Sorry it's been so long, guys! I've been REALLY busy lately. I've sat down to write this chapter several times, but I couldn't find any inspiration. Hopefully, this chapter will live up to what little expectations I have stacked up for myself.

Chapter 8

It seemed as though dawn would never come. All night, she tossed and turned, waking up periodically, only to be plunged into a pit of nightmares as soon as she closed her eyes again. Before long, she decided she didn't need sleep as much as she needed someone to talk to. Just before dawn, she hauled herself back to her paws and crept back out into the forest.

There was a pang of regret somewhere deep within her. Perhaps it was that she regretted leaving the glade, or that she regretted the fact that she would most likely bear Glacier's kits. Either way, she shook it off and plodded on. A heavy, freezing rain began to fall, soaking Kite to the bone. Her stomach snarled with hunger, but she couldn't stop. She wanted to put as much distance between Glacier and herself as possible. There were so many places she could go to, but there was one place she needed to go to. And that place was Odin's nest. Since leaving ThunderClan all those moons ago, Odin had been the father figure in her life. He would know what to do.

Kite quickened her pace until she was heading in a steady gallop straight toward Odin's home. When she reached his gate, she did not hesitate to pull herself up to the top and leap into the garden. As she predicted, he wasn't outside. She padded up to the door at the edge of the garden and meowed as loudly as she could. She even scratched at the door with her claws to make a bit more noise. Before long, Odin poked his head out of the flap on the door that lead into his nest.

"What's going on?" he hissed. "I'm trying to sleep."

"I need your help," Kite whispered.

"Fine," Odin muttered, pulling himself out into the garden. He sat down on the wet grass, wrapping his tail around his paws. "Tell me what you need to say."

"I need to get out of here," Kite mewed. "Not just out of my housefolk's place, but out of the whole forest."

"Why?" Odin asked.

"I need to escape Glacier," Kite replied. "I can't tell you why. I just need to escape as quickly as possible. Where should I go?"

"I don't know," Odin replied. "But I'm going with you."

"Odin," Kite murmured. "You don't have to go with me. I can take care of myself."

"If that's what you want," Odin sighed. "You'll need to cut through ThunderClan territory and head across the Thunderpath to WindClan territory. You want to find Highstones. If you bump into any Clan cats, tell them nothing about your mission. When you get to WindClan's territory, cross the Thunderpath immediately and keep heading forward. You'll know the Highstones when you see them. When you get there, it's your decision which path you take."

"Thanks," Kite mewed, dipping her head.

"You must leave immediately if you want to get anywhere before Glacier finds out," Odin mewed.

Kite nodded, giving Odin a thankful lick on the ear, then leapt over the fence and out into the forest once more.