[ti]Open[/ti]Step by Step

[M'Lady]

Step by step, one by one, they filed through the night,

Fur of shadows, eyes aglow, with Lady Luna's light,

With topaz gems and fur of smog their queen was a sight,

As she led them to monster graves, as only was their right.







Owlstar was once again the first to bring her clan to the Gathering tonight. As long as she lived, she'd never again let Mothclan overtake her own. As her warriors spilled into the moonlit clearing, she paused before the frames of monster carcasses, a hesitant moment before she would leap up. She almost missed the days, no, she definitely missed the days, when she was just another one of Ivyclan's warriors. Of course, Spiderstar had chosen her for a reason, and she trusted Starclan's guidance by giving her nine lives, but... She couldn't help but miss her life as Owleyes. Just another one of the warriors, jostling shoulders and snapping quips at each other. The easygoing feeling she used to wrap around her, when tom cats used to hoot at her and she'd shove their snouts into the dirt. The firecracker she used to be and the cool elegant leader she'd become. Owleyes had fit her far better than Owlstar ever would. But alas, this was her fate, and she adored her clan. She'd lead them until her inevitable death.



She took a step back, crouching slightly to tense her muscles and make the first large leap upon her favorite spot. It took another step or two before she found the perfect position, and then she turned and sat fluidly before her clan, head held eyes as always. The moon lit her shadowy fur to a lovely silver glow, which contrasted beautifully with the darker parts of her fur. Yellow eyes gleamed with their fiery blaze, a stark presentation of color against the otherwise monotone appearance of the leader.



She had a few announcements to make tonight, mostly in regard to new warriors and apprentices. She felt a pang go through her heart, at the ones she wasn't able to name, wasn't able to welcome with the full rights of a warrior of Ivyclan. She mentally shook the pain away. There would be none of that tonight, she had already grieved enough. No more.



She was an ominous presence now, present against the moon and trees, high above all the other cats in the clearing. She kept her gaze focused on the entrance, intent on greeting the other clans with her fiery eyes as they arrived. She was the oldest leader in this forest after all, she should be respected if not feared.

[sabs]

BRACKENFALL >>

    The young deputy trod through the tall grass swiftly, his tail held high behind him. This wasn't the first time leading of the rest of his Clanmates to a gathering, but it was the first one he'd gone to without Mothstar. His heart sank at the thought of their old leader. Ill, yet again. Oh how he hoped that Cedarleap and Elkpaw were able to aid the grumpy old brute. It had been somewhat of a last minute decision, Mothstar had called upon Brackenfall just before sunset to tell him that he was to lead the Clan to the gathering, and make the announcements in his steed. Of course, the deputy accepted the honor, but his paws also itched anxiously at the idea. He'd have to get used to being up there, atop the monsters, anyway. Their leader wouldn't last forever.

    Shaking his head, the tabby wondered silently what his Clanmates thought of the whole ordeal. This was his kit's first gathering, so he was sure it was quite exciting for them to have their father be leading it. A handful of the warriors, however, didn't seem too keen at the idea, their loyalties mostly lie with Mothstar. A growl threatened to rise through his throat but he pushed it back down. That was another challenge the tom would have to deal with once he took leadership. The Clan was more than Mothstar now, and those that were loyal to him should remain just as loyal to the next leader. The thought passed once they reached the clearing and noticed that, unsurprisingly, Owlstar was already here. 

    The deputy was sure that the IvyClan leader would not be pleased when she noticed that Mothstar was absent and he had substituted in for him. The idea of her displeasure actually brought a smug grin to his face as he strode up to the monsters. Bunching his muscles, he leapt nimbly up them, being sure to land his paws accordingly on the sleek surfaces. Once he reached the top, he gave a curt nod to the fluffy black she-cat. "Owlstar." He spoke to his former leader, voice unwavering. His yellow gaze wandered over the gathering place as he watched his Clanmates fill in and mingle with IvyClan. His furred chest swelled with pride. The tom decided he quite liked the view from up here, something he could easily get used to. 

