[Fate Admin]

Ravenstar paced at the entrance to camp, waiting for the Gathering patrol to assemble. It was already over two long moons into leaf-bare and the cruel season’s icy claws showed no signs of loosening their grip on the Clans. TreeClan had so far been quite obliging of their prey-stealing, but Ravenstar was expecting a rebuke tonight. The Gathering of last moo had not happened due to snowclouds covering the moon. They hadn’t even seen silverpelt shining above them for nights upon nights last moon, but tonight was clear and the full moon hung bright and heavy in the sky. Ravenstar would rather avoid these Gatherings, but it was at least a good place to judge their enemies’ strength. She didn’t think it was any business of the other Clans what was happening in NightClan and always kept her reports short and concise without giving much of anything away. It was her duty as leader, and so she did it, even if she really didn’t want to. She would much rather just send Boneshadow to do it, but that would be seen as a sign of weakness by the other Clans… if NightClan showed up led by their deputy rather than their leader.

She fluffed out her considerably fluffy fur against the chill of the night and looked over the cats that had gathered. Every cat was there, it seemed, as was confirmed by a nod from her deputy. With that she whisked about and bounded out of camp. The faster they got there, the sooner they could leave. She did not glance behind her as she led the way toward StarClan’s Claws, she knew her Clan was there. There was that positive about the night of the Gathering; a strong patrol of cats behind her, giving her pride in her Clan and the simple fact that she led them. The snow was deep now, but was strong enough to hold her light weight without breaking at this point. The same perhaps could not be said for the largest members of her Clan, but Ravenstar moved almost effortlessly over the snow without worry of struggling through snow taller than she was, leaving only a light dusting of pawprints behind her on the freshest of the fallen snow.

Finally they came to StarClan’s claws, crossing the river at a point completely frozen over by thick ice. Normally they used a convenient set of stones jutting from the river to cross without getting too wet, but with the river mostly frozen they weren’t necessary. The clearing was empty, it appeared they were the first Clan to arrive. Good. Without pause, Ravenstar continued toward the Great Rock, circling around to a specific spot which she had learned to use in order to not make a fool of herself. There was a slight outcrop about halfway up the rock here which she could leap up to before leaping to the very top of the rock. She was simply too small to make the leap all the way to the top in one go and it always made her pelt burn when she had to use this step up in front of the other Clans. She preferred being early to avoid making a spectacle of herself… but at least it wasn’t quite so bad as watching her leap and scrabble when she had first tried to scale the rock in one leap. One of the other leaders had helped her up, much to her embarrassment. After that she had come back to StarClan’s Claws on her own to find a better way up.

She settled herself atop the Great Rock, fur still fluffed up against the cold and tail curled tightly around herself. She closed her eyes, allowing her other senses to alert her to the arrival of the other Clans and listening briefly to what her own cats might be chatting about. She willed the others to hurry up and get here so this could be over and done with already.

NightClan Invited Cats
Boneshadow
Smokefur
Mudstep
Blackwolf
Dogfang
Ratfur
Halfmask
Frogpaw
Clawpaw
Shadepaw
Harepaw

OOC: This Gathering takes place in the middle of leaf-bare, as suggested in my post. Please read the Gathering Guidelines HERE before posting.

[Fawn]

This leafbare had been hard, just like all the others that had come before. However, there were a few things that were different in the sharp golden eyes of the dense-furred, lion-like tom standing at the top of the ridge. For starters, he was the one leading his Clan through troubled times, not begging to go to the gathering as an apprentice, or padding after his leader and deputy as a warrior, or even circling back through the group three times more to make sure everyone that was going was in attendance, as deputy.

With a flick of his tail, the golden tom signaled for TreeClan to rise as one and follow after him, his muscles leaner, body thinner due to the harshness of the season and the scarcity of the prey, but he presented himself as strongly as he needed to.

There was one more thing that had changed since so many moons ago; this season was slamming into them with the force of a wild boar, there was a storm brewing on the horizon, and NightClan had much to answer for. All the half-buried bones, the faint pungent tang of their swamp-dwelling neighbors... It was enough to make his pelt prickle and his paws burn, claws threatening to unsheathe and sink into the next thing that dared cross over into TreeClan's territory.

He had a right to be angry, he reasoned. Yes Ravenstar had probably been trying to only feed her Clan, but his Clan could not afford such involuntary sharing of prey. NightClan's troubles were NightClan's troubles, not TreeClan's. A younger Lionstar would have worried over taking such a cold, unfriendly stance towards the other Clans in such a turbulent season, but the older, more experienced Lionstar with many mouths to feed and lives to protect, wasn't having any such nonsense.

"Not a word about Elderpaw, or NightClan Cats in our territory - I will handle that - if anyone asks, tell them all is fine. Let's go," Lionstar mewed to the crowd of cats, meeting the many many eyes upon him with his own look of steeled sureness and confidence. He chanced a smile and a proud dip of his head, waving them into the gathering place with another flick of his tail.

