Gathering of 5/1/07

[Lucky]

Silverwhisker started to speak, "That's good, I hope..."

Something intterupted him. The gray tom jumped up in surprise as he realized, "RisingClan??!"

What are they doing here? They aren't really a Clan are they? Why aren't they at the rogue meadow where they belong?

Silverwhisker knew they were going to come, he could feel it. But tonight?

They better not of BoneClan cats in persuit, or I'll rip both Clan's fur off!

He sat down again with a slight snarl.

Giddypaw saw the RisingClan cats come into the clearing, led by Kestrel. A bit worried about Ripplepaw now, he got up a bit and decided to go look for her. Rustshade had passed by him, maybe he'd know.

"Rustshade! Have you seen my girl?" Realizing that the tom might not know who 'his girl' was, he quickly said, "Ripplepaw?"

Bete slunked into the clearing with the rest of her Clan. The RisingClan siamese looked in all directions, very aware of her suroundings. This place seemed hostile, and she didn't like it.

How would the cats take to the cat who kept to herself? How would they take her dear Leader, Kestrel? How would they take to the whole Clan?

And they'd better let her up there and speak!

Thinking these things, Bete started to mumble as she corrected her posture and looked for a place to sit down.

[Ripplemist]

Trotting eagerly after her clan, Ripplepaw had been side-tracked for a few minutes by a random large feather. After prodding it with her paw and scenting it, she had determined that it had belonged to a crow and decided to leave it alone as she noticed how far behind the rest of her clan she was.

The silver apprentice reached the Great Hill not long after her clanmates and picked her way through the crowd of cats with polite apologies if she bumped into anyone as she tried to find those among her best friends. Soon, Ripplepaw spotted Rustshade and mewed a hello and sat down next to him. Then she spotted Giddypaw too, and mewed a hello to him as well. Standing up for a few indecisive moments as to where she should sit, she moved so that she was in between her two friends.

Ripplepaw glanced up at the Great Hill itself, at the four clanleaders, silhouettes against the bright full moon. She felt her pelt prickle with slight fear as she noticed the tom that now replaced DuskClan's Sabrestar. He seemed sinister, perhaps even more so than the dark clan's previous leader. And where was Featherstar?
"Two leaders have changed," Ripplepaw wondered aloud. "In fact, all of them have, now, since my first gathering."
Her first gathering when she was a kit.... seemed so far away.

[hazelpelt]

Hazelpelt quietly padded over to Onyxdart embarrassed of being unable to keep up. "Sorry I have been caught in a thorn bush as I fell back what did I missed? " So many different cats. It was then when she noticed the other she cat Onyxdart was with and once more embarrassed she added: "Oh sorry if I interrupted and who if I may ask is your friend?"

[Colt .45]

_{Goldenblaze is in a different clan... He's a Boneclanner, Rustshade is who you want to talk to. They just go under the same username.]}

[Lucky]

Ooc: Thanks, I didn't check that!

Ic: Giddypaw eagerly got up to sit closer to Ripplepaw. He purred as he got closer and closer to her. Finally, he sat down after staring at her beutey for a moment, and tried to intwine his tail with hers. A bit worried, he looked at the ground and fiddled with his paws before turning to her and mewing, "You still like me don't you?"

Boy, did the tan tom hope she did. Not only did he love her, but he gave up everything for her. Living with his father, his rogue life, everything...

And his sister had disappeared, so now, without Ripplepaw, he'd be all alone in the world that was growing darker by the second...

[Bristleclaw]

A huge tabby and white figure rushed into the Gathering Place, her tail quivering with excitement. Fourteen moons and she was at a Gathering!? It was too exciting. She slowed down and looked around for other MistClanners. She spotted Giddypaw and Ripplepaw; no. She was annoyed by the younger tom, and Ripplepaw wasn't much older than her and that still made her a bit irrate. Rustshade? No, he was the same age as Ripplepaw...But suddenly an authorative meow rang out and she stopped dead.

"RisingClan?"

She looked around to see a gray and white she-cat. Her eyes were mismatched; one a bright electrifying yellow and the other, a bright blue.

That must be Kestrel.

But...why were they there? She had never heard of the rogue Clans joining in on a Gathering...and the fabled BoneClan and StealthClan were not there. Ah, all as well, she didn't exactly want to meet this Bane tom; he seemed too evil for her.

