Even when Mira had looked at the starless night sky, remembering the purpose she had given herself long ago, her giggles had echoed through the cool forest. She had found every one of Farstrider's words amusing, even when he had just explained what he had done since they were last together. Her laugh had been infectious and had rubbed off on him when she had done the same. As his brown-tipped tail had risen, Mira had noticed their shadows dancing together in the twoleg-made walkway.
"Oh! I hardly get to see my shadow," Mira said, glancing at the tall, yellow lights lining the walkway. "Do you ever talk to your shadow?"
He nodded at his shadow to the right. "Sometimes. When it stands taller than me like this, I pretend it's you. When its shorter, I pretend it's one of my nagging sisters."
"I get the "nagging" part. Proxima, do you ever talk to your shadow?" Mira said sarcastically.
"No." Proxima's voice came from the chatter holes of a flat but wide cylinder drone hovering out of reach. It was painted black and white with red and blue bands glowing dim enough to not disrupt the two cats' shadows. "At your age, doing so would be considered childish."
"But I see it so little. Ten rotations, a hundred, what does it matter?"
"What's that? Over a hundred rotations?" Farstrider mewed. "That's lovely!"
"Yeah." Mira glanced anywhere but the tom's excited eyes. "It just means I'm old, right?"
"In the Star Covenant, you would be highly revered as a long-lived and loyal member. A reason so many travel between branches is to hear tales of our shared mission from the cats who lived it! And you might have more experience than any elder I've ever met."
"You tail-licker," Mira chuckled, gently shoving him away. "You'll be that old in a few rotations."
"Yeah, but I'm not nearly as travelled as you." Farstrider brushed his tail over Mira's back. "I can't imagine the level of respect someone with your mission and history might get, chimera or not."
"Well, I can at least give some words of wisdom," the senior molly mused, shaking freshly sloshed mud from her paws that had spilled into the walkway. "Rain and mud are the real enemies of travelers. I'd take a shouting match with a fox any day."
The lights grew brighter to compensate for a mysterious fog rolling in from the forest, snuffing out the pair's shadows. Their destination came into view as they walked into a clearing. A twoleg structure was nested on stilts rather than disrupt the gentle roll of the hills. It looked more like a series of tube-like hallways than a proper nest, as if it were built to be easily taken apart. Twoleg scribblings lined some of the walls, but the rest were covered in moss and soil textures to somewhat blend it in. Stairs leading to a door of yellow stripes reflecting through the mist made Mira breathe a sigh of relief.
"Is this where you were talking about?" Mira yawned to the drone.
"Is she finally going to rest here?" Farstrider purred.
"Not alone, that's for sure," Mira hummed. "Proxima sure won't. She's probably going to spend however long planning our next route."
"How long do I have you this time?"
"As long as Proxima needs to plan." Mira glanced at the drone again. "Hopefully not too quickly?"
The drone's red and blue bands stopped glowing as it shot beams of blue light into the forest. The cold snap of damp fur shocked Mira; Her paw was already submerged in a slurry of gently bubbling water.
"Where did this come from?" Mira hissed. "Now this is certainly worse than mud.
"A flash flood," Proxima finally said. "An underground aqueduct has failed and overrun its bedrock levees. I am assessing how bad it is, but there should be no turbulence."
The drone hovered just above the rising waterline and extended a flat disc across its top. It was wide enough for Mira and Farstrider to comfortably lay side by side, which they did without bothering to shake off any mud. It hovered towards the yellow-striped door, its reflective parts the only thing shining through the mist once the pole lights flickered off. The drone's red and blue strips brightened enough for them to see a tree-length in all directions, but even that ceased when it stopped hovering and slapped into the water.
"Water… magnetic pull." Proxima's voice clicked out several times with the drone's chatter holes fully submerged. "Not… deadly to swim… try."
"I only heard a few words?" Farstrider said.
Everything solid from tree branches to clumps of mud sank, everything except the drone. The strobing lights, now completely submerged, were barely bright enough for the pair to see each other. But it was enough to let Mira briefly study the small bubbles hitting the surface around them.
"I thought these drones could hover over water this shallow?" Farstrider said nervously.
"It isn't shallow anymore." The water reached the bottom of the twoleg structure, fully submerging the stairs in front of the door. Amidst the dark of night and the thick fog, it was the only thing visible. "Proxima!?" Mira yelled. Her voice echoed through the silenced forest, pinging from empty space to empty space. The water finally stopped creeping upward. The yellow-striped door was still visible, but mostly submerged.
"Paddle?" Farstrider rested a paw on Mira's.
