"R-Run." Dawnkit screeched, which sent all of the kits scrambling wildly. No one knew where to, or why, but it was a blind scare that sent everyone tripping over each other. They were all tired and hungry, so when it came time to bolt it lead to a colossal mess. Ivykit ran straight into the river, obviously not realizing that it had been there, or had underestimated its depth. Brindlekit managed to trip over Kestrelkit, and after twisting his leg into a painful position he laid on the ground whimpering. Lastly Emberkit slid into a puddle of mud that she sank into quickly.

It was apparent to Dawnkit that this was the end. It also occurred to her that she had promised herself that she would try her hardest to get all these kits out of danger, and she would try to her last breath. Because that's what being a good cat meant, it meant helping your friends.

Ivykit splashed to the surface, gasping for air, and that snapped Dawnkit right out of her daze. She crouched down, preparing herself for the water and jump. But before she could attempt a rescue, one of the mysterious cats jumped in after Ivykit and easily plucked her out of the water. It seemed the water had been rather deep, deeper than even Dawnkit had anticipated, because it seemed not even the large cat's feet reached the bottom.

The other cat made their way toward them and Dawnkit found herself at a loss on what to do. Her head was spinning, so she stood her ground and hissed at the intruder that was still on land. The cat came into light and Dawnkit saw an unfamiliar she-cat with a golden pelt, littered with black markings, and wide silver eyes.

"Sh-Sh… Sh. It's okay kittens, we are not here to hurt you." The unfamiliar she-cat meowed, taking a step back as Dawnkit hissed at her again. "We mean no harm."

"I goff her." The tom in the water shouted between Ivykit's fur. He climbed out and gently dropped her at the she-cat's feet, and shook himself off. Ivykit wasn't moving. Dawnkit started to panic.

"She isn't breathing, Waspfur." He explained quickly, and the golden she-cat set right to work. She flipped Ivykit over on her back and applied pressure to her chest with a single paw. It was a soothing circular motion, and then suddenly Ivykit coughed up two mouthfuls of water. She wheezed and coughed, curling up on her side in agony.

"It'll be easier if you roll and stand up little one." Waspfur murmured, her voice gentle and caring. Dawnkit was immediately untrusting of these two cats. After witnessing her entire clan pounce on the only family she'd ever known, Dawnkit was lacking in the area of trust.

"Kits, why are you so far away from your clan." The tom asked, watching them with a pair of burning gold eyes. Dawnkit didn't want to tell them. It might have been because she didn't trust them, but truly Dawnkit did not want to dig up the memories that had been burning in the back of her mind for hours. None of the other kits had any courage to say anything either. They were a group of misfits, beaten and broken. Their words were the only thing they had left to defend.

The dark tabby brown tom shuffled a bit, looking to Waspfur for help. She tilted her head toward the kits, urgency in her silver eyes.

"Okay. Let me introduce myself. I am Eaglestar, leader of… Once the leader of Creek Clan." He explained, a sadness entrenching his calm features. It was painful to see a cat that used to be leader look so weak and pitiful.

"Once?" Dawnkit asked boldly, trying to put the facts together. What if they were trying to lull them into safety before they brought them back to the clans to be slaughtered just like their parents?

"I told you about myself, go and tell me about yourself. It's only fair." He smiled, eying them all with a calm and unreadable gaze.

"Because Dovestar murdered our parents." Ivykit sputtered out, trembling against the guiding paws of Waspfur.

"It seems we are running from the same thing, little kits." Relief washed over his features and his shoulder sagged. "The clans have changed… And this is only the beginning…" Eaglestar's face remained mostly indifferent, except for the flash of confusion that was clear in is eyes. Maybe, Dawnkit realized, he was just like them. Lost and alone.

"What happened?" It wasn't a question, but a demand from Dawnkit. It was less because she didn't trust him, and more because she wanted to know. She wanted to know what these terrible cats had done to the clans, and why they had killed her mother. So many questions and so little time.

"This morning…" He started, looking over toward Waspfur weakly for support. They'd both had a rough day it seemed. "There was a rebellion in the midst of my clan, Creek clan. I can't believe I had not seen it before, it had been brewing under my nose for moons. Cats had been rallying against me, and I can't help by suspect it's because of Dovestar. I would have ended up just like Blazestar, if not for Waspfur."

"You didn't know." Waspfur's voice was stern, as if she were scolding a kit. "Barely anyone not a part of it did."

"But I should have." He combated her, tail lashing out behind him. "Th-There are so many cats that believe in Dovestar and her new motto. She believes that one should follow the warrior code, or they should die for their sins. It's as if she believes this is the way Star Clan would want the clans."

"Which is the farthest thing from the truth." Waspfur murmured bitterly under her breath. Eaglestar eyed Waspfur wearily, waiting for a moment before continuing.

"She also thought letting any cat with a lineage that strayed from pure blooded warrior was a crime. Which is ridiculous because all of our blood lines are mixed and disturbed. I don't know where she gets the idea that some are purer than others."

"What happened to your clan?" Dawnkit wanted to hear it from someone else's mouth. She wanted to hear that death wasn't just a fate picked for her mother.

"Perhaps that is not a story for kits." Waspfur butted into the conversation lightly, but Eaglestar shook his head.

"If they are running from their clan then perhaps they know more than words could ever share." Eaglestar looked directly down to Dawnkit, who was staring back at up at him with hungry eyes.

