Gathering 6/17 - 6/22

[glowlynose]

Briartail's ears pricked as a new voice entered the conversation. That voice was the voice of an old cat with many moons of wisdom to share, but it also had the tone of a cat who bore a large burden. Such a burden could only come from two things: great responsibility or a huge secret. Before the small tom had a chance to process what the elder had said he wondered which of the two options the cat bore.

"Perhaps I can help Otterfur explain our clan ways more effectively... if both of you would like that?"

So the old tom was from PineClan as well. How perfectly splendid! Perhaps the tom with no ears could shed some light on the mysteries of PineClan.

Wait a moment. He's got no ears! Briartail had a total double-take moment. He's been so busy thinking before that he hadn't noticed the elder's odd deformity. As much as he knew it was rude, Briartail's gaze lingered on the tom's scalp for a bit longer than was probably necessary. I wonder what made him like that. Did he lose them in a battle? Was he born that way? Did StarClan curse him when he chose not to believe in them? Could StarClan even do something like that? Of course they could; they were the ones who ruled the forest, after all!

"I dunno 'bout, Otterfur over there, but I sure wouldn't mind if you explained a few things," Briartail offered with a wide grin at the old tom. It never hurt to be friendly to a cat even if they were making the completely wrong choices with their faith! After all, PineClan were a powerful clan. It never hurt to get on the good sides of the most powerful clan in the forest, right?

"I'm Briartail, StreamClan." Briartail bounced on his paws a few times while still maintaining his grin at the two PineClan cats. After a few awkward moments he stopped bouncing and his grin dissolved into a more reasonable smile.

[roscoe]

Being tardy to the Gathering did not bother Duskheart. Besides cutting down the chance for him to speak to members of others clans and enjoy himself in the company of many cats, there was no downside. His dark fur ruffled in the wind as he gazed around the crowds of cats. Patches of open spaces where no cats stood seemed to glow in the moonlight, and it looked as if the stars had come down to pay a visit during the Gathering. It would make sense to him though. After all, StarClan was closest to the clans at this time.

Out the corner of his eyes, Duskheart caught sight of a familiar bundle of gray fur. He followed Willowpaw with his eyes as the apprentice walked through the Gathering area, wondering if he should follow his apprentice. "Perhaps..." He murmured, dropping his gaze from Willowpaw. "Perhaps it would be best if he did this on his own."

Satisfied with that decision, Duskheart made his way in a different direction from Willowpaw, looking for a cat to speak with. There were many groups already formed, he could see where the leaders sat, where the deputies were chatting, and even where two clans were speaking about their differences. He passed by No-ears offering to explain PineClan to a StreamClan cat, and considered stopping to listen. But in the end he kept walking.

Ahead he saw a small cat, apprentice most likely, speaking to a much larger one. Their scents gave off different clans, ruling out the possibility they were apprentice and mentor. Now this was interesting -- why would such a young looking cat approach a warrior? Intrigued, the large warrior padded over to where the two were chatting. "Good evening," he announced to them. "We're having a wonderful Gathering tonight, aren't we?"

------|

Her tail held high, Bluestream nodded at what her leader said before slipping off to find a cat worthy to talk to. Or not worthy, but someone interesting. Perhaps another medicine cat or a deputy. They always seemed to have the best conversations. Over at one end of the clearing she could see where the deputies had gathered, it wouldn't be hard to go join them now. But instead she made her way over to where a group of four sat.

Badgernose she recognized, another medicine cat like herself. A tom sat next to the black and white she-cat and Bluestream picked him out as yet another StreamClan cat. Her mind didn't pick out a name to match with the tom, however. Besides the StreamClanners, Bluestream could see two FogClan members. This time she knew their names. She-cat names were so much easier to remember.

"Hello," she said cheerfully, taking a seat next to the StreamClan tom. "How is everyone this fine night?" Her gaze swept from Badgernose, to the tom, to Spottedstream and Silverflower -- the she-cats she recognized. Keeping a friendly appearance, Bluestream wrapped her tail tightly around her paws, sitting up a little more so she could almost see all four of the other cats at once.

------|

Curiosity getting the best of him, Tigerwhisker couldn't help but watch what his clan mates did this Gathering rather than go enjoy himself. Not that watching wasn't enjoyful, the large brown tabby found it quite amusing. He just could have spent his Gathering doing something a little more productive. Like enlightening himself with the status of other clans.