"Seems like our only option," Mira said, the fur on her neck crawling. "We shouldn't swim in this. It doesn't look right."
"This reminds me of when we were near that lake with the deer. A few rotations ago?" He couldn't help but chuckle.
"You're joking at a time like this?" Mira growled half-heartedly.
"You tripped on that steep bank and rolled right in! Flailing around like a little wood mouse in water you were tall enough to stand in." He began paddling with his forepaw and tail. "I even had to convince you that you weren't drowning, while you weren't drowning."
She resisted the urge to playfully smack him and began paddling with him. "So what? I told you I hate swimming."
"Everyone who's a lousy swimmer hates it. When this water recedes, there'll be plenty of puddles to practice in."
"Uh oh, he brought out the claws again," Mira giggled, losing herself fully in his humor. "Still upset you can't keep up with me in any races or win any sparring matches? I am several moons older, after all."
"I won when I reintroduced myself. And ambushes do count." He gently licked her cheek. "But you're in good paws with my swimming. There was a river near our branch's territory, and I was the best—"
A torrent of bubbles rocked the makeshift raft, followed by a gentle vibration from the water itself. Tiny ripples formed all around as if it were raining. The mist even started shaking and twisting faster through the trees. The drone's blue and red lights dimmed further, almost leaving her oblivious to Farstrider's absence.
"Farstrider?" Mira said. The vibrations hid any traces of where he fell in. And the sound of it continued growing louder. She spun around frantically. "Farstrider!"
Mira removed her paw when the water's strange hold nearly dragged her in, too. Branches, clumps of dirt, and leaves would briefly surface and sink. Her chest tightened every time she saw something that wasn't Farstrider. She resisted the urge to dive in after him, fighting not to beat herself up for being a lousy swimmer at a time like this.
She dunked her head into the water and bit, thrust her paws in and waved, reaching for anything living. Even when the drone's lights dimmed further and she could barely see her paws, she didn't stop thrashing until she hit something soft. Mira thrust her muzzle into the water and bit the first thing she could get a grip on. She hoisted the smaller tom onboard, his watery coughs giving her no relief. The large branch he had surfaced with nearly tipped the drone before sinking. Mira massaged his chest while he hacked up water.
"This flood… is cursed." Farstrider hissed between coughs.
"My Stars, Farstrider, I thought I lost you!" Mira licked the blood oozing from his shoulder. "I thought I lost you."
"How close are we… to that door?"
"What's wrong with your eyes?" Mira mumbled between licks. "And there's still water in you."
Farstrider cleared his throat. "It can't be helped. The water stings like smoke. Did we drift far from the twoleg nest?" Mira continued licking his shoulder and massaging his chest. He gently pried her away but she snapped right back. "Mira, stop—"
"You almost died!" Mira's shouting nearly startled him overboard. Her claws had never retracted, leaving scratches all over the drone's surface. "Can't you just shut up and let me be happy you're still alive!?"
Mira's shout echoing through the dark forest sapped her anger. She turned away from Farstrider and dropped her ears, searching half-heartedly for the yellow door. They sat quietly for a moment, letting the hum of the bubbling water calm them down without the imminent danger. Farstrider wrapped his tail around Mira's paws and faced ahead, rubbing his eyes.
"I was scared I lost you. Really scared," Mira sighed.
"It's okay," Farstrider said. "You did say it'd been a rough rotation."
"But panicking at a time like this? What if I tipped the drone shouting at you?" She couldn't help but giggle.
"Having to explain that to my branch," Farstrider chuckled. "Being killed by my rescuer mere moments after being rescued. I'd nag you until we both vanished from StarClan."
They laughed for a bit, the bobbing of the drone reminding them of their imminent danger. But it was easier with the humor. The two looked at each other and huddled close at the drone's center.
"I know you call this district home, but I've had a tough time here," Mira said. "Even so, I'm usually calm with danger. I'm sorry. I got us lost now. I don't see the door anymore."
Farstrider rubbed his eyes. "I don't think we should paddle in this, anyway. Besides, I don't blame you for anything. You saved my life."
Mira tried finding the perfect words to say to Farstrider, but settled for resting her chin on his shoulder. With the extra water his fur carried, they weighed about the same and could shift their weight to the center. Things continued bobbing in and out of view until the last of the drone's lights flickered off, leaving them in total darkness.
What should've frightened them instead gave them a moment of tranquility. They were alone with the water's hum and gentle babbling. Mira felt the fur on the back of her neck settle and her claws retract. The flakes of mud in her fur and the heaviness in her eyes from a hard journey were calm, too. Her fluttering heart settled with his embrace. She knew this was where she wanted to be. She just wanted the right moment to tell him.