THUNDERPAW >>

    The torbie apprentice had made it a point to go to her very first gathering with the rest of her Clan. She'd groomed herself perfectly, and had made sure not too eat too much that night so the trek wouldn't upset her sensitive stomach. She was surprised to see Brackenfall calling all of the cats together for the gathering, it seemed that Mothstar would not be attending. Not that it mattered all that much to her, maybe even better that her father was leading. She looked around to see if any of her littermates would be joining, but was unable to catch any of them before the Clan moved out. Thunderpaw had seen quite a bit of the territory before, so navigating through it was a breeze. However, she was not expecting how intimidating the monsters would be.

    She stood still as soon as the large pile of metal came into sight, mouth agape in awe as cats shoved past her. She'd never seen anything like it before! Sure, the Carrion Place had all sorts of twoleg contraptions, but this was something entirely different. They were huge! Another warrior pushed past her and moved her from her daze. She shook her head, eager to meet some apprentices from the other Clans. She sat as close to the monsters as she possibly could and watched her father leap to the top. She guessed that the other leader at the top was IvyClan's leader, Owlstar, as she looked very similar to Scorchpaw. The apprentice sat diligently, wondering when MistClan would appear. 

SPARROWCRY >>

    The sleek silver tom had followed closely by his mates side the entire trek to the gathering. He knew he was being a bit overbearing, but he just wanted to make sure that the calico she-cat had totally recovered from her wounds after the rogue attack. Oh, the tom swore if he ever saw the cats that did this to his sweet Roseblaze, he would tear their ears off. Once his Clan had reached the clearing, he gave his mate a swift lick on the cheek before parting from her so she could go to the designated deputy area. As per usual, he noticed that they were the first cats to arrive. No surprise there, Owlstar made it a point to be punctual. What did surprise him, however, was what he saw arrive next.

    He could pick the muscular tabby pelt out of anywhere. His brother, Brackenfall, was leading MothClan into the gathering it seemed. But no Mothstar. He watched carefully as the deputy leapt to the top of the monsters, greeting their leader. Sparrowcry twitched his tail in annoyance. Sure, he understood that maybe IvyClan wasn't for his brother, but he seemed quite out of line the way he had treated their leader. As far as the silver tom was concerned, Mothclan was a bunch of rowdy toms lacking loyalties and respect. Nonetheless, there he was, his own littermate, sitting atop the monsters where the leaders belonged. It seemed that it would be quite an interesting gathering this moon, he concluded. 

[silverfang218]

Liongaze silently pads along, just behind Brackenfall. If there he has any emotions relating to Mothstar’s absence, good or bad, it is impossible to tell. He does, however, seem a bit more relaxed as he trots after Bracken; his tail slightly sways back and forth as he walks.

As the MothClan cats started to spill into the clearing and mingling with the IvyClan, Liongaze splits off and takes a spot at the very edge of the Gathering. He sits, his fluffy ginger tail curling around his paws as his golden gaze focuses in on Brackenfall as the deputy joins Owlstar on the dead monster. Lion blinks as he realizes… Brackenfall looks right at home up there. In Lion’s mind, Bracken looks as much a leader as Owlstar, for all the pomp and elegance that the smoky she-cat thinks she has.

[Miss Tactical]

It was her first gathering as an apprentice. She had spent awhile grooming her fur. As Mothstars daughter she had to live up to his name, thus she wanted to make sure she looked nice. It was Brackenfall who lead them however. She was more than certain Thunderpaw and her siblings would be thrilled that their father was leading them in tonight. Her father was sick, and unfortunately that came with age. She sighed ever so slightly, she knew her father didn't have many seasons left in him, she flicked an ear slightly, and that feeling made her stomach churn. Even though her father was a busy tom, she still respected him and looked up to him that would never change.

Stormpaw walked in step with her sister looking around at all the cats that were already in the clearing. IvyClan smelled kind of weird. She wrinkled her nose ever so slightly she had learned there scents from training with Silvertongue but getting up close in personal well that was a different story, she wasn't quite sure how she felt about it. Sure MothClan was clearly superior. The large she-cat looked to her sister eyes sparkling brightly. "Let's go meet the border competition...if there is any." She smirked slightly. IvyClan was no competition for them, but they could certainly try.

