Post by LιθΠΗΣαRτεD on Aug 21, 2017 18:48:00 GMT
"All cats attending the Gathering, we are leaving now!" Kitestar's yowl jerked Shadowpaw out of his light slumber, and he jumped to his paws, his heart thumping with excitement. Warriors were streaming towards the entrance, gathering at the bottom of the tree that stood by the entrance. Kitestar was perched on a low branch, waiting. Shadowpaw nearly tripped over his own paws scrambling to join the others.
"Jeez, slow down, it's just a Gathering," Lightpaw teased, catching him. The older apprentice was staying behind yet again, on another punishment. For what, Shadowpaw didn't bother to ask anymore.
Shadowpaw huffed. "It's my first! And Kitestar's gonna announce my name!" Not bothering to wait for his friend, Shadowpaw hurried over, skidding to a stop near the edge, trying to squeeze his way through. A couple of the adults chuckled and made way for the eager young tom, and Shadowpaw found himself standing at the head, right beneath Kitestar.
"All right, then?" Redstrike the deputy was saying, and, signalling Kitestar, the two lead ThistleClan out. Shadowpaw hurried to keep up, careful to stay behind the two authorities.
"Shadowpaw," Kitestar's feminine alto lilt said, and he startled at her voice beside him. His eyes widened as he found himself sandwiched between her and the deputy.
"U-uh, hi," he managed to squeak out, as he struggled to match their long strides. I'm walking beside them!
"Feeling nervous?" asked Redstrike, smirking slightly.
"Yeah," Shadowpaw breathed out, deciding to be honest. "I mean, I don't know what there's to be nervous about, but still."
Kitestar and Redstrike both nodded. "It can be overwhelming," Kitestar said understandingly, though there was little emotion in her stoic tone. "But you will get used to it. It is a social gathering under a truce of peace. You are free to mingle with the other warriors, so long as it doesn't get too animated."
"Of course not," Shadowpaw said hurriedly, "I wouldn't... I wouldn't dream of speaking badly of others." Damn it, this awkward formal tone! He rolled his eyes internally, frustrated at how fearful he seemed.
Redstrike seemed amused. "No, I wouldn't expect that you do either. You are spoken of highly in this Clan, young'un, if you didn't know already."
Shadowpaw didn't know what to say to that. Yeah, he'd heard his name passed around more than once. But this was the deputy saying it, as if he was praising him himself, and all he got out was a high-pitched, "uh-huh."
"Shadowboar and Darkshimmer are very noble warriors of ThistleClan," Redstrike continued, "as are Thunderhound and Fangspider."
Fangspider? Shadowpaw thought in disbelief. Really?
"It was expected that you would do as well as them," Kitestar picked up, "and you do not disappoint." Shadowpaw felt his heart pounding. The leader had just complimented him.
"Thank you, Kitestar." Shadowpaw was surprised at his own calm in his reply. Satisfied, they walked the rest of the way in silence.
"We are here," Redstrike said as they reached a large quarry. There was a group of cats swarming at the bottom of the slope already, and Shadowpaw wrinkled his nose at the fish stench that floated over. "Looks like RippleClan is here already. See that cat sitting on the rock at the top of the waterfall? That's Hawkstar, their leader."
Shadowpaw nodded numbly, already feeling out-of-place. He hoped there was another apprentice down there going through the same turmoil. As ThistleClan descended, he watched Kitestar bound ahead, down the hill and speedily up the rocky slope, clambering to sit next to Hawkstar, who was greeting her with nods.
"There other Clans will be here soon," Redstrike said as he lead the rest of the warriors down, Shadowpaw still in front beside him. "Enjoy yourself." And with that he swept away, approaching a tough-looking large black tom. Shadowpaw glanced behind him, seeing his Clanmates fan out, already finding friends among the other Clan. He looked around helplessly, wishing that Lightpaw were here to ease him into things. But he was all alone now.
"Hey there, kit." Fangspider appeared, his long legs causing him to stick out over the crowd like a large shadow. But his yellow-green eyes glittered in a friendly manner, excitement evident. "Scared?"