White light flooded the area. The yellow-striped door came into view just a few tail-lengths away, almost completely submerged. A large, spider-like drone climbed from the backside of the roof, eight red dots facing them. It lifted Mira to the safety of the roof. She was still relaxed, but even more so to be on something solid. Farstrider finally shook the slimy water from his fur when he was dropped next to her.
"The water's aeration makes it impossible to swim in." Proxima's voice was scratchy through the spider drone's chatter holes. "Its magnetic pull would have held you if you fell in, which it looks like you did. You were lucky, tomcat."
"Very," Farstrider purred with a smile.
"We will be stuck here for at least a few days while the flood subsides. It should also rain the entire time we wait, so no going outside. Your vision will recover by tomorrow evening. I will deal with your shoulder, now." The drone grew still, its red lights flickering off.
A hatch had creaked open, letting out sterile air and gentle hisses. Both had looked at the mostly see-through walls and the dozens of drones zipping around. A pair of smaller drones had made themselves elevated platforms to safely reach the floor. Mira had smelled the blood on Farstrider' shoulder and urged him to go first. She had taken one last look around. The drone they had ridden still bobbed near the door. The trickles of water had been soft enough to be drowned out by Farstrider's paw steps. Mira had breathed a heavy sigh of relief and went inside.
O O O
Mira nearly slammed her head into the wall as warning beeps echoed throughout the twoleg nest. She was glad she had slept in her leg sleeves and ran to the other den, calming as Faypaw emerged and rushed to her side. The see-through walls had been covered in a gray sheet of silverwood with twoleg scribblings all over. Most of the storm's noise was still blocked, but the walls shook enough to let her know it wasn't going to last forever.
"Proxima?" Mira yelled, pushing the last of her grogginess away.
"The storm has turned for the worse." Proxima's voice was nearly static from the nest's chatter holes. "It is threatening to force a gravity lapse. If that happens, the only safe place is a nearby metro stop."
"How much time do we have?"
"I cannot say, but you need to put these on."
A drone struggled to the space near the food bowls with a bulky payload. Another drone opened the bag with a mechanical arm. Three egg-white suits shaped somewhat like cats were dragged out, followed by three complimentary black vests and bodysuits. At the hole for the head was a deflated, see-through dome Mira knew would harden and bend to shape once she was inside. It was bulky near the ankles and paws, left no room to extend their claws, and had generous space for a tail. A reflective handle was off to its side. The vests had straps to hug the body and did not expand, instead covered in twoleg scribblings. The bodysuits looked unnaturally form-fitting and had the same inflexible panel as Mira's sleeves.
"What are those?" Rush stumbled into the den, his artificial eye pitch black. "And why did the sirens go off? We are safe here."
"Not anymore." Proxima's voice was surer through the drones' chatter holes. "The electrical storm outside is currently destroying this neighborhood. It is threatening a gravity lapse—"
"A lapse? Here? I have only seen that phenomenon once, and it hardly posed a danger when I was inside."
"This neighborhood was not built to withstand such events. We need to leave."
Mira saw Fleetheart standing on the couch, accompanied by transparent debris and a frightened face. "Proxima knows what she's talking about with this stuff."
Fleetheart saw what the senior molly was trying to do and ran up to Rush. Even though he didn't react to her, his eye turned a deep shade of blue. "Very well. I suppose caution is warranted if the twoleg-thing makes such a proclamation."
Mira carefully grabbed one of the bodysuits in her mouth and motioned Faypaw to lay on his side. She helped guide his legs in and explained he wouldn't feel his paw pads or be able to use his claws. He looked uncomfortable with the skintight woven pelt blocking his fur and pressing on his bandaged back. She motioned him towards the wall where two crude mechanical arms emerged. The arms quickly wrapped the vest around his back and chest while lifting him into the outer suit. When it hissed and compressed to his build, she began putting her own bodysuit on and motioning Rush to do the same.
"The storm will interfere with both of your leg braces," Proxima said. "Yours worse than his, Mira. Ideally you will not have to walk, but Faypaw, be ready to help either of them should it come to it."
The see-through dome inflating into a near-perfect sphere over Faypaw's head revealed a nervous nod. Fleetheart didn't like the look and slinked over to him to lift his chin, only for her paw to phase through his suit and him. She settled for sitting next to him while Mira took a deep breath and approached. He looked away when she did, the dome around her own head inflating, too.
"Can you hear me?" Mira said.
