·Two·

The few cats of MistClan had been following the river for days.

"Mother, I'm hungry!" Birdkit mewed pitifully. Sparkflower licked her ears, unable to say anything.

"Sparkflower, feed them." A ragged looking she-cat meowed, her soft voice trembling. "It will do us no good to have two dead kits on our paws."

Sparkflower nodded and padded up to Heatherstar at the head of the party.

"Heatherstar, may we rest? My kits are hungry, and..." Sparkflower began, but she was cut off my Heatherstar's raspy meow. "No.... We cannot stop here, in rat territory, besides, there is nothing to eat here...."

Sparkflower dipped her head and did not say anything more.

Gorsebracken sighed. They had been going on for many moonrises with hardly any rest and freshkill. Two apprentices and an elder had died when the rats had attacked. Many were injured. Three kits had died of starvation. Their mother, Trembleleaf, had been devastated and simply dropped dead.

Only half of MistClan remained alive.

Birdkit groaned and fell to her paws, panting heavily, her eyes wild with fear. Bramblekit nudged his sister with his muzzle desperately.

"Birdkit? Birdkit?" He mewed, his voice choked. "Don't die, Birdkit! Don't die like Mistkit and Featherkit and Wingkit! Please!"

Birdkit let out an agonized choke. the scrawny she-cat raced over and nudged her to her paws. Sparkflower let out a cry and whipped towards her kit, grabbing her by the scruff and lying her in a patch of warm moss. She started to lick the kit's black and white fur, her tongue rasping over the dirty clumps. The scrawny she-cat snatched up some moss with her jaws and trotted over to the river. When she came back, the moss the soaking with fresh water.

Dipping her head gratefully, Sparkflower took the moss and started to dribble it into the kit's mouth. Bramblekit looked on nervously, licking his sister's clumpy fur with his tiny tongue.

Birdkit finally came too, blinking her blue eyes and looking around. Then she mewed faintly, "Where are the rest of the Clan?"

Sparkflower looked around.

MistClan was gone.

· · ·

Gorsebracken crashed through the bushes, yowling.

"Sparkflower! Bramblekit! Birdkit! Darkwing!"

It was no use. They had disappeared.

Heatherstar sat waiting in the clearing. Her Clan were resting around her, passing around a thin squirrel. Watching his leader sitting there as is nothing had happened made him furious.

"Why aren't you doing anything?" He yowled, fluffing out his tail until it was twice it's normal size. "How can you sit there pretending nothing has happened???"

"I am not pretending nothing has happened, and I would like it is you stopped hissing at me, Gorsebracken. Remember, I am your leader." Heatherstar mewed coldly, her ices chips of ice.

"Some leader!" Gorsebracken retorted angrily, unsheathing his claws and digging them into the boggy earth. "You don't even care for your Clanmates! All you care for is yourself!"

There was a gasp of shock from the assembled cats. Deputies had certain authority and were allowed to speak their opinion to leaders, but never, never had someone insulted a leader like this.

Heatherstar's eyes flashed.

"Gorsebracken, I would like to speak to you." She hissed, her ears flattened against her head. "Alone."

Gorsebracken nodded and followed.

· · ·

"What will we do?" Darkwing cried. Her eyes were wild and her tail was fluffed .

"I don't know!" Sparkflower yowled. "Let's try following the scents."

They tried and tried, but the misty morning had washed the scent trail away. Even Bramblekit searched. But to no avail.

"They're gone!" Darkwing yowled. "Gorsebracken and Heatherstar and Hopepaw! Gone!"

· · ·

"Gorsebracken." Heatherstar meowed, her voice icy, but calm. "Will you please explain your actions?"

"I said what I had to, Heatherstar. My family is missing!" Gorsebracken bristled and spat.

Heatherstar snarled.

"You will obey my orders! Your family and Darkwing are lost forever!" She hissed, her eyes blazing with fury. "I have half a mind to demote you and choose a new deputy!"

"Do it! I don't care! I'm leaving MistClan forever!" Gorsebracken turned and raced into the trees.

· · ·

Morningfrost, Gorsebracken's sister, had been chosen as the new deputy of MistClan. Gorsebracken was presumed dead. Heatherstar had supposedly banished him from the Clan forever.

The MistClan cats whispered among themselves. Things were not going well for the traveling Clan.

· · ·

Gorsebracken stumbled through the ferns. His pads were bleeding badly from running over the stony river bed, and he left a wet trail of blood behind him as he raced away.

He was escaping everything- his Clan, his friends, his sister, his life.

But his family meant so much more.

Gorsebracken raced on.

He couldn't fail them now.