PUSHING THE TIDES ↷ [ pre-gathering chatter ]

If it wasn't for the fact they'd be saying good bye to their dear, super cool friend, Edenpaw might've otherwise been completely distracted at the prospect of getting to meet some new faces. This was their first Gathering since joining SkyClan and they had been itching with anticipation all day-- it was definitely because of excitement, they DON'T have fleas guys-- and had been trying not to annoy Tawnystripe about it.

Perhaps it was his wounded ego after they'd called him old, he hadn't joined them this month but it hardly bothered the bicolor apprentice. Bobbed tail flicking this way and that, their ears swiveled to listen in on all the juicy conversation while hungry emerald eyes skimmed the throng of cats for someone that looked cool enough to talk to (they weren't going to waste their time talking to nobodies).

Somewhere off behind them, a familiar voice yelled, "BYYYEEEE CHERRYPAAAAWWW!!!" A shrill screech in reply to their friend, they weren't even the slightest bit worried about whether or not their bossy bestie would be back. Cherrypaw was simply too awesome to die on some silly field trip.

Considering the farewell to be complete, the primary mission became clear once more.

Find someone cool to talk to.



------ // ooc; screaming goodbye to @Cherrypaw , open to interactions. currently interested in talking to someone 'cool'​
 
Glimmerpaw stays close to Johnnyflame as they make their way to Fourtrees, somewhere she has yet to go before tonight. Part of her is excited, but she's mostly just worried for her sister. She truly does believe in her, but she can't help it. What kind of sibling would she be if she didn't worry at least a little? Not that she'd admit it, not in front of all these strange cats.

Of course she gets tutored when they arrive, and as per usual, she pays close attention. She knew most of this, but she doesn't get frustrated at her mentor wanting to really drill it into her. "Of course. No fighting from me," she says bluntly, though she gives a light smile afterward. If someone wanted to break the rules, she isn't gonna be the one to start it.

When Blazestar calls for those who are to leave for the journey to set out, she breaks from her stern demeanor and scans for Cherrypaw in the sea of fur. She can't join them, of course, so she stays in place. But a genuine smile rises from her face when Cherrypaw yells out to say goodbye to her anyways. "GOODBYE, CHERRYPAW!" She yells out like Edenpaw, though not as loud as them. She hopes that it reaches her sister.

Glimmerpaw is then very aware of a set of eyes piercing her, and she looks to see that it's Bluepaw. An apprentice from WindClan, if she's not mistaken. The disdain is clear, and she's quick to throw a glare right back. That's all the recognition she'd be getting, however, as Glimmerpaw is back to focusing on Johnnyflame. If her or any other cat wants to actually talk with her, they can come over themselves.

// OOC : Glared at @BLUEPAW and talking with @Johnnyflame , otherwise open for interactions from anyone!
 
Blazestar watches the cats say their final goodbyes. Many of them ring metallic with finality, and the possibility he will never see these cats again hardens the grief in his throat. His gaze lingers on first Little Wolf, and then Bobbie, who walks with purpose toward the other cats. She's accompanied by a small tom with WindClan scent, but he does not know who he is. The flame point exhales through his nose, a sigh wheezing from him in the same breath. He almost doesn't notice the pale, ghostly shape that materializes beside him.

He turns to him, suddenly struck with a lingering sense of déjà vu. He knows this cat, though he's not seen him in more than a year now. "You were in the pine group," he murmurs. "At least—some of the time." He strains to catch the ShadowClanner's remark over the din of the cats leaving, and embarrassment flushes the skin beneath his pale fur. "Ah—that? She's…" He looks away, looking for Bobbie one last time, but she's gone now, swallowed by the night. They all are.

"…I'm not sure what I did, but I think you're right. I upset her somehow." He frowns. "That's not the impression I wanted to leave her with."


  • forgot to tag ahhh interacting with @rosemire
  • 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
 
// saying goodbye to @LITTLE WOLF

Howlingstar gives the silvery tom another nod as he pads away before all of her attention shifts onto Little Wolf. She can't hide the heartbreak in her eyes, nor her breaking voice as she mews, "I'll miss you, too, my love." Stepping forward, she presses her cheek firmly against the ebony she-cat's, her ears folding harshly against her skull. She listens to Little Wolf's words as her eyes squeeze shut. She lends a nuzzle before pulling away to look in her eyes. She suddenly seems so grown up, standing her about to head off on an expedition to save the clans. How have so many seasons passed since she had been a tiny, toddling kitten?

When Blazestar calls for the cats to set off, she sighs and leans into her daughter's touch. "Be careful. I love you so much," She purrs softly before pulling away to watch her disappear into the mulling crowd.
 

