Gathering [ 8/25 ]

[Whiskers]

It was a beautiful night. But then, gathering nights were always beautiful, Shrikewhisker reminded himself, as he bounced down to where the other cats residing, pelts brushing against his on all sides. The whole of Pineclan was here-- okay some cats stayed back, but it felt like the entire clan was here-- and they were rushing, rushing, rushing. They were all eager to get down there and start their socializing. Shrikewhisker, one to always go with the crowd, was not excluded.

He pushed the others like they pushed him, sending a few teasing remarks to this cat or that cat. His eyes though, were locked ahead, focused on finding someone to talk to. He didn't want to be left alone in the dust. He was no extra in this show. He was the star. He was determined to find someone and strike up a conversation about stupid, superficial everyday things.

Finally, he muddled his way to the middle, where he sat with his muzzle stretched into a smile. Who would his company be this evening? Who?
-

A moon had passed. A whole moon. Finchpaw could scarcely believe how time could flit away from him without him knowing. A few moons ago, leaf-bare was green and young and vibrant. Now, it was coming to a close and though it might have just been his mind playing tricks on him, the tom cat was sure he felt the wind pick up as it escorted leaf-fall in and the greener, warmer moons out. He felt especially care-free tonight, knowing that yet again, Rowanheart was asked to guard the camp. This time Firepaw had stayed as well, since he hadn't been taking his lessons seriously, according to some.

Finchpaw wondered who he would talk to this evening. Frostpaw was here, but so far he hadn't spoken a word to her. He was all the way in the front, following Brightnose and she was caught in the crowd of cats. He didn't know if he would see her tonight. Knowing Frostpaw, (and there were parts of him that thought he did know), she would want to weave her way into the crowd and speak with cats of Pineclan. Cats that shared her belief. He would just have to see.

So Finchpaw let himself spill into the crowd, not watching where he was putting his paws. Perhaps he'd see his good friend Bluepaw here and they could finally have a pleasent conversation. Speaking with Littlepaw would be nice too. The night was full of possibilites for Finchpaw. And that wasn't something that happened often.

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[Kiddo [le pwnsome]]

Icetail glared through the dark, willing herself to see the forms of cats within the pools of darkness. Of course, it wasn't actually all that dark, quite bright actually, as the moon was full and prominent in the sky, almost blotting out the stars. She should have been able to see everything, aided by the silver brilliance and her natural night vision. But of course, she had stared up at the moon for too long, filling her mind with its mystery and majesty. She loved the moon, always so close, yet so distant. Strange, and yet so familiar, thanks to her frequent communions with Starclan. She thrilled, the shining circle was almost too near, like the ancestors of years past were pressing close, wanting to be near as possible, as did many of the cats in the clearing.

But of course, she thought irritably, flicking her tail against a stalk of grass, half of these cats don't even believe in Starclan. Pineclan, yes, that's the obvious one, but they've infected the forest, it's a disease. A ridge of anxious fur prickled along her spine, she licked it into place, she would not be seen as frightened. She knew it, they wouldn't even try to believe. Ha!

Stiffly, the white she cat stalked into the crowd of cats, the stench of the other clans filling her nostrils. A whiff of Pineclan caught her attention, and she glanced over, turning her entire body as she squeezed between the larger and muscular, lean and lanky, scruffy and smelly pelts to stand before the cat. She couldn't explain her desire for confrontation, but she wanted it badly, needed it maybe.

"Hello." she breathed, tense again.

00c//Absolutely anyone can jump in. In fact if you could, that's be great. Pleazzez?

[Crowzerplorodon]

The scent of MeadowClan alerted him to his visitor before her voice did. Giving his most polite smile he could muster, Jaggedclaw turned to face the elderly she-cat. Smiling was… not his strong point, he would admit. It was difficult for him to make his smiles seem friendlier than a wince or grimace. Though, he could pull up a grin pretty well. But not while greeting Tawnyheart, that would be bad manners on his part.

“Same could be said to you,” he replied, taking a seat of his own. He tucked his paws firmly under his chest, grateful for the weight being taken off of them. So much walking wasn’t good for his damaged claws, maybe Gingerstar would think about that next time before she sent him to the gathering. Yeah sure it was an honor to go to a gathering, but one full of believers that usually turned their noses to PineClan? Psh, where was the honor in that?