Lucky for him, he caught site of the PineClan oldest elder No-ears walking toward another PineClan cat and his own clan mate, Briartail. It was obvious that the elder meant to speak with Briartail and the other cat, perhaps he was explaining how PineClan worked? Now that was something that Interested Tigerwhisker.

Trying to stay respectful, Tigerwhisker made his way to stand by his clan mate's side, nodding at the smaller warrior. "Hello Briartail," he greeted before looking up at No-ears and the other PineClan tom. "Excuse me," he said politely. "But I couldn't help but hear you were going to explain about PineClan." His head tilted slightly. "I hope you don't mind me sitting here and listening as well."

------|

"Oh boy," he muttered as he followed his leader down into the clearing. "Another Gathering." Bramblefang's tail twitched nervously as he continued behind Cedarstar, not exactly sure where he should go. But he knew he couldn't follow Cedarstar all the way. His leader would be meeting with other leaders then going to make the announcements.

Bramblefang groaned.

He stopped following his leader, took a seat where he stood, and gazed around the clearing. Lots of cats, he thought. Now where to go? Not too far away he caught sight of other deputies. Stormflower... Kestrelstorm... All but Smallfoot, the FogClan deputy. He would fit in there, definitely.

Faking a brave front, Bramblefang silently made his way over to where the two deputies sat, noticing a young apprentice as well. Was that Kestrelstorm's apprentice? She smelled like PineClan, it would only make sense.

"Evenin'," he called when he was still a bit away from the group. In a few moments he was next to them, sitting down besides Stormflower. "Good night so far?"

[Pie]

Stormflower gave a small smile to the PineClan Deputy, even when Sandpaw shot toward them. So full of energy. Despite the fact she was female, and her pelt was the polar opposite of her son's, the young she-cat reminded her of her kit. Looking at the entergetic apprentice, the StreamClan deputy smiled a motherly smile.

"Its wonderful to meet you, Sandpaw." Generally a small sneer would have crept on her lips from the inturruption, but the young cat was so full of life and reminded her of her past. She couldn't crush such a spirit.

Listening to Kestrelstorm speak of the apprentice's mentor and asking if she had one of her own, Stormflower sighed inwardly. She hadn't had an apprentice in a very long time. In all honesty she missed getting up early for boarder patrols and mock battles. Perhaps it was time to ask Cloudstar for a new apprentice?

Shaking her head slightly, Stormflower responded, "I do not have an apprentice, however I must say I miss it."Pausing for a moment she added, "You seem like a great mentor Kestrelstorm." Focusing her attention on the young she-cat she fixated her with an intrigued look. "You seem as if you would serve your clan well, you don't give your mentor too much trouble, do you?" Her voice was teasing and motherly as Bramblefang came to her side.

Looking at the warrior she gave a tight nod and spoke softly, "Hello Bramblefang. Imagine you know Kestrelstorm."[/color] Dipping her head toward the PineClan deputy, Stormflower allowed her eyes to soften so the MeadowClan deputy wouldn't take offense. "And this is Sandpaw, Otterfur's apprentice; also of PineClan."[/color] Looking back at the two Pineclanners she awaited for them to speak. [/size]

[thistle.]

The StreamClan apprentice glanced up. Another warrior was speaking to them. Or maybe just Tigertail.

"Hello! I'm Spottedpaw! Who're you?" asked the calico, lifting her fluffy tail and wagging it. She was clearly unaware that she was better off with cats her own age, since some warriors disliked being peppered with questions by some annoying apprentice like Spottedpaw, but obviously she didn't care. Anyways, the tom was asking them something, and the patched feline better pay attention.

"We're having a wonderful Gathering tonight, aren't we?"
Spottedpaw nodded swiftly in agreement. "Yesyesyes! I just met Tigertail here and we're talkin' about when he's going to get an apprentice! Do you have an apprentice? 'Cause I don't see any."
Actually, if the calico had enough sense to move away from the two tall warriors, she would've found a few young cats milling around the shadowy clearing.

