It has been many moons since I haven’t seen the sky as clear as tonight, with the stars shining in all their glory along the never ending silver pelt. And with those memories are stories about cats that walk among them, spreading a mist in its wake and with a fur made of stars.

"Thinking aloud again?" Ask an amber-eyed black tom, licking his paws. "You know these are just stories, right? There is no such thing as cats made of stars.

"You never know, maybe they exist" I meowed letting my tail hang out the window of an old abandoned barn.  As the wind cradled the wheat fields that can be seen spreading from the old window, turning silver in the moonlight of a quiet night.

"Have you ever seen those star cats?" the black tom ask shaking his whiskers.

"The fact of not seeing something doesn’t mean that it don’t exist, Night" I meowed, lowering my ears. “I'm going for a walk, I need to clear my mind.”

"If that’s what you want, just come back before sunrise. There's a patrol today, remember?" Night circled his paws with his tail. “Several cats in the neighborhood have seen muddies these days, better be careful”

"Ok, if I'm late, you know where to find me." I moved silently through the fields towards a forest that rise beyond the barn territories. 

It didn't take long to get to a crossroads, two roads, two places “but If I took the path to the left I would end up in that smelly swamp infested with frogs and mouses.” I shook my tail curiously and headed the opposite way. 

The forest was uncomfortably quiet that night, I was looking at the moon thinking about Night's words and I noticed that I didn’t remember the last time I was able to enjoy a peaceful night since the << Age of Diablo >> ended. I rise my ears when the sound of water began to be heard at the and of the way.  “Oh my stars, this is beautiful!”. Before me,  was a beautiful clearing surrounded by flowers with a small lake glowing under the moonlight. I stopped to drink some water, the starry sky looked clearer and sharper reflected in the clean water of the lake, the stars where shining so bright that it almost gave the sensation of being able to touch it with the paw. Little by little an image began to form in the water.

"It seems like forever since you left" I looked up at the stars. "I no longer remember the last time we spoke without me flooding my words with tears. My day to day has lost a bit of meaning since then. Although Night has stayed with me all this time, without you I feel that it makes no sense that I stay here for any longer, it feels empty for me" I look down at the lake “ I've been wondering for so long, what's next for me now. Star cats, tell me. What should I do?” I lay down by the lake and closed my eyes. A warm breeze began to caress my fur, carrying a fresh scent of rabbits, mice, and birds. A roar came out of my belly and began to echo around me. I woke up suddenly when the wind got stronger almost knocking me off the ground.

Silhouettes of cats appeared in the distance, chatting, hunting, playing ... I walked towards them, between separated hills with a large stream where the breeze never seemed to disappear, running free between them. I noticed the smaller silhouettes, kits that played fighting, I wanted to join them. But the closer I got, the more those silhouettes got away from me. The breeze began to become a strong wind that made it difficult for me to move forward. The previously clear and cloudless sky began to turn scarlet as new red silhouettes emerged and attacked the others. Without being able to advance the echo my words fell silent before reaching those windy hills. Some red silhouettes moved away from the others carrying kits in their jaws, passing through me like mist. As I ran after them, I felt as if the wind itself was hitting me and calling me. “Tigeroar, tigeroar! Wake up!”

I opened my eyes “Night? I have told you many times not to call me that!”. Night waved his tail “we must go back to the farm, now!”He grabbed my tail and started dragging me back.

“But if you can still see the moon, what's the rush?”

"There is an injured" Upon reaching the barn, Night led me to a dark she-cat lying on a pile of straw, bleeding from several wounds on her side and neck. "A patrol found her following the muddies trail, can you help her?"

"Bring me my herbs, we must stop the blood loss" Night noded with his head and after disappearing behind a wooden pillar he brought a sheaf of leaves.

"my ... kit" the cat muttered.

"Ma'am keep your voice. I'll help you, hold on a little." I told her and began to prepare a mix of herbs.

"No, save ... my kit, please. Save Volekit" begged the she-cat. My legs began to fill with blood from the wounds as she applied the cure, but the cat despite her weak state insisted on moving. I stopped her quickly "ma'am, you must not move"

"I have to do it! Volekit ... the shadows have taken my kit!"

"Shadows? You mean the muddies?" Night asked. The she-cat moved again.

"Calm down ma'am, you must rest" Night took a step forward and made her go back "ma'am, better leave it, if the muddy took it, there is no turning back."

"I am not leaving my kit!" exclaimed the cat. "Ma'am, the den of the muddy is a trap, no one who has entered has ever managed to leave."

"I swear to the star clan that I will go ... save my kit even if I have to scratch you away. Now, step back !."

"Starclan? Another one with that star cat nonesense"

"You want me to scratch you, huh?" growled the cat. "Night enough, like this you're not helping me at all." I push myself between them.

