[ gathering aftermath ] The Full Moon Falls

[Kestrel]

zetsubou kara no hajimari te ni shlta kara ;;



It was dark, but brightening slowly of dawn. The sky was showing red-gold along the edges, and the cool wind that rattled the grasses above camp hinted of the midday heat to come.

A lithe, graceful white and gray form appeared in the shadowy entrance to camp.

Kestrel's anger had not yet faded. Her mismatched eyes flashed with barely-chained fury, her tail lashed...her claws were tipped with blood.
She had lead her Clan along the long path home, dawn breaking behind the mountains. She had fought. She was tired, but there was one more task to complete. She must make sure the Gathering tale was well and truely told.


;; arukitsuzukeyou

[Bluerage]

<sub>The teal-grey she looked up as soon as the wind hit her breath the strongest. She took a flying leap from the top of a slanted boulder she was sitting on with Crisp and watching over the camp, as promised. She landed with grace and ease, eyes glowing in the rising sun. She greeted Kestrel with a fluent mew, stood aside to let the white and grey patched leader take her spot upon the rock. Only then did she take her seat before her, looking around for Crisp.

[I'm assuming Kestrel is making the announcement on her usual boulder thinger. If not, i'll fix this. ^^]</sub>

[Crisp]

_{The black tom's amber eyes had closed briefly; he was...er, resting them...Of course he hadn't taken a nap while he should have been watching the camp with his pretty Bluerage! ...Okay he had. He'd dozed off leaning on the sweet blue taby femme, and suddenly fell over when she rose. "Gaah!" he mewed, but stood and cleaned himself off. He leaped off the boulder after Bluerage and sat beside her, purring. "I wonder how the Gathering went?" he purred to his mate, smiling. He still had the horrible feeling that something had gone terribly wrong, but he swallowed that feeling and nuzzled Bluerage.}

[Lucky]

Badly...

The angry RisingClan she-cat's muscels bulged out, and her shoulders faced foward. She shouldered past Crisp, then turned and sat down beside him. Her tail twitched with annoyance, at the cat at the Gathering she had met.

And StoneClan cats have no respect for Rogues, she growled.

Seriously! she turned to Crisp, How rude can you be?

[Onyxdart]

Deepcreek hadn't done hardly anything at all at the Gathering, other than watch. As she ghosted into camp, she passed by Bete, complaining about the Stoneclan male.

"You might stop to consider that one of his clan had been attacked. By Rogue's, no less. We trespassed, interrupted their gathering. It was, in his eyes, our fault," she rumbled at the other cat, walking past and sitting on her own. She was in no mood to put up with Bete's seemingly short temper. Yes, the Stoneclanner had been rude, but Deepcreek could see it from his point of view. Not that it made it right, but she understood. She wouldn't hold it against him.

And now what? She raised her head to watch her leader.

[/center][/size]

[Bluerage]

<sub>Bluerage gave a spitting hiss as Bete shoved past Crisp, her mate. Her protective side shot into action, and she gave a glare in her direction. "You might come to the idea to be respectful to those whom ARE of rogue clans!" She growled irritably. Being short of information, and being given a lack of it was putting her on edge. All's she wanted was to be alone with her mate, but still.

"There is plenty of room to move in this camp, if you may mind not shoving through," She said irritably, turning her head away to look as Deepcreek spoke. Finally, a cat that made sense.

"It appears you had some trouble with the other clans? Deepcreek's words make sense. Many have looked down upon rogues and loners, especially when they came from the original 4 clans... It may take generations for them to finally accept that there are 6.. No, 7 clans in the valley. Many are generations old, each containing legends of their own," she said softly, remembering fondly what her mother told her as a kit. A murderous assasin as she was, she could tell a good story.

"And here come 3 more, each originating from the thing they frown upon. Though not everybody may see it that way, some have level heads, it is.. Difficult to accept. We are new.. Give the other clans some time," She finished softly, almost kindly, and she lay down, eyes gleaming in the awakening sun. "I wonder what Kestrel will say about this.. No doubt about it she looks pissed, and if i've ever known a cat that can tell a strong point it's her," She said musingly.</sub>

[Onyxdart]

"Yes, we had some trouble, you could say. Some rogues... I think rogues... attacked and killed a Stoneclanner, and it very nearly escalated," Deepcreek answered Bluerage from where she sat, having heard the other's previous comment.

