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"But how?"

Alone in his den, a huge fluffy brown maine coon tomcat poked his head out of the entrance and gazed up at the twinkling stars above him. He heaved a sigh. Talking to myself isn't going to do anything. I should sleep before Bristleburn and Snailpaw come back.

He pushed down his frustration and pulled his head back into the den. Glancing around at the neatly stacked herbs lit dimly from moonlight, the tomcat gave a long sigh and turned back towards his nest. He slipped into the soft moss and ferns, held tightly by firmly-woven branches.

Settling into a comfortable position, the medicine cat curled into a loose ball and rested his jaw on his paw, leaving it slightly open. As sleep drifted nearer, he tried to imagine a certain forest with glittering stars on every tree and a tinkling stream rushing past. The image slipped from his mind as everything faded away. . . .

"I've been expecting you, Battlewish."

The long-furred tomcat spun around, already standing in the dreamworld. He fought the urge to unsheathe his claws and as he registered who was standing in front of him, he felt the edges of his maw curve upward in a bittersweet fashion. "Honeybeepaw."

The small molly was an exact replica of him. Her eyes were a sunny yellow, but they were filled with an intense storm that thunder and lightning could never match. "I miss you," she whispered, rushing to his side and putting her face in his long pelt.

Battlewish's vision became blurred and his breath was stuck in his throat. "I miss you as well." He rested his muzzle on the top of her head and gazed around. "Do you know where Bumblebeepaw is?" he asked hopefully as his daughter stepped backward, blinking away tears.

The brown she-cat shifted on her paws, looking a bit worried. "He's with mother," she mewed quietly, her eyes fixated on her wide-set paws.

"Why?!" Battlewish barked, his calm demeanor turning hound-like in a matter of a few brief moments. "Breezywillow agreed to leave my family alone. Bumblebeepaw went into the Place of No Stars with her?" His expression was pained, and he felt regret well up in his chest as Honeybeepaw flinched.

"No, at the border."

A great wave of anger crashed through Battlewish and he slid out his claws, eyes blazing with fury.

Honeybeepaw's eyes went wide. "No - ! You didn't come for her. Dawn's approaching fast in the waking world and we have much to talk about. Please. . . ." She shuffled her paws anxiously and the desperate tone of her voice made Battlewish sheathe his claws and look up.

"Very well," he murmured, feeling ashamed of himself.

"You have come to find out how Bearpaw is still alive, have you not?" Honeybeepaw rushed past without letting him answer. "He spoke of a void between the two dimensions. He got stuck there because the world was at an imbalance because of the demons somehow escaping their realm. He tried to reach Sablepaw to warn her but got stuck, correct? StarClan was forced to close their borders because of demons and phantoms trying to get in, which is why he got stuck a second time. The void acted oddly and spit him back out."

Battlewish opened his mouth to ask something, his expression puzzled, but Honeybeepaw nodded wisely and continued on.

"Don't you see? He never really died! He went to StarClan not because of death, but because the void was about to suck him in but it somehow didn't. It was still imbalanced, making it unpredictable. He wasn't alive, but wasn't dead. So that's why he came back a second time. And the void is now confirmed to alter something about a cat's appearance. Bearpaw was lucky it was only his eye colour and not his memory. In a way, he's lucky. Demons go after cats by eye colour. He's safe from the demons roaming the world until they realize his eyes changed. It's phenomenal!" The last few words rushed out of Honeybeepaw's mouth and her eyes were shining.

Battlewish shook his head slowly. "I-I think I get it," he meowed. "Well, not really. It's confusing, but I can see where you're coming from. If Bearpaw dies now, will he go to the void again?"

Her joy evaporated like sun on morning mist. "We don't know. The balance is not completely restored to the worlds. Some demons are still roaming around out in your world. The Place of No Stars and the darker place where demons and phantoms dwell are being guarded so that nothing like that will happen again."
Her eyes flicked upward suddenly and she gasped. "The time is near for you to go," she meowed hastily. "Please stay safe. Make sure Valleystar gets the Clan to believe in StarClan again. He still guards himself from us. And know everyone knows the dangers of shutting us out." A short flash of anger crossed her face, but in a moment it was gone, pity taking it's place.

Battlewish took one last sweeping look at the glowing surroundings. The forest twinkled like a thousand stars and a stream gurgled past. It was peaceful. He was glad his kits could come to rest in somewhere that wasn't riddled with famine and disease.

"I'm ready to go," he told his daughter solemnly. "Tell Bumblebeepaw I love him and to stay away from that horrible she-cat. She is not our family anymore." He felt a pain pierce his heart and split it so viciously that no cobwebs could piece it back together.

Honeybeepaw nodded, her eyes wide with loss. The clearing faded away until she was standing in a black space. As she faded away, she mouthed three words to Battlewish that made his heart throb worse than ever.

'I love you.'