"Uh, no," Shadowpaw retorted playfully, feeling at ease with his uncle next to him. "Just... taking a look."
"Yeah, okay." Fangspider flicked Shadowpaw's head lightly with his tail. "Make some friends, okay? With no Lightpaw, you're on your own. Do some socializing, for once."
"What do you mean, for once?"
"You're allowed to have more than one friend," Fangspider elaborated, tilting his head and smiling with his fangs. "Let's go find you someone to talk to."
"I don't need--" Shadowpaw was saying as he padded away, looking over his shoulder to address the taller black tom. In that moment, he collided with another body.
"Ouch!" It was a golden-brown tom, about his age, looking disgruntled, his front fur ruffled by the crash.
"Sorry! I'm so sorry," Shadowpaw apologized, trying not to gag at the river odor the other tom was emitting.
"Well then," Fangspider said, stepping to Shadowpaw's side, pausing briefly. The recovering apprentice startled at his tall appearance, his eyes widening. Shadowpaw resisted the urge to smirk. He still felt guilty. "Looks like you found a friend, Shadowpaw. You're welcome." Winking, he walked away.
"Uh." Shadowpaw turned back to the other cat, who was grooming his head fur back. "Sorry about that, again. I wasn't looking where I was going."
"Evidently." The golden apprentice smiled wryly, and shrugged. "It's fine, happens. I'm Archpaw, of... well, we're the only other Clan here right now. RippleClan."
"Yeah, I can smell it," Shadowpaw teased back, relaxing. At least Archpaw hadn't snapped at his clumsiness. He seemed nice enough. "I'm Shadowpaw. Of ThistleClan."
Archpaw nodded. "This is your first time?"
"Yeah. Yours?"
Another nod. "I was real nervous, but I'm glad I found someone to talk to. Oh, look, there's another Clan coming!"
Shadowpaw turned his head. Sure enough, a large crowd of cats were spilling down the hill, a ginger-and-white tom at the helm, a golden tom bearing resemblance trailing behind. The ginger-and-white tom was significantly smaller than the golden one (or rather, the golden tom just happened to dwarf everyone), he obviously held the authority. The two apprentices watched as the leader joined Hawkstar and Kitestar. The golden tom approached Redstrike and his black-furred companion, while the rest of the Clan joined the larger congregation.
"That must be DawnClan," Archpaw breathed. "It's the only other Clan with a tom as the leader, I remember. That ginger-and-white cat must be Thrushstar, and Goldenfox the deputy is his brother. I heard they had a whole internal family feud."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Goldenfox is older than Thrushstar, who was born in a later litter. And it was by a different father, or something like that, so Goldenfox and his brother Frostberry didn't like him. But he was declared heir after the previous King's son died-- the brothers were so mad-- but then he made Goldenfox his deputy. A surprise for those two, and I think that resolved everything." Archpaw rolled his eyes.
"What about Frostberry?"
"Too bad, I guess," Archpaw shrugged. "Their sister Rosetail's the medicine cat. They don't like her either, but apparently Thrushstar does."
"Huh." Shadowpaw watched Goldenfox for a while. The tom didn't seem very evil-- just big. Redstrike was being completely shadowed by the two larger deputies standing over him. "Anyway." He turned back to his new companion, finding it enjoyable that he was having such a nice conversation with him. He could see why Gatherings were so fun now-- he was liking his cross-Clan gossip. "How's your training going?"
"Fine," Archpaw shrugged, as if it wasn't important. "My mentor's really pushy, though. Her name's Poppytail, she's that cat talking to Fangspider over there."
Shadowpaw's eyebrows arched in surprise. "That's my uncle. You know him?"
"'Course," Archpaw said. "He's one of the best warriors of ThistleClan. Besides Redstrike, he's all anyone in RippleClan ever talks about when we gossip about your Clan. If you're his uncle, then you're Shadowboar's son, right? Your family is held in high regards." He chuckled.
"Oh," Shadowpaw stammered, surprised. "I... I didn't know Fangspider was so revered."
"No?"
"I mean... he seems so... silly. I didn't know he cared that much, or was that good. At being a warrior, or whatever it is."
