GATHERING 2.0

[:c a i:]

"There are indeed." Tigerheart said with a slight smile, amused both by the non-apology he received and by the instant dismissal of any "ludicrous" ideas he might have. It only served to make him think they might not be so ludicrous after all, though he let the matter drop temporarily. He couldn't help but feel Doveclaw was acting unusually tonight, and he was musing over what was on her mind. What made her snipe at Swallowfang so decidedly? On their very first meeting, as well. Surely even Swallowfang hadn't managed to offend Doveclaw without doing anything at all.

Tigerheart blinked out of his thoughts when Doveclaw mentioned his brother's timely arrival. He glanced over to the spot from Flameclaw had appeared, though he was no longer in sight. "Ah, well, you never asked," he replied. "It's more a trio rather than a pair, actually," he said lightly, turning back to look at Doveclaw. "I have two brothers. That was Flameclaw we just saw. And my second brother, Sparrowfur, is back at camp." Tigerheart studied his companion for a moment. "Not to worry, though, Flameclaw'll look after Swallowfang for me," he added casually, leaning back with his eye on Doveclaw to gauge her reaction to that last comment.

Perhaps it was silly of him to say such a thing in a deliberately misleading manner. Swallowfang was just his good friend, of course, but Doveclaw didn't yet know that. Tigerheart felt a bit guilty at using such childish tactics to try and discern her agenda, but she was constantly giving him reason to be curious. It was about time, he thought, that he discovered what she was really about. He wasn't certain where he stood with her, what with all the banter, the chastisement, the flirtation and the innuendo that was all mixed up as it passed between them, but caution was being rapidly thrown to the wind.

[/size][/blockquote]

[Amber]

Lilypaw was becoming overwhelmed as what started as a little group gradually grew bigger and bigger. She found herself scooting closer and closer to her brother. She grinned as she realized what he was about to call her, it still took careful thinking for her to call him Rookpaw. He would always be Shadow to her. "I dunno, I've never been to one of these things either." she mewed. She wasn't being rude, she was just stating a fact. "Maybe we can ask some of the other apprentices in our Clan later." she added making sure this time in a whisper.Looking at Rabbitpaw she blinked for a moment. Her brother was being rude again. And he just had to open his mouth and comment on what the other cats smelled like. Glaring at him she touched his back with her tail, trying to calm him a little. "We've been apprentices for about a moon or so." she answered the young tom's question. As even more cats approached Lilypaw she shivered a bit before looking to the ground. This was too many cats.




Nightpaw looked right at ease with this being her first gathering. It seemed to not bother the she-cat at all and acted like she had been there many times before. When she heard Dreampaw mention something about joining the group of apprentices she nodded, for once allowing him to lead.

"Coming Reedpaw?" she asked her other friend. Looked like Dreampaw wouldn't be waiting, and not wanting to get left behind and miss out on all the torture she could cause other cats the black pelted she-cat dashed after her brother.

Sitting down, she looked around the group. It sure was a mixture of all the clans. A huge grin appeared on her face as she spotted one cat cowering behind another. Oh, this was too good to pass up. "Aww, the little bitty apprentice is too scared to look at anyone?" Nightpaw smirked. "Or are you even an apprentice, under all that fur you are probably just a tiny little kit."



Lilypaw's fur began to fluff out as she heard the black icky smelling cat calling her little. No one called her that. When her fur fluffed out, she glared at her oppressor as Nightpaw howled with laughter at the sight. "I AM NOT LITTLE!" she hissed. It took very little to upset this cat, but Nightpaw had done just that.

[° i c y - -]

The night did, in fact, seem warm to her. Maybe it was a good sign, or maybe it was just something to say that the next day would have a heat wave. Didn't really matter to her; she just wanted to get the Gathering started and finished as soon as possible. Yet, the leaders might be starting any minute, and why should she dare to rush them? It was not her place to say whether or not they should begin. She took her left paw and began licking the fur back, taking any bits of dirt out along with loose hairs. Although, she stopped when she heard a voice beside her. I hope you don't mind my company the voice echoed in her ears. She turned her gaze toward a tabby tom, and by the scent she could tell he was WindClan. Her amber eyes were lit with amusement, and a grin swept across her face.

