[IC] Clans of the Coast

[PrankFox]

The crashing sound of waterfalls mingled with the sounds of chatter as the light of the full moon turned the water to liquid silver. It lit the crowd of cats that were gathered on the slightly damp stone hidden within trees and cliffs as everyone waited for the leaders to find their spots upon the ledge and begin the gathering in earnest. Embersky's ears swiveled around, listening to the conversations around him, as he made his slow, winding way through the crowd to where the rest of the medicine cats were seated with their apprentices. He glanced behind him for a moment to make sure that Albatrosspaw was keeping up alright. He had been crushed by the unexpected death of his father, but having one of his brothers as an apprentice made the sting a little less.

His mother and sister were making their own way through the crowd towards the ledge where Spiderstar and Whitestar were already waiting with their deputies sitting on a slightly lower ledge beneath them. Looked like they were just waiting on RainClan then. He felt a flash of pride knowing that it was his family that was in charge of BreezeClan, and that they would lead their clanmates to prosperity and greatness. He just had to make sure the rest of the clans saw that as fact. Which was easier said than done.

He dipped his head slightly to the Gullbreeze and Cloudwing as well as their apprentices as he settled down and tucked his tail over white paws. "Greetings. How are things in FireClan and DarkClan?" It hadn't been long since they'd met at the half-moon, but he felt it was only right to make sure that things were going well with his fellow medicine cats. He had also heard that there were some members of other clans that were beginning to raise concerns over the fact that his family alone led BreezeClan. He knew that Whitestar had a good relationship with his mother, but the others were somewhat nebulous to him.

"Greetings Embersky," Cloudwing dipped his head as well, his silver and white pelt turned pale by the moonlight. "Things are well in DarkClan. We have a number of new apprentices and kits that are growing quickly." There was a familiar fondness in the tom's voice as he spoke of his clan, but he still didn't give much away.

None of the clans were weak and based on what Embersky heard, and could see of the number of apprentices, were by no means struggling. That would make Dawnstar's plans that much more difficult. None of the other clans would be interested in uniting if they didn't have any additional trouble by being separate. "I'm glad to hear it. We've been lucky these past moons."

Cloudwing nodded in agreement before glancing past the other medicine cats to look towards the cleft in the cliffs that surrounded the gathering space. "Looks like RainClan has arrived."

He could just catch the bushy tail of Coyotestar followed by Stormstrike and his own apprentice. He kept an eye on the RainClan cats as they dispersed within the others and the volume rose once again as friends were greeted once again. He finally caught sight of Sagecloud and Eaglepaw making their way towards them. It was only a matter of time before the gathering started then.

[Marlowe]

Albatrosspaw never really liked Gatherings. They were always crowded and stinky-- and everyone brushed up against one another as if they knew each other while they were trying to get past everyone. Not only that, but cats looked at him like he was a walking, talking shark. Medicine cats weren't supposed to be that weird, right? He was just like everyone else, not a spectacle to be gawked at. Either way, he clenched his jaw as he kept up with his mentor, making sure to maintain his gaze on his ginger pelt. Whitestar and Spiderstar were there, but Coyotestar wasn't, which meant that RainClan wasn't there yet. Something hung in the air between all of the cats, and it was sticky and left a bad taste at the back of his throat. Albatrosspaw knew that it was simply an air of contempt that radiated from DarkClan's side of the clearing. DarkClan never liked BreezeClan just because they chose to make sons and daughters of leaders and medicine cats take their place after them. What was wrong with that; wasn't it just a different way of keeping the Clan strong?

He shook his head, trying to focus on where Embersky was going. He wondered if any of his friends were there, but mostly Duskpaw. There wasn't any sight of the dark-furred she-cat's pelt anywhere, and that kind of disappointed. He liked the gossip that she brought along with her, despite what he told her. When he couldn't find her for yet another time, he turned his eyes back to see that Embersky had settled down with Gullbreeze and Cloudwing, along with their apprentices Adderpaw and Rainwhisker. He perked his ears as his eyes drifted between the medicine cats in front of him. Gullbreeze's tail twitched to and fro as she looked at Embersky and him through half-lidded eyes. Her maw twisted downwards. She looks so bored. I don't blame her... Albatrosspaw thought. Gatherings bring bad news a lot of times. Cats are bound to get tired of it.

"Good to know both of your Clans are doing well. FireClan's done completely fine this past moon," she murmured, her tail flicking again to punctuate her statement.

Albatrosspaw clenched his jaw. Gullbreeze really didn't seem like talking with them, did she? Just when he was about to ponder what she was thinking about, a large fluffy tom trotted over to them with a smaller brown and white cat in tow.

"Sorry for being late. Had to talk to Coyotestar before we left," Sagecloud grinned at them as he twitched his ears. "Did we miss any--"

A yowl sounded from the front of the clearing. Albatrosspaw's head snapped in the direction of the call that had reverberated throughout the open space. Whitestar stood with his back straight and feathery tail sticking out behind him like a snow-covered leaf. Albatrosspaw wondered how it felt to be up there. It just had to be great to be the leader of the whole Clan. And stressful, he added quietly with a slight twist of his lips.

"The moon is at its highest point in the sky, and so the Gathering shall begin." In the stark moonlight, Whitestar's glowing pelt made him look like a StarClan cat. The FireClan leader's amber eyes wavered over to Dawnstar. "I believe BreezeClan should go first."

A murmur rippled through where DarkClan and RainClan sat. Tension crackled in the air like lightning. Even Sagecloud's shoulders stiffened. Albatrosspaw frowned, sending a glance up towards Embersky.