Something made the she-cat glance up at the night sky. The stars were glimmering and blinking at her as usual, but the moon wasn't directly above the Great Rock. In fact, it had already slipped by the highest point. Why hadn't the leaders called for silence yet? Didn't they care if they wasted moonlight?
"When do you think the gathering will start?"

[» s a b ø r ]]

Sandpaw smiled at Stormflower, happy that the deputy didn't seem bothered by her presence. "You seem as if you would serve your clan well, you don't give your mentor too much trouble, do you?" Sandpaw shuffled her paws, a little nervous about having a conversation with the StreamClan deputy. "No, I do not cause to much trouble...at least I don't think I do. You would have to ask Otterfurover there."

[/color] She smiled as she pointed her tail to where Otterfur was talking with No-ears and some other cat.

Sandpaw bowed her head to Bramblefang, the MeadowClan deputy. It seemed like Sandpaw was now surrounded by very important cats. She liked being part of their night. She liked being in a very high-ranking group of cats, talking to them as if they were all friends. "And this is Sandpaw, Otterfur's apprentice; also of PineClan."[/color] Sandpaw smiled at Bramblefang and flicked her ears at him in a friendly way. "Hello Bramblefang, it is quite an honor to meet you."[/color] She meowed to him respectfully then shuffled her paws and placed her tail over them again.[/center][/blockquote][/size]

[Crowzerplorodon]

Otterfur's ears shot up at the familiar sound of No-ears' voice. A short purr escaped him before he shook himself quickly and turned back to his Head Elder. "Hello, No-ears," he said, trying to keep calm. He felt sort of embarrassed at his explanation, honestly he thought he did PineClan no good. But No-ears... the elder could really explain. "That would be great."

After he finished speaking he turned to the newcomer. Obviously StreamClan, like Briartail, Otterfur was surprised to see that he too was interested in how PineClan worked. The brown tom tried hard to stifle another purr.

"Hello," he said politely, nodding at the cat "I'm Otterfur, PineClan." Though he was sure the other tom could guess that by his scent. Oh well, Otterfur thought it better to tell the tom anyway. Maybe it showed he wasn't so ashamed of his clan or something. Not that he was, not at all.

--

Tigertail chuckled. "Climbin' trees ain't my forte, Spottedpa'. 'Specially when there ain't so many trees ta' climb. Runnin's good though. Lotsa places to let loose in the open, s'great." His tail wrapped around him as he noticed another cat approaching them, FogClan, by the scent of him.

"I do 'ope I get an apprentice soon. 'Dey sound like a lot o' fun, 'specially if I get one as bouncy and 'yper as yourself, Spottedpa'." The young she-cat really was the type of cat Tigertail could picture himself mentoring one day. She was just so full of energy, it was quite a site.

"Goo' evenin' yourself," the tabby said after the new comer spoke, head tipped to the side. "Little one already introduced 'erself, but I'm Tigertail. And you migh' be...?" Meeting new cats was always fun, all they needed now was a PineClanner and they'd have all four in their small group though.

"When do you think the gathering will start?"

"Goo' question, Spottedpa', goo' question." He was getting rather anxious. The leaders should have started it by now, this was much later than he expecting.

--

While the other leaders continued to exchange pleasant words and greetings, Cloudstar hung back, green eyes watching the moon in the sky. It had already dropped slightly from its position in the center of the sky. Now it hung lower than it should for a Gathering. From all the other times he had attended this event, he knew they were running a bit late.

His tail twitched and he shifted, no longer sitting up straight. Now he was crouched slightly, preparing to jump on to the rock that the leaders would speak from. He tried to catch the eyes of the other leaders, but with no luck, decided to speak quickly instead. "We should be going now."

He sprang after he spoke, front paws landing on the top of the rock smoothly and back claws catching on small cracks in the rock. He pushed himself up the rest of the way, walking to the center of the rock and looking out at all the clans. The way they mingled so smoothly (for the most part) was fascinating. Like all the boundaries they normally held vanished. Even the PineClan cats were meshing with other clans quite easily. Some of the cat still shared a bond from their old journey, he supposed. He himself had only taken part in the last leg of the journey.

His tail found its way around his paws, like it normally did when he sat down. His ears turned back to wear the other leaders were on the ground as he listened for them, waiting for them to join so the Gathering could start and these cats could get home.

