FOOTNOTE ✧ gathering announcement 9.15.23

[BLAZESTAR]

The moon has not yet risen, but when it does, it will fill the sky like an immense silver berry. It is the eve of the Gathering, and Blazestar must say goodbye to many cats—beloved Clanmates, trusted members of his council, and… Bobbie. He shoves the sorrow that threatens to spill from his heart into his chest away. She had made her mind up. And as fearful as he is that the cats who leave will not return, he must also respect their decision to lay down their lives for SkyClan, as all warriors are asked to do.

“All cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath the Highbranch for a Clan meeting!” His paws scrape anxiously against the bark as cats spill into the clearing. Unbidden, his dark blue gaze drifts to where the WindClan cats are bedded down and surrounded by formidable warriors. “As you all have heard by now, WindClan’s deputy and one of their warriors has shown up on SkyClan’s border asking for refuge. They are our prisoners. This does not mean they are to be treated cruelly.” He knows many will be looking for the chance. “We are not Sootstar. Nor are we her barbaric minions.” He flicks an ear to indicate he is directly referring to the captives. “Not a word of their presence here is to be spilled tonight or any night.”

The threat of consequences is cold in his voice. He does not smile when he begins to announce the cats departing for the Gathering. “All those who volunteered will accompany us tonight to Fourtrees. There they will leave for the mountains.” After a heartbeat, he finds Howlfire’s patched-tabby pelt in the crowd, his expression softening. “All those who volunteered but Howlfire, that is.”

After a heartbeat, he tears his eyes from his young daughter—now in a precarious condition—and to the rest of SkyClan. “Those in attendance tonight are Johnnyflame, Cocoshine, Edenpaw, Glimmerpaw, Dog, Foxfire, and Falconpaw.”

✧ INFO.

• attendees: @falconpaw! @Dog @Foxfire @edenpaw ?! @cocoshine @Glimmerpaw @Johnnyflame I did grab two extras who didn't volunteer in the discord!
  windclanner guards are @Dandelionwish and @QUILLSTRIKE as written in the "joining" thread
• 
  — blaise . blazestar
  — he/him ; leader of skyclan
  — pansexual ; divorced ; single
  — longhaired flame point Ragdoll with blue eyes
  — “speech”, thoughts, attack
  — penned by Marquette
  — chibi by Mercibun

​

 

[Johnnyflame]

HE SAID, "WELL MY NAME'S JOHNNY, AND IT MIGHT BE A SIN
BUT I'LL TAKE YOUR BET, AND YOU'RE GONNA REGRET, CUZ IM THE BEST THERE'S EVER BEEN."​

---

At first Johnny had been disappointed to learn that Blazestar wanted him to stay back from the journey, to the point where the bobtail had almost thought to argue over it. There'd been enough heresay about the capabilities of daylight warriors lately and the stocky tomcat had been eager to help prove that having twolegs wouldn't interfere with how far he was willing to go for Skyclan- in this case, quite literally.

As eager as he'd been to prove himself once more and to help bring back the cure, he trusted Blazestar too much to start doubting him now. Besides, the ragdoll hadn't been wrong. With Slate and Orangeblossom already going (along with a portion of their warriors and apprentices), the clan was going to need able paws back in camp, especially with Windclan traitors among them now.

Besides, Thistleback was here, not in the mountains. After only having just gotten the piebald warrior back, was he really so eager to leave him behind? Not really, if he was honest.

And so by the time Blazestar was calling them all together for a meeting, Johnnyflame had reconciled with things, taking his place among the crowd with his apprentices and turning his attention toward the ragdoll as they began speaking.

He nodded dutifully as he was called on to attend the meeting with Glimmerpaw. It would be their first one, and he was eager to show them Fourtrees and the other clans.

---

​

 

[Tawnystripe]

There's a twinge of surprise as his apprentice would be going to the gathering, but not him. Tawnystripe supposes it's nothing out of the question, but still... well, at least he won't have to worry about Edenpaw's health if WindClan really does come for their newly escaped warriors. Hopefully it wouldn't actually come to that.