[PrankFox]

It was always a pain to try and get anything out of the other medicine cats, Gullbreeze especially. The she-cat just a general disinterest in conversation, but it always seemed especially bad around Embersky himself. He knew the contempt that some of the other clans had for himself and his family, but he usually just let the dark glares and bitter comments slide off his back. Besides, Whitestar and FireClan were Dawnstar's strongest allies at present. Though that didn't mean the rest of the Clan had the same opinions. He hoped that Dawnstar had some plan to counteract the dissent that would come from trying to merge BreezeClan and FireClan together.

He kept an eye on Albatrosspaw. He knew that his apprentice didn't like the Gatherings, and he didn't want the young tom to feel bothered by the prickliness of the other cats present. He seemed to be looking around for someone in particular as they got settled though. Embersky filed that information away in the back of his mind for later, if Albatrosspaw had made friends with one of the apprentices in another clan, there might be a way to gather information for Dawnstar.

At the clipped response from Gullbreeze, Adderpaw glanced upwards towards her mentor with a similar frown on her face. Though she met her gaze with Albatrosspaw a short moment later and it looked faintly apologetic.

It was a struggle for Embersky not to let his whiskers twitch in amusement. An apprentice apologizing, even nonverbally, for the actions of her mentor. The small she-cat was the newest apprentice of the bunch and he could tell that she didn't have the same understanding of her mentors disposition around the other medicine cats. "That's good to hear." He kept his response short to avoid further conversation with the FireClan cat.

His ears swiveled backwards, followed shortly by his head, as Sagecloud and Eaglepaw padded up quickly. The younger tom briefly bumped shoulders with Albatrosspaw and sent a faint grin at the white and gray tom before settling down next to his mentor. How both of RainClan's medicine cats could always be in such a good mood he had no idea. Eaglepaw was like a miniature version of Sagecloud, in the best possible way he supposed.

He was about to wave off Sagecloud's apology before the yowl from Whitestar stopped him. He followed every cats gaze in the clearing as the chatter began to quiet down for brief moment to let the leader speak. The silence didn't last long though as Whitestar gave over the first spot in the Gathering to his mother.

"It's alright," he glanced down to meet Albatrosspaw's gaze, "The other clans are just afraid of the strength of our bond with FireClan, so they don't like Whitestar letting us go first." He also knew that Dawnstar was going to be revealing a part of her plan tonight, but he didn't want to reveal anything in front of the other medicine cats.

He turned his attention back to the ledge at the front of the clearing as the slender form of his mother stepped towards the front. He could see the narrowed gaze of Spiderstar from behind her and felt a brief flash of concern that the broad tom was preparing to lunge at Dawnstar the moment she said something he didn't like. Embersky quickly shook the thoughts free though as Dawnstar began to speak.

"Thank you, Whitestar," she dipped her head respectfully to the white tom. "BreezeClan has been doing well this past moon, we have two new apprentices here at the Gathering tonight, Lionpaw and Scorchpaw," she waited a moment for the faint calls of congratulations to fade away before continuing. "We've had no troubles around our borders, and while that would normally bring my announcements to a close I have something else to discuss."

Confused chatter began once again and Dawnstar waited until it died down before continuing, "BreezeClan is strong, as are all of our clans, so why is it that we continue to remain separate and risk our strength being reduced by petty squabbles across borders? Whitestar and I have been discussing the possibility of merging BreezeClan and FireClan into one." At this announcement the murmurs erupted into yowls of anger and resistance.

Spiderstar sprang to his paws from where he sat next to Coyotestar, pelt bristling, "You can't do this Dawnstar! StarClan would never allow it! The clans have always been separate for as long as we've been on this island."

Yowls from DarkClan agreed with their leader and bristling pelts began to rise in the crowd as narrowed gazes and barred teeth were sent in the direction of the BreezeClan cats.

[Marlowe]

Albatrosspaw was comforted with the presence of the other apprentices around him. Even though he was nervous, Eaglepaw's friendly disposition forced a slight smile onto his maw, and Adderpaw had always been polite to him. Thankfully, his mentor's words also comforted him as well. Whitestar definitely knew what he was doing, letting Dawnstar go first. The she-cat might be his aunt, though she frightened her in a way that wasn't normal. It was hard to be comfortable around her, especially when she had a daughter like Barricudashade. Even now, he could see their deputy below their leader, scanning the clearing with a sly gaze. She's going to be a problem when she's leader, Albatrosspaw shuddered.

Dawnstar's primary statement was ordinary as ever. Some cats shouted out the new apprentices' names with pride, though many decided to stay silent. He felt bad for Lionpaw and Scorchpaw. Just because cats didn't like Dawnstar didn't mean they had to take it out on apprentice. Her second statement, though, made him perk up entirely. Albatrosspaw hadn't heard of this until now! He tossed a glance at the other medicine cats. Sagecloud's jaw had dropped open, while Rainwhisker glared at the BreezeClan leader like he wanted to shove deathberries in her fish.

Coyotestar's voice quickly joined Spiderstar's. Her yellow eyes narrowed at Whitestar and Dawnstar. "Not only does this go against tradition, but merging both FireClan and BreezeClan will only prove a threat to DarkClan and RainClan." The older she cat's voice dripped with poison as she spoke, her bushy tail lashing back and forth.

"Just because we choose to merge does not mean that we are going to attack your Clans. Like Dawnstar said, our problems will be solved if we simply become one Clan. But if you choose to remain on your own, so be it." Whitestar rumbled. After a moment of silence, he cast his gaze up into the sky. "If StarClan is so against our idea, then why don't they cover the moon with clouds?"

Albatrosspaw followed his gaze. Just as Whitestar said, the sky was clear and shimmering with stars. The moon remained unobstructed by clouds. In fact, it seemed to glow more than ever!