He felt the energy of righteous indignation as well as the pride that came with his first ever gathering as TreeClan's leader, his chest filling with the strength of having the whole Clan moving behind him. Lionstar spotted the small black and white she-cat at once, and he resisted the urge to spit at her in cold fury; instead, he veiled his contempt and gave a curt nod of greeting, clearing the jump to the Great Rock with inward satisfaction.

Now all they needed was RainClan, LightningClan and StoneClan.

An uneasy thought flitted up from the back of his mind. Would Smokeface and all her ilk be there? Doesn't matter. She wouldn't dare ruin a gathering just to start trouble with me. At least, the golden ticked tom sincerely hoped not. He tried to center his thoughts back to the other leaders; RainClan had been leaderless, last he'd known, actually they'd been in shambles since the flooding... So who would be joining he and the other leaders this cold, cold night in Leafbare?

The golden tom sat with statuesque stillness, gazing out from the great rock like a lion overlooking his pride.

He'd just have to wait and see.


TreeClan Invited Cats

Smallshine
Spottedfeather
Firecrystal
Cougarflight
Sunburst
Lionsong
Nobleheart
Sandstrike
Mountainpaw
Goldleaf
Sparrowpaw
Foxpaw
Emberstorm

[Deleted]

With coaxing from her Clanmates, the leader reluctantly forced herself to eat a small bit of meager prey that had been caught, leaving the rest for the queens. In the midst of winter, prey was scarce; however, this year had been by far one of the worst. Fallingstar had always been a thin cat; but now she seemed to be nothing more than a thin pelt of fur draped over a frame of bones, and the other StoneClan cats were no better off.

The chilled air felt like ice inside of the she-cat's lungs; with every breath a series of prickles bothered her chest, and with the evening setting in, the feeling was only getting worse. The tall she-cat, easy to spot among the crowd of cats, weaved her way to the entrance of camp to wait for the cats she had requested to gather for a Gathering patrol. In all honesty, the she-cat's heart was beating at a more rapid pace than usual and she could feel the warm blood coursing through her ears; her stomach was in knots.

But it was Fallingstar's usual disheartened face that portrayed her nervousness. Of course, she would manage to straighten up by the time they reached StarClan's claws, but as she waited for the crowd, she was far from leader-like. By dusk, Silverpelt had already consumed the sky, illuminating everything is a dim silver light; it was then that the group of cats set out for the gathering. With each step, Fallingstar stood up taller, her eyes hardened and her jaw tightened; the image was in high contrast to what she appeared to be just before leaving camp. It was almost as if they were two completely different cats.

StoneClan arrived just in the middle of the group; with her head held high, Fallingstar led her group of cats into the circle and walked deliberately towards the great rock. In a swift leap, she took her place beside the two present leaders, the motion effortless despite her evident ribs. The StoneClan leader ignored the fact that her malnutrition was obvious, and instead greeted the other Clanleaders with a respectful and curt nod. "Greetings, Ravenstar, Lionstar," the she-cat meowed, her eyes narrowing on the newbie TreeClan leader. Apparently, she would no longer be the youngest of the Clan leaders.

Standing on the great rock and waiting for a response, Fallingstar mentally went over all of her announcements. As she had done previously, the she-cat had pre-planned what to say and what to omit when she addressed the four other Clans. Of course, she would introduce Ivypaw as Blackeagle's apprentice (it was something of relief there had not been a Gathering the previous moon; it meant his single absence wouldn't be noticeable) but beside that there was little to say.

StoneClan Invited Cats
Falconleap
Blackeagle
Eagletalon
Hailstrike
Fawnchaser
Honeynose
Batear
Frozenrain
Chillstep
Ivypaw
Badgerpaw
Cricketpaw
Swiftpaw[/sub]

[Phoenix]

It seemed as though ice made up the majority of their territory. Their smaller streams had frozen over almost immediately, but even their larger rivers were slowly losing the fight against the cold. While his anxiety and worry grew, the amount of moving water seemed to shrink by the day, and for the first time in a long while, RainClan was suffering just as much as the other clans during leaf-bare. In past seasons, they could rely on part of the river to remain unfrozen and be a somewhat reliable source of prey for the clan during the harsh moons. But StarClan seems to have decided to take that away from us as well, Sandstar thought grimly as he glanced to the side at said body of water. Ice now coated the edges, strong enough to hold his weight, and it slowly moved farther inward, stretching out to meet its companion on the other side. The tom dreaded the way when the two ends would meet.

Shoving down his worry, he forced himself to refocus his thoughts on the Gathering. In his lifetime, he had attended many; however, this would be his first as leader, and he would by lying if he claimed that nervousness was not holding a Gathering of its own down in his gut. Speaking during the Gatherings was a new aspect of being RainClan's leader that he had barely considered, but now that he gave it some thought, Sandstar realized that it was an important one. After all, the leader's words and physical appearance were used to judge a clan's strength. That was what he had done for past Gatherings, and nothing would stop other cats from doing the same to him. Yellow eyes flicked from the stream to face forward as he raised his head slightly.

Outlined against the night sky, the spires of rock stood ahead of them, looming over the patrol and looking more like claws than ever. Pausing slightly, Sandstar gathered his thoughts and shoved his nerves away with a brief lick of his chest fur. It would not do to show any weakness. Then, tail flicking through the the air, he lead his patrol of cats into the clearing.

