1. For the 2024-2025 Leaf-Bare Gathering, all characters are welcome to attend and create Gathering threads if they meet the following criteria:

a. They are a Clan, Tribe, or Tunnel cat

b. They follow the Gathering theme of  Serene and Somber. Set against the beautiful, fresh blanket of snow, gathered warriors reflect on the growing war tension, the loss of missing cats and the threat of the tunnels, individual fears and confessions, and an uncertain future. More information available in the Setting tab above.

2. As a reminder, we will not have 1 universal and shared Gathering thread. You are free to create your own individual Gathering threads! Threads must include [Leaf-Bare Gathering] or some variation in the title.

3. All leaf-bare Gathering threads must be created from December 1, 2024 to February 28, 2025.

4. There is no deadline to finish the Gathering threads. However, come March 1, a new Gathering will be posted. Try to finish them in a timely manner.

5. For every Gathering thread you create, you and your thread partner earn 1 raffle ticket once they respond!

a. For example, Wish and Maxx create a thread with Tigerpool and Brambleheart. Maxx starts. When Wish replies, they both can turn in the starter & reply to #contest-submissions in the Discord  for 1 raffle ticket each!

b. 1 thread = 1 raffle ticket per member (it is not per post)

6. You and your thread partner can earn an additional bonus raffle ticket for the Gathering if your thread is inspired by a poem that both thread partners agree upon. Poem and author must be linked to in the first post! No need to use actual lines from the poem in your writing, but 👀👀

a. E.g. Maxx and Wish both agree to use Robert Frost's "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening" to inspire their Serene and Somber thread.

7. Characters in a Forbidden Relationship can use the Gathering as an opportunity to meet and develop their relationship since it's not suspicious and makes IC sense.

a. However, if your characters are in a romantic relationship, and you plan for them to have kits, you cannot use a Gathering thread towards your Litter Requirements as it defeats the entire purpose of our FBR rules.

8. Staff will keep track of each raffle ticket you earn, and on September 1, 2025, we'll do the BIG draw and 1 lucky member will win a bunch of tasty prizes! Check em' out in the Prizes tab above : )

The current prizes for the 2025 raffle include:

•  Art from other volunteering artists (contact maxx to participate)!
  

There's a quiet serenity as cats filter in towards the Gathering. ThistleClan arrives first, followed by LichenClan and RedwoodClan on their heels. A longer journey, the Tribe arrives last, paw-prints collecting in a fresh blanket of powdery snow. The sound of the fall's spray plays in the shards of ice collecting and hovering from the its rocky surfaces. The moonlight plays in these fractals, while snow coats every surface of their clearing, pristine and untouched until their many paws. Above, the snow drifts through the midnight blues and hums a subtle gray. Big flurries mosey down carelessly. The sounds, sights, and smells are purifying in their innocence, so sadly juxtaposed to the unfortunate stirrings amongst them. Every heart is tightened by the weight of their factions' burdens.

Lumbering to the head of the stone, Firstar calls the Gathering to a start with a low-bellow. Notably, Foxtail is trying to speak-up behind him, peering through his and the other leaders' legs, but she is ignored. Chatter among the crowd settles into a murmur, then silence as he begins his announcement:

"Listen up! As some of you might have heard, we've got some funny business goin' on underground. Now, we don't know what it is, but we know what it's doin'. We know something—I don't know what—is tempting cats down there, gettin' them to say and see things. We know it's not just underground where it's happenin', either. It's none of my business what you do with that, but your leaders would be remiss in doin' nothin'."

"As of tonight, every hole on ThistleClan soil is buried. I advise you all to do the same. I also advise those who opposed my withdrawal from the tunneler's last gathering to reconsider. I think now more than ever, we see them for what they are and what they've been hidin'. I'm not the religious sort; I believe in the stars only so much as I need to. But it's dark work what they've been breedin' in the tunnels. We'd be fools to send any cats down there from this point forward, and any Clan who continues to do so should learn a thing or two about looking after their own."
A murmur grips the crowd again, some agreeing with Firstar, others in open defiance. Foxtail pipes up behind him:

“Hello! I would like to—”
But before she can speak, Quickstar moves to make his announcement, quieting the chattering sea of cats cats once more:

“Firstar is right to show caution.  Because of our close proximity to the tunnels on a daily basis, it is nigh impossible for us to close ourselves off completely. We’ve been taking precautions to minimize incidents in the tunnels by only allowing cats to enter their depths in groups and guarding their entrances, but hearing that others are now being affected even more harshly, we will move to further our restrictions.”
As he moves back, Foxtail tries to interject again:

“I said—hello! He—”
Tightly-lipped and rigid, Finchstar rouses a grunt and pads to the front of the stone, an irritated bristle prickles his nape.

“I know where RedwoodClan's threats lie, and I assure you it is not underground, but at our borders.”
He rakes his one-eyed stare over the crowd and then continues:

“All is well in RedwoodClan, despite the arrival of leaf-bare. We have recently celebrated a new litter, and in the same moon, graduated our kits into apprentices. Not to mention, three apprentices have received their warrior names. We are growing stronger for the colder moons ahead.”
With a dip of his head, Finchstar joins the other leaders as Foxtail springs ahead, finally able to speak:

“Excuse me! I don't think any of my messages were delivered, so I wanted to say this now. You have to listen to my omens and stay clear of the dangers I describe! Many tribe cats avoided getting hurt after listening to my visions. And- I've started having dreams about this island and the cats here. Bad ones. If you don't want to get hurt you have to listen to me and the messages I send. Any one of you could get hurt really bad and some might even die. And I know the tunnels are dangerous, but I swear on my ancestors that there is someone down there who needs our help.”
A stark silence grips the crowd, unsure of the Tribe leader's warning, when a low rumble comes from Firstar. He begins barking as he shoulders her aside and disregards her message:

"Oh, would you quit your yappin'. Read the clearing. No one's looking for a new oracle; we don't need your feather-headed prophecies either. Whatever visions you're gettin' ain't from any ancestors of ours, and whatever cat needs our help is on their own. We got our Clans to feed. Whatever's goin' on in the underground is better left buried."
Foxtail tries to speak up behind him again, but Firstar lashes his tail, silencing her and calling the Gathering to a close with a caterwaul. He dismisses his gathered warriors. ThistleClan leaves first, followed by RedwoodClan, LichenClan, and lastly the Tribe.