Lyre found himself back at the grassnd. On that bare dirt ground where Slip and Lyre’s father had their biggest fight yet, Prairie and the white cat were basking in the sunlight. Both of them were speaking, their voices inaudible for a few moments.

  “I feel bad,” she murmured, “I know Lyre’s a good cat. But why did he…” Her voice broke.

  The white tom’s eyes widened. “Do you really believe he killed Velvet?”

  Prairie was silent for several minutes. The tom was about to open his mouth, but her gaze was dragged towards the giant rock path. It was dragged in an unnatural way, as if she was forcing herself to look at it. “I sometimes wonder…why can’t I have just one kitten who would stay with us.”

  The tom licked her forehead affectionately. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll find a way.”

  “Yes. But I don’t want to switch mates a third time. You can’t even-”

  The white tom’s tail-tip flicked uncertainty. “Actually, I don’t really want to talk about that.”

  Talk about what? Lyre read Prairie’s expression. He blinked at his father, who rolled over from his back and was ying with his legs stretched out to the side. He had an uncomfortable look on his face.

  “What were you two fighting about that time?” The she-cat stared at him.

  “Wasn't it obvious? That guy was crazy!” The tom’s eyes widened in shock as his cobalt blue eyes sparked with frustration. “Thanks to him, I can’t- I won’t be able to…” It was his turn to look away, coincidentally ending up looking in Lyre’s direction. The frustration instantly vanished.

  Prairie followed his gaze, and her ears perked up. “Lyre!” She cried as she scrambled upwards. She faced him and stared hesitantly. “You’re…okay?” She slightly tilted her head to look at his cheek.

  “Huh? Is there something wrong?” The white and light tan tabby tom asked because of both the tone of her voice, and the question. Was she hoping he’d be in worse condition?

  She shook her head, then produced a weak smile. “No, son, of course there isn’t.” Her smile faltered a bit. “It’s just…I want to apologize. I didn’t mean to call you a crazy killer.”

  Lyre walked up to her as he gave her an empathetic look. “I said I could expin myself, though. If you’d let me, I would have been the one kitten who’d stay with you.” He spoke softly and calmly, happiness and sadness fighting to be the prominent emotion. The thought of reuniting with his family made the corners of his mouth rise.

  “I would like to know everything, please…although if you’re not comfortable, that’s okay.” She reached out her paw as if wanting to rest it on his shoulder.

  Nodding, Lyre started from the beginning. When Prairie first told Velvet to leave and never come back.

  “That’s when he decided to search for his father and suspected he might be in the forest.” He meowed.

  Prairie stared out into the forest, which had bck, leafless and frail and broken trees. Her expression quickly changed to horror. “What happened?” She gasped.

  Confused, Lyre was about to continue his story when he followed her gaze. His heart sank. But he quickly shook his pelt. It’s just a dream. One that I could make true if I returned right now. He drew in a breath to prepare a sigh, only to start choking as dry and burnt air filled his lungs.

  Prairie murmured her apologies as she turned her attention back to her son. “Do continue.”

  A muffled crackling sounded.

  Lyre stiffened. Slowly turning his head around, he eventually spotted a thin trail of smoke thicken as it rose through where the ceiling vines were.

  “I’ll check.” The white tom trotted down the hill. Shortly after, a yowl of surprise was heard.

  From up where he was, Lyre could see the sudden burst of fmes shoot out from down below. He didn’t want to see everything he knew get demolished by fmes right in front of him.

  His father scrambled back up the hill, and right as he did, the vines several tail-lengths away from them began wilting from the heat. Then…

  Fwoosh!

  One too many grass bdes caught on fire at once. The fiery destruction angrily went towards them.

  “Run!” Prairie cried.

  “To where?!” Lyre desperately looked around, ears pinned and fur standing on edge.

  “I don’t know- maybe where you left!”

  Lyre frantically scanned the rapidly spreading fmes and caught a glimpse of an untouched dirt path. “This way!” He beckoned with his tail and he kept his head low and trotted ahead.

  Prairie shot in front of him; and for good reason- the fmes were now right at his tail. Startled, he followed his mother as his father joined him. He was running beside him as the three went onto the dirt path. Ahead was a thorn bush with a few small patches of dark rust fur hanging from the thorns. Prairie forced herself to look away from it with a wince.

  The white tom moved a bit too close as Lyre ebbed away from the grass on his other side as it caught abze, and cried out as the bush snatched him away. Fmes immediately consumed him.

