[Fawn]

[smear:663399]Hollypaw[/smear:e61985]
9 Moons. She-Cat. NightClan.

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire

---

NightClan was third to arrive. That meant, when Dimstar lead the marsh-scented cats of NightClan into StarClan's Claws, there were plenty of unknown faces all around, and Hollypaw, for once, was rendered speechless.

There were cats everywhere. Some scents she recognized, such as that unpleasant oaky smell of TreeClan (did they eat acorns or something?), but the rest were foreign to her, and the fish-stench of RainClan was not yet among them. Without her mentor here to guide her, Hollypaw sought out the bright ginger tabby pelt of Sunpulse, the younger warrior she had recently grown... enamored with.

Her brother Coyotepaw would be, unsurprisingly, right beside him, and this wasn't the first time the pretty black feline ardently wished Coyotepaw had been assigned someone else's apprentice. Of course, that also meant she had an excuse to tag along on their training sessions, pretending like she was going to help Coyotepaw learn battle moves.
"I never knew there were so many cats in the Valley," mewed Hollypaw, voice carrying a mixture of awe and feigned boredom, playing down her astonishment at the Gathering. I am not going to look like some starry-eyed little frogbrain who just saw the moon for the first time.

No, she was going to be composed, and not let the large crowds... intimidate her. The black apprentice's coat fluffed slightly, this time with indignation to mask the social apprehension. What did she possibly have to fear? She was Blackwolf's daughter. If he wasn't well-respected in the other Clans, then he was most definitely feared.

And I am his daughter. But Hollypaw did not want to stand in her father's shadow, made special because he was a mighty NightClan warrior of infamy. But obviously strutting about like she owned the place was unwise, too. I'll see what everyone else does... I think I see a few apprentices over there about my age.
"Do we just go over to anycat and introduce ourselves?" Hollypaw asked, watching the gaggle of apprentices closely through bright green eyes. They were LightningClan, if she had to take a guess based on scent, and Hollypaw awaited Sunpulse's rhymed answer while she worked up the nerve to socialize. Having Coyotepaw here made her feel braver, because if her timid brother was one thing, bold was definitely not it.

She'd have to be the courageous one, in this case.

---

'Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar

Word Count: 413 Words
Tags: BlooRey DVD , @ghostlight

[Deleted]

Coyotepaw
The Shadow that Follows
He sees them talking with a big smile
But they haven't got a clue
Yeah, they're living the good life
Can't see what he is going through

---

The lanky tom had not expected to be picked to go to the Gathering, especially when the new leader of Nightclan had Bonepaw as his apprentice. While the timid creature hadn't been keeping track of either his brother or his sister's training, he figured it was going far better than his training with Sunpulse. His mentor had to have been tired of him already, just the earlier today he had squeaked and covered his head when a pile of snow dropped off of a branch near where he was training.

The thought of that incident caused the skinny black tom to lay his ears back against his head. The cold buffet at his small body, he had neither the long fur like Bonepaw, nor the healthy body like Hollypaw. He was just the runt of his parents' litter and would always hold an awkward gait, lanky body and shaky stance. He would never become a great warrior like either of them either, and those thoughts would always eat away at him. So it was almost natural that he second guessed Dimstar's decision to bring him and leave Bonepaw behind.

The sight of all the cats gathered bellow, even with it only being three clans including Nightclan, caused Coyotepaw's duel colored orbs to widen. He would have never guessed that there were this many cats, which meant that there were even more that occupied the entire valley. Overwhelmed by the sheer number of cats and the overall experience, the lanky tom pressed himself closer to his mentor's ginger body, letting his shadow engulf and hopefully hide him from the wandering eyes of others.

Small paws stayed in step with both his clanmates and Sunpulse as the timid apprentice refused to leave the side of his mentor. While it may make him look like a fool, he felt far more comfortable and it would less likely cause him to get frightened. Though if he were being honest with himself, if snow falling could scare him, a blade of grass touching him because of the breeze could possibly cause poor Coyotepaw to pass out. The though caused him to lower his head even more. He was a poor excuse for an apprentice, and it didn't help when he saw the criticizing look in his father's eyes.

Large ears swerving, the awkward tom turned to glance at his sister. Blue and amber widened at Hollypaw's question, as she basically asked the thing he was avoiding to do. Run off and socialize with the other cats from different clans. "Y-you want to g-go talk..." His long muzzle turned to look at the group of cats who were small enough to pass as apprentices. "T-to them?" His voice quivered almost as much as his legs. He could almost feel his heart beating out of his chest at the mere thought of talking to cats from another clan.

Turning his orbs towards his mentor, the long limbed tom wondered what Sunpulse would decide for him to do. While he would feel comfortable with Hollypaw, he didn't really feel like having the other apprentices make fun of his small stature that looked strange with his long tail, legs and nose. It wasn't his fault he looked funny, and it wasn't like he could help the way he looked, or he would make himself look more like Bonepaw, or even Blackwolf.

"W-what do you t-think... Sunpulse?" He asked in that gentle, soft mew of his. In everything he did he was gentle about it, that tended the be the way he and his siblings were. Gentle, Brash and Lazy, the three words that summed Coyotepaw, Hollypaw and Bonepaw up with ease. Blue and amber watched Sunpulse, waiting for the answer that either left him in the shadow of his mentor, or stuck to his sister's side as they explored Starclan's Claws.