[PrankFox]

The dissent was expected in Embersky's opinion. He could hear the low growls and see the narrowed eyes from the opposite side of the clearing where DarkClan and RainClan sat in solidarity with each other. He knew this announcement was coming, Dawnstar had spoken with him at length about it to see if he had any signs from StarClan saying that it would end badly for everyone involved. He hadn't had any dreams or recieved any omens that told him his mother shouldn't go through with her plan. It would solve problems for both FireClan and BreezeClan. They could share resources, the medicine cats could travel freely between clans offering aid where it was needed, and they would need to worry less about prey because there would be so much more space to hunt. Not to mention the clan divides would be completely negated since everyone could go where they desired. It made perfect sense in his mind, but it seemed the other leaders didn't have the same depth of vision for the future.

He could see the shock and rage on some of the other medicine cats faces. Both Eaglepaw and Adderpaw were looking to their mentors for some kind of sign, open confusion on their faces. Cloudwing was still sat with his fluffy tail around his paws, but his gaze was wide and no longer friendly as he looked back at Embersky and Albatrosspaw. Fools. They just didn't understand the brilliance of it. Once they saw how much FireClan and BreezeClan flourished together they'd be begging to be brought into the fold.

There was a smug sort of satisfaction present on Dawnstar's face as the moon remained bright, though it was well hidden behind a façade of insistence. "We don't have intention of causing trouble for anyone else. We will simply be stronger together and with the ability to freely cross borders and share supplies the likelihood of deaths within our clans plummets." Her tail twitched with annoyance, "Like Whitestar said, you can remain as you are and we will cause no trouble for you. FireClan will remain on their territory and BreezeClan on ours, we're simply breaking down borders for the good of everyone." She gazed up at the sky before looking back towards the other two leaders "Even StarClan agrees."

Spiderstar's tail lashed, "You cannot speak for StarClan, only the medicine cats can do that with any authority! You have placed your own son in that position in order to ensure you hear what you want!" The dark tom looked about ready to lunge at Dawnstar's throat as the cats in the clearing below sent narrow-eyed glares at those who they previously saw as friends.

The cries of outrage had fallen back into murmurs as the leaders argued on the ledge. Embersky could hear some of the cats from other clans pondering what Dawnstar had said, though there were also mixed voices from their own side that questioned what Whitestar was thinking. War was not Dawnstar's want or intention, she had told him as much herself, but it seemed that the divides between clans and clanmates would only continue to grow in the coming moons.

[Marlowe]

StarClan, he hated this. The way that other cats were staring at him and Embersky made his pelt prickle. He glanced at Adderpaw and Cloudpaw, relieved that they were looking at the older medicine cats rather than them. Sagecloud's expression had clearly changed, a scowl marring his jaw as he glared up at Dawnstar and Whitestar. Gullbreeze, on the other paw, yawned and looked just as bored as ever. Oh, if only he could slip away and run all of the way back home, he certainly would. He was half-tempted to tell Embersky he didn't want to go to Gatherings for a while, after this, but he was frightened what Dawnstar would think. Why were cats even acting like they were the bad guys, anyway? He didn't think it was that good of an idea, but it wasn't like Dawnstar and Whitestar would force the other Clans to join them. They even said they wouldn't!

Whitestar yowled again. "That is enough! We did not come here to argue. We only wished to deliver the news to the rest of the Clans on the other side of the island." His fur, once smooth and solid against his lithe figure, had puffed up a bit as his eyes blazed. He whirled around to Spiderstar. "If StarClan was so against our plans, then they would have reached out to every medicine cat across the four Clans-- perhaps even warriors or apprentices, leaders as well. Has anyone had any dreams? Surely you would have brought it up by now!"

"Your words are full of cunning, Whitestar," Coyotestar hissed back. Her eyes blazed as she stared at both of the leaders. "You may do as you wish, but I don't want to have relations with a Clan that goes against the very tradition that we were all raised on."

"Like we said, no one is forcing you to do so," the leader of FireClan flicked his tail. His voice was tinged with the remnants of frustration.

Coyotestar snarled again. "Then I say this Gathering is over."

The large white tom dipped his head. "Very well. Perhaps we shall see each other in the next moon."

"Perhaps, though I would not count on RainClan being there when it happens," the she-cat growled before rising up from her seat and leaping to the ground below.

Albatrosspaw's eyes flicked across the rows of stirring cats. Each respective Clan was slowly trickling out, though he still caught a heated glare from both RainClan and DarkClan cats. StarClan, even some FireClan cats glowered at them like they were enemies. His tail fluffed out, and he felt the fur along his back begin to rise. Luckily, before he asked Embersky if they could leave, Sagecloud got up to his paws and gazed at them with an unreadable expression.

"Goodbye. We'll see each other on the half-moon, at least?" He looked to the other medicine cats wearily.

Gullbreeze shrugged and got up to her paws before stretching out her slender body. "I suppose."

The white and gray apprentice looked up at his mentor. He prayed that he would be reasonable and treat the other medicine cats amiably. He didn't know what would happen if they all started hating each other as well. Something terrible, I think, he thought to himself. Albatrosspaw frowned, ducking behind Embersky and flicking his tail nervously.

[PrankFox]

What a mess. Duskpaw sat next to Finchwhisker towards the back of the Gathering, her dark pelt causing her to blend into the stone behind her. She had heard whispers in FireClan that Whitestar had been planning something crazy with their neighbors, but she had no idea that this is what they meant. Amberpaw had told her she overheard some conversation that the two leaders had been having while she was cleaning out the elders den, but she hadn't believed her at the time. Now she wished she had.

