another night in paradise [gathering]

[LYRIC ']

The night was as clear as bluish black crystals as the bright, glimmering full moon shone overhead. It was the night when all clans would fall under the truce of StarClan; the night of the Gathering.

instructions }}
Leaders! Remember to have them mention what cats will be accompanying them to the gathering. Other roleplayers; if one of your cats was mentioned in the leader's post, then you may go ahead and post. Leaders may only bring a maximum of four warriors and two apprentices with them, plus the other high ranks.

[Coon the Illusionist]

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/RaccoonstarMain.png] Doing "Talking" Thinking. "Others talking." The moon was high; the stars twinkling behind a few wispy clouds. Boulders blocked the view of quite a few of them, but this seemed to only intensify their beauty. A faraway howl echoed through the night, and it was the type to send a cold chill up the spine. It slowly died away in a moaning echoing of itself, which would, of course, send up another chill. A cold, eerie breeze whistled its sickly sweet tune throughout the land and through the ears of anyone willing to listen to it. It was the kind of night that made you want to scream, or sing, or both. But the cat who was listening below planned on doing neither of these actions. His grey paws carried him forward and onto a short, flat rock ledge that overlooked his entire homeland. His golden yellow eyes slowly and calmly searched through the throng of cats. A few were staring already, but as his eyes met theirs, they went back to what they were doing. The cat smiled with approval at this. He continued searching, locking his gaze on a few specific cats for longer than he searched the others. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey come forth." The cat's voice suddenly rang out. It was deep, resounding, confident, and strong. In other words, if he were human, he would be a fantastic public speaker. "It is time for a Gathering, and it is time to choose who will go and who will stay." The cat's eyes locked on three; a black cat with misty blue eyes, a fiery orange cat with ocean-blue eyes, and a sandy young cat with one blue-green eye and one deep blue one. "Nightmist, Firethorn, and Aspenpaw, of course, shall go." His voice rang, listing off the cats in order of the way he had looked at them. He nodded to them all in a benevolent manner. His yellow eyes ceased their searching, and instead rested in a position where all the cats were visible. He listed off the remaining names in a flat, but powerful, tone. He was bound to get tired of this after a while. "The warriors Icepelt, Firestorm, and Shadowclaw will be coming. Shadepaw and Sixpaw will also be coming. The rest shall stay to watch the camp while we are gone. Guard it well; I am putting my trust in your paws." The cats not picked for this outing looked almost ready to roll their eyes at his powerful, yet slightly melodramatic, words. Those who did got a stony glare that reflected upon the higher cat's nonchalant attitude towards the subject. They could insult his words all they wanted, in his opinion. He leapt, in a motion that was almost like graceful gliding, onto the slightly lower earth below. With a minute tail gesture, his grey paws carried him off, towards the faraway land where all would meet. He knew only by trust that his followers would do their duty and follow him, but he knew this only by trust and intuition. But, he also knew that when he gave them a command, they would follow it, no matter what. So he went on. He caught the scent of the border before his paws had crossed it, and in the distance his sharp eyes spotted the golden brown wheat fields that it was famous for. GoldenClan. The only place that shared a border with the home he was born in, and the place that he had to lead his loyal companions through whenever the full moon rose in the sky. His marbled grey pelt would normally be easy to spot in the golden brown wheat, but the moon turned everything silver, and it was probably only his black silhouette that was leading the others now. But they would manage; they always did. The silvery-brown wheat fields suddenly halted at an old brown fence that seemed to prevent it from growing any further. The leading cat easily, and gracefully, soared over the unstable wall, and suddenly, a black path stood before him. Another, slightly less minute, tail tweak signaled a halt for the cats behind him. His head turned to one side, searching for the two shining lights that signaled the deadly machines used by those dastardly Two-legs. His head slowly turned to the other side, and he saw nothing. The pathway was clear. Another tail flick to signal the go-ahead, and his now shining silver paws carried him, and his followers, ever forward. It was not a long time on the rocky black path before he reached the gentle grasses that marked different cats' territory, but the rocks still, as always, cause his pads to ache. He would check them later, but he was fairly sure that no blood was being produced. Trees seemed to spring up around him, most of them oak, but a few were other types. He kept going, trying not to inhale the scent of this alien place. HillClan, it was called. They were almost to the place. The trees seemed to weave a natural labyrinth of foliage, but the path that the marbled grey leader was following had been used for a long time, and the downtrodden plants proved it. His head was down instead of ahead, for he knew that such a well-marked path would obviously not smash him into any objects. And why look ahead when all you see is trees and plants, anyway? After a short time, the trees began to slowly, almost invisibly, thin out, and he knew that it wouldn't be long now. He stopped at a large clearing, and his head tilted upwards to the giant oak tree that had an ungodly scent mix of his home and all the other homes. The Great Oak. Where all leaders, like he, sat and reported all. He had to admit, the size of it, the silver moonlight glinting on it, it truly was a sight to behold. But he knew that he mustn't stare. It wouldn't look very leader-like, and of all moments, this was one where he needed to look as strong and leader-like as possible. So, he sprung onto the tree, easily hooking his claws onto the pawholds. He scaled it higher and higher until he reached the four main branches. He lightly pawed his way to the thickest region of what he thought to be the front-most branch, and sat, staring at the stars above as they gleamed with the gleam of his ancestors. Then, he fixated his gaze on a point that was just about straight ahead, and patiently awaited the other throngs of cats to show up. BoulderClan, HillClan, GoldenClan, and BrookClan. All four completely different, yet because of this one spot, we can all come together in harmony. He comprehended. He suddenly glanced up at the moon-dappled canopy of leaves above him. Yes. This truly is a sight to behold. notes;; where did all of this muse come from? tags;; all the cats raccoonstar called upon. word count;; 1155 muse;; 10/10

[`Fahrenheit]

