August 2013 Gathering - Season: Greenleaf

[[Acro.]]

ooc:// Just so all you folks are aware: the rest of the month (August) is considered Greenleaf! =D


{Hope is the thing with feathers}

The night sky was dappled by heavy clouds, but the moon remained a clear beacon overhead. From the sandy beaches of SunsetClan, a troupe of cats made their silent way across the territories toward the Pond of Truce. At the front of this brigade was a small she-cat with a hard expression and sharp, scrutinizing eyes. She kept her head low but her ears and tail erect, all senses on high alert as her Clan approached the Pond. This would be her first Gathering since... Her eyes shot up to the sky and a thought flew out of her head toward the stars.

'Help me show them how strong we are.'

She could not deny she was nervous... but her nerves were far outmatched by the fire she felt in her chest, fueled by her drive to prove herself, to show that her Clan was not afraid--to show that she was not afraid--of Silverstar.

As SunsetClan reached the Pond of Truce, Ratmask leaped nimbly up onto the stone in the center of the rippling pool. but, no...

It was Ratstar now.

{That perches in the soul}

//General note: Ratmask's transition to leadership is going to be announced for the first time at this Gathering, so cats, even from her own Clan, are not yet aware of it. Characters can assume, but no one knows, officially. =)

[Midnight]

The gray tabby's ears lay flat against her head as she bounded toward the boulder, completely passing the water on her leap to the top of the large, hard mass. "Hello, SunsetClan. No leader again?" Silverstar asked, baring her teeth slightly at the other she-cat. "Oh, I'm sorry, did my Clanmates tear your leader apart or something?" Silverstar's claws unsheathed, and she gave a dark purr for a few moments, "They are known to do that, you know."

Silverstar turned away from Ratstar and sat down, facing the crowd, looking smugly at the SunsetClanners.

---

Mintpaw grumbled in irritation, making sure to give Silverstar a piece of her mind with a sharp glare before sitting where the other medicine cats would be. SunsetClan's herb store was smaller than prior to the battle, of course, but that meant Mintpaw had to work her tail off even more than normal to bring it back up. She didn't exactly mind this, as she did choose to take the responsibility of being the medicine cat apprentice for Sunsetclan, but Mintpaw certainly didn't enjoy it when fishbrains like Silverstar decided to attack her Clan for no real reason.

[Deleted]

Darkflame gritted her teeth at Silverstar. Such a mouse-brained leader. She thought. Then she caught a movement. A Sunsetclan apprentice tried to move away from her clan mates. It's a gathering! I bet all the clans shunned us because of you! but then she turned away from Silverstar in case she saw her and welcome the new leader Ratstar in her heart.

Thrushpaw hissed as he smelled the scent of Leafclan, bristled as Silverstar challenged Ratstar. Leafclan! They are just a bunch of rogues! He thought and moved away from the Leafclan crowd.

[Sand]

Fangstar led his cats to the gathering scenting that Sunsetclan and Leafclan were already there. He saw that Ratstar was standing on the rock that leaders stood on. 'the sunsetclan leader must have died,' he thought noticing the smug look Silverstar cast Ratstar. A low growl rumbled in the back on his throat as he jumped up beside Ratstar. He still hadn't forgiven Silverstar for attacking Whisperclan when he had been deputy. 'If it weren't for Silverstar, Thunderstar would never disappeared,' he thought. He nodded to Ratstar and ignored Silverstar.

Lionice followed Fangstar into the gathering her eyes narrowing when she saw Leafclan already at the gather. She could imagine sinking her claws into a Leafclanner and smirked. She was still mad at Fangstar for accepting Darksun into the clan.

—————————————————

Bluewing walked over to where the medicine cats sat and sat down curling her tail over her paws. She didn't agree to what Silverstar was doing.

—————————————————

Clawpelt followed his clan into the gathering glaring at any Leafclan cats and sat down by himself. He hoped that no one tried to talk to him.

[Splash]

Flamestar looked visibly exhausted as she led her clan into the gathering. She knew that she was probably the tiniest bit on the late side, but, what with moving half the clan to the Odd Cave, she'd been busy and had gone without much sleep. Honestly, she hadn't remembered the gathering until one of her warriors had asked 'isn't it the full moon tonight?'. Flamestar didn't have the energy to keep up whatever act she looked at before and despite her meek attempts at concealing it, she was a bit slumped and her eyes looked sleepy. Still, there had not been much of another option. She couldn't stay back from the gathering. Still, the other leaders - and plenty of warriors - would notice her tiredness. Let them think what they will. Flamestar thought, gritting her teeth, I did what I had to do to protect my clan and I'd do it again in a heartbeat. No regrets.

