Open to Join [Sticky] Trying Times [GATHERING 14MW21]

The best are often found in midst of thunderous chaos.

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The lingering cold was.. concerning, to the younger leader. He disliked the idea of Leafbare fighting to hold its grasp on the forest. Leafbare was hard enough- they had been lucky to not suffer casualties to sickness this year.. 

Just that thought, "casualties" made him want to pause and dig his claws into the soil.

Nonetheless, he made his way to fourtrees with his clanmates in tow. There were many of them today, and for good reason. Despite the lasting peace between clans, a rogue had dared to create chaos of their own.. killing one of his Senior Warriors, Cottonlily, in the process. If such a cat could manage to kill her, one of the most skilled cats in the clan.. then there was no doubt every cat was at danger of this clanless fiend. 

Thus, as he walked into the moon-bathed clearing- which he crossed without thought- he offered Palestar a thoughtful nod, while considering her. Every warrior knew well not to betray secrets to the other clans- whether through word or expression. However, it wasn't hard for a strong emotion, such as grief or anger, to still seep its way through even the most stone-hard cat. He was curious if this rogue had only troubled ThunderClan and RiverClan's border, or if it was more far-reaching than that.. 

Perhaps those rogues had returned.. If so, this problem would be highly unlikely to be more than simply a problem for ThunderClan- bigger than simply keeping patrols large and full of skilled fighters.. 

Just the thought made Moosestar's blood cool.. 

Tiptoe through the murk and mire
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Duskpaw moved with the rest of ShadowClan, his ears pricked, blue eyes sharp as they passed through the underpass.

Whisperingwind was dead. Murdered.

The word stuck in his head like a thorn, a cold, gnawing thing. As Fourtrees came into view, bathed in the eerie glow of the full moon, Duskpaw's claws flexed against the ground. His gaze flickered to Palestar. She was steady, unreadable, but he knew the truth she carried would shake the Gathering to its roots. He could already imagine the looks on the other Clans’ faces - shock, suspicion, maybe even fear.

Good. Let them be afraid.

His tail lashed once before he forced it still. ShadowClan wouldn't cower. He wouldn’t cower. Keeping his head high, he followed his leader into the clearing, the weight of the coming storm settling deep in his bones.

Spawn of flame, Thunder-struck, from the ashes I rise
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Leopardrose moved with quiet purpose among her Clanmates, her sharp gaze sweeping over the gathered warriors beneath the moon's silver glow. The damp chill of the night clung to her pelt, but it was nothing compared to the unease settling in her chest.

Cottonlily was dead.

The news had struck ThunderClan hard, rippling through their ranks like a stone breaking the surface of a still pond. Cottonlily hadn’t been some reckless apprentice or an aging elder. She had been one of their best, a warrior as skilled as she was steadfast. And yet, she had been slain. Not in battle, not by some rival Clan, but by an outsider. A rogue.

Her eyes flickered toward the leaders as they arrived, catching their wary glances of acknowledgement. Without a word her rosetted pelt moved among her clan, before breaking free and padding confidently towards RiverClan's side of the clearing, casually scenting for their arrival. Perhaps Boldstar or his cold-eyed deputy would reveal any such insecurities before announcements were shared. She liked to speculate, at least.

This wouldn't be an ordinary Gathering. Blood had been spilled in the forest.

Out with the old - In with the bold

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Gathering nights were feeling later and later each Moon. Boldstar knew he would have to make the inevitable change in his life soon.

Boldstar shook the thought off with a flick of his ear. They were not far now, poised on RiverClan territory at Tresspass point. His tail raised as he boldly led the way over the rockpath and into Fourtrees. He opted to settle himself close to the Greatrock. He’d not brought apprentices with purpose, but based on the site of an apprentice from ShadowClan prehaps the incident on RiverClan territory was isolated.

Maybe, for once, a problem would prove to be far less then it might be.

rise from the smoldering pyre of wormwood and weeds
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Nettleplume moved in stride with his clanmates, his pale blue eyes narrowed against the lingering chill in the air. The night was crisp, but the undercurrent of tension was sharper still. He could feel it, a quiet hum beneath his pelt, in the rigid shoulders of warriors around him, in the way Boldstar led them forward.

This Gathering would not be a peaceful one. Alderfly's murder was a tragedy, but if that was the only blood spilled, Nettleplume would have been surprised. Rogues did not strike once and vanish into the night - they lingered like disease, spreading, festering... growing bolder. He had little doubt that more news would come before the night was over.

As they crossed into Fourtrees, his gaze flicked toward the already gathered cats. Palestar stood composed, but there was a weight behind her expression that told him she had not come here to exchange pleasantries. His whiskers twitched as he spotted the rigid stance of a ShadowClan apprentice, who was near their medicine cat.

He decided that's where he'd go. If StarClan had granted any wisdom, he had yet to hear it...and he doubted he was the only one left in the dark. "Evening, Flutterdream." As the cream ticked tom approached the tortie she-cat, he gave her a solemn nod, eyes flicking towards the apprentice with an appraising glare.

It had been awhile since Spidertongue got the oppurtunity on going to the gathering tonight. Though on this night, it won't go down as a positive meet and greet. Hearing the news of a well respected member, Cottonlily, have been murdered. This disturbs him personally, even if he and the molly have never known one another. Whoever has harmed her, rogue or not, they should be severely punished..
As of right now he sat closely with his clanmates. 