He's...surprised Blazestar recognizes him, and more than a little taken off guard by it. Most of the cats he knows and interacts with weren't in the Great Battle, or they were with the marsh group and stayed when it became ShadowClan. Or they left and founded RiverClan, though Rosemire hardly surrounds himself with such illustrious company. He shuffles his paws, imagining his temper under them, pressing it down into the dirt where the warriors lost in the Great Battle sleep endlessly. "I was, yeah. Thought I could...never mind." He shakes his head; Blazestar doesn't want his reasoning, and Rosemire doesn't want to share it. A win-win, really.

The leader's situation sounds more like lose-lose. "It's rarely ever our choice how people see us when they leave." He glances down at the ground, mouth twisting sourly before he forces it to smooth. "You should talk to her when she comes back." When, not if, though it's on all of their minds. "Really talk. It's only that easy to upset someone the way she was if they care. Make sure she sees somethin' worth forgetting tears for." He doesn't know why he's trying to give Blazestar advice— he doubts there's a damn thing he knows that the SkyClanner doesn't.

//i too, forgot to tag AKSBDKA
@BLAZESTAR

 
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₊· ͟͟͞͞➳˚ Her first gathering.

Despite the sadness she felt for the cats leaving for the journey, she seems more stunned by how many cats are still left at the gathering and she watches as her father goes over to the stone where another tom has already located themselves. She starts to wonder if she should stick by Smokethroat or possibly go meet other cats from the other clans, the fur on her spine bristling slightly before her eyes lock another apprentice who had been left behind by one of the journey cats. With a little shuffle of her paws, Beepaw makes her way forward to the Skyclan tom before speaking up with a shy smile "Hello, I'm Beepaw! I'm from Riverclan,"

The smoke molly takes a seat curling her bottlebrush around her paws thinking that they could keep each other company and perhaps she'd make a new friend, the thought excites her a bit before she adds with a sheepish duck of her head as she admits "This is actually my first gathering so I'm rather new to all of this," She wonders how many times the tom had come to the gathering, he seemed a lot older than her but she is not certain.

/ talking to @falconpaw! but open to other interactions


  • beekit_chibi.png
    ❥ 3 moons old
    ❥ riverclan apprentice
    ❥ sexuality unknown; single
    ❥ daughter of smokethroat & cicadastar
    "speech", thoughts, attacking
    ❥ peaceful powerplay allowed
    ❥ penned by bosstaurus
 
In all his eleven moons, Sedgepounce has only left WindClan territory once.

His Moonstone visit was a quiet, personal affair—long after a full day's work, just himself and...well. Not his mentor. They'd always been adamant about shunning the world, afraid even to go near the border on the best of days. And maybe their distaste rubbed off on him, because Sedge has never even wondered what it would be like to leave the moorland. He's always been unquestioningly content.

The fringes of the world cradle the fields like sturdy, untraversable walls. The sharp spice-scented forest in one direction; the cool loam of the river in another. He went to the Moonstone after dark—beneath the dull, muted tones of night, when the ingrained familiarity of WindClan encased him like a bubble all the way there and back. By the next day, it all felt like a dream.

The patrol from WindClan left at sunhigh. By the time they pass the border, slipping through the large green ferns and carved-through clusters of brambles that litter the forest undergrowth, mid-morning has thawed the low fog from the earth. In its wake is glittering gold sunshine, honeyed patches of which peek through the overhead canopy as, finally, they descend upon Fourtrees.

And holy shit!

Under the true light of day, everything is so much more...more than he ever would have thought. There are more cats than Sedge has ever seen in his life, all packed together within the tangled web of the forest. A miasma of browns and greens and the eye-watering stench of pine. And everything. It's a wild experience of which he has very little time to experience—almost as soon as they arrive, the chatter is interrupted, and then they're off.

Sedgepounce, too uncertain to do anything except linger within the cluster of WindClan cats along his side, is called to take his leave. The journeying cats glance around at each other with varying levels of excitement, distrust, and dread. But, as though infected by the bright explosion of light and color which surrounds him, he feels a little bit giddy.

He's aware of the moorland to his back—that he is leaving the fields behind. Painfully so. This is no trip to the Highstones. Yet this trip will take him further than he's ever gone before, and for the first time in his life, Sedgepounce's heart tremors with the wonder of what it's really like out there.

He's got no one to say goodbye to. All that there is lies ahead. So, without looking back, he's off.

