Many moons later..

''May every cat in bloodclan gather around the great rock!'' I was awoken by Scourge calling for the clan. I sleepily stumbled into the clearing and sat down next to Bend, he gave me a sharp glance but said nothing.

''Today marks our first year in this forest, we have done well, our apprentices have grown strong. It is time..for the killing games!'' Most of the older cats yowled in excitement while the young ones looked around in confusion, Scourge carried on, ''It is an ancient bloodclan ritual to allow only the strongest of warriors to survive. You will all enter the dark woods, you hunt alone, work alone, see another cat and well...they have to die. The last two survivors will be pitted together in a battle for the death! Venom,Pebble, take our apprentices and show them the ropes.''

Everyone except for the apprentices cleared out and went on with their duties, Venom and Pebble approached us with excitement lighting up their features. I felt small in a group of large, well muscled apprentices. Venom spoke in a slow, slithery voice, ''Welll, let's get you ready. Shall we?'' She lead us to the freshkill pile and gave us the meatiest picks of prey. That was usually a privilege for only the most revered warriors, my anxiety was pushed to the back of my mind as I tore into a delicious starling. ''All right, that's enough lounging for you five! Let's go.'' Pebble was always the one to ruin the mood of everything, I abandoned my starling with a sigh and bounded after the group.

I'd only seen the dark woods once and from afar, there was a strange eeriness to them that was strong enough to prickle any cats' fur, except for Scourge maybe; he wasn't afraid of anything. I couldn't understand how there was somehow always mist in that part of the woods, probably the spirits of thunderclan haunting it or something like that.

After a long walk (I suspected that they took us in a few circles just to confuse us) Venom finally spoke again, ''Each one of you shall take a different direction and make a den. You have until sundown to hunt and prepare. Do not, I repeat, do not, kill until tomorrow or Scourge will slaughter you himself. Got it? Now get out of here before I feed you to the foxes!''

I sprinted off into the bushes, I stopped by a stream near an old fox den. This would make do. I wasn't feeling all that hungry so I settled down to sleep, perhaps for the last time.