"Why is being silly a bad thing?" Archpaw tilted his head.
"I didn't say it was," Shadowpaw began to retort, then hesitated. What was he saying? "I... I don't know. He just seems overenthusiastic about life, I guess." He gave a weak laugh. "I thought all warriors were supposed to be serious and stuff."
"Just because he cracks jokes all the time doesn't make him not serious. In fact, that's why a lot of cats like him. He's friendly."
"Hey there!" a voice called, and the two toms turned to see a she-cat and a tom approaching. "Mind if we join?"
"Not a problem," Archpaw replied back, and Shadowpaw skittered over to make room. The she-cat's demeanor was relaxed and friendly, and she seemed totally in her element, while the tom's expression was boredom. His ice-blue eyes roved over Archpaw and Shadowpaw, as if sizing them up. "I'm Archpaw of RippleClan, and this is Shadowpaw of ThistleClan," he introduced.
Shadowpaw jolted at his name. "Oh! Yes, hi, nice to meet you."
The she-cat beamed. "I'm Pinepaw, of ScorchClan," she replied, and Shadowpaw found her ashy, smoky scent much more soothing to the nose than Archpaw's fish smell. "And this is Fangpaw of DawnClan. He's Thrushstar's son."
At this, Fangpaw seemed to puff out his chest. Shadowpaw tried not to grimace at his arrogant behavior, and decided that he did not like this tom. "Are you the heir, then?" he asked hesitantly.
The tom shrugged once. "I'm not the oldest," he said, as if that would explain everything. "But I would say I've got a pretty good chance. My siblings don't seem too into it, so I'm betting father would declare me soon enough."
"Is it a competition?" Archpaw asked, frowning. "I wouldn't like having rough relationships with my siblings." Is that what was happening with Thrushstar's siblings? Shadowpaw wondered.
"Not really, at this point," said Fangpaw confidently. Shadowpaw gritted his teeth, but decided against saying anything, as Archpaw and Pinepaw looked unfazed by Fangpaw's assholery.
They made small talk for a while, but a loud yowl jerked them out of their conversation. "Cats of the Gathering! We are about to begin." An unfamiliar she-cat was speaking, which Shadowpaw deduced to be the notorious Ravenstar of ScorchClan. "ScorchClan will start. Firstly, I want to welcome two new apprentices, Pinepaw and Ashpaw. They are here tonight."
"Pinepaw! Ashpaw!" everyone yelled, and Archpaw gave a satisfied but embarrassed Pinepaw a friendly shove.
After they'd given their news, Hawkstar stepped up. "RippleClan also has gained new apprentices. Loudpaw, and my own son, Archpaw."
"Loudpaw! Archpaw!" Shadowpaw smiled at his friend. I didn't know he was Hawkstar's kit! Why didn't he say so?
His surprise was mirrored on Fangpaw's face. "You're Hawkstar's leader? Why didn't you say so?" Archpaw shrugged half-heartedly.
"It's not really a big deal. He's just my dad."
"But you could be leader! You must have some kind of advantage."
"I don't want--" Archpaw's protest was drowned out by an annoyed shhh from a voice behind them, and they fell silent, listening to Hawkstar's report. He stepped back, and Thrushstar took his place.
"DawnClan is flourishing as well," the tom said, obviously the youngest out of all the four. "I want to acknowledge my kits as well, who had their ceremonies a few days ago. Welcome, Doepaw, Dawnpaw, Featherpaw, and Fangpaw."
"Doepaw! Dawnpaw! Featherpaw! Fangpaw!" Shadowpaw took the turn to shove Fangpaw playfully, trying to snap the tom out of his self-centered revere. Fangpaw scowled for a moment, looking miffed, before rolling his eyes and shooting a grin back. Shadowpaw, caught up with the elation and excitement around him, wasn't even bothered when Fangpaw merely smirked and tilted his head at him in the simplest, most arrogant expression of gratitude.
Not long after, Kitestar finally slipped out of her place and into the light. "ThistleClan is thriving. We also have one new apprentice, Shadowpaw."