”Just fine, Tawnyheart. How about yourself? MeadowClan doin’ well?” And so begins the exchange of opening banter. Once this was all out of the way they could begin speaking of truly interesting things. Like stupid warriors and foolish apprentices. That’s what Jaggedclaw tended to look forward to when he did come to gatherings. As Patchfur approached, the elder greeted the other with a friendly nod and short grunt.

”Y’know,” he admitted slowly, taking the moon into consideration for the first time that night. ”I think you’re right, Patchfur.”

--

After Jaggedclaw had left in search of other cats, Otterfur had spent a short amount of time looking for the StreamClanner he had met last gathering. But it wasn’t like he was going to put much effort into it. After all, they had only met once. Instead he found himself idly wandering around other cats, picking up bits of conversations about this and that, but none of it really catching his attention.

He caught sight of two FogClan warriors, only knowing the name of one of the large toms (Stonetail, if he remembered right) and considered for a moment joining them. He even took a few steps closer to the toms before he stopped himself, entertaining the thought of maybe continuing to just wander around the clearing. That is, until he heard a soft voice that sounded tense from not far off.

Otterfur turned quickly, green eyes recognizing the form of the MeadowClan medicine cat, Icetail. Keeping their boundaries in mind (not only between cats of two clans, but cats of two beliefs) the large, brown tom approached the white she-cat, a soft smile on his face that matched his eyes. “Hello, Icetail,” he said quickly, not wanting to keep the she-cat waiting.

--

Jaypaw jumped at the voice near him, turning quickly to face an apprentice like himself who smelled of FogClan. ”Hey.” He kept a smile on his face, practically able to feel the waves of pure nerves stemming from the silvery tom. He would have said more, but yet another gray apprentice approached, this one also of FogClan.

“He’s Willowpaw. It’s Jaypaw, right?”

Mmm, he didn’t like this Sootpaw. ”Pleasure to meet you, Sootpaw,” he fibbed. ”You as well, Willowpaw. And yes, I’m Jaypaw. Of MeadowClan.” Oh like they couldn’t tell what clan he was from. Jaypaw was sure these two apprentices knew enough about clan scents to be able to pick the clan off of him.

”I’ll admit, she does look rather young,” he agreed, looking over at the StreamClan apprentice as barely noticing as Willowpaw scooted closer. He wouldn’t blame the silvery apprentice for it though. Oh no, he was sure he’d be doing something similar if he had to deal with Sootpaw. The tom did not seem friendly in the least.

[/blockquote]

[roscoe]

The brown tabby tom sat on the edge of the clearing, pretty much still within MeadowClan territory as we watched the processions with a rather blank look written upon his face. Bramblefang’s tail twitched in what could be taken in any emotion, though the tom simply meant it as a way to shake off a fallen leaf. His green eyes blinked as he followed a few MeadowClanners by sight, watching Tawnyheart meet up with fellow elders. Cedarstar promptly went over to Cloudstar and the two were joined by Gingerstar and Owlstar not long after. Icetail walked aimlessly around the other cats before being approached by some tom who Bramblefang didn’t know. Jaypaw sat not too far off with FogClan apprentices… Willowpaw, he believed one was named.

But it was all pointless, watching his clan mates with a lazy eye. He should be done with them, making idle chatter with the many other cats from the other clans until the leaders called for attention and made their announcements before the Gathering was declared closed. But something, and he’d be dammed if he knew that something, kept him from going forth. It kept him hovering on the border between MeadowClan territory and Gathering, strapping his paws firmly to the Earth with no sign of a soon-to-come release. And the feeling, the “something” bothered him.

His pale colored eyes closed as Bramblefang let out a sigh that had been threatening to ruin him the whole evening. The strapped down paws anxiously kneaded at the ground (ok, so they had a bit of freedom in how they moved…), claws sheathing and unsheathing as the locked into the dirt before pulling out smoothly. It was nerves, then. Nerves that kept him from proceeding into the crowded clearing and mingling with warriors. So be it if there was no decent explanation for him to be nervous, Bramblefang would accept no other reason for his… delayed entrance.

