as gentlebear padded back into camp, the faint scent of riverclan still clung to his pelt. he couldn't shake off the unease that pricked at the back of his neck.

he ducked into the medicine den and was greeted with the fresh, familiar scent of dried herbs and moist moss.

grasslion pushed in after her brother, welcoming him with a warm purr.

gentlebear turned to his littermate and motioned for him to take a seat on a nest. he traced his paws across his brothers body, running his pads high and low for any bumps, welts, or open wounds. satisfied with his brothers lack of injury, he flicked his head down in a nod, alerting him that he was in the clear.

trailing his gaze after his brothers parting form, gentlebear huffed slightly. he settled down to examine himself, running his paw down his chest and applying some pressure to his shoulders and sides to check for any hidden scratches or bruising. happy that he was unharmed, he let out a soft sigh of relief before emerging back into camp.

redstar's voice echoed across the camp and the clan bumbled from where they remained and slithered into the clearing, awaiting to hear what their leader had to say. ❝ we will be leaving shortly for the gathering. fluttertongue and fishpaw, the both of you will remain behind and watch over the elders, as well as ravenmeadow and her kits, ❞ she announced, her eyes scanning the gathered crowd, ❝ the rest will journey to four trees to represent thunderclan, ❞

with a nod of agreement, fluttertongue dipped his head. fishpaw sided next to the senior tom-cat, her posture reflecting a mix of excitement and apprehension. the two parted from the crowd, veering towards the nursery where ravenmeadow remained with her kits who ran circles around her tirelessly.

gentlebear fell into step beside chalkpaw. he greeted his apprentice with a wide smile. she returned him a grin, before she bounded up ahead. the tom-cat snorted then swerved through the crowd until he found grasslion, shuffling beside him and his peers as they exited camp.

the air crackled with anticipation and conversation as thunderclan made their way through the dense underbrush, the forest canopy casting dappled shadows on their fur. conversations and stories bubbled among the cats, their voices mixing in a crazy chorus as they travelled. gentlebear trotted silently beside grasslion, who was engrossed in a tale that bluecrest blurted out loudly.

four trees remained up ahead. as they approached the clearing, the tension in the air seemed to mount. to the left, the sleek forms of riverclan emerged from the shadows, their pelts shimmering with droplets of water. curvestar dipped her head respectfully to redstar before leading her clan into the gathering place.

gentlebear's gaze swept over the crowd, his heart quickening as he caught sight of the she-cat among the riverclan warriors. a surge of adrenaline coursed through his body, and his stomach churned with a mixture of fear and anxiety, his eyes never leaving the she-cats form as she blended with the shadows and shrubbery, and vanished from sight.

thunderclan followed in the wake of riverclan. windclan had already gathered, their sleek forms mingling and conversing with easy familiarity. the air was filled with a soft murmur of voices, punctured by the occasional laugh or playful swat.

gentlebear found himself drawn to a quiet corner of the hollow, where he could sit and observe the gathering without the distraction from the crowd, or others fussing over him. nestling beside a rock, he let out a sigh.

his solitude was short lived. the gentle rustle of dirt. underfoot heralded the approach of another cat, and gentlebear looked up to see monarchdance standing just a few paw steps away. he felt his heart quicken as she grew closer. his breath caught in his throat as he took in her elegant stride, the moonlight catching the subtle shine of her coat.

to him, she was the epitome of beauty: a vision that left him spellbound whenever his eyes fell upon her.

as she drew nearer, gentlebear's stomach churned with nerves, his thoughts a whirlwind of emotions. he couldn't shake this strange feeling that lingered like a bad smell. no matter what he thought, or said to himself internally, he couldn't shake the flutter of anticipation that danced within him at the mere sight of her.

❝ hey, ❞ she mewed softly, dipping her head in acknowledgment, her voice a melodic tune to his ears, ❝ i just wanted to apologise for what happened earlier. ratramble's behaviour was... uncalled for. i hope you know that not all of us in riverclan agree with his behaviour, or his actions, ❞

gentlebear nodded his head and his expression softened. he felt his pulse quicken with every word she spoke, his mind racing like a wild stallion across an open plain as he struggled to form a coherent response. he opened his mouth to speak, but his words caught in his neck, leaving him stumbling over his thoughts like a clumsy kit who just found its feet.

❝ uhm, thank you, ❞ he managed to stammer out quickly, and his whiskers writhed quickly with embarrassment, ❝ i-i appreciate the apology, it means a lot, ❞

monarchdance's eyes softened and a gentle smile pulled at the corners of her mouth, ❝ you're welcome, ❞ she replied, her voice warm, ❝ i just wanted to- ❞

a sharp voice sliced through the air, drawing both the cats' attention. crowquiver strode over to the two felines, her face scrunched with disgust.

❝ what are you doing, monarchdance? ❞ she hissed, ❝ stop wasting your time mingling with a silly medicine cat. everyone else wants to hear about the rabbit you caught today, ❞

monarchdance's ears flattened abasing her head and her gaze shifted between gentlebear and crowquiver. with a reluctant nod, she turned away, her tail sagging with defeat as she followed the black she-cat towards a gathered crowd of riverclan and windclan warriors.

left alone again, gentlebear felt a pang of sadness at the encounter.

the arrival of shadowclan was heralded by the soft sound of paw steps echoing through the clearing.

wretchedstar slinked into the gathering, his eyes gleaming mischievously. as he reached the centre of the clearing, he let out a loud yowl that silenced the mumbling cats.

