The Tribal Gathering

[Longstorm]

In the Tribes and in Moonclan, the cats did not meet at the full moon as the Tribes saw it as the sign of Moonclan. No, they met when the full moon began to wane in the night sky.

Now Sun that Shatters Clouds, called 'Sun' by her closest friends, Burnsky of the Tribe of Burning Streams, was awaiting the arrival of the Tribe of Raining Dust and Moonclan.
Every Meeting they had, a different meeting place was decided. One place was most convenient to one group, while the next was more convenient to another.
This time, it was convenient to Moonclan. And since it was, Moonclan owed the distant travelers strengthening fresh-kill to their visitors.
Below the dead, hanging tree she was perched upon, her most trusted Flameguards, Red Lilies in the Water (Lilies to her) and Brush that Hangs Over Stream (Brush) were looking out for the cats from the other Tribe or Clan-Group.

Brush looked over the frozen landscape, glad of his thick, long fur - much unlike their Blazekeeper's, whose fur was notable as thin as she was.
He glanced over to Lilies, noting her focused expression and kept-in body language.
The she-cat never changed.
Much like Brush, Lilies was glad she had a double coat - but more than that, she was glad to be smaller and stockier since it allowed her to retain more heat.
She watched her steamy exhaled breath dissipate into nothing as she sighed for the heck of it, smirking briefly when it was gone.

[Runfast]

Breeze that Follows Rain, called 'Breeze' by Sun, and 'Blazekeeper' by the others of their Tribe, was sitting patiently by the frozen stump of the tree.
The thin bodied, thin-furred she-cat shivered unhappily. She'd rolled in mud on the way up and it'd hardened nicely, but cold was still getting in.
The she-cat sighed. Hopefully, the other Tribe and the Clan would be arriving soon.

[Guest]

OOC: I'll just assume Shadow is here...
IC: Shadow of the Falling Rain, or Shadow, to make it less of a mouthful, settled in a quiet corner to lick her aching paws. For a Quickflare, the cat who got out of the camp the most for hunts or patrols, she didn't have thick pads, and so got scratched paws, more often than not. Not for the first time she wondered why they had these meetings. No one had bothered or thought it useful to explain the concept and the history of this custom to her, and for an inquisitive and curious cat, that was torture.
Maybe one of the other cats might know. The Moonclan cats looked like they might tell her. After all, the concept of meeting every moon had been made by them. Or maybe that was just another inference, since their name was 'Moon'clan.
"Excuse me," she came up to a cat she assumed to be Moonclan, not realizing this was actually Hawk, of the Tribe of Raining Dust.

[Meany]

OOC: Dude, I totally didn't know I was here already!

IC: Hawk that Snatches Mice, Hawk to everyone else, a Prey-Hunter from the Tribe of Raining Dust, looked at the she-cat and nodded. "Oh, it's fine, no worry." His dark brown (with feather-like lighter markings) pelt wasn't ruffled in an unfriendly way or anything, his hawk-like eyes focusing on the Quickflare.
He hadn't realized she actually didn't touch him, he just hadn't been paying attention at all.
Hawk, being a rather flight Prey-Hunter, had reached the Meeting destination before the rest of his Tribe-group had.
"So," he mewed in a friendly way, "when do you think the Moon-sons will get here? Do you think they do moon ritual before they get here or something like that? Some of us at Raining Dust think they do - I mean, why else would they live at the top of the sky-stones?"

[Longstorm]

OOC: 's'cool you're here GH. It makes sense that Sun would bring a Quickflare along with the Blazekeeper and two Flameguards - though I don't want the Stormeye here... I think the Stormeye and Blazekeeper should switch out every meeting, since the Stormeye and the Blazekeeper are of the same rank.

IC: Brush found his attention drawn to the dark brown tom that Shadow was speaking to. "Looks like Raining Dust is approaching," he mewed suddenly to Lilies and Burnsky.
Sun looked to where Brush was looking and nodded, noting the Tribe-like accent that floated over to them on the wind. "Indeed. The Stoneteller will be here soon."

