnpaw, another apprentice came forward, and had the audacity to bully the little cat.
Oh hell no.
In an instant, Moonfrost's face snapped from its usual gentle kindness into a vicious snarl, a ghastly, distorted growl sounding from her throat. Too late, already the little cat was off like a bat out of hell, sprinting away from the gathering. Padding up to the Windclan apprentice that had spoken to Fawnpaw, Moonfrost let out a furious snarl, echoing around her like a banshee's scream. With a final spit, she turned away, flicking her tail, and began to sprint after the little cat.

[ Moonfrost has left the Gathering ]

~Moosecrash of Thunderclan | @zenosaurus~

It almost seemed like the gathering would be a casual time, but no, of course everything had to go positively pear-shaped. First with some Riverclanner being targeted by some outsider, and then with the admission that Cinderpaw was imprisoned in Riverclan. Why was it always the fish stirring the pot?
Shaking his head in disappointment, he watched the exchange between the leaders and the cats up front. What an absolute disaster. And then he heard the Riverclan deputy confess his fears. Moosecrash's hazel eyes snapped to the long-haired tom on the rock, and something clicked in the Maine Coon's brain. That cat looked... familiar? Padding his way through the crowd for a closer look, he squinted as the wheels turned in his head. Why did this cat look familiar? Even their scent, although heavily masked by the scents of the other clans, was faintly ringing a bell.
Maybe I can talk to them after the Gathering is dismissed...

~Emberpaw of Thunderclan | Open~

In all honestly, the orange apprentice hadn't been paying much attention to the gathering at all until a name caught her ear. Cinderpaw. Her head snapped up to fixate her gaze on the leaders. Of course that gold-pelted buffoon was going to extort them, even after all the trouble he had already caused. What did he even get from this nonsense?
As she felt her hackles rising in irritation, Bumblebreak surged forward to state everything that was already running through Emberpaw's mind. Well, better Bumblebreak than her, since Cinderstar did not seem thrilled with the threats pouring from the warrior's mouth.
And then the thing that truly infuriated her. Skystar blatantly admitted that he wasn't going to give Cinderpaw back for free. No gestures of kindness from that surly mange-pelt. Oh she would be MORE than happy to help her mentor tear this idiot apart. Stifling a snarl, she turned her amber eyes to Cinderstar, waiting for her decision.

~Spiritfire of Shadowclan | Open~

As she watched the absolutely thrilling chaos of the Gathering, the glossy white she-cat listened, lapping her pelt nonchalantly. At least none of her clanmates seemed to be acting like featherbrains. And the few apprentices that were had been quickly scolded by their mentors. Regardless, her job tonight was seeming delightfully easy.

[Rxcket_p]

Originally Posted by Fairy

@Cxndy_Fatal

Violetstalk

Swishing her tail against the heather, she glanced around, scanning the crowd of cats for her friend. Twitched her whiskers, and padded through the sea. (Of cats, I mean) She looked up at the high rocks, where the clan leaders sat. Oh, there was Skystar. And Dawnstar. Oh, Twilightstar too. There was Cinderstar! Since the she-cat been their leader, she had made the clan much better after the shock of the last leader. She closed her eyes.

((Why was I mentioned?))