°GATHERING° (open)

[Pale*]

((Wow, I died. lol))
Palestar nodded polietly towards Rainstar. She didn't share the bond that the two did, but she didn't mind. There was peace in the forest for now and that was all she needed. "ShadowClan is late..." she contempalted outloud. She wasn't in much of a hurry to get things over with, but this was getting ridiculous. They needed to discuss things with everyone and get back to their camps. "The forest has been too quiet. I feel as if we're all going to be attacked at any moment," she said, not realizing she'd actually said that outloud. Her whiskers twitched unwillingly, and she looked down. She often wondered about her Clan and he position, wondering if she was doing a good job.

[ßrÁmßl£]

Bramblestar twitched her ears in agreement. She knew that the RiverClan leader was becoming edgy, and the feeling was spreading. She looked at the few other cats who were milling about and could tell that they also felt the same. "Maybe we should start and hope that ShadowClan arrives before the gathering is over," she suggested, feeling a little bad about it. "What do you think?" she asked the other two leaders, hoping that they wouldn't think she was being selfish.

[{Snarky}]

Velvetpaw started in surprise. Would a gathering really start without Shadowclan? Then again...they were quite rude with their lateness on such an important night. His whiskers twitched as he huffed, then remembered his place and shuffled embarassed. He never lowered his head, though, and kept his chin held high. He was proud to be a Windclan apprentice. His tail flicked in the air behind him as he watched the leaders with respect in his eyes. If only....

[Pale*]

Palestar nodded as she listened. "Yes, I think that's best. I don't know how much longer we can wait," she said softly, unsure if the others were going to agree with her statement. Palestar remembered how she's always admired the older leader of ThunderClan. She always knew what to do and was very kind to the other Clans. Palestar, on the other hand, was young and wasn't deputy for very long. There was a difference between knowing what to do and acting it out when the time came, and she wondered how she'd fair if she ever had to. Rainstar was also very bright and knowledgable. The two of them would make an amazing tag team, and Palestar sure didn't want to ever go against the two of them in battle, or even against their Clans. RiverClan was supposed to be thriving under her, but she coudn't seem to get a hold on what she was doing.

[ßrÁmßl£]

((Tee hee yay! She looks up to Bramblestar!))

Bramblestar nodded and made her way over to the great tree. She tensed her body, preparing to leap onto the first branch. She launched herself up and landed with a little thump. She climber to the next branch, meowing for the two other leaders to follow. Once she was comfortable, she opened her mouth and spoke loudly. "My fellow leaders and I have decided that the gathering must start. Even though ShadowClan hasn't arrived yet, it is important to uphold this night of peaceful gathering." She shifted her weight, as she was a little embarrassed. Even though she was a leader, she still valued the opinions of the other cats. She didn't want them to think badly of her.

[maddykay]

occ:I'm sorry I haven't been on in a while. since I haven't, I figured I'd rp a few cats at once. prepare for a dosy haha

Windclan
They'd followed their leader nimbly down the slope into Fourtrees side by side. Their strides matched one another so perfectly, an onlooker would think the brothers were one cat in two seperate bodies. But when you took a closer look, a look at their physical makeup and at their personality traits, their differences were obivious. Whisperwind, the smaller and wiser of the two, looked around instinctively at the bottom of the slope. He knew all the other cats in the clans found friends to chat and catch up with at this time. He also knew that although this was what he was suppose to be doing, he knew his only company for tonight would most likely be his brother and other members of his own clan. Being somewhat shy as a young kit, he'd never lost his reserved personality even now that he was grown. An observer and sympathiser, he could help cool down any situation.
Unlike his younger brother, Specklespot did not look around. Taking a few quick steps to a relatively open spot, the young and agile tom took a seat. As he waited for Whisperwind to join him, the heavily spotted Windclan warrior started to grown impatient. His clan had been here a while already and Shadowclan still had not arrived. Bramblestar's announcement came as a happy relief to the rather impatient tom. "Finally!" he murmured, "maybe the clans can actually get something done."
Whisperwind took a seat next to his elder brother and sighed. One of those deep, thoughtful, extremely meaningful Whisperwind sighs that had a tendancy of irratating his brother. "We can't start without Shadowclan, no matter how impatient everyone is to get the gathering started. It's just not that simple. Starting without them could cause some major problems." Whisperwind finished, gazing up at Bramblestar and truely thinking beginning was a bad idea.
"You worry too much," Specklespot said, flicking his tail dismissively, "nothing will happen. Except maybe Shadowclan getting brought down a notch."

Rabbitpaw ambled around, not really sure what to do with herself. A newly apprenticed she-cat, Rabbitpaw wasn't experienced enough to know she was suppose to find a group of cats to talk too. Swooshing her small tail back and forth slowly, she looked at the forming groups of cats with interest. This was not her first gathering, but the experience was still new to her. Licking the short, rabbit-like fur of her forepaw, Rabbitpaw wondered what news she'd hear tonight.