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/2Whitestarmain.png] It was surprisingly quite cold within the bosom of Sky Hill, the branches covering most of the entrance blocking the fading light and keeping Whitestar rather sequestered from his Clan. The soft litter on the ground folded and compressed under his paws, and as his amber eyes opened from a very light, almost flitting rest, the HillClan leader knew that the time was coming to begin the journey to the Great Oak. It was the night of the gathering. He had to haul his old self out of his den, climb up Sky Hill, get stuck at the top, deliver a silly speech, then make a fuss when he couldn't get down. Whitestar was well aware of what was going to happen, and he was rather reluctant to leave the comforting darkness of the leader's den. After all, it was so cool compared to the outside. As soon as he left he'd start sweating. And he hated that. Hated it. Standing up with a flick of his ear and a large, gaping yawn, Whitestar mused that even though he'd rather stay at home, he knew that he couldn't just stay behind and keep his Clan waiting. They would never forgive him, and the leader simply could not have that. Bleary-eyed with crust around the rims, he tottered out of the den, pushing his bulky self not-so-gracefully out of the barrier of branches. Thankfully, the den wasn't up high or anything, so he allowed himself to slide and slip a bit before reaching the ground. Glancing over with round eyes toward the hub of the camp, he could see his warriors up and about. He figured they were waiting for him to deliver the summons; as the thought occurred to him, he realized that he hadn't taken a single moment to decide on who was going. Wrinkling his nose, Whitestar knew he could come up with some names while he did his business. Staring up at the top of Sky Hill, Whitestar swallowed his trepidation and began his way up. While the climb wasn't very treacherous or even elevated, it was still problematic for the leader every single StarClan forsaken time. He refused to admit it except occasionally to his sister or his deputy, but he had an awful time with heights. It's not that he was afraid! It was more like he just couldn't figure for the life of him how to get back down. It was just awkward; going down head-first something. Or even rump-fist. Whitestar didn't care, it was still weird. Thoughts a little abstracted by the time he reached the summit, he looked around HillClan camp with a very worried expression (although that's how he always looked; either worried, scared, tired, or angry). With his arrival on Sky Hill, the leader noticed that he was gaining an audience. Frowning, he cleared his throat. "Okay, er, cats old enough teh hunt the... uh, hunt in gen'ral for teh Clan — this Clan — gather all around 'ere for the news I'm about teh give. Yeah. Do it now." Swishing his white tail, he realized that practically everyone was already there, but he wasn't bothered. "It's gatherin' night, now, an' we gotta go up teh the Great Oak for the talkin' and sharin' and stuff." He paused to scratch his ear with his back leg, sticking out his tongue at the pleasure that gave him. He had a very obnoxious scratch coming on, and it was about liable to come on mighty strong pretty soon. "Anyway," he dropped his foot and continued, "to teh cats that're gonna go: I expect y'all teh be on your best behavior. That means no fightin', no spittin', and no betrayin'. Remember — FSB. Very import'nt, there, now." Letting his words soak in, he pondered over who in StarClan's name he was going to take. He couldn't leave the top of Sky Hill until some cats came to mind, so his mind churned. Ah, headache, he thought, face grimacing. He shook it off, knowing he had to get a move on. The moon was already high in the sky; he could see the milky light through the tree canopies, and his pelt was illuminated by it, the white looking even more blistering than before. "Okay!" he meowed, "I 'ave now decided!" Flopping his tail back and forth, he continued, "I want Slatestripe, Rookheart. Oh, an' you too, Yarrowpaw. Ya thought you could jus' git out of it like that, huh? Well no, ya can't. You're meh 'pprentice, so that means yeh follow meh everywhere. Everywhere. FSB, remember." Nodding his head, he began to backtrack, messily clambering down Sky Hill. He was almost silent except for the few grumbled exclamations he couldn't help but say. After a few awkward, long moments, the white-pelted leader of HillClan was amongst his peers at the bottom, his eyes surveying the crowd for the cats he named. Nodding once again in approval, he began walking toward the exit, expecting his clanmates to follow in behind. The large tom stopped in front of it, though, his paws about ready to leave the tree-surrounded hollow. He turned around rather abruptly, although maybe not too abruptly, Whitestar in no exact hurry despite having noticed the full moon high overhead. With blinking eyes, the thought came to him to ask a few important traveling questions. "Anyone gotta go teh the dirtplace? I ain't havin' anybody holdin' it in in front of teh other Clans." He eyed his warriors and his apprentice critically, as if expecting them all to immediately bolt off to go release themselves. But as he did so, he started, ears perking and his tail lashing. "Ah, oh, woah! Heh, I forgot." Looking around for three specific cats, he meowed, "Frostfur, Brightflower, and Crowpaw. Y'all come along too, now." Lifting his tail up as a signal, he finally made his way out of the camp, anticipating for his cats to follow respectively. It didn't take long for the small HillClan party to reach the Great Oak, and when they did, Whitestar paused his group in front of the threshold, his amber eyes gazing out over the ridge. It was another heights thing, but that wasn't the peak of his concern right then. "Y'all, remember, FSB." He watched BoulderClan, their warriors already clumped together in front of the tree. Their scent hit his nose, and he refrained with ease from recoiling or scrunching his muzzle. "First cat teh break FSB gets dirtplace duty for a mun. And yeh, dirtplace duty. I'm makin' it real jus' for those of yeh who can't behave. Now go crazy." He twitched his tail, giving the signal for his cats to file or flood in, it didn't matter to him. He padded dutifully toward the oak itself, knowing he had to scale another tall thing. Whitestar shuffled his way up it ungracefully but swiftly. He took his position on one of the jutting branches, eyeing Raccoonstar a little ways off. As far as Whitestar could remember, there was no trouble between them, so the HillClan leader waved his tail in his direction and meowed a greeting. Turning toward the area below, he watched his clanmates and BoulderClan's party, curious to see how they would all interact while simultaneously looking like a hawk for FSB breakers. He knew it would test their resolve the more cats that filtered in, but he trusted them to stay loyal to the code that bound them all to peace on the night of the full moon.

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[---e v e n i n g]

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Aspenpawmain.png] post--others--thinking--speaking He dragged his paws through the muddy earth. When Raccoonstar had called his name to proceed to the Gathering, he had been absolutely delighted, his eyes had lit up and all he could think about was the fact that he, Aspenpaw, just apprenticed, had been chosen to represent his clan, something he had wanted to do since he was a mere kit, still in milking. Keh, but he was being naive, of course, he had forgotten the fact that he was supposed to go, because it was his duty as a stinkin' medicine cat apprentice. He folded his ears flat against his head and glared at the faint bulbs of light in the sky, his ancestors, StarClan. It was all their fault for him having to have been chosen to become Firethorn's apprentice, they probably just did it to punish him for going out of the nursery when he was a kit! If there is any StarClan anyway that's right, it could've just been that Firethorn hated him, everyone did, and that they had made up this stupid StarClan as an excuse for their mistake. Ha! StarClan, keh, just a tale for kits...right? He shook his head and stared up at the stars again. But if that is true, what was....that? He sighed, it was too confusing, if StarClan didn't exist, what about the sign? Was that real, or just a dream, a figure of his imagination? Urg, he shook his head wildly, what did it mean? Why did he get it, and not Firethorn? Or did Firethorn get another one. Oh don't tell me this is just a sign to tell me that this really is my future, because it's not! I can choose my own future can't I?! No. He couldn't, according to Firethorn this was his 'destiny'. He wanted to yowl out then and there that it wasn't fair, but if this really was a real sign.... Something something something about rain and such . . . That was it, that was all he got. Sheesh, at least send a worthy sign, or an easy one to decipher; but, no. All he got was this stupid one. Why couldn't he get something easier? He closed his eyes and imagined the warrior before him, spitting all of the insults he could muster up to him. Dirty, Rotten Crowfood. Mousebrain! He dug his claws into the earth, but quickly pulled them out to catch up with his clanmates, as he didn't want to get left behind. Somehow, he felt as if some blood were going to be shed tonight, he didn't know how, it was just a feeling. And the ominous Foretelling that loomed in his mind wasn't much of a comfort for the poor sand-coloured tom; but perhaps it was just him. Yes, it probably was, he was reading way to much into this 'medicine cat thing' He arrived in the clearing not long after, his fur speckled with bits of dust, though one couldn't notice for it blended it well with his fur. His eyes narrowed as he went to sit by Firethorn, obviously, medicine cats couldn't sit where they wanted. He scoffed a bit at the gathering crowd, and want to sit by a pretty she-cat, Pebblepaw, that was her name. He stared at her for a moment, noticing her pretty blue eyes, but something told him that she wouldn't take kindly to admiration at the moment. So he sat there, hunched next to her. It felt like moons passed as his clanmates and others filed into the clearing. And his pelt itched to strike up a conversation as many of the other cats were doing. Um.....so, you're the medicine cat apprentice of GoldenClan, right? Urg, what was with him, of course she was, was he really this anti-social? yes, guess he was. It was about as much as he could think to say, and he could only hope that she would be at least the least bit willing to talk --but then again, Aspenpaw wasn't known for his luck. Comments;; sorry, not short-ish, but repetitive, as I didn't have much to say

