Minkstar.
Minkstar, only a week or so prior, had been ill. The illness had struck her for several days, but aside from a little bit of weight loss from the constant vomiting, the Shoreclan leader had made a full recovery. The stocky tabby stood as sternly as she always did, with a new light to her eyes that had vanished with her sudden illness. In the days since her recovery, her appetite had been voracious, so much so that the leader found herself having to check herself so as not to give into the urge to keep eating until she had made up for what she had lost.

She led the cats towards the Glade, not quite running full tilt but certainly close. She had expected to be perhaps the first or second to arrive at the Gathering because they had left a bit earlier than they normally would have. But, as Minkstar slowed her approach and took a moment to analyze the air close to the entrance, she noticed something that disturbed her slightly. Both Orchidclan and Galeclan had arrived, leaving Shoreclan as the last to arrive. She glanced toward Heronfrost with a curious look before taking the plunge into the entrance tunnel. Shoreclan cats filed out behind her as Minkstar made her way toward the tree that the leaders perched upon. She paused only to check that everyone who had accompanied them had made it into the Glade without issue before she clambered up the tree and took her place.

“Morningstar,” she said, dipping her head politely to the other leader. She looked curiously at Wapatofur, a question lingering in her eyes. As she took in the sight of the Galeclan deputy. However, a sinking feeling began to settle in Minkstar’s stomach. Wapatofur looked worse for wear, and a younger warrior had taken his usual place where the deputies sat during the Gatherings. Not that Minkstar was particularly close to Basilstar, but he was still the friendlier of the other two leaders. His absence was felt, and Minkstar had a feeling in her chest that he might not be joining them for any other Gatherings. As far as Minkstar knew, Basilstar had not lost many — if any — of his lives. Surely the young leader couldn’t have been afflicted by something that had taken them all? One of her ears twitched back against her skull for a small moment. Had he, too, disappeared?

For a moment, Minkstar flashed back to the days following Jellyfishstar’s own sudden disappearance and the anxiety that she’d felt when first facing Starclan. Was Wapatofur now Wapatostar? Minkstar could only assume so, given the tom’s haggard appearance and his usual place being taken by a new tom.

Minnowpool.
Minnowpool stayed close to the back of the group of Shoreclan cats, taking up the position as the last to ensure that no one fell behind the swarm. The silver she-cat was the last to push into the Glade, her gaze sweeping around to take in the scene. Shoreclan had been the last to arrive, which was a bit unusual. The next thing she noticed was that Wapatofur, Galeclan’s deputy, was sitting upon the branch that Basilstar usually held as his own. Minnowpool tilted her head slightly to the side, her gaze flickering toward Heronfrost as he took his spot amongst the deputies at the base of the tree. She was sure that they would be given some details, but she would have to remember to ask Heronfrost later if he had gotten any more information on the situation.

The she-cat shook her head slightly, giving a small sigh before she moved out amongst the crowd. She settled beside a small she-cat, who looked more nervous than anything to be there. Minnowpool felt she had seen the she-cat once or twice before in her life, and she had a feeling that the other’s name was Apple-something, although she couldn’t be fully sure at the moment.

“Hello there,” she said. “Do you mind if I sit here? Or were you saving the spot for someone else?” She gestured toward the spot beside the other she-cat, which was empty and far enough away to be comfortable with two cats who were strangers to each other. She wanted to be friendly, however, and figured that she could take the opportunity to try to meet someone outside of Shoreclan instead of sitting in the midst of their ranks only.

Lavenderwhisker.
As always, Lavenderwhisker was thrilled to have been chosen to come to the Gathering. The she-cat loved the opportunity to see other cats outside of Orchidclan. She was a sociable creature by nature and didn’t enjoy the notion that she couldn’t have friends outside of Orchidclan. She filed in the middle of the Orchidclan group, taking a moment to peer around. They were the second clan to arrive at the Gathering, which struck her as a bit unusual. She didn’t — at least at first — notice that Basilstar was not amongst the branches of the Leader’s tree.