"Yeah." Faypaw's voice came through chatter holes hidden behind her neck. "I don't know if I can carry you."
"You won't have to. But I know you—"
"I couldn't even save you from a flock of birds." Faypaw's growl was directed towards himself. "I got us both hurt and it hadn't even been a day."
"Faypaw." Mira rested a paw on her kit's back, only to have it shrugged off. She looked to Fleetheart, who had caught onto how bad the storm was outside and seemed too frightened to help. "I don't know if you remember this, the flood the hill cats had to deal with?"
"What flood?" he said, still averting his eyes.
"When you had just opened your eyes, everything around the hill camp had flooded from a terrible thunderstorm. You just slept through it. Curled up on my back, keeping me calm if anything. You certainly did better than your father at that—he especially hates floods. But I knew, when the time came for you to leave camp, you'd be perfectly fine."
"Sounds like I was braver then."
Mira paused when she saw Faypaw's ears drop. She had meant every word, but it wasn't his memory. He saw right through her and dismissed her. His eyes were averted in shame, the same thing she felt from him as they had walked through the twolegplace after escaping the Rigel Flock. She rested a paw on his back again, which he didn't resist.
"I'll be brave for you, if you do the same for me. Okay?"
Faypaw was confused at first, but settled into deep breath and a more determined look. "Okay."
Even though his heart wasn't fully committed, Mira was glad she got something through to him. Fleetheart tried resting a paw on him again, phasing through the suit and landing on his shoulder. She gave Mira a weak smile, more frightened of the strange storm than either of them. Faypaw seemed a little calmer as they made their way to the front door. Rush was finally ready, his steady breathing sounding to both after his see-through dome inflated. His artificial eye glowed bright blue, flashing each time the storm slammed something against the side of the nest.
"Make your way to the security drone outside," Proxima said, her voice scrambling further. "Do not touch anything shiny except that drone."
The pleasant scents of the twoleg nest gave way to sterile, recycled air from inside their suits. The front door swung open and flooded the three's ears with a back-of-the-throat hum loud enough to drown out the wind. But the suits let them hear each other's gasps. Lightning arced and lingered with a softness they knew was wrong. Despite it being nighttime, the sky was brightened by a noxious yellow from swift-moving clouds. White lightning arced between them, other twoleg dens, even the ground. A couple nests were already burning, with dozens of totaled firefighting drones scattered about. When she stepped outside, her braces vibrated and she crumbled to the ground.
"Mom!" Faypaw clumsily jumped to her side and propped her up.
"Proxima said this would happen," Mira grunted, putting all her straight into standing without her braces. "Just get to the drone."
Pins were running up and down Mira's legs. The see-through domes prevented Faypaw from getting a good grip on her, but he managed. She was glad Rush seemed fine, climbing into the drone first to help her. One of the same massive spheres Proxima used to scare off the crows was their ride. The inside was more cramped than the drone's size made it seem. When the three were on the seat, the drone's hatch swung closed and the inside walls displayed a near-continuous view of outside, save for the hexagon panels forming the screen borders. Rush sat closest to the door and watched his adopted home being nipped apart by the storm.
"Metro line… from here." Proxima's voice through hidden chatter holes was lost to static. "The security drone… not leave."
"I am afraid there will be nothing for me to go back to," Rush sighed, his fake eye a deep shade of blue. "And I cannot start over. Not like this."
Fleetheart, who was resting in a space for the twoleg operator's legs, propped herself up and brushed Rush's fur. "I'm sorry I put you into this situation. I would've left Dombaystar alone if I knew."
"There may not be anything to go back to," Mira said, addressing them both. "I know what that's like. But it's not too late to start over."
Rush, oblivious to the StarClan medicine cat's presence, nodded. His eye stayed a sad shade of blue, but he seemed content with the answer. Fleetheart didn't seem convinced. She nestled back into her space and let her fear of the storm take her attention. Faypaw sat between the two, resting against his mother's side and staying alert to every arc of lightning surrounding them. Mira hoped Fleetheart's presence was doing something for him.
Even with the sound-dampened insides, the throaty hum vibrated the seat and rattled their heads. The pastel-blue twoleg nest was out of sight, replaced by lesser-maintained nests being torn apart by the wind and set alight by lightning. Drones were buzzing around everywhere trying in vain to put fires out or even function cohesively. Any light that flickered on was quickly popped by a snap of lightning. The security drone lurched forward to pick up speed, Faypaw doing his best to keep Mira propped up. The seat rolled back to better cradle the three. Static clicked from the chatter holes but said nothing decipherable.
