- April Gathering -

[» got MiLK ?!]

The thud of white-tipped paws bounded over the rocky cliffs. This was their territory. He always felt a surge of pride when he saw the TempestClan cats struggling over the rocky territory so different from their own rivers and moors. Celestialstar flew over the territory, his clan streaming out behind him. The NocturnalClan leader glanced up above him to see stars glittering and twinkling like the eyes of StarClan waiting to watch the gathering take place.

Celestialstar jumped up and saw that they were the first clan to arrive. But no doubt the others would come soon, fashionable late.

[ƒairwell]

Elmstar was only just a leader, and the sense of gathering was relatively new to him. And considering he was the only cat in his 'clan' didn't help very much. He could feel the tempest rise in his soul. Would they mock him? He had not much to bring to the gathering, only news of his existence and his lack of cats. Wearily, he slowed his gait down to a walk, and almost threatened to not go at all. He argued with his mind and decided that nothing would come about him going, but at the same time, nothing would come about him not going. So he trotted on, following the vague map in his mind that he knew from one visit here prior. He let his tail do what it wanted as he picked up the pace, and his thick muscles agreed with the motion.

He took in the view of the ring and the crisp night above, but before that he looked to the leader of NocturnalClan, Celestialstar. Thinking it over, he thanked his StarClan for the shortness of his name. Elmstar could barely muster up his own clan's name, but Celestialstar was never a joy for him to recite, though he would never let this on. He slowed his pace and approached the leader cooly. He was only a slight larger than the other tom, and he sat down a respectable distance from the other leader. He was critical on himself and was a bit too far to be considered at a conversational distance; this was because he didn't want to feel demeaning to Celestialstar. After all, who was the tom with a clan? Who was the 'leader' with close to nothing?

As odd as it might seem, he was quite calm though worried about what they may think of him. After a very short while he looked the tom in the eyes and gave a limp smile, just before booming his words. "Celestialstar,"-he nodded his head respectfully-"nice to see you here."

[r α ν ε η]

R α i η δ α η ς ε r[/color][/b][/font]

No raindrops on roses or girls in white dresses
It's sleeping with the roaches and taking best guesses
At the shade of the sheets and before all the stains
And a few more of your least favourite things !

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It was cold, for early Newleaf, with icy stretches of howling wind that bit into your skin, no matter how much you braced yourself. Everything was dead; everything was swallowed by the vast cavity of time. A few mottled, red-brown leaves clung doggedly to the slender tendrils of their trees, brittle and riddled with disease. But then again, younger, determined buds fluttered alongside the older leaves, yet to blossom to their full potential. It was a clear morning, beautiful, even, the ground slick with ice. Everything, come to think of it, was glazed with a fine frosting of delicate, crisp ivory powder, glittering and glimmering like a mirage. The sun was high overhead, a wavering golden ball of fire, ripe to be plucked from its vault in the sky. It cast its bleak light over the valley, giving the precious illusion of warmth. The sky was a brilliant shade of sapphire, fading to a delicate eggshell white as it touched the horizon. Not a cloud dared to mar the clear, idyllic surface, and the only sign of harsh temperatures were the ice and the constant wind.

A wiry golden tom made his way down to the Ring. He seemed at home among such conditions; his paws were placed surely and firmly on the treacherous carpet of brittle, jagged ice. His pelt was thick and coarse, similar to a fox's, and ideal for such an environment. He was handsome, in a striking sort of way; not beautiful, but handsome. His bottlebrush of a tail twitched back and forth in an absent sort of fashion, but his movements were those of someone confident. Long, carefree strides, with a kind of loose movement around the joints. His eyes, startling in their golden amber hue, were half-closed to protect himself from the glare of the sun's reflection from the ice. That was the sun for you; bright and golden, but not shedding the least amount of warmth. He snorted, whiskers twitching. One couldn't trust the elements; that he had learned. The sky itself had cast him down to mingle with the mortals, down on Earth. Pah. He spat briefly before looking up. Raindancer paused at the entrance, lifting his head. Inside, he could here the indistinct burble of voices, pulsing like something alive.

He, at least, had some proof of his hunting trip; four plump hares, a scrawny sparrow, and a skinny, ragged squirrel. The sparrow and the squirrel were each so insubstantial that both put together would probably not feed an elder. It had been a hard Leafbare. He sighed, closing his eyes for a few heartbeats. It was Newleaf now, though. Everything would be better now. He hoped. He made himself hope. He needed to hope, with a desperate, frantic need, to find that there was green grass on the other side of the mountain. That once they made it through the freezing cold, it would be warm paradise all the way until next Leafbare. But this Leafbare had been... difficult. He couldn't remember one like it. The snow had claimed many bodies, this season, it had sent countless souls to StarClan. At least the supply of hares didn't seem at all affected. After a few seconds of concentration, he padded inside the thorny entrance to the Ring. Well, "padded" wasn't the correct term. Raindancer didn't "pad" anywhere; that was too delicate. He strode purposefully, not heavily, but with straight, long steps and a fierce look in his eyes.