She kept her eyes fixed on the ledge where the leaders stood. They looked like they were about to attack each other. Wouldn't that be exciting. Whitestar sounded about as frustrated and angry as she had ever heard him. Their leader had a temper, that was for sure, but she hadn't expected to hear it at a Gathering. She tried to ignore the prickling of her pelt as the DarkClan and RainClan cats stared from across the other side of the clearing as tensions continued to rise upon the rocky ledge.

Dawnstar kept her mouth shut as Whitestar made their point clear. She seemed content enough to let him take the brunt of the anger from the other two clan leaders, though it didn't seem that Spiderstar had any retort to what it was that the FireClan leader had said. Instead he lashed his tail in anger and barred his teeth at the white-furred leader.

"I'm in agreement with Coyotestar. Whatever peace we may have had with your clans is over, and if we find either of your clans scents near our border beyond the usual patrols we will consider it a declaration of war," Spiderstar glared at Whitestar in particular as he stood and leapt to the ground after the RainClan leader with the deputies close behind.

As the Gathering was called to a close Duskpaw waited for her mentor to stand and move away before she ducked behind some stones and began to slip towards where she had seen the medicine cats sitting. She hadn't been able to see Albatrosspaw before everything began, but she could at least get a quick word in. She felt her heart race just a bit faster at the idea of seeing the other apprentice, though she wasn't sure exactly why. She caught the tail end of what Sagecloud said and Gullbreeze's response as she crouched in the shadows.

"I'll be there," Cloudwing told Sagecloud, "medicine cats are meant to be removed from things like this so we can continue to do our duties." His voice had lost the warmth that it usually held though, and he refused to look any of the other medicine cats in the eyes as he stood and pulled Rainwhisker along to join up with Spiderstar.

She watched the other apprentices stand to follow after their mentors as Embersky also pushed himself onto white paws. "We will be there as well. As Cloudwing said, our duties as medicine cats are above the squabbling of leaders." His voice was mild, but there was a slight undertone of annoyance to it that likely came from the immediate backlash from the other clans. He spoke quietly to Albatrosspaw, so much so that she had to prick her ears to hear what he said, "Come on, don't let them get to you. There's nothing they can do to hurt you here other than glare," as the smaller tom ducked behind his mentor.

An additional beat passed as Embersky stood to wait for Dawnstar's signal that they were to leave as well, she was still up on the ledge speaking quietly to Whitestar. It gave Duskpaw the opportunity to creep up behind Albatrosspaw, out of sight of his mentor, to bat at his tail with one dark furred paw. Hey! she whispered loudly at him with a toothy grin, "Come here a second." She flicked her tail in the direction she had come from, a shadowy space behind some taller stones, and backed up into the shadows to wait.

[Marlowe]

But the glares were the worst part! At least, that was what Albatrosspaw wanted to tell Embersky as he kept his gaze to the ground. How did he even feel knowing that cats from other Clans talked about him behind his back? He had to care at least a little, right? His tail twitched back and forth as he shuffled his paws. At least the Gathering was over and they could all go home now. He couldn't wait to get back to his warm den and just sleep the rest of the night. Maybe Embersky would be nice enough and let him sleep in a little longer than usual. He remained silent as the other medicine cats went away with their own Clans, once again thankful they left. He wondered if FireClan and BreezeClan would travel home together or not.

He perked up a little at the sound of a familiar voice. Albatrosspaw turned towards Duskpaw, his heart immediately becoming unburdened by the sight of his old friend. Glancing up at Embersky for a moment, he slipped away from the older tom and slunk over to where Duskpaw was. The rocks provided shelter from the sight of other cats, which was marvelous. He was almost smothered by the other cats on that specific Gathering. Next time he'd have to find a chance to slip away even sooner than he did now. Who knows what would happen if he didn't? He might get clawed when Embersky wasn't looking.

Thankfully, he as able to swallow his discomfort once he sat down on the ground in front of Duskpaw. "Where were you all this time?" he asked in a hushed voice. "I thought the other two Clans were going to attack us."

The thought sent a chill up his spine, however unlikely that it was to happen. Then again, with how crazy things have been all of this time, he wouldn't be surprised if cats started to shred each other's pelts at one of the next Gatherings, truce or not. And, unfortunately for Spiderstar and Coyotestar, BreezeClan and FireClan were fated to win such a battle. They were the strongest Clans with the best territories, after all.

[PrankFox]

There was always a chance that Embersky would turn around at an inopportune moment, but Duskpaw knew that he would be more focused on Dawnstar rather than what his apprentice was doing. She stayed crouched in the shadows, tail flicking lightly across the ground, as she waited for Albatrosspaw to come and join her behind the stone. She wasn't completely sure if he'd be able to slip away though so when he came to join her she perked up.

"I was here, just sitting in the back with Finchwhisker," she twitched her whiskers in amusement, "Have my stealth skills gotten that good that I'm no longer visible?" She teased him lightly, mostly because she could tell he was nervous about what had just happened. He always needed to loosen up a little bit and she had made it her personal goal to make sure that he at least had some kind of fun every so often. Embersky was a good medicine cat, but he was very serious most of the time and that wasn't fun.

She frowned as he spoke though, "Yeah everyone was really angry, but I guess it makes sense. No one likes when things change, but I think they're just stuck in their ways." Sure things were going fine now, but there were always so many problems. It was a crazy idea but Whitestar hadn't let them astray yet, so she'd trust his judgement until something else more interesting came along. She shrugged, "Even if they do try to start something we're stronger and StarClan didn't have anything to complain about."