"But I'm sure Kestrel will explain everything anyway," she said. She didn't know if she was even supposed to tell anyone the news before Kestrel got around to it, but all they needed was more temper just because cats were getting nervous. Not knowing what was going on would cause anyone, in Deepcreek's opinion, some warranted annoyance. It sucked being out of the loop. She sought only to remedy the problem.

She didn't want any more arguments tonight.

[Lucky]

Bete's oversized ears twitched at the comments. She knew they were right, she just didn't want to admit it. Instead she blinked away, Sorry Crisp. I'm just upset. and began to mumble. Her tail still twitched with feriousity, and she unsheathed her claws and dug them into the dirt.

[Crisp]

<sub>Crisp let out a little 'yip!' of surprise as he was shoved and pushed into Bluerage, but she was one of the cats whose paws he'd fall into. As his mate leaped to his defence he purred at her compassion; he stood, also, more calmly than Bluerage did.

"Yes, you complain about this StoneClan tomcat being rude to us--but what about one of</sub> us being rude to us?" he sat down again and nuzzled Bluerage fondly in the shoulder, then as Bete sat down he nodded to her and continued on to groom his mate.

But wait for a second--a cat killed at the Gathering? That sinking feeling rose and he frowned, still licking the fur on Bluerage's shoulder. He stopped and looked over at Deepcreek. "Who was this cat?" he asked, then nodded and smiled to Bete as she apologized. Of course; she was upset, Crisp himself had times like that, when he just wanted to rip something up. Bluerage would never be on the list of things to rip up.

Crisp's smile returned and he went back to grooming his mate.[/color][/sub][/i]

[Bluerage]

<sub>Bluerage let out a purr as his tongue began to rasp over her shaggy and well-groomed coat. She frowned, her tail curling anxiously over her paws. "A murder.. At the gathering? ... Stoneclan must be in pain with grief, i'm sure, thinking they'd be safe upon the night of a gathering...

You can guarantee they won't think lightly about coming to the next gathering.

.. All the more reason to hate a rogue.." She said a little sadly, tail flicking. "Indeed, Deepcreek, what WAS the cat's name??" She asked solemnly, ears flattening with sadness. Though she didn't know any cats from any other clan, with exception to Bane and a couple others from her escapade, she knew a couple's names.</sub>

[Onyxdart]

"Blindsong, I believe. She was a blind calico," Deepcreek answered. She stood and moved a little closer to the group, rather than speak across the distance she'd put between herself and the others.

Besides, did she really wat to be alone? No, she was just being shy. No need to make anyone think she was being unfriendly.

[/center][/size]

[Crisp]

<sub>He realized his mate was remembering her terrible time in BoneClan and he stopped licking her and nuzzled her. "Don't think about then," he whispered, and rubbed his cheek against hers. Blindsong? He felt for the blind, dead femme's pain; he suddenly felt as though he'd known her.

ewshort x3</sub>

[Soulless]

Ghostly paws carried the gray and white apprentice closer to the gathering cats, bejeweled blue hues lifting to land on Kestrel. Soulless said nothing, nothing, but she paid close attention to the conversing cats.

A cat had died. At the Gathering no less.

Terrible news, but there was no outward sign of it affecting the empty young she-cat, as she turned away from Deepcreek, Bluerage, and Crisp, attention fully settling upon the figure of Kestrel.

[Coppersong]

<sub>The tawny and white she-cat came and sat down besides Soulless, nudging her softly, reassuringly. She turned an ear so it swiveled to face the four cats conversing of the gathering. A cat.. died, on sacred grounds... Of that of a gathering?

The thought saddened her.

The she-cat was blind, nonetheless. Harmless, above all else. Pah.. She felt suddenly sick with herself, and with the rogues. They were rogues, of more organized hierarchy, and a bit more commanding. She gave a light growl.

It wasn't like many payed attention to the rogues. It's not like many payed attention to her... She was a quiet figure, almost a loner. She hadn't even been apprenticed yet... Her tail flicked and she similarly looked up at Kestrel, eyes soft and shining.</sub>

[Deadnight]

Death was supposed to be a solemn occasion right? Wrong! The, ahem, rather incredibly insane tom almost danced his way into camp from whatever patrol his mind had sent him off on. Probably searching the territory for those cucumbers he was obsessive over.

“Say its only a paper moon
sailing over a cardboard sea
but it wouldn’t be make believe
if you believed in me~~~~~~~~”

Skidding to a stop he flicked his tail from side to side, wide unhealthy bright green hues looking from cat to cat.

