Drip.

Slowly, silver eyes began to open, blinded by a sudden harsh light. A cold feeling covered her forehead, it's icy chill causing the she-cat to flinch slightly.

Drip.

The haze around her began to clear, a dark shape beginning to come into focus.

'Am I...in StarClan?'

Drip.

Moonfur blinked in an attempt to clear her gaze, her eyes widening slightly while her mouth hung barely open. Above her, Moonfur looked up in shock to see a familiar red eye staring back down at her. Lostheart stood over Moonfur, the water dripping from her forehead and onto the pale she-cat.

Drip.

Her face was contorted in anguish, confusion and rage spinning in her eyes. Moonfur could only look up in shock, barely registering the fact that she was breathing, and that they were both drenched in water.

Lostheart was breathing heavily, her eyes widening slightly as she realized Moonfur had awoken. The pale she-cat was staring at her with wide frozen eyes. Lostheart gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, but they flashed back open instantly, watching Moonfur with a mix of anger, confusion, and despair.

"...Why?" she breathed, "Why would you do something like this!?" Lostheart couldn't believe the broken she-cat in front of her was the Moonfur she knew. No cat should take their own life, it was not supposed to be a decision they felt like they had to make. Every cat deserved to live.

Moonfur could only watch in shock. Not only was she still alive, but she had never seen Lostheart react like this to anything.

Lostheart had seen the pain in Moonfur's eyes when she spoke with the tribe cats, and her heart twisted with despair. She remembered the night she had spoken with Moonfur while the pair of she-cats had watched the moon together.

"I keep telling myself that he's out there somewhere, waiting for me..."

"I understand its painful, but trying to find a way to escape from the world isn't the answer. Didn't you hear what Breeze said?! Ice wanted you to be happy, how could you betray him by taking the life of the one he loved, and his kits!"

Yes, she knew. She had suspected it all along, and it had become increasingly noticeable over time. Roseclaw knew as well, Lostheart had wanted to make sure her sister was aware as well, but as it turned out, Roseclaw had already noticed and confronted Moonfur about it. Lostheart was sure their clanmates were suspicious too, but were too afraid to say anything about it to insult the fiery she-cat.

"If you haven't noticed he isn't here. No one understands me like him. I've lost everything...My family, my mate, and I don't particularly care about my life." Moonfur muttered softly, the water still dripping from her fur.

"Well I do."

Moonfur's tired eyes slowly moved to look up to the she-cat, the one who had saved her. '...Why does she go so far for me?'

"I'm sorry about your father and Ice, but they would want you to live on. If not for yourself, then at least for them. Your mother gave her life to protect you...through you and the kits, their lives will continue on. They loved you Moonfur."

Lostheart took a step back, her eyes suddenly becoming dull and jaded. "...I know what it's like to feel like you're all alone in the world. To have everyone look at you in disgust and fear, never even given a chance... It's hard, and it's lonely, and it's painful; but there's always someone out there who will understand... I may not have many friends, or family; but to me you're important, and I won't let you do this to yourself. You're not alone. You have me, Roseclaw and Greysight, Thistleprick and Raggedear, Browneyes, Mintpaw, and even Darkpelt. We want you here with us."

Moonfur had remained silent the entire time, watching Lostheart through wide, shocked eyes. The air was quiet as a light breeze blew through the grass, chilling the she-cats' wet pelts. Lostheart blinked as Moonfur's mouth began to twitch, and she watched in shock as Moonfur's eyes slowly squinted up. The she-cat sniffed, and a small sob escaped her mouth, the tears beginning to flow down her cheeks. The pale she-cat's body shook lightly and she let out a sob, finally releasing all of her pent up feelings.

They stayed like that for a long while, Moonfur finally coming to terms with everything that had happened. Lostheart sat with her in silence, unsure of how to comfort another cat; however, her presence was what mattered the most.

The stars shimmered lightly in the sky, as two cats sat underneath them by a small tree. Lostheart had brought Moonfur here as the two dried off, and watched as the sun set and the moon rose, illuminating the forest.

Lostheart and Moonfur sat under the branches of the small tree, its blossoms covering the ground due to leaf-bare. They sat quietly, watching the moon. Moonfur had never been to this place before, and she wondered why they never took her here while exploring the territory. Unbeknownst to her, this was a very special place for Lostheart. It was her mother's place, and the only cat who had ever stood there with her was Ivyfoot.

"The kits aren't even born yet...and Ice isn't even here to help care for them. I'm not a motherly sort of cat. I'm really not. Yes I care for them, which is exactly why I was not going to bring them into this world, how could I ever provide for them?" Moonfur meowed sadly.

"The clan will help you, I know you'll be a great mother."

Moonfur was silent, watching the stars of Silverpelt with dull eyes. "I've never been here before, "she meowed, changing the subject, "It's beautiful."

Lostheart followed her gaze, looking into the stars as well. "...I don't bring cats here, its where I like to come when I want to be alone. It was my mother's favorite spot, she told me she would take me here one day, so that we could sit together...Unfortunately, she never got the chance."

'That's right...Lostheart's mother was killed when she was young too.'

"What was her name?"

"...Silentshadow."

"Oh. That's a pretty name."

It wasn't easy for Lostheart to talk about the past, she tried to avoid thinking about it. If not, she would end up making herself upset. The memories were just too painful. "Do you think they're up there, watching us?" Moonfur meowed, breaking the silence between the two cats. Lostheart blinked, watching the small, shimmering lights. "Yeah, I think they are."

Moonfur let out a small smile, "I miss him, I always thought that one day...we would see each other again." She let out a small laugh, "When my mother died, I felt like I had no one left. I always felt like my father never recognized me, to him I was just a burden. I left so that everyone would be able to live in peace. Life alone wasn't easy, and I became more and more bitter as the days went by, hating myself and the cats who looked down on me."

And then I met Ice. He was...different, he wanted to be around me. It was strange to be around someone like that, and I couldn't understand why." Moonfur's voice had become low and strangled, "But I'm glad he did. I don't want to know what might have happened to me if I stayed the way I was."

Lostheart was quiet, surprised that Moonfur was sharing something so personal with her. "I know." she meowed. Both of the she-cats had grown up being avoided and hated by their clanmates, they were the ones who had to suffer from the others' fear of the unknown.

"Sunstar has never cared for me like a daughter, and I don't acknowledge him as my father. I think he blames me for my mother's death. When she died, I was all alone too...and then I met Ivyfoot."

He believed in me, and didn't treat me any differently than the others. He was...like a father to me, one I never had. And it's my fault he died..." Lostheart meowed somberly, becoming quiet once more

"...I'm sorry." Moonfur meowed, watching the moon. She wasn't going to press Lostheart for details, she was just happy that the she-cat was being so open with her. They were more alike than she would have ever thought, and not just because of their eyes.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

HERE'S THE DEAL. I typed my bit on this chapter and I was going to do another collab with Moon. AND if you follow Moon's story, you know that she is a very, very, very slow writer/updater. For the longest time she couldn't get back to me, and she never did it; so we cancelled that idea. I felt like you guys deserved something, but I'm sorry if it feels incomplete. Especially for this type of moment. I am SUPER busy this week and I have a huge test that will ultimately determine my life this saturday, if ya know what i mean. Some of you may be taking it as well, and I'm just really stressed this week, but I'll definitely update this weekend. I really miss writing this story, and I hate that this took so long.

Lost Out

I may re-type this chapter, depending on how I feel about it after some thought; but until I get through this week it will have to wait