Then he caught sight of Mistpelt, the light colored FogClan deputy weaving her way around other cats and greeting them in various ways. Stormflower and Kestrelstorm he had yet to see, but Mistpelt was right there, heading for the stone she was sit by as the leaders spoke to each other before leaping atop the large rock. Taking in a breath, Bramblefang stepped over the boundary, paws snapping the bonds and made his way down to the FogClan deputy, giving his own greetings as he passed other cats. “Good evening, Mistpelt,” he greeted formally as he approached, taking his own respective seat besides the other deputy.

--

Again with the Gatherings. Again with the long journey that got her fur (which she had just cleaned, mind you) dirty. Like every full moon Bluestream would end up spending more time fixing her fur again instead of chatting with whoever caught her eye that night. Speaking of, what sorts of cats had been invited this glorious night? All of the clans were here by now, that much she could tell from scent alone. And it seemed a rather even amount too, no one scent overpowering the other. Well, except PineClan’s. But Bluestream was, of course, rather biased to the clan.

Finally satisfied with her second cleaning, Bluestream made her way passed Jaggedclaw and Otterfur, who seemed to linger behind the others for some reason. Had anyone told them that they were pretty much alone on the shadowed slope? They really should be spending more time down there with the other clans, instead of talking amongst themselves. They could do that whenever they wanted after. Such benefits being in the same clan brought. Then again, maybe Otterfur was simply waiting as Jaggedclaw caught his bearings. It was a tough journey for one with the elder’s claws… Bluestream made sure to bring the old tom some poppy seeds for the night when they returned.

Peering around, Bluestream watched as the two finally went their own ways, each bumping into cats they could chatter with. Now, who seemed interesting tonight? Who seemed like they would make the journey worth more than just hearing the usual blather the leaders gave. Prey is running well, no twolegs, a new apprentice, some flying mice… Oh why couldn’t they pick some more fascinating things to speak about? Though, if one of them did ever say something about flying mice Bluestream would be all ears.

--

His whiskers twitched proudly at the large amount of cats that had gathered this night. They all seemed to be in high spirits, which was more than a good sign. The moon was high and bright over head, gleaming down on them without a single cloud threatening to cover it. It blocked out most of the stars even, making Tigerwhisker wonder if StarClan was especially happy about tonight’s Gathering. Perhaps one of the clans held great news? Last Gathering MeadowClan had announced a pregnant queen. There was a possibility she had given birth during the time that had passed. That would be a joy, the first forest-born kits of the clans.

The StreamClanner felt his whiskers twitch again. They had been doing that often as of late. He was sure there was no particular reason why. Just a strong sense of emotion that came from the Gathering. It was bound to make any cat full of different feeling. From the excitement and nerves that came off the young apprentices and their first time, to the joy the warriors had when they greeted the cats they had befriended from other clans. The content look of the elders as the quietly swapped stories, not held back by most of the tensions that restricted many warriors.

But now lay the problem of finding a way to spend the night. Tigerwhisker tried to spot a place he could politely slip into and easily make conversation with the cats. Maybe he would join the two FogClan warriors he could see on the other side of the clearing. Or maybe he would find a cat that had yet to join a group as well. Starting your own “Gathering chat” was just as refreshing as getting in on another group. He watched as Patchfur spoke softly to Minnowpaw (both of his own clan, of course) before diverting his attention back to cats from other clans.

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[prowler.]

Minnowpaw
--
Minnowpaw couldn't help jumping a little when Patchfur came near unexpectedly, but calmed almost immediately upon recognition; Patchfur was of her own clan and his words soothing. Immediately she looked around to comply with what he'd asked, the first thing she saw was one group of three apprentices, two FogClanners and one MeadowClan cat, but even as she raised herself to travel in their direction, she saw them turn and glance at her each seperately. Were they talking about her, she stopped mid-move and flattened her ears a little, almost going so far as to raise her lip just a fraction before she remembered this was a gathering. Plus what was she going to do to three much bigger, stronger, more experienced apprentices like them?