"Shadowpaw!" This time, it was only his name that reverberated around the Quarry, and he felt his fur grow hot as his new friends grinned at him. Fangpaw even threw a wink, and Shadowpaw felt himself beaming back. Yeah, Gatherings were officially his favorite thing.
"Jeez, slow down, it's just a Gathering," Lightpaw teased, catching him. The older apprentice was staying behind yet again, on another punishment. For what, Shadowpaw didn't bother to ask anymore.
Shadowpaw huffed. "It's my first! And Kitestar's gonna announce my name!" Not bothering to wait for his friend, Shadowpaw hurried over, skidding to a stop near the edge, trying to squeeze his way through. A couple of the adults chuckled and made way for the eager young tom, and Shadowpaw found himself standing at the head, right beneath Kitestar.
"All right, then?" Redstrike the deputy was saying, and, signalling Kitestar, the two lead ThistleClan out. Shadowpaw hurried to keep up, careful to stay behind the two authorities.
"Shadowpaw," Kitestar's feminine alto lilt said, and he startled at her voice beside him. His eyes widened as he found himself sandwiched between her and the deputy.
"U-uh, hi," he managed to squeak out, as he struggled to match their long strides. I'm walking beside them!
"Feeling nervous?" asked Redstrike, smirking slightly.
"Yeah," Shadowpaw breathed out, deciding to be honest. "I mean, I don't know what there's to be nervous about, but still."
Kitestar and Redstrike both nodded. "It can be overwhelming," Kitestar said understandingly, though there was little emotion in her stoic tone. "But you will get used to it. It is a social gathering under a truce of peace. You are free to mingle with the other warriors, so long as it doesn't get too animated."
"Of course not," Shadowpaw said hurriedly, "I wouldn't... I wouldn't dream of speaking badly of others." Damn it, this awkward formal tone! He rolled his eyes internally, frustrated at how fearful he seemed.
Redstrike seemed amused. "No, I wouldn't expect that you do either. You are spoken of highly in this Clan, young'un, if you didn't know already."
Shadowpaw didn't know what to say to that. Yeah, he'd heard his name passed around more than once. But this was the deputy saying it, as if he was praising him himself, and all he got out was a high-pitched, "uh-huh."
"Shadowboar and Darkshimmer are very noble warriors of ThistleClan," Redstrike continued, "as are Thunderhound and Fangspider."
Fangspider? Shadowpaw thought in disbelief. Really?
"It was expected that you would do as well as them," Kitestar picked up, "and you do not disappoint." Shadowpaw felt his heart pounding. The leader had just complimented him.
"Thank you, Kitestar." Shadowpaw was surprised at his own calm in his reply. Satisfied, they walked the rest of the way in silence.
"We are here," Redstrike said as they reached a large quarry. There was a group of cats swarming at the bottom of the slope already, and Shadowpaw wrinkled his nose at the fish stench that floated over. "Looks like RippleClan is here already. See that cat sitting on the rock at the top of the waterfall? That's Hawkstar, their leader."
Shadowpaw nodded numbly, already feeling out-of-place. He hoped there was another apprentice down there going through the same turmoil. As ThistleClan descended, he watched Kitestar bound ahead, down the hill and speedily up the rocky slope, clambering to sit next to Hawkstar, who was greeting her with nods.
"There other Clans will be here soon," Redstrike said as he lead the rest of the warriors down, Shadowpaw still in front beside him. "Enjoy yourself." And with that he swept away, approaching a tough-looking large black tom. Shadowpaw glanced behind him, seeing his Clanmates fan out, already finding friends among the other Clan. He looked around helplessly, wishing that Lightpaw were here to ease him into things. But he was all alone now.
"Hey there, kit." Fangspider appeared, his long legs causing him to stick out over the crowd like a large shadow. But his yellow-green eyes glittered in a friendly manner, excitement evident. "Scared?"
"Uh, no," Shadowpaw retorted playfully, feeling at ease with his uncle next to him. "Just... taking a look."
"Yeah, okay." Fangspider flicked Shadowpaw's head lightly with his tail. "Make some friends, okay? With no Lightpaw, you're on your own. Do some socializing, for once."
