xxxThe three of them lay together in the grass, panting, having crashed after chasing after each other all afternoon. Now they lay, silently looking up at the stars as they rose over the meadow. After a few moments, Blackberry murmured, “You know, mom says where we’re going, the cats believe the stars are dead cats.” He said it lightly, but as Foxglove turned to look at him, she saw a pained smile on his muzzle. “I wonder if I’ll start believing that nonsense when I meet them.”
xxxFoxglove looked over Blackberry’s chest and just barely caught Barnaby’s gaze, before he looked away. She could see him blinking away tears. Finally, she meowed, “If the stars are cats, maybe the moon is their way of communicating,” “How does that even-” “So when you leave, you better try talking to the moon to talk to us.” She stared back up at the stars, her throat tight, until Blackberry finally sighed. “I will.”- - -
xxxFoxglove jerked up out of her nest as she awoke. It wasn’t a nightmare, but she felt her breath catch and heard her heavy breathing in the silence. She sat up in the darkness, staring into nothing while she waited for her eyes to adjust. The quiet, the dark, it was suffocating.
xxxAfter a few hasty licks to her chest fur, Foxglove squeezed out from under the little cave in the roots of the wisteria tree. Wind immediately ruffled her fur, and she shivered. She wondered if she should run to the Star Strider’s camp and wake up Barnaby, but ultimately decided against it, and set off for the meadow.
xxxAfter Blackberry had left, Foxglove had traveled with the Star Seekers, not able to bear the idea of losing her other friend. Deep down she’d always known she would travel with them, she’d always known they didn’t mean to settle permanently in her home. They were traveling cats. And yet, she still didn’t consider herself a part of their group. She was welcomed and praised in their presence when she came around, but she was always a bit of an outsider.
xxxThe group had arrived in the new territory just a few days ago, their leader announcing this was where the “dead cats in the stars” had led him. She found it funny, that it wasn’t only Blackberry’s new leader who believed in fairy tales.
xxx All of the cats had been resting, and hadn’t explored their new territory, but Foxglove remembered seeing a meadow in the distance when they had arrived. It didn’t take long to arrive, and when she did, she looked around in awe. Flowers of every color bloomed from every open place, illuminated by the moon.
xxx…The moon. Foxglove hesitated. She hadn’t spoken to it for seasons. She had stopped having the heart to believe a long time ago. She still caught Barnaby whispering to it, from time to time, when he thought everyone was asleep. She sighed, before beginning awkwardly, “Hey, um, moon… or, Blackberry, I guess? Uh, what’s up?” She cringed at herself. Why was this so hard? She was all alone, in the middle of the night, in a huge meadow. No cat could hear her.
xxx “I guess ‘what’s up’ isn’t really what you want to hear after so long… I’m sorry for not trying for so long. I don’t really think you can hear me, but… I still miss you. I think Barnaby misses you even more than me. I guess he did know you longer. He’s still my only friend. Who would’ve thought a childhood friend I haven’t seen in seasons would still mean so much to me… It’s kind of funny, I guess.” She shifted her paws. “Hey, um, if you can hear me, could you send me a sign?”
xxxCrickets chirped. Wind ruffled the grass. Foxglove felt her face heat up. Of course Blackberry couldn’t hear her. And even if he could, how could he send a sign? She turned to leave, but paused as something zipped past her nose. She flinched backwards, her ears pricked, listening. It was silent. She took another step, and jumped as a loud buzz sounded in her ear. She jerked away and saw… a bee?