No, she'd just have to find a more welcoming crowd. She anxiously scanned the gathering for other apprentices, there had to be some. Peering through the clutter of cats she spotted another cat that didn't look quite old enough to be a warrior yet. Padding in the direction of the white and ginger tomcat she waved her tail in a friendly, confident attempt of a greeting. 'hey there!' she meowed, impressed with her own ability not to stutter or trip over her words in any fashion that time. Unnoticably taking a whiff of the air she identified him as FogClan, was it? But he didn't smell like all other FogClanners, he smelt of herbs too - was he what she'd heard so much about? A medicine cat apprentice? She felt thrilled if that was the case and immediately rushed to continue immediately after coming near to the tomcat.

'i'm minnowpaw of streamclan, how're you?' or should i be asking who're you? She thought, trying to bat off how lame her question had sounded, ah well, she'd get the hang of Gathering chit-chat eventually, it was her first time, after all.

-----------------

Hailstorm

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--
Hailstorm couldn't help a light grin at Mistpelt's comment as she walked by with a wink, before turning himself back to the conversation. Hailstorm shortly complied with what Stonetail asked, sitting back on his haunches, glad for the weight taken off his feet. 'Sootpaw's training is going well, he is very... eager to learn, though he does not seem to be too willing to fight, I am sure he will prove himself when the time comes.' Hailstorm nodded half-mindedly as he said this, though not a stint of worry came into Hailstorm's eyes, it was somewhat suggested. Still, everyone knew Hailstorm was easily paranoid about cats that were eager, the way his twin had been before he'd died to such rashness.

Clearing his thoughts he shook his head and spoke again, 'sorry, my mind was elsewhere.' He apologized quickly, 'what of Cedarpaw? He seems like a handful, how goes the training?' As they spoke Hailstorm noted as several cats looked as if to join them before turning their attentions elsewhere; he couldn't say he really minded though, it was nice just to talk freely with someone, be they from your clan or other, big group or small.[/size][/blockquote][/blockquote]

[[.___Paije] !]

Cedarstar

Nodding politely, the brown tomcat allowed an ever so slight grin spread across his features. "That's good to hear, Cloudstar." he said, then stretching his neck to catch a glimpse of the other leaders and their Clans coming in. "Gingerstar, Owlstar," he mewed, nodding again in respect. As most leaders were to greet each other. "Very nice to see you two." The large brown tabby had then proceeded to look down at the clearing around. Watching cats and others from all the Clans alike converse and gossip about daily things. Such as who caught the biggest piece of prey. Sigh. How he missed his days as an apprentice. It was a great time. Being as carefree as a kit...oh how he missed those days. Now he's responsible for everything around him in his Clan...

Cloudpaw

Padding after his Clan, Cloudpaw had tended to stay away from most other cats tonight. But maybe for once in his life he could try to talk to the apprentices of different Clans tonight. Edging over to where the apprentices were, he kindly nodded, looking at Willowpaw, then Jaypaw, then the other apprentices. "Good evening, such a wonderful night to go to a gathering." he meowed, puffing out his chest a little. The eleven moon old cat was trying to act mature. Good luck with that, Cloudpaw. He was becoming closer to being a warrior. So that meant quite frankly he needed to grow up.


OoC//
Ew writer's block at 7am.

[Kelly]

Owlstar
--
“Wonderful to hear, Cloudstar. FogClan is also doing well, thank you for asking.” The black and white she-cat turned to face the other leaders, waiting for them to respond before turning back to Cloudstar, giving the snow-pelted tom a friendly smile. “How is your apprentice faring? Duskpaw, right?” Making idle chatter before they moved to the top of the stone seemed customary enough. It would give the other cats who attended time to chat with their friends and catch up on the moon.

She paused as Cedarstar spoke, regarding the large brown tom with a look of amused respect. “And you, Cedarstar. Lovely to see you are well.” And now there was Gingerstar. Owlstar had no problem with the she-cat personally. In fact, she dare say she rather liked the PineClan leader. It was no secret that Gingerstar led with an iron paw and had the power to back up her rule. But the tensions between FogClan and PineClan… well it worried Owlstar to say they had been growing as of late.