Around him, warriors chatted in low voices about their kits, about their mates, about their parents with the other Clans. Apprentices giggled and tussled, excited to have been selected to attend the Gathering. He had left camp just before dawn, he reflected placidly, and he had been out for about five hours. Great, he thought darkly. He moved to deposit his prey on the periphery of the meeting, where he could pick them up later, in an almost dream-like state. He rolled his eyes, and heaved himself to his paws, licking his chest. Now what? He blinked, recognizing two vague figures. He nodded to it in a friendly fashion; he knew most of his Clan, and besides, it was testimony to just how out-going Raindancer was that he would have greeted them if they were complete strangers. "A fine Gathering," he laughed, and it was impossible to tell whether he was being sarcastic, or genuine. The frost sparkled around him, shifting and changing endlessly, like sand. As he neared them, he recognized them as his own leader, as well as the leader of SolarClan. He shifted, retaining his smile but backing away to be polite. After all, one couldn't be too careful.

OOC // YES I'M RECYCLING THIS POST! SINCE NO ONE REPLIED TO IT IN NOCTURNALCLAN! -cough-

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[» got MiLK ?!]

OOC - *sigh* That's because you don't give us anything to go with!
Oh and uh....he actually does have a rather large clan, Fair. >.< If every member of the clan had to join IC, how annoying would that be? So we're going to assume all these cats have a large amount of clan kitties with them. x]

"You as well," said Celestialstar politely. At a normal gathering, now would be where he would curtly dip his head to Elmstar and say "Fine night, huh?" But tonight was different. Cats of NocturnalClan were disappearing and of course it was near the SolarClan border. Celestialstar remembered Torrentpaw's dream. A hidden threat. He didn't have time to think about it more, but instead he worked up a plan on how he was to accuse the other clans of this treachery without making it sound as though NocturnalClan was weak.
"We've discovered a few....disappearances of NocturnalClan's numbers. Both of these disappearances have occured along Tempest and SolarClan's borders. We want to know if you have taken members of our clan." Yeah....maybe that would work.

[+ [R]ainy +]

Glacialstar warily made her entrance, snowy white pelt ruffling with unease. She always hated Gatherings, and she felt as though she had no reason to come out here every moon. Why did the other Clans need to know her business? She sure didn't care about theirs.

Taking her place among the others, she glanced from Celestialstar to Elmstar and back again. "Greetings," she mewed flatly, her face cold and emotionless. The spotted she-cat wondered if they were going to start now, considering that all of the leaders were there. Might as well get it over with...

OOC - Short, but I have to go!

[Dawny]

Dragonmoon limped after her leader, her gait labored from her twisted and stiff hind leg as the useless limb rubbed against her stomach. The cream she-cat's dark blue gaze stayed fixed on Glacialstar, hoping that the distance wasn't much further.

Finally, they reached the Ring of Armistice, the last Clan to arrive at the sacred, peaceful place. The she-cat's silver ears flattened slightly as the feeling of a tense atmosphere reached her, something wasn't right. Her gaze flicked to each of the Leaders, lingering on Celestrialstar who seemed ready to speak, before flicking around the area in search for other Medicine Cats and the Apprentices, including her own. Where has that young cat gone now?

[» got MiLK ?!]

Sagepaw, noticing the leaders were all here and ready to speak, wedged herself out of the throng of other apprentices so she was visible to her mentor. She jerked her head in her direction to where the rest of the Medicine Cats and their apprentices were. She had ran ahead in search of Sablepaw, but didn't find him, so she'd sat with the other apprentices.

Celestialstar cleared his throat loudly. The black on his pelt blended into the background, only discernable when he moved while the white shone bright as the moon which was casting it's spotlight upon the clan cats. No clouds dared to pass within five feet of the moon [well, from Celestialstar's point of view anyway]. "I'd like to begin, if you don't mind," he said curtly to the other leaders before stepping forward onto the large rock into the center of the ring. "Fellow clan cats! NocturnalClan's number has been dwindling ever so slightly in the past moon. Two of our warriors and one apprentice has disappeared along the border. We are still going strong," He just had to add that in, so the clan wouldn't appear weak. "These disappearances have occured along both clans borders. If you are taking our cats, we will attack without hesitation. Do you have anything to say on this subject?" finished the splotched tom formally. There. He'd said it. Now he just had to wait for the consequences.

[D.evious]

Spiderpaw followed the other SolarClan cats, excited for the fact that he was attending his first gathering. Finally! After a couple of moons of waiting, sheesh .. the long-legged black cat padded forward, joining his Clan as they mingled. A TempestClan cat, he realised, was padding forward to talk to him. Keeping a straight face, the tom returned their greeting but said nothing more. A glance to the side alerted him that a Clanmate was nearby, and had replied, "Don't take it personally - he doesn't talk,"

"Much." Spiderpaw added.

"Okay, much,"

The lithe black cat rolled his eyes at this blatantly sarcastic comment, good-naturedly taking it in stride. Of course this was how they reacted. In reality, he was mute as a kit, and never really got used to talking that much. Still, this didn't mean he was a reclusive freak. "TempestClan?"

"Huh?"