But who was this she-cat? The huge tabby and white figure? Well, her name was Bristlepaw. And she was a dedicated young MistClan apprentice. A rogue, before she came to Lillystar, pleading for acceptance; now near the age of a warrior. But she knew that Ripplepaw was nearer warrior age than she, and Bristlepaw was ready to wait for a warrior name. She was in no worry; Wishclaw, her mentor, and herself hadn't gotten much training in. She still needed to practice her hunting, and she really needed to work on battle sequences.

[darkwhisk]

Walks in to the room
Feels like a b i g b a l l o o n
I said, Hey girl, you are beautiful
Diet coke and a pizza please
Diet coke and I'm on my knees
Screaming, big girl you are beautiful

.x.

She followed Kestrel excitedly to the Gathering, paws itching to meet other apprentices. She wasn't even tired from the walk. But Darkwhisker held back from leaping down and greeting the cats; her flicking tail and gleaming eyes were all that gave away her anxiety. As her leader spoke, the young gray femme let her paws lead her into the Gathering Place. Spotting a couple of apprentices - MistClan, by their scent - she trotted over to them. Darkwhisker didn't even realize that she hadn't told Kestrel where she was going, but she went anyways. One of these apprentices was tan-coloured, while the other was a blue-gray tabby.

"Hello!"

She purred to Ripplepaw and Giddypaw - though she didn't know their names, yet. Darkwhisker told them her name and sat before them, tail flicking in excitement.

.x.

You take your _{skinny girl}
I feel like I'm gonna die
'Cause a real woman needs a real man, now here's why
You take your girl and multiply her by four
Now a whole lot of woman needs a whole lot more

[duchess]

ooc - wait a sec. Giddy, if you didn't 'check that', you couldn't have read the whole post. READ. POSTS.

[Kestrel]

zetsubou kara no hajimari te ni shlta kara ;;



Kestrel purred in satisfaction as she watched Darkwhisker bounce forward to greet her fellow apprentices. It was a brave thing to do, to step forward even though her Clan might not be well-liked or even well-recieved as of yet.

Kestrel turned and leapt onto the rock, nodding her head in greeting to her fellow leaders. "Amberstar; Lillystar; Bloodstar; Snowstar, good evening." Her voice was polite, even friendly.
"I am sorry if my Clan has interrupted the preceedings. How fare your Clans?"
Like any other leader, albeit one without a 'star' at the end of her name.


;; arukitsuzukeyou

[Carnage ;; Unholy Confession]

xx.__Risen from the ashes

Intriguing.

Unearthly green points glinted from the shadows to at the western edge of the clearing, moving as their owner carefully slid along the outer edge. He was a graceful, slim young thing; perhaps at first glance appearing to be female, although to utter such an unconvicted assurance to his pretty face would be signing one’s death certificate right then and there. Those fleeting, graceful movements stopped before he ventured close to the throng of cats, the ever familiar presence of Unholy Confession close behind him, still sitting at the edge of the clearing. Ethereal orbs glittered wickedly, tail flicking in a brief dance as if summoning his larger brother to join into this daring mission.

Mission? No, for it was not a mission, unless one considered it a scouting one. But this was not of Mother’s orders; it was not of her Ideal, her Desire, so for what reason had the unproclaimed leader of the torn, fragmented group of felines chosen to come to such a clan tainted place?

Fun. They had no Orders from Her, currently, and the youngest was restless. He had not known where Dual Void had ventured off to; the stupid tomcat sometimes padded off and got himself lost for days at a time before Carnage or Unholy Confession managed to track him down. And he always cried when he got scolded for it. The large, stupid tomcat was too predictable sometimes.

Carnage was bored.

--;

;--[/center]

Sometimes…it was difficult to understand Carnage. Those same defining eyes that graced the features of the slim black tomcat also burned endlessly on the face of the larger calico brother. He was tempting fate once more, daringly going into the gathered groups of Mother’s most hated enemy for a reason that was completely unclear to the troubled, quiet older brother. Just like a good little martyr. Because Mamma wanted to kill them all; all of her precious children. And clutch their souls in her greedy claws, breathing in the stink of their death with unashamed rapture.

Carnage. Carnage, Carnage, Carnage. He just didn’t get it. He was a smart tomcat, sure. Glorious prodigy spawned from that demonic shecat, destined to be her word and her sword and her host and her sacrifice. Destined to die.

To hear him talk about it, you’d think he longed for that touch that would cut his throat and end it all…every ray of light, every drop of water, every pulse of blood. You could see it in his eyes. He thought it would be great.