The black-furred leader leaped up onto the rock to join the other three. "Fangstar, Silverstar." She greeted them, but even her voice betrayed her exhaustion. She looked at the SunsetClan cat. Had a deputy come to the rock once more? Lucky SunsetClan leader. Doesn't have to get up and come to the gathering. I wish I could be so fortunate. She thought bitterly, sitting down on the rock, happy to let the other leaders take the reins of this gathering for the most part. This isn't important. Gatherings aren't important any more. We are on the verge of a war, nay, a massacre. Images don't matter. What matters is keeping cats alive.

[♚sᴄᴏᴜʟ]

MISTPELT
WhisperClan Warrioress

Mistpelt followed her leader, Fangstar, into the clearing, her sharp gaze raking across the hundred or so cats who had gathered there that night. She didn't have to read between the lines to recognize how strangely tense everyone was; she had sensed it as soon as she had arrived at the gathering, maybe even a few minutes before hand. Something was very wrong, but what was it? There had to be a reason why not many cats were mingling with members from other clans. Sure, clan cats were not the friendliest with their competitors anyways--it was expected afterall, since after every gathering the clans went back to being enemies once more. Overall, they just couldn't trust one another, but that usually didn't stop most of the cats from being civil and socializing with their neighbors. So, Mistpelt had to admit, seeing everyone separated and apart from one another was a bit weird. 'Not everyone's like me,' the dark gray she-cat thought to herself. 'Most cats don't prefer to sit alone and be aloof... So what exactly is going on?'

She scanned the clearing once more, looking for whatever had caused such a sudden shift in the gathering norm. Padding deeper into the throng of cats, Mistpelt's eyes fell upon the base of the highrock and traveled upwards until they reached the faces of the four leaders. Her gaze filtered from Flamestar to Fangstar, and then to Silverstar, who sat almost smugly on her rocky perch. 'Seriously? What in StarClan's name is wrong with her?' Mistpelt thought, feeling her pelt begin to bristle. 'She's too cocky for her own good. I don't know why none of her own clanmates have murdered her yet!' The young warrioress clicked her tongue with impatience, wanting more than anything to wipe the smirk off the LeafClan leader's maw. 'but seriously,' she mused, narrowing her eyes in curiousity. 'Why is she acting like that? It's almost as if she humilated one of the other clan leaders or something.' Following Silverstar's arrogant gaze, Mistpelt's eyes fluttered to the face of Ratmask, SunsetClan's deputy. 'What's she doing up there? Where's--'

"Oh no," Mistpelt murmured, glancing from Ratmask to Silverstar and then back again. "That can't mean--. Surely Silverstar wouldn't--." She stared up at Ratmask, her eyes wide with alarm. Normally she tried not to show this much emotion, but this was just too shocking... too... everything. 'Poor Ratmask'. Or was it Ratstar now? She couldn't be sure. Maybe the old leader of WhisperClan had just fallen ill or something, and her deputy was just taking her place...? Maybe, just maybe... but the expression on Silverstar's face begged to differ. She seemed proud about something, like she was mocking Ratmask... but that could mean anything, right? Silverstar was always mocking someone, right? Mistpelt shook her head in attempt to clear out all the cobwebs.

Word count: 479
Muse Level: Okay

[Deleted]

Leafclan

Hazelwhisper found herself a spot at the pond of truce that was comfy and near her clan mates. She looked up at Sliverstar, hearing what was said to the Sunsetclan deputy. She stifled a hiss at her leader. She wished that other clans knew how weak Silverstar was inside. How weak she was during battle, not showing up to fight much. She looked around at other cats from other clans and gave them a warm smile.

Birdflight walks in a chuckles at what Silverstar says to Ratmask. He finds a spot near some friends and waits for the gathering o start.


-------

Midnightclan

Swiftfoot looks around for Cedarpaw. He walks in with a drooping tail and a tired face. The moving of Midnightclan was making him tired. He looked as Flamestar hopped onto the rock and hoped for the gathering to start soon. He just wanted to get the gathering over with.

------

Stormclan
Nightpoppy walked over to where the other medicine cats were sitting. She looked at the medicine cat apprentices and felt a little hopeful that she would get an apprentice soon. She just wanted someone to keep her company in the medicine cat den, it was quite lonely for her.

[[Acro.]]

{And sings the tune without the words}

Ratstar felt her fur beginning to bristle as the LeafClan leader's words struck her, but, by some miracle, she managed to bite her tongue and force it back down. Her eyes narrowed sharply onto Silverstar, and the smaller she-cat realized not a moment too soon that she had nearly gotten to her paws, her claws unsheathed... Holding her breath, expression hard and impassable, SunsetClan's leader slowly resettled onto her haunches and flicked her tail before letting it rest over her paws. Wait. She just needed to wait.