All this talk about war and stuff was starting to make her pelt prickle a little bit. She perked up a bit, "Hey, if we're technically a part of the same clan now that means we could see each other more." No one would be able to fuss at them for going across borders anymore. She really liked Albatrosspaw and wanted to help the shy tom come out of his shell a little bit more. Even if they didn't have a lot of time she was glad she at least got to talk to him.

"Did you know anything about this? Dawnstar is your aunt and Embersky is her son so," she didn't know how much he'd be able to tell her. She really wanted to ask if he had had any dreams about it, but she was pretty sure she heard from Adderpaw at some point that they weren't allowed to talk about their dreams, which was dumb. If StarClan hadn't covered the moon, and they had sent dreams, then maybe this really was what they were supposed to do. The other leaders wouldn't be able to do anything if it was what StarClan wanted right?

[Marlowe]

Albatrosspaw felt himself calm down a bit now that Duskpaw was speaking. It was so nice to be around her, or any friend in general, especially with what transpired just a few heartbeats prior. StarClan, she was so close to him and he hadn't even noticed her before! Had he been that preoccupied? Or had the other medicine cats just blocked his view? He shook his head as he felt his pelt warm up. If that had been the case, then that was just plain embarrassing... He chose to groom himself as she spoke, hoping to cover up the reddish color that flooded his skin.

Her last couple of remarks, however, made him perk up a bit. Yeah, they could visit one another much more often now. The cats of their respective Clans were already harsh enough on them for meeting up at the border, and were even worse when they crossed it to talk. They were just friends; what were they going to do, run away together? He was a medicine cat! He had to stay and help Embersky take care of BreezeClan. The thought of running away somewhere and going on adventures with someone was an exciting one, though. He once again broke out of his daze when she asked him a question that made his own pelt begin to prickle.

"They didn't tell me anything. But I guess it makes sense if she just told Barricudashade and Embersky..." He pawed at the ground as the tip of his tail begin to twitch. He was related to them, but only through his dad, and his dad and Dawnstar never got along. Well, he guessed he knew now. "I just hope this decision makes all of the Clans strong, not just ours."

[PrankFox]

Duskpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement as Albatrosspaw ducked his head down to groom rather than continue to look at her. She could almost feel the embarrassed heat radiating from the gray and white tom, but she wasn't about to mention it. She would tease him later when there was less tension swirling around. She was concerned about what Whitestar was thinking, aligning himself with BreezeClan like he had, but she wasn't going to go against her leaders decision. Not unless she had a really good reason to do so. She would sit back and watch as she always did to see what happened. That was how she collected all her gossip and so far a lot of it hadn't been completely false. If only she had really listened to the conversations going on whenever Dawnstar had come to camp. She should have known something was up.

She was glad to see the shy apprentice perk up a bit at the prospect of them getting to see each other more. It made her pelt heat up a bit and her tail twitched slightly. She really liked Albatrosspaw, despite Amberpaw telling her that spending time with him was a straight line to some kind of disaster. She could just consider him a friend right? He was a medicine cat so even if she did want something to come about between them it wasn't going to happen. Not unless she wanted to get him in huge trouble, which was the last thing she wanted. No, for now she'd just accept being a friend as much as she thought she might want something more.

"Well if Spiderstar and Coyotestar can shake the bugs out of their brains then we could all be strong together." She wasn't sure how Whitestar or Dawnstar was going to convince the other two, but what BreezeClan's leader had said made sense. Sure the clans had always been separate, but what if that was the wrong way to be? With everyone sharing territory, prey, herbs, and knowledge they wouldn't have to worry so much about going hungry or losing clanmates to preventable illness. She was just an apprentice though so what did she know.

Her ears swiveled backwards slightly as she heard Finchwhisker's voice calling for her. She stood from where she was crouched behind the rock and shook out her pelt. The waterfalls were nice, but they did send mists into the air that settled on her fur. "I should go before I get yelled at," her tail twitched, "Again." She couldn't help herself as she took a step towards Albatrosspaw and licked his cheek before turning and bounding off to join up with the rest of her clan, "I'll talk to you later!" She called over her shoulder before she caught up with Finchwhisker.

Amberpaw gave her a narrow-eyed look as Duskpaw dropped into step with the sandy she-cat, "What were you doing?"

She had told the other apprentice about her friendship with Albatrosspaw, but she was still suspicious that there was something more going on between the two of them. She rolled her eyes as she flicked the other she-cat with her tail. "I was just talking to Albatrosspaw. He seemed afraid after all the hostility, so I wanted to make sure he was alright." She could feel the blue eyes burning into her pelt as she was scrutinized, but Amberpaw finally just shrugged. She let out a mental sigh of relief as she sped up to keep step with her clanmates back to the cliffs.

[Marlowe]

Maybe Duskpaw was right. Maybe the other Clans just had cotton for brains. What was so bad about being just one big giant Clan? They could have all of the coast for themselves, and there wouldn't be any worrying about prey ever again. His mind wracked for any downsides; sure Barricudashade and Dawnstar were sort of hostile, and they'd cause trouble, but if they all worked together they'd just be easier to punish, right? The same thing could be said for anyone else. That was why he liked to talk to Duskpaw. She made him realize that he was overthinking things way too often.

He couldn't help but feel a bit disappointed when Duskpaw said she had to go. Albatrosspaw didn't even have the chance to say goodbye before she darted off. She always did that. Great. He felt his fur prickle when he realized that he should probably get back to Embersky. Had his mentor realized that he had snuck off? Hopefully not. He hated getting yelled at. Shaking out his fur, he made his way back to where he last saw him. Luckily, the medicine cat hadn't gotten too far.

"Are we leaving yet?" he asked him, his tail swaying behind him slightly as he turned his gaze to the floor. Now that he was finally away from Duskpaw, he really wanted to go home. The Gathering had taken a lot more out of him than usual.