Ambersmudge is unsettled with the deaths happening to a couple of clan-cats, which included one from her clan..Alderfly. The molly couldn't believe someone who hadn't even reached 30 moons, would be murdered and be left behind somewhere he was soon found at. Her tail flicked and laid low. Following her clanmates over to the spot where Riverclan is seated.
The ginger-molly had her eyes glance a bit at the surroundings, looking a little more at the high rocks, then at other clan-cats.
Ambersmudge sure do wonder how will it go tonight...

Healing is a matter of time,
but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity.

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Rowanglade was quick to slip away from her Clanmates and into the growing circle of Medicine Cats just as Nettleplume greeted Flutterdream. ”Hello Nettleplume, Flutterdream.” Her voice was quiet in response to the solemnety of both the situation and the other two.

Out with the old - In with the bold

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”Not overlong, Fawnbrsta…” He trailed off, giving the she-cat a look in hopes that she would correct them and whatever mess was going on in WindClan had been resolved. Sometimes, he didn’t even want to ask questions. A sleeping dog can’t bite.

Boldstar shifted uncomfortably, then cleared his throat. ”I think it’s time. There is much to be discussed tonight.” He gave a wave of his tail, signaling for the WindClan leader to head for the Greatrock.

Though my soul may set in darkness, it will rise in perfect light; I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night
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Palestar’s gaze flicked to the clearing the three leaders made their arrivals - three shadows gathering beneath the moonlight. Still, she saw the way glances flicked toward her, toward the cluster of ShadowClan cats tension already beginning to ripple like frost along water. A few moments later, some minutes after enough cats had gotten comfortable, Palestar couldn't wait for the usual preamble. Not tonight.

Without hesitation, Palestar leapt onto the Greatrock. Her paws landed firm against the stone, the cool surface grounding her as the gathered Clans looked up. Moonlight bathed her pointed form in silver, throwing stark contrast across the highbones of her face. Her tail signaled for the rest to join her, and waited accordingly.

"The cold seems slow to recede, but ShadowClan remains resolute - We have welcomed three, strong kits into our fold, and our apprentices are learning fast. " She called, her voice calm but carrying over the hollowed space between the trees. "Now...I must speak of something that can't wait any longer." Her silence after was frosted.

"Whisperingwind of ShadowClan was murdered."

"She was found on the edge of our territory, near the Thunderpath. There were no signs of prey. No reason for her to be caught off guard." Palestar’s tail lashed once behind her before settling again, her eyes hard. "It was a rogue. Struck while she was alone. Without honor."

She let that sink in. Gave it a breath. Two.

"Our investigation revealed black and ginger tortoiseshell fur caught in a bramble nearby. This is a cat who does not respect borders. Who hides behind shadows and strikes without cause or challenge...If they did this, they can do it again. To anyone of any clan. ShadowClan will protect its borders. And I advise the other clans do the same."

Her words hung heavy beneath the full moon, as she turned slightly - awaiting the other leaders to step up beside her to make their own announcements.

Even in the darkest shadows, there is always a glimmer of light. We just have to look for it.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 🍀 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Clovershine’s bright blue eyes flicked up to Palestar as she made her presence known, her littermate wasn’t shy of doing that when the time needed for it, Clovershine was thankful for that at least. She had given her usual greetings but overall knew what the impending announcement would be, Whisperingwind was dead, stripped away from them the leaves from a tree in a thunderstorm, and Clovershine had been one of the first to find her that way, having told Palestar about what she had found along with Duskpaw, she felt mildly responsible for helping get to the bottom on this, even if she didn’t stop the killer.

The cream pointed warrior sat and her claws flexed for a moment, it was an injustice to ShadowClan, to the clans, to Whisperingwind, but it seemed so long ago now. She took wonder as if that same reason was why the other clan warriors and leaders… WindClan being the exception, seemed so on edge, and she wouldn’t blame them, but she felt if that were the reason, the other cats would not be in the mood to be asked about it.

Clovershine gave a sideward glance, somewhat worried, to Duskpaw as she made herself comfortable, as comfortable as she could, beside Wrentalon, not for camaraderie really, but out of coincidence, she felt a lot more comfortable with a cat, or cats near her, even if it were a warrior of a different clan than her own.

I’d rather bear the weight of others than let others carry pain alone.

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Basilflame stayed close with her clan for the most part as the announcements began, while the news of kits was pleasant the news announced after was a stark contrast and a shock that came present in Basilflame’s bristling fur and widened eyes, the ginger and creamy colored she-cat’s body felt tense, as if the were not have to sit herself down as she was going to. A rogue! How could this have happened?! We’re her first thoughts, assumptions of the killer, a cat who has no respect for clan boundaries can only be one of two things, a rogue was much more deadly.

Basilflame eyed her own clanmates, studying their reactions to the news, surely her clanmates would be just as shocked as she when a murder had been announced to all four clans. She soon glanced over at some of the other cats within the other clans, ThunderClan and RiverClan didn’t seem as shocked from what Basilflame saw, and the ShadowClan cats, seemed expectedly furious by whatever rogue had killed their precious young warrior.