They were greeted by the scents of TreeClan, StoneClan and NightClan, signifying that they were on the later side. Yellow eyes glanced around the area as cats began to mingle before turning their focus toward the large boulder in the middle of the clearing. He recognized Ravenstar and Fallingstar from previous Gatherings and assumed that the large golden tom was Lionstar, TreeClan's new leader. With relative ease, he launched himself onto the Great Rock, pleased with the lack of any scrambling for a hold. Nodding, he greeted the other three leaders, voice even, "Hello, Ravenstar, Fallingstar, Lionstar."

As he took his place, Sandstar idly wondered if they would recognize him; he had, after all, been Sandstripe the last time he had been seen by any of them.

RainClan Invited Cats
Razorfang
Swanfeather
Amberwave
Blizzardclaw
Blue-eyes
Vultureback
Tideripple
Honeygaze
Redpaw
Russetpaw
Flashpaw
Flickerpaw

[Deleted]

Redwind paced up and down outside the Warriors' Den anxiously, her fretful amber gaze darting around camp faster than a rabbit could run. Blazestar was ill and she was to lead her clan to the gathering. The yellow-ginger tabby she-cat hadn't quite been prepared for this sudden change of plan, as it was also her first gathering as LightningClan's new deputy, she would have to announce herself!
Glancing up at the sky, she knew her and the gathering party would have to leave soon. The light was fading and the occasional warrior of StarClan lit up the blue-green sky. Fluffing up her fur against the blistering cold wind, she made up her mind.
Redwind sprinted to the top of the small hill that towered over LightningClan's camp, more commonly known to the clan as the Hill Top. In a loud clear voice, she spoke, "Cats of LightningClan, the gathering party will leave shortly," she began, her amber gaze sweeping across the camp, "Unfortunately, Blazestar is unable to attend due to sickness, no details are to be given to the other clans on this illness as they could see it as a weakness," she warned.
"Warriors not attending will guard the camp, other than that, I believe we are ready to go."
She scrambled down the hillside, skidding to a stand still by the gathering group of cats, all eager to get to the gathering. Redwind didn't blame them, it was just so cold!
Nodding to them, she led the way out of camp and in the direction of StarClan's Claws.

The LightningClan deputy didn't speak much on the journey to the gathering place, instead taking time to ponder quietly to herself. She would have to inform the other clans of Emberstar's death of course, and that Blazestar had recieved his nine lives. The new apprentices would also have to be mentioned, Icepaw, Frostpaw and Snowpaw. Redwind had made sure that all three of Dovesong's kits had been included in the gathering party, so that they would be there to hear their names called out in the presence of the four other clans.
She smiled; though Leaf-bare presented new challenges, at least there was new life in LightningClan, after all, they were the warriors of the future.
It wasn't long before Redwind realised they had almost reached the gathering place. Swallowing nervously, she turned to face the rest of LightningClan's gathering party.
"Remember," she whispered, "Not a word about Blazestar's illness, just that he is recovering."
That was what she had told the clan, that their leader was recovering. Though, to be truthful, Redwind had no idea what was wrong with him. Even though he had nine lives, that didn't stop her worrying.
Shaking a snowflake from one forepaw, she took a deep breath and strode into the clearing. She carried herself in a dignified way, her tail pointing towards the now starlit sky.
It seemed they were the last clan to arrive. Dipping her head curtly to the cats, she made her way to the other leaders.
"Greetings, Ravenstar, Lionstar, Fallingstar, Sandstripe," she nodded to each cat in turn. She would explain about Blazestar later, but for now, she took time to admire StarClan's Claws. There was something quite eerie, Redwind found, about the gathering place. Five oddly shaped stones made a circle around the large rock where each leader stood. They curved slightly, the further up the yellow-ginger tabby she-cat looked, until at the top they were pointed and sharp, almost like claws.
A shudder ran down Redwind's spine as her gaze swept across the clearing. It's okay, they're just cats, like you and all the other warriors in LightningClan, she told herself, It's not like they're gonna leap out and attack you!
It felt strange, being up on the great boulder, gazing down at her clanmates. She could see the deputies, settled at the foot of the boulder, I should be down there, not here!

LightningClan Invited Cats
Rookfrost
Snowpaw
Cloudflight
Rapidwind
Sleetshine
Lightdawn
Dovesong
Tawnyleaf
Frostpaw
Icepaw
Spiderpaw

[Fate Admin]

Ravenstar turned her gaze as the scent of TreeClan blew over her, watching the neighbor Clan as they streamed into the circle of StarClan’s Claws. She turned away as Lionstar gave her a short nod, only flicking her ear in response to show she had seen and acknowledge him. Her gaze slowly scanned the land in the direction of the Clans who had yet to arrive. Lionstar was a fairly new leader, but sharing a border with his Clan, NightClan had heard the news soon enough after his trip to the Moon Tree. Ravenstar glanced sideways at him briefly, her fur ruffling slightly. He was the very picture of what most cats imagined when they thought of a leader. Her head barely reached his shoulders. Her pale gaze narrowed in annoyance and she had the urge to attempt to sit up taller, stretch herself, but she suppressed it. It would be a feeble attempt, and pointless, at trying to reach Lionstar’s height.