“Pretty kitty died?! Why you mopin’ ‘round then? Ya’ll should be a cele-br-ating the life she lived, not her death!”

Well…he could make sense sometimes….okay, not often at all but still.

[Crisp]

<sub>Celebrating her life?

Ah, for once the crazy Deanight made sense! Crisp sighed and whispered, "Celebration...But..." He found no way to protest, so he just buried his muzzle in Bluerage's shoulder.

He seemed to like the scent and taste of her fur.

Crisp suddenly leaped to his paws. He remembered something...But no, it wouldn't help them in any way. This could help them in the battle, the war...this could help them bring justice to the rogue meadow...It could help them overtake the entire valley, but Kestrel wouldn't want that.

Was it possible? Yes, he felt it. He was alive.

His father.</sub>

[Bane]

The tom moved slowly yet elegantly into the clearing, his face expressionless, eyes taking in every detail of the other cats in front of him. He had only entered the clan a few days ago, and had yet to meet any of the others. Clan life was new to him, and he had spent the nights when he should be sleeping searching RisingClan territory, understanding every little detail of every rock, and it's location compared to everything else. He was a perfectionist like that, you see.

The tortoiseshell sat at the edge of the clearing, away from the others, keen just to observe for now. He was not a socialist, nor a particularly good talker, so watching suited him well. His eyes trailed on Kestrel, who appeared particularly tired. Meloy was not sure what this "gathering" they spoke of was, yet he knew briefly of the four clans, from rumours he had heard from other rogues. He could only assume from the chatting of others that RisingClan had joined this gathering, yet to the dislike of some.

He would wait to see what Kestrel had to say to them, then maybe he would understand more. Understanding was currently vital, before he was able to blend into clan life normally.[/size]

[Lucky]

I said I was sorry, Bete hissed. Angry furry in her eyes, she got up and moved closer to Kestrel. She dared not look back, and she flattened her ears so she couldn't hear what anyone had to say. She would only open them to Kestrel now. She shoul've kept to herself like usual. She began to mumble something about cats, and lay her weary head on her paws.

Can't we go to bed yet?

[Bluerage]

<sub>Bluerage let out a mew of surprise as he launched himself into the air. The movement shocked her... She had closen her eyes and began to purr, the movement of his tongue rhythmic on her fur. With hackles raised in alarm, she looked up at her mate. "My dear, what is-" Where she paused to begin to hiss as Bete. Now her hackles were raised in anger, ears flat against her skull, eyes livid.

She gave a sigh and sank down to the earth. My, what a temper the she-cat had!!! She began to soothe her fluffed up tail to where it returned to it's fluffy 'swiffer-duster' appearance. Finally, she continued.

"Crisp, what is on your mind, love?" She asked softly.</sub>

[Crisp]

_{He panted, then glanced over as Bluerage started. He sighed. "It's just..." He looked around; his father was so cruel that he barely spoke of him. "My...my father." He looked at his mate to see how she'd react. "He could really...}really...help us in this war." The pure black tom who'd disappeared on the Thunderpath entered his mind again and he winced; the pain--not physically, but in his heart--of being left there hit him like a boulder. Crisp realized that Bluerage must not really have any idea what was so great or awful about his dad, so he explained.

"My father"--he smiled and sighed, as though lovestruck by the magnificence of his father's battle skills--"practically owned my old home. It was a field, quite like this one, only a bit larger, and he acted like it was his territory, all of it. He fought with pretty much every other tom there, mated with many she-cats and fathered many kittens--me, of course, being one." Crisp chuckled half-heartedly. "I was his least favourite kit, of about fifty." It was quite true--well, except for one of his full-siblings, mothered by the same she-cat. The little priss was a kittypet at heart, and she was younger than Crisp. She left to become a kittypet and his mother apparently died.

"'Daddy' didn't really like any of his kits, except his first litter. They were all toms, and all extremely strong--just like him. He was disappointed with the rest of us--me and my kittypet sister, most." Crisp lay down and leaned against Bluerage. "I was weak in his eyes." He licked Bluerage's shoulder. "You don't think I am, do you?" he laughed jokingly. "But anyways. He was the strongest cat in the entire place, and...well, he could help us defeat BoneClan." Crisp shrugged. It wasn't much of a story; he'd told it all for nothing, only to say that he could help them defeat BoneClan. He also hoped that no one had heard except his mate.[/color][/sub][/i]