Unholy Confession didn’t say much; he and Dual Void did everything Carnage said. He never said it but he didn’t think dying was great. He didn’t gravitate toward it like a bee to the pollen, a shark to the blood. He didn’t want to touch that freak; he didn’t want to give her the world. But Carnage wanted it, so he’d work for it. Together, they’d work for it just so they, he and Dual Void, could see the beautiful, joyous break-down that Carnage would have once they’d finally done it.

Put Velvet on her throne.

So that was what they worked for. That was what they ached and slept and waked and bled and drank and lived for. And Carnage just didn’t get it.

It seemed the only thing Carnage didn’t understand was that death is not good. He took strange delight in reaching toward an open fire, flirting with the flames, hissing in pain as it began to sting his fur and flesh. He liked to stand at the edge of a cliff and look down. He loved to hold his breath under water as long as he could, and then stay there still when he began to choke—surfacing only when the world began turning black.

He did all of this with a kitish innocence, a fascination apparent in the over-bright eyes, so wide in his wonder. The curious smile would lift at the corners of his maw, spread into a maniacal grin. He embraced the chaos of Mother and pushed the rest of the world—the ones who kept Mother in a cage and tried to control and imitate and repress her power—to embrace it too.

That was Carnage. He didn’t understand. That worshipping murderess that would kill him. Should not. Make him. Happy.

Unholy Confession understood these basics all too well, and he suspected—although the topic had never come up in conversation—that Dual Void understood them also.

Yes, they too felt the connection to Mother, but rather than the delighted shivers and hysterical laughter that it produced in Carnage, for them it felt much like the crawling of the flesh that occurs when you discover that a leech is attached to your body, sucking you dry.

Leeches are not good.

And yet, there lay the difference between them. For Unholy Confession and Dual Void, worship of Velvet was forced worship, an inevitable submission that obsessed and frustrated them, filling their dreams and haunting their souls with her lingering preying caress, that killed them as surely as it kept them going.

Carnage thrived on it.

Unholy Confession, however, was not an open tomcat. He was the middle brother, the peacemaker between them, and the silent warrior that slew their enemies with mechanical efficiency. The soft-spoken pretty boy who would kill you point-blank and leave the interrogating to his master. He did not speak. He acted and he met half-way, and he nodded his head when he agreed, and remained still and quiet when he did not. His enduring silence was the mediator of Carnage and Dual Void’s frequent explosions of emotion, the final word that ended every argument that could not be resolved by a direct order. His job was to be there and keep quiet and he liked it that way.

He was well suited to his role, he thought, as he glared unfeelingly at his brother’s beckoning. He was good at keeping everything inside. He would not explode because he was strong. He would not give in because…he was not the sort to indulge.

Cold and solitary. It was safer that way.

Sometimes, he suspected, he thought too much. As Carnage appeared increasingly frustrated, desiring him to come and join him in this little game, a sort of half-smirk appeared to curve at Unholy Confession’s maw for a brief moment. A familiar expression, for his brothers, or maybe the last look those he killed saw. It promptly vanished, replaced by that cool indifference as he slid from the shadows, carefully and gracefully picking his way to the youngest’s side. “This is pointless.”

--;

[/color];--[/center]

Finally! Gawsh, Unholy Confession was so slooooow sometimes. Carnage, ignoring his brother’s rare words, ceased his little dance of impatience and grinned cockily, turning away from the calico tomcat and flitting over towards the cats, mingling easily with them as he searched from an easy mark he could milk information from. He knew, as he always knew, that his brother was steadily following him, keeping an eye out on all the other cats in case one place a single paw the wrong way toward him. The feeling of power was exquisite; with one single word he knew he could get the older of the two to kill.

Ah, there! A blind shecat, sitting alone. As he ventured closer, the cocky look replaced by a cunning mask of friendliness, another shecat approached her. She, black in pelt as he was, seemed shy…weak. Easy too. “Hello! Fine time for a gathering, huh?” There was not a drop of deceit in those unnaturally keen green eyes, a hue that shifted and coiled poisonously, as the small tomcat looked between the two females.

There was the slightest of noise as Unholy Confession came up behind him, sitting down and keeping a wary eye still on everything. Carnage knew they might be wondering about the lack of scent from the two tomcats, the way the almost blended into the territory and held no defining markers until one drew very close. There was no clan for them, never was, only each other.