"What do you mean, for once?"
"You're allowed to have more than one friend," Fangspider elaborated, tilting his head and smiling with his fangs. "Let's go find you someone to talk to."
"I don't need--" Shadowpaw was saying as he padded away, looking over his shoulder to address the taller black tom. In that moment, he collided with another body.
"Ouch!" It was a golden-brown tom, about his age, looking disgruntled, his front fur ruffled by the crash.
"Sorry! I'm so sorry," Shadowpaw apologized, trying not to gag at the river odor the other tom was emitting.
"Well then," Fangspider said, stepping to Shadowpaw's side, pausing briefly. The recovering apprentice startled at his tall appearance, his eyes widening. Shadowpaw resisted the urge to smirk. He still felt guilty. "Looks like you found a friend, Shadowpaw. You're welcome." Winking, he walked away.
"Uh." Shadowpaw turned back to the other cat, who was grooming his head fur back. "Sorry about that, again. I wasn't looking where I was going."
"Evidently." The golden apprentice smiled wryly, and shrugged. "It's fine, happens. I'm Archpaw, of... well, we're the only other Clan here right now. RippleClan."
"Yeah, I can smell it," Shadowpaw teased back, relaxing. At least Archpaw hadn't snapped at his clumsiness. He seemed nice enough. "I'm Shadowpaw. Of ThistleClan."
Archpaw nodded. "This is your first time?"
"Yeah. Yours?"
Another nod. "I was real nervous, but I'm glad I found someone to talk to. Oh, look, there's another Clan coming!"
Shadowpaw turned his head. Sure enough, a large crowd of cats were spilling down the hill, a ginger-and-white tom at the helm, a golden tom bearing resemblance trailing behind. The ginger-and-white tom was significantly smaller than the golden one (or rather, the golden tom just happened to dwarf everyone), he obviously held the authority. The two apprentices watched as the leader joined Hawkstar and Kitestar. The golden tom approached Redstrike and his black-furred companion, while the rest of the Clan joined the larger congregation.
"That must be DawnClan," Archpaw breathed. "It's the only other Clan with a tom as the leader, I remember. That ginger-and-white cat must be Thrushstar, and Goldenfox the deputy is his brother. I heard they had a whole internal family feud."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Goldenfox is older than Thrushstar, who was born in a later litter. And it was by a different father, or something like that, so Goldenfox and his brother Frostberry didn't like him. But he was declared heir after the previous King's son died-- the brothers were so mad-- but then he made Goldenfox his deputy. A surprise for those two, and I think that resolved everything." Archpaw rolled his eyes.
"What about Frostberry?"
"Too bad, I guess," Archpaw shrugged. "Their sister Rosetail's the medicine cat. They don't like her either, but apparently Thrushstar does."
"Huh." Shadowpaw watched Goldenfox for a while. The tom didn't seem very evil-- just big. Redstrike was being completely shadowed by the two larger deputies standing over him. "Anyway." He turned back to his new companion, finding it enjoyable that he was having such a nice conversation with him. He could see why Gatherings were so fun now-- he was liking his cross-Clan gossip. "How's your training going?"
"Fine," Archpaw shrugged, as if it wasn't important. "My mentor's really pushy, though. Her name's Poppytail, she's that cat talking to Fangspider over there."
Shadowpaw's eyebrows arched in surprise. "That's my uncle. You know him?"
"'Course," Archpaw said. "He's one of the best warriors of ThistleClan. Besides Redstrike, he's all anyone in RippleClan ever talks about when we gossip about your Clan. If you're his uncle, then you're Shadowboar's son, right? Your family is held in high regards." He chuckled.
"Oh," Shadowpaw stammered, surprised. "I... I didn't know Fangspider was so revered."
"No?"
"I mean... he seems so... silly. I didn't know he cared that much, or was that good. At being a warrior, or whatever it is."
"Why is being silly a bad thing?" Archpaw tilted his head.
"I didn't say it was," Shadowpaw began to retort, then hesitated. What was he saying? "I... I don't know. He just seems overenthusiastic about life, I guess." He gave a weak laugh. "I thought all warriors were supposed to be serious and stuff."