---

I wish that I could be like the cool kids
'Cause all the cool kids, they seem to fit in
I wish that I could be like the cool kids
Like the cool kids

[Insidious]

He trickled into StarClan's Claws with the rest of StoneClan, cowering in Hailstrike's shadow all the while. He hadn't the slightest clue why he had been chosen to attend. His clanmates thought he was odd, and he assumed that Hawkstar - even his own mentor - didn't have a different opinion. If that was what everyone thought of him, he would be able to get used to it. Hawkstar probably wanted to be able to keep an eye on him to make sure he didn't do anything mouse-brained. That made the most sense. He could only get caught digging his claws into the flesh of a rotten corpse so many times, after all, before he drew a bit of suspicion.

One minute he was hiding behind Hailstrike, and the next he wasn't. He wasn't sure when, exactly, the two of them had split up, but he couldn't do anything about it now. Resigned, and a little more comfortable by himself, anyway, he took a seat - without realizing he was right beside a NightClan apprentice. He looked at the scrawny tom, taken aback, wondering how he had gotten so close to someone without even realizing.

It would've made sense to introduce himself, but Silentpaw was hardly a tom of sense. His pale blue eyes were wide and unblinking, fixated upon the tom, as oblivious to his uncertainty as he was to his own awkwardness. Silentpaw simply couldn't shake how unusual it was that the tom had been so close to him when he took a seat. It was like they had appeared out of thin air. Was he truly so separate from reality?

@ghostlight & Fawn
OOC: it's Coyotepaw that he's staring at just in case anyone was unsure.

[BlooRey DVD]

The ginger tabby tom had moved alongside the other NightClan cats, his stride slightly shortened to match Coyotepaw's shorter stride. Sunpulse was aware of the younger tom's timid nature, and figured that his presence might do his apprentice some good. His suspicions were proved right the moment NightClan was released into the clearing to join the other Clans. He could feel Coyotepaw's fur against his own, Sunpulse's apprentice having all but hidden himself in the ginger tabby's shadow. He shook his head softly, a gentle smile on his lips as he silently urged the timid tom forward.

His eyes scanned the clearing for any familiar faces, wondering if he might spot someone easy to introduce Coyotepaw to. He knew that some cats could be quite overwhelming, and he had no desire to panic Coyotepaw any more than the timid apprentice might already be panicked. He hadn't quite expected Hollypaw to saunter up to him, but he smiled to the black she-cat. She'd proven herself a good fighter, and he'd taken an interest in her. His mentor's kits were proving to be quite varied in personality. The world could be a funny place, that was for certain.

Slowing to a stop and allowing Coyotepaw to settle partially beneath him, Sunpulse flashed Hollypaw a grin. "The cats in the Valley are varied and plenty, but now for each Clan imagine plus twenty." As Hollypaw continued, he became aware of motion approaching them. When Coyotepaw stammered out a couple words, Sunpulse glanced sideways so that he might see his apprentice. It was here that he laid eyes upon another young tom, somewhere between Sunpulse's age and the two other apprentices, taking a seat beside Coyotepaw. It seemed to Sunpulse as though this newcomer hadn't really registered their proximity just yet.

He lay his tail reassuringly on Coyotepaw's flank, before answering the two NightClan apprentices' questions. "There's no other time quite like the Gathering, and best use of it will be spent chattering. The easiest way to start is with a brief introduction, then to find out if you're right in deduction. Approach them now and make yourself known, I'll come with if you prefer to not go alone." He paused then, to eye Coyotepaw one last time. "And perhaps consider asking your friend if he'd like to come along and attend." He held his breath then, wondering just how Coyotepaw might react.

Fawn, Insidious, @ghostlight

[Fawn]

[smear:663399]Hollypaw[/smear:e61985]
9 Moons. She-Cat. NightClan.

I got the eye of the tiger, a fighter, dancing through the fire

---

Great StarClan, why is he shaking like a leaf in a windstorm? It wasn’t that many cats. For a half-second, Hollypaw felt gratitude over the simple fact that their father was not at this Gathering. He would have harangued Coyotepaw for his shy, skittish nature—and Hollypaw didn’t want to listen to Blackwolf tell her brother that he was making NightClan look bad. Rather than say anything negative, however, she nudged Coyotepaw gently.
”Stop shaking, this isn’t so scary. Just picture everyone without fur—they’ll look too ridiculous to be intimidating.”

Hollypaw turned her attention to Sunpulse, who offered to go with her when they mingled with the four other Clans. Her eyes narrowed, faced with indecision. On one paw, it would be impressive to go around with a warrior when she introduced herself to the other cats—especially if it enabled her to talk to other warriors from different Clans. But on the other paw, would it look too much like what it really was? That is, that she was too toad-hearted to mingle on her own?

Just take your own advice, Hollypaw. As much as she didn't want to refuse Sunpulse's invitation, Hollypaw was keen on making a good first impression.

Her advice would have been pretty good, had it not been for the sudden, unannounced arrival of a StoneClan tom with an unusual stare. The tom sat right next to Coyotepaw, and then proceeded to stare at him as if expecting him to do a trick. With a surge of protectiveness, Hollypaw stepped between them.
”Are you lost?” She mewed, a little more tersely then she meant it, but she knew this cat was going to freak her brother out unnecessarily, and she wanted him to move on, if that was his only aim. Figuring an attempt at politeness should at least be made, Hollypaw’s protective stance lessened into something a little more relaxed. ”I’m Hollypaw of NightClan. This is Coyotepaw, my brother, and Sunpulse, Coyotepaw’s mentor.”

---

'Cause I am a champion and you’re gonna hear me roar

Word Count: 361 Words
Tags: @ghostlight , Insidious , BlooRey DVD