CaC - Roleplay thread - Calling all cats,Calling all clans -

My gallery · by **chaotic creativity** » Sat Jun 12, 2021 7:29 am

CHESSCLAN !!

ROOKSTAR

Rookstar cast quick glances towards the deputies and pointed at the Chausie tom with his paw. “That is my Tour, Richterscreech. He’s well known amongst the Clans,” he chuckled, hinting at the several mates he had taken outside of his own Clan. “Our Tour accompanies us to almost every Gathering unless something holds him back,” he explained. Richterscreech so enjoyed socializing with other deputies in a neutral location, so Rookstar never barred him from attending. “That’s exactly it!” he exclaimed as Night of the Stars explained exactly what he had been trying to tell her. He’d never been as good with words as Chasmstar, but the molly had taken her ability and run with it. She’d charmed and persuaded half the Clan into turning their backs on Rookstar, and he was feeling helplessly lost. He’d been the Tour, not her, so he believed he deserved his position. At least, he hoped he did.

CHASMSTAR

Chasmstar could see the worry that entered Frost’s Sheen’s eyes as she spoke of battle in her Clan. Chasmstar would always defend her Clan to her dying breath, but she never hoped for the adrenaline rush of battle. She would never wish the fighting for lives on her clanmates, no matter how much she longed to prove her strength. “It’s taken me my entire life. I was a wee three moons when Loonfrost found me abandoned, and I began my training just three moons later. I’m always working to improve, and so I constantly am. The steepness of my improvement may have decreased the older and more experienced I got, but it will never be a flat line,” she meowed, puffing out her chest. “You spoke of your training focusing on leadership. What did that mean for when you were little? Did you just sit and listen to lectures while your littermates and denmates learned to hunt?” She couldn’t imaging knowing her friends were out doing what every young cat dreamed of while she was stuck listening to an older cat drone on and on about leadership tactics.

RICHTERSCREECH

Richterscreech’s eyes widened with shock as Minnowflight spoke so casually about some unfortunate deaths. “Oh, I’m so sorry for your losses,” he meowed mournfully. It was rather unusual that Minnowflight had so quickly shared news of his leader losing several lives, but some Clans were more open than others. “I hope these things are less and less common in the coming moons. ChessClan’s been fortunate enough to evade many deaths and injuries over the past couple of seasons,” he sighed thankfully. They’d only had maybe two or three new additions to ÉtoileClan, which made the Clan seem as if it were flourishing. He chose not to speak of the tensions that were as tight as spiderwebs between two clear groups inside the Clan. Chasmstar had nearly half of the Clan on her side, and the other half of the Clan backed Rookstar. “Our nursery is just about to burst, so if you see cats spilling over our borders in a tidal wave, have no worries,” Richterscreech joked. It would be no surprise if they had to expand camp yet again soon.

WOLFWHISKERS

Wolfwhiskers's entire body burned as his cheeks reddened. He ducked his head and cleared his throat, wishing his heart would stop racing. She was the cat he looked forwards to seeing the most, but he couldn't tell if it was appropriate to tell her. He knew he meant something to her, but he didn't know if it was enough to warrant him speaking his feelings. "I've been told I radiate it worse than the sun," he chuckled, leaning slightly towards the molly. His ill patients often asked him to sleep outside the den just because he kept the den so warm that they just wanted a cool breeze. He sat there beside her in silence for several moments, the beating of his heart drowning out any possible sound. "It's a rather nice night tonight," he mumbled awkwardly, sneaking quick glances towards her out of the sides of his eyes. He knew he could be himself around her, but he still got flustered when he wanted to tell her how he felt. Every time, he shut it down before it ever happened, and this time was the same. He was too worried about how she might react, even if he longed to know what she would say. "I'm sorry," he suddenly apologized, mostly meaning how he had grown clammy and awkward but also how he wasn't fully opening up to her and potentially never would.

FAONDAPPLE

As the tom introduced himself as Cloudtongue of PineClan, she smiled. She'd heard of PineClan before; Rookstar had spoken to their leader once. As he asked her about why she was called Faonpaw if she had her full name, she dropped her head to hide her blush of embarrassment. "I meant Faondapple," she meowed sheepishly, knowing she'd messed up. She was still getting used to calling herself Faondapple, and she couldn't believe she'd already goofed up at her first Gathering as a full fou. "I'm still getting used to the name," she chuckled lightly, hoping Cloudtongue wouldn't make fun of or laugh at her. She'd worked so hard, training entirely as a warrior apprentice and then switching to be Wolfwhiskers' apprentice, that she'd gotten so accustomed to being called Faonpaw. Her training had taken nearly twenty moons, after all. She had been Faonpaw longer than both Faonkit and Faondapple combined, and yet she was still entirely embarrassed to call herself the wrong name. "This is my first Gathering with my full name, and I'm so excited to be here," she purred, tail curling high over her spine. Most medicine cats that she had met had been kind, if not a little grumpy, and Cloudtongue seemed to be on the kinder side. She had yet to meet a genuinely cruel medicine cat, but she doubted that would ever happen. Why would a cat who hated other cats want to help them? In any case, she hoped to never meet a medicine cat she didn't like.

LINDTPAW

Lindtpaw let out a quiet growl as Lichenpaw began to chase him. "You'll never catch me!" he cried, running in a circle around Faondapple. The two cats were delighted as they ran, and he skidded to a halt as Wolfwhiskers began to scold them. "I have more sense than a kit," Lindtpaw gasped, placing his paw on his chest as if in shock. Wolfwhiskers just shook his head and padded off, quickly followed by Faondapple. "Well, where would you—" Lindtpaw was cut off as he realized Lichenpaw had already dashed away. The molly was clearly eager to be at the Gathering, so he stumbled through the crowd slowly. He wanted to find other apprentices, maybe even another medicine cat apprentice, but he felt that the chances were low. With a grumble, he sat down and let his eyes flutter closed. He was just going to take a quick nap, and then he'd find someone to talk with.

LICHENPAW

Lichenpaw nodded slowly when Frostbitepaw asked if she’d eaten a dock leaf. In all honesty, she’d eaten too many herbs to count by accident. It’d taken her a few moons to perfect the chewing of herbs to make poultices without swallowing any. “Mouse bile tastes the worst,” she meowed, the tremor in her voice less noticeable than before. She was slowly becoming more comfortable around Frostbitepaw, but she still had a little bit to go. Herbs always tasted bad to her, and she avoided chewing them any chance she got. It was the main reason she preferred treating illnesses; sick cats had to eat their own herbs, not have it smeared on wounds. “Wolfwhiskers hasn’t told me much about IslandClan,” she admitted, her voice a fraction stronger than the last time.

OISEAUDAPPLE

Quakestone spoke of tournaments, and Oiseaudapple longed to have something similar in ChessClan. "It's feather-brained that roses can't participate in the spring tournament. If you could, I might just sneak in to watch you put all the toms on their tails," he meowed with a huff, pretending to be more serious than he really was. As she mentioned the rose tournament to find an heir if there wasn't one, Oiseaudapple shuddered. "I couldn't imagine having to rely on a tournament for the next dame and roi. It's a good thing that we have a tour to take over when they pass," he meowed. Richterscreech was getting old, so it was clear that he would be replaced soon since it didn't seem that Rookstar and Chasmstar were going anywhere anytime soon. Quakestone asked about traditions in ChessClan, and he just shrugged. "Our final assessment is a two moon ordeal. We have to start at the far point of the Northern Pass and survive on our own in the treacherous terrain until we make it back to camp. No cat comes back unscathed, and many don't come back at all," he meowed. He was reminded of when Fourmisplash took off after a gut feeling told him that Acaiheart was hurt. When the tom returned with the injured apprenti, it had only made Oiseaudapple even more afraid for his own final assessment. Yet, all he'd returned with was a hidden scar on his belly from a close call with an eagle. "It's a shock I made it through with just the one scar," he purred, his heart racing as he remembered the fight for his life.

SPIRIT

Spirit nodded as Sunlight shared her name and her Clan. She had heard snippets about The Fallen, she believed that one of her leaders had spoken with One at a previous Gathering. "I guess apprentices would like that sort of thing," she meowed, sticking her nose up as if she hadn't been their age less than a season-cycle ago. She was glad she had joined ChessClan when she did, just barely old enough to be a cavalier. She didn't know how she would have reacted if they had wanted her to train as an apprenti despite being as old as the oldest apprenti. She did watch the other cavalier closely, having so recently escaped from being a kittypet, but she was learning quicker than if she were being taught one on one. She had learned through trial and error during her journeys, but she was still a weak hunter and fighter. She participated in more drills than the average cavalier, mostly learning from those sparring around her, and she attended as many hunting parties as she possibly could. "Some of those apprentices are probably stronger and more skilled than I ever could be," she chuckled. Several young cats dedicated themselves so whole-heartedly to their studies that they were able to outsmart even senior warriors. Those were always the apprenti that brought the most honor and pride to their mentor, and Spirit hoped that one day she could train her own apprenti like that. "Have you been in The Fallen for very long?" she piped up suddenly, remembering she was in a conversation with Sunlight.

LAPINHOP

Lapinhop's long legs were aching by the time he reached the Gathering. His eyes were strained from being narrowed against the bright sun through most of the journey, so he walked with his eyes mostly closed until they reached the crowd. He stepped on several paws and tails until he stopped to apologize to one molly. "I'm extremely sorry, my eyes still hurt from that intense sunlight we had today. Why couldn't we have had a single cloud for cover?" he moaned dramatically, resting his paw on his forehead and swooning backwards. He had hoped to make a good impression on the molly, who was just a blob in his sight as he tried to open his eyes wider. He knew there was only the light of the full moon, but it would take him several moments to adjust to the semi-darkness. He'd been warned as a kit that his eyes would make him more easily hurt by the light, but he hadn't believed them until recently when he couldn't leave the trees until the sun was beginning to set. He sat beside her and rubbed his eyes with his paws, the blurryness beginning to retreat from his vision until he finally stopped and turn to look at the molly fully. She was rather pretty, with her pelt shimmering in the moonlight. Lapinhop noted that every pelt seemed to shine in the moonlight in a way completely different than in the sunlight. "It's beautiful out here tonight, now that I can see," he chuckled. He was tired and could have taken a nap right there, but he knew he needed to stay awake and at least talk to one cat at his first Gathering.

THE ORDER OF THE HYENA !!

HYENA'S BREATH

Hyena's Breath narrowed her eyes as she approached the Gathering. The last time she had attended the Gathering, she hadn't had a single member in her Clan other than herself. Now, she had an Aide, an Herbalist, and three Scavengers. All five cats followed along behind her, and she turned to nod at them slowly. They fanned out behind her, their thin frames hidden behind long claws and bared teeth. She wouldn't do to have her Clan present themselves as quiet and calm, and she nodded as she saw them hiss at the cats who got too close to them before they reached their destination. "Now, you know to only gain information. Never give away any news about the Order," she meowed, slinking off towards the leaders as the rest of her Clan broke apart behind her. She sat down and swept her tail close to her, her strangely mottled tortoiseshell pelt making her blend into the dappled shadows across the ground.

CIVET'S SCURRY

Civet's Scurry noticed Wispwillow get suddenly silent, as if she had something on her mind, but she didn't want to open up the discussion to anything that might make the molly uncomfortable. "Have you been in SnowClan for very long? I'm not even sure how old your Clan is," she meowed. She knew next to nothing about any other Clan, so she wasn't aware if SnowClan was a rather new Clan or one that was countless seasons old. The Order was a relatively new Clan, that much was clear, but Civet's Scurry felt as if she had been a Clan cat for her entire life. She felt comfortable in the camp, as if she'd always lived there, and she knew the daily duties like the back of her paw. "The moon is rather lovely. I wonder what the surface of it is like. Do cats walk on the moon as they do here on the ground? Hyena's Breath once spoke of a story of cats who tried to travel to the moon through its reflection in a pool," Civet's Scurry chuckled. She didn't mention that the story had ended with the cats never being heard from again, even if Civet's Scurry believed they had made it to the moon rather than the alternative that most cats claimed to believe. She typically chose to believe the brighter option of things, even if most cats chose to believe in the darker option. She could imagine them now, the cats walking happily across the moon, content with their lives since they had reached their destination when many cats said they wouldn't. Civet's Scurry dreamed of a grand adventure like that someday, to defy the odds, but she doubted a random cat like her would ever be the one tossed into one.

OSTRICH'S CRY

Ostrich's Cry bit back a sharp retort as Halepen indirectly called leaping across the backs of crocodiles not dangerous. "The river is where we drink. The stagnant watering holes smell and taste like large prey," she turned her nose up with a sniff. "The running water filters the dirt and grime until it tastes as clear as a mountain stream. It doesn't matter that we must watch for hippos and crocodiles every time we bend down to drink our fill," she curled her lip with an eye roll. "As for our apex predators wasting prey, it's that they don't. The hyenas and vultures eat the unwanted parts, the parts that large predators do not wish to eat," she snorted. It was true that the lions wasted next to nothing and that the scavengers had evolved to eat the leftovers, but it was also true that this tom was doing his best to get under Ostrich's Cry's skin. She thought for several seconds, trying hard to think of a dangerous act to show him up once and for all. "I doubt your Clan has a test of courage like the Order's. I doubt you make your members snatch a hair off an elephant's tail. They're large enough that a single toe could crush a cat, and their trunks could life a full grown cat like a feather," she snarled, lowering herself to the ground as she spoke. She only spoke of the first trial, the following three remaining unsaid as she hoped it would be known that they only increased in difficulty.

