Grim Night }{ full moon meeting

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

The air was heavy that night, as it had been for days before, as it promised to be for at least a while longer. Camp was thick with it, that denseness, that tautness that seemed to stretch the very sky, lighting the thick blanket of clouds with the occasional pale flash, like green reflections in a murky pond. There was no sound of thunder, only the constant howl of wind that drowned out all other sounds. It made those down below restless, for although the air was hot and claustrophobic, there had been no rain for a quarter moon at least, only the constant press of clouds.

Tonight, the night of the full moon, the cats of the Clan had hoped for a break in the oppressive gloom, so that they might glimpse the round beacon beyond, and meet under its light as they did every moon. But the clouds remained closed, solid and whole like a shield — one that would permit no light through its thick blackness. Only the constant flicker of silent lightning gave some measure of eerie lighting to the scene.

Neither star nor moon could pierce the roiling cloak, and so as the night wore on in unrelenting darkness, the cats below were forced to accept that there would be no Gathering this night. Silently the Clan leader scaled the jutting rock that served as their meeting stone, while the cats below gathered around, already clustered in camp as they had been all night in waiting for the moon's appearance. There was no need to call them, and so Ravenstar stared around his gathered Clan for a moment before finally opening his mouth to speak.

"Cats of WindClan," he called over the wind's mournful howl. "For days the sky has pressed upon us, withholding light and water, and leaving us in its constant shadow. Although I had hoped that StarClan might part the clouds, the night grows late, and they have not done so. We will simply have to hope for better weather next full moon."

[Yoko]

Sandtail groomed her fur without much effort. Her eyes were dull and tired. The past few days had been rather unpleasant. Hawkflight had not visited the nursery for days. The sky appeared oppressive and there was no rain. Even the wind seemed to feel harsher, more abrasive, as it cut through her fur. Ravenstar finally appeared to confirm her fears. There would be no Gathering tonight. It was not as if she would go and leave her kits behind in any case. What bothered her was StarClan's obvious displeasure. She didn't have to be a Medicine cat to tell that this was not good. Not to mention that the strange new texture of the hair was making it hard for her to breath. She spent most of the time sleeping in recent days. She would have to change that. She was going to be warrior again soon. The thought of it tired her even more.

Bristlepaw sat just outside the apprentice den. He yawned, tempted to lay down. This sort of whether made him sleepy. The flashes of lightning were pretty creepy though. How could there be lightening with no thunder? Why were the clouds so dark and heavy without rain. Ravenstar's announcement about the Gathering disappointed him, but he had been expecting it all day. Something was wrong with StarClan. With the Clans being so peaceful lately,

Birchnose sat outside with the rest of the Clan. Being near them felt good, even in times like these. He was careful not to search for Thrushtail. Instead he kept his eyes trained on Ravenstar's den. He had been ready to be consulted about the ominous skies, but Ravenstar would not require his aid to determine that there would be no Gathering tonight.

After the announcement was made, Birchnose felt a sharp spike in angry. He lashed his tail irritably. Were those fools in the sky really going to punish the entire Four Clans for one cat's decision? No, that was an awfully self-centered thought for him. No, it had to be bigger than that.