by Arcaii » Mon Aug 18, 2014 3:40 am
Choices:
1. Excited
2. Nervous
3. Nervous
4. Other cats
5. Other cats
6. Excited
7. Excited
8. Nervous
9. Excited
Roll says... 7: Excited.
"I'm pretty excited," you say, unable to keep a grin off your face. "My first Gathering!"
"It's not exactly a normal Gathering, either." Snailpelt smiles back. "I'm surprised you were let through, considering how tense this meeting will be."
"She wheedled me about it," Eveningtail says from the front. "Besides, if we let apprentices come, they may see that we don't intend to fight."
Your group soon exits the territory, crossing over the northern river and walking along ForestClan's border. Their territory is up on a slope, and the walk up it is tiring, but you don't say anything for fear of being sent back. The smells of the forest are fascinating - rich and somewhat damp with the sparse rain from a few days ago. The trees are tall and strong, and look much more vibrant than the pines in the south.
As the hill reaches its peak, you can see a cluster of stumps and fallen logs in the distance. Kitestorm tells you that Twolegs once used to cut down the trees here, but for whatever reason stopped two generations ago. He starts to go into a story about a time when Twolegs and cats could talk together, but you're almost at the Gathering place, so he shuts up.
A group only slightly larger than yours is already there. Strange cats, most of them rather strong looking, watch your troupe make their way into the ring of longs and stumps. You can see two other apprentices there, one who looks startlingly like you, and another bearing the same colors as the fur on the beach (to your relief, she looks fine, if nervous). They stick close together, watching you find a spot to sit down.
The leader of the other Clan is a beautiful white molly with the same serious, somewhat regal air as Eveningtail. She sits atop the tallest stump, which is large enough for Birchstar to jump up on it and give her plenty of space. They quietly greet each other, but they're the only ones talking. Finally, after a moment of silence, the molly stands up.
"We have called this emergency Gathering for a few reasons," she says. Her voice is clear and steady, faintly ringing in the quiet. "The first is because our relationships have become strained with every new fight at the border. Though neither of us have crossed the borders, we-"
"Foxdung!" cries Kitestorm. "We could smell your cats along our beach a few weeks ago!"
You recognize Larkstream as he stands up, calmly replying, "I can confirm that. However, we were given permission to cross, and only stayed for a few minutes."
"Why?" The reddish-brown tabby glares at him. "I don't remember anyone mentioning that."
I let them over.
I forgot to tell anyone.
Say nothing.