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[- - [i]cy~]

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Patchstarmain.png] Uggh, what time was it, now? Curled up inside of the shallow den that happened to be his own, the cream - and - white tomcat's eyes opened slowly, copper-colored eyes scanning the surrounding area. Nothing seemed to be out of place, nothing seemed to be wrong. As a matter of fact, it seemed so peaceful that he forgot what tonight was. ...Wait. What was tonight again? "Mousedunggg..." he cursed under his breath, eyes widening in shock and surprise. How in the world could he have forgotten that tonight was the Gathering? He had to show up, considering he was BrookClan's leader! And why hadn't Longstride reminded him of this either? A soft moan of despair sounded from his muzzle, ears going flat against his head. Hopefully it wasn't too late, and he could show up with his Clan and everything would be absolutely fine! Yes yes, that would be perfect! That was absolutely marvelous as a plan, and he couldn't have done a better job of it himself. His chest swelled with pride, bringing the tom to his paws, which lead him to the outside of his den. He could already see the eyes boring into his pelt, and he hoped that no one was too mad at him for forgetting. Well, hoped anyways. Once at the foot of the tumbling logs, Patchstar leaped upward and into the air, landing on top of the wood logs with a bit of difficulty, he raised his voice to call out his summons. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey come to the Tumbling Logs for a Clan meeting!" He was a bit glad that his voice wasn't shaking much at all, though there was a bit of difficulty keeping a surprised expression off his face. He continued on, his voice starting to stay steady by now. "Tonight is the night of the Gathering, and it is time to say who is staying, and who is coming along.

[/color]" His copper gaze glanced down to a pure brown tabby with amber eyes, a tortoiseshell she-cat, and a fairly light white-furred she-cat apprentice.

"Of course, Longstride, Brindlefoot, and Mintpaw are coming along,[/color]" He paused for a moment, suddenly frozen to the spot. Who else was he going to take with him? It would be awful just to take the medicine cats and his deputy. Slight fright crossed his face, though he shook it off in a hurry. Time to get his thoughts in a line.

"Blazeheart, Littlewhisker, Whisperpaw, and Thistlestorm are also coming along with us. Oh, and Pinepaw as well.[/color]" Well, that was actually easier than he thought it might. He knew that the warriors would keep the apprentices in line, and what the hey? Might as well take Longstride's and Cloudedsoul's apprentice with them as well.

So, he had his cats that he was going to take along with him, so what the heck was he doing, waiting as if someone was going to give him a signal? There were three other Clans waiting for him, so they had to get going! "Come along now, everyone! Gotta beat the other Clans, eh?[/color]" he asked playfully, taking a moment to leap off of the logs, landing unsteadily on the ground. It fazed him a tad bit, though with a quick shake of his head, he was good enough to go.

Taking the position in front of the cats he chose, BrookClan was setting out. At last. Almost immediately, the leader's paws set themselves in the direction of the Bluebell Meadow, where, just to the north of it, would be the connection of the GoldenClan territory, blocked by a fence, and the Thunderpath, which he had to use to cross toward the Great Oak. It was, more or less, a detour, since the tom really didn't enjoy stepping across other Clans' land. It was almost like they could be attacked at any moment. So, therefore, he took a longer route.

Soon enough, the tall, wooden fence of GoldenClan territory was in sight, a pleased expression shrouding his face. That didn't take too long, if he did say so himself. All they had to do now was head to the Thunderpath, and onto the other territory of HillClan. After that, it shouldn't be too long, right? Correct.

The blackness of the road in front of his group stood before him, a nearby monster's lights blinding him momentarily. He flicked his tail twice, a signal for the group to halt, as about a few of the twoleg monsters passed in front of him. After about a moment or two, the road was clear, and his signal for running given: a single flick of the tail. The hard concrete below his paws felt rough against his pads, and he never really liked it that much.

Though when he felt the foliage beneath his paws, he breathed a sigh of relief. At least that part was over, and he could lead the rest of the way without much difficulty.

The leaves above him, bright lime green and wide, seemed to be just ready to fall on top of him, smothering him in a leafy blanket or something of the sorts. It seemed peaceful, though his home was more with the water, the creeks, the streams... Water was his forte, even though he might not be able to fish that well.

All four of the Clans seemed to have something that they were good at. BrookClan was the water, GoldenClan was the plains, BoulderClan was the darkness, and HillClan was the tree-lovers. All four were different, and yet, they were the same. Pleasure swept into his heart, his eyes blinking as they finally arrived.

To his dismay, two of the other three Clans beat him here, and he knew that GoldenClan would be right behind them, coming at any second. So, he might as well get into position on the Great Oak before Eaglestar arrived, eh?

"Alright everyone, you know what to do. Go ahead and communicate, but no sharing anything much about our Clan, got it?[/color]" Without a response, he bounded off toward the foot of the large oak tree, glancing up at the pawholds momentarily before scurrying up them, one hold after another.

Eventually, he reached one of the branches, a bit away from the other male leaders (what was up with that? All the leaders were male, huh!), his gaze sweeping across the other cats. HillClan, BoulderClan, BrookClan, and soon to be coming GoldenClan, will all be here. For the Gathering. He was definitely happy. And -- just to not be an anti-social little arse -- he even waved his tail in the direction of Whitestar and Raccoonstar.

