"Welcome, Doctor Gertrude Marie Fay. Protocol 'Genesis Exodus' is currently in effect. For your own safety, entrance requires sanitation shower. Proceed?"

"Yes."

Proxima had spoken through the drone's speakers, as always. Sometimes she had wished consoles would speak in a more natural way. Their monotone fakeness had always reminded her she had really been talking to no one. She took comfort in the fact that, a long time ago, she knew the real Gertrude Fay also agreed. Large, red safety doors had closed behind her, leaving her between them and equally-sized black doors. She had watched through the cameras as the disc-shaped drone she controlled vibrated wildly for a few moments.

"No external microbes detected," the artificial voice said through hidden chatter holes. "No weapons detected. No biological presence detected; Authorized drone in use. Entrance to Testing and Storage granted."

The black doors opened to a dimly-lit room with a black floor and walls. Spider-like drones rested against the walls and above several tables of different sizes. Some were big enough to hold a horse while others had to be raised on wheeled trays to match the height her drone hovered at. Against the back wall lay dozens of large containers hissing cold air and painted so deeply murky they were hard to see. The drone switched on a flashlight to get a clearer view of everything.

"When is my global message next set to repeat?" Proxima said through the drone's chatter holes.

Hidden chatter holes on the walls crackled on and wined. "Filename 'Proxima ringworld speech, feline' set to play as a priority zero global emergency communication in fifteen minutes."

"Give me the status of the Cortex BioLabs' sister facility."

"Sister facility: Kitsune-Sasquatch District Border Chimera Storage. Decommissioned during Total Evacuation Protocol 'Save Our Souls' ten years ago."

"Are there any live chimeras remaining in that facility?"

"Two live chimeras: Lynx pardinus-Capra ibex five-five-five, oculi. Lilii Borea, Iberian Lynx, female, age twenty-four years, true age two years. Canis familiaris-Sapiens zero-zero-x, gray matter. Proxima-Moldoveanu, dog, Dobermann with cropped ears and docked tail, age twenty years, true age six months."

"Maybe I can use the lynx later, but the dog is too smart. And both are too far away—"

"Inquiry not understood. Please repeat."

"Disregard that statement," Proxima sighed. "I am just talking to myself."

"Acknowledged. Context-sensitive listening patterns activated."

Proxima hovered the drone down the line of dark containers. Each was covered in a thin layer of ice and chilled the air she couldn't feel. She settled the drone near the middlemost of them. "Summarize all animals stored at this facility."

"This lab: Cortex BioLabs, Wing B, Testing and Storage. Five-hundred eighty-six chimeras detected, five hundred forty-one living, forty-one deceased, five brain-dead. Five-hundred twenty-two eastern spiny mice, seven mustangs, two Arabian horses, breeding pair, seven domestic cats, two California condors, breeding pair, one carrion crow. All chimeras currently in the thawing stage and will be alert in approximately one week."

"A dog is preferable, but this is the only facility here where advanced mutations weren't euthanized during evacuations… how many chimeras contain the human gray matter modification?"

"One: Corvus corone-Sapiens zero-zero-x, gray matter. Proxima-Rigel, carrion crow, male, redundant wings and eyes. Age thirty-two years, true age three years. Mental instability observed in stasis patterns and live tests."

"This one may be dangerous, but he may save at least one bird species from extinction…." Proxima continued to mull over her choices, hovering the drone back and forth between the massive containers. "How many chimeras have traits that will help them live longer?"

"Two: Felis catus-Panthera-Sapiens zero-nine-eight, positive-negative blood trait. Mira, domestic cat, Manx-American Bobtail bias, female, age twenty years, true age three months. Breeding instability observed in stasis patterns. Other subject meeting inquiry parameters is deceased. Scanned autopsy conclusion: euthanized before stasis preservation."

"Show me Mira."