ZEBRA'S GALLOP

Zebra's Gallop's mind was racing as The Tree spoke. She was still perplexed, but she chose not to press the issue. Some traditions of other Clans would never make sense to her, and she felt it not to be beneficial to try and understand. With a sigh, she listened to where he came from. She had never heard of tribes, but she had definitely heard of Clans. "Matriarch Hyena's Breath might know more about tribes, so I'll have to ask her for more information about them. I've never actually heard about them," she meowed. The savanna was only home to the five Orders, none going by the name 'Clan' or even using traditional Clan naming systems. The only reason they were considered a Clan was because they claimed themselves to be one. "If I'm being honest, I've never heard of DuckClan. I've never actually heard of any Clan, but that may be because I'm so new to the Order, who is not bordered by any Clan," she chuckled. They were a secluded Clan, and she rather liked it that way. There was a high chance that this would be her last Gathering, mostly because she never wanted to return to such a large group of cats. It was rather unsettling to be surrounded on all sides after living in such a small Clan as the Order. She wasn't used to the large number of cats in one place, but she wondered if the Order would ever grow large enough to have more than a dozen cats in their camp. She couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, especially since the Order had been so small for several moons now.

WILDEBEEST'S STAMPEDE

Wildebeest's Stampede could see that Fairytail was slowly becoming more comfortable the more they spoke. Fairytail was a rather unusual name, mostly because Wildebeest's Stampede didn't know what a fairy was. "You have nothing to apologize for, Fairytail. Some cats struggle with conversation and meeting new cats, and that's completely fine. Several friends I've had were the exact same way," he chuckled, remembering how Crash and Boom had always frozen and mumbled any time they met a new cat. At the thought of his old friends, who he hadn't seen in many moons, he couldn't help but wonder what they were up to now. What was in the past stayed in the past, so he turned his attention back to Fairytail. "It's good to be wary with what kinds of cats are running around nowadays. There's been too many stories of cats trying to take over Clans to fully trust a cat at your first meeting," he rumbled, hoping to comfort her but wondering if it was at all the right thing to say. "I'm not saying that I'm one of those evil cats, at least I don't think I am, I just thought it might help. I mean, with your nerves. Well—" he quickly clamped his jaws shut and shook his head, refusing to speak another word before he fully thought out what he was meaning to convey. Zebra's Gallop always teased him that he had a tendency to get tongue-tied out of the blue, but he always hated it when it happened around a cat he'd never met before.

LION'S SHADOW

Lion's Shadow stared at Mallowbrook as she mentioned never hearing of the Order before. "We've come a rather long way, if I'm being honest. It was a several day journey to attend, which is why we don't make it to every Gathering. This is my first, and my Clan has only attended one other," he meowed, his voice just as quiet as when he had introduced himself to Mallowbrook. They had left approximately three sunrises before, and they'd traveled for several days to attend the Gathering. Hyena's Breath had spoken that she would only like to attend a maximum of every other Gathering, but Lion's Shadow knew they wouldn't even make it to that many. It was simply too far, and too tiring to attend very many. Lion's Shadow may still have been a relatively young scavenger, but he didn't want to spend most of his life traveling. He had settled in the Order for a reason, but he was willing to attend a Gathering every now and then. "Have you had to travel far? I'm not sure where any other Clans come from," he meowed. As a new member to the Order, he only knew that they didn't border a single Clan. Before the Order, he hadn't even known Clans outside of the five main Orders of the savanna even existed. Now that he was here, he was aware that Clans came from all around. While the Order may be removed from most of the Clans, he knew that he would happen across a Clan no matter what direction he traveled in. There were too many scents of different Clans to count, and it almost shocked him that this was just a small fraction of most of these Clans. It was beyond thrilling to think that so many Clans existed.

My gallery · by **ponz** » Sat Jun 12, 2021 7:44 am

SPRUCECLAN
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CRICKETPOUNCE | Deputy | M | 82 moons | TAGS: Frostflower (PineClan)

A flash of waving white fur in his peripheral vision caught Cricketpounce’s eye. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but the nearly inaudible one-two step of a PineClan cat, stealthy as even the clumsiest of their number were, could not be ignored. “Frostflower!” Cricketpounce called, whirling around to greet her with a smile. And as he’d thought, the white molly hovered just behind him, long tail swaying in the gentle breeze. “I’m so glad to see you here this evening. It’s really been too long. How have you and Ramkit been?”

JAYSWOOP | Warrior | M | 40 moons | TAGS: Poppyshade (VagaryClan)

“Given what SpruceClan’s seen, I think it’s pretty safe to say that Brindlebirch’s friend is probably hanging around,” Jayswoop said, laughing just slightly. “Maybe we should send Tallthorn over to VagaryClan for the day. I bet he’d appreciate being left alone for once!” When Poppyshade began to falter, Jayswoop’s expression softened, and he nudged her shoulder with his forehead. “Roselight loves you. There’s no way she wouldn’t be proud of you. I mean, just look at you! You’re happy and thriving. That’s what every good mother wants for their kittens, right?”

BRAMBLINGPATH | Warrior | F | 23 moons | TAGS: Owltalon + Hornetsting (The Fallen)

By her third circle around the Gathering place, Bramblingpath found herself succumbing to boredom. Surely, it would be more interesting to find someone to talk to! As she slowed her brisk pace to a walk, the nearby bushes rustled in the wake of a small clan entering. Two mollies, one a mottled tortoiseshell not unlike herself and the other pitch-black in color, trailed off to a stop as the two older warriors leading the way split from the group. Curious now, Bramblingpath let her head tilt to the side and padded closer. “Hello,” she greeted, smiling lightly at the two newcomers. “I’m Bramblingpath from SpruceClan. Mind if I join you two?”

STORMPAW | Apprentice | M | 9 moons | TAGS: Caperpaw (CascadeClan)

“Whoah,” Stormpaw breathed, awestruck. “That’s a lot darker than SpruceClan’s legends. I love it! The Cascade’s real different from my clan, it seems. Sure would be cool to see your jungle!” Caperpaw had so many interesting things to share; Stormpaw was glad he’d found such a cool friend to chat with. He brightened quickly when Caperpaw asked a question. “Yeah, I do! Nothing quite so cool as skulls, ‘course, but we have lotsa migratory birds that fly through th’ mountains. I collect their feathers!” At this declaration, he puffed out his chest. “I’ve already got ‘bout seven different types of bird now.”

GOLDEN KINGDOM
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FROST’S SHEEN | Crown Princess | F | 23 moons | TAGS: Chasmstar (ChessClan)
“Well!” Frost’s Sheen said brightly. “At least I’ve got the rest of my lifetime to learn!” As Chasmstar asked about the training she’d experienced to prep her for leadership, she stifled a dry laugh. “Something like that,” she drawled, thinking back to the long hours of mock conversations, memorization of political allies and their clans, and debates on morality with her father. “I did spend time with the other cats my age, and my siblings always made sure to tell me about their lessons. The First also came to me in dreams, sometimes. I think the point of it all was to teach me to love my kingdom and it’s occupants, but I won’t deny that it was quite boring.” The crown was a heavy burden to bear, after all, and Crown of Embers was simply doing the best he could to prepare her for the job. He’d even let her arrange patrols a time or two to get the hang of things. “What about in ChessClan?” she asked. “Is there some sort of similar training for prospective Dames and Rois?”

LYNX’S PROWL | Knight | M | 54 moons | TAGS: Sunflicker (LightClan)

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sunflicker!” Lynx’s Prowl rumbled, offering his own smile in return. He stretched out slowly, dropping down into a seated position and tilting his head towards Sunflicker. “I’ve always thought these Gatherings were a nice place to make friends. Is this your first?” After a moment of thought, Lynx offered another question. “Ah, but I’m getting ahead of myself. I meant to ask you what clan you call home! Myself, I come from the Golden Kingdom.”

DESDEMONA | Knight | F | 37 moons | TAGS: Fluttercloud (MoonClan)

“Thank you,” Desdemona murmured, climbing atop the rocks, and nodding in appreciation as she settled into the space that had been cleared for her. The stones were still sun-warm and made a pleasant surface to sprawl all four of her spotted legs across in contentment. For a moment, Desdemona just relaxed into the warmth, focused on nothing but the quiet breathing of her neighbor. But while sitting in comfortable silence with this unknown molly was already quite nice, she was curious as to whose company she was keeping. “My name is Desdemona,” she offered, flicking one silver ear in the molly’s direction. “What’s yours?”

RUSA’S RACE | Knight | M | 16 moons | TAGS: Blaze of the Stars (Kyanite Keep)

“Stallion’s Canter is a cool name,” Rusa’s Race said in approval. “Silver’s Gleam, too. Reminds me of Opal’s Gleam— they’re one of our knights in the Golden Kingdom. Kyanite Keep’s definitely off to a good start!” At Blaze of the Stars’ joking request for lessons in awesomeness, Rusa’s muzzle cleared of humor and replaced its grin with a look of determination. “Right,” Rusa’s Race nodded sharply. “Lesson number one. Definitely…. make sure you, um, are always…..” he trailed off, brows furrowing, before he gave a defeated laugh. “Now that I think about it, maybe you just have to be born with it.”

-

My gallery · by **chaotic creativity** » Sat Jun 12, 2021 7:56 am

CHESSCLAN !!

ROOKSTAR

Rookstar cast quick glances towards the deputies and pointed at the Chausie tom with his paw. “That is my Tour, Richterscreech. He’s well known amongst the Clans,” he chuckled, hinting at the several mates he had taken outside of his own Clan. “Our Tour accompanies us to almost every Gathering unless something holds him back,” he explained. Richterscreech so enjoyed socializing with other deputies in a neutral location, so Rookstar never barred him from attending. “That’s exactly it!” he exclaimed as Night of the Stars explained exactly what he had been trying to tell her. He’d never been as good with words as Chasmstar, but the molly had taken her ability and run with it. She’d charmed and persuaded half the Clan into turning their backs on Rookstar, and he was feeling helplessly lost. He’d been the Tour, not her, so he believed he deserved his position. At least, he hoped he did.

CHASMSTAR

Chasmstar knew that Frost’s Sheen’s training must have been dreadfully boring. As she asked if prospective Dames and Roos received special training, she stifled a chuckle. “All cats are raised the same in ChessClan. A Dame and Roi choose a singular Tour from among the Cavalier, and they act as deputy. When the Dame and Roi pass on, the Tour and their mate ascend to the rank of Dame and Roi. They learn throughout their time as Tour what the responsibilities of the Dame and Roi are, but there is no official training for them,” she explained. She sometimes wished that she’d received training before being thrust into her role. Rookstar had been the Tour, and the deaths of Aspstar and Horizonstar had been so unexpected that they hadn’t thought it necessary to begin showing her the responsibilities of her potential future rank. “It’s a similar system to most traditional Clans in that a cat is chosen after they’ve trained at least one apprentice,” she explained.

RICHTERSCREECH

Richterscreech’s eyes widened with shock as Minnowflight spoke so casually about some unfortunate deaths. “Oh, I’m so sorry for your losses,” he meowed mournfully. It was rather unusual that Minnowflight had so quickly shared news of his leader losing several lives, but some Clans were more open than others. “I hope these things are less and less common in the coming moons. ChessClan’s been fortunate enough to evade many deaths and injuries over the past couple of seasons,” he sighed thankfully. They’d only had maybe two or three new additions to ÉtoileClan, which made the Clan seem as if it were flourishing. He chose not to speak of the tensions that were as tight as spiderwebs between two clear groups inside the Clan. Chasmstar had nearly half of the Clan on her side, and the other half of the Clan backed Rookstar. “Our nursery is just about to burst, so if you see cats spilling over our borders in a tidal wave, have no worries,” Richterscreech joked. It would be no surprise if they had to expand camp yet again soon.

WOLFWHISKERS

Wolfwhiskers's entire body burned as his cheeks reddened. He ducked his head and cleared his throat, wishing his heart would stop racing. She was the cat he looked forwards to seeing the most, but he couldn't tell if it was appropriate to tell her. He knew he meant something to her, but he didn't know if it was enough to warrant him speaking his feelings. "I've been told I radiate it worse than the sun," he chuckled, leaning slightly towards the molly. His ill patients often asked him to sleep outside the den just because he kept the den so warm that they just wanted a cool breeze. He sat there beside her in silence for several moments, the beating of his heart drowning out any possible sound. "It's a rather nice night tonight," he mumbled awkwardly, sneaking quick glances towards her out of the sides of his eyes. He knew he could be himself around her, but he still got flustered when he wanted to tell her how he felt. Every time, he shut it down before it ever happened, and this time was the same. He was too worried about how she might react, even if he longed to know what she would say. "I'm sorry," he suddenly apologized, mostly meaning how he had grown clammy and awkward but also how he wasn't fully opening up to her and potentially never would.

FAONDAPPLE

As the tom introduced himself as Cloudtongue of PineClan, she smiled. She'd heard of PineClan before; Rookstar had spoken to their leader once. As he asked her about why she was called Faonpaw if she had her full name, she dropped her head to hide her blush of embarrassment. "I meant Faondapple," she meowed sheepishly, knowing she'd messed up. She was still getting used to calling herself Faondapple, and she couldn't believe she'd already goofed up at her first Gathering as a full fou. "I'm still getting used to the name," she chuckled lightly, hoping Cloudtongue wouldn't make fun of or laugh at her. She'd worked so hard, training entirely as a warrior apprentice and then switching to be Wolfwhiskers' apprentice, that she'd gotten so accustomed to being called Faonpaw. Her training had taken nearly twenty moons, after all. She had been Faonpaw longer than both Faonkit and Faondapple combined, and yet she was still entirely embarrassed to call herself the wrong name. "This is my first Gathering with my full name, and I'm so excited to be here," she purred, tail curling high over her spine. Most medicine cats that she had met had been kind, if not a little grumpy, and Cloudtongue seemed to be on the kinder side. She had yet to meet a genuinely cruel medicine cat, but she doubted that would ever happen. Why would a cat who hated other cats want to help them? In any case, she hoped to never meet a medicine cat she didn't like.