This was sure to be entertaining.



words ;; 1101
muse ;; 10/10
etc ;; HOLY TOASTER. Longest thing I have ever written. I am so proud of myself. :U
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[LYRIC ']

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Eaglestarmain.png] It was quiet within GoldenClan's camp when darkness finally approached, and amber orbs shone down at the various cats from atop the Flat Tree. It was quickly becoming time for the Gathering, and Eaglestar knew better than to be late. "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Flat Tree." His head jerked about as he waited for cats to come forward. The night was fast approaching, even the scents of night were beginning to release themselves. The smells of crickets, soil, and the oh-so-sweet smells of resting wheat filled his nostrils. As the final few cats were wandering over, Eaglestar spoke, "Tonight is the night of our Gathering, and I've called this meeting to announce who will have the honor of accompanying me this moon." The leader's amber orbs scanned the crowd of cats until he found the forms of his Deputy and Medicine Cat. "Doveflight, Finchclaw, and Pebblepaw, of course." A softness encroached his face as he looked directly into the eyes of Doveflight and Finchclaw, the two cats (other than Adderfang) whom he trusted the most. He was glad to have them at his side, knowing wholeheartedly that he would be able to entrust GoldenClan to Doveflight whenever StarClan would call him to join them, and that he could trust Finchclaw with the very life that they would fight to take if given the chance. But then, scanning the crowd once more, he searched for the faces of those chosen to attend this Gathering. The truth was that he'd given it a lot of thought throughout that entire day, and he finally settled upon some level-headed names. Well, level-headed enough that he could trust them not to start any trouble. "Emberwing, Dustpelt, Adderfang," he announced strongly, "and Sandpaw will be attending tonight." This would be the apprentice's very first Gathering, but Eaglestar had faith that she would behave, and that she was ready for the experience. "The rest of you need to guard our camp with great vigilance," he then mentioned as he slithered down the tree trunk to meet his comrades. Again, he swiveled his head around at all the GoldenClan cats, making sure they understood his orders. "Who knows what lurks in the shadows on this night." And with that, he bolted out of camp, signaling with his tail for the Gathering party to follow. "Now, lets be off!" It seemed as though the journey to the Great Oak would take a long ways by the time they reached the thunderpath, when Eaglestar stopped his group to make sure it was safe. But then again, it always seemed like a far off place to them on the night of the Gathering, even though the top of it was clearly visible to them. "Okay, go on," Eaglestar stepped aside, ordering his cats to move across the blackened thunderpath quickly as soon as he knew it was safe. He wouldn't let anyone get wounded or killed by an oncoming monster while he was safely across. No, he would wait until everyone was across before he would follow. After all, he had seven lives left and would more than likely survive it if he was the one who got hit. Once the party was safely across, he stopped and looked both ways once again, and bounded across the asphalt when he knew nothing was coming. The night was clearly upon them now as Eaglestar ran back to the head of the group, continuing on as fast as he could through the forest which HillClan cats called their home. The full moon was round, and as bright as it could possibly be. It didn't even seem as though any clouds were there, aside from the occasional wispy one that he would see. But other than that, only Silverpelt and the full moon shone above them. Eaglestar was breathing heavily by the time they reached the ridge of the Great Oak, the tabby-and-white tom stopping abruptly near its base. Let StarClan bring peace to this Gathering. And with that prayer, Eaglestar dropped his tail, releasing his party to go ahead and go mingle diligently with the other clans. He then ran up the ridge and to the base of the Great Oak, climbing up to the last available jutting tree branch. He sighed; the tom was disappointed that he was the last one there, and hoped that none of the other leaders would mention it. He glanced over at Whitestar, an old buddy of his, and greeted him with a bow of his head and a wave of his tail. And out of pure respect, Eaglestar went on to greet the other two leaders in the same manner. WORD COUNT: 779 COMMENTS: N/A MUSE: Good.

[ωο∫ƒιε]

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Nightmistmain.png] The night was dark, the only light coming from the moon above them, as well as the stars of Silverpelt. Tonight was the night of the gathering; and Nightmist wondered when they would begin to leave; but she figured soon. Raccoonstar might want to be the first, well, not the last there; she figured they’d end up being first anyways; the other clan leaders didn’t seem as…on top of things as Raccoonstar was. This only proved that BoulderClan was the top clan around; they had a leader that was always on top of everything, and a deputy that was dedicated as much as their leader. Nightmist had spoken with the other deputies before, but it was only by politeness that she conversed with them. Had it not been at a gathering, Nightmist was almost positive that she would have never conversed with the other deputies. To her they seemed weak, not worthy of her attention. Most the time, she just sat there, stonily and cold, until the end of the meeting, only nodding curtly to those whom arrived or have spoken to her first. Currently, the black as night she-cat was attending to the BoulderClan elders, seeing if they had enough to eat already. The warriors and apprentices were currently either sharing tongues or doing some work. Most of them, she believed, were finished with their duties for the day and were currently sharing tongues and relaxing. Many of them deserved it though; after another hard, long day of hunting patrols and border patrols. As she was exiting the elder’s den, the small she-cat noticed Raccoonstar taking a spot upon Short Ledge. Instead of waiting for him to speak, Nightmist moved from the elder’s den, and towards the base of Short Ledge.

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“Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey come forth.” the silver and black tom stated the words of a clan meeting. Many warriors had stopped what they were doing, and the apprentices soon joined. It seemed that they would be leaving for the gathering soon. “It is time for a Gathering, and it is time to choose who will go and who will stay.” Nightmist nodded respectfully at the BoulderClan leader as his golden yellow gaze landed on her. Of course she’d be going to the Gathering, it was only in a clan emergency where either the deputy or leader, if it is urgent enough, did not attend the gathering. Everything, however, was fine in BoulderClan; and for that Nightmist was thankful; having a clan emergency was never a good thing, and it almost usually led to an injury and at worst, death. “Nightmist, Firethorn, and Aspenpaw, of course, shall go.” She herself glanced, with her one working eye, towards the medicine cat, Firethorn, and his apprentice, Aspenpaw.

As Raccoonstar called out the warriors and apprentices that were chosen to go to the Gathering, Nightmist’s piercing misty ice blue eyes gazed at them. Her eyes moved towards her own apprentice, Weaselpaw, but only for a moment; there were plenty of other times he would be able to attend. Nightmist’s gaze then switched back to Raccoonstar, who had leapt down from Short Ledge. Noticing the small flick of his tail, she obediently followed her leader; the others not far behind. She easily kept up with her leader, her unusually small stature allowing her to be quicker and more agile than most in the clan. However, at his order, she stopped and continued on, just about a fox length and a half behind him.

As they reached Great Oak, Nightmist almost laughed as she noticed they were indeed the first clan there. Of course they would be; hadn’t she already said that? Turns out she was right; but then again, even the smallest BoulderClan kit could have predicted that. With the other leaders being as they were, it wasn’t really a surprise they weren’t the first to arrive. She paused only for a second before she made her way towards the Great Oak. Of course, only the leaders sat upon the branches of it, but the deputies had sat at the base; showing they were only below the leaders. She hadn’t minded to be considered “below” Raccoonstar; the leader was strict, yes, but he was a good leader; a strong one that BoulderClan needed. Nightmist was proud to be called deputy to him.

So she took her place by the base of Great Oak; her eyes turning as cold as the color they resembled; icy. Her tail was wrapped neatly around her paws and she sat with an elegant and dignified sort of look; her cold gaze on the cats that made their way to the clearing. Even as the other deputies came in, Nightmist just nodded her head, a show of acknowledgement. There was not much to talk about; but she wouldn’t start a conversation with any other clan cats anyways. GoldenClan was the last to arrive, Eaglestar leading the way.[/color]

‘Heh, finally, the Gathering can begin.’

[ Word Count ] 829
[ Tagged ] Cats at Gathering
[ Notes ] Aww, not as long as your guys’, but hope it’s still good enough.

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Sandpawmain.png] The camp was quiet; possibly because Eaglestar was up on Flat Tree, or because it was the night of the Gathering, Sandpaw wasn’t sure. Either way, the GoldenClan camp was quiet.

