Chapter 6- The Journey carries on, or does it?

Nettlefur couldn't help feeling completely irritated as she dragged her tired paws back to their makeshift camp. If Lionclaw would have seen the poor hunting she had done, he would have laughed and comforted her and told her not to give up hope. Well he's never coming back, she thought bitterly, and I will never see my beloved Clan again. Then she realized that she still had her kits and much to look forward to. The soft forest floor was begging to remind her of her home in ThunderClan. It's not my home anymore, she reminded herself wistfully, and it is time that I return to my kits and introduce them to what fresh kill looks like. Even though they won't be able to eat it for a moon or so yet. So she padded on. Soon she was near enough that she could hear tiny wailing and squeaking and she recognized the sounds of her kits. Nettlefur's heart started to race as she bolted toward the noise.

Dreamkit found it extremely hard to breath and wondered just why there had to be so many rocks in the stream that seemed so large for a tiny kit like him. When his head wasn't under the dark and swirling water, he was being slammed against rocks or gasping for air. He managed to get a glimpse at his siblings who stood on the shore frozen with shock. "Help," his head went under once more, "me!" he meowed weakly as he hit another rock. Nothing in the world seemed to hear him as the winding stream took him to his death. Then his vision tunneled and went black.

Nettlefur appeared out of the trees and to the patch of reeds and the huge boulder where she found her kits. They all looked terrified and were staring wide eyed at the stream which went in the direction that they were heading- away from the Clans. "What happened?" Nettlefur's alarmed mew made them jump and they turned around guiltily. And that was when she realized that there were only three of her kits present. "Where's Dreamkit?" She screeched honestly scared out of her fur.

It was Nightkit who spoke up. "H-he fell in the water w-when me and M-moonkit were fighting and bumped into him." he stammered.

Oh no. Help us StarClan! Dreamkit had disappeared farther upstream and they couldn't see him anymore. "No, no, no. This can't be happening! StarClan was supposed to lead us safely on this journey!" Nettlefur murmured.

"Nettlefur? Who's StarClan?" Mewed Moonkit.

"I will explain everything later. But first we must hurry upstream to see if maybe we can find Dreamkit." Nettlefur said. "You can feed as soon as we have found him. I know you're exhausted, but we must to this for the sake of your brother to make sure he does live through this." She explained with hope in her voice even though she doubted that they would ever see poor Dreamkit again.

So they carried on up the stream following a faint fear-scent that no doubt belonged to Dreamkit. They traveled until Nettlefur's own paws ached. Soon they reached an end of Dreamkit's scent. "He must be here," she whispered frantically, searching the tall grasses. Then she picked up a faint trail of another cat's scent. A kind loner possibly, she thought, or maybe a wandering kittypet because I know this leads to Twolegplace. Nettlefur also knew that she was being overly hopeful. Dreamkit could also possibly be dead, and she knew that deep in her heart it was true.