SWAN UPON LEDA | pre-gathering chatter

[CHRYSALISWING]

A familiar contempt nested quick upon his angular features, as the bird of embitterment had already made its home in gaunt and ghastly, and roosted with its talons on his tongue. Some birds migrated, some birds flew, but this one seemed to lose its wings long ago. Bananapaw skipped and laughed about, as stupidly as he had come to expect from the sand-and-snow she-cat, and prickles of irritation fluttered beneath feathery fur and fine flesh. Anything was enough to set him off though, and anything sufficed to make him feel as though he walked upon a wayward stretch of thorns. Though, he was glad it was her above most of the other Skyclanners. He felt the need to at least bite back envenomed verses when he was with her, at least. Adders and vipers bit indiscriminately, so perhaps he was better than a snake in that regard.

An unfortunately-recognizable voice grated against vigilant ears, as though it had come to taunt him in a time of perceived peace, a torment that he should have expected from so many cats and so many chance-meetings. Peace never seemed to like him enough to stay, anyhow. Everyone in the entire world was determined to exasperate him to a premature death. His fur immediately stood up in bristles as he caught wind of Firepaw's loathsome hide and the stench of Windclan that tailed her doggedly. As quickly as she arrived, she was gone, a phantom of the wind. He wasn't scared of her, though. Nails dug into the soft loam as if to anchor himself and stop himself from chasing Firepaw into the crowd, from disrupting the tense tranquility that blanketed the Gathering. If he had an ounce less of self-control, he would've done so, but he wasn't willing to be the one to disrupt. "Go fuck yourself, you dirt-loving moor-rat!"

He then turned back to Bananapaw, who had already been conversing with a slate-colored apprentice of another clan - most ironically, the same one that Firepaw went to. He refused to move from his rooted place beneath the bough's shadow, flashes of flame's color fluttering through the dancing darkness, like the lit glim against the gloom. "I'd love to mingle or whatever, but not with Windclanners." He shot Firepaw another pointed glare as she moved to talk to Cloudypaw. He wasn't getting anywhere near that bitch or her Windclan-stink.

( Talking to @Bananapaw , insulting @Firepaw , with @Cloudypaw in proxy. )
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[WOLFSONG]

──⇌•〘 INFO 〙 Mountainheart, he says, and Wolfsong commits it to memory. His sly smile never falters or betrays that the only fantasy unfolding within his skull is that of Mountainheart's wide-eyed death throes. "The wind through the leaves must be a sigh of relief from your victims," Wolfsong declares, "Or perhaps the gasp of a jilted lover or three." But he is no longer here for the SkyClanner, and indeed, it seems his true quarry has finally revealed himself: tall, thickly-furred, green of eye.

It is genuine delight that guides Wolfsong to his side, sidling close until his shoulder meets the RiverClanner's leg. "Ah, but you didn't beat me, did you? I would have remembered seeing your face that day through the sky's white ire." His voice lowers to a rasping rumble. "I would like to see how you would have beaten me. Or perhaps it is you who would taste bitter defeat." It is far too sultry an invitation to be mistaken for a threat of violence. Sunstride can spare me this time, surely.

Before he can coax the RiverClanner further, another SkyClanner approaches, clearly with the intent to intimidate— but Wolfsong watches him flex his paws and laughs heartily, leaning into a dark side. "Tell me," and he glances at Houndsnarl's face, jerking his head in the direction of Thistleback, "Is this not proof that a squirrel could whelp kits on a skunk? It would explain the stench— and the backbone as formidable as a bushy little tail." He pauses, now staring at the other toms with exaggerated thoughtfulness. "You can't answer that, can you? You're friends, of course, and I imagine there's much you can teach each other. RiverClan will demonstrate how to swim, and SkyClan"—he gestures with a flick of a paw, that wicked smile shadowing his maw—"how to fart from your mouth."

/ @Mountainheart @HOUNDSNARL. @ThistleBack
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[Grapejuice]

Grapejuice bounced into the clearing with a PURPOSE. He didn't care about any of the other clans here at the moment. He had a mission to accomplish tonight. He was going to give this rose tucked in his scarf to the most beautiful cat in the fucking world. He padded along with his tail held high as he scanned the clearing for Dogteeth.

It didn't take him long to home in on his target, his golden pelt making his heart skip a beat. He bounded over to him with no hesitation.

"Dogteeth!!" He called to him, coming to a stop just Infront of him.

What now???? What does he do now????? He didn't think this far.

So he pulled the rose from his scarf and looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "I got you a flower!" He said, muffled by the stem.

@DogTeeth
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[Honeysplash]

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She remembered that fur, that black fur of Firepaw and she narrowed her eyes slightly. She was one of the cats who gave Bananapaw her scars on her face from the skirmish in the blizzard. The tawny and white she-cat turned up her nose a bit at the sight of her and flicked her tail slightly before moving beside Chrysalispaw under the overhang of brush. Very out of character for her, she was usually very friendly to any cat she came across but this time she was giving a cold shoulder of sorts. She didn't want to converse with Windclanners either, but especially not Firepaw.

