With a tense, pounding heart, the young she-cat pushed her way through the undergrowth. The wind blew directly into her face, causing her to squint her eyes.

Dusk had already passed long ago and by now, she should have been lying in her nest sleeping. But curiosity drove her on, further and further away from the protective camp. She knew that she would get in trouble if her Clanmates found out, but there was something that made her stomach twist with worry and anxiety.

Her thoughts wandered back the conversation that some of her Clanmates had had last sunhigh. To her it didn't appear like they were having a typical conversation. Rather, the she-cat had the impression that they were hiding something. Because when her curiosity had become too great and she had crept up on them, they had suddenly gone quiet and scattered in different directions.

The she-cat jumped over a small tree stump. Her paws swirled the dry leaves on the ground as she landed, making them crackle revealingly.

She bristled her fur and tensed her legs, ready to flee.

However, nothing could be heard. Her environment was unusually silent - it was almost disturbing. With a soundless sigh, she relaxed a little again. Don't drive yourself crazy, she told herself. You're a warrior who can defend herself if necessary, and not an inexperienced apprentice!

Still, she crept even more cautiously along the path. She could not afford to be spotted, for she feared that the consequences would be too fatal.

Suddenly there was a rustling sound directly next to her. As if struck by lightning, she jumped up and looked wildly around, claws unsheathed, ready to do whatever it would take to protect herself.

Once again there was no one to be seen. The she-cat clenched her teeth in annoyance and kept on running. You're acting like a frightened kit. She sighed. Those were her Clanmates. They were the most loyal cats she knew, and she knew most of them since she was crawling around in the nursery.

After a while, she stopped and listened intently into the darkness. When she heard soft whispers, she twitched the tip of her bushy tail in relief.

Carefully not to make a sound, she crouched down and crawled around some fern bushes.

In the small clearing in front of her sat a light brown tabby tom, surrounded by several other cats. I knew it! All the cats who were part of this strange meeting yesterday. In fact, there were even more cats gathering here.

But at the same time, it shocked her to see him there. How could I have been so wrong about him?

Then her gaze fell on something else, further back in the clearing, and she bit her tongue in horror. No! They can't do that! The she-cat toyed with the idea of running back to camp and telling her leader, but no one would believe her without proof.

"All right, we've already discussed how to get rid of Grey," the brown tom meowed just then. "But what are we going to do with-" He paused for a moment, his sleek fur slightly ruffled. "Well, you know who?"

The she-cat froze. Her ears began to itch and as slowly as she could she backed away. Fear spread through her like a river with a strong current. What are they planning? Who is Grey? We have no cat with that name in the Clan. And who is the other cat? Why didn't they say a name?

"Why don't we do the exact same thing to her? That will tear the Clan apart for good." The suggestion came from a graceful she-cat with glossy fur, her bright eyes glowing mischievously in the gloom of the night. "If two of the most respected cats die... oh, I can't wait to see the sweet look of despair on their faces."

Her too? She was one of the most experienced and respected cats of the Clans. Seeing her here didn't make any sense.

"This is truly a good idea," the brown tom purred slimly.

Warily, his eavesdropper took a step backwards.

"But maybe she here has a better idea." Swift as a snake, the tom leapt into the bushes.

When he returned, he had grabbed the she-cat by the scruff of her neck and dragged her into the moonlit clearing.

Let go of me! Let go! She tossed and turned like a defiant kit in his jaws, but in doing so he only strengthened his grip. The other cats started whispering maliciously and kept giving her disgusted looks as if she was crowfood.

"I see you have just found out about our plan," the brown striped tom stated in a dry voice. "Too bad you can't tell any cat about it."

The she-cat tensed in fear. Oh StarClan, what exactly is he planning to do? "Tell what?" she growled as she tried to remain as relaxed as possible. At the same time, she wanted to run away, crawl into her nest and forget everything, hoping that it just might had been a bad dream. "What are you going to do? Come on, tell me!"

"Why should we tell you?" the she-cat with the evil eyes replied in a snarling tone. "It's already bad enough that you were able to follow us." She turned around to the other cats. "Well, what do you think we should do with her? Drown her? Poison her? Throw her off the cliff?"

An approving yowl followed, causing the she-cat to shudder. These cats were purely evil. They had played a trick on everyone. She hissed in frustration. How could we all be so clueless?

The tom quieted the cats with a simple flick of his tail. In that moment, the she-cat felt admiration, if only involuntarily. He was the born leader. But the Clan would fall apart if it ever came to that. "Your loyalty is in all honour, but I think we have to wait for the right moment."

A small, brown and white she-cat spoke up from among those gathered. "I don't want to question your decision," she explained in a sharp tone, "but you know how she is. As soon as we let her go, she'll report everything to the Clan immediately."

Springstripe. The she-cat suppressed a sob. "Why you?" she croaked weakly. "You were my mentor."

When Springstripe looked at her former apprentice, she felt as if she were facing a stranger. Until now, she had known her as a nice and kind cat. But now her green eyes glowed with nothing but abysmal contempt. "If you think I liked training you, you're wrong. You were a weak apprentice, and now you've become an even weaker warrior."

The words pierced the young she-cat's heart like hawthorns. "Why? I don't understand. Why are you doing this?"

"Because the Clan has become as weak as you," the brown tom replied. "I grew up in this time when we were still called differently, you didn't, and I can assure you that the Clan has never been better off. We were respected. We were the strongest and most feared Clan. And then the other Clans destroyed us by making them as weak as they are." At the last part, he bared his teeth.

The she-cat couldn't believe what she was hearing. In reality, that time had been a nightmare for all Clans. There was so much misery. "So you want to destroy the Clan," she breathed.

"Oh, not destroy," the tom purred in an exaggeratedly friendly tone. "Just shaping the Clan to our liking."

The she-cat felt increasingly uncomfortable. Tentatively, she took a step forward. "Please," she begged, even though she knew she couldn't change this tom anymore. "You can't do this. It's not worth it."

The brown tom withstood her dark amber gaze. "Yes. I can." He stepped back and twitched the tip of his tail, barely noticeable.

A sinister premonition crept over the she-cat and she prepared to flee. I must warn the Clan!

She turned around and dashed off. Twigs and pebbles dugged into her pads, but she suppressed the pain. Her only aim was to run, deep into the protective undergrowth of the forest. She paid no attention to where she stepped, just wanted to get away from her Clanmates.

Were they still Clanmates at all? This thought caused the she-cat so much grief that she slowed down. She couldn't believe it. The image of Springstripe appeared in her mind, making her feel nauseous. You were my mentor!

Paw steps sounded behind her. This time the she-cat didn't feel a flight reflex. She was ready to accept her fate.

All those cats she had grown up with had proven to have a withered heart. They were not who they pretended to be.

As claws dug into her fur and she was dragged back to camp like a prisoner, the she-cat felt unbridled rage for the first time in her life, spreading like a wildfire. She bared her teeth.

You won't get away with this. One day you'll pay for it.