"I don't mind. I was pretty much alone until right this second. Company would be just fine," She replied in a few simple sentences, beginning to groom her fur again. She couldn't help but wonder if she knew the tom, although it came to her quickly. Harewhisker, of course. He was the brother of Dustfur, right? She might have heard of their names before, but she never really was one for names.

[/color]

[Ki]

((Too lazy to read~))

Feathercloud watched as more and more cats arrived, being silent for the most part. She just adored Gatherings. Though almost all the Clans had kept their parties small. Eventually she figured she should make her way over to the other medicine cats. She'd been meaning to thank Birchnose again for treating Dusk-kit and Tawnykit; he'd probably want to know they were recovering well. So the dainty she-cat rose to her paws and began to weave her way through the cats until she reached her fellow medicine cats. She greeted them with a bright smile and a purr.

"Good evening!" she mewed brightly. She sat down, trying her best not to look at Earthfoot. None of them knew what Specklestar was planning. And Feathercloud just couldn't look Earthfoot in the eye. Not now. Her Clan was planning to attack his, for StarClan's sake! "I do hope everyone has been faring well." To keep from looking at Earthfoot, she looked to Birchnose instead. "I thought I should tell you, Birchnose...Dusk-kit and Tawnykit have been recovering nicely. In fact, this morning the two were playing tag. Their mother had to rein them in, but they're obviously feeling much better." Feathercloud smiled.

Leopardfang beamed at Cindertail. This was the first Gathering he could show her off as his mate. Not to mention, this would be her last Gathering for six moons. Soon he would be a proud father of a litter of kits. He chuckled and rasped his tongue over her ear. He took the lead, moving through the hollow. Most of the other cats had already formed groups and were talking. He looked to Cindertail. "Last Gathering before the kits come. Live it up." He smiled at Cindertail. Gatherings would be a bit lonely without Cindertail. Everyone he'd been to, she'd been right beside him. Ever since she was old enough to go, at least. It would be sort of odd coming to these without having her at his side. But he knew he would be able to return to her, and to their kits.

Ugh. Gatherings.

The only good thing about them was that she got to see her friends. Otherwise they were just crowded and awkward. Seriously. Who wanted to face the cats you'd just had a border squirmish with? No one. It was just awkward. Thrushtail had hung back on purpose, afraid of what Gingertail, Robinwing, and Littlestream would all be talking about. What if they all had mates already? Or...what if they were all close to getting pregnant?! She didn't want to be the only one without a mate...how embarrassing would that be? She quickly realized, though, that they were all split up and talking to other cats. Phew. Part of her wanted to go talk to Birchnose. But he was sitting over there with the other medicine cats, with Feathercloud talking to him. Suddenly Thrushtail had an urge to go rip that poofy little tail right off her scrawny little backside. Why did she get to talk to Birchnose?!

She's a medicine cat. Thrushtail reminded herself suddenly. She can't have kits. This thought calmed her down, and she sat down by herself. Suddenly she glimpsed two of the oldest warriors in the entire forest, Leopardfang and Cindertail, walking past. At first she thought nothing of it. Yeah, they were old warriors. Respected, blah blah blah. But then she noticed the distinctive bulge in Cindertail's stomach, and how proud Leopardfang looked.

"In the name of StarClan!" Thrushtail mewed, her eyes growing wide. "How did Cindertail get pregnant before any of us?!" Of course, she was mostly talking to herself. But still. She had to express herself somehow.

[Kitty]

Gingertail felt a little (unexpected) surge of happiness to know that Dustfur was interested her boring old everyday life. "Congratulations", he said. He'd congratulated her for getting an apprentice! He even seemed kinda happy for her, although maybe a little shy. "Thank you!" she purred in response. Dustfur's eyes were turned to a group of apprentices, maybe looking for Otterpaw. Gingertail scanned the group and thought she saw his brown pelt there, but before she could point him out Dustfur spoke again.

"What else has been going on? How are you and your friends?" he inquired. Gingertail felt another little bubble of happiness - he was curious about her life! Gingertail wasn't sure whether this was a veiled question about their little plot, so chose instead to answer it in both ways. "Well, other than training Otterpaw, nothing else's been going on," she said, shrugging. "I'm good, and so are my friends."

