Lost Stars (A Warriors Fanfiction)

Chapter Two

        Luna padded through the shadows of the two-leg buildings, her mother's flank pressed comfortingly against her side as the buildings loomed above her so that she was surrounded by inky darkness. It wrapped around her, though instead of causing her to shrink back in fear, the shadows engulfed her like a comforting blanket. Luna's green eyes sparkled as walked through the familiar streets. She bounced on her paws, bristling with excitement as she tasted the air. 

        They walked for a few minutes, and Luna chattered happily about the "squirrel" she'd been hunting.  

        "It was huge!" she claimed, eyes wide as she recalled the bushy tail and beady eyes. "And I was so close to it, I could practically pounce on it."

          Her mother gave a small mrrow of laughter before pausing at a small hollow shielded by white walls overgrown with ivy. Faint scents of two-legs still clung to the musty air, but they were several moons old.

        Inside, a Queen with white fur broken up by patches of silver sat in the corner, resting her muzzle on her paws. She lifted her head when Luna and her mother came in, nodding slightly before stretching and curling up in her nest. Her belly was swollen beneath her, and her eyes were dulled by weariness. 

        "Hello, Marble," Luna's mother mewed quietly. She padded forward and nosed Marble's nest, pulling a torn blanket around her. 

         Marble purred, the sound echoing around the walls. "Thanks, Dawn."

           "Where are the others?" Dawn asked, glancing at the two empty nests placed by the entrance.

          "Caramel and Snow said they'll go scavenging for food," Marble replied. "And Silver's gone to fetch more bedding. I offered to help but they said they'll be fine." Marble sighed, looking at the last rays of sunlight peeking through their den. Like Luna and her mother, she was somewhat of a stray, wandering through the cities and hunting in the forests before finding the den and joining them. 

          "Scavenging for crow food?" asked Dawn, her nose wrinkled in disgust. 

          "Scraps," Marble corrected with a soft purr. "They said they'll be back in a bit."

           "I wonder what a squirrel tastes like," Luna mused. "Would it be furry?" She shuddered at the thought of having fur in her mouth. 

            "Squirrel was my favourite back in the forest," Dawn said, cuffing Luna's head lightly. Affection shone in her gaze .

           Marble rolled onto her back, giving a small groan of displeasure as she curled up. "I don't know how you traveled when you were expecting kids, especially when your mate wasn't around. To think! You must've been so lonely and tired." Marble shuddered, eyes closed and oblivious to Dawn, who'd bristled. 

           "I managed," Dawn said, her meow sharp. Luna saw her unsheathe and her claws and sink them into the ground, before she hardened and turned away, sheathing her claws again. 

           "Do you miss him?" 

            Dawn was silent, stiffening as she hesitated. Luna sat, watching her mother. She hadn't ever seen her father, and her mother never mentioned him. She tilted her head, confused. 

           "I miss the forest, and my old life as a warrior," Dawn said, her reply so soft only Luna heard it. Her mother stared wistfully out the mouth of their den, watching the sunlight give way to the wisps of shadow. She shook herself, shaking her head slowly as she walked to her nest without another sound. Quietly, Luna followed.

            "It's time to sleep," Dawn said, wrapping her tail neatly around her paws and pulling a soft two-leg blanket around Luna. 

            "But I don't want to! I'm already 3 moons old!" Luna argued, stifling a yawn. She curled up beside her mother, who was running a white paw through her fur as she curled her tail neatly around Luna. Waves of emotions rolled of her; emotions that Luna couldn't start to describe. 

            Luna's pelt prickled as she sensed a thread of something bitter that radiated off her mother's pelt. An emotion?

             Wasn't Dawn happy here? What was she so... sad about? Luna shook her head. The feeling wasn't sadness, she realized. It was something harsher. More like anger.

           Luna shivered.

            The lull of sleep beckoned to Luna, and soon, her soft snoring filled the den as the last traces of the sun disappeared, plunging her world into darkness.

~~~~~

              Luna woke up in the middle of the night. Her thoughts were racing as she lifted her muzzle. What had woken her up?

              All was quiet, except for the gentle pitter-patter of rain outside the window. Dawn was asleep under a shaft of moonlight that illuminated her fur, casting dancing shadows and silvery light on her thick pelt. 

             Luna pressed closer to her mother, alarmed as she sensed her mother's thoughts racing. Emotions still hung heavy in the air, almost like a heavy curtain that blanketed Dawn. 

             Her paws prickling with unease, she felt something tug in her chest. Instinct seemed to guide her, and she pressed her muzzle onto Dawn's forehead. 

              An explosion of stars seemed to twinkle, blurring her vision as shadows curled at the edges, hiding her nest, the walls of their home, and Dawn from view. Gasping, she stumbled back in surprise, her throat dry. Should she say something? Was she losing her vision? Dimly, Luna could hear her mother's snores before the world seemed to fall away. Flinching in surprise, she found herself somewhere new.

               Sunlight filtered through the trees of the forest, casting a patchwork of mottled greens and soft shadows onto the ground as Luna's paws padded through the forest in the sunlight. The leaves high above Luna's head hung in patches of shining green that seemed to light up the entire forest.

             Unfamiliar scents filled her nose as she wove through the forest. Where am I? She wondered. 

            Suddenly, the bushes exploded and a young she-cat darted out of the forest, a black tom chasing her. 

            The she-cat's graceful paws and brown fur flashed across Luna's vision before the cat raced up the tree. 

            "Hey! Come down here! Not all cats are SkyClan warriors," the tom meowed. His soft silver eyes twinkled as he circled the tree. 

            Luna gazed up at the she-cat. She could just make out her black paws and swishing tail. Luna's heart dropped. Her mother?

             It was Dawn! The black paws were unmistakable, though her mother's face was younger, her form smaller and lither as she leapt from tree to tree.

             This must be a memory, Luna realized. Her throat dry, she glanced around. As she suspected, her mother's gaze passed right through her. The black tom continued to chase her, and their purrs echoed through the forest. 

              "Wait!" Luna called. She raced after them, though she knew it was hopeless. They wouldn't see her, however hard she meowed.

              Her vision blurred as the mottled green and yellow colours spun around her until shadows crept into her vision again. 

               Trembling, she found herself in her nest, Dawn's flank pressing against hers. 

                The young kit shook her head, trying to clear it. It must be a dream, she concluded. 

                But even as sleep took her again, one thought echoed in her head. 

                What just happened?