A thick mist swirled repeatedly over the moor, catching the morning sun's rays as it rose above the horizon. Light pattering of pawsteps echoed through the nearly empty grassland. A scrawny dark gray cat was weaving through the tall grass, heading towards the thick line of trees that rose ahead of her. A rabbit dangled from her jaws as she pelted along.

Soon, she reached the trees and quickly darted into them, blending well with the shadows cast by the sun. The gray she-cat traveled on, and when she came to a small creek, she made a sharp turn left. Diving into a bramble thicket, the gray cat flickered her ears forward at the sound of her kits. "Quiet you two," she hissed gently. "I don't want to be caught by another TwilightClan patrol. Then we'll have to move again."

The she-cat dropped the rabbit and flopped down exhaustedly, panting. Even the small effort of catching a rabbit completely exhausted her. She had been very sick, and was not fully healed yet.

The two kits, about apprentice age, scrambled over to their mother, one was a she-cat, totally black with white flecks on her hind legs, the other was a muscular, glossy black tom with crimson eyes.

"Mum, are you alright?" the she-kit asked, taking a bite from the fresh-kill. The gray she-cat was panting hard and coughing. The two kits looked worried.

The gray she-cat managed a weak smile. "I'm fine. Please, don't worry about me and eat." She nudged the rabbit closer to her kits.

The crimson tom shared the meal with his sister. The she-cat's breathing stopped as she rested her head on the ground. "Shh, mum's asleep," the tom said, taking another ravenous bite from the rabbit. The kits finished eating. "Let's play-fight!" the she-kit suggested, springing up to her paws and waving her tail.

The other tom grinned and leapt at his sister. She dodged out of the way, sliding to the left, and pushing on her front paws, launching herself into the air. Whipping his head around, the tom braced himself as his sister crashed ungracefully onto him. The two tussled for while.

The tom was getting the better of his sister, and when she paused for a heartbeat to catch her breath, he threw himself at her, knocking her into the air.

With a squeak, she landed atop her mother's flank, then tumbled onto the ground. Her mother didn't move. She froze and whirled around to face the gray she-cat. With huge, lightning blue eyes, she pressed her muzzle to her mother's flank. It was icily cold.

"No!" the kit wailed, collapsing onto the older cat's body. The tom darted over. "She's dead!" the she-kit wailed, sobbing. "She's gone! What will we do?"

The tom looked shocked, but an idea faintly glimmered in his eyes. "We should join a Clan," he said with a solemn nod. The other she-cat shook her head. "No, never! We're rouges! We'll never be accepted into a Clan."

He shook his head. "We're rouge KITS. Every Clan is always looking for new warriors." His sister's lightning eyes swelled with tears, and her ears pressed against her skull. "But… how?"

The pure black tom pressed his muzzle to hers. "We should split up. I'll go to one Clan, you go to another. That way, they'll be less suspecting."

The she-kit still looked surprised and sad. She looked up and snatched a small white flower that wove around brambles. She laid the flower on her mother's chest, before slipping out of the den, her brother following.

"I'll go to TwilightClan," the tom said, licking his sister's cheek. "You go to MorningClan. They're east, over there." He flicked his tail over the creek.

The she-cat 's tears were tried now. "I don't think I can split up with you!" she cried. She squeezed her eyes shut. "I don't want you to leave me. I'll be all alone. First mother, now you?"
She opened her blue eyes and yowled in surprise. Her brother was gone! She called his name, her only response was a whistle of the wind as it danced between leaves. Hanging her head, she started towards the MorningClan border. Tall trees loomed overhead. She pressed her ears flat again, looking around, frightened. She suddenly felt lost. And scared.

And Alone.