[PrankFox]

Finally Dawnstar hopped down from the ledge and approached the rest of BreezeClan with her tail waving high in the air and a satisfied smile on her maw. Embersky perked up a bit as his mother approached them. "That could have gone better," he told the calico she-cat as she began to gather up the rest of the clan. He didn't notice Albatrosspaw slinking off towards the rocks since he was a bit too focused on what it was that his mother had to say.

"It also could have gone worse," Dawnstar looked up towards the sky where the moon still shone brightly and cast its silver light down on the clearing. "StarClan did not give any indication of disapproval which means that Spiderstar's argument has no standing." There was a very self-satisfied tone to her voice as she spoke to Embersky and it was obvious enough, at least to her son, that this was exactly what she had expected to happen. Maybe even what she wanted to happen despite what she said to the other leaders about not wanting conflict to rise up.

Embersky looked down at his apprentice as the young tom spoke up. He felt the pull of sympathy for Albatrosspaw as he saw the exhaustion in his stance. "Yes we are," he told him with a more gentle tone of voice than he had been speaking to Dawnstar with. He looked back towards his mother and gave her a nod which she returned before flicking her tail and gathering the clan up to leave. They were the last to depart, which may have been a good thing. There was no reason for them to run off and make it seem like they were scared of the retribution from the other clans. They had the backing of FireClan along with their own warriors, so no threats made would be enough. Not unless RainClan and DarkClan decided to make an alliance, but doing something like that would only prove what Dawnstar had said. They were stronger together.

"I'm sorry I didn't warn you about the announcement tonight, or try to prepare you for the backlash," Embersky's voice was genuine as he spoke quietly to his apprentice on their way back to the shore, "Dawnstar asked us not to tell anyone unless she had already done so." He did wish that he had been able to tell Albatrosspaw. They were still family after all and it didn't feel right keeping it from him, but he understood his mother's reasons. The more cats that knew the more risk that word got out before they wanted it to. "I hope you understand we didn't do it maliciously, just for safety."

He hoped that his apprentice would be understanding, and if not then he had done everything in his power to smooth things over, at least verbally. At present he was mostly looking forward to getting to sleep and waiting to see what kind of announcement Dawnstar would make to the rest of the clan in the morning.

[Marlowe]

A wave of relief washed over Albatrosspaw when Embersky said that they were to leave for him. Dawnstar and his mentor looked as tired as him, if not even more so. The twitching of his tail stopped as they started their trek back home. The cats of BreezeClan were not happy about what transpired that night-- even now he saw Goldensight whispering something to Beetlestep with such a spiteful intensity, he thought that he was going to start yelling. Swiftwind's eyes seemed distant even as she picked over the terrain with her long, slender legs. He hoped that his Clanmates wouldn't cause any problems with DarkClan or RainClan during the border patrols. He was sure that no one was in the mood for war, but he heard stories about border spats from the senior warriors. Sometimes they became very bloody.

He perked up when Embersky spoke again, his eyes wide. "I was guessing it was something like that..." Albatrosspaw replied. His shoulders relaxed as he offered the other tom a smile. "Cats talk about stuff all the time, so it was bound to slip if Dawnstar or you had said anything about it."

Albatrosspaw found himself walking at a less burdened pace, turning his gaze back to the front of their Clan. Yeah, he guessed everyone was unhappy for the time being. But things were going to get better. The coast would never be the same with FireClan and BreezeClan side by side. Even now, the moon remain unclouded above their heads. StarClan had to be proud of them.

The morning sun shone bright above the clouds as the ocean's waves licked the sand. Frostpaw watched the foam bubble on the shore as she remained crouched behind a rock. The sight of the water was peaceful, though she know how deadly it could be if she chose to dive down into its depths during low tide. Her mother had told her stories of the strongest of swimmers being taken by the ocean or what lurked beneath the current. But it was just so warm, so much so that her pelt was growing warm beneath the golden rays of sunlight. She shook out her fur before she once again allowed her gaze to drift towards the sporadic movements on the shore. A small flock of black-tipped seagulls were scoured the sands in search of crabs. It was amusing to her to see such slow-brained birds work so hard for their food. On the other paw, they knew exactly where to look for their prey. Maybe it was instinct rather than smarts?

She watched as one of the seagulls walked closer to where she lay crouched. Its beady eyes were focused on the ground for a moment before it bent over to stick its beak into the sand. That was when Frostpaw sprang out from her hiding place and leapt upon the occupied bird. It scrambled to get away, squawking all the while, but Frostpaw was big and strong enough to pin it to the ground and kill it with a quick bite. The taste of its blood made her stomach growl, but she resisted the temptation to eat right there and then. Nightwater would have her tail if she scented prey on her breath.

Frostpaw walked back to camp, the seagull hanging limply from her jaws. I wonder when Nightwater will tell Dawnstar I'm ready to become a warrior, she thought. It had been moons since she was made an apprentice, but she never really had any outright combat experience outside of sparring with the other apprentices. Either way, she had to be ready enough-- she could feel it in her claws. The striped she-cat trotted to a wall of rocks that were reinforced with shells and ivy. The edges of the shells glinted in the sun, their cracked edges practically daring anyone to try and climb over them. That was another thing about living on the shore-- it always provided the Clan everything it needed.

She walked over to an entrance tunnel, which had been hidden by a small outcropping of rocks and seagrass, and slipped inside. The Clan's camp was nothing special. The sandy beach floor rested beneath an open sky, and each den was built out of a combination of driftwood and stones that were able to be pushed through the tunnel. Frostpaw felt lucky that it was her ancestors that had built all of this for them-- she couldn't imagine pushing and pulling stones all day under the sun. Many of her Clanmates were already awake by now, talking among themselves as they basked under the sun. The Gathering last night really was something, A bored sigh left her as she padded over to the fresh-kill pile and dropped her catch at the very top. How come when I go to the stupid things, they're always boring?