[/size] “Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Flat Tree.” her mentor and leader’s strong mew rang out through camp. Many apprentices and warriors came out and gathered; while Sandpaw just stayed in the back, head down but ears pricked. She probably wouldn’t be going; after all she was just a newly named apprentice. ‘Yes, and a horrible one at that. I mean, you couldn‘t even catch a mousebrained squirrel!’ The small brown tabby pushed her paws into the ground beneath her, creating small craters.[/color]‘No! I’m just--I’m just new at this, that’s all…’ It seemed as if she were trying to convince herself more than anything else--and to be truthful--she probably was.[/color]

“Emberwing, Dustpelt, Adderfang, and Sandpaw will be attending tonight.” The young apprentice’s head shot up, her round jade eyes looking at Eaglestar with something akin to surprise. H-he chose her to go? With an inaudible gulp, the small sandy brown tabby made her way towards the others; her head bent down as she looked at her shuffling paws. It wasn’t as if she was ashamed--oh no! She was far from ashamed--but she was more of worried. What if she messed up on something? What if she did something wrong? She didn’t want to disappoint Eaglestar on her first Gathering meeting; he probably wouldn’t bring her again until she was a warrior! Her jade eyes glanced at the medicine cat apprentice, Pebblepaw, well, at least she had a friend there.

The small tabby followed the others; staying near the back, but still able to keep up with the others. For just a moment, she imagined that she was in Eaglestar’s position, leading her warriors towards Great Oak, for the Gathering. She imagined how great that would be; how strong and helpful she would be to the Clan, but the more she thought about it--about a leader’s duties--the more she figured she wouldn’t be so great at it. First of all, at the Gathering, you had to speak in front of tons of cats; the other leaders, deputies, and warriors of the other clans. She couldn’t even speak to one non-GoldenClan cat without them starting the conversation…with their claws sheathed of course. Another reason why she found she couldn’t be a leader; she didn’t like fighting much, it reminded her too much of Kinktail and how the horrid she-cat loved to fight.

As they reached the Thunderpath, Sandpaw paused, even as Eaglestar ordered them to go. This was her first time near it; at all. She’s heard many things about it though; such as the monsters and all, and the fact was, she was scared to cross it. She watched as the deputy and warriors, even Finchclaw and Pebblepaw crossed easily, and told herself she would follow. The stories she was told all said that the monster would be loud and bright; not a very intelligent tactic, but it was fast and powerful; a deadly combination. ‘Hah, you would be the one to get hit. Just slowing everyone around you down.’ The sandy tabby shook her head, putting one paw out on the Thunderpath. It was course and rough; and she didn’t like it.[/color] ‘Come on Sandpaw, you can do this. Just--just run across. Simple…as…that.’

So, as the others were half-way, Sandpaw trembled slightly at the thought of a monster, but hurried across the rough ground of the Thunderpath. The monsters must have tough pads as well if they only traveled on the Thunderpath and nothing else; it hurt her paws. Eaglestar had put himself as the last to cross the Thunderpath, and Sandpaw couldn’t help but admire it; after all, he made sure everyone was safely across before he himself crossed. He was willing to sacrifice one of his lives should a monster have came; and Sandpaw was glad to have the tom as a leader, and proud to call him her mentor.

They soon entered a forest, which she figured as HillClan’s territory; seeing as BrookClan cats supposedly liked water, and she’d scented the BoulderClan scent before. This was a new territory to her anyways; and the only Clan that came to mind with this territory was HillClan. They reached the Great Oak sooner than she expected, but by the time they had gotten there, the small tabby was breathing heavier than normal. She wasn’t just used to running that long a distance yet. She could only hope to get used to it soon. As Eaglestar allowed them to mingle, Sandpaw wanted to stick with Pebblepaw, but she knew that the deputies, medicine cats, and medicine cat apprentices had special places at Gatherings. So, she stuck with Dustpelt; another GoldenClan warrior. She was never one to mingle with others, not unless they spoke to her first; she was much too shy for that. So, the small tabby just sat by her clanmate, pawing at the ground; nervous because of the number of cats there--since GoldenClan was the last to arrive--and too shy to talk with anyone.[/color]

‘Like they’d want to talk to a failure like you anyways.’
‘No, I just don’t know anyone here…and I’m not--I’m not a failure…’

[ Word Count ] 885
[ Tagged ] Cats at the Gathering
[ Notes ] Again, not as long, but hope it’s good enough.

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Longstridemain.png] The call of their most esteemed leader was what lured the brown tabby tom from his place near the warrior's den, having been giving himself a thorough wash down before the gathering. Not that he thought what others thought of him was worth thinking about, or accepting. With one last luck to the fur on his shoulder, the deputy made his way to the calling of the leader. Others could say what they'd like about Patchstar, and StarClan knew he had said plenty, but there were few others he'd trust to make the right decisions in the end. Even if he really didn't agree with them all. The large tom sat, letting his fluffy tail wrap around his paws, and gave the appearing cats a once over. He dipped his head once at the obvious statement of the three first cats announced. He hadn't expected his apprentice to be asked to attend, and it seemed as if she almost hadn't been. Longstride felt his whiskers twitch in amusement at the thought of his apprentice' reaction to that. As the cats grouped together, those going at least, Longstride fell in just behind his leader, easily keeping pace with the rest of the group. The moon was lovely this night, and not for the first time was he glad that it was a giving season this moon, rather than one of the ones that took from all Clans. StarClan knew that everyone had lost family during these seasons, but what he hated most was simply the lack of food. He liked having a full belly, and prey scarce seasons were simple the worst. Not that the other seasons didn't bring their own struggles. As the group of cats cross onto territory that was far from their own in appearance. The fence of GoldenClan, and the scent change was his first clue to the stage in their group's progress. Yellow amber eyes glinted in the night, and he couldn't help but feel a the first prickles of excitement race all over him, setting in his feet. Longstride resisted the urge to run the sensation off, keeping behind his leader, though he did glance over his shoulder, seeking out his own apprentice. He wasn't overly fond of apprentices, but she wasn't a bad one as far as irritating young cats went. BrookClan was thriving, but for how long, how long until the next disaster struck, shattering them all. The dark colored deputy stopped at the motion that Patchstar made, his own tail twitching in impatience. He would of preferred to be there earlier, but he'd settle for not being the last one there. Crossing the Thunderpath made his heart pound like a rabbit's, and he paused on the other side, waiting to make sure that everyone made it across, before giving the hard, black surface a disgusted look altogether. The soft grass and dirt under paw was much more comforting than the harsh surface of the black rock like material. He'd heard of cats that died crossing that, though tonight seemed protected from such dangers. Why two-legs insisted on building things like that he'd never know. Yellow eyes caught the moon's light for a moment, before it was gone, and the trek continued. When Patchstar spoke of keeping their mouths shut and ears open, he cast a firm glance towards the apprentices present. Most didn't mean to share anything, and even warriors let things slip. Gatherings were exciting, and so mistakes were made quite clearly in the light of the moon. The results wouldn't be seen until the sun smiled on them again. Casting a stern glance at Pinepaw, the brown warrior's tail flicked once, he followed others into the clearing around the massive tree. Nightmist was already there, and he had to force himself to relax. He didn't care for the black deputy, but then again, he didn't care for two many other cats that he knew of. The muttering of the two, now three Clans was soothing, as he pushed his way through other cats. He also noticed Frostfur was there, though not in the usual place for the deputies of the Clans. Tail raised high, the sleek cat made his way over, before joining Nightmist at the base of the tree, nodding at her once before listening to the snatches of conversation he heard here and there. Nothing too important, surely, but enough to catch his attention. He could remember his own first gathering well, a memory he would always cherish. A first gathering was always exciting, it was just a matter of how you used what you learned and heard from other cats from other Clans. With a glance to the stars and moon, he wondered just how much StarClan cared for them. Enough to want them to live, and enough to give them rules, but not enough to give them a pampered life. He wished that life was different now and then, but on nights like this, he wouldn't change a thing. ----- Word Count: 827 Tags: Cats at the gathering OoC: Short, but I'm tired.