Glancing indifferently down at Silverstar's paws, Ratstar swept her gaze over the crowd of gathering cats before speaking, her voice conversational and not meant to carry very far. "It seems to me, Silverstar, that your claws could use some sharpening," she remarked, tone formal. She nodded to the other leaders respectfully. "Fangstar, Flamestar--if anyone would like to begin, I invite you to do so." The statement came out cordial enough, but, really, Ratstar wasn't sure she would be able to address the Clans just then... lest she say something she may regret.

{And never stops, at all}

With LeafClan, a small, brown tabby padded in with her head down. Tawnyfang couldn't bring herself to meet the eyes of any cat. Her heart ached for the ones who had suffered because of her leader, and she knew she had no way of apologizing. She placed herself toward the back of the crowd, hazel eyes flickering up to watch the night sky.

As MidnightClan arrived, a large tom with sweeping grey fur padded into the crowd. His eyes scanned the area, more curious than cautious, and took in the sight of so many cats. 'Wow... I always forget how large our numbers are... imagine if we were one big Clan?' Boulderstrike padded through the throng, bumping into cats now and again and always offering a quiet apology. Taking up a spot somewhere in the middle of everything, the tom did his best to keep all of his attention on the Clan leaders, though, admittedly, he could not keep his eyes from wandering about now and again.

Behind WhisperClan's ranks, a sleek calico ducked into the crowd. Normally, she held to the outskirts and remained an observer, but that night... that night, she was looking for someone. For reasons even she could not quite explain, Nettlepelt's cold eyes scanned the crowd of MidnightClan.

A sandy orange tom hovered along the outskirts of the Gathering before cautiously venturing into the masses. He simply couldn't help himself... these cats intrigued him. Ramble sat down quietly between a group of LeafClanners and MidnightClanners, pale eyes curiously surveying the crowd.

[ⓐⓜⓑⓔⓡ]

OOC: This is before Cloudkit is an apprentice, soo...

Moonpetal crashed into the clearing, clumsily bursting out into the Gathering.
Oh, I'm late again! Cloudkit had snuck out of camp and she'd barely prevented him from falling into the river. Kits... they'll kill me one of these days...
Sighing, the beautiful black she-cat glanced around for someone to talk to.
Then she spotted Lionice.
You aren't going to get a better chance than this, Moonpetal... Taking a deep breath, the green-eyed Whisperclanner trotted over to her clanmate, obviously very nervous, but she attempted a friendly smile. "Hello."

Foxwhisper shuffled to the back of the crowd.

Hawkstrike padded into the clearing and yawned, sitting down. Trying to make himself invisible, he slipped to the edge of the crowd next to a pretty tortoiseshell she-cat- Foxwhisper, was it?- who smiled shyly at him. He thought for a moment, then just went, Aw, heck with it. She's from another clan, it can't hurt, right? Just have a good time for once! Working up some courage, he gave her a dashing grin and she just about fell over. Staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes, he could see her shoulders shaking, and she looked like she was about to melt.
Wow... that's actually sort of fun...

[Midnight]

He didn't say anything, Silverstar thought as she scented Fangstar on the rock, what a useless waste of nine lives he is. What if it was possible to gain more than nine lives? If I were to kill him, would I gain more? Oh, Silverstar, knock off the fantasies! Silverstar flicked an ear in response to Flamestar, glancing at the black-furred she-cat for a moment. She looked exhausted; would now be a good time to attack MidnightClan? What made Flamestar so tired? Was she upping the training of her apprentices, and taking on a few? Maybe she was holding special training sessions in her Clan. Silverstar's claws flexed out for a moment; she'd have to try that with her own Clan.

Silverstar didn't hear the words of Ratstar.

"Since it seems my fellow leaders are too shy to stand and speak, I will take the lead here," Silverstar called, standing up. "LeafClan is incredibly strong this moon! In fact," Silverstar cast a glance at the other leaders for a moment, "We've never been stronger, and will continue to grow in power in the coming moons."

"I have no other news to report," Silverstar finished, sitting down. LeafClan will become the strongest Clan in the whole forest. We'll take the others down completely, considering we already have parts of WhisperClan and SunsetClan territory. Yes, my plan is going quite accordingly. We will rule.

(I threw a Death Note reference in there and Silverstar's kinda turning into Light Yagami. xD)

---

Mintpaw's head was hung low as she stared at her paws in silence. In a few moments, though, as Bluewing sat down, Mintpaw glanced up at the other she-cat, not moving her head, "I know it's not your fault, Bluewing, but your Clan is out of control. I pity you for having to spend your life under the rule of such a horrible monster." Mintpaw's green eyes narrowed, and she brought her head up, sitting straight and tall, staring intensely at Bluewing, "She will never be admitted into StarClan." SunsetClan's medicine cat apprentice's stare lasted only a moment longer before she hung her head again and focused her attention on her paws.