The dilute she-cat padded into the exact center where she spotted smaller sized cats who would probably be apprentices. Stormpaw was indeed large and stocky so she looked slightly out of place but perhaps there was beauty in that too. It would mean IvyClan probably wouldn't attempt anything silly. Stormpaw flicked her gray ear listening to some of the apprentices talk. Silvertongue told her it was best to gather information at a gathering and that's exactly what she planned to do so she had something to report back. "So rogues attacked and nearly killed an IvyClan warrior? how interesting....that would never happen in MothClan.

She cleared her throat ever so slightly as a few others started to trickle in. She lifted her gaze to look at Brackenfall, a slight look of disdain in her eyes. Surely he would announce his own kits first, what parent wouldn't. She huffed slightly a bit upset her father wasn't here to announce the comings and goings of MothClan. She sighed slightly as she heard more paw steps coming in. She turned around slightly green eys sparkling. "Hi there I'm Stormpaw from MothClan, what's your name?" Perhaps she could get some information from the group of newcommers. Silvertongue would be proud that her first assignment was a success!

[LupTacco]

She watched with placid eyes, her emotions indeterminable, while the kits wraped up their games before bed and the apprentices shuffled their paws in anticipation. It did her heart well to see the clan in such good shape, considering her leadership had started in a dire time for the cats and caverns she had come to consider her only home in this world. She could neither stand nor allow another series of disaster to chase MistClan from its proper place in the world. They had been lucky to find such a suitable new land for the two original clans as well as their young upstart rival of MothClan, but Bearstar had doubts that such a feat could be pulled yet again- not without heavy costs and a lot of time. The clans could very well die out if that ever happened- so she wouldn't let it. Come wind, rain, fire, rabid dogs- she would fend off every one of them with her last breaths if she had to, do it all herself. 

A little grim tonight aren't we, she remarked to herself with a blink. A sigh slipped from her jaws; the moon was high and the night wouldn't last forever. By green-leaf, the moon would likely be close to setting by the time each Gathering concluded. Standing, she took her position at the front of the cluster of cats who would attend this moon's Gathering, tail raised high. "Let's go," with a flick of her tail, the cats descended the short stony path and hit the grass, gaining speed until they were whisking through the trees and grasses like wind. Before long, MistClan slid third into the monster graveyard, and Bearstar nodded to her clanmates before brushing by her deputy with another, less inclined nod as if to say don't be too long. Lean but supple muscles bunched together and propelled the brown-furred cat up onto the monster carcass. She dipped her head with respect to Owlstar, but hesitated when she noticed Mothstar had been replaced by his deputy this moon, blinking at the young warrior. "Owlstar. Brackenfur?" she emphasized his given suffix, probing to see if some ill fate had befallen old Mothstar- he was fairly ill last Gathering, and now he wasn't attending this one at all. 

=--=^. .^=--=

--Bleakbelly ( MothClan ) :
An inaudible growl had started up in his throat when he had seen he brown tabby tom take up his brother's usual position at the front of the ranks, but one glance at the old grey leader and he understood, as much as it got under his skin to see him so weak. It was a blatant reminder of how old he himself was, how old his mother was and how many moons his father had been in StarClan by now. He dreaded to be so weak as that- his strength of body and will was the only feature of himself in which he held any pride. I'd rather be killed by an IvyClan apprentice than be like...that. He kept his comments to himself, however; he had learned better than to question Mothstar's judgments, and Brackenfall had been chosen to succeed him. Perhaps some early practice would be good for the warrior. He fell in with the back of the line, nosing forward slow apprentices and ensuring the elders didn't trip or get left behind and trotted to a stop by the other senior warriors. 