"Just because he cracks jokes all the time doesn't make him not serious. In fact, that's why a lot of cats like him. He's friendly."
"Hey there!" a voice called, and the two toms turned to see a she-cat and a tom approaching. "Mind if we join?"
"Not a problem," Archpaw replied back, and Shadowpaw skittered over to make room. The she-cat's demeanor was relaxed and friendly, and she seemed totally in her element, while the tom's expression was boredom. His ice-blue eyes roved over Archpaw and Shadowpaw, as if sizing them up. "I'm Archpaw of RippleClan, and this is Shadowpaw of ThistleClan," he introduced.
Shadowpaw jolted at his name. "Oh! Yes, hi, nice to meet you."
The she-cat beamed. "I'm Pinepaw, of ScorchClan," she replied, and Shadowpaw found her ashy, smoky scent much more soothing to the nose than Archpaw's fish smell. "And this is Fangpaw of DawnClan. He's Thrushstar's son."
At this, Fangpaw seemed to puff out his chest. Shadowpaw tried not to grimace at his arrogant behavior, and decided that he did not like this tom. "Are you the heir, then?" he asked hesitantly.
The tom shrugged once. "I'm not the oldest," he said, as if that would explain everything. "But I would say I've got a pretty good chance. My siblings don't seem too into it, so I'm betting father would declare me soon enough."
"Is it a competition?" Archpaw asked, frowning. "I wouldn't like having rough relationships with my siblings." Is that what was happening with Thrushstar's siblings? Shadowpaw wondered.
"Not really, at this point," said Fangpaw confidently. Shadowpaw gritted his teeth, but decided against saying anything, as Archpaw and Pinepaw looked unfazed by Fangpaw's assholery.
They made small talk for a while, but a loud yowl jerked them out of their conversation. "Cats of the Gathering! We are about to begin." An unfamiliar she-cat was speaking, which Shadowpaw deduced to be the notorious Ravenstar of ScorchClan. "ScorchClan will start. Firstly, I want to welcome two new apprentices, Pinepaw and Ashpaw. They are here tonight."
"Pinepaw! Ashpaw!" everyone yelled, and Archpaw gave a satisfied but embarrassed Pinepaw a friendly shove.
After they'd given their news, Hawkstar stepped up. "RippleClan also has gained new apprentices. Loudpaw, and my own son, Archpaw."
"Loudpaw! Archpaw!" Shadowpaw smiled at his friend. I didn't know he was Hawkstar's kit! Why didn't he say so?
His surprise was mirrored on Fangpaw's face. "You're Hawkstar's leader? Why didn't you say so?" Archpaw shrugged half-heartedly.
"It's not really a big deal. He's just my dad."
"But you could be leader! You must have some kind of advantage."
"I don't want--" Archpaw's protest was drowned out by an annoyed shhh from a voice behind them, and they fell silent, listening to Hawkstar's report. He stepped back, and Thrushstar took his place.
"DawnClan is flourishing as well," the tom said, obviously the youngest out of all the four. "I want to acknowledge my kits as well, who had their ceremonies a few days ago. Welcome, Doepaw, Dawnpaw, Featherpaw, and Fangpaw."
"Doepaw! Dawnpaw! Featherpaw! Fangpaw!" Shadowpaw took the turn to shove Fangpaw playfully, trying to snap the tom out of his self-centered revere. Fangpaw scowled for a moment, looking miffed, before rolling his eyes and shooting a grin back. Shadowpaw, caught up with the elation and excitement around him, wasn't even bothered when Fangpaw merely smirked and tilted his head at him in the simplest, most arrogant expression of gratitude.
Not long after, Kitestar finally slipped out of her place and into the light. "ThistleClan is thriving. We also have one new apprentice, Shadowpaw."
"Shadowpaw!" This time, it was only his name that reverberated around the Quarry, and he felt his fur grow hot as his new friends grinned at him. Fangpaw even threw a wink, and Shadowpaw felt himself beaming back. Yeah, Gatherings were officially his favorite thing.