Pricked on Every Thorn

Prologue
The sky was lit with a soft indigo, giving gratitude to the moon for not leaving it pitch black. It responded by letting the stars twinkle and shine, it seemed when you saw one shine bright for just a moment, another would catch your eye. Begging for your attention, before another with do the same. As you follow these stars, you realize they make a path. A path that you could practically walk on.

Which, you could. The stars were covered with a soft glow, that gave out small spurts of light with weight being put on them, and lifted off. A cat heaving themself across the path, stars streaming from his ginger pelt like a stream branching from a river. The tom refused to look at the territory below, he knew borders were being crossed by his pawsteps. But this was important. Not as urgent as other times called for, but, nonetheless important.

The ginger leader did not know why his friend had called a meeting, he did not know why it was so important that it could not be shared with the others. Perhaps, it would frighten the kits? Or disturb young warriors and apprentices- was a change coming that elders would not agree with, something that would shake the Recent Starclanners to their very roots? Leaving your clan behind was a tragic thing, you are separated to be reunited with those who went through the same thing. Like leaving your mate and kits for your mother and father in sky.

Death, unfortunately, was something they could not prevent. No matter how many lives were granted to a cat. They would still die, and join their ancestors in the sky. Death did not cure all causes, death did not pick and choose a cat. Death did not mean that grudges would be dropped, and it did not mean that a problem with another would be solved. That was to be made into the afterlife in the stars. Hopefully before you faded with your own memory forever.

"You've finally arrived!" The cat turned his head to the huffing of annoyance from his friend. Locking eyes with that sturdy blue gaze that did not look away for anything, no matter what your rank. "We've been waiting since moon-high! For Starclan's sake!"

Under clan terms, this cat had no right to speak to him this way, but this was Starclan. There were too many leaders here for any sort of proper authority. "The path over the star lake isn't exactly an easy one to take, Goldenwing."