Charlie led them deeper and deeper into Twolegplace until Lightpaw lost all sense of direction and Beetlepaw complained about her aching paws.

    "Quit your whining," an irritated Charlie quipped back at her. "We're almost there."

    The den he led them to was small and low to the ground, the surrounding area covered in giant drifts of snow. Lightpaw stared up at its dark openings, the light of the moon glinting off of the surfaces there.

    Charlie did not lead them to one of these openings, however. He snaked through the snowdrifts and made his way to a tall opening near the ground. With one neat jump, he landed on the ledge just outside it. Without a backwards glance, he disappeared inside.

    Beetlepaw followed without hesitation, paws clearly too tired for her to give a second thought as to where she was going. Lightpaw took her time, balancing on the ledge and swiping at the opening with a paw. There was nothing there.

    Within, the Twoleg den was warm and the material under her paws soft. She found herself standing on a floor of leaves but, to her astonishment, none of them moved or rustled underpaw as she walked over them. Thoroughly frightened, Lightpaw dashed off after Charlie.

    He led them up a tall incline, the she-cats scrambling up each small ledge after him. Finally, they reached a flat landing. The room Charlie led them into was dark, only the fragmented light of the moon entering it. Lightpaw again noticed the strange glint of the den openings but had no chance to investigate before a new scent hit her.

    "Who have you brought?" The grey she-cat had dark stripes and looked at the she-cats with narrowed eyes.

    "Two she-cats who have been run out from DarkClan," Charlie explained. "This is the one I've met and told you about." He flicked his tail at Lightpaw lazily.

    "Ah." Her tone was clipped and her eyes flashed dangerously. "Can we trust you?"

    Lightpaw and Beetlepaw exchanged a look.

    "Please, we just need a place to stay for the night," Beetlepaw explained, sounding completely unlike herself. "Tomorrow we'll head out. We heard there are rebels hiding somewhere in the Twolegplace and want to join them."

    The lie came out fluidly and Lightpaw could only marvel at Beetlepaw's bravery. The grey she-cat, though clearly not completely convinced from the looks of her still unsheathed claws, nodded her head.

    "I'm Minerva," she said. "You two can sleep in that bed there." Lightpaw looked over to see a soft-looking nest of strange-looking materials.

    "Thank you," she remembered to say before following Beetlepaw over to their nest for the night. As soon as she fell into it, she realized just how much her muscles ached and how she hadn't had a good night's rest in too long. Perhaps tonight she finally would.

    //

    The silence pressed in on her and her breath came out in short gasps. Her paws ached but she continued to run, pushing herself forward. Her heart raced – but for what reason? All she knew was that it pounded, an erratic beat that filled her with fear and adrenaline.

    She came to an abrupt stop before a cliff face and her ears pinned themselves to her skull. She looked left, then right. There was nowhere to go. But what was she running from? She turned, unsheathing her claws, ready to face it.

    All of a sudden the breath rushed out of her. His golden eyes pierced into her, starlight against his coat of pitch black. He was lithe, smaller than most of the toms she knew. And the white rims around his eyes made him all the more striking.

    "Nightchaser," she breathed.

    "Always chasing the dark," he replied, voice far-off. He tilted his head to the side. "What are you chasing? What is it that you seek?"

    She paused for a moment. "I seek the rebels."

    He remained motionless. "Is it?"

    She reconsidered her answer. "Yes."

    Again, he said, "Is it truly?"

    This time she thought for longer. Her mission, the only way she would be accepted into DarkClan as a full warrior, was to find and kill the rebels, or else learn as much information as possible and report back.

    She squared her shoulders. "Yes, it is," she said with finality.

    A cruel grin curled itself onto his features. "No. That is not what you seek at all."

    And he pounced, claws flashing.

    Lightpaw woke with a start, the Twoleg room coming into focus through her haze. Beetlepaw's unimpressed face peered down at her from above.

    "Are you done thrashing?" her littermate asked, smoothing down a tuft of fur on her chest. "I'm going to have to kick you out of the nest if you're not."

    Lightpaw apologized with a dip of her head. Evidently, tonight would not be a night where she slept peacefully.

    A loud knocking outside caused them both to jump. Peering up, Lightpaw saw a fluffy white cat outlined in one of the den openings. Her paws scraped at whatever invisible barrier sat there, a small white and grey kit at her side following suit.

    A sleepy Charlie moved up to them, Minerva right behind him, and Lightpaw watched in amazement as the invisible barrier disappeared with an upward push of first their paws, then their bodies.

    The outside cold invaded the space quickly, making Lightpaw shiver. The two fluffy cats landed on the floor. Both smelled of fear; the larger one had claw marks on her shoulders and sides.

    "Pearl, what's wrong?" Minerva asked immediately.

    The white she-cat was out of breath. "They – they – threatened..."

    The little kit piped up instead. "There's someone chasing us!"

    Charlie and Minerva exchanged alarmed looks. Then, they simultaneously turned to Lightpaw and Beetlepaw.