"Is she the one who insists on getting into something that will kill her. How is she going to help her own kit if she ends up dead?" replied Night.

"I don't care! If with that ... I get my daughter back, for StarClan ... so be it."

"No, not on my guard."

"Then I will have to push you away by force" the she-cat unsheathed her claws and bristled her back.

"I'll go get your kit!" I interrupted with a growl." But please stay still, ok?"

I stuck my head out of the door and tamping the earth with my claws I tried to reach the wheat field, when someone grabbing my tail forced me to back away

"Night, what are you doing? Let go of my tail! "

"I know you wanna help her, but they are many more than us. It’s too dangerous for you to go alone"

“I know how to defend myself, I'm just going to bring the kit back, I have no intention of fighting. Stay with her, I won't be long.” But the black tom got in my way again.

“Don't you understand that you're getting yourself into a death wish by get into muddies business ?!”

“What did you want from me?”

“I want that you don’t get yourself killed!” a growl came out of his throat “This isn’t like a kit play fight” 

“Then go get Nanny, so she or her human can look after her while we’re gone”  I approach the she-cat and try to catch her scent well "if it is your kit then she’ll have a smell similar to yours. I Got it, let’s go!"

"You're not going to change your mind whatever I say, are you?" 😒 "he meowed, flattened the bristly fur on his back.

I released my tail and left the barn looking for a trail with a similar smell. It didn't take long to find the trail not far from the barn. Heading down the street was a group of cats that reeked of sewer and mud. "Since when have the muddies started stealing kits?" I thought as I followed the group jumping between the branches of the nearby trees, while Night was tracking me, he was hiding in the humans houses.

"Make sure they don't fall or the boss would rip our ears off !" When the group moved away I stuck my head out, raised my ears and went back to hiding on the spot when I saw another muddy walking like a dizzy duck. Whatever he was charging, was turning against him.

"Drop me shadow!" When he was near a clearing where the light of the moon was shining, I could see a white tom carrying a black she-kit who did not stop stirring and trying to scratch him. "Let go of me! When my mother catches you, she’’ll cut the tail with a claw. 

From the branch I comunicate with Night using tail signals, he nodded and I moved faster through the branches. Night was able to camouflage itself well in the shadows near the white tom, and when it turned its back, he jumped over him, making it fall to the ground while the kit was released. That was my turn, while Night gave the white tom a good scratch, I tied my tail to the nearest branch and jumped, took the kit and hurried back to the branch with her.

"Who are you?! Another shadow? Seriously you are worse than a plague!"

"Shh! I'm on your side, but shut up or the muddy’s going to find us. "I circled the kit with my tail while Night gave him one last blow to the eye and hide again in the dark.

The muddy despite the bleeding wound of his eye tried to locate Nigh, until another meow was heard from the end of the street, with a lash of fury of his tail, disappeared into the darkness of the human gardens.

"Are you alright Volekit?" I meowed, looking for any wound in the kit.

"Perfectly, I could take care of him by myself! 😠 ".

"I'm sure of it. Come on, let’s take you back to you mom" I took the kit and come down from the trees near Night "thanks Night, are you okay?"

"Luckily yes. Although to be a muddy, it has been too easy. That cat might be a new member or something. Is the kit ok?” 

“I think so, I have not found any wound”  

“Good. Let’s bring her back to her mother” Night and I walked back to the barn, where Nanny was grooming the nervous mother. I put the kit down and start running back to the mother. “Mom, mom!”

“Volekit! Oh thanks starclan, my baby! are you ok? Have those sewer rats hurt you?” 

“She’s ok ma’am, no wounds.” Night put his tail on my back and leaned close to my ear. "Never do that again, this time we were lucky that it wasn’t a real muddy or we wouldn’t be alive to tell about it" he whispered as he go back to a leaves nest and felt sleep.

I approached a black - cream and white tail she-cat and with a purr I gave her a lick on the shoulder. “Thank you for watching her Nanny”

“It was nothing dear, are you ok?”

“Yes, I am”

“Good, now i have to go back to my human, you’ll come tonight?”

“Not today, i think i’ll stay here for now. Good night Nanny”

“Good night dear” Nanny meows sweetly as she came out of the barn. I approached the mother and daughter "well I think that you’ll be tired. If you like, can stay to sleep here."

"Very kind, but I'm afraid we must go home before they send out a patrol."

"Ma’am. I think you should stay, at least tonight. Your wound need to rest. I can share some mice if you like, there's plenty of it in the barn.”

"Poppytuft will take care of it. We have to go back to our clan." shook the tail

"So is it true that clans exist?" mother and kit looked at me surprised. “You never heard about the clan cats?” Volekit ask.

.... to be continued -->