LINDTPAW

Lindtpaw let out a quiet growl as Lichenpaw began to chase him. "You'll never catch me!" he cried, running in a circle around Faondapple. The two cats were delighted as they ran, and he skidded to a halt as Wolfwhiskers began to scold them. "I have more sense than a kit," Lindtpaw gasped, placing his paw on his chest as if in shock. Wolfwhiskers just shook his head and padded off, quickly followed by Faondapple. "Well, where would you—" Lindtpaw was cut off as he realized Lichenpaw had already dashed away. The molly was clearly eager to be at the Gathering, so he stumbled through the crowd slowly. He wanted to find other apprentices, maybe even another medicine cat apprentice, but he felt that the chances were low. With a grumble, he sat down and let his eyes flutter closed. He was just going to take a quick nap, and then he'd find someone to talk with.

LICHENPAW

Lichenpaw nodded slowly when Frostbitepaw asked if she’d eaten a dock leaf. In all honesty, she’d eaten too many herbs to count by accident. It’d taken her a few moons to perfect the chewing of herbs to make poultices without swallowing any. “Mouse bile tastes the worst,” she meowed, the tremor in her voice less noticeable than before. She was slowly becoming more comfortable around Frostbitepaw, but she still had a little bit to go. Herbs always tasted bad to her, and she avoided chewing them any chance she got. It was the main reason she preferred treating illnesses; sick cats had to eat their own herbs, not have it smeared on wounds. “Wolfwhiskers hasn’t told me much about IslandClan,” she admitted, her voice a fraction stronger than the last time.

OISEAUDAPPLE

Quakestone spoke of tournaments, and Oiseaudapple longed to have something similar in ChessClan. "It's feather-brained that roses can't participate in the spring tournament. If you could, I might just sneak in to watch you put all the toms on their tails," he meowed with a huff, pretending to be more serious than he really was. As she mentioned the rose tournament to find an heir if there wasn't one, Oiseaudapple shuddered. "I couldn't imagine having to rely on a tournament for the next dame and roi. It's a good thing that we have a tour to take over when they pass," he meowed. Richterscreech was getting old, so it was clear that he would be replaced soon since it didn't seem that Rookstar and Chasmstar were going anywhere anytime soon. Quakestone asked about traditions in ChessClan, and he just shrugged. "Our final assessment is a two moon ordeal. We have to start at the far point of the Northern Pass and survive on our own in the treacherous terrain until we make it back to camp. No cat comes back unscathed, and many don't come back at all," he meowed. He was reminded of when Fourmisplash took off after a gut feeling told him that Acaiheart was hurt. When the tom returned with the injured apprenti, it had only made Oiseaudapple even more afraid for his own final assessment. Yet, all he'd returned with was a hidden scar on his belly from a close call with an eagle. "It's a shock I made it through with just the one scar," he purred, his heart racing as he remembered the fight for his life.

SPIRIT

Spirit nodded as Sunlight shared her name and her Clan. She had heard snippets about The Fallen, she believed that one of her leaders had spoken with One at a previous Gathering. "I guess apprentices would like that sort of thing," she meowed, sticking her nose up as if she hadn't been their age less than a season-cycle ago. She was glad she had joined ChessClan when she did, just barely old enough to be a cavalier. She didn't know how she would have reacted if they had wanted her to train as an apprenti despite being as old as the oldest apprenti. She did watch the other cavalier closely, having so recently escaped from being a kittypet, but she was learning quicker than if she were being taught one on one. She had learned through trial and error during her journeys, but she was still a weak hunter and fighter. She participated in more drills than the average cavalier, mostly learning from those sparring around her, and she attended as many hunting parties as she possibly could. "Some of those apprentices are probably stronger and more skilled than I ever could be," she chuckled. Several young cats dedicated themselves so whole-heartedly to their studies that they were able to outsmart even senior warriors. Those were always the apprenti that brought the most honor and pride to their mentor, and Spirit hoped that one day she could train her own apprenti like that. "Have you been in The Fallen for very long?" she piped up suddenly, remembering she was in a conversation with Sunlight.

LAPINHOP

Lapinhop's long legs were aching by the time he reached the Gathering. His eyes were strained from being narrowed against the bright sun through most of the journey, so he walked with his eyes mostly closed until they reached the crowd. He stepped on several paws and tails until he stopped to apologize to one molly. "I'm extremely sorry, my eyes still hurt from that intense sunlight we had today. Why couldn't we have had a single cloud for cover?" he moaned dramatically, resting his paw on his forehead and swooning backwards. He had hoped to make a good impression on the molly, who was just a blob in his sight as he tried to open his eyes wider. He knew there was only the light of the full moon, but it would take him several moments to adjust to the semi-darkness. He'd been warned as a kit that his eyes would make him more easily hurt by the light, but he hadn't believed them until recently when he couldn't leave the trees until the sun was beginning to set. He sat beside her and rubbed his eyes with his paws, the blurryness beginning to retreat from his vision until he finally stopped and turn to look at the molly fully. She was rather pretty, with her pelt shimmering in the moonlight. Lapinhop noted that every pelt seemed to shine in the moonlight in a way completely different than in the sunlight. "It's beautiful out here tonight, now that I can see," he chuckled. He was tired and could have taken a nap right there, but he knew he needed to stay awake and at least talk to one cat at his first Gathering.

THE ORDER OF THE HYENA !!

HYENA'S BREATH

Hyena's Breath narrowed her eyes as she approached the Gathering. The last time she had attended the Gathering, she hadn't had a single member in her Clan other than herself. Now, she had an Aide, an Herbalist, and three Scavengers. All five cats followed along behind her, and she turned to nod at them slowly. They fanned out behind her, their thin frames hidden behind long claws and bared teeth. She wouldn't do to have her Clan present themselves as quiet and calm, and she nodded as she saw them hiss at the cats who got too close to them before they reached their destination. "Now, you know to only gain information. Never give away any news about the Order," she meowed, slinking off towards the leaders as the rest of her Clan broke apart behind her. She sat down and swept her tail close to her, her strangely mottled tortoiseshell pelt making her blend into the dappled shadows across the ground.

CIVET'S SCURRY

Civet's Scurry noticed Wispwillow get suddenly silent, as if she had something on her mind, but she didn't want to open up the discussion to anything that might make the molly uncomfortable. "Have you been in SnowClan for very long? I'm not even sure how old your Clan is," she meowed. She knew next to nothing about any other Clan, so she wasn't aware if SnowClan was a rather new Clan or one that was countless seasons old. The Order was a relatively new Clan, that much was clear, but Civet's Scurry felt as if she had been a Clan cat for her entire life. She felt comfortable in the camp, as if she'd always lived there, and she knew the daily duties like the back of her paw. "The moon is rather lovely. I wonder what the surface of it is like. Do cats walk on the moon as they do here on the ground? Hyena's Breath once spoke of a story of cats who tried to travel to the moon through its reflection in a pool," Civet's Scurry chuckled. She didn't mention that the story had ended with the cats never being heard from again, even if Civet's Scurry believed they had made it to the moon rather than the alternative that most cats claimed to believe. She typically chose to believe the brighter option of things, even if most cats chose to believe in the darker option. She could imagine them now, the cats walking happily across the moon, content with their lives since they had reached their destination when many cats said they wouldn't. Civet's Scurry dreamed of a grand adventure like that someday, to defy the odds, but she doubted a random cat like her would ever be the one tossed into one.

OSTRICH'S CRY

Ostrich's Cry bit back a sharp retort as Halepen indirectly called leaping across the backs of crocodiles not dangerous. "The river is where we drink. The stagnant watering holes smell and taste like large prey," she turned her nose up with a sniff. "The running water filters the dirt and grime until it tastes as clear as a mountain stream. It doesn't matter that we must watch for hippos and crocodiles every time we bend down to drink our fill," she curled her lip with an eye roll. "As for our apex predators wasting prey, it's that they don't. The hyenas and vultures eat the unwanted parts, the parts that large predators do not wish to eat," she snorted. It was true that the lions wasted next to nothing and that the scavengers had evolved to eat the leftovers, but it was also true that this tom was doing his best to get under Ostrich's Cry's skin. She thought for several seconds, trying hard to think of a dangerous act to show him up once and for all. "I doubt your Clan has a test of courage like the Order's. I doubt you make your members snatch a hair off an elephant's tail. They're large enough that a single toe could crush a cat, and their trunks could life a full grown cat like a feather," she snarled, lowering herself to the ground as she spoke. She only spoke of the first trial, the following three remaining unsaid as she hoped it would be known that they only increased in difficulty.

ZEBRA'S GALLOP

Zebra's Gallop's mind was racing as The Tree spoke. She was still perplexed, but she chose not to press the issue. Some traditions of other Clans would never make sense to her, and she felt it not to be beneficial to try and understand. With a sigh, she listened to where he came from. She had never heard of tribes, but she had definitely heard of Clans. "Matriarch Hyena's Breath might know more about tribes, so I'll have to ask her for more information about them. I've never actually heard about them," she meowed. The savanna was only home to the five Orders, none going by the name 'Clan' or even using traditional Clan naming systems. The only reason they were considered a Clan was because they claimed themselves to be one. "If I'm being honest, I've never heard of DuckClan. I've never actually heard of any Clan, but that may be because I'm so new to the Order, who is not bordered by any Clan," she chuckled. They were a secluded Clan, and she rather liked it that way. There was a high chance that this would be her last Gathering, mostly because she never wanted to return to such a large group of cats. It was rather unsettling to be surrounded on all sides after living in such a small Clan as the Order. She wasn't used to the large number of cats in one place, but she wondered if the Order would ever grow large enough to have more than a dozen cats in their camp. She couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, especially since the Order had been so small for several moons now.

WILDEBEEST'S STAMPEDE

Wildebeest's Stampede could see that Fairytail was slowly becoming more comfortable the more they spoke. Fairytail was a rather unusual name, mostly because Wildebeest's Stampede didn't know what a fairy was. "You have nothing to apologize for, Fairytail. Some cats struggle with conversation and meeting new cats, and that's completely fine. Several friends I've had were the exact same way," he chuckled, remembering how Crash and Boom had always frozen and mumbled any time they met a new cat. At the thought of his old friends, who he hadn't seen in many moons, he couldn't help but wonder what they were up to now. What was in the past stayed in the past, so he turned his attention back to Fairytail. "It's good to be wary with what kinds of cats are running around nowadays. There's been too many stories of cats trying to take over Clans to fully trust a cat at your first meeting," he rumbled, hoping to comfort her but wondering if it was at all the right thing to say. "I'm not saying that I'm one of those evil cats, at least I don't think I am, I just thought it might help. I mean, with your nerves. Well—" he quickly clamped his jaws shut and shook his head, refusing to speak another word before he fully thought out what he was meaning to convey. Zebra's Gallop always teased him that he had a tendency to get tongue-tied out of the blue, but he always hated it when it happened around a cat he'd never met before.

LION'S SHADOW

Lion's Shadow stared at Mallowbrook as she mentioned never hearing of the Order before. "We've come a rather long way, if I'm being honest. It was a several day journey to attend, which is why we don't make it to every Gathering. This is my first, and my Clan has only attended one other," he meowed, his voice just as quiet as when he had introduced himself to Mallowbrook. They had left approximately three sunrises before, and they'd traveled for several days to attend the Gathering. Hyena's Breath had spoken that she would only like to attend a maximum of every other Gathering, but Lion's Shadow knew they wouldn't even make it to that many. It was simply too far, and too tiring to attend very many. Lion's Shadow may still have been a relatively young scavenger, but he didn't want to spend most of his life traveling. He had settled in the Order for a reason, but he was willing to attend a Gathering every now and then. "Have you had to travel far? I'm not sure where any other Clans come from," he meowed. As a new member to the Order, he only knew that they didn't border a single Clan. Before the Order, he hadn't even known Clans outside of the five main Orders of the savanna even existed. Now that he was here, he was aware that Clans came from all around. While the Order may be removed from most of the Clans, he knew that he would happen across a Clan no matter what direction he traveled in. There were too many scents of different Clans to count, and it almost shocked him that this was just a small fraction of most of these Clans. It was beyond thrilling to think that so many Clans existed.

[/quote]

My gallery · by **ponz** » Sat Jun 12, 2021 8:47 am

SPRUCECLAN
-----

CRICKETPOUNCE | Deputy | M | 82 moons | TAGS: Frostflower (PineClan)

A flash of waving white fur in his peripheral vision caught Cricketpounce’s eye. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but the nearly inaudible one-two step of a PineClan cat, stealthy as even the clumsiest of their number were, could not be ignored. “Frostflower!” Cricketpounce called, whirling around to greet her with a smile. And as he’d thought, the white molly hovered just behind him, long tail swaying in the gentle breeze. “I’m so glad to see you here this evening. It’s really been too long. How have you and Ramkit been?”

JAYSWOOP | Warrior | M | 40 moons | TAGS: Poppyshade (VagaryClan)

“Given what SpruceClan’s seen, I think it’s pretty safe to say that Brindlebirch’s friend is probably hanging around,” Jayswoop said, laughing just slightly. “Maybe we should send Tallthorn over to VagaryClan for the day. I bet he’d appreciate being left alone for once!” When Poppyshade began to falter, Jayswoop’s expression softened, and he nudged her shoulder with his forehead. “Roselight loves you. There’s no way she wouldn’t be proud of you. I mean, just look at you! You’re happy and thriving. That’s what every good mother wants for their kittens, right?”

BRAMBLINGPATH | Warrior | F | 23 moons | TAGS: Owltalon + Hornetsting (The Fallen)

By her third circle around the Gathering place, Bramblingpath found herself succumbing to boredom. Surely, it would be more interesting to find someone to talk to! As she slowed her brisk pace to a walk, the nearby bushes rustled in the wake of a small clan entering. Two mollies, one a mottled tortoiseshell not unlike herself and the other pitch-black in color, trailed off to a stop as the two older warriors leading the way split from the group. Curious now, Bramblingpath let her head tilt to the side and padded closer. “Hello,” she greeted, smiling lightly at the two newcomers. “I’m Bramblingpath from SpruceClan. Mind if I join you two?”

