The full moon hung heavy in a cobalt sky. Below it, a field of tall grass rippled, fronds moving like waves on a black sea. Cool night air ruffled squat shrubs and brought with it the scent of a nearby forest.

      A cat sat among the grass thickets, her blue eyes trained on the stars above. Her gray fur was whisked by the wind.

      She sighed gently, observing the nighttime sky. Another cat trotted from the surrounding grass field and sat beside her.

      "Zodiac..." he grumbled, voice gruff, "How long?"

      "I do not predict when things will happen, Sunshine, just that they will." She shifted her gaze to eye him. "But, I suppose it should occur in the next moon or so. At the end of the season, perhaps."

      "They may not be willing to wait that long."

      Zodiac grunted and stared at him. Sunshine was taller than her, a large black tomcat, but he didn't scare her.

      "They will have to," she said, looking up at him, "And the savior shall be worth any wait."

      Her companion gazed at his paws, but nodded. Zodiac turned her eyes to the stars again. For a few long moments, silence stretched between them like a thick blanket.

      "Should I go get Spider?" Sunshine asked at last, "He could help you make a plan. For when the savior arrives."

      Zodiac tilted her head in agreement, and Sunshine plodded away. She listened as the swishing of grass slowly faded into the distance. Not long after, it returned, this time heralding the arrival of two cats: Sunshine, as before, and also a thin brown tom.

      Zodiac turned to see them. Spider was lanky and strangely formed, covered in ugly pink scars, tracing his pelt like miniature rivers. He sat down with a wheeze and looked at her in question.

       "You needed help with a plan, Zodiac?" Spider asked. His voice was quiet, nothing like Sunshine's.

       "Yes. For when she arrives." Zodiac moved to sit beside him, and Sunshine turned to stand politely in the grass nearby.

       Spider nodded and raised his paw. A little shakily, he began to draw marks in the soft dirt, creating an image. Zodiac watched, interested. No cat was better a planner than Spider was.

       Once he was done, Spider mumbled, "Okay, so, this is the field-" he gestured to somewhere on the map, "And here's those rocks, and the elm tree..." He continued explaining, and Zodiac nodded along, recognizing their territory drawn out in the soil.

       "The savior will come from the sunset," Zodiac added once he'd finished. Spider nodded and quickly added a few lines, marking the sunset-facing edge of their land. Zodiac continued to make comments and watch as Spider added them.

       The map was soon complete will all the information she knew of.

       "Now," murmured Spider, "If it's foggy, cats in the camp won't see her until here..."

       Spider and Zodiac continued planning. A while later, a cold breeze drifted across Zodiac's spine and she perked up, whiskers twitching. Spider paused mid-sentence to look at her.

       "You... are dismissed." Zodiac's voice was quieter than before. Sunshine emerged from the grass, and whisked Spider away, leaving the marks in the dirt.

       Once they were gone, Zodiac rose to her paws and took a few cautious steps forward. Her gaze was trained on the sky. The stars were glittering, seeming to form the face of a massive cat, the moon its right eye.

       Zodiac's eyes widened, and a single name slipped from her maw:

       "Faxen."

--- author's note ---

i wrote the first version of this november 3rd of last year! had to rework it so it fits the rest of the story haha