Rocks slid down the cliff and down into the dark emptiness that loomed below. The brown she-cat winced. In her mouth, she carried a small light grey tom with dark grey markings all over his body, barely half a moon old, in her mouth. He shivered from the rain pelting down from the sky non-stop. The young queen tried to shelter him as much as she could while she walked, but that was proving difficult. He began to moan. "Its ok little one." The she-cat mewed around his fur. "Were almost there." She looked up to the sky. "I hope."

Both behind her and in front of her stretched a long line of tired sodden cats. Their bones visible through their soaking wet pelts, dull from lack of prey.

"Amberfoot." A voice mewed in her ear.

"Would you like me to take Rainkit? I passed Dawnkit to Goldentail and Cherrycloud still has Stormkit."

Amberfoot turned to look behind her. There stood a large and formable once handsome and strong gray tom with blazing blue eyes, drooping from exhaustion.

"I'm fine Greypelt" She quietly mewed around Rainkit's pelt.

Greypelt nodded and solemnly trudged next to Amberfoot along the rocky cliff edge.

Soon, the cats began to move towards a small outcropping that provided some shelter from the rain. The cats all shook out their pelts and crowded together in the small area, desperate for warmth. Greypelt and Amberfoot took Rainkit over to the side of the area. Soon Goldentail and Cherrycloud brought the other two kits over and retreated to the other end of the outcropping. They all huddled together and mewed softly. Amberfoot gazed at her kits, then shut her eyes with a sigh. She lay her head on her paws.

"Amberfoot." Greypelt mewed reaching out with a large dark grey paw.

"Are you OK?"

She nodded.

"I'm fine, but I don't know about the kits. Are we ever going to find a new territory to live in until the trees grow back from the fire? We already lost Lark-kit before the journey and I don't want to lose another. I'm almost afraid to say it, but I don't think ThunderClan's going to last much longer."

She looked up at Greypelt. Amber eyes met blue.

"We already lost so many cats, and i dont want to lose another one of mine."

Greypelt licked her head. She looked up, a worried look displayed across her face.

"Amberfoot, how are we supposed to survive if no cat keeps hope? So do this for us Amberfoot, do this for the kits. Keep hope when no one else does. What good is a clan filled with hopeless cats?"

"I guess." Amberfoot purred and wrapped her tail around her sleeping kits.

"Good." Greypelt mewed and lay his head upon hers.

Soon, all that could be heard under the outcropped rock was the soft pitter patter of rain outside

Thunder crackled outside. Amberfoot shot her head up, the fur on the back of her neck raised and eyes slits. She looked around in a hurry, forgetting where she was. She quickly looked around, eyes searching for escape routes. She lay gaze on her family. Instantly, her fur lie flat. She closed her eyes and breathed out softly in relief, remembering the journey, the forest fire caused by reckless twolegs, Lark-kit. she didn't want her family to end up like the poor lost kit. Her eyes suddenly filled with a sadness, so deep and scarring that no young cat should ever have to know. It came, she couldn't stop it. She let out a soft hiss as Horrible images entered her brain. It was dark, but the flames lit everything up. a small cream kit, too young to see lay mewling on the ground, licks of fire igniting her fur to flames. The sound of yowling cats echoed around the forest and off the trees, filling the young amber colored queen's ears with blood curdling screams. She ducked her head,brown amber eyes slammed shut, just to be re-opened at the sound of the small cream kit "Lark-kit!" She screamed and lunged forward into the flames, but leapt back as they touched her pelt. the smell of singed fur filled the air along with the scent of overwhelming smoke.

"Mama?" the kit mewed weakly. "help.." She crawled forward weakly, fur signed off on her side and back. Her queen looked on in horror as flames closed in any opening that she could dash into the rescue her kit. She threw her head back in a loud sorrow filled yowl, time seemed to freeze all around her, nothing mattered anymore, not her clan, not her mate, not even her other kits. She opened her eyes, the other kits. She wouldn't let them share this same horrible fate as their sister. She would protect her kits with her life, she would never lose another one as long as she lived, she vowed to herself and her kits.