Ah, but they did not know that. If asked he would simply state that they had been rogues up to only recently; and they chose to join a clan. A simple lie, but an altogether believable one.[/color][/blockquote]

Invaders from the shadows__.xx

[/size]

(OOC: I realize how terrible this is. ;.; I've never RP'ed a feline before.)

[Onyxdart]

Onyx turned as another cat approached, a tom. It was kind of like looking in a mirror, this other black cat. She grinned a little crookedly, and tilted her head to the side in a nod of hello. After all, she didn't know this tom, and it was always on the right side to be polite.

But it didn't mean you had to nod a hello to someone you didn't know when a head tilt to the side was just as nice.

"Hello. Which clan's your's?" she asked kindly. She couldn't tell initially from scent which they belonged to. But it was only an innocent question. She was wary, but only as much as usual.

It was a gathering. It was safe. Onyx suspected nothing from these two odd cats.

[/center]

Warfox glanced to the side at Silverwhisker as he jumped up when Risingclan arrived. He huffed out a short breath- kind of a chuckle.

"They are our allies, don't forget. And Boneclan would not be so stupid as to follow, or we have all given them far too much credit," he rumbled very quietly when Silverwhisker had settled down, aslmost like he'd read the other tom's thoughts. No need to be snarling at the new clan.

[/center]

[Blindsong]

[Not good? You idiot, that was great!]

No Sunpelt. If he was here, she was sure to have scented him by now. Disappointed, the calico she-cat drew herself up as if she was going to pad closer when a young voice stopped her.

A familiar voice too, with a familiar scent.

“Oh yes! I remember you! Onyx….Onyxpaw, was it?”

The other she-cat had been younger then, apprentice age. Now she was an adult, likely with a warrior’s name.

And then, there was another. No, two!

The kind blind she-cat turned her head and nodded to the two toms. They had odd scents, like they were but halves of a whole piece, fragments of one soul, but that lingering sense vanished at the cruel-smelling tom’s words.

The friendliness in his voice didn’t match the blood-laced undertone of his scent, and Blindsong looked lost for a moment before she managed to recover. Ah, she’d been wrong before, she probably was now. The other tom smelled cold, but he’d not spoken a word towards them yet.

“Yes it is. Hello, I’m Blindsong. Are you both from Duskclan?”

That seemed to be the clan they were likely in, with what she could scent of their temperaments and all.

[Onyxdart]

"Mmmhmm! Only, I'm Onyxdart now," Onyx chirped at the older cat, souding positively giggly for a moment before turning back to the two males, suddenly alert at the interesting response of Blindsong to the other two.

Just what was going on here? She tilted her head and gave the two of them a somewhat piercing look, each in their turn, as if she could figure it out if she simply stared at them hard enough.

Of course, you couldn't just go glaring at other people trying to read their minds or whatever, could you? She rounded her shoulders and forced herself to look a bit less, well, hostile. With a quick smile, she looked down at the tom's paws.

[/center]

[Battledream]

Her first meeting as a Mistclan cat…

Battledream padded her way through the ever increasing crowd of cats, amber gaze sweeping the area as she truly sought only one cat.

One ear flicked towards the clan leaders, half listening to the typical pre-announcement banter that had been once so familiar to the ex-leader. Indeed, it was still familiar to this day.

But the shadows of the past should not solely guide a feline.

There!

The massive she-cat said little, as she slid into a crouch at Warfox’s other side. There, it was a comfortable silence, only broken when she finally carefully uttered.

“Hello Warfox.”

[Goldenblaze]

<sub>Rustshade smiled as the small silver tabby, though not as small as he recalled her in his memories, sat down beside her. But she seemed upset... He couldn't tell what until she moved from his side to sit farther away.

Oh..

Between himself and that Giddypaw..

She got up and he too sat down beside her, laying down and sprawling out comfortable in good view of the 5 leaders upon the rock. His ears swiveled around to face Giddypaw, though his eyes remained ahead. There were so many cats who did not look friendly; he needed to be on his guard, gathering or not.

Did Ripplepaw still like Giddypaw? Pah! She hardly saw the tom at all in Mistclan. He never took the initiative to see his 'girl', only at Gatherings. True, Rustshade hadn't seen the she-cat much either, but he didn't claim any cat as his own.

... Not even his dark secret; the Mistclan medicine cat. She would never be his, no matter how much he loved her now. He had feelings for Ripple, but not as he did for his other best friend.