She glanced around in a dramatic way, making sure there was no one in earshot. There were, actually, but there was so much noise and such around Fourtrees that they probably wouldn't hear her hushed conversation. She leaned in close to his ear. "That's the normal answer," she whispered. "My friends and I had a meeting a few days ago; I dunno if I already told you about this or not. But yeah, I think they're starting to find their mates." Her voice took on a somber tone. "I dunno about myself, though."

Cindertail gave a smile when Leopardfang reminded her of what she already knew. Last Gathering for six moons, maybe a little longer, while she cared for her kits. Not that she was a great mother - in fact, she was rather awkward around kits, and always had been. Not only was Cindertail counting on that maybe it would be different with her own kits, but she could only hope that Leopardfang was a good father (and she knew he would be, so there were no worries there).

"Yeah," she purred. "This is my last Gathering for a few moons." Upping her pace to walk beside him, the senior warrior, leaned into him and twined her tail with his. "You won't be lonely here with all these cats without me, will you?" she teased. Just about every Gathering she'd ever been to Leopardfang had gone to as well. It was almost odd how that had worked out, Cindertail considered. "Just don't go falling for a WindClan she-cat on me, alright? You've got the build for a WindClan cat, after all."

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Swallowfang had only just met this WindClan she-cat, and she already didn't like her. Now, she had a bit of an attitude herself (more than a bit, at times) but that didn't mean she took kindly to other cats so blatantly brushing her off. And Tigerheart's reaction? He didn't give a rat's tail if his Clan mate was being so disrespected, and that just made the black she-cat even more furious. Doveclaw hadn't reacted yet, and Swallowfang was about to spit out another insult when another warrior appeared out of nowhere, calling her away.

"What do you want?" She hissed at Flameclaw, refusing to believe that he didn't realize this was the worst possible time to call for her attention. She was in the middle of defending herself and she wasn't about to walk away now. She huffed and glared at the tom for several moments, no doubt shaking off another snide comment from Doveclaw, until she realized that she didn't have much of a choice. Tigerheart certainly wasn't defending her, for StarClan knew why, and she wasn't about to admit that Doveclaw was getting the better of her by not backing down, but she had little choice but to go with Flameclaw. Casting one last glare at the two cats, Tigerheart in particular, for she would not let him forget about this quickly, she stalked off after Flameclaw.

"What was that about? You just made me look like a fool in front of some WindClan cat, you know."


Either there was nothing going on, or Gingertail didn't see though his curiosity of her and her plot, or she didn't want to tell him. He wondered about these three possibilities after she spoke, uncertain of which one it would be. Dustfur didn't say much, because before he could respond he noticed Gingertail looking around very obviously, perhaps checking to see who was around.

So that was it, he realized after she leaned in and whispered into his ear. "Are you sure? And you still haven't found anyone?" He whispered back, his voice taking on a sympathetic tone. Of course he wasn't a she-cat and he didn't understand their thinking behind this plot, so he couldn't really relate. He could sort of sympathize, though, because it wouldn't be right if she was left behind from her friends.


Harewhisker was pleased that his offer was met with politeness. There had been a few times when he'd been snapped at rather rudely by other cats when he'd just been looking for company. Taking the okay to stay, he settled down a respectable distance from Beechstorm, looking forward to being in the company of another cat for the Gathering. Glancing up toward where the leaders were still talking, he realized that the Gathering must be starting soon. Still, they could chat for a bit before it truly started. "How has your Clan been? Greenleaf treating RiverClan well, I hope?"


Willowstar lifted her muzzle upwards at the sky. The rain that had fallen all day long had cleared up, but the sky was still cloudy. Dark, gray shapes hung in the sky and shrouded Fourtrees, but still the moon was not blocked. It was safe to start the Gathering. Getting to her paws, the eldest leader swept her gaze over the other three cats sitting with her before turning to the Great Rock. After bunching her muscles underneath her powerful form, storing energy for the jump, she leaped up and landed easily on the stone's smooth surface. With the moonlight casting a ghostly glow on her silver pelt, Willowstar let out a yowl to signal the beginning of the Gathering. Once most of the cats had quieted down, she began to speak.