[Guest]

Momentarily caught off guard by Hawk's sudden stream of questions, Shadow's question evaporated like morning dew in the midday sun. "Uh, so...you're...not Moonclan?" she mewed awkwardly, feeling stupider by the second. Of course! Moonclan's scent was so much different from the Tribe of Raining Dust! That was a novice's mistake she'd made.

[Meany]

Hawk's ears pricked up. "Me? Hmm? No, no, not me. Raining Dust, through and through - look at me!" He shook himself and a small cloud of dust came off of him. "Totally gives it away. You'd think with all the grooming we do it'd do something, but no. We're called 'Raining Dust' for the same reason we were once called 'Rushing Water', for the same reason you're called Burning Streams -" He whapped himself with his tail. "Duh, you knew that - I'm an idiot." He sighed, briefly distracted by a small mountain bird flying high, high up. "So - what's your name?"

A few fox-lengths away, Stoneteller, a black she-cat with amber eyes, strode into the Meeting Place. She wasn't a stocky cat and she wasn't a thin, light-footed cat. She was, what the Moon-cats called, what a warrior should be. She was never sure if she should take it as a compliment or not, so she ignored it.
Her muscular legs moved in perfect harmony, wisdom glowing in her light-colored eyes. She nodded to the Burnsky as she joined her in a massive, graceful leap.

Hawk looked up at the black she-cat. "Oh, hey - looks like my Tribe is here!... what's your name again?" He seemed genuinely interested.

[Guest]

"S-Shadow," the Quickflare stammered. "Shadow of the Falling Rain." Totally forgetting what she wanted she turned around to watch the Stoneteller, silently wishing for the she-cat to draw the attention away from her.

[Meany]

Hawk nodded, committing the name to memory. "Hey - I bet you're a prey-hunter too! Or what is it - quickflare? Yeah, you must be a quickflare!" He seemed pleased. "I'm a quickflare too - uh, I mean, prey-hunter," his ears flicked in embarrassment. "I'm Hawk that Snatches Mice, or just Hawk."

[Longstorm]

"I see you met 'Cat that Won't Shut Up'," mewed a stocky dark brown she-cat who smelled of Raining Dust. "Just ignore him - he doesn't notice when no one's listening."
She didn't say it cruelly, but her expression and careless tone betrayed her self-superiority.

The Burnsky nodded back to the Stoneteller, laying her ears back then forward in a Tribe's greeting.
"Greetings, Stoneteller. The moon smiles on our meeting. How are things on your side of the skystones?"

[Meany]

Stoneteller looked back at the yellow she-cat and repeated the same gestures. "And the moon is bright. There's been a rise in large-furrs in the places above our home, but nothing that will bother us by the will of the Tribe of Endless Hunting."

Little did these cats know, a group of unexpected guests would be approaching soon...

[Guest]

OOC: But these cats aren't.

IC: Stormstar, long/matted gray furred leader of Moonclan, strode into the camp. It took him a little while longer to reach the fallen, frozen tree since he was small, like the rest of his Clan, but he made it with the same amount of dignity.
He greeted the two she-cats in the same manner as the two had greeted each other and mewed, "The sun kisses your territories, Burnsky, Stoneteller. As is tradition, my warriors have brought replenishing herbs and fresh-kill to strengthen your journeys home through our frigid lands." He gestured to Sunclaw, his deputy, and to Cloudscar, Talltree, and Raypaw, all who were carrying fresh-kill and herbs.

After the four had set the fresh-kill and herbs in front of the two Tribes, they respectfully stepped back, dipping their heads.
Sunclaw looked over at Breeze that Comes after Rain, the Blazekeeper of Burning Streams. It was interesting - the two were of the same rank but they never spoke properly.
Stormstar looked back to the two she-cats and asked politely, "May we begin?"

[Meany]

OOC: HAH!

IC: Stoneteller, younger than Stormstar, loved and respected the leader of Moonclan in his own right and believed he represented the very best of all of his Clan. She smiled slightly, nodded, and mewed, "I think, Stormstar, that you should begin."