    "You did this," Minerva screeched, throwing herself at Beetlepaw. The black apprentice dodged without much effort.

    "We did nothing of the sort," she hissed through her teeth, fur sticking straight up.

    Pearl found her voice. "Two cats. One tom, black as night. The other a she-cat with silver fur."

    Lightpaw's first thought was that of her dream.

    "It's not Nightchaser, is it?"

    "Night who?" Pearl asked, face blank. But Charlie and Minerva had rounded on the apprentices once more.

    "What do you know of Nightchaser?" Minerva growled.

    Lightpaw took a step back. "Only that he leads the rebels. He used to tell us stories when we were still kits, stories that went against DarkClan's rules."

    "Is that why you're searching for him?" The grey she-cat's eyes narrowed. "To kill him?"

    "No, to join him!" Lightpaw cried. "DarkClan cast us out, we want nothing to do with them." The lies slipped out with so much ease that Lightpaw was unsure of their truth.

    "Minerva, enough," Charlie said. Turning to Pearl, he asked, "What did these cats want from you?"

    Pearl's blue eyes had grown wide. "Information. About DarkClan. About the rebels." Her fluffy tail whisked in Lightpaw's direction.

    The wind howled through the den opening. As if realizing for the first time that it was still open, Charlie leapt up to it. Instead, he was bowled over by a jet black shape.

    "Charlie!" Minerva screeched, throwing herself at the black tom. She hit him with enough force to throw him against a wall.

    "Tell us what you know of DarkClan." The voice was soft but authoritative and Lightpaw felt chills down her spine; it sounded like Dawnstar. But when she looked up she saw glossy silver fur and a feathery tail wrapped neatly over a round belly.

    "What purpose does this serve you?" Charlie asked, getting to his paws. Pearl and her kit hid behind him, shivering.

    The jet black tom paced forward. He looked hard and mean, scars criss-crossing his pelt.

    "They took everything from us, that idiot Nightchaser and his rebels, just to get their revenge on this DarkClan. The Marked is what the rest of us call them. And everyone knows they can't be defeated."

    "The rebels threatened to kill us if we didn't join their cause," the silver she-cat continued. "They took the gang from us. Now, DarkClan is our only hope for revenge."

    Lightpaw shivered. She knew exactly what Dawnstar would do to these cats if they trespassed on DarkClan territory.

    No one moved a muscle. No one said a word.

    "If you don't volunteer information, I will take it by force," the black tom hissed, unsheathing his claws. Still, no one breathed.

    With a growl, the tom leaped and Lightpaw, realizing she was his closest target, fell onto her back beneath his weight. Her own claws slid out, but not quickly enough. She felt a piercing pain in her shoulder.

    "Tell me what you know," he hissed.

    "Where are the rebels," she countered.

    The pain in her shoulder increased as his claws dug in deeper. Somewhere off to the side she could hear the others fighting the she-cat.

    "The rebels are with the alley cats. Now, it's your turn to tell me where to find the Marked and how to help them destroy the rebels."

    "They won't let you," Lightpaw said. "They will kill you the second you step foot on their territory."

    His eyes flashed dangerously. "You're getting in the way of my revenge."

    Lightpaw struggled against him. "I'm only telling you the truth."

    Still, the claws sank deeper. Now, his fangs drew closer too.

    "The rebels will fall." He snapped his teeth, his rank breath stirring her whiskers.

    With a great lurch, his weight suddenly disappeared. Staggering to her paws, she now saw him bearing down upon another black shape – Beetlepaw. He moved with the intent to kill.

    Lightpaw yowled, throwing herself after him. Her claws sank into soft flesh and her world turned into a red haze. She was vaguely aware of her fangs connecting with fur, then skin, then the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. Her jaws felt heavy and warm; then limp and cold.

    She stepped back to meet the blank unblinking eyes of the tom she just killed. A chill went through her.

    Beetlepaw struggled out from underneath the dead body, eyes wide in terror. Lightpaw had never seen her littermate speechless before.

    "Jet!" The silver she-cat sat in the den opening, shock emanating from her. Charlie and Minerva stared up at her from below, licking their wounds.

    The she-cat's eyes turned to Lightpaw, whose jaws were still slick with blood. "You'll pay for this," she hissed before disappearing into the night. The pale tortoiseshell stared after her.

    The weight of what she had just done had her crumpling to the floor. Charlie rushed forward, picking her up enough to drag her to the nest. Beetlepaw followed numbly behind.

    "First kill is always the worst," Charlie mumbled under his breath. Lightpaw hardly heard him. "I would like to believe that will be your last but, with DarkClan possibly tracking you down, I don't think that will be likely."

    She nodded mutely, staring at the black tom's limp body.

    "Close your eyes," Minerva suggested. "It might help the shock."

    Lightpaw did as told, but it did not help. It was a long time before the darkness consumed her and, even then, the taste of blood remained.