--Mumblepaw ( IvyClan ) :
She didn't show it, but she was full of pride. The elegance with which Owlstar had been carrying herself ever since Scorchpaw had abandoned his proper place was... stunning! She aspired to be so cold, so full of authority and grace. The young black she-cat even tried mimicking the leader's stride, holding her fluffy tail and white-striped chin high, but couldn't quite master it- the way her icy blue eyes peered down her nose was too silly, and her paws seemed to be twice as big and ten times clumsier when she held her head up like that. One day I'll get it, she grumbled to herself, if I can ever stop looking like such a badgerfooted foxbrain doing it. In any case, there were other reasons to be smug about her birth clan. A young peer of hers- one she admittedly wasn't too fond of before, but something about him had grown on her- had shown more bravery than an entire patrol of MistClan or MothClan cats. Foolish perhaps, but he was alive, and his warrior name of Mudjaw would surely impress the rest of the apprentices in the other clans. I bet they'd all run and hide if those rogues ever showed up on their territory. She stared at Owlstar, wondering what her own name would be when the time came- it wouldn't be long, either. She was nearly as big as some of the warriors now, and she felt stronger than she had last moon. 

If anyone gave her trouble this time, they'd have four claws stuck in their fur tonight. 

--Dustfur ( MistClan) :
As his clanmates ran through the woods, he felt a thrill as he leapt over mounds and branches that had given him trouble just two moons ago, ones that had thrown off his footing just enough that he couldn't have corrected himself. But now, with the help of his training and some friends, his imperceptible stump of a tail no longer gave him quite as much trouble. Wide yellow eyes beamed with excitement and didn't even begin to dim even when he saw the frightful glower of the IvyClan leader nor the unusual absence of the even scarier MothClan founder. He was just too happy tonight. With a purr, the new warrior prowled the edges of his clan's group and searched for someone to share his happy thoughts with. 

[silverfang218]

Silverfang had been waiting near the entrance of camp, ready to take up the rear of the Gathering party. The medicine cat gives a slight nod to the leader as Bearstar leads the group out of camp. After everyone has filed out of camp, Silverfang follows. Even with her limp, she keeps up rather well as usual.

As her clanmates spread out before her, joining with the cats from both MothClan and IvyClan, Silverfang picks her way through the crowd towards the typical meet up spot of the medicine cats. She sits, her furry tail curling around her front paws. She gives a quick wave of her tail in greeting if there are any medicine cats already waiting there. A quick glance up at the leaders reveals that Mothstar is noticeably absent, causing Silverfang to tilt her head to one side as her expression turns to one of concern. She never particularly liked Mothstar, even when he was Mothmaw back in MistClan, but that doesn’t mean she wishes the furry tom any harm.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sootheart runs beside his adopted mother Silverfang on the way to the Gathering, making sure that the she-cat didn’t fall too far behind their clanmates. Not that she ever needs his help or falls behind, but the snowy white warrior just can’t help but be concerned for the silvery she-cat; Silverfang has always seemed far older than she actually is to young Soot. He has noticed that ever since Nightfur’s latest litter was born, Silverfang has been a bit more… at ease. After Frostkit started visiting the medicine cat… well, this is the happiest Sootheart can ever remember seeing the medicine cat. Just the thought of his adopted mother’s smile, a genuine grin not faked for the sake of her clanmates, makes Sootheart’s chest swell with joy.

As they reach the dead monsters, Soot lets out a soft purr and gently rubs against Silverfang’s side as they part ways. With a quick glance around telling him that Shadowgaze is not present at this Gathering, Sootheart follows after Dustfur, picking up his pace a bit to catch up to the dark tom. “Yo.” The snowy tom softly mews to his friend, letting Dust know that he’s there. It’s only then that Sootheart casts his gaze towards the leaders… and notices who he presumes to be the deputy of MothClan rather than Mothstar himself. Huh… a bit odd. But then again, Mothstar didn’t look so good at the last Gathering so…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Liongaze is sitting there; he doesn’t react as MistClan spills into the clearing other than to lazily glance towards them.

[Miss Tactical]

The brown tabby walked in right behind Owlstar. He was proud to be in IvyClan. So many cats had left to join MothClan yet here he stood, strong and regal. The warrior had received his warrior name at 11 moons instead of the usual 12 due to him nearly sacrificing himself to the rogues, but he did his best to help fight them off, and for that he was proud. Deep amber eyes focused on the cats around him, his eyes fell first on Brackenfall and he gave a light snort. So Mothstar was a no show? He recalled that at the last gathering he had a few paws in StarClan so perhaps something happened.

