like we're made of starlight [c]

As the sun began to set on the forest, a cold breeze blew through the camp. Leaf-bare was coming; any cat old enough to remember the last one knew it. Muddythorn only had patchy memories of playing in the snow as a kit, but even he knew that times would soon get difficult. Less prey, less herbs. The very air welcomed sickness. But for now, it was just a warning. A precursor for what was to come. Streaks of pink and purple were beginning to colour the sky which had spent most of the day being a mix of weak blues, whites and darker greys. Soon the moon would rise, barely waned further than a perfect half, yet brighter than usual against the dark sky. The medicine cat hoped that Silverpelt would join it. Knowing there was someone there to watch wasn't enough for some cats, but it was for him.

He had managed to clear some time in his busy schedule of growing used to being the only healer in the clan for tonight. Just where he and Primroselight could take a walk and spend quality time together. It just never seemed to happen often enough.

"How are you finding doing it all on your own?" The warrior asked as the two padded out of camp side-by-side. A faint trace of concern laced her words - she had seen how much of a toll being responsible for everyone's health had but on Beechface, especially after Sagelight had died. Primroselight had often though it was too much for one cat to deal with, and had been thankful when her sister had taken an apprentice, even if it meant she consciously kept a closer eye on her son. She had grown a lot more watchful of both her kits, trying not to be overbearing, but constantly worrying that she'd failed at that. She couldn't bare to lose anyone else. It would be too much. She had been at that point before, and knew she never wanted to go back. "I know Beechface is still here to help, but all the same."

Muddythorn tread carefully as they walked, watching for anything that might be an issue. But as usual, he was being far more fretful than necessary: his mother knew this territory better than anyone, even warriors who had been around much longer. "It's fine... you know, not that bad." He looked up. She would definitely catch on that he was missing out things. It was a skill you gained when you told similar lies quite often. Only Primroselight was better at it. "I think it just scares me that one day it might be like this all the time. And she won't be there for me to run to and fix whatever mistake I've made." That scary fact had been looming in his mind recently. One day he might well and truly be there by himself.

The medicine cat was tearing up slightly, and quickly blinked the salty tears away. Primroselight had heard his voice break off, and tried to remedy the situation. "But you'll never be completely on your own. One of us will always be here, even if you make it to the grand old age that Tinylegs did." Technically, the former leader had cheated at the whole living-for-a-really-long-time thing, as for a stretch of that time he had nine lives. However, her point still stood. "Think of how huge you family is. Some for the better, some for the worse. Dawnfeather will always be there for you, I know that for sure. So will your father and I." She and Sparrowflight had been through their rocky patches, but after seeing the disaster that had come out of her own parents' relationship breaking down, she knew that they could fix things. And so they did. If only all her issues could be that simple.

The gentle trickle of the creek could be heard before the pair actually reached it. It had certainly earned its name; Muddythorn saw it shimmering in the moon's beams, almost like the stars above. Not all of Silverpelt was visible, but the clouds had steered clear of the moon, leaving it to shine brightly down on the forest. "And even when everyone's gone, the stars will still be there." He finished for the she-cat as he stared up at the distant warriors of Starclan.

A moment of quiet passed between the two cats, as both reflected on everything, and appreciated the quality of not-quite-stillness that came with a forest full of living creatures, and the memories of ones past. It was a rarity that two such sociable and amiable cats sat in comfortable silence, leaning on each other ever so slightly for support.

The silence was softly broken by a gentle gasp of surprise from Primroselight.

As usual, her unseeing gaze had been focussed on nothing particular, directed downward slightly as she stewed in her thoughts. However, just like it had all those moons ago at mothermouth, a shimmer of light crossed the darkness. The sparkling light of the water had caught her eye, bringing back a fond memory of her moonstone journey. It was gone almost as quickly as it had happened, but the excitement never failed to reach her, even after all these seasons.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Muddythorn said anxiously, shifting away in case something bad had happened, leaving the warrior to stumble a little where her weight suddenly shifted. Apologetic, he caught her and brought her back firmly on her feet, mostly for an interrogation.

"Nothing, nothing I promise. You know, I think Beechface's cynicism has rubbed off on you." Primroselight laughed. Maybe it was a thing with all medicine cats; assuming the worst. Not really of other cats, but more of situations. "I saw something. The sparkle of the moonlight hitting the water. It's happened before, but only once, when I was at the moonstone as an apprentice." It only crossed her mind that she had never gotten around to telling anyone this, despite what big of a deal it was, especially at the time. However, after her conversation with Silentwhisper, so much else had been on her mind - the wonder of Starclan itself, for example.

Muddythorn was shocked, to say the least. "Why didn't you tell me? We could've looked for more things it worked with! Or what if..." It was a dumb idea. Wasn't even worth suggesting. He had no idea what it meant. But if Beechface's current circumstance had taught him anything, it was that stuff like this was always worth sharing. "It could be an omen of some sort. I know it's a dumb idea... but from what Beechface said they can be really cryptic sometimes." Okay, some of it seemed to be lining up now. "This could be really important." It would be lying to say he wasn't getting excited now. This was far more exciting and useful than anything he'd done as a warrior. It could be a chance to make a difference.

"Alright, slow down." Primroselight tried to stay calm. It had been a while since she had seen her son this excited. "Just, talk all through with Beechface okay? She might have an idea what it all means." She couldn't bear to bring up that it could mean nothing at all, it wouldn't be worth the knock to Muddythorn's new found confidence. And at the end of the day, after all that had happened, Primroselight was still an optimistic cat. She couldn't help but to hope.