Shi backed up, his heart was racing faster than he ever knew a heart could and he worried that it would pop out of his chest. His paws shook invuluntary, making his legs quiver unsteadly, this was horrible, he hated when he had these fits, they only lasted for a few seconds but they came at the oddest of times. Like when he was play fighting with his brothers and sister. "Ugh, you're no fun Shi." Tasi complained, shaking his big black and white head at his little brother. Shi couldn't answer, whenever he had these fits he became silent as stone. That was until the shakes ended suddenly, so sudden that he fell down.

"I can't help it!" Shi squeaked. His voice was abnormally high pitched and slurred, it took Tasi a few minutes to understand what he was saying. "But if it bothers you that much I'll just watch." He sighed under his brothers' fierce yellow gaze.

Tasi nodded his acceptance and went over to where Sighem, Changi, and Jash were all siting; Shi wished he could play, he could be strong! 'But not strong enough...' A cold evil voice mocked in his ear. He shook his head. He hated that voice, it always came after he had one of his fits, it always brought horrible news to him. 'Gryphon...little gryphon who can't fly, little gryphon, so weak he can only cry!' The voice rattled inside his head, on he hated the voice! The voice that called him Gryphon, the voice that only he could hear. Was he crazy? No, the voice was, he wasn't, he was just a kit with a problem, just a kit. 'Mama gryphon shook her head, mama gryphon snapped her beak, baby gryphon couldn't fly, baby gryphon could only cry.'

He knew about Gryphon's, he had heard his mama curse the Gryphon when his other brother, Befi that was his name, died after falling into a creek. Mama had blamed him for that. 'Baby gryphon who could have saved Death, yet baby didn't fly, baby gryphon only stood there and cried.' What a horrible voice. Even though he hated the voice, he wanted the voice to stay with him...because the voice was the only one who would talk to him, the voice was the only one who would have him.

"Little gryphon couldn't fly, baby gryphon would only cry." Shi whispered to himself, closing his blue eyes and sighing. "What did you say Shi?" Came a startling loud voice from behind him.

Whorling around he saw his mama, her yellow eyes flashing at him and her black pelt sticking out among the green grasses. Shi wished he had her pelt, it was so fluffy and looked so soft...why didn't he have mama or papa's eyes? He'd often wonder. 'Mama gryphon died, baby gryphon should have gone, yet he only sat there and cried.' "I asked you a question Shi, and I expect you to answer when I do." Kei snarled at him. She never snarled at his brother and sister, was it because he was a bad kit? 'Baby gryphon was a wimp, baby gryphon couldn't fly, he wouldn't die, instead he's just sit there dumbly and cry.'

Shi sat up a little straighter, maybe if he was really nice mama would be happy at him, that would be nice. "I'm alright mama." He said in his clearest voice. Kei snorted and Shi felt his hopes waft away, he had done something wrong, he always did something wrong.

"It's mother Shi, not mama mother I feel like I have to yell at you just so you get it right!" She spat. Shi quivered, his siblings were able to call her mama, but maybe he was different, maybe, he was to be formal. "Listen Shi, as you know you have NO skill what-so-ever, and as your mother it is my job to find something you are good at...whatever that is..." 'Baby gryphon couldn't fly, baby gryphon only sat there and cried, baby gryphon was mocked with sneering eyes, baby gryphon couldn't fly, baby gryphon could only cry.'

Kei sighed and closed her eyes, "Let's see...you can't hunt for anything, you can't fight, your not handsome enough to get cats to help you, you can't speak..." Her words deflated him even more than the voices; at least the voice only said one basic phrase. "But...maybe, with a little luck there can be some sort of hope for you. Perhaps a slave, they get good wages in mice and work hard." A slave, a slave was the last thing Shi wanted to be. While slaves were paid enough they weren't at all respected and that was all Shi wanted, respect. "Yes, you will be a slave, I now a good cat, Mac is his name, who will take you on, but first you need training." Was that it? He was just going to be sold to a cat he didn't even know? Why would mother do that? Maybe, it was because she wanted to get rid of him...no! He loved mother, and he was sure that she loved him back. But with thosen clans, ShadowClan, ThunderClan, WindClan, and RiverClan, it was hard to find enough prey, everyone was working in the family. Everyone except for him that was.

"Alright mother." He whispered through clentched teeth. Why couldn't he do something good for once? Why couldn't he become a hunter, or a fighter, like his brothers, or a collector like his sister. 'Because little gryphon was to small, everyone was afraid that he would fall.' Oh how he hated that voice! Such mockery, such a cold voice that he couldn't control, so silent to the outside world, so dead, but so alive and vived in his mind. Kei was about to say something more when a small, lean, grey tom bounded to her, it was Coral, the messanger.

"Kei, I have bad news." He said, winded beyond doubt. "The...the clans they, they've taken Jash." He said between gasp. Jash, the only one who really cared about Shi, Jash, Shi's protector, was taken by the clans. Most likely subjected to death; or torture. Kei gave a strangled sound. "A few of the rouges have already started a plan, they're going to the biggest slave and fighter owners to ask for asistance." He said. Maybe there was a chance his papa would be saved maybe... 'They all hurried around papa gryphon, but baby gryphon couldn't fly, baby gryphon would only sit there and cry.'

"I'll go ask Mac right away, Changi, you look after everyone while I'm gone!" She shouted, already racing off with Coral in the direction of Mac's den. "I won't sit here and cry...I'll save you papa, and make mother proud." He whispered to himself. If only he knew that he would be to late, and if only he knew what a journey those words would lead him on.