"Greenleaf will soon be coming to a close, but RiverClan is still strong and thriving, thanks to its river and its skilled hunters. Soon after the last Gathering there was an incident with some twoleg traps injuring one of my warriors, but that problem was quickly taken care of and Puddlepelt is recovering well under Shadestripe's care. In addition, RiverClan has several fortunate pieces of news to report. Pigeonpaw has recently become a warrior with the name Pigeonheart, Otterpaw and Rabbitpaw are two new apprentices here for their first Gathering tonight, and a new litter of kits has been born." Willowstar paused, glancing at Specklestar with a smug sort of look before adding on, "Streamkit and Shadowkit have been adjusting to RiverClan life well, and I expect they will both make fine warriors."

Finished with her speech, RiverClan's leader stepped back and dipped her head, waiting for whoever wished to speak next to step up.

[Ki]

"Fall for a WindClan she-cat?" Leopardfang mewed as he sat down. He pretended to look offended, sticking his nose into the air in a silent 'hmph!' Only Cindertail could do this to him. She could bring out the kit in him; a side that he hid to most cats. He'd taken a strict vow to act like a warrior once his ceremony was over. And he'd stuck to it...except for when Cindertail was around. Then he acted as if he was just a few moons old. Maybe that was just another thing to love her for; she made him feel young again. "I may look WindClan," he mewed, smirking at her, "but I am RiverClan through and through. You know that." He nuzzled her now, feeling a purr automatically rise in his throat. "Besides. No she-cat could compare to you in my eyes." Some she-cats were younger. Some prettier. Some stronger, some faster. Even smarter. But Cindertail was the only one Leopardfang cared about.

Old cats should not be allowed to reproduce. Or have mates. Thrushtail thought bitterly. She could help noticing Cindertail and Leopardfang. I mean...who couldn't? They were being so gushy and affectionate and disgusting! When Thrushtail got a mate, she wouldn't act that way with him. At least, not in front of other cats. It was enough to make you hack up your fresh-kill. But she would show him off, you could be sure of that! Once she got one. If she got one.

Thrushtail glanced at Birchnose again and couldn't help but sigh. Maybe she could go sit with the medicine cats. Or would that be awkward? She didn't usually see other cats sit with them except their apprentices. Suddenly her eyes found Gingertail. She was RiverClan cat like Leopardfang and Cindertail. The poor thing had probably been dealing with it for a while. Then she noticed...Gingertail was talking to Dustfur! Thrushtail rarely even so much as glanced at Dustfur, and he was in her Clan! Was it possible that...that Gingertail had chosen him for a mate? Her curiousity peaked, Thrushtail bounded over. She didn't even listen to Willowstar's testimony. I mean...what did she care about RiverClan kits?

She bounded up and hissed just loud enough for Gingertail and Dustfur to hear. "You found a mate already?!"

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

    This was not how she had envisioned things going at all. Chatting with a tom from another Clan who may or may not have already been taken. She didn't even know why she was pursuing him, or what she expected. Couldn't she find a tom to father her kits in her own Clan? Wasn't she just setting herself up for disappointment by thinking of mating a tom whose loyalties lay with a different Clan and leader? Everything would just be easier if she returned home and set her sights upon someone more amorous or inexperienced. Firepool would be more than willing, she was sure, and any of the younger, more randy warriors would oblige her in an instant.

    But, Doveclaw seethed, she didn't want some randy WindClan tom. She wanted a mate, and she had thought that perhaps she might have found one. But Tigerheart was being difficult, and she thought that he might be more trouble than he was worth. He was probably sleeping with that Sluttyfang individual. Maybe he was like Firepool, and slept with whomever was most pleasing to him at that moment. It occurred to the warrior that she knew very little about this tom, and didn't have a lot of time to find out. After all, she was sure her friends were all making headway on their own mates. She couldn't afford a long and leisurely courtship that lasted seasons.

    "Well that's fine!" she suddenly exploded, standing up with a hiss. "I don't need looking after, so I'll just be going. I don't know why I even bothered." So saying, the she-cat turned on her heel, a red haze fogging her vision. Then the red turned to grey, and that grey darkened on the edges until she could only see the ground spreading directly in front of her eyes. To Doveclaw's infinite dismay and chagrin, she realized that she was losing consciousness, but even that thought was wiped away as the ground rushed up to meet her face.