The long-furred ginger cat padded toward the middle of the clearing, taking a seat in the middle of an empty spot that would still have room for a few other cats to sit around her. She watched as Morningstar made her way up to the tree and up to the branches. It was then that Lavenderwhisker noticed Basilstar was absent, and instead, the Galeclan deputy was sitting in his place. ’That’s strange,’ Lavenderwhisker thought to herself. ‘I wonder where Basilstar is.’ She glanced around, noticing that some of the Galeclan cats looked a little more tense than usual. Was something going on?

Timberwolf.
It had been quite some time since the old tom had attended a Gathering. But, a warm night and a decent day had enabled him some energy, and along with a herbal concoction, his joints weren’t bothering him at all in the moment. He’d asked if he could attend, and Morningstar and Bullwasp had agreed to allow him to join. His argument had been that it could be the last one that he attended in his life, and he wanted the joy of it once more, to run and be with the Orchidclan party once more.

As they entered the Glade, Timberwolf took a moment to step to the side, catching his breath as he looked around. It had been some time since he’d attended a Gathering, and truthfully, he didn’t notice that there was anything amiss with Galeclan’s attending party. He did see an old, familiar face amongst the crowd. The tom’s ears perked up a bit as he padded toward the other elder.

“Aesop,” the graying tom greeted, loud enough for them to hear, but was aware from their expression that they might not be able to see him in the dim moonlight. “It’s Timberwolf. How have you been? It’s been quite a while since I’ve seen you.”

Cavernpelt.
Things had been tense within Galeclan. Cavernpelt was still feeling the unexpected absence of Basilstar and felt bad for Wapatostar. As they entered the clearing, Cavernpelt noticed that they were the first to arrive. He watched as Wapatostar went to the tree, painfully aware of how thin the once proud deputy had become. Cavernpelt had seen a lot of movement amongst the high ranks within his life, but he had never seen a deputy take a leader’s disappearance so hard. The senior warrior wondered if Wapatostar somehow felt responsible for Basilstar’s disappearance. The tom knew that the other had nothing to do with it, and it had been a surprise for the whole clan.

But there was nothing that he could do about it.

So, in light of that, Cavernpelt had stepped up as much as he could, assisting where he could, as was his duty as a senior warrior. There wasn’t anything else that he could do, and he had to be content with what he could do. Moments passed as the Galeclan party found their places in what would soon be a crowded glade. Cavernpelt chose a choice spot close to where the deputies sat. As he settled, he heard rustling in the entrance, prompting the reddish tom to turn his head as Orchidclan began streaming in. Shoreclan followed shortly after, being unusually late — or was everyone else just unusually early?

Shortwave.
The short journey to the Glade was a quick one. Shortwave could feel the tension that had taken hold over Galeclan, its weight settling on his shoulders as if someone had placed a boulder between his shoulder blades. The usually logical but still somewhat strange Tom stayed close to the middle of the group on the journey there, trying not to give himself over to the wave of anxiety that seemed to strike most of the attending Galeclanners.

As they entered and found themselves the first in the Glade, Shortwave took a spot that was farther away from the tree, one where he could observe for the most part. Orchidclan and the Shoreclan were soon joining them in the Glade. Shortwave scanned the faces for anyone familiar – or at least friendly looking to interact with.

Minkstar.
Minkstar, as she observed the situation materializing on the branches around her, became acutely aware of something that she had always felt since she was made deputy, something that felt like forever ago, but in reality… it truly wasn’t more than a few passing of the seasons. The Shoreclan leader became more aware of the fact that the Orchidclan leader, Morningstar, was perceptive when it came to the weaknesses of the other two clans. ‘Why does she care so much?’ Minkstar wondered, having a lingering spark of apprehension settling in her stomach, threatening to turn from a mere spark into a steadily growing flame. There was something about the way that the other leader latched onto Wapatofur — or, perhaps now Wapatostar’s — obvious distress and weakness. The other seemed… Almost thrilled with the fact that another clan was clearly weaker than her own. Minkstar was careful to keep her expressions guarded, not wanting to give any indication as to where her thoughts may be going. But, in truth, the Shoreclan leader didn’t like and had never truly liked the way that Morningstar seemed to revel in the weakness of others. Minkstar decided then that there was a flaw in Morningstar’s character — even though they were of different clans, the clans themselves were not truly so old in the grand scheme of things, and Minkstar felt that there should still be some semblance of cohesiveness amongst the leaders. That they should be more willing to support each other rather than feed on the weaknesses of others like leeches in a swamp.