He spotted Mumblepaw and eagerly padded over to the she-cat who had kept him company while he was still in recovery in the medicine cats den. He watched with amusement as she tried to mimick Owlstars walk. His whiskers twitched playfully before sitting beside her. "that will be you one day for sure." he mewed pointing to where Owlstar sat. Mumblepaws thinking was almost always correct, and her views on the other clans were shared. He wasn't a fan of Mothclan, neither was she. Speaking of MothClan...his eyes scanned the crowd looking for one cat in particular. "Have you seen Otterpaw at all, I have a bone to pick." He mewed more firmly.

Otterpaw had been bragging about MothClan at the prior gathering, and as far as he was concerned he wasn't done trying to point out how much better IvyClan was. It was true of course nothing he said was wrong. IvyClan had cats ready to die for their clan. All they did was shed the dead weight and send it over to MothClan. As far as Mudjaw was concerned, MothClan was filled with cats who weren't loyal to anyone but themselves. Sure they had some brute strength, but when it came to tactical strategy and smart thinking...they were...lacking for a better term.

He already had his speech prepared for Otterpaw, he would talk about his encounters with the rogues and how he fought them off side by side with some of IvyClan's best warriors. Sure it had been wreckless to dive right in, but he wanted them gone, they were stealing precious herbs. He honestly wondered if they had wandered off into other territories. Had other cats died at their claws? He had a bitter taste in his mouth as he had wanted to go find them and kill them himself but who was he to fight rogues...alone.

The brown tom let a sigh escape digging his claws into the ground surely tonights gathering would be rather interesting, after-all, Mothstar was nowhere to be seen, Brackenfall seemed off about being on top of the monsters, if he was in Brackenfalls paws he supposed he would be too, it would be embarrassing to have such a weak leader. "Poor guy." He finally mewed looking at Brackenfall. "I would be embarrassed to have such a leader as he does." He mewed looking up towards the leaders.

[M'Lady]

Owlstar was, well, rather bewildered when instead of the normal furry beast leaping up next to her, it was the young tom known as Brackenfall instead. She blinked once, twice, with surprise and confusion flickering in pale yellow eyes. What in Starclan did he think he was doing? Greeting her like he was a 'star already. Her fur fluffed up slightly without her asking it, as she continued to stare at the Mothclan deputy. Mothstar didn't die, did he? No, Brackenfall would've mentioned it first instead of greeting her nonchalantly like he'd been up here for moons. Bearstar's rather insensitive comment flickering in the edges of her hearing, and the Ivyclan leader suddenly pulled herself together.

Her fur lay flat, and yellow eyes suddenly blazed with a fire that could only be described as fury, despite the fact that the rest of her appearance gave off an aura of calm.
"I believe you've forgotten your place, Brackenfall." She spoke quietly, enough for the leaders to hear but nothing more than a murmur to the rest of the clan cats.
"You shall earn the right to sit up here when you are a 'star, no earlier. Resume your place with the deputies. When it is time for the Mothclan announcements, we'll allow you to grace us with your presence upon the monsters. But not before, and not after." She huffed, glancing over to Bearstar to earn the other she-cats support, which Owlstar was sure she would undoubtedly give, given her earlier comment.
"I believe Mothstar would also concur. If anything, the tom at least has manners, he at least knows the proper conduct." Owlstar added, eyes ablaze even as her voice stayed low and steady.

She'd welcome him as a leader when his time came, but the deputy had no right pretending to be one when he was not. She wondered, if the young tom was cut out for it.

[LupTacco]

--Mumblepaw ( IvyClan ) :
She purred a greeting to Mudjaw as he settled by her, whiskers twitching with amusement. "As long as Roseblaze knows leadership material when she sees it," she mewed back. Mothstar had reason to stay where it was safe- if she had her way, MothClan would be getting much more patrol attention than they were now. Somebody had to keep them in line, and clearly it wasn't MistClan. "Otterpaw?" she growled, her ears flattening, "Thankfully noAUGH!" The black she-cat bristled as a mound of tan fur obstructed her vision and shoved her aside. 

