Open Camp DO YOU REALLY, REALLY, REALLY WANNA GO HARD? ♰ rta / gathering gossip

[vampirebite]

A summer cold. That had been what kept Vampirebite out of what had clearly been a night beyond even the simple descriptor of entertaining. They prop their chin on their paws where they're soaking up what paltry sun the pocosin has to offer, bobtail twitching frantically at the join of their sturdy hind legs. Cool mud coats their belly, not necessarily surprising given their current position—sprawled out ungracefully in the middle of camp, a pendulum of mucus still running down the curve of their muzzle.

She peels her neck out of the mud, an ugly stain like dried blood coating her throat. After moons of life in the pocosin and with her rank demanding stealth, Vampirebite no longer bothers to wash the mud out of their moon-white coat. Their face is glassy and unforgiving, and it hardly betrays the irritation simmering under the surface as they punctuate their glacial silence with a sniffle.

A pack of their Clanmates meanders by, and they prop themself on their forelegs and level a dark gaze at them.

" You, "

they demand at random, their voice lilting and far too dramatic for their serene expression.

" or you, I don't particularly care, "

they declare, gesturing between two felines with a mudstained paw.

" One of you must know what exactly transpired at this 'Gathering'. Spill. "

If she could not attend, he will at least have the fullest account he can gather of what happened. There's simply no way he'll rely on hearsay and secondpaw information for something so intriguing; she knows well how easily the waters of Clan gossip can grow muddy.

// Anyone can be the cat(s) they're talking to!​

 

[Mothbite Mothbite]

Still so young, Desperate for attention!

indentttMothbite paws his way back into camp on weary legs. After a night of little sleep and much excitement, he's ready to hit the proverbial haystack. He yawns, loudly, but not loud enough to drown out the voice of the cat calling for him.

indenttt"Would it kill you to be a little nicer? I rank higher than you, you know." He's too tired to put up much of a fight. Besides, Vampirebite is in the direction of the warrior den anyways.

indenttt"It went pretty crazy pretty fast once Skyclan showed up. I couldn't see super well, but other cats are saying they were covered in blood!" His tail and voice both raise alongside his narration. "'Pparently Owlbark killed one of their warriors right before they showed up. They were totally pissed, and wanted a life for a life. Juniperstar gave hers." He yawns, again, and his story begins to peter out. "It was pretty bloody. I sure hope Sablestar and Magpiepaw are okay..."

indentttLazily, he continues his walk past Vampirebite into his den. "Hawthorne showed up too... N' some other stuff happened... probably." His mind is already fading into sleep, drawn forward into the den by the siren song of his soft nest. "The crowd was big, I couldn't see much."

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Mothbite | 23 moons | Shadowclan Nightguardbababbnihfibnfdifdhfhabbabab

 

[MIREPURR]

Mirepurr is often glad for their Clanmates, but following the Gathering, the relief is even more deep-seated. ShadowClan is a million of things, some of which are not so stellar, but it is their home—safety within the dark marshes that others likely scoff and sneer at. The Gathering had left them reeling. The fact that it had started on unstable footing had not been enough; to end in bloodshed has decisively donned it as complete and utter failure. They wonder what Juniperstar thinks and if she regrets her idea at all. They wonder what Sablestar thinks, too, having watched her die without being able to stop it from happening. Never before had Mirepurr thought themself to be like Sablestar: powerless.

They get snapped out of their thoughts, only to plunge right back into political matters. Mirepurr knows it to make sense... everyone is chewing on this until there is nothing left but bone. Still. Their shoulders slump as the subject gets brought up again.

"I am surprised you have not heard,"

they say, the tiniest hint of an edge to their voice. Vampirebite is not particularly pleasant, not when she stops them in this fashion, but at least Mothbite falls victim to her as well. They suppose they can spill those details; they had been unfortunate enough to have attended.

"Hawkstar wanted justice, and in a way, I suppose she got it. I just wonder if it satisfied her."

 

[WOLFPACK]

AND I AM SORRY MY CONSCIENCE CALLED IN SICK AGAIN

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Ah yes, Hawkstars little stunt at the gathering. "I'd hardly call it 'justice'." he commented with a snort. Not that he believed much in things like 'justice' but if he was going to pretend...

"Hawkstar showed up, spouting nonsense about ancient codes and broken laws, claiming she was owed something." he chuckled and shook his head at the absurdity of the notion.

"She wasn't. Owlbark can't be guilty of breaking a law or code that never existed to him or his clan in the first place. The fact that Juniperstar humored her at all is ridiculous. Hawkstars warrior was the trespasser and aggressor- they should've just gone back to their side of the border if they didn't want the consequences of starting a fight."

That was how life worked. If you squared up to something more dangerous than yourself, you were rolling the dice. Sometimes they landed in your favor, and sometimes they didn't. Had Hawkstars warrior been standing in front of a speeding monster, or a snarling dog and chose to make the same decision rather than run, he wondered if the Skyclanners would still feel so indebted.

Or would they finally be able to see stupidity for what it was?

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OOC NOTES . ◭ . CHARACTER INFO

• ooc : —
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• shadowclan deputy - male - mentoring Cloudberrypaw - a large, monochrome chimera with mismatched eyes and several scars