[`Doveh♥]

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Doveflightmain.png] Doveflight woke from her nap to hear a yowl from her leader Eaglestar. She had wondered why he was calling a meeting until she realized tonight was the night of the gathering. Quickly, she sprung to her paws, and bounded out into the clearing. She knew she could not be tardy to such a wonderful event. The leader called out the cats going to the gathering, whom included herself, and Finchclaw, and Pebblepaw, which was a given. She was curious of whom he was going to choose next. A few moments passed as he thought long and hard about it, and called out Emberwing, Dustpelt, Adderfang, and Sandpaw, which he picked last. She felt sympathy for the young apprentice. It seemed like everyone was so hard on her, and she was starting to be hard on herself. Her golden orbs glowed with pride as she followed Eaglestar and the others. She decided to take the back of the line, just in case of something ambushing them. She felt the need to do so, after the coyote attack that occurred during the patrol Eaglestar was on. She really thought the leader was going to be crow food if she did not step in to drive the creature off. As always, she wanted to keep her clan members safe. As they approached the thunderpath, Eaglestar halted, and looked over his shoulder to check on everyone. She gave a small nod, to let him know that everything was clear. He looked around himself to double check before calling out, "Go on." The patrol continued to move at a steady speed, and Doveflight couldn't help but to get a bit excited. She loved the gatherings, and always had since she was an young apprentice. It was all she could do when she was younger just to act calm. As she aged, she learned how to control it better, and eventually she found a balance. It did not mean though that she didn't still get a bit excited. As Doveflight glanced up she saw the night sky, and the pale white moon. It comforted her to see such a beautiful sight. It seemed like tonight was peaceful, and serene. She hoped it would remain that way once the gathering started and that all the cats would be peaceful with each other. Sometimes the gatherings could get a bit uneasy, and clans would build tensions. It wasn't a good thing, and she knew that. That was why Doveflight had always remained calm and serene even in the worst moments. She wanted peace, and that was all she would want. She did not like to fight, but would if something harmed her leader. The patrol approached the clearing with cats already there conversing, and it seemed to her they were the last clan to arrive. Her leader dropped his tail to signal the other cats to go converse with the other clans until the gathering was called. She noticed Eaglestar land on a branch beside the other leaders and dip his head in greeting. Doveflight decided to sit next to the base of the oak and dipped her head in greeting towards Nightmist the Boulderclan deputy, and Longstride. She felt really bad for being late, but at the same time she knew the gathering could now begin.

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Firestormmain.png] "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey come forth." Firestorm roused from his nest and blinked blearily into the dying light of evening. Some cats had already gathered for the meeting, and the tom joined them, sitting down and curling his tail around his paws, looking up at Raccoonstar and listening silently as he spoke. "It is time for a Gathering, and it is time to choose who will go and who will stay. Nightmist, Firethorn, and Aspenpaw, of course, shall go." Firestorm's gaze briefly fell on the three cats who had been mentioned, before his pale green gaze once more rested on the tom that sat on the Short Ledge. "The warriors Icepelt, Firestorm, and Shadowclaw will be coming. Shadepaw and Sixpaw will also be coming. The rest shall stay to watch the camp while we are gone. Guard it well; I am putting my trust in your paws." The ginger tom wasn't sure whether he was happy or not to be going to the gathering. He wasn't exactly excited, persay, but it would be interesting to find out the goings on between the four clans for himself, rather than hearing it in the morning from one of the other cats who went. He noted that Icepelt would be going too, and made a note of it to sit with her, as she was the only cat that he seemed to get along with, aside from his apprentice Featherpaw, but she wasn't going, unfortunately. The grey tom leapt down from where he had stood only moments before, his gaze rather nonchalant and emotionless. With a slight tail movement towards the cats who had been summoned to join him, he left the camp, his paws carrying him off towards the Great Oak. The ginger tom almost reluctantly sloped off behind him, finding himself alongside Icepelt, and the party made their way through different territories, leaping over a fence to be halted by Raccoonstar, who was obviously on the lookout for one of those roaring two-leg monsters with their glowing eyes. The path was clear, and on they continued, until the trees and other foliage that the path was winding through began to thin out, and the BoulderClan party found themselves at the edge of the mighty clearing, and above them loomed the Great Oak, illuminated by moonlight. It was nice, yes, but Firestorm didn't gawp, as he wasn't the kind of cat to do so, he could appreciate beauty silently. Raccoonstar said nothing else to the rest of the group, walking forward after a moment of silence and when he reached the stump of the Great Oak, he clambered upwards, and within moments he found himself sitting on one of the four large, wide branches, and on his platform he watched over the clearing, waiting for the other clans to arrive. Firestorm approached a nice spot where he could look up and easily see where the leaders and deputies would sit - or stand - and discuss things, and planting his rump on the ground, he curled his tail around his paws and a small smile found a way onto his muzzle as Icepelt joined him and sat beside him. She was one of the few adult BoulderClanners that he got on with, so he was pleased that she was there. A scent drifted towards him that made him turn to see that the cats of HillClan had appeared, and a grey she-cat made her way over to him and sat nearby, and as their eyes met for a second, they nodded in unison. It was best to be respectful, after all, and the tom turned away from her to turn his attention back to the leaders who were beginning to ascend the tree. No doubt it would all start soon, and Firestorm was rather intrigued to hear what would be said tonight. Words, 646. Tagged, Everyone in the thread, I suppose xD Notes, For the gathering <3 I WAS SILLY AND INCLUDED SLATESTRIPE IN MY FIRESTORM POST, because I'm awesome like that. I shan't be doing it again though, it's just because they're sitting near to each other. c:

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Slatestripemain.png] "Okay, er, cats old enough teh hunt the... uh, hunt in gen'ral for teh Clan — this Clan — gather all around 'ere for the news I'm about teh give. Yeah. Do it now." Whitestar's words hadn't been as orthodox as what Slatestripe imagined the other leaders would say when calling their clan to them in a meeting, but to be honest, Whitestar wasn't like any other leader that the grey tabby had heard of, and that was part of his charm. The slate coloured she-cat padded to where the other cats were beginning to congregate at the base of Sky Hill, looking up at their leader as he continued to speak, and Slatestripe smiled at his informality, which was one of the things she liked about the tom. "It's gatherin' night, now, an' we gotta go up teh the Great Oak for the talkin' and sharin' and stuff." There was a murmur of agreement from the clan, and Slatestripe was rather excited to see if she would be included in the party of HillClanners that were to go to the clan gathering this moon. As the white tom lifted his hind paw to scratch behind his ear, and poked his tongue out rather comically as he did so, Slatestripe tried her best to suppress a giggle, something that some of the apprentices and warriors couldn't do as chuckles erupted from the crowd. "Anyway, to teh cats that're gonna go: I expect y'all teh be on your best behavior. That means no fightin', no spittin', and no betrayin'. Remember — FSB. Very import'nt, there, now." A young apprentice who was sitting next to Slatestripe cocked his head to one side and queried out loud to himself. "I wonder what FSB means..." Turning to look over at the little black apprentice, Slatestripe answered his question. "It means 'No Fighting, No Spitting and No Betraying'. I don't suppose a lot of the younger generation know that, it's an acronym you learn over time whilst in the clan." The apprentice blinked up at her, blue eyes twinkling as he nodded in understanding. "Thanks, Slatestripe." The warrior nodded and smiled, before turning her attention back to her leader, just in time to hear him speak once more. "Okay! I 'ave now decided!" The tom flourished his fluffy white tail, and Slatestripe was buzzing with anticipation. "I want Slatestripe, Rookheart. Oh, an' you too, Yarrowpaw. Ya thought you could jus' git out of it like that, huh? Well no, ya can't. You're meh 'pprentice, so that means yeh follow meh everywhere. Everywhere. FSB, remember." The grey warrior fluffed out her fur slightly, feeling honored that she was one of the two warriors that Whitestar had chosen. Her gaze flickered from the black and white tom, Rookheart, and then Yarrowpaw, the ginger and white apprentice, Whitestar's apprentice to be precise. Whitestar reiterated the importance of FSB, and Slatestripe wanted to tell him not to worry so much, but she held her tongue, just pleased that she would be attending the gathering tonight. Her brown eyes followed the white tom as he left his 'podium' - aka, the hill - and made towards the exit, and she couldn't help but think that he'd forgotten something. Or someone. Several someones, in fact, and she wondered with amusement when he would realize. "Anyone gotta go teh the dirtplace? I ain't havin' anybody holdin' it in in front of teh other Clans." Slatestripe, by this time, had left the bulk of the group and was standing a little way away from the leader, near Yarrowpaw and Rookheart, who were no doubt ready to leave too. The dirtplace? No, she didn't need to relieve herself, as she had done that before the meeting, not wanting to have the urge during the gathering, if she had been chosen, and because she had, it was just as well really. "Ah, oh, woah! Heh, I forgot. Frostfur, Brightflower, and Crowpaw. Y'all come along too, now." Hiding her amusement rather well, she turned to look over at the three cats who were now joining the small party, the deputy, the medicine cat and her apprentice, as they should. After all, it wouldn't be a gathering without the other high ranks, would it? Leaving the rest of the clan behind, the small party made off down the path leading from the camp and towards the Great Oak. It didn't take them long before they stood at the entrance of the plateau, and Whitestar stopped the group before they could advance any further, to address them some more before they arrived. From what she could see, the only other clan that were there so far were BoulderClan, and Slatestripe was rather pleased that they weren't the last to arrive. "Y'all, remember, FSB. First cat teh break FSB gets dirtplace duty for a mun. And yeh, dirtplace duty. I'm makin' it real jus' for those of yeh who can't behave. Now go crazy." Slatestripe smiled and nodded towards her leader, before making her way over to the tree with confidence, planting her rump down a little way away from the cluster of BoulderClan warriors, not too close to get in their personal space, but not far enough away to seem unfriendly. Her eyes curiously raked over the cat that she found herself next to, a fiery ginger green eyed tom. Their gazes met by accident for only a second, she nodded at him and he nodded at her, no words exchanged between them but they didn't need to converse just yet, their attentions both on their leaders, who by now were both sat up the tree on their consecutive branches. Having a front row seat was very pleasing indeed, as she could clearly see the leaders and deputies as they sat on the Great Oak, and patiently, Slatestripe waited for the gathering to begin. Words, 973. Tagged, Everyone in the thread, I suppose xD Notes, For the gathering <3 I WAS SILLY AND INCLUDED FIRESTORM IN MY SLATESTRIPE POST, because I'm awesome like that. I shan't be doing it again though, it's just because they're sitting near to each other. c:

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Pebblepawmain.png] "Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey, gather here beneath the Flat Tree." Pebblepaw couldn't get there fast enough, and hastily she scrabbled over, brimming with excitement. This would be her first gathering, not only in general, but also as medicine cat apprentice. Due to her privileged rank, she would be able to attend every gathering, whereas warriors and apprentices were only chosen at random, and only a handful of them were taken along, as it wouldn't do at all to take everybody along and then for the camp to be left completely unguarded and unprotected. Just the thought of that sent a shiver down the young cat's spine, and she settled herself comfortably amongst her mother's fur, bright blue eyes attentively watching Eaglestar. "Tonight is the night of our Gathering, and I've called this meeting to announce who will have the honor of accompanying me this moon." Around her, she could hear the mutters and mumbles of excitement from other cats, and Pebblepaw was glad she she wasn't left in anticipation as to whether she would get to go or not, as she would be going anyway, and that pleased her to no end. "Doveflight, Finchclaw, and Pebblepaw, of course." Eaglestar's golden gaze swam over the forms of the three cats who were sat at the front of the meeting, and although Eaglestar looked kindly at her, there was only a real warmness in his gaze when he looked at Finchclaw and Doveflight. Of course, it was to be expected, as he probably trusted the both of them with his life and he had strong bonds with them, whereas Pebblepaw was surprised that he even knew who she was. Shaking herself slightly, she sighed under her breath. Of course he knew who she was, he would have to know, because one day she would be the medicine cat, and that may happen whilst he was still a leader, depending on how long Finchclaw held onto his position for. Pebblepaw respected her mentor and cared for him, he was like the father that she wanted, because her biological father, Mudpool, was... rather absent in her life. Her mother was attentive enough, though, so she had stability in that sense. The tom had not sat with his mate and children, and instead was somewhere towards the back of the cluster of GoldenClanners. Pebblepaw didn't bother to look over at him, she would probably upset herself if she did, and merely nuzzled into her mother more, seeking her warmth and the comfort she provided. On the other side of her was Newtpaw, and he gave her a small smile, nudging her in encouragement, the fact that he was pleased and excited for her apparent in his smile. "Emberwing, Dustpelt, Adderfang, and Sandpaw will be attending tonight." Pebblepaw perked up at the mention of her friend, and she was glad that if any other Goldenclan apprentice would be attending the gathering, it was Sandpaw. They were so similar in the sense that they were both rather shy and softspoken, and that's what made them compatible as friends, the seal-point apprentice supposed. "The rest of you need to guard our camp with great vigilance, who knows what lurks in the shadows on this night." The Goldenclan leader then surged off towards the camp's entrance, calling out to the cats who he had chosen to accompany him. "Now, lets be off!" Pebblepaw gave her mother and brother an affectionate lick on the cheek before hurrying after the party that were leaving the camp, finding herself walking alongside Finchclaw, feeling at ease with her mentor beside her. She didn't voice how nervous she was, because she didn't want to bother him with her worries, knowing that he would have quite a lot on his mind too. She looked over at her friend Sandpaw and decided to walk with her, not saying anything but showing that she knew how she felt by simply being there. There would be time to talk to her once they got to the Great Oak, after all. A feeling of dread built up in her stomach when the apprentice heard the dull roar of the monsters that travelled over the Thunderpath, and she shot a worried look at the leader, who merely uttered an encouraging and resolute "Okay, go on." Pebblepaw took a deep breath, and after shooting Sandpaw a supporting smile, she rushed over the hot tarmac with the others, looking back over her shoulder, relieved to see that the sandy hued apprentice was hot on her heels. She admired the fact that Eaglestar had waited until everyone else was safely across before he crossed the Thunderpath, and in that moment, felt safe knowing that he was their leader. They finally reached the Great Oak and as the leader neared the base of the tree, he paused for a second, before lowering his tail, a prompt for the rest of the group to disperse as they wished. Pebblepaw smiled over at her mentor, the pretty deputy Doveflight and the strong leader Eaglestar - although he was facing the other way so he wouldn't have seen it - before she turned away to focus on Sandpaw, who looked rather overwhelmed by it all. "Hi Sandpaw, can I sit with you during the gathering? Seeing as I don't have to sit in a designated place like the other high rankers, thank goodness." She smiled, before her attention was torn from her friend to the rather handsome Boulderclan medicine cat apprentice who was making his way towards her. She sat down where she stood, at the edge of the Goldenclan group, and motioned to Sandpaw to sit next to her, whilst leaving room for Aspenpaw to sit with them if he wished to stay. He seemed to have something to say to her, anyway, and she felt a little flustered and tongue-tied the longer she looked at him. He sat down beside her, and looked rather.... awkward, hunched over. As he looked up, his mismatched gaze searched her big blue eyes, and she felt her face flush. "Um.....so, you're the medicine cat apprentice of GoldenClan, right?" "Y-Yes... I'm Pebblepaw, but you probably know that. You must be Aspenpaw, right?" She flicked her gaze over at Sandpaw and smiled at her, not wanting her to feel left out, so she decided to introduce her as well. "Oh, and this is my friend, Sandpaw." Words, 1072. Tagged, Everyone in the thread, I suppose xD Notes, For the gathering <3 Pebblepaw and Aspenpaw will be such a cute couple :'D My longest post out of all three, yay c:

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[Aaronoid]

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[atrb=background,http://i295.photobucket.com/albums/mm141/Spottedbelly/Shadepawmain.png] Had the moon been hidden it would have been almost impossible to distinguish Shadepaw’s dark pelt from the shadows that swathed him. But the sky was clear and the moon shone bright that night, and the tips of the dark apprentice’s fur were bristling silver as he paced about the camp grounds. The tom knew from talk around the camp that tonight was the night of the gathering, and he was determined to go. What kind of warrior would he make if he didn’t attend these important events? Shadepaw sat down and unsheathed his claws, scratching at the rock beneath him impatiently, his eyes flickering every so often to the leader’s den. An old she-cat nearby glanced at him in annoyance, telling him to stop making such a racket with his claws. Shadepaw glared at the elder spitefully, ready to retaliate when a shadow up on Short Ledge caught his eye. Raccoonstar stood tall before the clan, his yellow eyes surveying them all. The black tom rose to his feet, staring up at his mentor with fiery determination. He had to go to this gathering. He had to. Raccoonstar was his mentor, he’d definitely take him. Shadepaw narrowed his eyes as the striped leader spoke, listing off names of cats to come. He glared unwaveringly at his mentor, debating on how to convince the leader to take him. Then his name was called. The black tom first emotion was surprise at this easy victory. It was true that he had expected to go as Raccoonstar was his mentor but some part of him must have doubted himself. His next emotions were pride and excitement. The tom raised his head smugly, smirking as Raccoonstar told those left behind to guard the camp. Although Shadepaw detested the mere mention of cats beyond the borders of Boulderclan, he felt a strange, kit-like curiosity which drove him to want to learn more about these clans. His eyes narrowed resolutely. And the more he learnt about them, the more information Boulderclan would have when they attacked them. The black apprentice smiled. Yes! He must use tonight as an opportunity to gain as much knowledge as possible about the other cats so that one day, his clan would have the advantage above them in battle! The selected group of cat’s began to depart and Shadepaw hurried to follow them. The clan moved swiftly, and the young apprentice struggled to keep up with his short legs. He wrinkled his nose in disgust at the scent that flooded him when he entered the rippling fields of Goldenclan. What cat would want to live here? He thought, shaking the long stalks away from his fur. As the clan crossed the Thunderpath, the scent changed to a woody smell which Shadepaw assumed to be Hillclan’s. He sniffed critically at the large tree’s that surrounded them, the undergrowth that engulfed the small path Raccoonstar had chosen to travel by. Did Hillclan cats ever see the sun with this sort of foliage? No sooner had he thought it, the tree’s began to thin and all at once a large clearning materialized, a great oak tree at its heart. Shadepaw gazed at it fascination, watching as Raccoonstar nimbly leapt up its branches to take his place. As he watched the black tom’s awe transformed into determination. “I’ll be up there someday” he told himself resolutely, his pale eyes glinting, never once leaving the great tree. The sight of two unfamiliar tom’s climbing up the trunk broke the young apprentice’s daze. The clearing had been empty when Boulderclan had arrived but as Shadepaw looked around, he realized that the clearing was quickly filling up. He moved around slowly between the crowds, listening and trying to distinguish the different scents from one another. That grey cat near Firestorm had the same woody smell that surrounded them here, While that long furred tom over there, beside Nightmist, held some strange scent that Shadepaw guessed was Brookclans. The bulky apprentice suddenly spotted a familiar face and trotted up to Aspenpaw who had been looking pretty sulky since they left camp. Shadepaw hadn’t thought much of it, too concerned with his plans to obtain information on the other clans. “Hey Aspenpaw! Have you seen any…” The black tom stopped speaking abruptly as he noticed the two cats beside Aspenpaw; an undersized tabby and a mottled she-cat with striking blue eyes. “Oh” he rumbled frostily. They smelled of the tall fields he had crossed coming here. Shadepaw instantly felt on edge and his eyes narrowed as he looked from the two apprentices to Aspenpaw. Although he knew that as a medicine cat apprentice, Aspenpaw would be neutral in inter-clan conflicts, Shadepaw didn’t feel comfortable being face to face with enemy cats. He cleared his throat, still eyeing the two Goldenclan apprentices suspiciously. “And who might you two be?” he questioned rudely, sitting back onto his haunches, not quite relaxed enough to sit comfortably. -- Word Count | 824 Comments | Finally got round to posting this. Shadepaw has lovely manners =)

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