[Rolo]

No-ears smiled at the tom, chuckling slightly when Briartail's gaze lingered on the top of his head. When he was a little younger, such attention to his lack of ears would have made him uncomfortable, but now such looks no longer bothered him. Redtail, the love of his life, had taught him that such wounds were not a thing to be ashamed of.

How can such a physical sign of courageousness and will to live ever be ugly? Surely it is a sign of a brave heart... a thing of beauty.

His lost mate's words repeated themselves in his mind, making him grin even more. How he had loved her...

No-ears locked his gaze on the Briartail and spoke, with voice as free and undisturbed, "Don't you mind the ears. They were... removed forcefully a long time ago in a battle so old, most cats have forgotten about it."

He chuckled freely, watching as a striped tom joined them. He smiled at the cat, who he recognised as Tigerwhisker, liking the polite manner in which he presented himself. It was always nice to see a respectful cat.

"Hello there," His voice was louder and chirpier than he realised, a side effect of his poor hearing. He couldn't have known that cats at the other side of the clearing could hear him with ease. "Sure, you may join us, the more the merrier!"

No-ears nodded at Otterfur respectfully as he agreed to let him explain Pineclan to the cats. He meant the nod as not only an acknowledgement but as a sign of thanks. Otterfur, he could see, had been a little overwhelmed by the questions, but he had done a good job nonetheless. For now, a nod of thanks would do, however he vowed to himself that he would praise the warrior further for his efforts later.

No-ears, already seated, stretched his bad leg for a moment before beginning.

"As you may know, Pineclan is a little different to other clans." He spoke clearly, "It places a higher emphasis on what the clan, as a whole and individuals, wants in order to make it stronger."

He glanced up at Gingerstar, "As you may also know, Gingerstar is the figurehead for Pineclan. She takes the role of making decisions and directing cats in battle. But... this is a hard task. Pineclan cats tend to be... very free-willed and spirited and so Gingerstar needs support. This is not because she is weak but... because... well," He chuckled, casting his eyes over the listening cats, "Aren't 2 heads, or even 5 heads, better than one?"

He raised his eyebrow for a moment, as if laughing at his own joke, before letting his face become serious again, "Us elders take the job of advising Gingerstar. We've lived longer than her so we can help her deal with some of the more difficult decisions being leader brings. As Head Elder myself, I organise the elders and gather their advice on the situation, compounding it into one course of action to suggest to Gingerstar."

He paused for a moment, knowing his words would sound strange and unusual to the cats. He could see why they could get confused. They would think Pineclan was different from other clans, with their complicated system, after all he had once been in a clan just like theirs. However, he would assure them that this wasn't the case.

"Yet," His voice raised in tone, as if arguing against his own point, "In the end, we're not very different from other clans. Just as your leader might turn to their senior warriors and deputy for help, Gingerstar looks to her elders. Why? Well, why waste the experience and knowledge of those older than you when they are quite capable of helping? I may not be strong physically, but I assure you that my mind is quite strong enough to advise! I'm not an old crone yet!"

His voice was raised, for comical effect, in mock indignation for a moment before he lapsed into calmness. He smiled peacefully, wondering how the 2 warriors would react.

[» s a b ø r ]]

Owlstar heard the words of Cloudstar and stood up after him. She turned to Gingerstar then meowed, "We should be going." She padded over to where the rock was closest to the ground, farther back from where Cloudstar had jumped up. She crouched, gathering strength in her hunches, then launched herself onto the rock with ease. She landed gracefully, first her two front paws coming down on the smooth rock then her back paws. Owlstar lookd around the clearing, it was all so clear from this view...

Owlstar was drawn back to reality as she noticed Cloudstar sitting. She walked overt to him calmly and sat down in the same manner as he had, with her tail over her paws. She smiled at him and tilted her head downward to him slightly, a notion that was known among leaders widely as a respectful bow. She shuffled her paws then settled herself, waiting for Gingerstar and Cedarstar to join them. As she waited she let her thoughts wander about what she was to say... She would tell the other cans nothing more than they needed to know she decided, thought there really was nothing to hide from them.

