This chapter was once again co-written by Duskstar with Sealfrost! [ Saphykins ] Seal's sections are marked with a * for credit. Summary of clues at the end if you don't want to read the whole thing.

Amberstar gave Mistfeather a cold look as the dwindling number of cats in the Clan discussed, before finally creating an answer for their new leader, gazing up at her expectantly. The she-cat nodded, signalling to Duskwatcher who was standing behind the queen.

"You have been found guilty of the murder of your Clanmates. We have the evidence, so leave now!" Amberstar demanded, as Duskwatcher unsheathed his claws as a threat.

Mistfeather swallowed, before nodding nervously.

"Fine. But I beg you, please take care of my kit!" she cried. Amberstar narrowed her eyes at the she-cat as she stepped forward.

"We will. We give better care to innocent kits than murderers," the leader growled, lashing her tail angrily. Mistfeather gave her kit one last mournful look, before padding to the Clan's exit, shaking her head in disappointment.

----------------- Mistfeather has been exiled. She was innocent.

Aspencloud had moved into the nursery, deciding to take care of Silverkit as he no longer needed milk, only a she-cat's supervision. Silverkit was fast asleep his chest rising and falling softly as the elder sighed, carefully getting up to pad outside the den.

Her gaze moved to the fresh-kill pile, but it was essentially empty, apart from a few scraps. The she-cat scowled, glaring at the young warriors lazing about in the sun. Rushfeather and Bramblespirit lay  next to each other, taking in the sunlight that had arrived at the end of leaf-bare.

The elder stormed over, lashing her tail.

"While you sit around and enjoy yourselves, the rest of us are starving!" the she-cat growled, as the two tom cats leapt to their paws, awkwardly meeting her raging gaze.

Bramblespirit sighed. "We're sorry Aspencloud, but Duskwatcher's hunting patrol only left a while ago, they won't be back for ages now. Palebranch, Emberpaw, Nettlepaw and Gingerpaw went with him," he began, as Aspencloud's eyes slowly darkened with each word that left his mouth.

"Then... get off your lazy backs... and make yourselves useful... get me some prey, now!" she yowled, Bramblespirit and Rushfeather jumping back in terror.

"Y-Yes Aspencloud!" Rushfeather, stammered, as the two toms raced toward the forest, the rage of the elder behind them.

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Rushfeather and Bramblespirit padded through the dense forest, the adrenaline from earlier had reduced, with the two at a more relaxed pace. Rushfeather paused, intertwining their tails as he murmured, "I'm sorry about Blizzardshade... he was a great cat. I'm sure StarClan will recognise him as a noble warrior."

Bramblespirit nodded his thanks, leaning against his friend slightly as the two stopped to rest for a while. 

"Thanks. I'm sorry about your family too, it must hurt with Mistfeather and Nightleap being gone..." he replied, as Rushfeather met his gaze with sadness, nodding slightly.

"It does... but it was the right thing to do, and I feel the Clan is safer because of it. I love my family, but HailClan will always come first," the tom whispered, as Bramblespirit pushed his muzzle against his friend's fur in comfort.

"You're a brave cat Rushfeather, braver than I could ever be..." Bramblespirit muttered, as Rushfeather licked his ear. 

"Nonsense, I'm glad you're here, and I'm happy to have you as a friend. Now, let's find that prey before Aspencloud claws our ears off," the tom joked, as Bramblespirit chuckled in reply.

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*

Bramblespirit ducked beneath a bush, following Rushfeather's scent when suddenly, a whiff of something else got blown towards him by the wind. 

"Rushfeather!" He whispered. The black tom turned towards him, "Yeah?" "I've picked up a scent, is it okay if I go check it out?"

"Of course, I'll see what I can find around here. Be careful," he warned, as the brown tabby flattened himself to the ground, following the direction of the wind, determined to pick up the scent once more.

As he neared the river separating HailClan's territory from TundraClan's, he recognised what he had been stalking; a big, fat pheasant was pushing it's beak into the ground, searching for worms. Bramblespirit had one problem however; it was on the other side. He would have to cross the frozen river, into TundraClan's territory. 

 As he was hesitating about what to do, a dark shape came from the bushes. "Hey, did you come to help Rushfeather and I hunt?" Bramblespirit asked the cat when they reached him. "Sure, you see that pheasant over there? It will feed half the Clan, I'm sure." They meowed. 

Bramblespirit nodded thoughtfully. "But TundraClan also needs to eat." He responded. 

"Yeah, so do we. Do you want us to starve for another Clan? If you cross the river first, I'll cross after, it won't hold us both." They pressed. Bramblespirit paused, considering their words, before he finally agreed. 

The brown tabby nodded, then carefully, one white paw after another, stepped onto the ice. It creaked, but didn't break. As he was halfway onto the river, he heard soft 'thumps' onto the ice, as if something was stamping on it. When he turned back, that was exactly what he saw. Right as he was about to call them out on it, the ice cracked, and he fell into the freezing water below.