    His lovely companion was such an engaging she-cat. She didn't melt and flutter like some others, or brush his advances coldly aside. Instead the two of them were able to play a little game which they both enjoyed, and certainly helped to pass the time during the sometimes-endless Gatherings. "I feel well," he said pleasantly, "for it is a lovely night to be out. I would say that you have grown even more beautiful since our last meeting, if such a thing were not obviously impossible. But I could go on at length on that topic, so perhaps you'd better stop me now."

    Batheart winked warmly, then, deciding that he would be staying for a while, sat down next to Robinwing and wrapped his long, plume-like tail around his paws. Unsuspecting tom that he was, he had no idea that he was locked in the pretty she's cat's cross-hairs in her quest to find a mate. He didn't even know he was on her radar screen. To Batheart, the tabby she-cat was just pleasant company on a cool greenleaf night. Now what could be more nice?

OoC// OMF I'm sorry, that was horrible. >-> I said it would be.

[Kitty]

Gingertail heaved a sad sigh, sitting back away from Dustfur. Now that the big secretive part was out of the way he probably didn't want her sitting right in his face (not that she was particularly repelled by the idea - he actually smelled pretty good. Like grass and...wind. Clean. And even though Gingertail thought Dustfur smelled nice he probably thought she smelled like fish or something, which smelled pretty good to RiverClan cats but not so much to cat from other Clans).

"I dunno for sure if they're found mates yet," she admitted. "But I know for certain I haven't." He still seemed interested in their plot, and was sympathetic when she admitted her dilemma. She admired him for that - Gingertail, he's from WindClan.

Suddenly another scent - WindClan, as well - hit Gingertail, a very familiar one that the RiverClan she-cat recognized to be Thrushtail. She turned to greet her friend warmly but she beat her to it, speaking right through the RiverClan announcements (Gingertail paid them no heed as well; she was in RiverClan, after all). "You found a mate already?!"

[/i] the she-cat hissed just in earshot of Gingertail and Dustfur, and the orange RiverClan warrior couldn't tell if she was hissing in surprise, disbelief, or jealousy.

And then what she said really clicked.

What? Dustfur as a mate? Sure, Gingertail had brushed over the idea, but only a couple times. She'd come to the conclusion that she had needed to find a RiverClan tom, but Thrushtail had said it so casually (or as casual as a hiss can get) that Gingertail had to wonder whether it really mattered or not. Was Thrushtail considering a mate outside of her Clan? Gingertail wondered.

But her shocked expression was still in place on her face when she recovered enough to answer. "Wh-what? Mates? Me and Dustfur? N-no!" she stammered out.

Dustfur wouldn't break the warrior code for a cat like her.

Cindertail giggled (actually giggled!) at Leopardfang's kittish behavior. Only around a select few cats was she careless and carefree, and Leopardfang was one of them. The other three had long since joined StarClan. "Fine, fine, I know you're not gonna leave me for a WindClan she-cat," she relented. "I was only teasing." He went on speaking, talking about how great she was, and she suddenly felt both a bit awkward and flattered, although not nearly as awkward as she would have been with any other cat (not by a long shot). "You're so sweet," she purred, rubbing her head against him. "YOu're right; no WindClan cat would be able to be as sweet as you are. No way are you WindClan."[/blockquote]

[:c a i:]

Tigerheart winced when he saw Doveclaw’s face instantly darken with ire. He hadn’t expected her to get quite so angry by his comment, though he wondered whether or not he was actually glad the implication that Swallowfang was more than his friend upset her. But why should he want her to want him to not have a mate? He certainly liked Doveclaw, and he found her a very intriguing cat to spend time with, but he hadn’t given serious thought to the fact that it might be something more than just an admiration for a fellow warrior. But now the thought ran rife in his mind, and he suddenly became acutely aware that Doveclaw wasn’t just a WindClan warrior whom he knew. She was very much an attractive she-cat too. He’d always been vaguely aware of this, of course, but he had just stifled the thought. Because surely Wind and Thunder made no harmonious match?