[Sand]

Leafclan:

Bluewing heard Mintpaw speak and nodded go the she-cat. She really didn't know what to say to Sunsetclans medicine cat. She return her gaze to the leader her eyes narrowing when she saw Silverstar. She wished that Silverstar had never become leader. 'Starclan why haven't you done anything to stop Silverstar?' she asked herself frowning. 'No one will fear her the only think she is doing is making the other clans hate us,' she thought looking around at the clans that had been attacked.

Midnightclan:

Sootblaze sat among his clan mates watching Flamestar wondering why she was so tired. He saw a familar pelt out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to see Nettlepelt. Smiling he weaved his way through his clan mates and walked over to her. "Hey," he greeted sitting down curling his tail over his paws.

Whisperclan:

Lionice turned her head as Moonpetal walked over to her. "What is it?" she hissed lashing her tail. She didn't like Moonpetal because of the fact that she was Fangstars mate.

Fangstar waited until Silverstar was done speaking before stepping forwards to shares news of Whisperclan. "We are thriving prey is plentiful and we getting stronger," he meowed stepping back so Flamestar or Ratstar could take his place. He was a little worried about the fact that they had more kits about to become apprentices and apprentices then they did warriors.

[ⓐⓜⓑⓔⓡ]

Moonpetal jerked back, but stood her ground. "I-I was just wanting to talk to you. I wanted to say t-that I'm sorry for... for..." Trailing off at a loss for words, the black she-cat began to panic. Sorry for what? There's nothing to be sorry for! but I don't want to jut never say anything to her... I need to apologize for being Fangstar's mate. Maybe she wouldn't be so sour all of the time if I did... but... that isn't my fault!

Hawkstrike blinked as Silverstar spoke, bristling. She was so obviously trying to scream to the world that she was powerful.

Foxwhisper took her chance and shuffled quickly away from the StormClan tom.

Tigerstep sat silently next to some cat from another clan, sighing as she looked up at her leader.

[[Acro.]]

{And sweetest in the Gale is heard}

This Gathering... these leaders... none would speak out against Silverstar. Not here.

Not them.

Inhaling deeply, composure steady and eyes cold as they narrowed onto the crowd of cats, Ratstar calmly stepped forward. She was quiet for a moment, lifting her head and raising her tail as she met the masses. They would hear her.

"SunsetClan... has endured a trying season," she began, voice even. "One of our warriors, Tinywhisker, was slain in an unprovoked attack from LeafClan, and many others were injured." She paused, fighting back the memory and biting her tongue against words that begged to be spoken. "but we are healed, and now stronger than ever." Ratstar took in a quiet breath, collecting her thoughts before her final announcement. "SunsetClan has also  fallen under new leadership... I have been to the Skyfield, I have received my nine lives, and I now walk the path of a leader." The she-cat's tail lashed once to the side and she threw a sharp glare back toward Silverstar, her eyes narrowed onto the other she-cat as she spoke her final words, clear and strong: "And no crime against my Clan shall go unpunished, so long as I lead them."

{And sore must be the storm}

Nettlepelt's eyes met Sootblaze's and she flicked her ear. While she couldn't say whether or not she was happy to see him... she could say that she was satisfied at having found him. Or, rather, having him find her. "Hello," she replied after a short while. Saying nothing further, Nettlepelt held the tom's eyes a moment more before calmly sitting beside him to listen to the Clan leaders. She was close enough to feel him there, though not so close that she was actually in contact with him. Nettlepelt curled her tail over her paws and sat quietly.

The sandy orange tom had one ear trained on the leaders, and the other trained on what sounded like a hostile conversation taking place between two cats ((Moonpetal and Lionice)). He could just barely hear them over the murmurs of the crowd, and something about their tones had him curious, if not concerned.

[Deleted]

Hazelwhisper was glad to see that Sunsetclan had a leader, and Ratstar seemed proud and brave.
'Better than Silverstar will ever be' she thought.

Birdflight hissed quietly at what Ratstar said. 'you can try, but you will never win against us!'[/b] he thought.

[Splash]

After the other three leaders had spoken, Flamestar forced herself to walk up to the front of the rock. "MidnightClan is doing well. Our prey pile has reminded stocked and our borders unchallenged." Though she knew she probably ought to announce new warriors and apprentices, she was pretty sure she had yet to find time in the last trying moon for ceremonies. I'll need to get on that. Or at least tell Wolfstream. She stepped back, leaving her report short. Perhaps one would say she was acting 'suspicious'. Fflamestar didn't honestly care. Because the last thing anyone would expect was what she'd actually done. The leader held back a tired sigh.