Thunderclan
The lithe black she-cat was very excited. This night was the night of the gathering, and now she would get to see how the other clans were doing. Rumors of how well Riverclan was fairing seemed to be true, all the cats that carried that scent appeared healthy and very well fed. The harsh winter that had finally passed must not have affected the water-loving cats as much as it had the other clans. Sleekstep broke away from her other clanmates and sat under a tree by herself. It wasn't that she wanted to be alone, it was actually easier for her to talk to and get to know other cats without the presence of a large group, so she was simply waiting to greet the next few cats that passed her by. Before she had the chance though, her leader lept up on the great tree to call the meeting to begin. Anxiety swelled in the cat's belly. 'Why are they starting the gathering without Shadowclan?' she wondered. Despite her fears, she knew Bramblestar to be a dependable and knowing leader. She wouldn't do anything foolish and if she thought it was best to start the gathering without the late clan, there must be a good reason for it.

Riverclan
Raindrop's long, white whiskers twitched in the now quiet darkness. Bramblestar's announcement of starting without Shadowclan had brought a nervous, and somewhat excited, hush over the many cats now gathered around the base of the great tree. Looking around, many of the cats present were young, healthy, and spry. It was interesting to see cats younger that she, and those of her own age, try to subdue their anticipation. Raindrop herself couldn't completely repress her feelings; long hairs quivering in the still air.

Fogpaw had followed his leader down the gentle slope into Fourtrees. Now he was not too far away from Raindrop, an old friend of his mothers. By himself, as the reserved cat tended to be, he sat watching her as Bramblestar spoke. Ears pricking suddenly, his gaze now turned to the magestic cat addressing the clans. His large, crystal clear eyes widened a bit at the surprising news and his strong muscles tensed slightly beneath his light grey coat. Despite this, Fogpaw, naive and trusting, didn't think there would be any trouble tonight.

[{Snarky}]

Velvetpaw's fur bristled at Bramblestar's words. They really were going to start without all four clans present? In his entire memory, it had never been done. Swishing his tail, he looked up as another apprentice smelling of Riverclan sat not far from him. He, too, looked tense and uncomfortable with the news. Inching closer to the other apprentice, Velvetpaw settled himself down next to him, preparing for the gathering of his life.

[thunderpaw]

Thudnerpaw stood up, tail flicking from side to side. He looked at the apprentice near him, "If anyone asks, I'll be back, I don't want Shadowclan to miss out." He turned and began to walk towards the log to cross and look for Shadowclan.

[maddykay]

Fogpaw's ears flicked sideways a moment before he turned to look at the Windclan apprentice. "Hi," he murmured, a little quieter than a normal cat would have, "I'm Fogpaw. Isn't it so weird they're starting early?" Rabbitpaw, the young Windclan apprentice, seated herself next to the large tom amd nodded. "What do you think Velvetpaw? Rainstar is going to have to deal with a lot of unhappy warriors when we get back to camp." Rabbitpaw said with a snigger.
As Thunderpaw started to leave, Fogpaw stood. "You can't go," he said, his worry for the young cat making him speak up, "If Shadowclan caught you on their territory, they'd attack you. Even if you were there to get them here quicker." He looked steadily around at all the strong, formidable looking warriors and gave a respectful shudder, "And you could get in big trouble."

[thunderpaw]

Thunderpaw simply shrugged and carried on. He'd been in worse. Well, what seemed like worse. He hopped off the tree and followed his original path, ears and tail held high.

[ßrÁmßl£]

Out of the corner of her eye, Bramblestar watched Thunderpaw walk away. "I wonder where he's off to?" she thought to herself. Then, she turned to the other two leaders. "Do either of you want to go first?" she asked, perking her ears in anticipation.

((Wow! Loooong first post Maddykay. ))

[Nightclaw]

Nightclaw flicked her ears in surprise. Were they really going to start the gathering without ShadowClan? She quickly trotted over to Whisperwind and Specklespot, giving Whisperwind a friendly lick before settling down, close beside him preparing herself to hear what the three leaders had to say. Her black fur sparkled silver in the moonlight, which was slowly beginning to fade as the moon fell farther down into sky. Where is ShadowClan? Nightclaw wondered. What if they don't make it to the gathering at all?

[Pale*]

Palestar nodded as Bramblestar told the cats what they had decided. There was nothing they could do but start. If ShadowClan didn't appear, someone would have to investigate, but there were things to say. "I agree with this decision. We can't wait for ever for ShadowClan to arrive," she said, trying to reasure her Clan that she supported this. Her whiskers twitched uncomfortably as she said this.

[maddykay]

ooc:haha thanks bramble. I was feeling creative XD

As a soft wind blew through the clearing, the fur that made him well known in his clan swayed and moved like the long grass in a meadow. Whisperwind licked Nightclaw's cheek lovingly as she seated herself next to him, flicking her flank with his long, thin tail. His worry quelled slightly just from her calming presence. Giving a slight nod of hello, Specklespot smiled at the two lovebirds half approvingly, half mockingly, before he turned his gaze up to Palestar.

Fogpaw looked worried as the other apprentice strode away, but decided that if the other cat wasn't going to listen, there wasn't much he could do about it. Pushing down that bad feeling in his gut that was almost always completely right, he turned away and faced the leaders as they spoke to the cats gathered beneath them.

[Nightclaw]

A contented((((OOC: how many times do i use the word contented in a day? = P )))) purr rose from Nightclaw's chest as Whisperwind ((((OOC: also her love bug haha-last ooc post, i promise!))) licked her cheek. Her worries over ShadowClan began to fade until She saw Specklespot glance back up at the leaders. StarClan won't be happy with ShadowClan... Nightclaw pondered, nuzzling closer to Whisperwind.