Follow the star path.

      Dawn's words echoed in Luna's head as she padded through the two leg streets, with Silver silent beside her. The young tom's pelt brushed hers, reassuring her as she wove her way through the dark alleys. Casting an anxious glance towards Silver, Luna briefly wondered whether he was regretting his choice to come with her. 

       Silver lifted his head to meet her gaze. He seemed to understand the worry etched in Luna's eyes, and he flicked his tail. Wordlessly, he pressed his flank against hers, his silver eyes blinking. I'm not going anywhere, he seemed to say. 

     "We'll probably make it out of the twoleg place by sunset," Luna murmured, casting a look at the sky. They'd travelled all day, stopping once to hunt and dig through the cans for two-leg scraps. Though Luna's paws ached from walking, her breath eased with every step they'd taken away from the crowded two-leg buildings. The young calico she-cat shook her pelt, stretching her neck to look at the clear blue sky. She purred softly, looking forward to when she'd finally feel grass under her paws, instead of the hard, bitter two-leg stone she'd gotten so used to. 

      Silver dipped his head. "We should probably rest as soon as we get out." Luna was just about to murmur agreement when a sharp bark echoed in the distance, temporarily shattering their silence. Immediately, she felt her claws slide out on instinct, as she pricked her ears. Silver lifted his head to taste the air. 

    "It's not close," he said, his tail twitching. "But we better hurry." 

      Luna slunk into the shadows that the two-leg buildings cast over the road, forcing her pelt to lay smooth. Silver seemed to relax beside her, as the shadows wrapped around them like a protective veil. The two cats trotted forward, their paws silent against the stone. 

     "Luna? Do you know where the clans are?" 

      At Silver's question, Luna licked her chest as she thought desperately for an answer. Where are the clans? Her thoughts drifted to the last words her mother had told her, before lingering to that blurry memory of vibrant green leaves and twisted oak trees. Luna frowned. She'd gotten that memory from her mother, many moons ago when she was just a kit. It had become blurry around the edges, but she was sure it was her mother's memory of her life as Dawnstar. 

    Puzzled, she shook her head to clear it. "I'm not sure," she admitted, dipping her head as she licked her chest to hide her anxiety and embarrassment. 

    "But I think Dawn said to 'follow the star path' before she...." The words were stuck in her throat, and she quickly glanced away. It's been moons, she chided herself, as she waited for the dull pain in her heart to fade. "-before she died," she forced herself to say. 

     Silver blinked at her, his gaze sympathetic and warm. 

     "I'm not sure what she meant by that, though," Luna meowed. She sighed, glancing at the sky, hoping for a clue. Desperation clawed at her throat, as she forced herself to stop trembling. You'll figure it out, she repeated to herself. Luna wondered how much she'll have to repeat it in order to believe it. Her eyes closed briefly. Oh, stars. Dawn, I don't want to let you down."

      "Maybe we should wait until night. Maybe it'll be clearer when we see the stars," Silver suggested. 

       Luna blinked gratefully at him. "That's a great idea," she meowed. "We could ask the kittypets living at the edge of the town. Maybe they saw Dawn arrive, and remember something about which direction she came from." Her heart hopeful, Luna pelted forward, ignoring the ache in her paws.

      "Come on!"

       Silver gave a mrrow of laughter, before racing after her. His pawsteps pounded behind her as the first traces of the setting sun dyed the clouds pink.

      The two cats ran under the setting sun; as threads of light lingered in the sky, mingling with the rolling clouds and tall buildings, dyeing the heavens first orange, then red, then dark blue. They ran until all that was left of the sunset was a chalky mauve that melted away in turn as stygian darkness took over the sky.