"You behave yourself, y'hear?" He addresses Edenpaw when he finds said cat. There's a hint of authority in his words, as he expects the young one to be a little too carefree than expected of them. "Stick to one of the other apprentices going with ya." He also doesn't want them to be too uncomfortable without the older tom, though Tawnystripe has a feeling that they'll be just fine.​

 

[Cherryblossom]

Lupinepaw had been quick enough to the apprentices after her pitstop at Blazestar's den. Slate hadn't taken her out that morning, so her friend's frantic whispering had served as the wake-up call that way normally his. With eyes bright as Greenleaf trees, Lu had hastily distilled the morning's events to them: two toms at the border, WindClanners, all bloodied and beaten at the feet of the SkyClanners. The patrol traipsing back shortly after had confirmed it. The prisoners Blazestar speaks about are none other than Curlewnose and Badgermoon, warrior and deputy of WindClan. Interestingly enough, that night Cherrypaw had also remembered the latter being the mentor of the WindClan apprentice she'd met at the Gathering.

That night, she'd wondered how Scorchpaw was doing for the first time in a moon.

The girl sits wedged between Glimmerpaw and Edenpaw. The daylight apprentice's mentor has some words for them, so she turns to give her sister a nudge while those two talk. "Time to get up," she murmurs. Cherrypaw and Orangeblossom had already said as many goodbyes as Cherrypaw had the patience for. It still didn't feel real, the fact that she wouldn't see Glimmerpaw's cream-hewn face for StarClan knows how long, that she wouldn't be seeing any of their faces for that long. Sitting in SkyClan's camp, with the benevolent shadows of the pine trees dappling them, and the pine-scented wind ruffling good-naturedly through their fur, she finds it dififcult to muster any real sadness.

She stands and stretches, one of those good and long ones where she throws her forepaws out and brushes her chest against the earth, then arches her back and tail so tightly she shudders against it. Then she gives her fur a few more licks, even though she'd already groomed herself to perfection before the meeting. "Okay, let's go!" she says brightly. With a leaderly flick of her tail, she sets off towards the brambled camp entrance.​

 

[DOEBLAZE]

✿—— time ticks away—the short days between when she'd volunteered had passed in a relative blur, a mess of emotions. the cold fear spreading through her chest when lupinepaw had collapsed, the icy fury of her confrontation with stormy (looking back, she cringes - that had been all heart, no head there), the nervous energy that now thrums throughout her veins. the moon doesn't yet hang in the sky, but there's barely any time left despite its absence - soon that great gleaming eye will rise and it will be time. time for her to go, leaving behind her still-recovering daughter, her only close friend, and a pine forest full of clanmates whose lives are risked with each day it takes them to reach the mountains.

it steels her resolve, to remember that, and after days of turbulent storms on her mind she's glad to find a calm glass surface within her. she is going on this journey for a reason—for her clan and the cats within it. when blazestar calls for a meeting, she flocks to the crowd beneath the highrock with a mind that is heavy but clear. following blazestar's gaze to their new prisoners, the faintest spark of distaste pinwheels in green eyes; were it up to her, they may have been treated and then dismissed. could their clan afford to harbor more windclan refugees, their deputy no less? sootstar's wrath when she found out last time had been bloody and swift, after all. but in the end, it is not her decision—friend to him as she may be, she does not sit on blazestar's council.

howlfire, then; bobbie remembers her impromptu announcement and, unbidden, rosemary eyes drift to where the chocolate torbie sits amongst the crowd. she will return to visit howlfire's new kits in the nursery - they should be born or close to it once she returns, she hopes - she promises herself this. turning her attention back to blazestar, he lists those who will attend the gathering besides the small patchwork group that had stepped up for the journey. her gaze flicks momentarily towards the cats who converse in the crowd—johnnyflame, tawnystripe, cherrypaw—and then searches the crowd for those she must say goodbye to before the moon rises ... crowpaw and drowsypaw must be amongst the crowd, but lupinepaw is not. of course she is not - her heart wrenches to think of her daughter laid up ill, and she promises to herself that she will stop by the medicine den to deliver a last goodbye.