"They killed- Slaughtered all the cats who were impure. Elders, kits, queens, and even the medicine cat- my sister, was murdered." Eaglestar's voice was strained, and tears pricked against his soft sea blue eyes. His dark brown tabby coat glimmered under the shine of the moon, like a sad silhouette. "My mate was the head of this rebellion. Halerush… She was-" He stopped, his voice thick with rage and emotion. He began embedding his claws into the dirt under him, minding his fury.

Waspfur came over to his side gently, resting a tail against his shoulders. "I was the medicine cat of Whirl Clan." She explained quietly, voice shaking in the dark. "They had killed the medicine cat in Dusk clan too. I stumbled upon Vipertongue's corpse on the border while picking herbs. He was littered with the scent of both his clan, and mine. I'd known tension between the clans was high, but not enough for murder. Assuming it was a border skirmish I headed back to camp, not thinking it was a mutually planned attack…

"Then I stumbled upon a patrol, and they were intermingled with Dusk Clan cats. I knew something was wrong. They were all talking—bragging about the death of a cat who once healed their wounds…" Waspfur's voice shook with a same simmering rage as Eaglestar, but hers was quiet, repressed. The quiet before a storm.

"They then talked about my death, and the death of Creek Clan. I ran there and found Eaglestar along the way, as he had been on a trip to the Moon Pool…"

As they had revealed their stories, Dawnkit felt as though it was only right for her to explain her own. But the strong, overwhelming scent of smoke poured into the clearing. Eaglestar lifted his head, and saw beyond the bushes they could not.

"We should go. The fire is stretching out this way with the wind, and if we don't hurry it could easily become a problem." Eaglestar murmured, stepping into the river at its edge.

"Where will we go?" Dawnkit asked, stepping cautiously to the river and motioning to the other kits to follow.

"We will go to a territory long forgotten now. Far out, past the Moon Pool, there is a place cats haven't stepped into in centuries." He explained taking Dawnkit by the scruff and wadding across the river, which didn't require him to swim, even though it had looked that way to Dawnkit.

"You mean the Clan of Lost Thorns?" Waspfur asked, cocking her head to the side. Her spring green eyes grew wide with surprise, but they were calculating.

"It was a tale amongst the creek clan elders. No one seemed to listen to them, except the kits of course. Our new enemy probably won't hear of them again, since all those who remember are all dead." Eaglestar explained as he wadded back across the river to carry across the next kit.

"Why should we trust them Dawnkit?" Emberkit suddenly shouted as Eaglestar made his way over to them. "Just because you trust complete strangers doesn't mean I will."

Eaglestar didn't say a word, and looked to Dawnkit for her response. He was waiting, watching to see how she would respond. Why should they trust them? Eaglestar wanted her answers as much as anyone else did.

First a feeling of anxiety washed over her. Why? Why was a good question. Dawnkit swallowed her doubt and held her head high as she shot back at Emberkit. "Because they are the only help we have right now. We don't have many options, and we don't have much time. But if they were trying to hurt us, wouldn't they have done it already? I'm going to trust them, because I cannot defend myself or hunt for myself. Not yet. If you want to say and wait for the fire though, then go right ahead."

Eaglestar's eyes crinkled in amusement and a light, bellowing purr erupted from his throat. It was raspy and sounded almost painful, between recent events and the fire, Dawnkit wasn't surprised. She supposed crying and smoke would do that to one's throat.

"A small little leader you seem to be." Eaglestar's words set her pelt aflame, and she ducked her head in embarrassment. But there was that little inkling of pride that slithered into her heart, and it brought up her spirits.

He turned back toward Emberkit, who was glancing hesitantly from Eaglestar and Waspfur. Kestrelkit stood behind her, eying them cautiously. Brindlekit rolled his eyes and stepped forward to be chosen, obviously annoyed with his litter mates.

Waspfur stepped forward, with Ivykit in her grasp, and looked down at the water. From the skittish tension in her body it was easy to tell she wasn't used to water. Perhaps she was even afraid of it. Eaglestar had padded across and turned around before she even dipped her toes into the water.

"Relax." He murmured calmly, wadding back across to her side. Helping Waspfur also gave Emberkit and Kestrelkit a bit more time to settle their fear of getting carried across the river, Dawnkit realized. She found that she liked this tom more and more, especially with the patience he was presenting with Waspfur. Even with fire looming their way he still found time to be calm.

"Let the water sooth you, not scare you. Your body and fur will help you float, and you won't need to swim much to get across. It's not very deep." He murmured quietly, keeping the tip of his tail at her side as comfort.

She released a deep breath, and then began to walk her way across. Her movements were stiff and her eyes were wide, but she managed to make it across with Eaglestar beside her the entire way.

"Okay you two, so have you made up your minds?" Eaglestar turned back to Kestrelkit and Emberkit, cocking a brow. Emberkit, who's head was all raised with authority, because now she had finally been able to make an independent decision on something, nodded.

"Yes, we would like to cross." She stated, allowing Eaglestar to pick her up by the scruff. "Hey! Not so hard." She wailed, her feet kicking out unceremoniously. A low chuckle erupted from Eaglestar again.

After all kits had crossed the river, they climbed up the beach and to the slope that over looked plenty of the forest. Dawnkit stopped a moment, getting absorbed in the beauty of the forest decorated by moonlight. The fire shined bright through the shadows, it's path of destruction clear.

"Come on kits. It won't take long before it reaches the river, and even then… I don't know if it'll be enough to hold it back." Dawnkit watched the fire, hatred and fury building in her heart. And in that moment she wished the fire destroyed the entire forest, just like Dovestar had done to her mother.