But just because it’s not normal doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be good. He shifted uncomfortably as the thought crossed his mind. So was it, then, that he wanted her to not have a mate too? He lashed his tail ever so slightly and prepared to give it some thought, but then realised that Doveclaw had risen to stalk away from him. He jumped to his paws and called after her instantly. “Doveclaw, I was only-“ Tigerheart darted after her for a few steps and then stopped abruptly as he watched her slender frame pause and sway dangerously. He leapt forwards in alarm, calling out her name.

“Doveclaw?” The next thing he knew, she was on the ground, lying quite still. “Doveclaw, can you hear me? Doveclaw!” Wildly, he bent to check she was actually breathing, which she thankfully was. He felt an absolute jolt of fear at the sight of her motionless form and some part of his mind wondered just when it was that he became so emotionally involved with her. He glanced up, his golden eyes filled with alarm and worry, searching for someone who could help. He stood almost protectively over her, unwilling to leave her alone. If only he could see one of the medicine cats!

Flameclaw was pleased to see Swallowfang coming over to join him, and he waved his tail in greeting. He wasn’t actually intending to introduce her to any Ternclaws; he’d simply seen her and impulsively called her over. Unfortunately, though, she was all but fuming when she reached him.

“Hm?” Flameclaw said, casting a sidelong glance at Swallowfang. “Why, what happened?” He asked, frowning. “I just wanted to talk to you, that’s all.” he said with a lopsided and apologetic smile. “Sorry. I didn’t realise it was a bad time. I take it you didn’t get along with my brother’s little friend, then?” He chuckled dryly. From what Tigerheart had told him about Doveclaw, and from what he knew about Swallowfang – which was a fair amount by now – it didn’t seem all that unbelievable that the two had clashed.

On the outside Robinwing was just as she had ever been with Batheart – smiling, subtly flirtatious and a little bit coy. On the inside, however, the cogs were whirring. Her mind was racing, and if she was being completely honest, so was her heart rate. She had been on edge all night, for she was sure she’d seen a glimpse of her friends with toms. Maybe she was imagining it, but she felt convinced that they all had handsome toms eating out of their paws while she was still at square one.

Or was she? She was and staring a handsome tom in the face and being quite thoroughly flirted with, was she not? She gave nothing away on the outside, but on the inside she was suddenly thinking very hard. Batheart ticked all the boxes, didn’t he? He was young, strong, handsome, charming… maybe he was what she was after as a father for her kits? The only problem was his Clan. It was so frustrating that he was from ShadowClan, the one Clan with which her own shared no borders. He was certainly not the cat her parents – StarClan, what would her mother say? – would have liked her to mate with, but she was running out of time. All her friends were obviously making progress. And besides, she liked Batheart. Quite honestly, she found him attractive and if he had been in RiverClan she’d be after him in a hot second.

”Oh, Batheart, I suppose this is the part where I collapse at your feet with love!” Robinwing laughed, rolling her eyes. ”Really, you’re such a charmer. How will I ever tell when you speak honestly and when you’re only sweet-talking me?” she asked, glancing up at him demurely, all the while praying that this (whatever this was) would work out. Could he be what she was after?

[/blockquote]

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Dustfur simply nodded at Gingertail sympathetically. From the sound of it, it was like it was some sort of race, to see who would get a mate and those who didn't would be left behind. He could tell she was stressed out about it, and he wished that he could help her somehow. But there was only so much a tom like him could do. It didn't seem fair to him, Gingertail was a great friend and fun to be around. If no cat wanted to be her mate, then there must be something wrong with the toms in RiverClan, he decided.

He had little chance to respond, though, before he noticed Thrushtail heading toward them. One of Gingertail's friends, he remembered, and he considered stepping away to let the two of them talk, not wishing to intrude on what could possibly be a discussion of their plot (which he probably wasn't supposed to know about, he also realized). But then he noticed how furious she looked. She spoke at a whisper but loud enough for them both to hear, "You found a mate already?!"

It took him a second or so to realize exactly what was being said, but then the shock hit him all too quickly. At the same moment as Gingertail, a surprised look on his face appeared that mirrored hers. Him as Gingertail's mate? Was Thrushtail not concerned with the fact that they were in different Clans? And that she thought Gingertail picked him? At that thought his fur instantly heated up and he quickly stuttered out a response. "N-no, we're not mates," was all he could say, and then he looked down in embarrassment.