Sigh. "What's TempestClan like?" Maybe he could worm something out of this cat. With a jolt, he realised that the leaders were ready to speak. The apprentice trotted away to join his Clan, eagerness just bursting out of him at every rip and seam, though he attempted to supress his energy. His first gathering!

[Dawny]

Dragonmoon limped after her apprentice, kindly dipping her head to the other Medicine Cats before seating herself beside the younger she-cat. Flicking her ear with her bushy tail, the older cat teased quietly, "You should really learn to pace yourself, Sagepaw, not everyone's as young as you still. Next time you might get lost, or eaten by a badger." With a slight twist of her lithe body, the creamy she-cat laid down, letting the cool water lap at her stomach as she turned her gaze towards the leaders once again.

NocturnalClan cats going missing? On our boarder? Not possible. the she-cat decided, shaking her head in disbelief before looking at Celestrialstar through hard eyes. He was accusing TempestClan of stealing his cats, with no other proof bar the boarders! An excited SolarClan apprentice caught her attention slightly as the she-cat rose, but she focused on the NocturnalClan leader as she awaited her leader's response. Though, she couldn't help meowing calmly, "We've done nothing of the sort."

[» got MiLK ?!]

"Yeah, I'm going to get eaten by a badger on the night when almost every clan cat is out here at the gathering," muttered the apprentice to herself before snapping her attention to Celestialstar. She was outraged. "You have no proof!" she yowled over most.

"Well, I would love to believe that, Dragonmoon, but I really don't have any other explanation," he said with a shrug. Celestialstar longed to believe the medicine cat, but at the same time, he didn't. If the Medicine Cat was speaking the truth, then Celestialstar was stuck in the same mystery as before.

[Dawny]

Dragonmoon quickly laid her fluffy tail over her apprentice's mouth, turning her cautious blue-eyed gaze onto the other she-cat. "Hush! Medicine Cats do not join conflicts unless absolutely necessary, we stop them before they happen. Calm yourself and listen." she mewed softly, removing her tail and looking up at Celestrialstar again.

Over the din of protesting cats, the creamy she-cat meowed to the tom, "What gain would we have from taking your cats? New-leaf is here, water is flowing freely through all territories, and prey is returning; there's no reason for TempestClan, or SolarClan, to steal your cats. Have you considered loners? Rogues? Surely a scent that belonged to no Clan was left behind." The she-cat watched the tom for any reaction to her statement, sure that it couldn't possibly be Clan cats doing this. Though, only StarClan knew the truth, and her journey to them was half a moon away.

[» got MiLK ?!]

OOC - All right, I'll just have Celly reply and then we should wait for others to post. xD

"Don't think we haven't investigated. And surely if it were rogues, other clans would have the same disapperances. [[which they do. ^^]]" Celestialstar was slightly angry now. "I have no clue what the other clans would gain. Perhaps just the chance to attack NocturnalClan? That will not happen. We aren't allowing any other disapperances, certain measures are being taken," he mewed firmly as though that eliminated any chance of another clan attacking.

Sagepaw took a swipe at her mentors paw. "Don't tell me what to do," she growled before slouching off to sit by one of her friends from the clan to watch the gathering.

[Rachel]

Nightleaf silently joined the Gathering, weaving in and out among the cats and landscape. The black she-cat caught sight of Dragonmoon, the TempestClan medicine cat. She bounded over and respectfully dipped her head in greeting. She looked at her leader, who had just spoken to Dragonmoon. She had no intention of interrupting any sort of conversation they were having.

She glanced behind her to see if Torrentpaw was following her or at least nearby. It was good for medicine cats to catch up at Gatherings as well as regular meetings. No innocent cat should die of a sickness that could have been easily cured or stopped.

OOC: Short.

[D.evious]

A few moments before the gathering commenced, Shriketail - the SolarClan deputy - padded forward to take her place in the front of the SolarClan crowd. She glanced up and noticed Celestialstar, Elmstar, and Glacialstar at their places at the front. She whisked her tail to the side, then opposite side again - restlessly, as the recent events had her a bit worried. She didn't know about TempestClan, but she was sure that none of the SolarClan cats were the culprit of the NocturnalClan disappearances. Still, that wasn't her main source of worry. No; it was the fact that paranoia and chaos thrived on the first buds and sprouts of uneasiness - after all, it wouldn't be long before cats started to blame each other for them. They would look for a scapegoat - and her duty as second-in-command, as the deputy of her Clan, was to make sure that didn't throw them into a disorder that would eat them away for sure. Ughh ... she couldn't muffle that nagging feeling that something was wrong; she couldn't pinpoint it.

[Dawny]

Dragonmoon's tail flicked in annoyance at her Apprentice's disrespect, but that was the only response she would show to it, she wouldn't argue with the young cat at a Gathering. She quickly returned Nightleaf's greeting, before responding to Celestialstar, "What makes you think our cats haven't gone missing, too, Celestrialstar? Please, think logically." The creamy she-cat hoped that her leader wouldn't think her disrespectful or such for speaking on her Clan's behalf in this argument. "TempestClan has not taken any cats."