She spotted StoneClan as they were arriving and followed Fallingstar’s path to the Great Rock. She resisted the urge to curl her lip. StoneClan… they hardly deserved the title of Clan, what with the stories of their past, before they rejoined the four Clans here in the Valley. Her gaze narrowed at the other leader as she greeted herself and Lionstar, but she gave Fallingstar no more attention than she had given Lionstar. She would think Fallingstar would be used to it by now; Ravenstar rarely saw fit to pay much attention to the StoneClan leader at any Gathering before and that certainly wasn’t going to change now.

The next Clan to join them brought the unmistakable stench of fish and wet fur with them and Ravenstar simply sighed, wishing LightningClan would hurry up so they could leave already. The tom that joined them on the Great Rock was a stranger to her. She remembered seeing him on occasion, perhaps at Gatherings or border patrols, but she had no idea as to his name, which vexed her. She gave him a slight nod in return greeting, sizing him up. She knew RainClan had gone through something of a disaster recently. There had been a short period of time where NightClan’s other neighbors had not renewed their scent markers, nor had any of her border patrols seen or heard from a RainClan patrol. She did not know exactly what had happened with that, other than that there had been flooding. NightClan had felt the effects of the flooding as well, though not as bad as RainClan had. Deadstar had not been leader for that long… had he lost all his lives in the flooding? She was eager to hear what this newcomer might say, and to hear what any of her Clanmates might have to say about RainClan after the Gathering was over.

Finally LightningClan arrived and she watched another stranger leap up to join them. This she-cat was even more a stranger to Ravenstar than the tom. NightClan did not share a border with LightningClan and Ravenstar honestly could not recall ever seeing her before, though she probably had at some Gathering or another. Where was Blazehawk…? Or Blazestar as he probably was now. Last she had heard Emberstar had been deathly ill and on her last legs. Surely Blazehawk hadn’t died as well; he was young and strong. Her gaze narrowed slightly at the she-cat, but her ears perked as she addressed them all. Sandstripe. Her gaze returned to the RainClan tom. Was this his name, or was he Sandstar now? And how did this LightningClan cat know him? This would be an interesting Gathering indeed.

She shifted slightly, speaking for the first time, “Seeing as we have so many new…,” she paused, her gaze hovering over the LightningClan she-cat and Sandstripe or Sandstar, whatever the case may be, “Leaders… you may decide amongst yourselves which of you will speak first. I will speak last for NightClan…,” her gaze shifted to Lionstar briefly. If Lionstar spoke first, she might be forced to respond instead of speaking last. He would surely want answers for their prey stealing. Ravenstar would tell him the truth, when the time came. She had no plans to stop her warriors from feeding their Clan, no matter where the prey came from.

[Hellion]

SHADEPAW
Behind his mentor and beside his sister, Shadepaw walked carefully, confused with himself about attending the gathering. He was thrilled yes, but knowing he was caught by an apprentice not to long ago and suffered a great lashing by his brother, he wasn't to thrilled to see TreeClan cats, knowing they would possibly boast about beating a stupid cat, which Shadepaw felt he was. He tried to stay positive but instead he just kept his head low and as they reached the gathering place he didn't bother with mingling and kept himself near his mentor, never more than a tail length away.

LIONSONG
Understanding why Lionstar requested no one talk about NighClan stealing prey she nodded her head, after all Duskpaw had been the one to face a cat head on and come back a winner so she exclaimed. Lionsong felt a little pride in the young she-cat but didn't outwardly show it, after all leaf-bare was long and hard and while it didn't excuse NightClan's actions she didn't feel it was fair to cause any large rift in the ties of the Five Clans.

Once they had arrived she kept close to Sandstrike, not in the sense that they were mates but friends, her tail tucked neatly over her paws she kept her expression friendly but reserved, she didn't care to much for making friends.

FALCONLEAP
Taking her place with the other deputies she scanned the crowds for Vultureback scenting fish in the air she turned to see the warrior but didn't make a move toward him. She was unsure of how to treat the warrior around other members of his Clan instead she sought out to meet his gaze.

SWANFEATHER
Taking the lead of her apprentice Swanfeather went to sit beside the usual location of where all the Medicine cats gathered, she didn't speak to any cats but flicked her tail for Flickerpaw to sit beside her, her gaze scanning the crowd, wondering if Lionstar would talk about Elderpaw, the loner who shouldn't be a medicine cat.

TIDERIPPLE
The trek to StarClan's claws was effortless but he felt he aged many moons, it was cold and his fur didn't keep him as warm as he would have hoped. However, his mood was light and he sought out a few friends he made over his moons in other Clans but was slightly upset he didn't seem them right off, but his kept his hopes up.

SPIDERPAW
With his mis-matched eyes narrowed Spiderpaw followed Redwind into the gathering and sat with dislike clear on his face, he didn't care for any cat and didn't even meet the gaze of most. One cat apprentice age did come up to greet him but he snarled at him before he could even introduced himself, Spiderpaw hated being without his twin.

