Sometimes, Fernheart was very sure that her ears deceived what Twilightbreeze said.

"Are you mousebrain? What happened to you?"

"Well, excluding a heart attack, an overwhelming sunhigh and a friend who is recently on storm mode, right?" Twilightbreeze raised her eyebrows, staring at Fernheart.

Fernheart leaned on the root of the pine tree, sighing. But as her paws felt the root with winkles, memories flashed back.

"You can always share this tree with me," Birdflight mewed, "I am lonely."

The old, yellow and brown leaves hustled in the wind, as the sounds of dead, weak trees, creak at every push the wind gave. The crumbling of the brown stiff leaves created a home for her to hide during this time of empty sorrow. She did not know what to feel. She had already lost so much.

Blazesky. Birdflight.

The anger from her eyes showed the scared Fernheart within, the cat who was taught to fight and starved of the love she craved. She was sure that Twilightbreeze could see the pain beneath it and her soul drowning in this persona she would carved to fit a world of indifference.

She had already lost so much.

She could not afford to lose anymore.

Perhaps...

"I know you are angry, and I understand your feelings. I want to express my sympathy but it is probably not really the time for that..." Looking at Fernheart's stare, Twilightbreeze gasped and mewed, "No, you misunderstood. I mean...maybe it is time for action?"

 "Wait, are you still with me?" Twilightbreeze waved her tail in front of Fernheart's eyes as Fernheart's bloody red world was turned into snow and wonder.

She winked and she stared into the pair of bright blue eyes, filling with sorrow and worry. Fernheart recalled what had happened just a while ago when Twilightbreeze dragged her to the pine tree, her fur covered with mud and dirt and badly out of breath.

She must have an adventure.

"Go ahead! Tell me!" Fernheart mewed, lacking patience. Twilightbreeze rolled her eyes as she pushed a squirrel to Fernheart.

Fernheart did not feel like eating, especially Birdflight's death was partly her fault and she did not deserve to enjoy her life because she had lost her brother.

Twilightbreeze pushed the squirrel back to Fernheart, sighing, "Please, I do not feel like nagging someone to eat a squirrel like feeding little kits herbs. Birdflight would not want that!"

Birdflight.

She owed him too much.

Fernheart took a bite, the juicy taste filled her dry throat immediately. All of her taste buds started to work again as she took one big bite after one big bite. She chewed with satisfaction.

"So, here it goes." Twilightbreeze spilled out, "I paid a visit to the forest and found out about the reason for Birdflight's death..."

"What..."

"Listen, so I found out that..."

"Because of the smoke?"

"Come on, just let me finish..."

"Because of a fall?"

Gee, that hurt a lot.

"So..."

"What is it?"

Twilightbreeze lost it. She shoved the whole squirrel into Fernheart's mouth. Her mouth was stuffed as she choked and coughed.

Remember this, never got on Twilightbreeze's bad side, or you would never end up great.

Twilightbreeze chuckled as she sat down, teased, "Satisfied?"

Fernheart wanted to say something but her words crashed together as she swallowed the squirrel, her mouth was opened in an uncomfortable size. Of course, if she could have opened her mouth any wider she would have eaten the apple in one bite.

"Great! Now you finally learn how to shut up!" Fernheart had to stop her urge from ripping Twilightbreeze's sickening sweet smile from her face.

"I am afraid that Birdflight is being murdered..." Twilightbreeze's voice was barely a whisper, more like taking a breath.

But Fernheart heard every word clearly. She choked and coughed as Twilightbreeze rushed to pat her back. Fernheart swallowed that anger when it was a fire-seed and forgot to drink something cool, and so it grew in her belly until it came out as hot as an unstoppable fire flame... on one of the cats she loved most. 

Fernheart gritted teeth from the effort to remain silent, her hunched form exuded an animosity that was like acid - burning, slicing, potent. And then she waited, for Twilightbreeze to speak.

"I think the clue is starstone. The key. If we have the starstone, we can know the reason why." Twilightbreeze cast a glance to Fernheart, then she immediately understood.

Fernheart glanced at the clearing, glad to see that it was emptied. Patrols had already set off to catch prey, patrol border. The watchers sat around Starpool, staring at SkyClan, chatting. 

Making sure that no one was eavesdropping, she hissed, "You mean stealing the Starstone?"

Twilightbreeze hesitated for a heartbeat, then she nodded. Her eyes showed that she expected Fernheart to deny.

"Well, if that is the only way, I will do it."

Twilightbreeze certainly did not notice that she had opened her mouth widely with shock. 

"Really? You will help?"

"Why? I truly mean it."

Fernheart could not stand being weak again. She wanted to fight back. For her brothers.

"What's your plan then? When are we going?"

Twilightbreeze stood up as she paced around the tree. She scowled as she claimed, "I will be going. You need to cover things up for me."

Then, she spilled out all of her plans. She decided to walk into Featherfrost's dream and asked her about the Starstone...

"Wait, isn't Featherfrost missing?" Fernheart wanted to take back her words as Twilightbreeze opened and closed her mouth, shaking her head.

"Fine, plan changed." She sighed. Definitely the longest sigh in the entire history of long sighs.

Twilightbreeze decided to walk into Brownshine, the medicine cat aka her former apprentice and asked about the Starstone. Then, Fernheart would help and cover Twilightbreeze's disappearance when she was in the Lake Territories and searched for it.

"What cover story?"

"Maybe I am running some errands?"

Fernheart could not deny, but this reason was definitely too weak.

"What about the purpose of searching it?"

"Really, I do not come here for you to question my sanity. I am just here to ask for your help."

"Why..."

"This was Birdflight's last words, don't you remember? You are too busy crying...Sorry," Twilightbreeze looked away, "Birdflight told me to find the Starstone. There must be a reason behind it, an urgent one. Why don't we give it a try?"

She did make a good point.

"So, whatever you two are discussing, care to share them out loud? Do you think I won't be eavesdropping?"

They were in big trouble.