It was a revelation that disturbed her on a deeper level than many other things had before.

In Minkstar’s mind, it did not bode well for their collective safety when one of the three deemed weakness in others to be a benefit rather than a hindrance.

“No, Basilstar will not be joining us,” Wapatofur — no, Wapatostar, as was clear in Minkstar’s eyes now — said. “Basilstar has — disappeared.” Disappeared. The word was a stunning one, one that, despite her stoic expression, rocked Minkstar to her core. Another leader had vanished? Were there more details, or… Was it another leader’s disappearance that would hang without clear answers? She felt a thousand questions bubbling up within her throat, the more pressing of which was whether Basilstar had been present at Wapatostar’s leadership ceremony with Starclan. The Shoreclan leader would never ask such a personal question, however. It was not her right or place to do so, but its implications weighed heavily on her mind. If there was a second leader who had vanished without a trace but had not been seen among Starclan’s ranks… It opened the question of what was happening to the leaders of the clans. Minkstar would probably never know, though, unless she saw the former leader with stars clinging to his pelt.

“I have stepped up as leader in Basilstar’s absence. I received my nine lives and chosen Sparrowclaw as my deputy.” Wapatostar stated. Minkstar dipped her head slightly.

“I welcome you to our ranks then, Wapatostar. I’m sorry that your clan has gone through such hardship. I know how it feels to have a leader vanish unexpectedly, and I wish you and Galeclan an easy settling period as you all adjust,” Minkstar said, her voice and expression earnest.

Minnowpool.
Minnowpool hovered for a moment near Heronfrost as she took in the situation that, at this point, was not quite novel but still new enough to draw her attention. It was not the first time that a young leader had suddenly been replaced by their deputy, and it would most certainly not be the last as the clans went on through the rotation of the seasons. The she-cat felt a pang for the Galeclan cats — it was not easy adjusting to a new leader, especially in the wake of one’s death or disappearance, but life went on in the neverending march of time.

“Get whatever info you can,” Heronfrost hissed in her ear. Minnowpool only nodded before she continued on into the crowd of the Gathering.

As she came to ask her question of the young Galeclan she-cat, who seemed surprised that she’d spoken to her at all. Minnowpool offered a small smile, a twitch of her whiskers in slight amusement.

“No, that spot’s not reserved sorry I got a little lost in thought there,” the other said.

“Oh, that’s alright. It happens,” Minnowpool meowed as she took her seat.

“How has the past moon been treating you?” The other asked.

“Not bad – I’m just glad that things are beginning to warm up, and I no longer have to feel the last little bit of Leafbare chill beneath my paws,” Minnowpool said. “The obvious aside, how about you?” she asked, her gaze studying the other she-cat. While there was an obvious sadness within the other’s eyes that could not be hidden, that did not seem to be the source of her distraction as Minnowpool noticed she was scanning the crowd for someone. She seemed to find whoever she was looking for.

“He looks like he could use a nudge, I’ll be right back!” She said, a warm smile touching her features before she got up and made her way across the relative feline sea. Minnowpool smiled back, giving a small sigh. ‘Well, so much for a companion,’ she thought as she watched the other approach Beefur. Minnowpool observed the situation for a moment, her head tilted slightly to the side. ‘I wonder what’s going on there,’ Minnowpool thought.

Timberwolf.
Timberwolf was glad that the old cat seemed to be doing well despite the obvious lack of slight. He settled down beside them, unable to help the small sound that came from him as his legs protested a seating position after having been up and moving for much longer than he was used to anymore. There was a small pop within his hips, a relief of the pressure that they felt at the angel change.

“I’ve been as well as one can without sight. I’m glad to know I’m not the oldest sack of bones at this Gathering,” Aesop said with a chuckle. Timberwolf couldn’t help but chuckle, touched by a quiet, aged wheeze.

“I wanted to come at least one last time before these old bones won’t let me anymore,” the tom said. “It seems like I picked an interesting one to come to. Seems like there’s going to be a lot of news to be had.” He cast his eyes around for a moment, almost reveling in the memories of the times he’d come to Gatherings as a much younger cat.

“Who was the youngster with you?” he asked curiously.