[/size]

[Deleted]

[This is going to take a long time. xD]

Sandstrike
The sandy-furred tom followed Lionstar obediently, his mew ringing in his ears. "Not a word about Elderpaw, or NightClan Cats in our territory - I will handle that - if anyone asks, tell them all is fine. Let's go."
Sandstrike still couldn't believe that NightClan had dared steal their prey. Yes, leaf-bare was hard, harder than usual, but that was no excuse to steal another clan's prey, especially when the other clans could spare no prey.
If he were leader, he would've already attacked NightClan's camp, that would teach them. But then again, that could've caused unecessary bloodshed and besides, TreeClan were weak enough already.
Carrying himself in a dignified way, he filed into the clearing behind his clanmates and began to mingle with the other clans, being sure to steer clear of NightClan.
He noticed, with a smile, that Lionsong had stuck closely to his side. It was great to have a friend like her that he could always rely on. Privately, what he wished for was to be more than friends, but that was discuss in another time and place, not here and now in those circumstances.
His piercing blue gaze trailed up to the rock in the centre of the clearing, where Ravenstar already sat and Lionstar began to climb. StoneClan arrived shortly after them, looking thin as ever, followed by RiverClan led by a tom that he didn't recognise. Sandstrike frowned, but kept his thoughts to himself.
Leaning closer to Lionsong, he whispered, "Do you think LightningClan are coming?"
As if to answer his question, LightningClan filed into the clearing led by a yellow-ginger tabby she-cat. He had heard that Emberstar had died lately, so surely it should be Blazehawk, or Blazestar,leading them now?

Ivypaw
Ivypaw was so excited. It's my first gathering! It's my first gathering! her thoughts rang in her head excitedly. Bouncing from paw to paw, she followed the rest of the gathering party obediently. Not a single word slipped from her jaws as they travelled, but the creamy-furred apprentice could feel the excitement in the air. Fallingstar would be announcing her as the StoneClan Medicine Cat Apprentice in the presence of all the other clans. StarClan's Claws wasn't quite as magnificent as the Moon Tree, but Ivypaw still found it breathtaking. There are so many cats!
Her youthful green gaze searched the moving bodies for a fluffy white pelt. She found it easily, amongst the NightClan cats and smiling, she bounded over.
"Hi Snowpaw!" she mewed cheerily.

Swiftpaw
Swiftpaw had never been to a gathering before, despite being almost four moons into his apprenticeship. Deep down the dark grey tom was excited, but Swiftpaw was rather shy when around new cats and found it very difficult to make new friends so he doubted he would be mingling with any of the other clans today.
He stayed close to Granitepaw's side, as the smoky grey apprentice was his only friend, though emerging into the clearing he found himself wandering away from his clanmates. There were so many cats, Swiftpaw felt a little intimidated so quickly returned to the StoneClan cats, but deep down, he was still excited at being there.

Honeygaze
Fluffing up her golden tabby fur against the bitter night air, Honeygaze followed Sandstar and her clanmates obediently, her head lowered and not a word escaping her jaws. At least in the cold days of leaf-bare she had her long pelt to keep her warm.
She loved gatherings, especially meeting all the cats in the other clans. She followed the rest of the gathering party into the clearing and immediately began to break away from them once amongst the other clans' presence. NightClan, TreeClan and StoneClan had already arrived, so it was just LightningClan to arrive now. Settling amongst some warriors from TreeClan and RainClan, Honeygaze's amber gaze rested on the leaders sitting up on the boulder.
Ravenstar looked as small and skinny as ever, and Lionstar and Fallingstar too seemed to be suffering. The golden tabby she-cat had never known a leaf-bare like this before. For once, she had an empty belly.
At least her golden fur covered up the fact that her ribs were visible. Sighing, she waited patiently, tail tucked around her paws, for LightningClan to arrive and for the gathering to begin.

Redwind
Feeling rather self-conscious with so many eyes on her, Redwind began to lap at her paler yellow-ginger tabby chest fur, trying to hide the fact that her ribs were showing. She didn't want LightningClan to seem weak, whether it was true or not. Once a little more confident about her appearance, she looked up at the other leaders. She felt so out of place here.
Swallowing nervously, she bowed her head to the other leaders to signify that they could speak before her, after all, Redwind wasn't even a leader.
The yellow-ginger tabby sat up a little taller, her amber gaze showing no emotion. She didn't want the other clans picking up on her nerves.

[Deleted]

The dark ginger she-cat fell into step with her Clan, short coat fluffed out against the cold. As they ran across the snow, Emberstorm found herself between two of the apprentices, and she smiled. It hadn't been long since she had been an apprentice herself, and she remembered the first time she ever attended a Gathering. She had been newly apprenticed, and with her brothers, she had trotted into the circle of stones, feeling impossibly small and overwhelmed by the sheer number of cats there.

Emberstorm's ears flicked back as she remembered Stonepaw, her brother, but her sadness was soon replaced by anger as she remembered the reason he was gone. With a quick shake of her head, the fiery she-cat pushed those thoughts out of her mind, focusing now on what was to come.