[PrankFox]

There was a small amount of concern prickling at Embersky's mind as he looked around his clanmates on their walk back to the shore. He could see the rage in many of them, especially the two brothers. He knew that Dawnstar didn't want any kind of war. She had told him that explicitly and had said the same thing during the Gathering itself. He knew that the clan was upset about the way that the other two had reacted, but he hoped that they would be able to hold in their rage. The last thing they needed was a war when they were trying to advocate for peace and unity across all the clans.

A smile crossed the older toms face as he saw his apprentice relax a bit. He was worried about what Albatrosspaw's reaction would be to the whole thing. He expected the nerves but he had feared anger that they hadn't told him, despite the fact that he was a member of the family just as much as the rest of them. "I'm glad you understand. I'll try to keep you a bit more in the loop from now on if I can."

He just hoped that everything went alright in the coming moons. If they could perhaps convince the other clans to at least be civil they might have a chance. Just maybe. If anyone could convince the other clans that this was the way forward, the way to a more prosperous future for all of them, it was Dawnstar. His mother might be called manipulative by some of the other clans, but he knew that she had the island's best interests in mind. She just wanted her clan to be strong. He would have to speak with her again though, just to make sure he knew what she had in mind.

It was a beautiful morning despite the chaos that was the Gathering the night before. Lionpaw had been lucky, or unlucky depending on who was as, to be there and see everything go down. It still make his pelt prickle with excitement when he thought about all the tense stares and arguing that had happened on the ledge between the leaders. He knew that he should probably be more concerned about what had happened, and the fact that both the other clans were probably tempted to fight against Dawnstar now that she'd made this alliance. He'd chattered excitedly to Scorchpaw until his brother had looked like he was about to smack him so they could go to sleep.

He was sitting off to the side of one of the clearings a little ways up the beach nearby where the tidepools formed. The area had been ringed off with stone and driftwood to make a sort of ring where the apprentices could spar. He had already finished for the day, but he wanted to wait for Reedpaw so that they could walk back together. He let his mind drift as the sun warmed his golden fur. His ear swiveled backwards as he heard a seagull squawking further up the beach. Someone out on hunting patrol most likely. Thank StarClan that's not me. He was abysmal at hunting on the sand. Everything shifted underneath his feet too much and he could never get enough push to hit his target. He knew he just needed practice, but it still sucked.

Once Reedpaw was done he sprang to his paws, "Looking a little sloppy today Reedpaw," he teased the silver tabby, "I could give you a few pointers you know," he bumped his shoulder with her as she scowled at him. He knew there was no heat behind it, but still ducked as she swiped at his head with a sheathed paw.

"Shut up Lionpaw. You're bigger and stronger than me," she gave him a sly smile, "How about I offer you some pointers in hunting? Seems like you're still kinda sloppy."

"Oh really? That'd be great!" Lionpaw told the other apprentice, either oblivious to the fact she was teasing him, or perfectly aware of what he was doing. It was hard to tell, but the glint in his amber eyes suggested the latter. He laughed at the surprised expression on her face as they finally pushed their way through the rocks and grass into camp still chatting brightly. Lionpaw looked around camp to see who was out and about that he could talk to. Waveheart lounged on the sands outside the nursery keeping careful watch on her three kits as they tumbled about. They were getting big, almost old enough to be apprentices themselves, but not quite yet. He didn't see his brother, but he did see Frostpaw by the fresh-kill pile and trotted over to her.

"How's it going Frostpaw?" He asked the older apprentice. "Has Nightwater told you when your assessment is gonna be yet?" He wasn't sure exactly how it was decided when they became a warrior. He was pretty sure he remembered it being whenever your mentor thought you were ready, but he was pretty sure age had something to do with it as well. Still, he wanted to see a warrior ceremony and Frostpaw was one of the best of them in his opinion.

[Marlowe]

Her ear swiveled back at Lionpaw's approach, turning soon after he asked his question. Her tail lashed once, his very query making her pelt prickle with annoyance. She was never an unkind cat-- many of her Clanmates would say that she could be a little hot-tempered. "No, I haven't. I don't even know where she is." she said with a downwards twist of her maw. Despite her age, Lionpaw seemed even bigger than her. While she usually liked him no matter how cotton-brained he could be, she preferred to be alone at the moment. She signaled her annoyance with another flick of her tail, her icy glare focused on him like she blamed him for her troubles. Before she could say anything else, she caught a flash of black and reddish fur pass by. Her fur bristled with alarm.

"What is Brightflow doing in camp?" she hissed.

The FireClan cat strolled up to their freshkill pile, cast a bemused glance at the fresh-caught fish, then looked up to the top of the pile. He licked his lips as he took the seagull she had just caught and trotted off without a worry in the world. What was worse was that the cats that laid around doing nothing didn't seem to be bothered by his bold behavior. Frostpaw turned her head to look at Lionpaw, her jaw half-open. "He just took my seagull!"

[PrankFox]

Lionpaw might be somewhat dense, but he could tell that Frostpaw wasn't happy with his presence. Still there wasn't really anyone else around to talk to, so he wanted to stick around despite the tail lashing he could see. He could also tell that he'd hit a sore spot by asking when she was going to get her warrior name. He frowned as well though when she said she didn't know where her mentor was. "That's weird, she didn't tell you to go out hunting or say you were gonna train today or something?" Cranesong always made sure to come to him and tell him what it was that they would be doing. Her glare was making his pelt prickle slightly, but he knew that she didn't really mean anything by it.