NO LOVE, HOWEVER BRIEF (✿) 𝑰𝑺 𝑾𝑨𝑺𝑻𝑬𝑫

• ooc: ——
  
• nothing here, have a nice day :-)
• 
  — bobbie
  — she/her ; warrior of skyclan ; 40 ☾s
  — "speech" ; thoughts ; attacks
  — chibi by its_oliverr
  — penned by dejavu
  

​

 

[DUSKPOOL]

anger makes you stupid . stupid gets you killed .
︶꒦꒷♡꒷꒦︶

The older warrior stood, watching Blazestar with a tired optic, torn ear flickering with a dip of his helm. He shook out wooly obsidian fur, rigid claws digging into the earth to stare at camp one last time, molten copper narrowing. About damn time. He thought grumpily, skin prickling, although his heart saddened, but he wanted to get this damn thing over with, however long it’ll be. He hated the thought of leaving his clan, but they needed that herb more than anythin’.

Duskpool rumbled, pivoting on heavy paws to stare at his apprentice, molten copper heavy. “Stay out of trouble, kiddo.” He rested a wooly tail on their shoulder, expression softening for the briefest second before hardening. This might be the last he sees of the apprentice, skin prickling once more. “Listen to whoever’s in charge, kid.” He didn’t think they’d have a problem, although he wondered how they’d do with the sudden drowsy spells the apprentice had.

“I’ll see ya when I get back.” He added, dark lip quirking in a half-hearted grin, pulling away to peer at the rest of his clanmates, expression deadpan. He couldn’t help but glance at the nursery, molten copper lingering on Lostmoon’s concealed form before settling on Pearlpaw, heart clenching at the thought of leaving her, not knowin’ what would happen to the apprentice who he had seen as a daughter, but for them. He’d walk until his paws gave out, self-sacrificing as it was, Duskpool would do anythin’ for his kids.

To have a future. His nostrils flared, lifting his helm, molten copper deadpan, but swirling with determination. He’d be damned if his kids had to suffer, not when he could do somethin’ about it. Even if leaving ‘em hurt, he had a mission to see through.

With a rumble, Duskpool couldn’t help but let annoyance trinkle through at the thought of going to another gathering. He despised ‘em as much as he despised the thought of leavin’ the clan with WindClanners. ​

​

thought speech​

 

[SLATE]

This would be a very eventful meeting indeed. Not only was it time to depart for Fourtrees and set off on the long journey to find lungwort for the plagued clans, but now SkyClan had a pair of refugees on their paws. This certainly wouldn't be the first time, but Sootstar's former deputy being among them? Blazestar would be crazy to consider keeping them around.

The Ragdoll tom cuts straight to the point upon gathering the clan beneath the Highbranch, announcing that they are both prisoners — nothing more, nothing less. Maybe he was planning to wring some valuable information from them; why not? The deputy in particular probably knew a lot about Sootstar herself. Still... the longer they stayed within SkyClan's territory, the riskier things grew. Why were they always the ones to take pity on the outcasts and unwanted of WindClan? Not only did they have their former medicine cat among their ranks, but now their deputy as well! If word of this ever got around to the mad Moor Queen, who knew what amount of bloodshed she'd reign upon the pines! Slate held a certain amount of respect for Blazestar, but this was perhaps one of his most foolish decisions; blood would be on his paws if anything were to happen.

Perhaps it's a good thing that Slate is going away. He wouldn't be able to stop checking over his shoulder every second to see if the prisoners were making an escape, or trying to take the life of a SkyClanner — the soft-pawed kittypets, as they were called.

Slate silently acknowledged the instructions given; he would accompany the gathering party and then set off for whatever lied ahead. He takes a deep breath, as his mind still tries to process what was happening — was he doing something stupid? Would this be the last time he sees his brother, Cloverjaw?