"We don't need to mingle with them, lets just sit and watch or something," She offered instead though she didn't know what other apprentices' they could go talk to. Maybe go see what Orangeblossom and Buckgait where up to? Or maybe Thistleback and Hailstone with some others she didn't recognize right away. The cream she-cat flicked her torn ear slightly and then looked up at Chrysalispaw for a moment, "Or we could play people watchin! We make up stories about cats nearby, their whole whole name, age, story and so on!" She offered a warm smile for the tomcat. Then she looked out into the crowd for a moment before giving a small shrug, "I'm down for pretty much anything,"

speech​

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[smogstar]

An unfamiliar fellow plonks to his side. Smogmaw's sunken gaze, up until now cast off into the abyss, strays from given its course with trepidation. It instead latches onto tawny strands marbled by umber, blue eyes that pursue him explicitly. The air about this other tom is suffocatingly conceited. The query he poses is probably based on a first-glance presumption. What an asshole. What a superficial asshole. What an insincere, superficial asshole.

The gnawing doubts and scepticism evaporate over the course of the following breath cycle. Neither of them know each other; the internal hostility is just unnecessary. With a dip of the noggin, Smogmaw acknowledges the other's presence and offers a silent greeting. His expression is still vacant for the most part, yet he can contrive a mild smirk to feign curiosity.

"I suppose," remarks the tabby. His brows rise ever-so-slightly. "I'm guessing that you're of WindClan. Gatherings must be fun for your lot, seein' how there's so many exiles and runaways lulling about." A congested inhale follows his response. The stuffiness of his throat is but one of the reasons for his miserable outlook right now. Smogmaw spares the flaxen tom a loose shrug. "Why snakes? I think magpies are a better fit for 'em."



// interacting with @SUNSTRIDE .
// give this thread a day and it runs away on you, holy macaroni ​

 

[Fireflyglow]

Ever so blessed with his massive size, it was quite hard to avoid being seen by prying eyes as he shoves through the crowd of cats in an attempt to make it to the front to join the others. A voice, unfamiliar to him- speaks to him directly. His nostrils flare then, inhaling the scent of riverwater and reeds. RiverClan. You're sure in a hurry, She quips up; a grimace edging from his expression. Eugh, he didn't want to deal with apprentice banter. Keep your fur on, Fi. Just entertain her for a bit. He tells himself, nodding in resolution. Turning his shut-eyed gaze towards the older apprentice, he does his best to give her a grin of greeting.

"Hi! Yes, yes. Hurry, indeed.~" He sings out as he continues to walk, bumping into a few cats in the process. As Iciclepaw follows him, he finally stops where he's at when she speaks again. Something about medicine cats and not having to worry too much about losing his accessories? What, did she think it wasn't grueling work, or something? "Luckily, they're pretty tucked in there tight. When I'm rushing to help cats who wail out my name constantly, it kind of has to be, yes?" He replies simply in return, seating himself momentarily. Save me, Dawnglare! Oh, he ached to be taken from this place and sat right next to his strawberry and cream mentor and his scarred friend.

He doesn't miss Thistleback's comment- of how he's becoming similar to Dawnglare by the day. He sure hoped that was a good thing! How's SkyClan? Everyone recovered? His grin falls a little bit. "We're healing, but healthy again. Thanks to RiverClan's help, as always. How about your Clan? I do hope the river hasn't risen too high, ye~s?"

// interacting with @iciclepaw , briefly acknowledged @ThistleBack 's comment. looking for @DAWNGLARE ​

 

[rainpaw]

Rainpaw's ears flicked in acknowledgment of Sunstride's words, but her eyes weren't on the lead warrior-they were mostly fixed on Icepaw. She didn't miss the tension in Icepaw's steps or her uneasy expression. She wondered if it had been right to prod Icepaw about coming at all. Rainpaw had more of a spring to her step, whiskers tilted forward curiously. Despite sickness no longer plaguing WindClan, it still felt a little strained aboveground. At least being at the gathering gave Rainpaw something else to think about, and some other clans to judge. Her gaze broke away to sweep over the other cats milling about. The RiverClanners looked sleek, the ShadowClanners thin, and the ThunderClanners better than the SkyClanners, colored by Rainpaw's bias against them. SkyClan denying WindClan of herbs had been a complicated issue, but at best they had let a clan suffer because they didn't like its leader. She wasn't scared of them, but the stars winking overhead and having Smokepaw and Icepaw beside her didn't hurt.

