>> wrong is right [p, invited only]

[>>ku.]

   He shivered as he stood there, and it wasn't from the cold. Starclan knew this had all gone wrong. Of course they did, they were the ones who hadn't healed Openstar's wounds, they were the ones who'd stuck him in this position. It wasn't their fault. Whatever they did, they did for a reason, but...He couldn't help but question them now. There was little prey, they hadn't cured a leader, the clans received no guidance from them anymore. Where were they? He for one needed them now more then ever.

   'What am I going to do?'he thought miserably to himself, crouching low at the edge of the camp while he shivered. His fur protected him from the cold, he was only shivering out of fear and...excitement. He'd never even dreamed that this would happen to him. To him! Gingerfur, becoming a leader of his clan...But only because of the death of the old one; and over the deputy. He wanted to earn his position. But how was he to do that now? Shadowstripe would hate him.

   Gingerfur had been thinking about the old leader's choice, and he still had no idea why he'd not picked the other cat. Shadowstripe was liked by the clan, he thought, and he'd been appointed deputy! If nothing else that showed his character. But Swampclan hated him...Maybe that was why Openstar had picked him. So that Birdclan would not be at war with Swampclan. He sighed and shivered, staring acorss the camp as he waited for those he'd asked to join him on the trip to High Den - he'd even asked the Medicine cat! With Whitecough and Greencough in the clan he didn't want to, but he might be needed to speak to Starclan. But it meant the trip must be quick, or Mallowpelt would be missed.

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ooc ; erm, for now they're at the camp, but it'll quickly move onto the den once people get here
word count ; 311
song ; cry me a river ; michael bublé

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[Willow]

Willowbreeze shuddered softly as she felt the tension in the air, but she also shivered purely out of excitement. She had been delighted when Gingerfur had asked her to go along with him. He had also asked her apprentice, Hazelpaw. She grinned as she remembered when she was an apprentice having to go to the high den for the first time. All cats had to go there before they became warriors, and now here she was with her own apprentice going back to see Gingerfur become the new leader of Birdclan.

Willowbreeze peered over at Gingerfur as he crouched low near the edge of the camp. She could tell that he was shivering as well, despite he fact that he had a very thick pelt. She knew that he was more excited than her about this journey, but she also could smell a bit of... fear? She was puzzled for a few moments but then soon remembered Shadowstripe, he was supposed to have become the next Birdclan leader, but Openstar had chosen Gingerfur instead.

She sighed and trotted over to Gingerfur. "How are you feeling, Gingerfur?" She asked softly. She wasn't allowed to call him Gingerstar until after he received his nine lives as a leader. She was worried that he might be in a bit of shock, but shook that idea off as she saw that his eyes were clear and bright. They were not glazed over as she would have thought that they might have been had Gingerfur been in shock. She didn't know much about things like that, she had become a warrior, not a medicine cat, but she did know some basics.

[Prowler]

Hazelpaw padded over to the two adult cats. She remembered when Gingerfur asked her to accompany him to the high den, her heart nearly pounded out of her chest with excitement. She'd never been there before, but it was such an honor to see Gingerfur become the new leader of BirdClan. She was still quite confused about what happened at the previous gathering, but what apprentice wouldn't be? Her right paw still ached a bit from the wound, and she still limped. She had no doubts that she'd be able to recover from the injury, though. After all, if she couldn't, then she would never qualify to become a warrior. And that would crush her.

"I'm here!" the young apprentice mewed happily as she padded to Willowbreeze's side. She smiled at her mentor, but her attention was quickly caught by Gingerfur, who seemed to be unsure of himself. "What's wrong?" she asked gently. Even a she-cat as young as Hazelpaw could tell when someone felt down, or afraid. She purred with delight. "Thank you for asking me to come," she mewed, trying to lighten the mood somewhat.

The entire evening was inspiring her to work harder and earn her warrior name. It saddened her when she realized that it wouldn't happen for five moons, still. She didn't let the thought get her down, though; after all, it was Gingerfur who should've been in the spotlight.

[Icyeh]

Mallowpelt padded alongside Gingerfur, his green eyes troubled. He was not usually so troubled by fighting among the Clans, but this... this was something he couldn't brush aside as another petty squabble over prey and boundaries. This was something entirely new to the Clans -- fighting at a Gathering! -- and he had no idea why StarClan had been so silent about it. They couldn't really have abandoned their descendants, could they? But then, perhaps they had not done so willingly.

The thought made his fur bristle, as he wondered what trouble there could be in StarClan that could force them to abandon their kin to wander in this darkness. Stop it, he told himself fiercely. You're getting far too worked up about this. StarClan is wiser than you; you must trust them as you have always done.

He stifled a sigh; he knew he had to remain calm, or else his Clan would panic even more. If the medicine cat was terrified of this trouble, what would the warriors think? They might take it as a sign that StarClan had forsaken them.

Glancing at the cat beside him, he remembered the Gathering again, and wondered at Openstar's choice. Though Shadowstripe had been born in another Clan, he had certainly proven himself to be loyal to BirdClan. Had Openstar doubted his deputy's commitment to the Clan? If so, why had he not shared his fears with his medicine cat? Mallowpelt wasn't offended by Openstar's lack of communication with him, though he did wonder about it.