A container near the end of the dark room lit up. When Proxima hovered the drone towards it, a holographic projection of its contents was displayed onto its shell from the ceiling. Most of the inside was taken up with tubes and pumps no different from the inside of an animal. A bag was nestled in the middle of several sacks of red liquid and frozen tubes. All the air had been sucked from it so it pressed tightly against the adolescent molly's black fur. Her eyes were shut but her mouth was open wide enough for a tube to stretch down her throat. Despite appearing three months old, her neck and limbs were curled to resemble an unborn kitten.

Proxima reached out one of the drone's mechanical arms towards the holographic image, only for it to phase straight through and clang against metal. A ping echoed throughout the room above all the hissing and beeps of the machines. It seemed to travel through the drone's microphones and bounce around in her mind all the same. It reverberated through her chest and tumbled through her wire-entombed body. Proxima imagined petting Mira's soft fur or perching in a tree together on a warm evening. Even imagining a conversation pushed her loneliness away, even if just for a moment, and simultaneously reminded her she would never lay her true eyes on Mira, or anything, ever again.

She quietly thanked a grated and consistent tone blaring from the room's chatter holes for breaking her loathing and giving her something important to focus on. The room's single screen, projected on the wall facing the hallway, showed the image of an orange-furred creature covered in blue wires and submerged in a viscous paste. Its beady, brown eyes were locked open with needles stuck through several places along with its mouth, with a tube snaking down it just like Mira. Its gray face had wrinkles but was healthily preserved by the liquid. It floated upright with legs tucked in and long arms extended outward, a monotonous rise and fall of its chest the only sign of life.

"Creatures of the ringworld, do not be alarmed." Proxima moved the drone to watch her own pre-recorded message, shuttering at how lifeless she looked. "This message is identical to the previous two in different tongues. My name is Proxima. In July of 2936, this artificial world, Skhul Terra, was abandoned by the government after its star, Ajax, went supernova. I survived the event, and perhaps others as old as I are still alive on the surface. I became trapped in the space between Skhul Terra and Ajax but can still interact with the world by controlling drones and computer systems. After ten long years of trying to fix what remains and failing to send extrasolar communications, I have determined it impossible without… without help."

Proxima lingered on the pause in her own recording and vividly remembered nearly succumbing to the same powerlessness she'd felt moments prior, comparing the improvised equipment keeping her alive to the advanced machines that would soon return life to countless chimeras.

"The designation given to me by the government is Pongo sumatran-Sapiens zero-zero-x, gray matter. I am a chimera, an artificially bred hybrid between my species, an orangutan, and a human—what your species would call a twoleg. I am not a twoleg in an animal's body, but I will not attempt to explain the details of how and why I exist—few of you would even be able to comprehend biology. All you need to know is I am no natural creature. Stored across stasis chambers, freezers, and automatic breeders are hundreds of thousands more chimeras of different species and combinations. As I lack full control over Skhul Terra's central computer system, I theorize I must rely on some kind of external assistance. This will require the release of all these artificial creatures.

"This is no cause for alarm. Chimeras are bred with a physical abnormality that will make them easy to identify. While most will behave normally, some may be irrational, unable to adapt to wild life, or even dangerous." Proxima hovered the drone back to Mira's container and watched her again. "I cannot control these creatures. I intend to take what I believe I need from them and let nature run its course."

The image of Proxima vanished from the screen, replaced by a map of the ringworld and a single point of light. "My efforts will begin here, in the Cortex Revolutionary Sciences Park at the center of the Alicorn District." The map zoomed in on an arial view of the complex. "If you reside here, do not interfere with the drones or machines. If I am successful, I will move the ringworld away from its dying star and prevent its eventual destruction. This message will repeat within the hour."

With that, the recording unceremoniously clicked off the screen and chatter holes, replaced with the same emergency tone signaling its beginning. The drone Proxima controlled was focused on Mira, watching the motionless process of her being brought to life. Without the message, the freezing hisses and monotonous drome of the machines were the forefront of activity again. Each reminded her of one of the many days she spent alone. She sighed as she ordered it to hover back towards the door, which opened at her approach.