Back in the cave, Amberfoot shook her head, scattering the horrible flashbacks away. Everyday she thought about the horrible death of her smallest kit, and she would every single day for the rest of her life, reminding her of the fierce vow to her remaining kits. She looked around at her sleeping clanmates, they were all so skinny, making them appear to be dead as they slept. She shivered, suddenly cold. Standing up, she silently padded over to the front of the opening, careful not to step on any outstretched paws or tails. Approaching the gap, she saw that dawn light was slowly coming over the horizon, but more importantly the rain had stopped and a rainbow hung high in the sky, reminding herself of her promise to Greypelt the night before, to remain hopeful. She purred lightly, stretching out letting the warmth seep into her fur as the sky changed from a light pink to a bright orange. the sun crept higher into the sky. Amberfoot looked around. To her left was a rocky path swerving higher into the mountain. She took a deep breath, it doesn't smell like rain anymore, she thought and began to pad up the muddy trail. Up ahead, she could spot a place where the trail widened out where she could sit and look down upon the valley where the now three clans made their home surrounding a sparkling blue lake, which turned to fire in the early dawn light. She cautiously walked to the widened out area to get a better view of the area. She padded close to the mountain face careful not to let any rocks all off of the thin trail. She came to her destination. She sat down, exhaling with delight upon seeing the lake she'd lived by for countless moons in a new light. Extending from the lake were two long rivers that snaked through the marshy territory of RiverClan. Next to that were the mysterious pine forests of ShadowClan. To the other side of RiverClan was the rolling hills where Wind Clan the other side of RiverClan was. She shivered upon laing her gaze on the next clan's territory. where the regal oaks once grew, towering higher than the trees of any other territory now sat smoldering tree stumps. The undergrowth where these mighty cats once stalked their prey were now piles of ash. This place where Amberfoot had grown up was unrecognizable to her now. Twolegs weaved through the hillside leading their monsters along which cut large trench- like holes in the ground with its large black paws while a large yellow monster dug holes in the ground with its long silver teeth. Amberfoot shivered, she couldn't bear this much longer. She had hoped to raise her kits in this territory alongside Greypelt, but that was all a lost dream now. It didn't have to be like this. She thought remembering the last gathering ThunderClan had ever attended, the one where the other clans refused to host Thunderlan in their territories, the one where they cast stones to banish the clan from the lake. The other leaders argued that they couldn't take on more cars during the sickness and famine of leafbare, that the clan would have to go out and fend for themselves. So here they were, ThunderClan, on the brink of extinction. This long line of regal cats with the scent of the forest running through their veins and the warrior code in their hearts were almost gone. By the time the trees grew back no cats will have remembered them. Generations and generations would fly by with no memory of their clan. We could have stayed, but it was just barely out of grasp.

Just like Lark-kit. Something thought in the back of her head.

"No!" She growled and took a step back. pebbles, than gradually bigger rocks skidded off the cliff. She hissed, eyes wide in fear as she spun around, but that only caused larger rocks to tumble down the cliff. A crack broke out on one side of the trail as she put a paw down in attempted escape. She lurched sideways as the crack grew leaving her hanging on by her claws as the path gave up and fell leaving her rock hanging by the other side of the path. She closed her eyes and let out a painful yowl which quickly died down as a familiar scent surrounded her. "Mother"

a faint voice mewed in her ear. Amberfoot relaxed at this voice. "Lark-kit" she replied calmly eyes still shut just to fly open a moment later.

"Amberfoot!" She perked up her ears. Above Amberfoot stood Greypelt. She tried to pull herself up, but the rock lurched. She slid down further leaving claw marks in the boulder as she hung from one paw body dangling over the abyss below. More warriors came from the overhang's entrance their bones visible through their pelts, exhaustion in their eyes. They tried to help, but that only caused Amberfoot to slide down further. She attempted to pull her other paw back onto the rock, but she was so weak, energy drained from fear. She darted her eyes around as Greypelt leaned over again to help his mate, but she still slid down further now grasping to the bottom of the rock. "Help!" She yowled as she lost her grasp and fell into the darkness. The cats above her looked on, helpless, as she fell. Soon a familiar scent surround her and she just smiled despite her looming death. Everything seemed to move in slow motion as a cream pelt dotted with stars materialized around her

"Mama" Lark-kit mewed. Amberfoot smiled again and closed her eyes.

"Yes Lark-kit, and this time, i'm here for you." she opened her eyes as the scent faded away. She looked up. Greypelt's face looked on with horror. Amberfoot breathed out as his face disappeared into darkness.

"Protect them for me Greypelt." She whispered as she closed her eyes. moments later, she hit the ground and her back broke. Darkness swamped he gaze, the pain meant nothing. She closed her eyes, let out a breath, and it was all gone.