❝ apologies for our tardiness, ❞ he declared, his voice lathered with sarcasm, ❝ you know how it is - we have a tendency to get lost in the shadows, ❞. the tom flicked his tail then bounded up onto the rock beside the other leaders', who perched side by side awaiting for his arrival.

the crowd exchanged a few looks, and mumbles, accustomed to shadowclan's penchant for dramatic entrances.

the gathering began. runningstar started first, announcing out clearly, her voice carrying a sense of pride and excitement. ❝ windclan is well. we have been blessed with three queens, each of which birthed healthy litters of kits. our warriors will be thriving when the time comes for them to begin their training and climb the ranks, ❞ 

the crowd congratulated windclan for their new arrivals.

wretchedstar's voice lacerated through the crowd, sweeping across the cats and silencing them within seconds. ❝ shadowclan is well, ❞ he bellowed simply, ❝ no issues to report, as usual, ❞

the other three leaders exchanged frustrated glances at one another. it was a familiar refrain from shadowclan, their unwillingness to share their struggles or seek assistance leaving the other clans in the dark. the shadowclan's leaders declaration hung in the air like a heavy shroud, the tension palpable.

but before the silence could be stretched any longer, a voice erupted from the crowd.

❝ the sunning rocks should belong to riverclan! ❞

the words rang out with a clarity that sent shockwaves rippling through the gathering, igniting a spark of discontent that smouldered beneath the surface. riverclan warriors bristled with indignation, their fur standing on end as they glared with their thunderclan counterparts. the air crackled, each cat oiled on the edge of confrontation.

wretchedstar's eyes narrowed and a grin pulled on his lips.

the voices of the gathered cats rose in a cacophony, threatening to drown out any hope of civility.

runningstar rose to her paws. ❝ enough! ❞ she yowled, her voice casting a smoke of silence through the clamour like a heavy gust of wind. her voice was authoritative and silenced the bickering cats, bringing them into a semblance of order to the chaos. her gaze swept over the crowd, her expression stern.

❝ we are here to discuss matters of importance, not squabble like kits, ❞ she commanded, ❝ let us settle this dispute calmly, ❞ she added, blinking slowly.

❝ or perhaps you could all settle this like true warriors... ❞ wretchedstar slyly snarled, ❝ ...with a good old fashioned battle? ❞ he added. a dangerous edge lined his tongue as he spoke and he cast a stare onto the cats below him, some of which stared at their peers with confused expressions and flattened, unsure ears.

redstar bristled with rage and her pelt prickled like a thorn bush as she rose to her paws, a growl crackling in her throat. ❝ we will not resort to bloodshed to settle our disputes! the gathering is meant for discussion, not violence. let us not anger our ancestors, wretchedstar ❞ redstar grunted, her brows narrowed, and eyes fixated on the black tom-cat beside her, who lowered himself down and rolled his shoulders.

his eyes glittered with malice as he regarded redstar, a menacing grin spreading across his maw. ❝ my apologies, ❞ he scoffed, ❝ i didn't realise thunderclan was so afraid of a little challenge, ❞

redstar stood her ground as she met the tom's gaze, a steely look in her eyes. ❝ we are not afraid, ❞ she spat, ❝ but we will not allow our pride to cloud our judgment, there are more important matters to discuss, than petty rivalries, ❞

with a dismissive flick of his tail, wretchedstar seated himself down.

redstar dipped her head then cleared her throat, ready to continue. ❝ thunderclan is doing well. our patrols have been successful, and our prey stores are plentiful, ❞ she said. she side-eyed curvestar and huffed. ❝ the only issue we have ran into is one of our own was attacked while on a patrol. gentlebear, our medicine cat, was bombarded by a flurry of furious claws from that of a riverclan cat... and i will not allow for such behaviour, ❞

gentlebear could feel the burn of eyes on his pelt as heads clocked around and gazes focused on him. his ears folded back as he heard his name, a flush of embarrassment creeping up his fur. he shifted uneasily under the weight of the gathered stares and his throat tightened with a mixture of shame and heavy discomfort.

curvestar took notice of the tom-cats discomfort and toed forwards, peering over the edge.

❝ i apologise. on behalf of riverclan,  ❞ she muttered sincerely, her eyes travelling slowly towards gentle bear's form. she held her stare for a second, before flicking it elsewhere, ❝ ratramble's actions were unacceptable and he will be punished accordingly, ❞

gentlebear's heart jumped a beat at curvestar's words, a flicker of surprise burning across his features. he didn't expect an apology from their leader herself. a sense of gratitude washed over him, mingling with the lingering traces of embarrassment that still hung to his pelt like a thick, ominous shadow.

❝ ratramble will be relieved of his patrol duties near thunderclan's border for the next moon. i assure you, we take this matter seriously, and steps will be taken to ensure it doesn't happen again, ❞ curvestar finalised her speech, then stepped ack and pushed her hind down into the stone.

relief brushed over gentlebear and his shoulders drooped with the weight of tension that had been lifted from his shoulders.

the gathering came to a close. shadowclan and windclan were the first to depart, shadow clan blended with the darkness of the shrubs, and windclan bounded across the clearing towards their territory, the pitter patter of their paw steps fading in the distance.

curvestar and redstar remained behind, their voices hushed as they whispered quietly to one another. gentlebear watched from where he sat, his ears straining to catch snippets of their conversation, but their words were lost in the wind, carried away on the night breeze.

with a graceful leap, curvestar bounded off the rock and onto the dirt floor below, her form disappearing into the shadows as she escorted her clan back to camp. redstar held back for a moment longer, her gaze settled on the empty clearing with a sense of quiet contemplation, before she too jumped down and yowled for her clan to pursue after her.

gentlebear found himself hugging the darkness at the back of the crowd, his thoughts all over. he caught monarchdance's eyes for a fleeting moment, her green eyes getting his with a small, reassuring smile before she turned to follow the last of her clanmates.

with a heavy sigh, gentlebear fell into step behind his clan.