[Emily]

Spiderpaw did not appreciate how things were going. Personally, the tomcat would have much prefered simply staying back from where he came from: in his cozy, feather-matted nest amidst the small but familiar apprentices' den. Of course, it was just his luck to run into the infamous little rat, Firepaw. And things never did run smoothly between the two tom's constant bickering, and argumentative vocal attacks on one another. Though Spiderpaw found himself in a sticky situation, he also discovered that perhaps he could benefit from Firepaw's outbreaks; at those times, there was always a chance to strike up small talk with his brother, Finchpaw, and Finchpaw, unlike most other apprentices, seemed somewhat ill-confident and would force Firepaw into pestering someone other than himself. Spiderpaw rather enjoyed watching the process of Firepaw being told off soundly by no other than his peaceful, quieter brother, Finchpaw.

Finally, after some quiet request, the black and white tom gave out a contented purr; Finchpaw was now dragging off his brother further and further away until the two tomcats were no longer in sight. Spiderpaw's tail flicked aggravatingly, and he had to admit it had been somewhat entertaining, much to his surprise. Normally, Spiderpaw wasn't much of an easily amused cat. Only particular things could keep him occupied for so long, much less give him the thoughts that it had been entertaining. Spiderpaw only grinned to himself, kneading his paws over the ground in a quick-rythm pace.

Of course, now there was another question in mind: what and where to now? That, Spiderpaw felt obliged to answer and after a quick scan of the web of multiple clan cats, decided to stick closer to his own clan mates. He hastily hoisted himself off his bottom and paced himself towards a select few: Kestrelstorm, Stormflower, and the fiesty little she-cat, Sandpaw. Each were quite familiar, though he had not so specifically been close to Stormflower nor Kestrelstorm, considering that they're age differed greatly. Spiderpaw could honestly say he was genuinely acquantainced to Kestrelstorm in a friendly manner, as with Sandpaw (even though she usually was a bother to him).

Spiderpaw, after approaching the small cluster of cats, settled onto his paws. He swiped his tongue around his muzzle swiftly, slow to ignore his upsetting stomach. If only he had eaten more before he'd left; the only piece of freshkill left had been a pitifully small vole, which had only slightly disappointed him before he had realized his sudden hunger. Spiderpaw swallowed hard, tail and whiskers twitching irritably. There was no use though, and so he pushed himself into a mellow greeting.

"Greetings, Stormflower, Kestrelstorm," Spiderpaw mewed. "And last, but not least-" he hesitated before continuing as if to add somewhat of a dramatic flare, "Lady Sandpaw." The tom's tone was light and flouncy, and he seemed far less refined than he most usually was. "So, when do you think the leaders are going to announce their news?" Spiderpaw's inquiring was reasonable, as many other of the cats in the clearing were wondering the same thing at the time. Nose wrinkling, the lanky apprentice directed his attention towards his senior warriors for answers; his eyes flickered back and forth between Stormflower and Kestrelstorm, to the conversing leaders at the head of Fourtrees.

--

Badgernose certainly is a beautiful she-cat.. I mean, look at her, with that sleek pelt and sparkling eyes.. and.. what am I thinking?
Grayfang's green-yellow gaze was glazed momentarily; the slender tom shook his head to free himself from the dream-like trance. Of course, nothing of the sorts could possibly follow through like Grayfang had sometimes imagined so. First of all: Badgernose was, though quite beautiful and sweet as honey, a Medicine Cat. Therefore, if anything happened, it would be undeniably against the Warrior Code. Secondly, Grayfang highly doubted that the she-cat would ever have mutual feelings. He wasn't even sure how the thoughts had occured. Perhaps it was the first time he had been sent into her cozy little den; even the smell of herbs blended with her own scent had sent the tomcat into a dizzy.

Now though, Grayfang had to force himself to push away the thoughts. He followed the Warrior Code now, and the Warrior Code said that no such thing should be allowed in the Clans. This, Grayfang was disappointed of, and subconsciously, his whiskers began to twitch and his nose began to wrinkle. Grayfang was completely fazed until Bluestream's voice broke through. Only now had he remembered his once long-lost crush over the she-cat; and of course, it occured to him just now. Perfect.

"Ah, Bluestream," he greeted gruffly. "Wonderful to see you; I hope you've kept your herb supply up and your wounds to heal, down?" Grayfang chuckled, ears perked somewhat towards the she-cat's direction. "And I trust that the leaders will begin the Gathering soon enough..." the tomcat mumbled softly. It was taking all too long.