"Is that all, Doctor Fay?" The monotone voice returned to the chatter holes.

"One more request," Proxima mumbled. "Alert me when Mira is awake and interfere no further. I will see to her personally."

O O O

As promised, Mira got an earful from the sirens and warnings blaring through hidden chatter holes and flashing lights by the time she reached the surface. The service elevator from the underground snake-monster left her in a comfortingly familiar place. Tall pine trees surrounded a humongous clearing, giving the senior molly full view of the night sky and the white-capped mountains in the distance. Even in a field of short grass, the scent of fresh pine needles was carried by a recent rain—she was thankful for the lack of strange smells or itching paws when she stepped onto the damp field. With the rain's lingering scent, she couldn't smell any other animals or figure out exactly where she was. But just a few more moments of waiting saw black poles tipped with yellow lights rise from the grass for guidance.

The elevator disappeared underground again, leaving an inconspicuous stretch of thunderpath absent of monsters but lined with towers Mira could barely make out in the pitch-black night. Her ears fell at the idea she may never ride the mysteriously comforting snake-monsters again, but it was a short-lived nitpick. From the moment she was awoken to the time she spent walking through the station, she knew she was completely alone.

Proxima had told her, during their final week together, that she would be killed the moment the ringworld went completely dark and that the final part of her journey home was pre-programmed. It had taken two rotations to reach anywhere familiar and they had already said their goodbyes. Mira had to remind herself they were together for almost her whole life, but it still didn't feel like enough time.

"Proxima," Mira whispered as she stared into the starless night, "thank you. And rest well."

A final warning call in unintelligible twoleg-speak sounded through the towers. Mira did as she remembered from Proxima and padded towards the center of the clearing as fast as her vibrating sleeves would let her. Panting, she dropped flat but arced her head up to watch the sky turn from pitch black to blue, then purple, red, and finally pink with bands of yellow and green light streaking throughout. Rumbling took all feeling from her paws and deafened her. The sensation of wet soil against her belly seemed to vanish the softer the ringworld shook.

Mira wholly looked up with her mouth agape. The sky went from pink to white with colorful streaks shooting from top to bottom. The landmasses and oceans to both her east and west, which normally faded near the top of the sky, stretched onward into a narrow oval at its center. The whole ringworld was in view for the first time, its sheer scale baffling Mira as to how she had travelled such a thing. The white sky grew brighter and brighter; The warning Proxima had given her snapped her from her gaze and she buried her head in the dirt. But the flash didn't seem to care and brightened her tightly closed eyes, anyway.

A shockwave of wind rocked the forest and the field. Mira cautiously lifted her head when it passed, nearly blowing her away. The shape of the ringworld returned to normal, vanishing in the eastern and western horizons as usual. The night sky darkened and showed all the colors in reverse. When it landed to black, several white dots shined in its center. Then more appeared around those, and more after. Bands of puffy purple and streaks of red became permanent fixtures. The dots became uncountable to the point of filling every spot in the sky.

"Stars," Mira breathed. "We did it… It actually worked."

She looked to the east. The Shattered District and everything around it had vanished. A clean gap where Most of the Yaga and Sasquatch Districts were remained. She could even see the night sky and stars straight through it. She knew everyone couldn't have possibly been scared off by the controlled wildfires Proxima had started, but she was put at ease knowing Sandy Beach and her herd were safe with Vo's pack.

"We did it, Proxima. We won."

Her steps forward were clumsy by her vibrating sleeves, but Mira's eyes never left the sky. The colorful streaks and dots seemed to put on a show just for her. Whispers behind her grounded her attention, again.

"Mira?" A gray and white molly appeared behind her, twinkling blue eyes staring just as wide as her own. "I feel… I feel different. Awake. Or sad, or something. Did you do it?"