Openstar should have joined his ancestors in StarClan, Mallowpelt thought. That is, if he could find his way to StarClan. He tried to push aside the possibility that cats could no longer go to StarClan's hunting grounds when they died, yet he could not ignore StarClan's failure to heal Openstar's terrible wound, on the sacred ground at Three Stones, of all places.

Gingerfur must be able to contact StarClan at High Den! he thought fervently. If leaders can no longer be named, the Clans will fall into chaos. Without the warrior code -- without StarClan -- we are no better than rogues. Mallowpelt was no fool; he knew that the Clans would fall apart without StarClan's guidance. The cats relied so much on the word of their ancestors that they could not govern themselves without it. Faith in StarClan meant that the cats were kept from fighting each other over everything; that fighting instinct went into the protection of the Clans, as well as prey and territory. Without that binding code, the fighting instinct would turn the cats on each other.

Perhaps it is time the Clans learned not to rely on StarClan so much... he mused. Ah well, we are how we are. I've just got to do my duty and take care of the cats governed by StarClan.

His whiskers twitched with faint amusement as he listened to Hazelpaw's cheery mew. He hoped the young apprentice would be able to reach Gingerfur; the new leader of BirdClan had been very quiet since the Gathering, obviously in shock at his sudden push into power. He trusted the ginger tom to not let power go to his head. He did approve of Openstar's choice, though he wondered what his motivations were -- were they to prevent a war with SwampClan in the short term, or because he truly believed that Gingerfur would care for his Clan better than Shadowstripe would have in the long run?

He twitched his tail. Such concerns were not his area of expertise; he was a healer, not a politician.

[>>ku.]

   As Willowbreeze approached he did very little but flick his tail in greeting and mumer something about feeling fine, mind lost in his own thoughts, and his own ramblings. Now, normally he'd be mouthing off someting or other about how beaufitul the she-cat was, how her fur gleamed like morning light, and how her eyes sparkled like stars; or something. But he just...Didn't know what to do. How could he? Something like his had never happened before. Starclan had never done something like this before. He sighed and shook his head, lifting himself to his paws before stretching and rumbling an apologetic purr towards the other warrior.

   ”Sorry got caught up in my own thoughts, Willowbreeze,” he purred, tail swishing behind him as his tone turned flirty as it should have been, eyes glinting at her. Ah, she was a beautiful cat, and he would have spent a little more time telling her how beautiful she was if her apprentice hadn't arrived. ”You are indeed,” he laughed, but it was obviously slightly strained. He didn't feel much like laughing, but he had to be nice to the little kits. For once in his life he actually tried to remember her, tried to evaluate the little kit in front of him. He didn't know much about her at all, let alone her hunting skills, and she had a limp. From the Gathering. He was never going to be very good at this. How was he suposed to pick a Warrior name for her, as a leader, when he knew nothing about her?

   ”Nothing is wrong little apprentice, I am very well,” he meowed to her. 'Considering.' He purred deeply as she thanked him. Well, as much as he'd like to say it was because of who she was that she was coming, it wasn't. Apprentices had to go to high den at least once before they became a Warrior. He just wanted to bring a few along for that. Plus they'd distract him. Nodding his head respectfully to Mallowpelt, the tom sat down, eyes gaxing over the rest of the clan with worry. He'd invited more, but the main worry was Shadowstripe. He'd invited the Deputy to come with them, to see if Starclan chose him, and that Openstar had made a mistake. He just wantd to know.

   ”Let us be off then! We'll head north to the Great Tree to avoid Grassclan's borders and then on towards Icepath,” he announced, leaping to his paws with a shake before turning to pad away, walking sideways for some of it to make sure that the others were following. He was excited, and as long as he was awake, he'd try to only show that. No fear. Just excitement. He purred to himself as he turned to lope slightly faster, always checking on the others. Eventually he slowed, moving from the front to trot besides the kit, head lowered slightly.

”Is this your first trip to High Den, Hazelpaw?” Gingerfur questioned, eyes bright. He couldn't remember his first trip to High Den, just the excitement of it.

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ooc ; ill try and get this done quickly since the next gathering's soon.
word count ; 522
song ; none

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[Willow]

Willowbreeze smiled, now there was the Gingerfur she knew. She could sense his tone was strained, but at least he was making an effort to calm himself down. Gingerfur had always been a natural flirt and so she barely thought about how he flirted with most of the she-cats in camp. He may be a flirt, but he was still a very good warrior, and an excellent choice for a leader. She turned and smiled to her apprentice as Hazelpaw trotted up beside her. "Hello Hazelpaw," She purred happily. She thought of Hazelpaw as a younger sister, and naturally, she felt protective over the young she-cat.

Willowbreeze nodded a welcome to Mallowpelt as he arrived as well. She kept pace alongside the Medicine cat just as Gingerfur kept pace alongside Hazelpaw. "How have you been, Mallowpelt?" She asked the medicine cat eagerly. She remembered how she had once tried out to be a medicine cat, but eventually found out that it wasn't her place at all. She loved her clan dearly, and she had thought that by being a medicine cat she would help her clan out more, but she had been a clumsy medicine cat apprentice. She was surprised that her mentor hadn't put a stop to her training sooner! She smiled as she thought of how she had constantly tripped over things when she was younger.

word count ; 228
character ; Willowbreeze
notes/ooc ; She was a clumsy apprentice, XD