I.

Darkness shrouded her vision. She was unsure if her eyes were even open. Her night vision betrayed her; she could not see her paws flailing aimlessly against the groundless void beneath her. Pressure squeezed tightly against her chest as though her lungs were filling with water. Her body grew colder and colder with every passing moment.

Where was she? Was she dead? Is this what the grounds of StarClan look like now? If so, she hoped for the Dark Forest instead.

The silence around her built up in her ears, causing a sharp ringing sensation. All at once her body began to catch up with her racing mind. The muscles beneath her golden-brown coat convulsed. She tried to take in a staggered breath, but the red-hot pain flowing through her was too much. She realized that she couldn't breathe.

She opened her mouth and tried to scream for help. She cried out wordlessly. It was no use, anyway. Who was to help her? She was alone in this dark void.

Canarytail jolted awake. Her eyes stretched wide and she gasped for a massive breath to fill her empty lungs. She reached a shaking paw out until she rested it on the soft pelt of the cat sleeping beside her. A wave of relief crashed over her when she felt Birchshadow shift under her touch.

Birchshadow groggily lifted his head. His green eyes, albeit flickering with exhaustion, were kind and understanding. Canarytail pressed closer towards him until his scent overcame her.

"Bad dream?" the young tom asked softly. He curled his tail around her flank and rested it on top of her own.

"Yes," she whispered. She allowed her chin to settle between her paws. Birchshadow licked the fur between her shoulder blades. She closed her eyes for a moment, wishing things could always be this way.

"Want to explain?" he meowed.

"I don't know," Canarytail sighed. "Do you think my dreams have any meaning anymore?"

"Well," Birchshadow murmured, "you were still the medicine cat when things went bad. I wouldn't ignore anything in that head of yours."

Canarytail shuffled her paws, thinking he may have been correct. They had been on their own for nearly two moons now. When the Clans disbanded, she was still quite new to being a medicine cat. She earned her full name at the beginning of the leaf-fall season; now, towards the end of leaf-fall, she could only hold on to what little power she still had left.

"Care to join me for a walk?" the she-cat asked.

"Of course," Birchshadow purred. He rose to his paws and followed her outside. She glanced over her shoulder at him, meeting his eyes in the blackness. This was the only good thing that came of the disbanding of the Clans. She could finally be with the cat that she was in love with.

His soft ginger pelt brushed lightly against her own. He rested his chin atop her head. She sighed, taking in the sweet moment. The air was crisp and chilly; she ruffled her pelt against the cool breeze that swept through the pine trees. The night-time insects had long gone before the end of the season, so the forest was quiet and calm. The only sounds were the cats' gentle breathing and the occasional hoot of the speckled owl that lived in one of the trees.

"To the clearing?" Birchshadow asked. "We might be able to see Silverpelt tonight. There's no moon in the sky." Canarytail darted her eyes upwards. Doubt weighed on her shoulders like a stone. StarClan had left the Clans long ago. Why would Silverpelt be around?

Although she was uncertain, she gave her answer silently through a nod. Birchshadow swept his tail under her chin and guided her forward. The two cats slithered into the dampened foliage. Curled tendrils from browning ferns tickled Canarytail's body as she crept by. The cold ground was hard underpaw. Her ears swiveled at the sound of the river that they padded beside.

The forest was teeming with different scents, ones that she was familiar with from her many excursions to gather more herbs for ReedClan.

She felt sadness tugging at her heart. Her mind wandered to her old Clanmates. Everyone had gone separate ways. How were Mintflower and her kits? Did they make it to Twolegplace? How many lives did Swoopstar have left? The elders—were they doing fine? Tawnymoon would have to have died by now. He was so old when everything went down. Her sister—did she find the peace she was striving for?

Canarytail was so lost in her thoughts that she failed to realize how quickly the moments had passed. When she blinked, she saw that the clearing was just ahead. The canopy of twisted trees gave way to an opening on the cliffside. This is where the river fed into a massive waterfall. The roaring of the falls was thunderous and deafening.

