MIDNIGHT IS DONE, GUYS!

I think Midnight is going to prove to be the last "easy" part of this AU monstrosity, and while I do wish it had hit 30 chapters I'm okay with what I've put out.

Moonrise is still in the drafting/prewriting stage, with only about four chapters worth of content done so far. It's going to be a short one, but it's basically two novellas at once so I need to make sure each half of the story works in its own right. I don't know when I'll be through with it, but I'll be sure to let you all know! I can say that it will be done before the year is out, barring irl interference.

Thank you all so, so much for reading!

-Twilight

Chapter 29

The moon hung heavy in the water's reflection as Mistyfoot approached. The lakeshore here was sandy and soft, though more towards the forest the shore grew pebbly, more like the riverbank back in the forest. Mistyfoot, homesick and worried, sat down in the sand and stared out at the water.

We… have to live here, she thought. This place was beautiful, but it wasn't long ago that it was only a dream – what if that's all it really was? The whole journey had felt real enough, but Midnight's warning felt so surreal…

Did the badger really think that the Clans would be happy here? That they were destined to live by the lake? What did a badger know of anything, let alone StarClan or Twolegs or… Mistyfoot had to force herself to stop thinking, or she'd spiral out of control, which was the last thing she needed right now. She focused on the lake, on the slow ebb and flow of the water against the shore.

"How could StarClan let this happen to us?" Mistyfoot murmured, looking down at the water at her paws. The thought of leaving the forest for this journey had been terrifying enough, but leaving for good? Her head was spinning.

The reeds twitched behind her, and Mistyfoot jumped to her paws. She turned her head and saw Stormfur padding towards her, his amber eyes soft with understanding. The thick-furred tom sat himself down beside her, and Mistyfoot leaned into him for comfort, her heart still thudding in her ears from the surprise.

"It'll look better in the morning," Stormfur promised her quietly. "We can really look at this place then. See if Midnight is right."

Mistyfoot dug her claws into the sandy shore. "She's right," she mewed, "I know she is, deep down. But… why can't StarClan send the Twolegs away? Don't they have the power?"

"If they could, they probably would have," Stormfur pointed out. His eyes darkened as he looked out at the water. "I think… I think this journey has proven that StarClan isn't as powerful as we thought."

Mistyfoot trembled as a chill ran down her spine. Midnight had already posed tough questions about StarClan, about the nature of their world. If that knowledge meant cats might lose faith in StarClan's power… that scared Mistyfoot to her core. What would the Clans be without StarClan?

"It'll be all right, Mistyfoot," Stormfur assured. "If StarClan can't stop the Twolegs… then I'm sure they'll help us any other way they can. Isn't that what they did already, by sending us here?"

"I hope so." Mistyfoot pressed herself into his fur for security. She felt Stormfur's body rippling in a warm purr, and she couldn't help but feel a little better as she looked out at the water with him. For a moment, the hardships ahead disappeared, and it was only the two of them, in their own little world.

"Whatever happens…" she began, looking up at Stormfur, "I'm glad that we met. I'm glad this journey happened."

Stormfur glanced down at her, his whiskers brushing hers. "So am I," he mewed. He gently touched his nose to her forehead. "Even if I wasn't a chosen cat… I'm grateful I came. It let me know you, Mistyfoot."

Mistyfoot's fur flushed with warmth, and she purred. She felt the same here as she did by the sun-drown-water – with Stormfur by her side, nothing could hurt her, not even the worrisome thoughts in her own mind, because she wasn't dealing with them alone anymore.

"Will you teach me to swim, when we get here?" Mistyfoot asked. "After all, all the Clans will have access to the lake."

Stormfur's eyes sparkled. "Of course," he promised warmly.

Happiness bubbled in Mistyfoot's chest. She brushed her muzzle against Stormfur's, purring. Stormfur's tail twined with her's, and as they looked out at the lake, together…

Their uncertain future seemed bright.