The Clan reached StarClan's Claws, and Emberstorm paused for a moment before passing between the odd pointed stones, a shudder racing down her back. The stones were eerie, lit by the full moon, and though it was a place of peace, still creeped her out a bit.

Still, she made it to the Gathering without amiss, and as the other Clans began to arrive, Emberstorm padded calmly among them, not really saying much other than a few hellos.

[Deleted]

Smokefur sauntered out of camp after Ravenstar when she was given the go ahead with the rest of her clan, she was as light as her slight and honestly laughably small sister Ravenstar. She could laugh about her lack of size as a medicine cat, and she was sure even as a warrior she would find a way to manage. It didn’t anger her like it did Ravenstar, she rather liked being a small feminine cat as she felt it reflected her rather well as well as making her a less threatening medicine cat. Ravenstar however took it rather personally that she was a fluffy pintsized ball of piss and vinegar. The medicine cat made her way easily through the snow blown landscape, and before she knew it they were at starclans claws.

It didn’t take but a moment for her to realize that they were the first clan there, so she went and sat rather secluded from the rest of her clans where the Medicine cats would gather soon. She closed her eyes and calmed herself, she was positive it was going to be a rather heated gathering and actually feared the clouds covering the large, bright moon that hung in the sky. She calmed herself and assured herself that Ravenstar would handle any such situations that arose against Nightclan. She however couldn’t mellow the feeling that Nightclan may deserve the scorn and criticism. It was long before the other clans started to show up, Smokefur sat in silence as she was joined in the clearing by throngs of distinctly scented cats from other clans. She was flanked by medicine cats and their apprentices but still she didn’t speak, she was much too anxious to try and make small talk.

[Deleted]

Harepaw

[/size]
She had been excited when she found out that she was going to the gathering. It was still her first moon in training, but if what the other apprentices had told her, this was normal. It was so Ravenstar could announce the new apprentices to the rest of the clans. Not that she really liked to be in the spotlight on that, but she guessed that it was necessary for it to happen, and history for the clans. She walked beside her brother and behind her mentor and she looked around the forest as they walked through it.

When they reached the area for the gathering, she looked around at all of the other cats and fear started to sink into her. She looked around and ran to catch up with her mentor. She was not going to leave her side at all. Not unless she was forced away, which Harepaw hoped would not happen at all.

Firecrystal[/size]
Lionstar said no talking about NightClan stealing prey. She nodded her understanding, but it burnt her veins still. She just wanted the other clans to stay away from TreeClan territory, was that too much to ask for. The young she-cat walked behind her clan as they traveled to the gathering. Her tail flicked as she walked and she watched everything and everyone, at least, as much as she could. She wandered over to a shady area when they reached the gathering area and she sat down.

Sharing tongues with other clans was not a thing for this she-cat. She made sure that she always stayed with her clan, and away from the others. If not, something one of the other cats might say, could cause a fight, and she did not want to be the cause of StarClan getting mad at the clans. So alone she stayed, others could come up to her, it would not harm her, but they should know by now to watch what they say, hopefully. The ginger she-cat licked at her healing leg and she watched the rest of the cats.

Blackeagle[/size]
The tom made sure that his clan had enough herbs laying around in case something happened. He knew that a few of the cats knew the basic herbs, and that could tie someone over until he arrived back. Blackeagle saw that Ivypaw was happy to be going and he nodded lightly. He walked behind his clan, watching for any kind of injury that might happen. He made sure to keep his eyes peeled for intruders as well. He knew that a yowl could get a few of his clan mates to be back behind the clan in a heartbeat. He knew that nothing like that would happen from another clan, for the gathering, but loners and rouges are a different story.

When they reached the gathering, he walked over to where the medicine cats sit and he saw Swanfeather.. He looked around at the other cats in the area and he sighs lightly. He looks back at the other Swanfeather and nods. "I trust your clan is well." He started up the simple conversation.

Blueeyes[/size]
The white she-cat walked with her clan to the gathering. She was tired yes, but it was just a small price to pay for helping her clan. The she-cat stifled a yawn as she walked to the familiar place. She knew the cats going with, but she was not in the mood to talk just yet. The only cat whom she really spent time with was Blizzardclaw, but she knew that was just a friendship, if it could be called that. They still did not like each other to much. She let the thoughts go as she walked into the gathering with her clan and she looks around. She saw a ginger she-cat sitting alone and the medicine cats starting to gather together.

She sighs and walks over to where the bulk of her clan sat and she settled beside them all. She looks up at the leaders as the rest of the clans showed up.

Lightdawn[/size]
The she-cat knew no body and she was starting to consider herself a loner to this. Her clan was at the gathering and she looked around. The last time she had been at a gathering, she was Lightpaw. There was no way she would recognize anybody. It was not that she was a troublemaker, it was the fact that she was always hunting and paroling, that she was too tired to go to the gatherings. The she-cat settled next to her clan and she watched as the gathering should start soon. She sighed lightly and she looked around to see if she found anyone whom she remembered. No such luck right now.