--Otterpaw ( MothClan ) :
As soon as her clan had arrived in the clearing, she had taken off from her clanmates' sides, sniffing at the leaders atop the monsters as she crossed over to IvyClan. What would they think with their illustrious deputy taking charge on such short notice- surely respectable! She envied Brackenfall, but understood that an apprentice simply couldn't be deputy, so she'd settle for being the number one shadow of him instead! Starting.... tomorrow- she was immediately torn from her newfound goal in life to mimic Brackenfall's every mannerism by the telltale fuzzy black shape of her dear friend Mumblepaw. Falling into a crouch, she slithered along surprisingly smoothly before pouncing over a couple of shorter cats to land right by the IvyClan apprentice. Mostly, anyway- she did kind of sit on her tail but surely Mumblepaw wouldn't mind. 

"Oh! Hi Mudpaw! Get any stronger at all, or still not warrior enough to show me a real challenge?" she purred the challenge to the point that, even though it was obviously a vague insult, there was only friendship in her tone. She stood, finally freeing Mumblepaw's poor tail, and shook out her coat, which had gotten to be fairly thick and elegant. Drab-colored eyes peered warmly but determinedly at the two IvyClanners. 

--Dustfur ( MistClan ) :
He purred back at Sootheart, "Heya! Leaders look pretty serious tonight- almost thought Mothstar finally managed to shed all that fur." He joked lightly, speaking with a smooth confidence that he had struggled to maintain before. Maybe... maybe all he needed was to prove to himself that he could do it, by earning his warrior name. Might go back and challenge that old barn cat to a spar, he thought to himself, if he'll play fair. 

--Bearstar ( MistClan ) : 
Her ears flicked but she otherwise gave no indication of apology for mistaking the deputy's name. "Owlstar's right. Challenge us if you wish but having someone who does not wear the name of 'star' goes against the traditions that have kept our clans alive," she chimed in, "We respect that you will likely be leader soon enough, and I will welcome you as a peer when that day comes. But for now, unless you can tell us differently, you are a deputy." She glanced down where Roseblaze and Milktail were sitting, and wondered what sort of leaders they would make. Her and Owlstar weren't too far apart in age, and their young deputies would hopefully wait for many moons to take their places up here, but she had to admit, she didn't expect to be waiting more than a few moons at this rate to see Brackenfall become Brackenstar. 

--Bleakbelly ( MothClan) :
The old tom watched the tops of the monsters keenly, ignoring for now his apprentice, and even sort of forgetting whether or not he had dared to come with tonight. There was no telling how long the spurned former queen leading IvyClan would hold anger in her heart over his betrayal. No, for now, Bleakbelly cared more about ensuring his brother's chosen successor didn't do anything stupid. 

[gingersnapsdacat]

STOATWHISKER OF MISTCLAN
Stoatwhisker proudly strode into camp, her black-tipped tail twitching in excitement. It would be the first gathering she would attend with her brand-new warrior name, and she was determined to represent her clan proudly. After finding a good place, she kept one ear turned towards the leaders, wanting to learn of what her rival clans were up to. When she heard the comment of BearStar, the white she-cat stared at the three leaders. No, she corrected herself, two leaders and a deputy. Does MothClan think their deputy has earned a place on the monsters?
She could not help continue to listen in, hearing BearStar tell Brackenfall to sit with the other deputies until he had become a true leader. 
It cannot be long till he gets that name, she told herself, MothStar was looking pretty ragged as of the last gathering. But, who knows how many lives he has left..

OOC Someone plz talk to meh stoat

Lilycloud of Mistclan
Lilycloud also strode forward, her tail curled in pleasure. It was a lovely night, and the moon was bright. As she looked at the moon, Lilycloud could not help but wonder if her own mother, who had gone on a patrol and never returned, was among the stars that winked down at her.
Well, of course she is up there, Lilycloud thought, but which star belongs to her? 
With that, she glanced around at the gathering, hoping that her mate, Smokeshade, had chosen to join her.