He struggled against the current, trying to get back to where he fell in. The pheasant must have flown off when the ice broke and the river started rushing again. Just as he was about to run out of oxygen, he managed to get his head above water. 

 "He-" His cry for help was cut off as he got submerged again, taking a mouthful of freezing water with him. His limbs started going numb from the cold, making it harder to reach for the surface. A splinter of ice hit his head, turning the water around him red as it started bleeding. He began feeling numb, the blood loss, lack of oxygen and cold making him think he was going to join Blizzardshade in StarClan. 

 But no, he couldn't leave his best friend without even trying. Rushfeather had already lost his family, he couldn't lose his best friend too. He used the last strength in his legs to kick up to the surface. "Help!" He called, before his vision faded to black.

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*

Rushfeather stalked a rabbit, trying his best to keep low and silent. The creature was busy nibbling on some grass stalks that had come out of the snow, completely unaware of it's surroundings. The black tom softly placed one paw in front of the other, the lack of leaves making it easier to get closer without disturbing anything. He reached a distance he was comfortable pouncing from, and leaped. The rabbit let out a squeal of terror as he snapped it's neck, quickly and without hurting the animal more than he had to. 

He sniffed around, wondering if there would be anything else he could catch. A small vole scuttled from underneath a nearby tree root, and Rushfeather took the opportunity to hook it up with his claws, smacking it onto the ground before slicing it's neck to kill it. Then he heard rushing from the direction of the river, and, quickly burying his kills, he ran off towards the border, determined to find out what had happened.

As he nearly reached the edge of the bushes, he heard a cry for help coming from the direction he was heading, so he sped up. Rushfeather reached the river, spotting ice streaming down dangerously fast as the river swirled around it's edges. He was in time to see a bundle of brown tabby fur being swept past, and without even getting a chance to think, his legs were already running after his best friend. 

 He knew he had to act quickly, Bramblespirit was passed out and would likely die from lack of oxygen if he didn't do something soon. He ran past the tom and found a branch strong enough to hold him, halfway in the river, stuck behind a rock. When the brown tabby was about to be swept past, Rushfeather reached down and grabbed his neck fur. There were a few moments where he thought he would join his best friend in the icy water, but then he got a good grip and managed to pull him out, next to him on the branch.

He then carefully dragged him onto the rocky shore, and began licking him to warm him up before he could drag him back to camp. The tom was in bad condition; a gash in his head, blood oozing from the edges. His wet fur starting to freeze in the cold air, eyes closed, and he still wasn't breathing. Rushfeather licked over the tom's throat multiple times, then opened his mouth and let the stored up water slowly flush out. 

He had to get him back to camp, but if he did with the tom in this condition, he wouldn't make it in time. So instead, he dragged him into the shaded clearing he had been hunting in earlier, softly dropping him on the patch of grass the rabbit had been eating from. Bramblespirit coughed and started breathing again, still unconscious. 

Rushfeather breathed a sigh of relief as his friend's breathing recovered to normal. He gave the wound on his head a couple more careful licks, then picked him up by his neck fur, and dragged him towards camp, trying to be as careful as possible.

Role revealed! - Rushfeather is the medicine cat apprentice

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yes, of course he got short term amnesia, the joys of mafia logic.

Amberstar sat behind Rushfeather as he worked, never taking her eyes off of her son in worry. Finally, the medicine cat was done, and the tom stepped back.

"He'll be alright, if I'd have found him any later he would've died. Look, he's waking up..." Rushfeather murmured.

Amberstar walked to her son's side, gazing at him lovingly as he looked up at her in confusion, slurring his words. "Mama? Is that you?" he whispered. The leader licked his ear, leaning down to meet his pained eyes.

"Yes my son, oh StarClan, I'm so glad you're alright. I'd stay longer love, but I need to know, do you remember anything about what happened? Rushfeather told me your head injury could've affected your memory, but do you recall anything at all?"

Bramblespirit shook his head. "All I remember is being so so cold, and... a cat with a soft voice speaking to me... convincing me to cross the ice, it was very feminine... I think it was a she-cat" he mumbled.

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The Clan gathered around the dead oak as Amberstar looked down upon them, glaring at her suspects in suspicion, the memory of her son's shaking form still in her mind.

"My son has been attacked!" she yowled, as the cats glanced at each other in shock. The leader's own kit? How long could this continue?

"Thankfully, Rushfeather saved him, but will be the last time one of our own is attacked, I swear it!" she hissed, stepping forward as she thought over her accusation.

"I accuse..."

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Attacked: Bramblespirit

Healed: Bramblespirit [Correct!]

Accused: ...? [Amberstar, comment or PM. I'd say there's only 2 suspects now... 1 of them fits more than the other - AquaGloss]

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Clues:

- Bright eyes

- Dark fur, difficult to see in the mist

- Able to dodge attacks quickly

- Some white fur, how much is not specified.

- Possible resentment against Silverkit due to the Mist-Storm drama

- The killer is a she-cat

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