The thick foliage was silvered by the cold white light of the moon. Cats slowly slunk between the vegetation, weaving their way through the dense forest. HollyClan made it's way towards the Gathering place, their pawsteps padded by the lush plants under their paws.

"We've arrived," came the deep mew of Flickerstar. The bicolor tom beckoned to his clan with a wave of his slender tail, and HollyClan quickened their pace, breaking through the trees and entering a framed clearing filled with cats.

Towards the center, a large tree rose, having snapped in half. Only the bottom part of the trunk remained on which stood two cats. Both observed the Clan cats with a look of authority, nodding towards Flickerstar and his Clan as they entered. HollyClan's leader promptly joined the them on the broken tree, towards one of it's splintered edges.

Brightwhisper followed his Clanmates into the clearing, pausing to pick out his DripClan and CreekClan friends among the crowd. He had just begun padding towards a group of familiar warriors when Streamsong, his mate, appeared at his side.

"Brightwhisper, wait!" she mewed. "I'd like to introduce you to some cats I met at the last Gathering. They're really sweet. You don't have to stay long." She tilted her tabby head questioningly.

Brightwhisper bit back his annoyance, turning to follow the silver molly. "Of course, I'm sure they're great," he replied. They seemed to be heading towards a group of three warriors with sleek pelts, most likely from CreekClan. One was a slender tom with a patched pelt who waved his tail in greeting as Brightwhisper approached.

"This is Brightwhisper!" purred Streamsong. The two gathered around the cats, who purred polite greetings. "This is Drizzleheart," she mewed, nodding towards a long-haired gray molly. Drizzleheart blinked in response, dipping her head.

"I'm Duskwish," the tom meowed, a cinnamon and white tabby. His eyes were golden, flecked with a darker shade of orange. "Nice to have another tom around!" he purred.

"And I'm Blossomrain,"  the final cat, a tortoiseshell, meowed. Her dappled coat was well groomed and she bore a distinct white dash on her chin. Her amber eyes seemed to glow as she spoke and gave Brightwhisper an unwelcome feeling in his chest.

"Ah, hi," he mewed, his voice barely audible. "Hello!" he meowed louder, hoping he hadn't already made an awkward impression.

Blossomrain purred, whiskers twitching with amusement. "He's lovely, Streamsong," she mewed silkily, turning to look at her HollyClan friend. Streamsong's eyes narrowed but she said nothing. Brighwhisper's gaze slid towards his mate, who gave her snowy chest a few licks before returning Blossomrain's stare.

"Yes," she meowed curtly. "He's good at fighting too. And Flickerstar likes him."

"Good to hear!" It was Drizzleheart this time, kindly nodding towards Brightwhisper. The golden warrior nodded, dipping his head. She then looked back at Streamsong. "Any plans for kits?"

"Yes," Streamsong meowed again. Brightwhisper felt surprise boil in his stomach. Streamsong hadn't told him she wanted kits. He wasn't sure how he felt about the matter, but knew it might be rude to disagree with his mate. Instead, he spoke his mind, his voice low.

"When did you decide that?" he asked. Streamsong whipped towards him and glared knowingly. Brightwhisper took a casual step back, feeling his tail brush another cat's pelt. The lithe gray cat hissed discreetly, and Brightwhisper turned back to the friendly warriors.

"Yeah, kits. A joy."

Blossomrain's head tilted and Brightwhisper jumped at the sound of her voice a bit too close. "I'm sure if you decide to have kits you'll raise them well." Brightwhisper realized the cat he had grazed was Blossomrain, the tortoiseshell's warm visionaries focused on him.

Streamsong sighed. "It's not if, Blossomrain. Of course we'll have kits, just like any other warrior. And they'll be some of the most talented in HollyClan." Brightwhisper focused on his pale paws quietly. Suddenly, the awkward silence was broken by Dewstar's call. The CreekClan leader stood at the head of the shattered stump, his tail swishing back and forth.

"The gathering's starting!" Duskwish purred. Brightwhisper felt a cold breeze as the tom whisked passed. Streamsong turned to follow, beckoning Brightwhisper with her tail. He followed after her, Blossomrain and Drizzleheart on either side of him.

Silently, as usual, he wished Streamsong was less controlling.

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