--

Bluepaw, after what seemed to be a moon's length of searching, had finally caught a whiff of her fellow Medicine Apprentice's scent; as did she catch his recognizable orange tail wavering in the air like a flag, to bewarn her of his sudden approach. Letting out a purr of satisfaction, Bluepaw bantered onto Finchpaw's path, her own tail raised skyward.

"Finchpaw, there you are! I've been looking all over Fourtrees for you!" Bluepaw piped cheerily, her trill voice rising above the others in her sheer excitement. She quickly padded towards the orange tabby, all smiles and loud purrs. The small she-cat was sure that her paws were about to bursty with excitement, and she kneaded them restlessly as if to release some of the zest which kept her paws bouncing to and fro.

At the sight of another tomcat beside him though, Bluepaw gave a slight scowl. It had not occured to her that Redpaw, Finchpaw's snarky brother, would be with him at the time. But there he was: a narcisstic furball of red, tail pitched high with only the strongest of pride and a sly grin plastered on his face. Though never properly introduced to Redpaw, the downward thoughts had been built upon somewhat of a hearing about Redpaw from Finchpaw himself; and then Bluepaw had only been encouraged to believe such things as she strayed near Spiderpaw, whom had been bickering with the red tomcat. So, at his approach, Bluepaw could not contain her disappointment. She had been hoping, just hoping that she and Finchpaw would be alone in meeting unlike all the other times, with the watchful eye of other Medicine Cats dwelling just behind them, or perched somewhat above them.

The she-cat's tone dropped, "Oh, Redpaw!" Her disguisement was weak, though good enough to suffice for Redpaw (hopefully). "I- I didn't know you were coming along with Finchpaw. I've heard about you a bit.." She trailed, unsure of what to say. The only thing she offered was a worryful glance in Finchpaw's direction, before she flicked her tail to rest upon Redpaw's shoulder for just a brief moment. "But anyways.. I'm Bluepaw of StreamClan. Badgernose's apprentice; one day I'll follow her pawsteps and become Medicine Cat of StreamClan!" The small she-cat's eyes glowed momentarily before the thought dissolved once more. "So, Finchpaw.. care to introduce me, properly?"

Bluepaw flicked her tail impatiently, already bubbling again, awaiting some one on one time with Finchpaw. It was always fun to play around with the tomcat, no matter how shy he sometimes was. Of course, Bluepaw knew another side of Finchpaw; that sometimes he wished he never had been an apprentice, and Finchpaw knew perfectly well that sometimes, neither did she. Both held the same dream, and now, Bluepaw wanted to tell him one of her ideas. And though it most likely would never happen, she liked to think that they could both dream and offer their best. It was only for the good of their Clans, right?

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[glowlynose]

"Don't you mind the ears. They were... removed forcefully a long time ago in a battle so old, most cats have forgotten about it."

Briartail scuffled his paws in embarrassment and his whiskers twitched self-consciously. He had hoped to StarClan that the elder would not notice his curious gaze. It appeared that he had. Wasn't that just great?

Golden eyes flickered as Briartail shifted uncomfortably on his paws. Now he was boxed in. It wasn't the fact that he was relatively boxed in that made him uncomfortable, but the fact that all the cats were at least twice his size was very unnerving to the tom. He gave a nervous smile to his clanmate and stepped back to stand beside him.

It was very difficult for Briartail to concentrate on No-ears's description of the way his clan was run. There were so many intriguing things here at Fourtrees that he could be exploring! Perhaps tomorrow he would have to come back and explore for himself. Once he regained his concentration and came back in to the conversation, he regretted ever having left it in the first place. No-ears was in the middle of explaining something. He shook his head in confusion.

"But, No-ears, why don't you just let all of the elders voice their opinions and let the leader decide for herself what the best course of action would be? Why do you get to decide how the opinions play out? How do you even become the Head Elder in the first place? Is that also a decision of the elders, or does the leader appoint you?" Briartail had come closer to the old tom by that point, and had to crane his neck into very uncomfortable positions to try and meet his gaze. His ears were perked and his whiskers were spread wide as if he was tracking something down. He was, in fact, tracking something down: answers.