The senior molly's shock turned to a smile as she limply approached Fleetheart. "Yeah."

She was soon joined by another, an older and lanky gray molly covered in mud and grass. "Fleetheart? I can see you."

"Dovewhisker? I see you, too!"

"I can see the stars! Whatever Mira did worked."

As the two medicine cats chatted, more StarClan cats appeared in the field. It started as several, some too shocked to speak while others embraced each other right away. Mira recognized a few: the gray and black tabby tom and the short, brown molly who watched over her journey with Yonder Five, a few of the cats from Fleetheart's startling hallucinations, some cats as described by Farstrider's stories. But most of the faces were new, and almost all of them seemed overjoyed to return. The field soon became a sea of starry pelts and glowing eyes, then the forest itself, along with pleasant scents and a soothing warmth she'd never felt before. There were so many the distant mountains appeared to glisten with light.

"Is that you, Mira?" The mew behind her was whisper-quiet against the legion of excited voices. Mira tackled Littlestar with all the force her legs were allowed, feeling the much smaller cat's warmth as if she was living. "Oh! Hello, again."

"I thought you were lost when Dombaystar stabbed you?" Mira breathed.

"I guess wandering between life and death kept that from happening. I'm glad for it, now. I was able to fulfill a promise for…." Littlestar trailed off and brushed past Mira. Her eyes were locked onto Fleetheart embracing a reluctant Panzer while talking her ears off. She mouthed her name like she was afraid the gray and white molly would notice. "I remember everything she said to me when she arrived in StarClan. I don't want to disappoint her a third time."

Mira nudged the StarClan molly forward. "She misses you. That's what matters right now."

"I guess you would know, given the circumstances. Thanks for giving me the chance to fix this."

Littlestar took a deep breath and held her head high. Her tortoiseshell fur was free of bald spots and the back of her neck was clean. The moment Littlestar got into earshot, Fleetheart mewed with glee and tackled her friend—Mira chuckled at how prepared she looked for that one. They laid with each other in the wet grass like they were the only two around. A crowd led by Panzer watched out of earshot, some cats she recognized and most she didn't.

Meanwhile, the path of blinking poles was still visible and mostly clear of cats. Mira decided to leave Fleetheart and Littlestar to their rekindling and waved goodbye. Her legs were already spent from the day's travel, but she was only growing more excited with how many cats were together. Most were too lost in each other's presence to notice her. She made it a good distance from Littlestar and Fleetheart before seeing Dovewhisker following her and stopped.

"You just have a way of finding cats, don't you?" Dovewhisker pointed to a crowd of several cats gathered around a young and pretty white molly, her pink eyes standing out against them all. The melancholic scowl she remembered on Blackleaf was replaced with a brimming smile, the scent of death replaced with powerful lavender. She happily spoke to the cats around her until she noticed Mira's approach. She padded up to her and hugged her.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Blackleaf seemed to cry the words into Mira's shoulder. "I was walking through the medicine den and I just… I just saw Littlestar instead of my dead comrades. She told me it was time to go home. She said they were waiting for me!"

The stars in Blackleaf's pelt seemed to glow just as bright as Rye's; the Star Covenant leader approached as well, resting a paw on Mira's shoulder. Blackleaf immediately noticed and hugged her tighter than she did Mira. The she-kit's eyes were wide and her ear tips grew so hot even Mira noticed them flickering.

"I am glad to see you, too," Rye said nervously. "Are we…?"

"You were looking out for me then, but everything was so much harder," Blackleaf whispered. "I'm sorry for what happened to you."

"It's—um, it is okay. I did not blame you." Rye hugged her back and gently closed her eyes.

Mira noticed Dovewhisker scowling at a cat behind her. The molly, about the medicine cat's age, had a stumpy tail like her own and white fur with orange and brown patches. Like her, she was large but much more toned and intimidating. But her face looked on at Blackleaf like a gentle mother. Rye was still lost in the embrace, but Blackleaf simply shook her head at the mystery cat. Both seemed to share a ping of sadness, one the older molly seemed to feel deeper. In that moment, nothing could take Blackleaf's joy. Mira moved on after saying goodbye to the pair. Dovewhisker waited until they were out of earshot to approach.