Sadly Owlstar couldn’t find the right words for the ginger she-cat. She had already pulled the apprentice bit with Cloudstar, asking it again would sound repetitive and rather silly, she thought. She could only hope a friendly nod and smile would suffice until a fresh topic came into play.

------

Sootpaw
--
"Just b-because sh-she's small doesn't mean s-she c-can't b-be an apprentice, Sootpaw. Sh-she j...just n-needs to grow."

Sootpaw gave the other a funny look, bordering between surprise that the other had said something like that and anger that he had said something against him. His amber eyes thinned out but he said nothing to Willowpaw, hoping that the tom would get the picture just by how Sootpaw gazed at him. His thin tail twitched before slinking its way around his paws, resting there limply. “Grow, yes.”

His attention shot back the larger tom, Jaypaw, and he nodded firmly. At least this tom knew a little about making a good impression during such a large gathering of cats. “The pleasure’s all mine, Jaypaw of MeadowClan…” If it wasn’t for the scent Sootpaw wouldn’t have pegged Jaypaw for a MeadowClanner. He was rather large for one, and his long coat didn’t look like the short, dirt covered ones that most had. Really, Sootpaw might’ve mistaken Jaypaw for one of FogClan’s own.

"Good evening, such a wonderful night to go to a gathering."

“Agreed,” he said to the newcomer, watching the white apprentice (who also smelled of MeadowClan—a friend of Jaypaw’s?) approach. “Sootpaw, of FogClan. And you might be?”

[Spec]

Mistpelt

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Blinking dully was no less than a feat for the light colored deputy. Her eyes were purposeful brewed together with so many other unreadable emotions, bent up and twisted into the naturally bright orbs. So despite being bored with the dull drabble that seeped from the jaws of other cats, her interest was roused within her gaze, always sharpening and refocusing on some piece of thrown knowledge or greeting. For she knew when all the frivolous conversation ebbed, the real juicy knowledge would grace the mouths of the clan leaders. Secrets, however, made a large impact even within the boundaries of the clans, most warriors casting aside their secrets over their specific clan border, which ultimately, was the reason for this seemingly fruitless mingling. As much as she resented it, donning a pleasant, abet crooked smile for all to see, all she could do was be patient. Mistpelt caught a glimpse of moonlight, draping the ground in a certain of heavenly light. The moon was full, Starclan's gaze never hindered by clouds of any sort. Yet. But the she-cat was hopeful, stubbornly asserting to herself that maybe the Pineclanners wouldn't completely disregard Starclan's truce and spat some offensive nonsense this night. Gently narrowed eyes dilated at the thought, suddenly wary of being engulfed by the scents of dozens of cats surrounding her.

While she waited for the other deputies to assemble (for at least she had arrived to her spot first as it decently should be) her optics scanned the Gathering for their familiar faces, shuddering mentally at the thought of once again sharing it with Kestrelstorm, but then again, they all made a mental bile to rise in her throat. Sinners...the lot of th- Blinking abruptly, her eyes distinguished the dark tabby coat of Bramblefang. At first he lingered a while upon the peaceful shores of Meadowclan, but after a few moments more of understandable hesitation, the Meadowclan deputy crossed the border and entered the throng of cats, most talking ignorantly with their friends or bragging of their current exploits. The poison was slowly seeping in, giving most cats a sense of security. Mistpelt knew only one with total disregard of Starclan would abhor the heavenly cats into sending an omen to cloak the moon, as it should be. If their hearts were not already intoxicated with sin, then as a right, they shouldn't feel concerned about the truce going for naught. As expected, Mistpelt was totally confident in herself, but her thoughts could not push aside the possibility of the morality of the rest, especially Pineclan and their heathen ways. The Fogclan deputy smiled as Bramblefang approached her, tilting her chin a hint as she made herself appear tolerant, even welcoming at his presence. As she greeted her, she inclined her head forward to acknowledge his words, however formal they were. But as the wry, even sarcastic she-cat that she was, she couldn't help but lighten the mood. "Blessed evening, Bramblefang." Her tone was playing along the lines of familiarity, velvety and convincing."It's good to see you looking so well. Come, let's mimic the warriors and exchange words of little value." At this speech, her voice was hushed, though a small chuckle rose to her chest, tail lashing once before settling over her paws. Like a sheltering mother, she swiftly glanced up at Owlstar, silently observing her behavior to see if she was playing nicely with the other leaders as she sat beneath her future throne.