  • HP: ————————————————————————

    A bit travel worn, but ready for adventure! Sedgepounce is healthy and is not suffering from any ailments.
  • SEDGEPOUNCE / 11 MOONS / WINDCLAN WARRIOR / OPEN FOR PLOTS!
    — Easygoing tomcat with a bright grin and mellow demeanor.
    — Lithe, quick, and dexterous; a moor runner through and through.
    — Grayish-brown tabby with high white and warm amber eyes.
    —— Sharp, hawk-like, angular face; earnest and bright expressions.
    —— Soft mid-length fur.

    penned by bellus
 
It's weird. A gathering like this – less full of lighthearded jeering and chatter, but instead heavy with the weight of goodbyes. Half — maybe more of the cats within the clearing would be journeying to lands beyond, some of them already filtering out at Blazestar's call. She's already said her goodbyes to Little Wolf. Lightstrike is already gone, pale stripes shining by moonlight. Stormywing chats amongst her kin, before catching up with Batwing. Wolfwind would shout a quick " Don't do anything stupid! " in their direction, smiling as she watches them leave.

And hanging a little bit behind, she spots her sister. Astranged. It's weird, just how long they've been apart for now. She looks like she's searching for something, or for someone. Wolfwind finds her, not bothering with any of her usual theatrics. Her gaze is considering, smile small. " Lakemoon. " Lightly, she'd bump shoulders with her, sighing at the infrequency with which they met. " You going? " At least that was one less mouse - brain on RiverClan's side. " RiverClan has better chances, with you there. "

  • OOC: briefly shouting to @STORMYWING & @batwing ; talking to @Lakemoon .
  • [ SO I RAN OUT TO THE TRACK TO GET MY CASH BACK ] WOLFWIND THUNDERCLAN LEAD WARRIOR! LITTERMATE 2 LAKEMOON; KIN TO MANY.
    —— SHE / HER, CONFUSED BY BUT NOT OPPOSED TO THE USE OF OTHERS
    —— CURRENTLY 22 MOONS OLD. AGES EVERY 1ST.

    FRIEND TO MANY! UPBEAT AND UPFRONT. MOVES THROUGH LIFE WITH AN UPBEAT EXTERIOR AND BRIGHT EYES. MAKE NO MISTAKE! TAKES HER JOB VERY SERIOUSLY. THERE'S IMPORTANCE IN SAFETY, RECKLESSNESS ONLY GETS YOU SO FAR. ONCE A FOOL, BUT NO LONGER
 
Mosspaw blinked as her mother's voice finally reached her ears. Her mind had been so busy with thoughts of the journey before her that she had almost forgotten those that she was leaving behind. She felt a touch guilty at the realization. The call for them to depart was already going out, so her steps were hurried as she turned to meet her mother.

Each of Willowroot's words were breathless, and each was met by a quick nod from her daughter. "I will. I will. I will." A chorus of confirmations to meet her mother's many reminders for her. None of them dismissive, she would never dare. She accepted her mother's affections eagerly, leaning into them more than usual, cherishing the last of her home's comforts that she would get for who knew how long.

"I love you too mom." Mom, a word she had not used since she was a kit. It had always been mother since she got the -paw added to her name. The slightest slip in the formality that she was so proud of. If Mosspaw herself realized it, she gave no sign. With that, and one last lick from her mom, she turned to follow the rest of the journey-goers.

It took everything in her not to look back.

// interacting with @willowroot & out!​
 
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CALLIN' IT QUITS NOW ✧°.☀ ————————————
Falconpaw's eyes dwelled on Greeneyes' retreating form, his ears lowering softly. He hardly noticed the scent of fish approaching him before Beepaw was speaking, and his blue eyes blinked, swinging to look towards her. He inhaled softly, then forced a smile on his face, betraying how he felt inside- his chest felt as if a dog had sat on it, and his stomach was twisted like he had been fed yarrow (not that he knew what yarrow was, really.) His words came out of his mouth, but the loss of his mentor (was it really a loss? Greeneyes would be back, after all,) was making them sound foreign even to his own ears.

"Ah- hi, Beepaw." Good grief, Falcon, get with it. He cleared his throat, continuing to speak as he settled back into that mask he began to form the instance he crossed into Skyclan's borders the first time. "This is.. my second. My name is Falconpaw- sorry I didn't mention that earlier." He sat down himself, sniffling gently. Was he being emotional? Crazy. His head tilted gently. "You're from.. Riverclan, right?" Falconpaw asked, genuinely.

// talking to @BEEPAW. open to other interactions!


"SPEECH"
[penned by dallas - ]
———————————— ☀.°✧ BABY, I'M A WRECK