Hawk hissed at Dark - he truly didn't like her.

Cloudscar stood with the cats of his Clan, finding it odd that Raining Dust had brought so very few cats.

[Guest]

Shadow stood up, padding softly over to the pile of provisions brought by Moonclan; not touching it, but simply inspecting it. She did something like a post-mortem, examining them from a decision to try and determine how the prey had met their last moments. Being naturally inquisitive (has this been mentioned before?) meant there were some things she just couldn't leave alone.

[Rainpelt]

Glow only glanced around, taking in everything.

[Meany]

OOC: Glow isn't here.

[Longstorm]

OOC: s'true, RP - the Stormeye watches the camp.

IC: Sun nodded in agreement, liking Stormstar as well. "Indeed - begin, Stormstar."
Lilies and Brush glanced up, wondering what would be said at the occasionally dull meetings.

Dark, Cave-Guard, took her place underneath Stoneteller, passing a suspicious look the flameguards.

[Guest]

Stormstar nodded graciously to the two she-cats and began in a voice that, while directed towards the leaders, was loud enough for the small group of witnesses to hear.
"Moonclan is doing well enough in our frigid home - the snows are becoming harsher and more frequent in the coming Ice-Season, so it is advised to to your Tribes, Burnsky, Stoneteller," he nodded to each she-cat in turn, "that in your travels, you stay a fair ways below the clouds of our biting sky-stones." He gestured to Raypaw in the small crowd.
"And our Clan lives on, new generations being given new names, as is our tradition. The young she-cat in the crowd, once known as Raykit, has reached her sixth moon with her sister, Beamkit, and they're last names are now 'paw', the name of a To-Be. Raypaw is being taught to be a warrior by the experienced Talltree, in the crowd tonight. And Beampaw is being taught in the ways of a medicine cat, taught by our wise Otterpool. They have remained in the cloud bank so that Beampaw may be taken before Moonclan's ancestors to be recognized in her new position."
He paused for a breath.
"We have two new warriors, they also have remained behind so that they may sit vigil to think of what they've gained in their new names and title. Leafpaw has become Leafheart, brave of heart, and Barkpaw has become Barkfur, with a pelt darker than a tree's skin." Stormstar nodded his head, signaling he was finished.

[Rainpelt]

OOC: Sorry.

[Meany]

OOC: And here are the Questers... mwhahah...

IC: Stoneteller began to speak - last Meeting Burnsky had stepped all over her, and that wasn't about to happen again.
"The Tribe of Raining Dust is doing well - but I believe Moonclan should know that there's been an increase in activity from the Large-Furies, or 'bears', as loners who have passed have called them, in the sections far above our home. I don't know think they're interested in your colder places, but I thought it best to inform you. Aside from that, we have been preparing for the coming Ice-Seasons, gathering more fresh-kill for our stores and making sure our luminous herbs are growing well. That is all there is." She fell silent, nodding.

Hawk, in the crowd, caught what Stoneteller was doing even if he had a hard time focusing.
"Ha," he whispered. "Had it coming."

Meanwhile...

Blackfire, a shining black tom with amber eyes, and a figure of general shortness with a stocky body and paws to match, was gingerly making his way down a thin mountain path. Among him in the group that was with him were cats of many Clans, all of whom had received the dream he had. The dream, at this moment in time, was repeating like a prayer in his mind, and what might lay before them was ever fervent before his eyes.
What would they find? Would they be finding anything at all whilst following a possibly stale trail?
The tom stifled an exasperated sigh - he'd just heard Snowfeather, a dreamy-eyed she-cat from Dewclan, sigh again.
But he dare not point it out to her - she'd already put him down twice on the journey from the lowlands, or the 'koud bronige-whatever' as the dream had called it...

Snowfeather knew she was bugging Blackfire. She enjoyed it. It was the perfect get-back on a tom who'd snapped at her once too many and tasted the razor wit she hid well under her lovely, white fluffy fur.
She smirked while she watched his shoulders tense every time she sighed.