STORMPAW | Apprentice | M | 9 moons | TAGS: Caperpaw (CascadeClan)

“Whoah,” Stormpaw breathed, awestruck. “That’s a lot darker than SpruceClan’s legends. I love it! The Cascade’s real different from my clan, it seems. Sure would be cool to see your jungle!” Caperpaw had so many interesting things to share; Stormpaw was glad he’d found such a cool friend to chat with. He brightened quickly when Caperpaw asked a question. “Yeah, I do! Nothing quite so cool as skulls, ‘course, but we have lotsa migratory birds that fly through th’ mountains. I collect their feathers!” At this declaration, he puffed out his chest. “I’ve already got ‘bout seven different types of bird now.”

GOLDEN KINGDOM
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FROST’S SHEEN | Crown Princess | F | 23 moons | TAGS: Chasmstar (ChessClan)
“How interesting!” she breathed, tail swishing curiously. “It seems like there must be a rough adjustment period for the Tour’s mate, once they become Dame or Roi, respectively. At least their mate will be there to support them, and, of course, each ruler will be well-versed in the lives of their cavalier.” Frost’s Sheen laughed, then. “I never thought I’d be so thankful for such a boring life as a squire,” she said. “I imagine it must have been very stressful to begin leading without any prior experience! Were you the Tour at first, Dame Chasmstar?”

LYNX’S PROWL | Knight | M | 54 moons | TAGS: Sunflicker (LightClan)

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sunflicker!” Lynx’s Prowl rumbled, offering his own smile in return. He stretched out slowly, dropping down into a seated position and tilting his head towards Sunflicker. “I’ve always thought these Gatherings were a nice place to make friends. Is this your first?” After a moment of thought, Lynx offered another question. “Ah, but I’m getting ahead of myself. I meant to ask you what clan you call home! Myself, I come from the Golden Kingdom.”

DESDEMONA | Knight | F | 37 moons | TAGS: Fluttercloud (MoonClan)

“Thank you,” Desdemona murmured, climbing atop the rocks, and nodding in appreciation as she settled into the space that had been cleared for her. The stones were still sun-warm and made a pleasant surface to sprawl all four of her spotted legs across in contentment. For a moment, Desdemona just relaxed into the warmth, focused on nothing but the quiet breathing of her neighbor. But while sitting in comfortable silence with this unknown molly was already quite nice, she was curious as to whose company she was keeping. “My name is Desdemona,” she offered, flicking one silver ear in the molly’s direction. “What’s yours?”

RUSA’S RACE | Knight | M | 16 moons | TAGS: Blaze of the Stars (Kyanite Keep)

“Stallion’s Canter is a cool name,” Rusa’s Race said in approval. “Silver’s Gleam, too. Reminds me of Opal’s Gleam— they’re one of our knights in the Golden Kingdom. Kyanite Keep’s definitely off to a good start!” At Blaze of the Stars’ joking request for lessons in awesomeness, Rusa’s muzzle cleared of humor and replaced its grin with a look of determination. “Right,” Rusa’s Race nodded sharply. “Lesson number one. Definitely…. make sure you, um, are always…..” he trailed off, brows furrowing, before he gave a defeated laugh. “Now that I think about it, maybe you just have to be born with it.”

-

My gallery · by **chaotic creativity** » Sat Jun 12, 2021 8:56 am

CHESSCLAN !!

ROOKSTAR

Rookstar cast quick glances towards the deputies and pointed at the Chausie tom with his paw. “That is my Tour, Richterscreech. He’s well known amongst the Clans,” he chuckled, hinting at the several mates he had taken outside of his own Clan. “Our Tour accompanies us to almost every Gathering unless something holds him back,” he explained. Richterscreech so enjoyed socializing with other deputies in a neutral location, so Rookstar never barred him from attending. “That’s exactly it!” he exclaimed as Night of the Stars explained exactly what he had been trying to tell her. He’d never been as good with words as Chasmstar, but the molly had taken her ability and run with it. She’d charmed and persuaded half the Clan into turning their backs on Rookstar, and he was feeling helplessly lost. He’d been the Tour, not her, so he believed he deserved his position. At least, he hoped he did.

CHASMSTAR

Chasmstar nodded as Frost’s Sheen spoke of stress. It had been beyond terrifying to be thrust into the role so abruptly, and she knew how meek and nervous she’d been in the first few moons didn’t reflect the molly she had become. “My former mate, Rookstar, was actually the Tour before our promotion. He was extremely helpful during the transition period,” she sighed. She had to admit, he had been incredibly kind and considerate while she was gaining her confidence in her new role. That didn’t matter once she had broken off their mateship, even if they had to present as a happy ruling couple to the outside. At that thought, she gasped and looked at Frost’s Sheen in utter terror. She had admitted to the future ruler of another Clan that she and Rookstar were no longer together. “I wasn’t supposed to mention that we are ex-mates,” she meowed quickly, eyes darting left and right as she tried to make sure no other cat had heard. She would never hear the end of it if her Clan knew she had admitted what she believed to be one of her greatest weaknesses to a cat she’d only just met that night.

RICHTERSCREECH

Richterscreech’s eyes widened with shock as Minnowflight spoke so casually about some unfortunate deaths. “Oh, I’m so sorry for your losses,” he meowed mournfully. It was rather unusual that Minnowflight had so quickly shared news of his leader losing several lives, but some Clans were more open than others. “I hope these things are less and less common in the coming moons. ChessClan’s been fortunate enough to evade many deaths and injuries over the past couple of seasons,” he sighed thankfully. They’d only had maybe two or three new additions to ÉtoileClan, which made the Clan seem as if it were flourishing. He chose not to speak of the tensions that were as tight as spiderwebs between two clear groups inside the Clan. Chasmstar had nearly half of the Clan on her side, and the other half of the Clan backed Rookstar. “Our nursery is just about to burst, so if you see cats spilling over our borders in a tidal wave, have no worries,” Richterscreech joked. It would be no surprise if they had to expand camp yet again soon.

WOLFWHISKERS

Wolfwhiskers's entire body burned as his cheeks reddened. He ducked his head and cleared his throat, wishing his heart would stop racing. She was the cat he looked forwards to seeing the most, but he couldn't tell if it was appropriate to tell her. He knew he meant something to her, but he didn't know if it was enough to warrant him speaking his feelings. "I've been told I radiate it worse than the sun," he chuckled, leaning slightly towards the molly. His ill patients often asked him to sleep outside the den just because he kept the den so warm that they just wanted a cool breeze. He sat there beside her in silence for several moments, the beating of his heart drowning out any possible sound. "It's a rather nice night tonight," he mumbled awkwardly, sneaking quick glances towards her out of the sides of his eyes. He knew he could be himself around her, but he still got flustered when he wanted to tell her how he felt. Every time, he shut it down before it ever happened, and this time was the same. He was too worried about how she might react, even if he longed to know what she would say. "I'm sorry," he suddenly apologized, mostly meaning how he had grown clammy and awkward but also how he wasn't fully opening up to her and potentially never would.

FAONDAPPLE

As the tom introduced himself as Cloudtongue of PineClan, she smiled. She'd heard of PineClan before; Rookstar had spoken to their leader once. As he asked her about why she was called Faonpaw if she had her full name, she dropped her head to hide her blush of embarrassment. "I meant Faondapple," she meowed sheepishly, knowing she'd messed up. She was still getting used to calling herself Faondapple, and she couldn't believe she'd already goofed up at her first Gathering as a full fou. "I'm still getting used to the name," she chuckled lightly, hoping Cloudtongue wouldn't make fun of or laugh at her. She'd worked so hard, training entirely as a warrior apprentice and then switching to be Wolfwhiskers' apprentice, that she'd gotten so accustomed to being called Faonpaw. Her training had taken nearly twenty moons, after all. She had been Faonpaw longer than both Faonkit and Faondapple combined, and yet she was still entirely embarrassed to call herself the wrong name. "This is my first Gathering with my full name, and I'm so excited to be here," she purred, tail curling high over her spine. Most medicine cats that she had met had been kind, if not a little grumpy, and Cloudtongue seemed to be on the kinder side. She had yet to meet a genuinely cruel medicine cat, but she doubted that would ever happen. Why would a cat who hated other cats want to help them? In any case, she hoped to never meet a medicine cat she didn't like.

LINDTPAW

Lindtpaw let out a quiet growl as Lichenpaw began to chase him. "You'll never catch me!" he cried, running in a circle around Faondapple. The two cats were delighted as they ran, and he skidded to a halt as Wolfwhiskers began to scold them. "I have more sense than a kit," Lindtpaw gasped, placing his paw on his chest as if in shock. Wolfwhiskers just shook his head and padded off, quickly followed by Faondapple. "Well, where would you—" Lindtpaw was cut off as he realized Lichenpaw had already dashed away. The molly was clearly eager to be at the Gathering, so he stumbled through the crowd slowly. He wanted to find other apprentices, maybe even another medicine cat apprentice, but he felt that the chances were low. With a grumble, he sat down and let his eyes flutter closed. He was just going to take a quick nap, and then he'd find someone to talk with.

LICHENPAW

Lichenpaw nodded slowly when Frostbitepaw asked if she’d eaten a dock leaf. In all honesty, she’d eaten too many herbs to count by accident. It’d taken her a few moons to perfect the chewing of herbs to make poultices without swallowing any. “Mouse bile tastes the worst,” she meowed, the tremor in her voice less noticeable than before. She was slowly becoming more comfortable around Frostbitepaw, but she still had a little bit to go. Herbs always tasted bad to her, and she avoided chewing them any chance she got. It was the main reason she preferred treating illnesses; sick cats had to eat their own herbs, not have it smeared on wounds. “Wolfwhiskers hasn’t told me much about IslandClan,” she admitted, her voice a fraction stronger than the last time.

OISEAUDAPPLE

Quakestone spoke of tournaments, and Oiseaudapple longed to have something similar in ChessClan. "It's feather-brained that roses can't participate in the spring tournament. If you could, I might just sneak in to watch you put all the toms on their tails," he meowed with a huff, pretending to be more serious than he really was. As she mentioned the rose tournament to find an heir if there wasn't one, Oiseaudapple shuddered. "I couldn't imagine having to rely on a tournament for the next dame and roi. It's a good thing that we have a tour to take over when they pass," he meowed. Richterscreech was getting old, so it was clear that he would be replaced soon since it didn't seem that Rookstar and Chasmstar were going anywhere anytime soon. Quakestone asked about traditions in ChessClan, and he just shrugged. "Our final assessment is a two moon ordeal. We have to start at the far point of the Northern Pass and survive on our own in the treacherous terrain until we make it back to camp. No cat comes back unscathed, and many don't come back at all," he meowed. He was reminded of when Fourmisplash took off after a gut feeling told him that Acaiheart was hurt. When the tom returned with the injured apprenti, it had only made Oiseaudapple even more afraid for his own final assessment. Yet, all he'd returned with was a hidden scar on his belly from a close call with an eagle. "It's a shock I made it through with just the one scar," he purred, his heart racing as he remembered the fight for his life.

SPIRIT

Spirit nodded as Sunlight shared her name and her Clan. She had heard snippets about The Fallen, she believed that one of her leaders had spoken with One at a previous Gathering. "I guess apprentices would like that sort of thing," she meowed, sticking her nose up as if she hadn't been their age less than a season-cycle ago. She was glad she had joined ChessClan when she did, just barely old enough to be a cavalier. She didn't know how she would have reacted if they had wanted her to train as an apprenti despite being as old as the oldest apprenti. She did watch the other cavalier closely, having so recently escaped from being a kittypet, but she was learning quicker than if she were being taught one on one. She had learned through trial and error during her journeys, but she was still a weak hunter and fighter. She participated in more drills than the average cavalier, mostly learning from those sparring around her, and she attended as many hunting parties as she possibly could. "Some of those apprentices are probably stronger and more skilled than I ever could be," she chuckled. Several young cats dedicated themselves so whole-heartedly to their studies that they were able to outsmart even senior warriors. Those were always the apprenti that brought the most honor and pride to their mentor, and Spirit hoped that one day she could train her own apprenti like that. "Have you been in The Fallen for very long?" she piped up suddenly, remembering she was in a conversation with Sunlight.

LAPINHOP

Lapinhop's long legs were aching by the time he reached the Gathering. His eyes were strained from being narrowed against the bright sun through most of the journey, so he walked with his eyes mostly closed until they reached the crowd. He stepped on several paws and tails until he stopped to apologize to one molly. "I'm extremely sorry, my eyes still hurt from that intense sunlight we had today. Why couldn't we have had a single cloud for cover?" he moaned dramatically, resting his paw on his forehead and swooning backwards. He had hoped to make a good impression on the molly, who was just a blob in his sight as he tried to open his eyes wider. He knew there was only the light of the full moon, but it would take him several moments to adjust to the semi-darkness. He'd been warned as a kit that his eyes would make him more easily hurt by the light, but he hadn't believed them until recently when he couldn't leave the trees until the sun was beginning to set. He sat beside her and rubbed his eyes with his paws, the blurryness beginning to retreat from his vision until he finally stopped and turn to look at the molly fully. She was rather pretty, with her pelt shimmering in the moonlight. Lapinhop noted that every pelt seemed to shine in the moonlight in a way completely different than in the sunlight. "It's beautiful out here tonight, now that I can see," he chuckled. He was tired and could have taken a nap right there, but he knew he needed to stay awake and at least talk to one cat at his first Gathering.

THE ORDER OF THE HYENA !!