Even though she was busy gawking at the non-WindClanners, Rainpaw couldn't miss how Icepaw's fur suddenly stood on end. Like Smokepaw, she followed Icepaw's gaze to Cicadastar. She recognized him from a previous gathering, and threw Icepaw a wide-eyed look. "Him? He's huge!" He looked like he could loom above even the tallest WindClan cat- Rainpaw couldn't imagine going up against him and still getting out with catmint. An additional heap of respect landed on top of her already high opinion of her sibling. Smokepaw stumbled through an attempt at comfort, and she kept it going. "Seriously, you're crazy brave. But he can't do anything here, and even if he could, he doesn't stand a chance against the three of us." She gently butted her head against Icepaw's cheek.

[ interacting with @SMOKEPAW and @icepaw , but open to other interactions! ]​

 

[FORESTSHADE]

Forestshade streams out of the thunderpath tunnel along with her clanmates, tail flicking to rid itself of any water it picked up in the pipe. Gatherings aren't exactly her thing; the mixture of scents is overwhelming, and the loud chatter of countless voices hurts her ears. But alas, she was chosen to come tonight, so she will play the part of a good ShadowClan warrior. It's her job.

Parting from her clan, the torbie is already wandering towards the edge of the clearing when a familiar scent reaches her nose. She pauses, nose twitching as she confirms her suspicions. "Is that you, WindClanner?" Already, a toothy grin is upon her muzzle. At least an entertaining acquaintance is here.

// Talking to @VULTUREMASK​

 

[VULTUREMASK]

Vulturemask sat there looking like he had the worst time of his life wishing nothing more than to be left alone. However when a voice was calling out to him, a voice he for some reason hadn't forgotten about, the medicine cats attention would get captured and brought over to the molly he had meet the other day on thunderpath. He would stare at them somewhat surprised to see them here, to see them again. " Did the dying cat scent give me away?" A dry attempt of a joke, but a joke it had been meant to be remembering their previous conversation that day about his scent. Vulturemask twitched a ear, waiting to see what Forestshade would chose to do next.

// talking to @FORESTSHADE


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[Cindershade]

Tension seemed to rise further as more cats poured into the clearing of Fourtrees, her jaw clenched while the buzzing of banter plays over her velvet ears. A short, golden sunlit tom with one eye was airing out jabs to a SkyClan tom. A hulking black and white tom with disheveled fur coming to his aid, followed by Houndsnarl. She listens to the group of toms and couldn't help but roll her eyes at the lot of them, her expression twisting into a mixture of annoyance and disgust. ThunderClan keeps to themselves as does WindClan besides a few groups here and there. She's growing tired and quite frankly, bored. Cindershade begins to rise to join the toms for a bit of entertainment when a heavily accented voice pierces her ears.
Virdian eyes pinpoint the source almost immediately as she approaches to her, the smell of SkyClan strong on her fur. Oh, good. At least it was someone she didn't want to shred by the mere sight of them. She uses a phrase that causes the shaded molly to raise a brow in question, her muscles tensing slightly. "What's 'Hola amigo'? Is that some slur you SkyClanners use?" She questions her immediately, a bit puzzled at her choice of words. She introduces herself and the warrior nods to her in response, "Cindershade. Lead Warrior of RiverClan." She shifts over a bit to let Sheepcurl sit while waiting for the Gathering to begin.
The other lead warrior begins to speak again, complimenting her obsidian fur with rosette markings. Cindershade smirks a bit, straightening herself up with confidence. "I appreciate it." Her eyes begin to trace over the molly, taking in her ringlet curs that resembled that of Cicadastar's pelt; but instead of tortoiseshell, Sheepcurl possessed fawn shaded fur with white spotting and curled ears. A strange and exotic looking molly she was, but not hard on the eyes at all. "Your fur is...very curly." Cindershade fights to find the words, mulling over something nice to say. Conversation like this was hard for her; especially from a cat in another clan. "It looks really—soft." I'm beginning to sound like Snakeblink—oh Stars no. She immediately clears her throat and shifts around with uncertainty. Perhaps a change in subject will help ease the rather awkward silence between them. "How's SkyClan?"

@sheepcurl

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[ SILENCE IS DEAFENING ]​

 

[sheepcurl]

"A slur? Whats that?" genuinely stumped, it does not hit her that her way of speaking typically is only tolerated by Skyclan cats. But they move on past from it, leaving Sheep barely any time to comprehend it. But the charcoal colored molly introduces herself as Cindershade. A pretty name, she can see where the 'shade' part comes in too. A fellow lead warrior as well, which meant they both had something in common tonight other than being allies.

Your fur is... very curly. It's enough to make Sheep giggle, ears angling towards the other as she shifts her weight. "Oh, thank you. It... gets to be a knotted mess sometimes, i have to groom it out for quite some time." the friendly banter was nice. But then comes the age-old question of the clans doings. Sheep makes her best not to make a sour face, Blaze had told them to keep the Windclanners under wraps. But Sheep isn't happy about them at all, no, its resources that should be going to true Skyclanners. She bites back a frown, keeps her smile on when she realizes shes being grating in her own thoughts. "We've been okay! Could be better, could be worse, like all clans. How about River? Anything cool going on?"

// @Cindershade ​

"speech"​