[/blockquote][/blockquote]

[Fawn]

LIONSTAR

"I will speak second." Chimed the golden tom immediately. His reasons for not speaking first were simple; it would not be polite for the first words officially spoken at this gathering to be a personal attack against NightClan. As much as Ravenstar's insolent, dismissive behavior towards him and his Clan infuriated him, Lionstar had been through this rodeo before. As deputy he had felt the same animosity towards his Clan that Ravenstar had been projecting. In the beginning, he had mistaken her for a NightClan apprentice misbehaving by standing where the leaders usually did, and the look she had given him could have frozen fire.

I guess she uh...never quite got over that. Though he'd been mortified at the time, Lionstar couldn't help but feel a small inner purr of satisfaction over it now. NightClan WILL be held accountable for what they have done. He would personally see to that.

ROOKFROST

There were no such words to describe the deepseated level of disdain he was feeling right now. He hated gatherings; it wasn't a matter of finding them tedious or boring or somehow just beneath his intelligence, it was literal loathing so intense he very nearly brought that storm cloud of dispassion with him upon arrival. Quickly putting a cap on the no doubt insidious fumes his agitated, black soul was leaking, the ebony tom fixed his stone-like visage into a look of cold politeness. It wasn't an inviting look, but it wasn't so detached that cats would give him a wide berth, despite that being exactly what he wanted.

With Snowpaw conversing with some little she-cat - Ivypaw, was it? - Rookfrost quietly detached himself from the gaggle of medicine cats and their apprentices, leaving behind the fluffy ball of curiosity to do whatever it was cats his age did. When he located Spiderpaw, however, Rookfrost waved the ill tempered apprentice over to him, the tom, his fur like black satin, bent his head down slightly, addressing Spiderpaw in a low clipped tone.
"Don't look so angry, contrary to popular belief, you and your fraternal twin are not joined at the hip. In his absence, I suggest you make yourself useful. Interested in a little reconnaissance? If yes, then nod once, if no, then this conversation never happened."

FROGPAW & BLACKWOLF

"Chh, watch it!"

Frogpaw threw an insolent glance at Blackwolf's way, swatting his nose with her tail as she skipped past the warrior, the ebony tom's response only to snort and roll his eyes. With Ratfur doing most of the, uh...spying, Blackwolf was more or less content with boasting about his own achievements without putting too much of a spotlight on NightClan's happenings in the process. Frogpaw, on the other hand, was perfectly content with telling a few new apprentices some exciting stories, but her primary objective was to see what sort of...toms these other Clans produced.

It wasn't that she was, er, shopping for a mate, she was just in a curious, playful mood. This was a wonderful break from all the snow and the stress of lack of prey, and even though Darkpaw wasn't here to enjoy this with her, Frogpaw still intended to have as much fun as she could. Raising her voice in a confident mew, the pretty marbled she-cat approached a small white tom and another fluffy grayish tom carrying two distinct, entirely different scents. "Hello. LightningClan and StoneClan?" she mewed, turning to look at each one in particular, amber eyes gleaming.
(She's talking to Swiftpaw & Icepaw, xD just a heads up)

VULTUREBACK

The warrior's heart leapped when he spotted Falconleap, and when their eyes met, the mottled tom gave a small dip of his head in acknowledgment, hiding a smile behind kind eyes that quickly flashed to the left when he took a misstep and trod on someone's paw.
"Sorry," grunted the behemoth of a warrior, turning to see the TreeClan she-cat, Emberstorm. RainClan and TreeClan had no such issues with each other, not like RainClan and StoneClan, or RainClan & LightningClan, and as a result Vultureback found himself dipping his head down in a proper apology, the senior warrior pausing to hear the younger warrior speak. He more or less wanted to have a quick word with Falconleap - he couldn't help himself - before he and Yellowbelly started to have a chat with the other warriors in the gathering place.

OOC: I will post for Russetpaw, Frostpaw, Rapidwind, & Eagletalon next post. x3

[Deleted]

Fallingstar
Something about the events that had befallen the Clans was causing the she-cat's fur to prickle, but she displayed nothing more than a nonchalant expression. A look of curiosity flashed across her eyes upon the arrival of Sandstripe and Redwind; neither were full-fledged leaders. Certainly, this Gathering would be an interesting one.

With a nod of acknowledgement to Lionstar's desire to speak second, Fallingstar claimed her own position. "I will speak first," the StoneClan leader meowed. The comment was an assertion that left no room for argument. She looked down upon these two cats, both literally and figuratively, because they didn't have StarClan's backing as Clan leaders. Having spoken, the leader fell back into a stony silence, waiting as the remaining two sorted out their order.


Sleetshine
It was absolutely infuriating; without Blazestar at the Gathering, what would the other Clans think of LightningClan? Whatever it was, Sleetshine would make sure that her own appearance wasn't weak. Her long pelt had been groomed carefully and fluffed out to conceal the thin form of her body. The white she-cat's head was held high during the trek to StarClan's claws, and once their Clan had reached the Gathering place, she stayed among her Clanmates. Glaring at the other cats from a distance, Sleetshine saw no reason to associate with them. After all, she was loyal first and foremost to the Clan, what need would she have of cats outside of that?
Instead, she approached one of her own Clanmates and wordlessly settled down beside them. Yellows eyes locked on the high rock, and ears pricked in wait of the news.