HYENA'S BREATH

Hyena's Breath narrowed her eyes as she approached the Gathering. The last time she had attended the Gathering, she hadn't had a single member in her Clan other than herself. Now, she had an Aide, an Herbalist, and three Scavengers. All five cats followed along behind her, and she turned to nod at them slowly. They fanned out behind her, their thin frames hidden behind long claws and bared teeth. She wouldn't do to have her Clan present themselves as quiet and calm, and she nodded as she saw them hiss at the cats who got too close to them before they reached their destination. "Now, you know to only gain information. Never give away any news about the Order," she meowed, slinking off towards the leaders as the rest of her Clan broke apart behind her. She sat down and swept her tail close to her, her strangely mottled tortoiseshell pelt making her blend into the dappled shadows across the ground.

CIVET'S SCURRY

Civet's Scurry noticed Wispwillow get suddenly silent, as if she had something on her mind, but she didn't want to open up the discussion to anything that might make the molly uncomfortable. "Have you been in SnowClan for very long? I'm not even sure how old your Clan is," she meowed. She knew next to nothing about any other Clan, so she wasn't aware if SnowClan was a rather new Clan or one that was countless seasons old. The Order was a relatively new Clan, that much was clear, but Civet's Scurry felt as if she had been a Clan cat for her entire life. She felt comfortable in the camp, as if she'd always lived there, and she knew the daily duties like the back of her paw. "The moon is rather lovely. I wonder what the surface of it is like. Do cats walk on the moon as they do here on the ground? Hyena's Breath once spoke of a story of cats who tried to travel to the moon through its reflection in a pool," Civet's Scurry chuckled. She didn't mention that the story had ended with the cats never being heard from again, even if Civet's Scurry believed they had made it to the moon rather than the alternative that most cats claimed to believe. She typically chose to believe the brighter option of things, even if most cats chose to believe in the darker option. She could imagine them now, the cats walking happily across the moon, content with their lives since they had reached their destination when many cats said they wouldn't. Civet's Scurry dreamed of a grand adventure like that someday, to defy the odds, but she doubted a random cat like her would ever be the one tossed into one.

OSTRICH'S CRY

Ostrich's Cry bit back a sharp retort as Halepen indirectly called leaping across the backs of crocodiles not dangerous. "The river is where we drink. The stagnant watering holes smell and taste like large prey," she turned her nose up with a sniff. "The running water filters the dirt and grime until it tastes as clear as a mountain stream. It doesn't matter that we must watch for hippos and crocodiles every time we bend down to drink our fill," she curled her lip with an eye roll. "As for our apex predators wasting prey, it's that they don't. The hyenas and vultures eat the unwanted parts, the parts that large predators do not wish to eat," she snorted. It was true that the lions wasted next to nothing and that the scavengers had evolved to eat the leftovers, but it was also true that this tom was doing his best to get under Ostrich's Cry's skin. She thought for several seconds, trying hard to think of a dangerous act to show him up once and for all. "I doubt your Clan has a test of courage like the Order's. I doubt you make your members snatch a hair off an elephant's tail. They're large enough that a single toe could crush a cat, and their trunks could life a full grown cat like a feather," she snarled, lowering herself to the ground as she spoke. She only spoke of the first trial, the following three remaining unsaid as she hoped it would be known that they only increased in difficulty.

ZEBRA'S GALLOP

Zebra's Gallop's mind was racing as The Tree spoke. She was still perplexed, but she chose not to press the issue. Some traditions of other Clans would never make sense to her, and she felt it not to be beneficial to try and understand. With a sigh, she listened to where he came from. She had never heard of tribes, but she had definitely heard of Clans. "Matriarch Hyena's Breath might know more about tribes, so I'll have to ask her for more information about them. I've never actually heard about them," she meowed. The savanna was only home to the five Orders, none going by the name 'Clan' or even using traditional Clan naming systems. The only reason they were considered a Clan was because they claimed themselves to be one. "If I'm being honest, I've never heard of DuckClan. I've never actually heard of any Clan, but that may be because I'm so new to the Order, who is not bordered by any Clan," she chuckled. They were a secluded Clan, and she rather liked it that way. There was a high chance that this would be her last Gathering, mostly because she never wanted to return to such a large group of cats. It was rather unsettling to be surrounded on all sides after living in such a small Clan as the Order. She wasn't used to the large number of cats in one place, but she wondered if the Order would ever grow large enough to have more than a dozen cats in their camp. She couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, especially since the Order had been so small for several moons now.

WILDEBEEST'S STAMPEDE

Wildebeest's Stampede could see that Fairytail was slowly becoming more comfortable the more they spoke. Fairytail was a rather unusual name, mostly because Wildebeest's Stampede didn't know what a fairy was. "You have nothing to apologize for, Fairytail. Some cats struggle with conversation and meeting new cats, and that's completely fine. Several friends I've had were the exact same way," he chuckled, remembering how Crash and Boom had always frozen and mumbled any time they met a new cat. At the thought of his old friends, who he hadn't seen in many moons, he couldn't help but wonder what they were up to now. What was in the past stayed in the past, so he turned his attention back to Fairytail. "It's good to be wary with what kinds of cats are running around nowadays. There's been too many stories of cats trying to take over Clans to fully trust a cat at your first meeting," he rumbled, hoping to comfort her but wondering if it was at all the right thing to say. "I'm not saying that I'm one of those evil cats, at least I don't think I am, I just thought it might help. I mean, with your nerves. Well—" he quickly clamped his jaws shut and shook his head, refusing to speak another word before he fully thought out what he was meaning to convey. Zebra's Gallop always teased him that he had a tendency to get tongue-tied out of the blue, but he always hated it when it happened around a cat he'd never met before.

LION'S SHADOW

Lion's Shadow stared at Mallowbrook as she mentioned never hearing of the Order before. "We've come a rather long way, if I'm being honest. It was a several day journey to attend, which is why we don't make it to every Gathering. This is my first, and my Clan has only attended one other," he meowed, his voice just as quiet as when he had introduced himself to Mallowbrook. They had left approximately three sunrises before, and they'd traveled for several days to attend the Gathering. Hyena's Breath had spoken that she would only like to attend a maximum of every other Gathering, but Lion's Shadow knew they wouldn't even make it to that many. It was simply too far, and too tiring to attend very many. Lion's Shadow may still have been a relatively young scavenger, but he didn't want to spend most of his life traveling. He had settled in the Order for a reason, but he was willing to attend a Gathering every now and then. "Have you had to travel far? I'm not sure where any other Clans come from," he meowed. As a new member to the Order, he only knew that they didn't border a single Clan. Before the Order, he hadn't even known Clans outside of the five main Orders of the savanna even existed. Now that he was here, he was aware that Clans came from all around. While the Order may be removed from most of the Clans, he knew that he would happen across a Clan no matter what direction he traveled in. There were too many scents of different Clans to count, and it almost shocked him that this was just a small fraction of most of these Clans. It was beyond thrilling to think that so many Clans existed.

My gallery · by **ponz** » Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:12 am

SPRUCECLAN
-----

CRICKETPOUNCE | Deputy | M | 82 moons | TAGS: Frostflower (PineClan)

A flash of waving white fur in his peripheral vision caught Cricketpounce’s eye. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but the nearly inaudible one-two step of a PineClan cat, stealthy as even the clumsiest of their number were, could not be ignored. “Frostflower!” Cricketpounce called, whirling around to greet her with a smile. And as he’d thought, the white molly hovered just behind him, long tail swaying in the gentle breeze. “I’m so glad to see you here this evening. It’s really been too long. How have you and Ramkit been?”

JAYSWOOP | Warrior | M | 40 moons | TAGS: Poppyshade (VagaryClan)

“Given what SpruceClan’s seen, I think it’s pretty safe to say that Brindlebirch’s friend is probably hanging around,” Jayswoop said, laughing just slightly. “Maybe we should send Tallthorn over to VagaryClan for the day. I bet he’d appreciate being left alone for once!” When Poppyshade began to falter, Jayswoop’s expression softened, and he nudged her shoulder with his forehead. “Roselight loves you. There’s no way she wouldn’t be proud of you. I mean, just look at you! You’re happy and thriving. That’s what every good mother wants for their kittens, right?”

BRAMBLINGPATH | Warrior | F | 23 moons | TAGS: Owltalon + Hornetsting (The Fallen)

By her third circle around the Gathering place, Bramblingpath found herself succumbing to boredom. Surely, it would be more interesting to find someone to talk to! As she slowed her brisk pace to a walk, the nearby bushes rustled in the wake of a small clan entering. Two mollies, one a mottled tortoiseshell not unlike herself and the other pitch-black in color, trailed off to a stop as the two older warriors leading the way split from the group. Curious now, Bramblingpath let her head tilt to the side and padded closer. “Hello,” she greeted, smiling lightly at the two newcomers. “I’m Bramblingpath from SpruceClan. Mind if I join you two?”

STORMPAW | Apprentice | M | 9 moons | TAGS: Caperpaw (CascadeClan)

“Whoah,” Stormpaw breathed, awestruck. “That’s a lot darker than SpruceClan’s legends. I love it! The Cascade’s real different from my clan, it seems. Sure would be cool to see your jungle!” Caperpaw had so many interesting things to share; Stormpaw was glad he’d found such a cool friend to chat with. He brightened quickly when Caperpaw asked a question. “Yeah, I do! Nothing quite so cool as skulls, ‘course, but we have lotsa migratory birds that fly through th’ mountains. I collect their feathers!” At this declaration, he puffed out his chest. “I’ve already got ‘bout seven different types of bird now.”

GOLDEN KINGDOM
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FROST’S SHEEN | Crown Princess | F | 23 moons | TAGS: Chasmstar (ChessClan)
“It was very kind of Roi Rookstar to assist you,” Frost’s Sheen said quickly, careful this time not to mention anything pertaining to the relationship status of ChessClan’s leaders. “Please don’t worry, Dame Chasmstar. I may not be half so experienced as you are in leasing a clan and playing politics, but I can keep a secret. No other cat will hear it from me; that seems like your story to share.” This statement, Frost punctuated with a gentle smile and a reassuring paw atop the older molly’s. She might not have understood everything happening in the heart of ChessClan camp, but she knew what a panicked cat looked like and held no ill will towards Chasmstar. Swiftly, she changed the subject. “You mentioned your kits earlier this evening. Oursfang, Bouespeckle… would you tell me about them?”

LYNX’S PROWL | Knight | M | 54 moons | TAGS: Sunflicker (LightClan)

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sunflicker!” Lynx’s Prowl rumbled, offering his own smile in return. He stretched out slowly, dropping down into a seated position and tilting his head towards Sunflicker. “I’ve always thought these Gatherings were a nice place to make friends. Is this your first?” After a moment of thought, Lynx offered another question. “Ah, but I’m getting ahead of myself. I meant to ask you what clan you call home! Myself, I come from the Golden Kingdom.”

DESDEMONA | Knight | F | 37 moons | TAGS: Fluttercloud (MoonClan)

“Thank you,” Desdemona murmured, climbing atop the rocks, and nodding in appreciation as she settled into the space that had been cleared for her. The stones were still sun-warm and made a pleasant surface to sprawl all four of her spotted legs across in contentment. For a moment, Desdemona just relaxed into the warmth, focused on nothing but the quiet breathing of her neighbor. But while sitting in comfortable silence with this unknown molly was already quite nice, she was curious as to whose company she was keeping. “My name is Desdemona,” she offered, flicking one silver ear in the molly’s direction. “What’s yours?”

RUSA’S RACE | Knight | M | 16 moons | TAGS: Blaze of the Stars (Kyanite Keep)

“Stallion’s Canter is a cool name,” Rusa’s Race said in approval. “Silver’s Gleam, too. Reminds me of Opal’s Gleam— they’re one of our knights in the Golden Kingdom. Kyanite Keep’s definitely off to a good start!” At Blaze of the Stars’ joking request for lessons in awesomeness, Rusa’s muzzle cleared of humor and replaced its grin with a look of determination. “Right,” Rusa’s Race nodded sharply. “Lesson number one. Definitely…. make sure you, um, are always…..” he trailed off, brows furrowing, before he gave a defeated laugh. “Now that I think about it, maybe you just have to be born with it.”

-

My gallery · by **chaotic creativity** » Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:22 am

CHESSCLAN !!

ROOKSTAR

Rookstar cast quick glances towards the deputies and pointed at the Chausie tom with his paw. “That is my Tour, Richterscreech. He’s well known amongst the Clans,” he chuckled, hinting at the several mates he had taken outside of his own Clan. “Our Tour accompanies us to almost every Gathering unless something holds him back,” he explained. Richterscreech so enjoyed socializing with other deputies in a neutral location, so Rookstar never barred him from attending. “That’s exactly it!” he exclaimed as Night of the Stars explained exactly what he had been trying to tell her. He’d never been as good with words as Chasmstar, but the molly had taken her ability and run with it. She’d charmed and persuaded half the Clan into turning their backs on Rookstar, and he was feeling helplessly lost. He’d been the Tour, not her, so he believed he deserved his position. At least, he hoped he did.

CHASMSTAR

Chasmstar smiled at Frost’s Sheen’s kindness and swift change of subject. “Oursfang, Bouespeckle, and Loutresplash are wonderful young cats. They’ve just been made Cavalier; they’re probably not much younger than you. Oursfang and Bouespeckle are my young sons, and Loutresplash my only daughter. They all took after me in their appearances and not their father,” she meowed. Her kits may not be willing to associate with her anymore, but it didn’t change the fact that she loved them dearly. She’d given up practically all of her duties when she’d been in the nursery so that she could be there for them and not result in kits raised by another molly like Rookstar had been. When they’d turned against her, it had shattered her heart beyond recognition. “You spoke of siblings. What are they like?” she meowed. She’d longed for true littermates or siblings of her own, once, but she had learned that family was who you chose, not blood. She didn’t care anymore that she knew nothing about her lineage, she only knew that Loonfrost was her mother and Lynxshine, Martinskip, and Genetshade were her siblings. The three cats she’d been raised alongside were all gone now, leaving just Loonfrost and Chasmstar to stand alone, but she knew they were still watching over her from ÉtoileClan.