He immediately tensed when he saw her fur start to bristle and went to ask her what was wrong when she spoke. His head swiveled towards the entrance to camp as the FireClan cat strolled up like there wasn't a problem with him wandering into another clans camp. His jaw went slack as Brightflow just snatched the seagull from the top of the fresh-kill pile. His brain caught up to the action though and he perked up, "Did you not hear? At the Gathering last night Dawnstar made an announcement that FireClan and BreezeClan were merging into one clan," his tail waved across the sand, "He's allowed to be here, but that also means we could walk over to their camp and take their stuff without getting in trouble."

It was rude to take the seagull that Frostpaw had just caught, but someone else in the clan could've done the same thing. No one else seemed to be bothered by it, he wondered if Dawnstar had called a clan meeting while they were out training to let everyone who wasn't at the Gathering know what was going on. Either that or the word had gotten around camp and Frostpaw had just missed it.

"Maybe Dawnstar will say something? I don't exactly know how the whole thing is supposed to work, but I think that there's basically no borders between us anymore," he shrugged, "We're the same clan now." He looked over to where Reedpaw was staring at Brightflow as she came padding up to the other two apprentices.

Her mouth was turned downwards, "This is super weird. I don't think I'd want to just wander over to FireClan and hang out with them." She shook her head, "I hope Dawnstar knows what she's doing."

[Marlowe]

Wait, what? They were the same Clan, now? Her tail shivered in shock. That whole thing was... ridiculous? Cool? Was it even a good thing? Frostpaw sent another glance towards the fresh-kill pile. It seemed full enough. If FireClan and BreezeClan had merged, that would bring in more prey for both of them. That, and they could learn things from each other, right? Despite the fact it all seemed fine and well with everyone, even her, there was something deep inside that made her feel like this was just a little bit wrong. Maybe it was just her being negative.

"Whatever..." She gave her shoulder a nervous lick. "It's not like we can tell Dawnstar and Whitestar 'no'. We're only apprentices."

Oh, that was right. She still had to go and see if she could find Nightwater. Her stomach still grumbled as she looked around camp. There was Goldensight and Beetlestep sharing tongues in the bright sunlight, then there was Albatrosspaw carrying some moss to the medicine den. Barricudashade was eating a big fish in the shadow of the camp's walls. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw a flash of long black fur. There she was! "Let's go," she told Reedpaw and Lionpaw as she strode in the direction of her mentor.

"Nightwater!" she called, "Can I ask you something?"

[PrankFox]

The prospect of the three of them trying to tell two clan leaders what to do made Lionpaw snort. "Even if we were warriors I doubt we'd be able to march up to them and say what a fish-brained idea it is." He was still somewhat unsure if it would even be viable in the long run, but at the same time he did see the convenience to the idea. They had more allies to help them in the event they got into a fight with either RainClan or DarkClan and they didn't need to worry about the border with FireClan anymore. They could share prey and herbs with each other, and the fact that they could make genuine friends in FireClan now without having to worry about potentially needing to tear their pelt off was nice.

He could see the trepidation in both Frostpaw and Reedpaw, but he couldn't help the little bit of excitement at the idea. Sure it was rude to march into camp and steal someone else's prey, but he was sure they would get used to it. If Dawnstar thought it was a good idea then it must be ok right? Whitestar thought it was a good idea too and that was a pretty solid vote of confidence in his opinion. He lifted his head up as Frostpaw spoke about finding her mentor. He wasn't sure where Cranesong had gotten off to, but Reedpaw's mentor was sitting with his brother. Redtalon was walking into camp with Tinysplash and Otterfang off of what he assumed was a patrol and Dawnstar was actively talking to Embersky under the shade of the heavy driftwood that made up the leader's den and perch for meetings.

Reedpaw gave him a curious look, unsure as to what they older apprentice was getting at dragging them along to speak with her mentor, but she just shrugged her shoulders as Lionpaw hauled himself onto his feet. He shook the sand out of his golden pelt and padded after Frostpaw as she approached the long-furred black she-cat that was her mentor. Lionpaw had always admired the silent sort of strength that she seemed to possess, but he was glad she wasn't his mentor. He liked Cranesong, she would at least always tell him what he was supposed to do on the day to day.

Green eyes swept across the three apprentices, with a hint of confusion, as they padded up to her. "Of course Frostpaw," she sat and wrapped her plumy tail around her paws, "What's troubling you?"

[Marlowe]

She couldn't help but tilt her head at Lionpaw's remark. Wasn't that the point of warriors? Just because someone was a leader didn't mean their word was law. If a bunch of a Clan's warriors were upset with their leader, couldn't they just rebel? She was sure that StarClan wouldn't mind. Oh well. It wasn't like a ton of cats were too ruffled up about the whole situation, so there wasn't a point in worrying about it for now. Her mind instead chose to focus on the conversation she had just entered with her mentor. That was what actually mattered at the moment.

"I wanted to know if you talked to Dawnstar about my warrior assessment yet," Frostpaw asked as she settled down in front of her. Her tail curled around her paws as she looked at her with calm, frosty blue eyes. The question might have come out as too direct for some... but Nightwater was her mentor, so she was definitely used to it by now. "I feel like I can help the Clan even more if I'm not stuck doing apprentice duties."

That much was true. It was getting pretty annoying to have warriors look at her weird when she went off to hunt by herself. She swore she saw one or two of the other apprentices from the other Clans snicker at her after they found out she was still an apprentice. She might be a little larger than most of the other apprentices in her Clan, but that didn't mean she was too much older. But StarClan, did the weird looks make her pelt prickle sometimes.