Tawnyheart

It felt absolutely wonderful to be out and about, despite her crippled leg, and even better to share this night with a few of other elders like herself. It was awfully lonely, she admitted morosely, to be one of only two elders in Meadowclan. At Gatherings, she felt notably younger, a pleasant distraction even from the numb heavy weight of her hind. Nodding happily at Jaggedclaw, she couldn't help but allow her eyes to soften at the tom. She knew of an elder's bane, to grow grumpy with age, even shift into a permanate bitterness, but if she could keep a smile on her face even with the constant pain and burdens of her own life, than her hopes were nothing but the best for her friend. She hardly cared for the judgmental assumptions of the rest of the clans concerning Pineclans...less than eager thoughts about Starclan. But as far as she was concerned, he could believe whatever he wished. True, it made her mildly concerned for his spiritual well-being, but his health was more important in her heart, despite what her head was telling her."I'm doing well enough. Though I'm just glad I'm not the only elder here." She blinked playfully down at him, before she cautiously sank down until her belly was touching the ground. Only then did a grateful sigh escape her maw, the tortoiseshell she-cat taking a quick moment to recover before speaking again."Meadowclan is doing well. Prey has become more abundant in our territory and the clan is well fed. How goes Pineclan? Everything well, I hope?" Tawnyheart was as agreeable as one could get, and even though his lack of faith irked her slightly, it couldn't be helped.

She retained her pleasant smile even as she spotted the ginger and white bi-colored tom who approached them. Patchfur was a dear friend, and immediately looked forward to the time spent with her two boys. Chuckling with a raspy air deep within her chest, her tail motioned for him to come forward."Good evening, Patchfur, how are you?" She replied casually to his rather formal greeting. My word, she was enjoying this a bit too much, but oh how Tawnyheart hoarded it, the simple warmth of decent company enough to heat the iciest of hearts. Even in his aging years, she had always known Patchfur to be a friendly and sociable tom. To his rather casual remark, she merely nodded thoughtfully, knowing Starclan was forever beside her, which gave her the comfort of going to a special place within their ranks. Her eyes studied the sky with admiration and affection, noting the moon's loving glow."It's beautiful." She replied matter-of-factly, barely retaining the dreamlike feathery sigh on her lips."It does my heart good to see it so bright." Her long spidery tail gently wrapped around her paws. Glancing at the gathered leaders expectantly, she assumed that the official gathering would begin soon, though she must preferred the time shared with her clan crossed friends, whom she had grown to look forward to seeing every gathering. Then, another small tickle of laughter touched her throat, and she smiled gently at the two toms."So...any humorous stories to share, Jaggedclaw, Patchfur? I have one that you might especially like." My word, she had shifted into her stereotypical gossipy mood quicker than she had realized, but then again, it wasn't every day that she got to talk with other elders.


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[Slug]

From the way Sootpaw looked at him, Willowpaw wanted to crawl into a barrow and never come out again. But something stirred in the grey apprentice, and he narrowed his eyes right back at the other Fogclanner, puffing himself up some, shoulders squaring and raising his nose just the slightest. It seemed to be ages for Willowpaw until Sootpaw said Grow, yes and he calmed down some at that. It didn't sound like Sootpaw was agreeing with him, more like mocking him, but whatever the case, there was no reason to be hostile toward each other, let alone at another clanmate.

The pleasure is all mine, Jaypaw of MeadowClan

"C-Could've fooled m-me..." Willowpaw whispered under his breath, whiskers quivering as the scent of another MeadowClanner reached him. Turning his head toward the source, he gave something along the lines of "brilliant" as he smiled at Cloudpaw. "I've h-heard a-about yo-you, Cloudpaw." He said as the other apprentice seemed to inched his way finally over. It was true, in a sense. Willowpaw, during his last gathering, had heard something about a MeadowClan apprentice by the name of Cloudpaw. He could only hope this was the tom that those PineClanners were talking about, or otherwise Willowpaw would be embarrassed for a long, long time about this.