RICHTERSCREECH

Richterscreech’s eyes widened with shock as Minnowflight spoke so casually about some unfortunate deaths. “Oh, I’m so sorry for your losses,” he meowed mournfully. It was rather unusual that Minnowflight had so quickly shared news of his leader losing several lives, but some Clans were more open than others. “I hope these things are less and less common in the coming moons. ChessClan’s been fortunate enough to evade many deaths and injuries over the past couple of seasons,” he sighed thankfully. They’d only had maybe two or three new additions to ÉtoileClan, which made the Clan seem as if it were flourishing. He chose not to speak of the tensions that were as tight as spiderwebs between two clear groups inside the Clan. Chasmstar had nearly half of the Clan on her side, and the other half of the Clan backed Rookstar. “Our nursery is just about to burst, so if you see cats spilling over our borders in a tidal wave, have no worries,” Richterscreech joked. It would be no surprise if they had to expand camp yet again soon.

WOLFWHISKERS

Wolfwhiskers's entire body burned as his cheeks reddened. He ducked his head and cleared his throat, wishing his heart would stop racing. She was the cat he looked forwards to seeing the most, but he couldn't tell if it was appropriate to tell her. He knew he meant something to her, but he didn't know if it was enough to warrant him speaking his feelings. "I've been told I radiate it worse than the sun," he chuckled, leaning slightly towards the molly. His ill patients often asked him to sleep outside the den just because he kept the den so warm that they just wanted a cool breeze. He sat there beside her in silence for several moments, the beating of his heart drowning out any possible sound. "It's a rather nice night tonight," he mumbled awkwardly, sneaking quick glances towards her out of the sides of his eyes. He knew he could be himself around her, but he still got flustered when he wanted to tell her how he felt. Every time, he shut it down before it ever happened, and this time was the same. He was too worried about how she might react, even if he longed to know what she would say. "I'm sorry," he suddenly apologized, mostly meaning how he had grown clammy and awkward but also how he wasn't fully opening up to her and potentially never would.

FAONDAPPLE

As the tom introduced himself as Cloudtongue of PineClan, she smiled. She'd heard of PineClan before; Rookstar had spoken to their leader once. As he asked her about why she was called Faonpaw if she had her full name, she dropped her head to hide her blush of embarrassment. "I meant Faondapple," she meowed sheepishly, knowing she'd messed up. She was still getting used to calling herself Faondapple, and she couldn't believe she'd already goofed up at her first Gathering as a full fou. "I'm still getting used to the name," she chuckled lightly, hoping Cloudtongue wouldn't make fun of or laugh at her. She'd worked so hard, training entirely as a warrior apprentice and then switching to be Wolfwhiskers' apprentice, that she'd gotten so accustomed to being called Faonpaw. Her training had taken nearly twenty moons, after all. She had been Faonpaw longer than both Faonkit and Faondapple combined, and yet she was still entirely embarrassed to call herself the wrong name. "This is my first Gathering with my full name, and I'm so excited to be here," she purred, tail curling high over her spine. Most medicine cats that she had met had been kind, if not a little grumpy, and Cloudtongue seemed to be on the kinder side. She had yet to meet a genuinely cruel medicine cat, but she doubted that would ever happen. Why would a cat who hated other cats want to help them? In any case, she hoped to never meet a medicine cat she didn't like.

LINDTPAW

Lindtpaw let out a quiet growl as Lichenpaw began to chase him. "You'll never catch me!" he cried, running in a circle around Faondapple. The two cats were delighted as they ran, and he skidded to a halt as Wolfwhiskers began to scold them. "I have more sense than a kit," Lindtpaw gasped, placing his paw on his chest as if in shock. Wolfwhiskers just shook his head and padded off, quickly followed by Faondapple. "Well, where would you—" Lindtpaw was cut off as he realized Lichenpaw had already dashed away. The molly was clearly eager to be at the Gathering, so he stumbled through the crowd slowly. He wanted to find other apprentices, maybe even another medicine cat apprentice, but he felt that the chances were low. With a grumble, he sat down and let his eyes flutter closed. He was just going to take a quick nap, and then he'd find someone to talk with.

LICHENPAW

Lichenpaw nodded slowly when Frostbitepaw asked if she’d eaten a dock leaf. In all honesty, she’d eaten too many herbs to count by accident. It’d taken her a few moons to perfect the chewing of herbs to make poultices without swallowing any. “Mouse bile tastes the worst,” she meowed, the tremor in her voice less noticeable than before. She was slowly becoming more comfortable around Frostbitepaw, but she still had a little bit to go. Herbs always tasted bad to her, and she avoided chewing them any chance she got. It was the main reason she preferred treating illnesses; sick cats had to eat their own herbs, not have it smeared on wounds. “Wolfwhiskers hasn’t told me much about IslandClan,” she admitted, her voice a fraction stronger than the last time.

OISEAUDAPPLE

Quakestone spoke of tournaments, and Oiseaudapple longed to have something similar in ChessClan. "It's feather-brained that roses can't participate in the spring tournament. If you could, I might just sneak in to watch you put all the toms on their tails," he meowed with a huff, pretending to be more serious than he really was. As she mentioned the rose tournament to find an heir if there wasn't one, Oiseaudapple shuddered. "I couldn't imagine having to rely on a tournament for the next dame and roi. It's a good thing that we have a tour to take over when they pass," he meowed. Richterscreech was getting old, so it was clear that he would be replaced soon since it didn't seem that Rookstar and Chasmstar were going anywhere anytime soon. Quakestone asked about traditions in ChessClan, and he just shrugged. "Our final assessment is a two moon ordeal. We have to start at the far point of the Northern Pass and survive on our own in the treacherous terrain until we make it back to camp. No cat comes back unscathed, and many don't come back at all," he meowed. He was reminded of when Fourmisplash took off after a gut feeling told him that Acaiheart was hurt. When the tom returned with the injured apprenti, it had only made Oiseaudapple even more afraid for his own final assessment. Yet, all he'd returned with was a hidden scar on his belly from a close call with an eagle. "It's a shock I made it through with just the one scar," he purred, his heart racing as he remembered the fight for his life.

SPIRIT

Spirit nodded as Sunlight shared her name and her Clan. She had heard snippets about The Fallen, she believed that one of her leaders had spoken with One at a previous Gathering. "I guess apprentices would like that sort of thing," she meowed, sticking her nose up as if she hadn't been their age less than a season-cycle ago. She was glad she had joined ChessClan when she did, just barely old enough to be a cavalier. She didn't know how she would have reacted if they had wanted her to train as an apprenti despite being as old as the oldest apprenti. She did watch the other cavalier closely, having so recently escaped from being a kittypet, but she was learning quicker than if she were being taught one on one. She had learned through trial and error during her journeys, but she was still a weak hunter and fighter. She participated in more drills than the average cavalier, mostly learning from those sparring around her, and she attended as many hunting parties as she possibly could. "Some of those apprentices are probably stronger and more skilled than I ever could be," she chuckled. Several young cats dedicated themselves so whole-heartedly to their studies that they were able to outsmart even senior warriors. Those were always the apprenti that brought the most honor and pride to their mentor, and Spirit hoped that one day she could train her own apprenti like that. "Have you been in The Fallen for very long?" she piped up suddenly, remembering she was in a conversation with Sunlight.

LAPINHOP

Lapinhop's long legs were aching by the time he reached the Gathering. His eyes were strained from being narrowed against the bright sun through most of the journey, so he walked with his eyes mostly closed until they reached the crowd. He stepped on several paws and tails until he stopped to apologize to one molly. "I'm extremely sorry, my eyes still hurt from that intense sunlight we had today. Why couldn't we have had a single cloud for cover?" he moaned dramatically, resting his paw on his forehead and swooning backwards. He had hoped to make a good impression on the molly, who was just a blob in his sight as he tried to open his eyes wider. He knew there was only the light of the full moon, but it would take him several moments to adjust to the semi-darkness. He'd been warned as a kit that his eyes would make him more easily hurt by the light, but he hadn't believed them until recently when he couldn't leave the trees until the sun was beginning to set. He sat beside her and rubbed his eyes with his paws, the blurryness beginning to retreat from his vision until he finally stopped and turn to look at the molly fully. She was rather pretty, with her pelt shimmering in the moonlight. Lapinhop noted that every pelt seemed to shine in the moonlight in a way completely different than in the sunlight. "It's beautiful out here tonight, now that I can see," he chuckled. He was tired and could have taken a nap right there, but he knew he needed to stay awake and at least talk to one cat at his first Gathering.

THE ORDER OF THE HYENA !!

HYENA'S BREATH

Hyena's Breath narrowed her eyes as she approached the Gathering. The last time she had attended the Gathering, she hadn't had a single member in her Clan other than herself. Now, she had an Aide, an Herbalist, and three Scavengers. All five cats followed along behind her, and she turned to nod at them slowly. They fanned out behind her, their thin frames hidden behind long claws and bared teeth. She wouldn't do to have her Clan present themselves as quiet and calm, and she nodded as she saw them hiss at the cats who got too close to them before they reached their destination. "Now, you know to only gain information. Never give away any news about the Order," she meowed, slinking off towards the leaders as the rest of her Clan broke apart behind her. She sat down and swept her tail close to her, her strangely mottled tortoiseshell pelt making her blend into the dappled shadows across the ground.

CIVET'S SCURRY

Civet's Scurry noticed Wispwillow get suddenly silent, as if she had something on her mind, but she didn't want to open up the discussion to anything that might make the molly uncomfortable. "Have you been in SnowClan for very long? I'm not even sure how old your Clan is," she meowed. She knew next to nothing about any other Clan, so she wasn't aware if SnowClan was a rather new Clan or one that was countless seasons old. The Order was a relatively new Clan, that much was clear, but Civet's Scurry felt as if she had been a Clan cat for her entire life. She felt comfortable in the camp, as if she'd always lived there, and she knew the daily duties like the back of her paw. "The moon is rather lovely. I wonder what the surface of it is like. Do cats walk on the moon as they do here on the ground? Hyena's Breath once spoke of a story of cats who tried to travel to the moon through its reflection in a pool," Civet's Scurry chuckled. She didn't mention that the story had ended with the cats never being heard from again, even if Civet's Scurry believed they had made it to the moon rather than the alternative that most cats claimed to believe. She typically chose to believe the brighter option of things, even if most cats chose to believe in the darker option. She could imagine them now, the cats walking happily across the moon, content with their lives since they had reached their destination when many cats said they wouldn't. Civet's Scurry dreamed of a grand adventure like that someday, to defy the odds, but she doubted a random cat like her would ever be the one tossed into one.

OSTRICH'S CRY

Ostrich's Cry bit back a sharp retort as Halepen indirectly called leaping across the backs of crocodiles not dangerous. "The river is where we drink. The stagnant watering holes smell and taste like large prey," she turned her nose up with a sniff. "The running water filters the dirt and grime until it tastes as clear as a mountain stream. It doesn't matter that we must watch for hippos and crocodiles every time we bend down to drink our fill," she curled her lip with an eye roll. "As for our apex predators wasting prey, it's that they don't. The hyenas and vultures eat the unwanted parts, the parts that large predators do not wish to eat," she snorted. It was true that the lions wasted next to nothing and that the scavengers had evolved to eat the leftovers, but it was also true that this tom was doing his best to get under Ostrich's Cry's skin. She thought for several seconds, trying hard to think of a dangerous act to show him up once and for all. "I doubt your Clan has a test of courage like the Order's. I doubt you make your members snatch a hair off an elephant's tail. They're large enough that a single toe could crush a cat, and their trunks could life a full grown cat like a feather," she snarled, lowering herself to the ground as she spoke. She only spoke of the first trial, the following three remaining unsaid as she hoped it would be known that they only increased in difficulty.

ZEBRA'S GALLOP

Zebra's Gallop's mind was racing as The Tree spoke. She was still perplexed, but she chose not to press the issue. Some traditions of other Clans would never make sense to her, and she felt it not to be beneficial to try and understand. With a sigh, she listened to where he came from. She had never heard of tribes, but she had definitely heard of Clans. "Matriarch Hyena's Breath might know more about tribes, so I'll have to ask her for more information about them. I've never actually heard about them," she meowed. The savanna was only home to the five Orders, none going by the name 'Clan' or even using traditional Clan naming systems. The only reason they were considered a Clan was because they claimed themselves to be one. "If I'm being honest, I've never heard of DuckClan. I've never actually heard of any Clan, but that may be because I'm so new to the Order, who is not bordered by any Clan," she chuckled. They were a secluded Clan, and she rather liked it that way. There was a high chance that this would be her last Gathering, mostly because she never wanted to return to such a large group of cats. It was rather unsettling to be surrounded on all sides after living in such a small Clan as the Order. She wasn't used to the large number of cats in one place, but she wondered if the Order would ever grow large enough to have more than a dozen cats in their camp. She couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, especially since the Order had been so small for several moons now.

WILDEBEEST'S STAMPEDE

Wildebeest's Stampede could see that Fairytail was slowly becoming more comfortable the more they spoke. Fairytail was a rather unusual name, mostly because Wildebeest's Stampede didn't know what a fairy was. "You have nothing to apologize for, Fairytail. Some cats struggle with conversation and meeting new cats, and that's completely fine. Several friends I've had were the exact same way," he chuckled, remembering how Crash and Boom had always frozen and mumbled any time they met a new cat. At the thought of his old friends, who he hadn't seen in many moons, he couldn't help but wonder what they were up to now. What was in the past stayed in the past, so he turned his attention back to Fairytail. "It's good to be wary with what kinds of cats are running around nowadays. There's been too many stories of cats trying to take over Clans to fully trust a cat at your first meeting," he rumbled, hoping to comfort her but wondering if it was at all the right thing to say. "I'm not saying that I'm one of those evil cats, at least I don't think I am, I just thought it might help. I mean, with your nerves. Well—" he quickly clamped his jaws shut and shook his head, refusing to speak another word before he fully thought out what he was meaning to convey. Zebra's Gallop always teased him that he had a tendency to get tongue-tied out of the blue, but he always hated it when it happened around a cat he'd never met before.