The cliffside jutted out, creating a nice sitting spot for the two cats. Birchshadow settled down first. He curled his tail, making room for Canarytail. She sat next to him and pressed her muzzle into his.

She could feel his warm breath on her cheek. He gave the bridge of her nose a quick lick before he carried his head back up. Canarytail sighed sweetly. He was such a handsome tom. Out of all of the cats in the forest, he decided to go with her.

The golden-brown she-cat stared out at the horizon. She could only see so far in the dark, but she knew that this view was unlike any other. In daylight, one could see the entire mountain range and forest, all the way to the edge of the horizon where the mountain range curved. There were dim orange lights flickering somewhere far away. That was Twolegplace. She wondered how many of her Clanmates resorted to giving up their wild cat life for that of a kittypet's.

Mintflower had been the first to bring up the idea. She had been heavily pregnant at the time, and with the cold seasons coming, she didn't want to risk her kits' lives. She had lost her mate in the final battle that broke the Clans. Poor Mintflower had very little more to go on for then.

Canarytail shook her head and shuffled her paws tightly together.

"Do you see anything?" Birchshadow meowed, pulling her away from her thoughts.

Canarytail flitted her amber eyes to the sky. It seemed darker than usual. A sense of unsurprised disappointment filled her gut when she realized that Silverpelt, once again, was not there. Silverpelt had not been seen in moons.

"Nothing," she murmured.

Birchshadow tensed. His head swiveled as he searched the sky. "They've got to be there. Where can StarClan even go?"

Canarytail was unsure of how to answer that. She thought back to her dream; how the endless void encapsulated her. Was that StarClan now? Though she hadn't eaten anything in days, her belly was wrenched.

"What will become of us?" Birchshadow muttered.

"We'll be okay," Canarytail assured, not truly believing in herself. Birchshadow stared at her with the same amount of doubtfulness that she held.

"Canarytail," he stated, "we haven't had a good meal in days. Prey is starting to become scarce and you and I are out here by ourselves. We need to find a safe place to live, StarClan or not."

He was right. Leafbare was peeking just around the corner. If hunger didn't take the pair out, freezing to death would. Canarytail was lucky that she was a trained medicine cat. At least out of all of the things that could kill her, the chance of it being greencough was low.

"I know," Canarytail replied.

"We've been pacing the same territory for so long. The others completely left the forest the first chance they got. I haven't smelled so much as a single warrior from any of the Clans for nearly two moons. Perhaps they've all gone and found better places."

Were the other cats any better off? Canarytail had hoped so, but the chances were slim. Where would anyone else have gone, anyway?

Birchshadow rose up. He turned around, facing the forest. "In the morning, we leave for the lower valley."

"The lower valley?" Canarytail repeated with widened eyes. "That's such a long way."

"If we hurry, we can make it before leafbare." Birchshadow said. She knew he understood her uncertainty. He touched his nose to hers. "I want what's best for you. It's a long shot, but I remember the stories of the cats who came from the valley. In the elders' tales, this place has a lake, prey, safe places to sleep. We can make a home there and raise kits one day."

Canarytail imagined all of it. It seemed too good to be true. But part of her did want to believe. She loved Birchshadow far beyond what she could understand. If he thought that it would be a good idea, then it must be so.

"Alright," she said with a newfound confidence. "Swoopstar did a good job making you deputy, you know that?"

Birchshadow purred and rubbed his head along her shoulder. "I've been beyond blessed to love you."

Canarytail could feel her heart melting. The couple padded back into the forest, tails intertwined. When they had reached their den, they took in the last moments within it. Tomorrow would be a new day, one that would give light to a journey that not even Canarytail could understand the importance of. Just the thought of that alone was enough to make her feel utterly exhausted.

Curled up into the side of her mate, Canarytail closed her eyes and fell into a deep slumber.