"M-maybe I should let you two talk," he added, stepping away. He couldn't be involved with this conversation. Him and Gingertail mates? That was impossible.


Swallowfang had to resist the temptation to hiss at Flameclaw. He wasn't the subject of her agitation, but after being pulled away from what was, he was looking like the most likely target of her anger. She had no wish to harm her Clanmate, but her claws were itching for something by now. "That WindClan cat just outright insulted me and that brother of yours didn't lift a whisker to do anything about it." She snorted. "So no, I did not get along with his little friend." Ooh, if she hadn't been forcibly removed from the situation, and perhaps if it wasn't the night of the Gathering, she would have leaped at Doveclaw right then and there. Her tail twitched with pleasure as that thought entered her mind.

[/justify]

[Ki]

Thrushtail watched both her friend and this odd tom stammer out various 'No! Of course not!'s. But she was unconvinced. Why else would Gingertail be talking to Dustfur? It's not like they were in the same Clan. Yeah, ok. Cats could have friends in different Clans. But it wasn't like Gingertail had been BFF's with Dustfur forever. Dustfur stepped away, and Thrushtail looked at Gingertail, very much unconvinced. This time Thrushtail managed to lower her voice when she spoke. After all, no one was supposed to know about their little plot. It was a sworn secret between just them.

"What are you doing talking to Dustfur for, then?" Thrushtail whispered. "He's not even in your Clan!" They hadn't exactly set down rules. No one ever said you had to pick a mate in their own Clan. But still. It was against the warrior code and stuff. Though admittedly, Thrushtail was being a tad hypocritical. After all, she only had eyes for WindClan's medicine cat. And that was very much against the warrior code. It wasn't as if she could help it! How was it her fault that Birchnose was better than half the toms in WindClan? Just look at the cats they had for apprentices! Thymepaw should have been a warrior moons ago, but he was too much of a failure. Everyone had thought Smokepaw was mute until he was about four moons old because he was too stupid to speak. And he still didn't say much. Mousepaw was getting fatter by the day because she was so lazy. And they were her Clan's future!

"I mean...he's ok looking, but really Gingertail!" Thrushtail whispered again.

[. s p o r e l e t t ♪]

Abruptly finding herself unable to keep her feet steady underneath her, the dappled she-cat slumped over onto the grass of the clearing, her eyes rolling up in her head as she suddenly and inexplicably collapsed. It wasn't like she passed out cold, unconscious for the rest of the night--she wasn't that much of a pansy! Doveclaw's vision was swallowed up by blackness for a few moments, then she was stirring again, foggy blue eyes flickering open and striving to focus on the murky shapes around her. Her head was spinning, and blood pounded in her ears. Did she... had she just fainted? Surely not. Surely Doveclaw of WindClan would not find herself laid flat without receiving a single blow from hostile paws? Even the idea was... well, actually it was quite embarrassing. She couldn't believe she- No, no she wasn't embarrassed! It was infuriating! She was so angry she wanted to claw some-cat in the face! If only she could move her limbs.

Irritatingly, the slender cat found that she could not. Trying initially, all she managed was a sluggish twitch. Doveclaw firmed her jaw with concentration and put all her will into getting up; she flopped back down without even gaining her balance, unable to hold herself up when the valley was spinning so sickeningly and her legs felt as heavy as stone. Sighing, she tried to regain some manner of control over herself, and settled back to try and ascertain what was exactly wrong with her and how it had happened.

That was when her dizzy gaze focused on the striped visage of Tigerheart, who was standing over her and wearing a worried expression on his handsome face. She tried to fathom up anger at his presence, somehow convinced that he was the cause of her collapse (she had been talking to him when it happened, after all!), but the accusatory ire that she expected did not come. So she made do with annoyance, which served mainly to cover up her mortification at having passed out at a Gathering. "I'm fine, there's no need to upset the entire meeting," she meowed, displeased with how faint she sounded. Clearing her throat, she tried again, this time reaching something that approached her normal volume. "Just, ah, give me a moment. I suddenly feel like lying down for a while..."