LION'S SHADOW

Lion's Shadow stared at Mallowbrook as she mentioned never hearing of the Order before. "We've come a rather long way, if I'm being honest. It was a several day journey to attend, which is why we don't make it to every Gathering. This is my first, and my Clan has only attended one other," he meowed, his voice just as quiet as when he had introduced himself to Mallowbrook. They had left approximately three sunrises before, and they'd traveled for several days to attend the Gathering. Hyena's Breath had spoken that she would only like to attend a maximum of every other Gathering, but Lion's Shadow knew they wouldn't even make it to that many. It was simply too far, and too tiring to attend very many. Lion's Shadow may still have been a relatively young scavenger, but he didn't want to spend most of his life traveling. He had settled in the Order for a reason, but he was willing to attend a Gathering every now and then. "Have you had to travel far? I'm not sure where any other Clans come from," he meowed. As a new member to the Order, he only knew that they didn't border a single Clan. Before the Order, he hadn't even known Clans outside of the five main Orders of the savanna even existed. Now that he was here, he was aware that Clans came from all around. While the Order may be removed from most of the Clans, he knew that he would happen across a Clan no matter what direction he traveled in. There were too many scents of different Clans to count, and it almost shocked him that this was just a small fraction of most of these Clans. It was beyond thrilling to think that so many Clans existed.

My gallery · by **NightWolf950** » Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:32 am

HazeClan

Pantherstar | Female | 73 moons | Leader | Tagged: Cyanstar (QuickClan)
Upon being around some cat comforting and familiar to her, Pantherstar almost forgot about the others around them. Allowing her attention to focus on Cyanstar, but did her best to glance around the gathering here and there. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw her mate Pearblossom speaking with their son. Smiling, Pantherstar returned her gaze to Cyanstar and purred at the mention of Snakespots and the others dying to come visit Turtledove. The large gray and white she-cat perked up at the mention of more kits from Cyanstar and Falconflight along with her sister Dandelionspring. "I will most certainly have to pass this wonderful news onto mother. You know she'll be down in a heartbeat. We truly happy for you and the clan. I can't wait to meet those kits." She purred.

Starlingflight | Male | 75 moons | Deputy | Tagged: Spiritshackle (LyricClan)
Straightening up a bit, Starlingflight bowed slightly before meeting the she-cat's eyes once more. "I'm Starlingflight of HazeClan. The clan's deputy." he meowed, introducing himself. The tabby tom side stepped out of the way of a passing cat, looking around to find a spot to settle. Upon finding a decent spot Starlingflight sat and motioned for Spiritshackle to join him. "Come. Why don't we chat here. Less likely of a cat to trip over either of us." he purred.

Jayfur | Male | 83 moons | Advisor | Tagged: Neptunepaw (MoonClan)
Jayfur did miss having younger kits to look after, after all he enjoyed being a father. Now his daughters had grown and where beginning to start their own lives. However as he was getting older, he would settle with being a grandpa in the future and being a mentor. "I just tend to have a knack of knowing who's attending their first gathering. Tell me Neptunepaw, what do you think of it this far?" he asked curiously. Part of him instinctively wanting to protect the young apprentice.

Cloudynight | Male | 45 moons | Med. Cat | Tagged: Swancry (LightClan)
Pleased to know that Swancry and LightClan had been fairing well, the large fluffy black and white tom let out a content sigh. With everything getting back to normal Cloudynight felt like HazeClan themselves had been fairing well as well. Although there had been a decent amount of kits getting ready to become apprentice, with more yet to still reach the age of six moons. Smiling a bit Cloudynight spoke, finally answering the she-cats question. "It's been alright. HazeClan has many new apprentices with many more on their way in a few short moons. Means Vaporwind and I will have our paws full at some point." he chuckled.

Vaporwind | Male | 26 moons | Med. Cat | Tagged: Pearblossom (QuickClan)
Dipping his head to allow his mother to offer a quick lick between his ears, Vaporwind closed his eyes and let out a low rumbling purr. After she was done the tom lifted his head up, beaming brightly at her. "Oh you know how he is. He keeps me busy, but Cloudynight has always been a fair mentor. I think if any cat is working to hard it is him. I might kick him out for once and make him go visit his mate and daughter in PineClan. Get him to spend some more quality time with them." Vaporwind chuckled.

Emberspark | Female | 81 moons | Warrior | Tagged: Wolfwhiskers (ChessClan)
Emebrpsark couldn't help but chuckle at Wolfwhisker's mention of radiating worse than sun. It was true, or at least to her he did in more ways than just body heat. It took the ginger and white tabby molly by surprise when the Fou suddenly apologized. Confused, she tilted her head to the side a bit and looked at him. "What are you apologizing for? You have done nothing wrong. It is I for over stepping a boundary line." she meowed. Her eyes watched his every movement, trying to figure out what the black and white tom was thinking about. He was still a mystery to her, but Emberspark couldn't help but want to know more.

My gallery · by **ponz** » Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:32 am

SPRUCECLAN
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CRICKETPOUNCE | Deputy | M | 82 moons | TAGS: Frostflower (PineClan)

A flash of waving white fur in his peripheral vision caught Cricketpounce’s eye. Perhaps it was a coincidence, but the nearly inaudible one-two step of a PineClan cat, stealthy as even the clumsiest of their number were, could not be ignored. “Frostflower!” Cricketpounce called, whirling around to greet her with a smile. And as he’d thought, the white molly hovered just behind him, long tail swaying in the gentle breeze. “I’m so glad to see you here this evening. It’s really been too long. How have you and Ramkit been?”

JAYSWOOP | Warrior | M | 40 moons | TAGS: Poppyshade (VagaryClan)

“Given what SpruceClan’s seen, I think it’s pretty safe to say that Brindlebirch’s friend is probably hanging around,” Jayswoop said, laughing just slightly. “Maybe we should send Tallthorn over to VagaryClan for the day. I bet he’d appreciate being left alone for once!” When Poppyshade began to falter, Jayswoop’s expression softened, and he nudged her shoulder with his forehead. “Roselight loves you. There’s no way she wouldn’t be proud of you. I mean, just look at you! You’re happy and thriving. That’s what every good mother wants for their kittens, right?”

BRAMBLINGPATH | Warrior | F | 23 moons | TAGS: Owltalon + Hornetsting (The Fallen)

By her third circle around the Gathering place, Bramblingpath found herself succumbing to boredom. Surely, it would be more interesting to find someone to talk to! As she slowed her brisk pace to a walk, the nearby bushes rustled in the wake of a small clan entering. Two mollies, one a mottled tortoiseshell not unlike herself and the other pitch-black in color, trailed off to a stop as the two older warriors leading the way split from the group. Curious now, Bramblingpath let her head tilt to the side and padded closer. “Hello,” she greeted, smiling lightly at the two newcomers. “I’m Bramblingpath from SpruceClan. Mind if I join you two?”

STORMPAW | Apprentice | M | 9 moons | TAGS: Caperpaw (CascadeClan)

“Whoah,” Stormpaw breathed, awestruck. “That’s a lot darker than SpruceClan’s legends. I love it! The Cascade’s real different from my clan, it seems. Sure would be cool to see your jungle!” Caperpaw had so many interesting things to share; Stormpaw was glad he’d found such a cool friend to chat with. He brightened quickly when Caperpaw asked a question. “Yeah, I do! Nothing quite so cool as skulls, ‘course, but we have lotsa migratory birds that fly through th’ mountains. I collect their feathers!” At this declaration, he puffed out his chest. “I’ve already got ‘bout seven different types of bird now.”

GOLDEN KINGDOM
-----

FROST’S SHEEN | Crown Princess | F | 23 moons | TAGS: Chasmstar (ChessClan)
“Oursfang, Bouespeckle, and Loutresplash sound like wonderful cats,” Frost’s Sheen said kindly. “It would be a pleasure to meet them someday. As for my littermates, they are the closest friends I hold,” she said softly, beaming at their mention. “Light’s Shine and Ivory’s Luster are their names. Light is… high-spirited, always smiling and full of energy. Ivory is much quieter, sharp and cunning, but she hides a big heart. And my older siblings, brother Aspen’s Leaves and sister Birch’s Bark, have always been kind.” A pang of loss hit Frost’s Sheen, and for a moment, she relished in the memory of her eldest sister. But it wouldn’t do to grieve, not now, when she was here to converse. “Birch’s Bark is the mother of Kit of Lavender, the little one I mentioned earlier!” she chimed, fondness for the tiny rascal in her voice.

LYNX’S PROWL | Knight | M | 54 moons | TAGS: Sunflicker (LightClan)

“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Sunflicker!” Lynx’s Prowl rumbled, offering his own smile in return. He stretched out slowly, dropping down into a seated position and tilting his head towards Sunflicker. “I’ve always thought these Gatherings were a nice place to make friends. Is this your first?” After a moment of thought, Lynx offered another question. “Ah, but I’m getting ahead of myself. I meant to ask you what clan you call home! Myself, I come from the Golden Kingdom.”

DESDEMONA | Knight | F | 37 moons | TAGS: Fluttercloud (MoonClan)

“Thank you,” Desdemona murmured, climbing atop the rocks, and nodding in appreciation as she settled into the space that had been cleared for her. The stones were still sun-warm and made a pleasant surface to sprawl all four of her spotted legs across in contentment. For a moment, Desdemona just relaxed into the warmth, focused on nothing but the quiet breathing of her neighbor. But while sitting in comfortable silence with this unknown molly was already quite nice, she was curious as to whose company she was keeping. “My name is Desdemona,” she offered, flicking one silver ear in the molly’s direction. “What’s yours?”

RUSA’S RACE | Knight | M | 16 moons | TAGS: Blaze of the Stars (Kyanite Keep)

“Stallion’s Canter is a cool name,” Rusa’s Race said in approval. “Silver’s Gleam, too. Reminds me of Opal’s Gleam— they’re one of our knights in the Golden Kingdom. Kyanite Keep’s definitely off to a good start!” At Blaze of the Stars’ joking request for lessons in awesomeness, Rusa’s muzzle cleared of humor and replaced its grin with a look of determination. “Right,” Rusa’s Race nodded sharply. “Lesson number one. Definitely…. make sure you, um, are always…..” he trailed off, brows furrowing, before he gave a defeated laugh. “Now that I think about it, maybe you just have to be born with it.”

-

My gallery · by **chaotic creativity** » Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:59 am

CHESSCLAN !!

ROOKSTAR

Rookstar cast quick glances towards the deputies and pointed at the Chausie tom with his paw. “That is my Tour, Richterscreech. He’s well known amongst the Clans,” he chuckled, hinting at the several mates he had taken outside of his own Clan. “Our Tour accompanies us to almost every Gathering unless something holds him back,” he explained. Richterscreech so enjoyed socializing with other deputies in a neutral location, so Rookstar never barred him from attending. “That’s exactly it!” he exclaimed as Night of the Stars explained exactly what he had been trying to tell her. He’d never been as good with words as Chasmstar, but the molly had taken her ability and run with it. She’d charmed and persuaded half the Clan into turning their backs on Rookstar, and he was feeling helplessly lost. He’d been the Tour, not her, so he believed he deserved his position. At least, he hoped he did.

CHASMSTAR

Chasmstar’s whiskers twitched with delight as Frost’s Sheen spoke with such kindness and love about her siblings. She seemed so devoted to them, the same way Chasmstar had once been to her three adopted siblings. All four had been found abandoned around the territory not long after the Clan had started, and they’d bonded over all being adopted by Loonfrost. “They all sound like wonderful young cats. You must be lucky to have them as your family,” she purred gently. Chasmstar wondered if the siblings were anything like Frost’s Sheen. They would make a formidable force if they were, and she shuddered at the thought of any Clan or group crossing the Golden Kingdom and upsetting them. “Your Clan must be proud to have such a prosperous royal family. Kit of Lavender’s birth must have been cause for celebration,” she meowed. In truth, any kit’s birth was cause for celebration, but some Clans rejoiced more for kits born to those in charge.

RICHTERSCREECH

Richterscreech’s eyes widened with shock as Minnowflight spoke so casually about some unfortunate deaths. “Oh, I’m so sorry for your losses,” he meowed mournfully. It was rather unusual that Minnowflight had so quickly shared news of his leader losing several lives, but some Clans were more open than others. “I hope these things are less and less common in the coming moons. ChessClan’s been fortunate enough to evade many deaths and injuries over the past couple of seasons,” he sighed thankfully. They’d only had maybe two or three new additions to ÉtoileClan, which made the Clan seem as if it were flourishing. He chose not to speak of the tensions that were as tight as spiderwebs between two clear groups inside the Clan. Chasmstar had nearly half of the Clan on her side, and the other half of the Clan backed Rookstar. “Our nursery is just about to burst, so if you see cats spilling over our borders in a tidal wave, have no worries,” Richterscreech joked. It would be no surprise if they had to expand camp yet again soon.

WOLFWHISKERS

Wolfwhiskers’s eyes shot up as she spoke of stepping over a boundary line. “You haven’t done anything wrong. I just got so flustered, and I’m not really sure why,” he meowed. The night was radiantly beautiful, but he couldn’t keep his eyes off of Emberspark. He was happy to sit right there and gaze at the stars. “ChessClan believes each of those stars is a distant ancestor who did an exceptionally good deed and was rewarded with being visible to the ground after they pass,” he purred softly. He hoped that Morningwhisper was up there, shining down on him. She’d been one of the kindest cats he’d known, and to him that made her deserving of being a star. Whie their relationship hadn’t lasted but a few moons.