The wind died down to a light breeze and the lightning arcs grew longer and larger. Small pebbles and bushes appeared to vibrate instead of blow. The group's view from the screens grew slightly blurrier. Rolling the seat as far back as it went, the drone picked up tremendous speed. The three grunted trying to keep upright against it. As the drone raced down the thunderpath, she saw nest after nest torn to shreds or vaporized. After that, her eyes never left her kit.
"Be ready…." Again, Proxima's words were lost to static. But Mira finally saw their destination. The tunnel with stairs leading underground was off to the side in what was once a grass field near the thunderpath, now alight in a yellow fire matching the clouds. The remaining trees had already been ravaged down to bare sticks or tattered stumps. The drone slowed, swung its door open in the middle of the thunderpath, and dumped the three before rolling away. Silent lightning blacked out Mira's vision. When it returned, the drone was a husk of burning silverwood.
The others came to her aid, propping her up on both sides best they could. Mira motioned for Rush to follow instead of help her, their voices lost to static. His artificial eye had failed and left him just as frightened as Faypaw. But Mira was more afraid of what was to come than the tempest. She could feel the pebbles scattered about the thunderpath vibrate. The throaty hum became more reminiscent of where she knew the true terror laid. A trickle of blood from her nose finalized the warning, the same coming from Faypaw's.
"You both…are going to feel really sick." Mira's exhausted words rattled around her see-through dome, unsure if the others could hear.
Just a tree-length from the tunnel, Faypaw sped his pace. Mira clenched her teeth as more blood dripped from her nose and ears. The same vibrating pebbles now floated at her height. The sky became a mustard yellow and the lowest clouds hovered just above the remaining trees. The smooth, stone tunnel was shrouded in comforting darkness. Mira lost all sensation in her legs but thrust forward hard enough to send her and Faypaw tumbling down the stairs. She struggled to her paws and caught glimpses of her kit running to her.
"…okay?" She sighed in relief to finally hear Faypaw's voice. "Say something if you're okay. Please!"
"I'm fine," Mira groaned, her sleeves still refusing to work. "It's a gravity lapse. Be ready to feel really sick. You too, Rush." She got no response. She didn't even see him. "Rush? Where are you?"
"It was another lightning strike." Fleetheart had materialized at the top of the stairs, unaffected by the growing weightlessness. "He's lying in the thunderpath!"
Mira struggled halfway up the stairs before Faypaw saw and tried following her. "Stay there!" she pleaded. "Stay right there and don't move."
When she reached the top, her exhaustion was mitigated by her growing weightlessness. Her whiskers now bent upward, as did the fur around her neck. She was able to turn her head enough to see Rush lying motionless in the thunderpath. The outer shell of his suit had a large tear where blood floated out and up.
"Rush!" Mira resisted the urge to leave the tunnel, where she could still grip the ceiling as a last resort. "Rush, get up. I can't get to you! Can you hear me?"
"Mira?" His voice was barely audible and he still didn't move. "The twoleg-thing was right. But it looks like this is it for me. I can't move. I can't feel anything."
"Save your strength. I can just… maybe I can…" Mira grit her teeth at her helplessness. She could see the flap for his tail lifting from the ground. "I can't just leave you like this."
Fleetheart sprinted to his side. She tried grabbing him, but her paws phased through every time. She desperately shouted at him to get up while trying over and over to lift him. With how much debris was in the air, Mira couldn't tell what came from the twolegplace or Fleetheart's mind.
"Rush, I'm sorry," Mira shouted.
"Don't be. Keep that kit of yours safe. He truly is a blessing." Rush stayed unmoving while Fleetheart kept trying to lift him. "I can only pray that StarClan will take me after abandoning my duties and my life."
Mira watched him lift from the ground, more of his blood leaving the hole in his suit. Something grabbed her legs and pulled her back underground before she floated, too. Faypaw kept rolling down the tunnel without any weight to stop his momentum; She knew the further he was from its entrance the better, anyway. Mira lay close to the stairs but safe from being carried off in the gravity lapse. The throaty hum rattled her head and stole her senses, pushing her against the tunnel's ceiling and locking the prayer she tried to say in her mouth.
As the pressure against her and the ceiling grew, starry snow particles gently blew down the tunnel. Twisted silverwood and glowing red-stone appeared on the stairs. The StarClan cat accompanying it stood regal and looked where Rush had been. Mira was about to mouth something to her, but didn't see the usual hide pouches at her side. The tall and balanced cat was covered in ethereal mud and twigs, as if she was disguising herself. She smelled both of fowl air and sweet lavender. This StarClan cat was not Fleetheart.