If he were able to spot the prisoner duo in their holding place, Slate would send them a narrowed glare, as if saying you'd better not try anything. The Maine Coon would search for his littermate next to say his goodbyes.

✰ INFO

• 
  
• 

  ✰ SLATE
  —— he/him; lead warrior of skyclan; former rogue
  —— bisexual; single; not looking
  —— hulking, scarred charcoal-black colored maine coon with amber eyes
  —— "speech", thoughts, attack
  —— link to full tags; @ on discord for plots.
  —— penned by beatles

​

 

[DOGBITE]

They noticed the nights in the pines were growing a tad chillier.

After a long run, he pushed through the bramble entry, his wiry, scarred form emerging into the clearing. Pausing all movement at the sudden call, his paws changed course from the warrior's den, and followed Blazestar's baritone. It was unusual for Dog to be in attendance so early, but he'd grown more serious about clan life like most cats.

Pacing in shortly after Slate, his scraggly form slipped past and settled in an empty corner. Tucking his paws beneath himself, he curled his feathery tail. His one good eye stared upwards at the beige tufts of fur making up the leader's sturdy frame. Shock crossed his blue iris as he heard Blazestar mention prisoners.

It wasn't often his cinnamon and white pelt fluffed up, but it doubled in size across his spine. A sensation of fear and confusion held him stiff. "We take prisoners now?" Disbelief chilled his very core. Dog had no clue of any Windclanners being taken in. The shock melted away to wariness as Blazestar began explaining the situation and easing each concern.

He hoped Skyclan wasn't prone to do such a thing, but the mere thought was enough to keep their silence. "Stay quiet. Got it." An itch stirred on his bare cheek, and he freed a paw to alleviate it, feeling it best not to dwell on the matter if it was already under control.

Discomfort steadily clawed at him and certainly didn't dissipate as the mention of the journey proceeded to flatten his torn ears. He knew they didn't have many options, and clan cats took Starclan's omens seriously, but it was difficult to not experience some unease. Especially with the potential dangers ahead for those going. It was admirable, and those going were formidable cats, but the idea of 'what if' repeated in the ex-loner's mind.

Absently, he chanced a glance at Howlfire before abruptly whipping their head back to attention from the call of their name. Without a thought, they nodded in agreement to Blazestar. Acknowledging his duty to attend when called upon.

Internally, anxiety swarmed them like furious wasps. They hadn't felt prepared, but there really wasn't a way any cat could plan ahead for a gathering of this magnitude. Of course, my first gathering would be under these circumstances but at least I can send them off with my best wishes.

Sighing to himself, he cast a troubled look at the ground. A lot was happening at once, and they felt the pressure of it weighing heavier. If only their stores hadn't depleted so drastically and this sickness proved to be persistent and lethal.

Skyclan wasn't an easy crash pad like Dog once believed it to be. Orangeblossom's stern warnings echoed faintly between their ears as an added insult. Guess I better be on my best behavior. Tonight's air loomed with tensions of the serious discussions ahead.

Stiffening with fret rather than easing into their thoughts, they continued to look off.​

 

[GREENEYES]

The time has finally come. Greeneyes’ stomach sinks at the sound of Blazestar’s voice from above.

A solemn gathering, this will be - an impending departure that has further left Greeneyes restless in his slumber. And it wasn’t just that of the journey now that will mark this gathering as eventful, that will consume the moonlit clearing with tension. Now, the pine forest carries more refugees from the moors; a former deputy among the duo who’d trampled into their territory not too long ago. Prisoners, Blazestar classifies them as in his speech, assigns them guards to watch over them.

It’s a problem that causes concern; a problem Greeneyes doesn’t know if he’ll ever know the conclusion to.

He scans the camp as Blazestar speaks, as if to take in these last few seconds in camp - to commit each detail of the home he grew up in to memory. Greeneyes doesn’t want to forget one bit of it while he’s gone. Doesn’t want to forget his friends, his family.