  “No! Father!” Lyre hissed, turning himself around and rushing towards the bush.

  The fmes touched his pelt, burning the fur to a crisp. It then touched his skin. For a dream, all of it felt real; the emotions he felt from not only himself, but from his parents; the smell and feel of everything around him; the burning of his home.

  It all felt too real. Even as he helplessly reached out for his father with extended paws and extended cws. The bush held him back as his futile attempts to struggle himself free made his pelt tear more and more. The yowling quickly weakened before his father, Prairie’s mate, vanished into the fmes as the fire disintegrated the bush into a pile of ash.

  Lyre shot upwards, raking the non-dirt and grassy ground beneath him. He trembled. Tears formed as he shakily looked behind him, trying to remember where he’d first entered the eerie pce. In the darkness, which was only increasing, made him more on-edge. But it was the very faint, blurry orange light in the distance that made the cold air turn into cws and grab his heart.

  At that moment, there was an unbearable gut-wrenching feeling, as if someone was squeezing his gut tightly. No. No no no. Please just tell me that’s the sky, and…you genius, the sun doesn’t set in that direction.

  Lyre threw back his head and let out an agonized moan, crying until he was out of air and his body began shaking. His voice echoed off the rocks, as if they too were crying with him. Tears streamed down his face and stung the wound on his cheek.

  Darkness felt as if it was closing in on him. He felt his legs shake with each wail, the thick air tingling with a looming sense of dread. Each gasp of that air was quickly snatched by another wail as his tears made it seem like they were trying to hydrate the skin beneath his fur. He colpsed onto the ground, burying his face in his paws. His fur quickly became wet with salty tears, not noticing- no, ignoring the wolf pup as it helplessly stared at him.

  Two and a half years of living in that grassnd, making memories with Slip, his parents and his siblings, Velvet and Splinter, were all gone. Those memories burned into nothing but piles of ash, as if nothing of it meant anything. What's the point in going forward now? He never thought he’d be forced away from his home like this. He let out another exasperated wail.

  Snap out of it! The voice cried. You can’t allow these thoughts to get in the way of finding a new home. I understand that you’re grieving, but you’ll only end up like those who lost their lives if you stay here for any longer.

  Lyre sniffled as he slowly got up, still sobbing but quieter. “I don’t want to continue on.” He muttered in between shaky inhales and broken exhales of crying, “There’s no point anymore.” He hid his face from the wolf pup, whose face of despair didn’t match the confusion in its eyes.

  Yes there is, Lyre. There’s always a point in moving on. I assure you that wherever you’re going, once you get there, you can rest all you want. And that’s not going to happen until you gather your strength.

  But Lyre colpsed onto the ground again and let out a low, long, pained wail as he scratched the stone.

  Please. Think of Splinter. Think of how she’d only want you to get stronger. And…and Velvet, who, despite his selfishness towards you, only felt sad and scared on the inside, just like you are now. And Prairie- the voice broke a bit as it continued on- who deeply loved you as if you were the first kitten she birthed. And then your father…your father kept you and Splinter not only a secret, but safe. He’d want you to stay that way.

  “Then what about you?!” Lyre hissed as he got up and crouched low. “All you do is follow me around. Be useful, for once, please!” He let out an agitated cry that quickly turned sad. “I never wanted to do this, and you know it.”

  The wolf pup was shaken. “B- but-” Whimpering, it let out another sneeze before scurrying away.

  “Curses!” Lyre spat, mixed with rage and grief.

  Exactly. Use that energy to propel you forwards. Might not be the right direction, but if you do catch it, you know where to go.

  “I obviously can’t go back home…if there even is one anymore.” He extended his hind legs to bury his face in his front paws again. There wasn't anything for him anymore, and he knew it; his family, his home, even his stupid idea of avenging Splinter’s death. I will never be able to do it. I’m such an overachiever. I only got lucky to be able to take that wolf pup, who turned out useless in the end. He shut his eyes.

  In the end…was it really the end? It definitely felt like it was. But as Lyre felt a sudden cold air gently brush the side of his fur before a soft breeze touched his forehead, a sudden thought appeared from the back of his head.

  It is. It really is the end; of his previous life. He was meant to start a new one, whether he liked it or not; a new one with potentially a new family, if he could find one; and most importantly, a new home. Maybe a more thought-out pn of what he pns to do with this wolf pup, as well, but if one thing’s for certain, it’s this:

  Sure, it’s the end…but it’s also the beginning.