Perhaps he was jealous, but he wanted Ripplepaw to be happy; he would die to protect either of his friends, or any Mistclan cat.

... No matter the cost...</sub>

[Shadow Spirit]

Lillystar had always liked Kestrel, no matter what her origins might be. She felt no ill will toward the she-cat and she had agreed to be her ally, so how could she? It was her determination that, unless StarClan showed an obvious dislike, Kestrel was welcome here.

"Welcome Kestrel," she said, waving her tail in greeting. "We were just about to begin, so you'll shall hear about our Clans now if you simply stay put."

The sky tells a story...swirling clouds and shining moon...war is coming...

Chasm watched his leader ascend the rock, glad to see no one reacting badly to her bold move....so far. The muscled black tom took up a protective position in front of the rock, sitting and boldly facing the rest of the cats in the clearing. The silvery patch on his back shone in the moonlight.

Dragonpelt saw the black RisingClan tom sit in front of the place where Kestrel had just gone. He figured this was either her deputy or her mate...or both? Whatever the case, Dragonpelt was not about to pit his small lithe body against the brawny muscle of this tom unless it became completely necessary. He turned his green gaze back to his mate at the top of the rock.

[Onyxdart]

Warfox flipped his ears forward at Battledream and flipped his tail against the ground in a friendly greeting.

"Hey Battledream. How goes?" he asked, switching from staring at the leaders to look instead at his friend. He'd kind of hoped she'd show up.

And what would Silverwhisker make of this? Warfox almost grinned, wondering if anyone might be confused that he apparently knew a cat from another clan. Of course, Snowstar knew, but no one else did.

[/center]

[Lucky]

Ooc: I did read the whole post! I just didn't remember to check and make sure I had the right names. I usually post in the morning before school and I had to go...

Ic: Silverwhisker nodded. He wouldn't do war on this holy ground, but he still couldn't help to be mad. Mostly, he was mad out of worry. He hoped things would go right. He turned and was about to tell Warfox this, but a friend of his came along, and he swiftly turned, mewing a mumbled, "Ok..." and keeping his mouth shut as his whiskers twitched and his ears turning to see if they'd talk.

[Ripplemist]

Noticing her kithood friend move over next to her as well, Ripplepaw lightly brushed her tail on Rustshade's to acknowledge his presence before turning her attention to Giddypaw's question.

Did she still like him?

Did she?

Ripplepaw shuffled her paws, troubled. She still did, but not in the way that he probably assumed. What had first started as an innocent though cross-clan crush had slowly turned into a strong
friendship, but a strong friendship not likely to turn into strong love. After an uncomfortable silence, she spoke up.

"Giddypaw, I'm sorry but-"

And then a fellow apprentice showed up and introduced herself, interrupting Ripple. Her mild annoyance soon gave way to relief at not having to tell Giddypaw her true feelings, and Ripplepaw soon snapped back to her happyfriendly mode and she too introduced herself.

"Hello, Darkwhisker! I'm Ripplepaw, from MistClan!" She paused as she took in Darkwhisker's scent. It wasn't very familiar, but she had caught traces of it once before, during Lillystar's announcement of the impending war. Allowing her gaze to wander up to where the four clan leaders plus yet another were seated, awe entered her voice.

"Are you.... from RisingClan?"

[Lucky]

Giddypaw's ears drooped sadly and his whiskers twitched.

The girl he had given everything for, didn't like him anymore...

Maybe one day? No, this cat who had made many stupid decisions didn't have a chance...

Ripplepaw now talked to a new cat in Gathering. Now was his chance to get away. After mewing a quick "hello!" and "have a nice time tonight!", the tom sadly, he got up and decided to go and sit somewhere else. Then, he'd listen to the Leaders and drown in his misery later. If he'd had stayed with his father, maybe he wouldn't be dead...

Getting up, another stupid decision...

Bete looked around and around. But couldn't decide where in the huge lands to sit. Moving her head around so much made her dizzy. She stopped and closed her eyes and began to mumble. When she opened them again. She spotted a huge cat! Huge, but young. The smell was that of water and mist. MistClan?

The RisingClan siamese decided to go and introduce herself. "Hi! I'm Bete! What's your name?"

Realizing how cool she sounded, she hoped the she-cat wouldn't try to bat her ears, and started to feel sick and uneasy.

Ooc: Giddy's feeling a bit emo!