"Who was that molly?" Mira asked.

"Solestar," Dovewhisker seethed. "Now I remember the one dark spot in StarClan. How can a cat who used forced mating as punishment even be here…? I want to have a chat with her once things settle down."

"Is she the reason Blackleaf was sent to the Place of No Stars?"

"I recall her opposing it louder than anyone, so maybe she really was like Blackleaf's second mother? Solestar was the one who killed me, so I'm biased." Mira glanced wide-eyed at the StarClan medicine cat, who brushed off the thought like loose fur. "Water under the bridge, I guess. I'm off to look for my littermate. I'll leave you to it."

With a pat on the shoulder, Dovewhisker blended with the sea of starry cats. Mira returned to her path, now crowded with even more warm bodies. She even spotted other animals: foxes, badgers, wolves, dogs, leopards, enough to stand out. She thought she spotted Rye in a group, but it was a dozen of them, large, old, young, battle-scarred. All had one green and one blue eye and white fur. She saw a young, brown tomcat with both orange eyes who smiled warmly towards her. Mira barely recognized Rush as a young cat, but seeing him free of his braces and injuries lifted her spirits.

The crowd gave her a great sense of relief instead of boxing her in. Their happy faces and warm bodies kept the aura calm—phasing through them helped, too. Wherever she went, glowing flowers and mysterious snowfalls sprang up, stirred by powerful euphoria rather than the aimless emotions of her previous encounters. When she neared a ghostly oak tree, she yelled for Calat, who happily brushed her cheek. She was glad his tattered body wouldn't be her last memory of him, after all.

Some cats faded away in each other's embrace. Others shared tongues in groups big and small. Mira felt her legs grow lighter and lighter, the happiness of an uncountable number of lives giving her strength. She took off as fast as she could along the lit path. Cats still reminisced and embraced and groomed each other. They still smelled of flowers and fresh rain and honey, still shined brilliantly against the sky of white dots. Mira spun and spun until she got dizzy. Her eyes locked on two with no stars in their pelt standing near the edge of the clearing. The younger one had dark brown fur and bright amber eyes. The tan furred senior tom made her heart skip several beats and her tail quiver.

"Hosta, Farstrider!" she shouted.

Though she still phased through them, the StarClan cats made a path for her and cheered.

"Mira!?" her mate seemed equal parts confused and happy, his brown-tipped tail quivering.

"Don't you see them all? They're everywhere!"

"What is? It's just us here?"

"All these cats!" Mira bounded towards him. "It's all so—"

Her sleeves finally tripped her face-first into the ground. Farstrider and Hosta helped her up and cleaned her, with Mira immediately brushing against his face. The overwhelming euphoria vanished with the StarClan cats, leaving the clearing with a hushed breeze and damp scent.

"It feels like it's been so much longer than six rotations," Mira breathed. "I swear you have more gray in your whiskers than when I left."

"I could say the same for you. It took two rotations to get the hill cats to this territory." Farstrider was, however, more concerned at having to prop her up. "Are you okay? Are you tired or hurt? And what happened with the sky?"

For the first time since StarClan appeared, she felt a pang of sadness. "Right. It's a long story."

Mira gently massaged her forelegs back into working while telling the others of Proxima's fate. Hosta's fur seemed a tad lighter, but her amber eyes were so much brighter than when they last met. She also carried a kit-like scent and her belly was bulging. Mira hoped she found her own happiness and was pained at how much time had passed for her.

"I promised to at least contact you. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Hosta purred. "You're here now, and it looks like you succeeded by all those scary lights in the sky."

"Where's Faypaw?" Farstrider was looking around. "Is he somewhere out there?"