"Good evening, such a wonderful night to go to a gathering.

Willowpaw opened he mouth to reply, but it seemed Sootpaw beat him to it. Agreed, Sootpaw, of FogClan. And you might be?

Suddenly, Willowpaw felt more courage and said "He's Cloudpaw. Cloudpaw of MeadowClan." in a matter-of-fact tone, though it was not haughty in the least. I must be right; I know I'm right. The grey apprentice thought to himself, though he soon grew nervous quickly afterwards. I'm not right, I'm never right, that isn't Cloudpaw. He corrected himself, and he began to kneed feverishly at the ground, paws shaking just the slightest.

Grin and bare it, Willowpaw His conscience murmured to him, and Willowpaw's ears went back, but gave a soft "mrr" in affirmative.

Raising his head from staring at the ground, Willowpaw added "I'm W-Willowpaw. Of F-Fogclan." and then smiled again, almost beaming at the white apprentice.

---

'Sootpaw's training is going well, he is very... eager to learn, though he does not seem to be too willing to fight, I am sure he will prove himself when the time comes

Hmming softly, Stonetail nodded in understanding. After a few moments of silence, Hailstorm said 'sorry, my mind was elsewhere and Stonetail tilted his head. "It is fine, Hailstorm. We all have our moments." He stated, cheek twitching in something that could've been a smile. 'what of Cedarpaw? He seems like a handful, how goes the training?

Suddenly, Stonetail chuckled. "There is a rumor going around that Cedarpaw was attacked by a squirrel. Perhaps you heard of it. It seems that Willowpaw had witnessed Cedarpaw having acorns thrown at his head. Most amusing. And disappointing. I do not think Cedarpaw knows that Willowpaw had seen that. I hope in the near future that Cedarpaw will be able to scent when he is being watched." Stonetail was, inwardly, very surprised.

But he was more surprised at Willowpaw. The small, fluffy grey apprentice sounded like he had been spying on Cedarpaw, now that Stonetail thought of it. It seemed very... not Willowpaw like. Perhaps Willowpaw had just stumbled upon Cedarpaw's little, ahem, adventure, and decided to watch the "mad acorn chucking squirrel" in action. Cheek twitching once more, Stonetail added "Cedarpaw's training is going well, though, despite the fact he... had a problem with a squirrel." Eyes twinkling, Stonetail once more added

"Like I said, we all have our moments."

[glowlynose]

Ah, what a fine night it is for a Gathering. That was the first thought that crossed Briartail's mind as he entered the designated clearing where the clans met at every full moon. Once again he felt dwarfed by the sheer size of everything- they certainly did not have trees that big on StreamClan territory- but he was much less intimidated by it this time. He did not think that he would ever fully get used to the sheer size of everything at the Gathering place. Everything seemed to exude raw, concentrated power. It made him think. No surprise there, huh?

His eyes narrowed, not in malice, but in concentration as he leisurely made his way through the groups of cats. It was obvious that he was looking for someone... but who? That was the question. It couldn't be Flamepaw, for she was relatively close to him (as far as he knew). Where could No-ears be? I was hoping to speak with him more about PineClan tonight.

When he spotted a group of elders talking with one another, his demeanor returned to normal. Perhaps No-ears would be there? It would make sense if he was. After all, one tends to gravitate toward one's own age group at a Gathering: apprentices with apprentices, warriors with warriors, elders with elders. It was really a comfort thing, much like having a bed of soft moss or a clean pelt. He dipped his head in respect for the wiser cats before he spoke. "Excuse me, but 'ave any o' you seen No-ears here tonight? Sorry to interrupt your conversation 'n' everything, but I'd like to speak with 'im if he's here."

[/b] He smiled easily at the cats and started absentmindedly licking at a patch of fur on his chest. If No-ears wasn't here, he'd have nothing to do except show Flamepaw around. Not that that would be a bad thing, but he would much prefer to learn more about PineClan. They greatly intrigued him. How could they not believe in StarClan? It was a strange concept to him.
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