Oh dear, the leaders were beginning the meeting. They should probably pay attention, shouldn't they? Such things usually did warrant some focus, especially when it was the leader of another Clan that was presenting news. He already knew most of the goings on in his own Clan, of course... although the last Gathering, when Specklestar had demanded Rivermist's kits from WindClan, he hadn't been aware of that. So yes, it would probably be wise to pay attention to what the leaders were saying, he decided, and tilted his ears towards the Great Rock.

But that didn't mean that he couldn't continue his fascinating interlude with Robinwing.

"Ah, I should hope not," he chuckled somewhat ruefully at his lovely companion's teasing comment, slightly nervous at the thought. "It's not my intention to leave a trail of shattered hearts behind me wherever I go, as would certainly happen if every cat who spoke to me at a Gathering fell hopelessly in love with me. That would be quite awful!" She was a rare creature to be sure--quite lovely, he couldn't take his eyes off her. But she was also of a Clan completely different from his own, and he did not wish to harm her. For this very reason, Batheart's game was strictly one of catch and release. "You may take my words as you like, of course. But whether you choose to believe me or not, I will tell you that I make it my habit not to lie to she-cats."

[Kitty]

Gingertail listened in silence as Thrushtail seemed to calm down a bit, enough to lower her voice. She did not, however, catch the unconvinced glance her friend sent her, because she was looking at her paws to resist the temptation of shooting a glance at Dustfur.

"Maybe I should let you two talk,"[/i] he'd said, which made Gingertail feel kinda sad. Is he leaving already? Mousedung, Thrushtail! Way to interrupt a perfectly normal friendly conversation! You know, because we're friends!

She was only trying to convince herself, though, and as she puzzled about it she realized that maybe, just maybe, she felt a little more than friendship for the tom. But she didn't want to like him like that (lie) - she couldn't like him that way because he was a WindClan cat and Gingertail was a RiverClan cat. The warrior code - and consequentially StarClan - prevented it.

So why did she talk to Dustfur so often? She recalled the several times they'd met on the border (those were all surprisingly by accident because of Gingertail lurking around for her friends) and the hunting lesson that one day when he rescued her from the thorn bush. Maybe that was what that feeling was - maybe she thought of him like an older brother? Another Darkfoot? Yes, that had to be it. It couldn't be anything else.

Finally, after sorting through all this, Gingertail realized Thrushtail was still waiting for an answer and snapped back to attention. "I-I dunno," she admitted, glancing up from her now-shuffling paws. She felt slightly offended by her friend's second remark/question - "I mean, he's okay looking, but really, Gingertail?"[/i] - he was not just okay looking! He was...better-than-okay-looking! Best not to elaborate on that one too much a wiser part of her mind told her, so she stuck with that. But if she thought of Dustfur as her older brother then why was she pondering his good looks...oh dear....

Shaking the thoughts away she tried to focus on Thrushtail. "Looks aren't everything, Thrushtail!" she shot back in an annoyed whisper. "I guess its just that he's really nice and sweet and kind...." She trailed off, uncertain of why exactly she did like (as a brother! Really!) Dustfur.[/blockquote]

[☆ Y e l l o w ☆]

Dustfur stood back, feeling rather awkward as he tried not to look at the two whispering she-cats, yet still angling his ears toward them in some attempt to listen in on their conversation. It probably wasn't the most polite thing to do, but they were obviously talking about him and the suggestion that he and Gingertail were mates was not something that he could brush off. Especially since he knew of their plot, he couldn't help wondering if Thrushtail thought that Gingertail was picking him as a mate. Of course that wasn't possible, because they were in different Clans, that must be why his Clan mate seemed so shocked and furious at the idea.

Come to think of it, Gingertail seemed rather shocked and embarrassed at the idea, but what did he feel about it? He considered Gingertail to be a good friend- for the few times that they had spoken over borders the past moon, it had been much more than he spoke with some of his own Clan mates. For a tom like him, who was rather quiet and awkward when it came to talking with others, it was unusual for him to have formed such a friendship so quickly, and with a cat from another Clan, no less. At this point he really wasn't sure, but he did know that the idea seemed utterly impossible and unlikely, although it still made his pelt feel warm at the thought.

[/justify]