He will return, he tries to assure himself, though the mission is described as dangerous at every mention. He will return to Fireflypaw - to Sparrowsong, Twitchbolt, and Dandelionwish. He will return to Violetnose and Butterflytuft. He will return to Falconpaw, to see him become a warrior. He will return to Snowpath’s cicada shell tucked neatly in his nest among the rest of his collection. He will return to greet Howlfire and Coyotecrest’s kits, to see to it that SkyClan lives plague-free.

He and the rest of his journey-mates - except for Howlfire, of course - are called to gather beneath Fourtrees tonight, but it seems they won’t be the only ones. Blazestar enlists more to come with, to stick around past the journiers’ departure. Greeneyes’ memorization of the camp is paused as Falconpaw’s name is included among them. His time with his apprentice has been extended, though not by much.

As Blazestar’s announcements come to an end, Greeneyes takes in the camp’s view one final time. A shaky breath is taken, a realization that this was actually happening hitting him for what felt like the millionth time since he'd volunteered to take part in it. The warrior turns to search for Falconpaw in the crowd, a sad smile pulling at his face as he looks at the kid. “Ready, amigo?”
​

 

[falcongaze]

❝ CALLIN' IT QUITS NOW ✧°.☀ ————————————
His chest felt all kinds of tight and weird. His breathing was a tad bit rough, but that was okay, it was just a little cold. It wasn't yellowcough, not yet. He had things to attend to. Blazestar called the meeting, and he approached, ears twitching. It was a short one, speaking about the prisoners in camp. He hadn't had the pleasure of speaking to them, but he wasn't used to the concept of prisoners, either. But the real subject came back around- the journey.

He didn't know many of the cats going, but Bobbie and Greeneyes? He knew them. A breath hesitated, vision shifting towards Greeneyes. Cherrypaw was going too, but she'd be fine. She was too stubborn to die, anyways. Not that Greeneyes and Bobbie were going to die- oh, stars, his vision tilted. Blue eyes thundered closed as his name was called, and he nodded a tiny bit in confirmation towards Blazestar. He opened them again as Greeneyes headed towards him at dismissal.

They had grown closer in height since Falconpaw had first started his apprenticeship. Steady, but slowly. Maybe he'd hit a growth spurt by the time Greeneyes came back. His mentor was asking him something, and it took a moment of clearing his brain before nodding. ".. I'm ready. Lead on." Falconpaw murmured, falling in after him as they headed towards the gathering.

"SPEECH"

[penned by dallas - ☀]

———————————— ☀.°✧ BABY, I'M A WRECK ❞ ​

​

 

[Badgermoon]

It was odd to be spoken about, instead of spoken to, but Badgermoon felt that he couldn't bring himself to object. Certainly he was not enjoying the feeling of hatred pressing in on all sides - who would? - but he could hardly blame the SkyClanners. Until but a precious few days ago, he was the second-in-command of SkyClan's most hated, vicious enemy. Now, though...now he was their prisoner. He wished he could articulate to them his true intentions, his earnest desire to find a home here for himself and Curlewnose, his yearning to fill a river with Sootstar's blood. But actions were more powerful than words, and no one was especially interested in any words he had to say in the first place, so he'd just wait and try to prove whatever he needed to prove to them. To all of them. I have well earned the hate they bestow upon me. he reflected, trying - and perhaps failing, at least a little bit - to avoid self-pity as Blazestar moved on to discuss the Gathering. The journeying cats would be going - and not returning, at least not tonight - and a pawful of others.

Badgermoon realized, with a surge of feeling, that someone else would be sitting in his place as Sootstar's deputy. But what was he feeling? Anger, certainly. Grief. Shame. But also other things, things he would not have expected...relief. Hope. Gratitude. He glanced over to Curlewnose, beside him, equally under the auspices of their guards, and tried to bump his forehead softly against the smaller tom's. "For what it's worth, I don't think you were ever barbaric." he spoke in a whisper and offered a weak smile, trying to meet the former tunneler's deep amber eyes and not linger too long on his gruesome neck injury. "I was, maybe...probably...but not you. Never you." ​