Flickerpaw
Flickerpaw wasn't in the best of shape, but he was recovering; he managed not to completely tire himself out on the trip from RainClan camp to the Gathering, never letting himself fall far from Swanfeather. When RainClan arrived, Flickerpaw glanced for a moment over the crowd, looking for any familiar faces of apprentices he had met at the previous Gatherings, but no one seemed familiar. With that, the medicine cat apprentice obeyed Swanfeather and joined her with the rest of the medicine cats.


Badgerpaw
The black-and-white tom was relieved that he would at least have the company of his sister at the Gathering; her energetic spirits lightened the mood, if only a bit. The pang of an empty stomach was something of a distraction, but the apprentice still padded wordlessly with his Clanmates. Upon entering the clearing, the tom found a place near the edge of the area where he could observe all of the cats from a distance. Although a few went to socialize, the tom could see that tensions were high; none of the Clans seemed to be looking well, which made him feel a bit better about StoneClan's current situation.
Great StarClan, he thought, when will this pass?

[Phoenix]

Sandstar
Only for an instant did he consider stepping up and speaking first. Unless LightningClan's patrol had been lead by their leader as well - he didn't know, because he could not identify the she-cat that stood with them - Sandstar was the newest leader among them. Though he wanted to make RainClan's strength apparent despite their change in leadership, he did not feel as though it was his place to claim the position of speaking first and cause any unnecessary irritation. In any case, Lionstar almost immediately claimed that honor for himself, and Fallingstar was quick to chime in, asserting her decision to speak second. Without a moment's hesitation, he added his piece to the conversation, "I'll speak third, then, after Fallingstar." It was a neutral position, right in the middle; however, it appeared as though the StoneClan leader had her reservations about him. He could understand them, of course, but there seemed to be some animosity emanating from her that Lionstar lacked. Ravenstar seemed more curious than anything. Yellow eyes flicked over to the subject of his thoughts, watching Fallingstar for a moment.

Icepaw
StarClan's Claws were impressive, looming high against the sky like they were that night. One of LightningClan's newer apprentices, he had been pleasantly surprised when Redwind had called out his name for the clan's patrol. It was somewhat intimidating, being surrounded by so many cats, but his curiousity was hard to contain. There were so many new scents and felines, and they all seemed to know where to go and how to split up into their respective little groups; completely overwhelmed, Icepaw did not know where to start. Instead he floated around, a little pale ghost amongst the larger warriors. Until a marbled she-cat addressed him.

Light blue eyes landed on the confident feline, whom he thought was also an apprentice. Nodding, Icepaw greeted in return, "LightningClan, yes. You are part of NightClan?"

Ratfur
NightClan's resident failure skulked in the shadow of one of the giant claws, watching with green eyes as the clans mingled. The resulting blend of scents was rather unpleasant, so strong that even the distinct scent of his own clan became lost in the crowd. He had lost sight of Blackwolf long ago - not that it really mattered. The tom had practically shadowed the larger warrior, who had appeared to notice his disappearance. Of it he had, he had not cared enough to go find him again. Honestly, Ratfur was unbothered by this. Sitting with his tail wrapped around small paws, he listened half-heartedly to the nearby conversations. Only when the leaders began would he give the Gathering his full attention; until then, all he could do was eavesdrop.

OOC: replying with the others in a later post

[Deleted]

where you invest your love,[/size]

The black and white pelt of the young apprentice was spiked up in the night air, but this time, was not because of the freezing cold whether. The young apprentice was excited for this night above all others. It was the night of the first gathering and she had been shocked to find out that she was one of the TreeClanners chosen to attend.

As Sparrowpaw left camp with the rest of the clan in direction to StarClan's Claws, her olive eyes glistened and practically excluded an infectious air of excitement. The apprentice said nothing as she padded alongside the other cats. Sparrowpaw paid a great deal of attention to her position in the center of the group of TreeClanners -- she fear the possibility of falling behind the group and getting lost in an unfamiliar land. The apprentice also feared, more so than the latter, that if she was on the edge of the group, one of the cats from the other clans would just snatch her up and behead her.

Sparrowpaw's fears of the other clanmates were silly, but not unwarranted, particularly involving the talk the other TreeClanners had been making about NightClan and their prey killing. Sparrowpaw had never met any cat outside of TreeClan, let alone a NightClanner, but the black and white apprentice certainly feared them more than any of the other clan cats. Even their name is ominous, Sparrowpaw thought and quivered as she matched strides with the other closely clumped cats.

It was just as the young she-cat began to feel impatient and began to feel cold that they approached the Gathering place. The TreeClanners appeared to be second to arrive. NightClan, the cats Sparrowpaw feared, had arrived first. Seeing these cats in the flesh and looking over at Ravenstar, the apprentice instantly felt silly for fearing them the way she had. They aren't monsters -- they look like any other cat, Sparrowpaw thought to herself. The apprentice, however, still felt shy and did not immediately greet any of the other cats.

She watched as the other clans gradually arrived.

you invest your life.

[/size][/u]