Slowly, Mira's ears began to droop. The expression told her mate all he needed to know. Watching the life drain from his face was more painful than she'd imagined it, but his focus didn't seem entirely on her. Approaching from the center of the clearing were two StarClan cats, stars in their pelts glowing like the ones above. Lilii Borea waved to Mira immediately, locking her glowing, slanted eyes onto her. But Farstrider was focused on the cat next to her.

"There he is," he barely whispered. "There's my kit."

Hosta let Mira go and kept her distance, letting the family talk privately. Lilii Borea stayed at Faypaw's side. His black fur glistened against the light of the night sky and smelled of eggplant buds and morning dew. His stumpy tail quivered unlike his sure smile. The adolescent tom bounced the rest of the way towards his parents and they embraced in a long hug. Farstrider's sobs almost got Mira started, too, but she had already grieved and was just happy to see her kit. But, with her memories gone, it felt like the first time really meeting him.

"Faypaw, I'm so sorry," Mira eked.

"For what?" Faypaw pulled himself from his parents' embrace. "I felt like I was wandering through fog with some white-dotted cats to guide me nowhere. But you changed that. StarClan is back, just like you said!"

"But you're not supposed to be there…." Mira trailed off, trying and failing to keep her guilt from surfacing.

"I don't regret anything," Faypaw said with conviction. "I just wish I could've seen you finish the job."

"I wish you could've been there. I wish you could be here, with us."

"I know." Faypaw licked Mira's cheek. "But thanks to you, I'll be around." He turned to Farstrider, who seemed to get over his initial shock, and waved Lilii Borea over. "This is Lilii Borea. We met in Harc and, well…."

Farstrider dipped his head towards her. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

The young lynx scrambled to a bow. "The pleasure's all mine, sir."

"Oh," Mira said, "I meant to ask. Did you get them back?"

Lilii Borea glanced and smiled at Faypaw. "I did, ma'am. I remember everything. And I want to make sure my siblings know it."

Mira purred and brushed her kit's fur again. Faypaw purred back, and the three closed their eyes and embraced one last time. The stars in the night sky seemed to glow a bit brighter to match the glow of the young kit, who still had a smile on his face. Lilii Borea waved at Hosta, giving her mate time to say goodbye.

"We love you, Faypaw," Farstrider said.

"And we'll miss you," Mira added.

"I'm in good paws," Faypaw purred. "Safe travels, you two."

His whisper trailed off. When Mira and Farstrider opened their eyes, the StarClan cats were gone. Farstrider helped Mira up again, her strength waning for the last time. His strong face came back as they returned to Hosta's side. The young molly seemed in awe of something in the distance.

"What is it?" Mira asked.

"I just…. I thought I saw someone." Hosta smiled and led the couple towards the forest. "Feel free to defer my questions, but is the ringworld truly safe, now?"

Mira didn't feel like answering anyone's questions, but Farstrider's ears seemed to perk up at it. They all needed a distraction and the answers couldn't wait. "Not yet. The sky will be sunless until the twolegs return and move the ringworld, again. If they return. If not, we'll all be frozen in twelve rotations. But Proxima was certain the twolegs wouldn't ignore this."

"Remarkable," Farstrider whispered. "I like this perpetual night. I could spend the rest of my life looking at the stars."

"The ones Farstrider called hill cats are safe with us," Hosta said. "He convinced them to move after Proxima found him. Unfortunately, we're a couple day's travel from the spire, and the other Yonder tribes. But the journey will be much safer than the one we made many rotations ago…"

Hosta kept talking, but a strange gust of wind caught Mira's attention. She turned around and saw the squared-off shape of Proxima, her brilliant orange fur and gray face clear of wires and mechanisms. Sitting next to her was a younger one who looked just like her, waving and smiling with a big, twoleg-like grin before vanishing in the blink of an eye. Mira purred, mouthed goodbye to her vision, and immersed herself fully in Hosta's updates and Farstrider's embrace.