FAONDAPPLE

As the tom introduced himself as Cloudtongue of PineClan, she smiled. She'd heard of PineClan before; Rookstar had spoken to their leader once. As he asked her about why she was called Faonpaw if she had her full name, she dropped her head to hide her blush of embarrassment. "I meant Faondapple," she meowed sheepishly, knowing she'd messed up. She was still getting used to calling herself Faondapple, and she couldn't believe she'd already goofed up at her first Gathering as a full fou. "I'm still getting used to the name," she chuckled lightly, hoping Cloudtongue wouldn't make fun of or laugh at her. She'd worked so hard, training entirely as a warrior apprentice and then switching to be Wolfwhiskers' apprentice, that she'd gotten so accustomed to being called Faonpaw. Her training had taken nearly twenty moons, after all. She had been Faonpaw longer than both Faonkit and Faondapple combined, and yet she was still entirely embarrassed to call herself the wrong name. "This is my first Gathering with my full name, and I'm so excited to be here," she purred, tail curling high over her spine. Most medicine cats that she had met had been kind, if not a little grumpy, and Cloudtongue seemed to be on the kinder side. She had yet to meet a genuinely cruel medicine cat, but she doubted that would ever happen. Why would a cat who hated other cats want to help them? In any case, she hoped to never meet a medicine cat she didn't like.

LINDTPAW

Lindtpaw let out a quiet growl as Lichenpaw began to chase him. "You'll never catch me!" he cried, running in a circle around Faondapple. The two cats were delighted as they ran, and he skidded to a halt as Wolfwhiskers began to scold them. "I have more sense than a kit," Lindtpaw gasped, placing his paw on his chest as if in shock. Wolfwhiskers just shook his head and padded off, quickly followed by Faondapple. "Well, where would you—" Lindtpaw was cut off as he realized Lichenpaw had already dashed away. The molly was clearly eager to be at the Gathering, so he stumbled through the crowd slowly. He wanted to find other apprentices, maybe even another medicine cat apprentice, but he felt that the chances were low. With a grumble, he sat down and let his eyes flutter closed. He was just going to take a quick nap, and then he'd find someone to talk with.

LICHENPAW

Lichenpaw nodded slowly when Frostbitepaw asked if she’d eaten a dock leaf. In all honesty, she’d eaten too many herbs to count by accident. It’d taken her a few moons to perfect the chewing of herbs to make poultices without swallowing any. “Mouse bile tastes the worst,” she meowed, the tremor in her voice less noticeable than before. She was slowly becoming more comfortable around Frostbitepaw, but she still had a little bit to go. Herbs always tasted bad to her, and she avoided chewing them any chance she got. It was the main reason she preferred treating illnesses; sick cats had to eat their own herbs, not have it smeared on wounds. “Wolfwhiskers hasn’t told me much about IslandClan,” she admitted, her voice a fraction stronger than the last time.

OISEAUDAPPLE

Quakestone spoke of tournaments, and Oiseaudapple longed to have something similar in ChessClan. "It's feather-brained that roses can't participate in the spring tournament. If you could, I might just sneak in to watch you put all the toms on their tails," he meowed with a huff, pretending to be more serious than he really was. As she mentioned the rose tournament to find an heir if there wasn't one, Oiseaudapple shuddered. "I couldn't imagine having to rely on a tournament for the next dame and roi. It's a good thing that we have a tour to take over when they pass," he meowed. Richterscreech was getting old, so it was clear that he would be replaced soon since it didn't seem that Rookstar and Chasmstar were going anywhere anytime soon. Quakestone asked about traditions in ChessClan, and he just shrugged. "Our final assessment is a two moon ordeal. We have to start at the far point of the Northern Pass and survive on our own in the treacherous terrain until we make it back to camp. No cat comes back unscathed, and many don't come back at all," he meowed. He was reminded of when Fourmisplash took off after a gut feeling told him that Acaiheart was hurt. When the tom returned with the injured apprenti, it had only made Oiseaudapple even more afraid for his own final assessment. Yet, all he'd returned with was a hidden scar on his belly from a close call with an eagle. "It's a shock I made it through with just the one scar," he purred, his heart racing as he remembered the fight for his life.

SPIRIT

Spirit nodded as Sunlight shared her name and her Clan. She had heard snippets about The Fallen, she believed that one of her leaders had spoken with One at a previous Gathering. "I guess apprentices would like that sort of thing," she meowed, sticking her nose up as if she hadn't been their age less than a season-cycle ago. She was glad she had joined ChessClan when she did, just barely old enough to be a cavalier. She didn't know how she would have reacted if they had wanted her to train as an apprenti despite being as old as the oldest apprenti. She did watch the other cavalier closely, having so recently escaped from being a kittypet, but she was learning quicker than if she were being taught one on one. She had learned through trial and error during her journeys, but she was still a weak hunter and fighter. She participated in more drills than the average cavalier, mostly learning from those sparring around her, and she attended as many hunting parties as she possibly could. "Some of those apprentices are probably stronger and more skilled than I ever could be," she chuckled. Several young cats dedicated themselves so whole-heartedly to their studies that they were able to outsmart even senior warriors. Those were always the apprenti that brought the most honor and pride to their mentor, and Spirit hoped that one day she could train her own apprenti like that. "Have you been in The Fallen for very long?" she piped up suddenly, remembering she was in a conversation with Sunlight.

LAPINHOP

Lapinhop's long legs were aching by the time he reached the Gathering. His eyes were strained from being narrowed against the bright sun through most of the journey, so he walked with his eyes mostly closed until they reached the crowd. He stepped on several paws and tails until he stopped to apologize to one molly. "I'm extremely sorry, my eyes still hurt from that intense sunlight we had today. Why couldn't we have had a single cloud for cover?" he moaned dramatically, resting his paw on his forehead and swooning backwards. He had hoped to make a good impression on the molly, who was just a blob in his sight as he tried to open his eyes wider. He knew there was only the light of the full moon, but it would take him several moments to adjust to the semi-darkness. He'd been warned as a kit that his eyes would make him more easily hurt by the light, but he hadn't believed them until recently when he couldn't leave the trees until the sun was beginning to set. He sat beside her and rubbed his eyes with his paws, the blurryness beginning to retreat from his vision until he finally stopped and turn to look at the molly fully. She was rather pretty, with her pelt shimmering in the moonlight. Lapinhop noted that every pelt seemed to shine in the moonlight in a way completely different than in the sunlight. "It's beautiful out here tonight, now that I can see," he chuckled. He was tired and could have taken a nap right there, but he knew he needed to stay awake and at least talk to one cat at his first Gathering.

THE ORDER OF THE HYENA !!

HYENA'S BREATH

Hyena's Breath narrowed her eyes as she approached the Gathering. The last time she had attended the Gathering, she hadn't had a single member in her Clan other than herself. Now, she had an Aide, an Herbalist, and three Scavengers. All five cats followed along behind her, and she turned to nod at them slowly. They fanned out behind her, their thin frames hidden behind long claws and bared teeth. She wouldn't do to have her Clan present themselves as quiet and calm, and she nodded as she saw them hiss at the cats who got too close to them before they reached their destination. "Now, you know to only gain information. Never give away any news about the Order," she meowed, slinking off towards the leaders as the rest of her Clan broke apart behind her. She sat down and swept her tail close to her, her strangely mottled tortoiseshell pelt making her blend into the dappled shadows across the ground.

CIVET'S SCURRY

Civet's Scurry noticed Wispwillow get suddenly silent, as if she had something on her mind, but she didn't want to open up the discussion to anything that might make the molly uncomfortable. "Have you been in SnowClan for very long? I'm not even sure how old your Clan is," she meowed. She knew next to nothing about any other Clan, so she wasn't aware if SnowClan was a rather new Clan or one that was countless seasons old. The Order was a relatively new Clan, that much was clear, but Civet's Scurry felt as if she had been a Clan cat for her entire life. She felt comfortable in the camp, as if she'd always lived there, and she knew the daily duties like the back of her paw. "The moon is rather lovely. I wonder what the surface of it is like. Do cats walk on the moon as they do here on the ground? Hyena's Breath once spoke of a story of cats who tried to travel to the moon through its reflection in a pool," Civet's Scurry chuckled. She didn't mention that the story had ended with the cats never being heard from again, even if Civet's Scurry believed they had made it to the moon rather than the alternative that most cats claimed to believe. She typically chose to believe the brighter option of things, even if most cats chose to believe in the darker option. She could imagine them now, the cats walking happily across the moon, content with their lives since they had reached their destination when many cats said they wouldn't. Civet's Scurry dreamed of a grand adventure like that someday, to defy the odds, but she doubted a random cat like her would ever be the one tossed into one.

OSTRICH'S CRY

Ostrich's Cry bit back a sharp retort as Halepen indirectly called leaping across the backs of crocodiles not dangerous. "The river is where we drink. The stagnant watering holes smell and taste like large prey," she turned her nose up with a sniff. "The running water filters the dirt and grime until it tastes as clear as a mountain stream. It doesn't matter that we must watch for hippos and crocodiles every time we bend down to drink our fill," she curled her lip with an eye roll. "As for our apex predators wasting prey, it's that they don't. The hyenas and vultures eat the unwanted parts, the parts that large predators do not wish to eat," she snorted. It was true that the lions wasted next to nothing and that the scavengers had evolved to eat the leftovers, but it was also true that this tom was doing his best to get under Ostrich's Cry's skin. She thought for several seconds, trying hard to think of a dangerous act to show him up once and for all. "I doubt your Clan has a test of courage like the Order's. I doubt you make your members snatch a hair off an elephant's tail. They're large enough that a single toe could crush a cat, and their trunks could life a full grown cat like a feather," she snarled, lowering herself to the ground as she spoke. She only spoke of the first trial, the following three remaining unsaid as she hoped it would be known that they only increased in difficulty.

ZEBRA'S GALLOP

Zebra's Gallop's mind was racing as The Tree spoke. She was still perplexed, but she chose not to press the issue. Some traditions of other Clans would never make sense to her, and she felt it not to be beneficial to try and understand. With a sigh, she listened to where he came from. She had never heard of tribes, but she had definitely heard of Clans. "Matriarch Hyena's Breath might know more about tribes, so I'll have to ask her for more information about them. I've never actually heard about them," she meowed. The savanna was only home to the five Orders, none going by the name 'Clan' or even using traditional Clan naming systems. The only reason they were considered a Clan was because they claimed themselves to be one. "If I'm being honest, I've never heard of DuckClan. I've never actually heard of any Clan, but that may be because I'm so new to the Order, who is not bordered by any Clan," she chuckled. They were a secluded Clan, and she rather liked it that way. There was a high chance that this would be her last Gathering, mostly because she never wanted to return to such a large group of cats. It was rather unsettling to be surrounded on all sides after living in such a small Clan as the Order. She wasn't used to the large number of cats in one place, but she wondered if the Order would ever grow large enough to have more than a dozen cats in their camp. She couldn't help but chuckle at the thought, especially since the Order had been so small for several moons now.

WILDEBEEST'S STAMPEDE

Wildebeest's Stampede could see that Fairytail was slowly becoming more comfortable the more they spoke. Fairytail was a rather unusual name, mostly because Wildebeest's Stampede didn't know what a fairy was. "You have nothing to apologize for, Fairytail. Some cats struggle with conversation and meeting new cats, and that's completely fine. Several friends I've had were the exact same way," he chuckled, remembering how Crash and Boom had always frozen and mumbled any time they met a new cat. At the thought of his old friends, who he hadn't seen in many moons, he couldn't help but wonder what they were up to now. What was in the past stayed in the past, so he turned his attention back to Fairytail. "It's good to be wary with what kinds of cats are running around nowadays. There's been too many stories of cats trying to take over Clans to fully trust a cat at your first meeting," he rumbled, hoping to comfort her but wondering if it was at all the right thing to say. "I'm not saying that I'm one of those evil cats, at least I don't think I am, I just thought it might help. I mean, with your nerves. Well—" he quickly clamped his jaws shut and shook his head, refusing to speak another word before he fully thought out what he was meaning to convey. Zebra's Gallop always teased him that he had a tendency to get tongue-tied out of the blue, but he always hated it when it happened around a cat he'd never met before.

LION'S SHADOW

Lion's Shadow stared at Mallowbrook as she mentioned never hearing of the Order before. "We've come a rather long way, if I'm being honest. It was a several day journey to attend, which is why we don't make it to every Gathering. This is my first, and my Clan has only attended one other," he meowed, his voice just as quiet as when he had introduced himself to Mallowbrook. They had left approximately three sunrises before, and they'd traveled for several days to attend the Gathering. Hyena's Breath had spoken that she would only like to attend a maximum of every other Gathering, but Lion's Shadow knew they wouldn't even make it to that many. It was simply too far, and too tiring to attend very many. Lion's Shadow may still have been a relatively young scavenger, but he didn't want to spend most of his life traveling. He had settled in the Order for a reason, but he was willing to attend a Gathering every now and then. "Have you had to travel far? I'm not sure where any other Clans come from," he meowed. As a new member to the Order, he only knew that they didn't border a single Clan. Before the Order, he hadn't even known Clans outside of the five main Orders of the savanna even existed. Now that he was here, he was aware that Clans came from all around. While the Order may be removed from most of the Clans, he knew that he would happen across a Clan no matter what direction he traveled in. There were too many scents of different Clans to count, and it almost shocked him that this was just a small fraction of most of these Clans. It was beyond thrilling to think that so many Clans existed.

CaC - Roleplay thread - Calling all cats,Calling all clans -

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