Duskleap watched the stars dance in front of his nose. The bugs blinked in and out of focus and in the corner of his eye, Duskleap saw Alderstride watching him. The brown tabby looked over to the other russet tabby and tilted his head. Why was he staring?
"The littlest things make the biggest things go away, don't they?" The tom mused. Duskleap flicked an ear before looking up towards BeckClan mountain. The tom stared at the still open hole in the side and smiled softly,
"I guess so... I guess having a little fun took the fear away." Duskleap looked back to the fireflies. They danced and blinked in the moonlight. It was a stunning sight and the tom stretched out his bones, "If the cave collapses, I'll be content here in the forest. It's beautiful and has fresh air, no crashing waterfall, and most importantly... fireflies."

A deep rumbling chuckle came from Alderstride that made Duskleap smile brightly,
"What?"
"Fireflies are the most important thing." Alderstride agreed, half-mocking the tom in a teasing way. Duskleap rolled his eyes and flicked his tail. Alderstride rolled his red shoulders and watched Duskleap,
"What about the gently bubbling stream? Or the crickets." The tom lifted his nose into the air and folded his ears back, "Or the cold but refreshing breeze? We always take the little things for granted." The tom pointed out. Duskleap heard these words and opened up his ears. The stream. The crickets. Duskleap lifted his muzzle skyward and a gentle cold breeze ran under his chin. Duskleap shivered before looking at Alderstride like the tom just showed him a star you could hold in your tail. Alderstride flashed a dashing smile in amusement before nodding, "We should head back. The fireflies are dancing away and flickering out." The tom nodded upwards and Duskleap looked at the moon. It was beginning to plunge itself behind the mountain. Duskleap wiggled his tail. Was the night really almost over? Wasn't BeckClan cave supposed to collapse? Wouldn't it have been loud? Had it even happened yet?

Questions swarmed Duskleap's head as he and Alderstride made their way back to the small makeshift camp. Howls sounded in the air, thundering powerful paw-steps in the earth. Panic surged through Duskleap but Alderstride leaned on him comfortingly. Duskleap looked at him with confusion before looking around again. Flashes of grey fur and shining eyes caught Duskleap's eye. The wolves that streaked by, howling loudly, were huge. Beautiful too. Duskleap had never seen a wolf up close and curiosity pricked him. Alderstride's pointed nose suddenly jabbed his shoulder and Duskleap whirled his head around only to nearly fall to his chest on the ground. A large grey wolf towered over both cats. Duskleap was breathing heavily, eyes wide with fear. The wolf gently stepped closer, nose flaring as it deeply sniffed Alderstride's head. Duskleap stared on shock as the wolf rose its head and galloped off at the howl of its pack.

"How are you not dead?" Duskleap stared at Alderstride in confusion. His tail lashed softly and he walked closer to the tom,
"They don't harm us unless we fight back." Alderstride cleaned his head and flicked an ear, "And besides, meeting one was cool right?"
"I was terrified!" Duskleap breathed.
"Kit," Alderstride smirked playfully and met Duskleap's eyes with his tiredly narrowed orbs.
"Excuse me?" Duskleap growled, "I am no kit. I am a warrior who would like to keep their life and being mouse whiskers away from a wolf's jaw I have every right to be scared!"
"Alright, alright!" Alderstride chuckled deeply and stretched out his spine, "Let's head back for camp." The tom started into the forest and smirked, "Kit.." the cat glanced over his red shoulder to see Duskleap huff. Alderstride took the lead into the clearing and over to the bush Alderstride's mother was asleep in. It was as if the two toms never left. They settled into their nests made of leaves and some moss, and closed their eyes, trying to catch what little sleep they could.

As morning shined in, cats began to stir, and mews of good morning ran through the makeshift camp. Despite the good morning wishes, the fear that radiated from the cats felt like a heavy, choking fog. Duskleap sat up from a dream and yawned. He had only gotten sleep from dawn to now, so he was drained, and his muscles didn't want to move. The tom shook his head and his ears flopped from side to side,

"Good morning, Duskleap." Came a deep honey-filled voice. Duskleap looked over to Alderstride and he flashed a smile to the russet tom, "Morning it is..."

"Did you two leave the nest last night?" A nose sniffed Duskleap's tail furiously. Tail flicking away from the nose, Duskleap looked up at Redwing and smiled sheepishly, "Just to make dirt." The tom admitted with a smooth lie. "At the same time?" Redwing eyed them before getting up and pushing out of the bush, "Be more careful in the future. At least mask your scent. Ashstar already has enough to worry about then two toms going to gallop through the forest that is full of wolves during the night." Redwind said over her shoulder in a low voice and flicked an ear. Duskleap glanced at Alderstride, slightly embarrassed. Alderstride had been watching his mother and looked a little panicked. His pupils looked like little lines in his sage orbs and, once his mother left, they relaxed into the normal black dilated void. Duskleap tilted his head at him and tapped his tail on the makeshift nest of leaves below him. The tom opened his mouth to ask what was wrong, but a sharp meow of beckoning came from Ashstar from the clearing. Alderstride flashed a small forced smile to Duskleap and exited the bush, leaving it shaking small twigs into Duskleap's fur.

"I will send a patrol of five cats to look at our mountainside camp. Russetroar, Alderstride, Swiftpad, Dovewatcher, and Duskleap. You may leave as soon as you've eaten, or before. I don't care." Ashstar then turned to Redwing, Alpinerush, and Cherryjaw, "You three take two others to retrieve Pebblepaw, Cypresspaw, Ebonyskip, and our elders." Ashstar's fur was ruffled and she clearly looked worried. She hadn't put herself on a patrol, not wanting to see her own camp in ruins. Duskleap watched his leader with sympathy. He too wouldn't want to see the home he'd known forever crushed under the ceiling of the mountain. Yet here he was. On the first patrol headed home.

Head low, Duskleap padded next to his father. Dovewatcher padded next to Alderstride, the two talking in hushed whispers. Duskleap watched Dovewatcher through his peripherals, wondering what seemed so important. Alderstride had a nervous but serious look on his face. Dovewatcher seemed to have a constant soft loving look. Duskleap lifted a lip and looked away just as the grey she-cat turned her head to look at him. Duskleap felt eyes on his pelt for a few seconds more before the feeling faded. Why am I mad? The dark tabby thought to himself and shook his fur out. Russetroar glanced down at him and gave a gentle nudge, "Why the angry look? If the cave is collapsed, we still have many places to make a home. Sure, the forest isn't the safest at night, but we can make it secure with some hard work."

"Didn't we make an agreement with the wolves?" Swiftpad tilted his head as he walked, "That we leave the forest to them at night and they won't take our lives?"

"Yeah, what if they think because we are in the woods at moon-high that the deal is off?" Dovewatcher spoke up. Russetroar shook his head,

"Ashstar can speak with them and tell them about our situation. After all, they aren't heartless beasts out for blood." The large tom spoke with his voice as strong as the ocean currents.
"We can speak to wolves?" Duskleap finally spoke up. The cats around him looked just as confused,
"Yes. We can talk with them. Now, let's drop the subject and move along. No sounds of a falling cave interrupted our sleep last night, so we can assume our cave is still there." The large tom said. The cats nodded and trudged on silently. One thought ran through Duskleap's head, What will happen to Frostberry if the cave still stands? She caused so much panic over a simple dream...