Meanwhile, in the back of the group, padded Jazz. He was a ginger and white tom from Cityclan and was rather unaccustomed to walking over such odd territory. The ground was so very rough that his claws had begun to sharpen, and that was an odd sensation in itself.
Jazz looked around at the younger cats that surrounded him, the 'apprentices' and 'choosings' from other Clans in the forest.
"Think there's an end to this trail," he asked a she-cat - 'Mossy', he thought it was.

[Runfast]

The Stoneteller's jump-in didn't go unnoticed by the Blazekeeper of Burning Streams. Her ears flattened for the briefest of moments, then they came back up when she shivered.
Her pelt was not made for this weather.

Meanwhile...

Mosspaw looked at the ginger and white tom and mewed, "I hope it'll be something helpful..." She'd been quite most of the way, as had everyone. It seemed the seriousness of their quest had finally returned after the chat they'd had at the top of the ice-hill.
Cold, padding near, could only agree. It'd be a bit foolish to walk such a long way down for nothing. And, he knew, that after the cats had arrived in a warmer, less windy place, it'd be very unlikely they'd return to the top without good reason.
Above, the reason must be at the end of this path.

[Guest]

After satiating her curiosity, Shadow sat back down next to Hawk, whom she decided she liked. Not in a 'tom-shecat' way, but in the 'friends' way. Despite whatever the Burnsky said, Shadow found Hawk's endless chatter rather amusing. It was always good to broaden one's horizons beyond the boundaries of one's clan.

[Longstorm]

Sun's ears flicked in irritation at the Stoneteller - but her whiskers twitched in amusement.
Not even the high and mighty Stoneteller is above revenge... or childish competition...
"The Tribe of Burning Streams thrives as the salmon travel upriver - many get lost and stray into our stream which makes for ideal for fishing. We've seen some loners from the rotten forest but have sent them on their way - oh, a new fact on a sickness; lack of hunger. They can be as skinny as sapling branches, yet not crave the most succulent piece of prey." She nodded - Burning Streams, though they usually brought more cats then anyone else, rarely spoke in great detail of their lands.

Dark's ears flicked in annoyance. "Would it kill them to speak," she hissed under her breath, looking around at the others cats.


Meanwhile - well, a hell of lot a closer...

Jace had looked at Mosspaw when she'd spoken to Jazz. He agreed in his mind, and he voiced that by mewing, "Yes - something useful would be brilliant... and some food. I'm not complaining, but I haven't eaten for a day and a half..."
Icepaw, who blatantly hated Jace at this point, hissed, "You're not helping any by bringing it up, so shove it!"
Thing about his hiss - it echoed. Down the path.

[Runfast]

Regardless of the thinness of her ears, Breeze caught the strange voice that echoed down onto the plateau.
"Someone is coming," she mewed for those present to hear.

Not too far up...

Cold stopped abruptly, ears swiveling. He could have sworn...
Mosspaw stopped when she saw the gray tom had as well. "What is it -" she fell silent at his glare and began to swivel her own ears.

[Meany]

Snowfeather and Blackfire had heard it too. They both stopped at once, eyes wide and ears turned forward.
"Someone's down there," the Darkclanner murmured, excitement lacing his tone. He looked back at the others and whispered - and signaled, for those who knew Clan-signals, "Stay here. We'll both go on ahead."
Snowfeather looked surprised that the black tom wanted to include her, but he said, "You're the only other full warrior here." He probably said it to tick her off, but he was already stepping silently down the slope - if it was possible to be even quieter and more careful than he'd been before.

The white she-cat from Dewclan blended perfectly with the white, white snow, and the black tom from Darkclan melted in with the shadows of the night.
They walked through the fog, wondering what would be below...

A few yards lower...

Stoneteller was standing, and was now off of the frosted tree. "It's coming from above-" she turned to Stormstar. "I thought the ground paths were the only paths?"
Cloudscar flattened his ears. "Are you accusing Stormstar of -" The black she-cat silenced him with a look.
"No," she mewed firmly. "I would never."

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