The Discovery

 This is the first book in the Imprisoned'  series. '

Prologue
A dark gloom hung in the air, like the entire world was weeping. Edith shook off the silly thought as she hurried down the long stone cave, her pawsteps like thunder in the stillness. There was no use in frightening herself with silly fancies, not when she was so close to getting rid of the child. So close to ultimate power.

Two gangly toms awaited her at the end of the cave, slumped against the wall, though they stood erect as she came into view. Lifting her chin, Edith adressed them in a cold, clear voice. "Do you have her?"

The taller one, Xavier, bent down and rummaged among a pile of reeds and dead grass at his paws, lifting out what at first appeared to be a snowball, or a clump of downy feathers. After a few seconds though, tiny paws churned the air, and a small mouth opened wide in a yowl. The kit was dropped ungraciously onto the floor, where it whimpered and blinked its eyes blearily, seeking the warmth of its mother and not finding it. ''Its mother... ''But Edith pushed that thought away. Its mother was gone. Not dead, but it was unlikely she'd ever be seen again anyway. She might as well have crossed over to that fool's fantasy, StarClan.

Bending down so that her nose was even with the kit's, she sneered, "Looks like you'll never get to fullfill your calling, Frostkit. You'll never get the chance."

The kit paused in its wailing, and met her gaze with icy blue eyes. Just for a split second, Edith felt a thrill of fear race down her spine. She did not like to be afraid, and it was purely ridiculous to feel fear because of a tiny kit. Still, she retreated a few steps before saying, "Xavier, Castor, take this kit to the dungeon. She'll never see daylight again."

"As you wish, Edith," Castor said, dipping his head, then roughly fastening his jaws about Frostkit's scruff. She let out one more piteous cry before she vanished into the darkness, the black shadows consuming the tiny flare of white that was her pelt.

Edith sat down, waiting for the triumph to come washing over her. But all she felt was a cold, hard knot of dread in her stomach. And her sister's parting words, the last time they had been face-to-face.

"Your actions will come back to haunt you, Edith. They always do."

Again, Frostkit's face emerged in her mind. Only this time, the downy fur was matted with blood, the sky-blue eyes red around the edges, and the fangs at least three times their regular size. The kit advanced slowly on Edith, roaring and snarling. She backed against a wall, but it was no use. The vision was so vivid, she could smell the rank scent of blood, mixed with the mildewy smell of the dungeon she had sentenced Frostkit to live in for all eternity. "No..." she whispered. "You're not real! You can't touch me! Die!"

She lunged for the kit, who was suddenly no longer there. A tiny voice cooed, "Right here, honey." Needle sharp claws pricked her neck.

Horror sent bile reeling up her throat, and Edith collapsed on the ground. The vision faded to stars, revealing Castor and Xavier standing uncertainly by the cave entrance. She moaned and turned to her side. What had just happened? Surely her actions couldn't haunt her for the rest of her life like this. She was much stronger then that. She would overcome it.

A ghostly glimmer of snow-colored pelt appeared at the corner of her vision. She gasped, biting down so hard on her tongue that blood came out. The kit blinked its eyes and disappeared.

Edith screamed.

Chapter One
My fur brushed the damp stone walls, but I didn't stop to lick the disgusting slime off of my stinging cuts, still fresh and raw from where the reed whip had bit into my skin. Right now, getting out of here was more important then anything else.

A faint wisp of freshness was carried to me over the musty smell of the dungeon, signaling that I was getting closer. My pace quickened further, till I was at a headlong run. A welcome breeze brought more of the fresh scent, the smell of life and growth, two things completely foreign to my prison. I reached a large impasse; a blank stone wall that gave the tunnel a so-called dead end. Without hesitation, my paw shot out, and I pressed down hard on an almost invisible sign carved on the floor. It was two icicles, dagger-like in their shape, with a diamond in between their crossed hilts. I didn't know what the sign meant, but I knew it had some greater meaning; every time my paw touched the stone, a thrill shot through me, and I tasted burning ice and freezing fire.

As I put all my weight on top of the button, there was a loud grinding sound. Pebbles and dust dislodged from the ceiling as the wall split in two, revealing a glimpse of something bright and wonderful beyond. As always, my heart pounded in my chest, and fear of being discovered propelled me through the gap with lightning quick speed. If my wardens knew I had an outlet, a place I could be happy, there was no telling what they would do.

But there were no angry shouts from behind me, no crack of whips and clubs. I breathed a sigh of relief and took the final step out of the dungeon, and into the Isle.

''My paradise. My true home''.

I let my eyes travel around the large cavern. The walls were infinitely tall, stretching a good hundred tails into the sky, and sealed in by a lichen-covered stone ceiling. A meager waterfall, though still beautiful, wound its way out from a gap in the rock, high above my head. Moss-lined boulders were scattered around the pool at the bottom of the falls, with exotic flowers in all the hues of the sunset poking through the cracks. Grass grew, soft and lush under my paws. I wasn't sure exactly how this oasis had come to be, but I was so, so grateful that it did. It was the one place I could escape to in life. Overhead, thin cracks in the celing let in sunlight, which reflected off of crystal shards that marked the top of the waterfall, sending the light splaying over the entire area, and turning the crystals into a spectrum of colors.

"Dawnwhisker?" I called softly. There was no reply at first, but then a few silky strands of tall grass rustled, and out stepped a gorgeous cream she-cat, her jaws clamped around a thick, shiny fish.

"Nice catch," I said as she approached.

"Thanks." She set the prey down and ran me over with her eyes sadly. "They whipped you again?" There was barely concealed rage in her tone.

I flinched at the reminder, but nodded. "Yeah. I talked back to Edith. Again."

Dawnwhisker gave a weary sigh and sat down. "I'll prepare a salve for that. You help yourself to this fish."

"Okay," I said gratefully. I bent down and nosed the fresh-kill before tearing into its succulent flesh like a starving wolf. She disappeared among the boulders by the pool, sniffing at each clump of plants. A few minutes later, after I had devoured the fish, she emerged with a fragnant clump of leaves in her mouth.

Setting them down, she chewed a few up and plastered them to my cuts. I cringed. "Sorry dear," Dawnwhisker said sympathetically. "But you know you shouldn't run your mouth off to Edith like that."

I watched her carefully. "You know you'd like to see it yourself."

She gave a tiny smile, and, almost unconciously, reached up to touch the pink scar that ran from her ear to the back of her head. Courtesy of Edith, when she had tried to have Dawnwhisker killed. The evil cat had thrown a giant rock at her when she had spoken out in my defense. I had helped my half-dead mentor and friend down the cave tunnel, where we had been cornered against the wall. In my panic, my paw had skittered out to touch the button, and the walls had opened up behind us. Wasting no time, I had shoved Dawnwhisker inside, pressed the button again to close the doors, and pretended that she had died, which wasn't hard given my near-hysterical state. Later that night, I'd returned to the spot, dreading what I would find once I opened the doors. Dawnwhisker had been lying on the floor, the grass around her(which was another shock for me, as I had never seen grass before then) soaked with her blood. But she'd been alive. I had nursed her back to health slowly, and resolved to keep her safe in the cavern we had discovered, which I named the Isle. It had been our safe haven ever since. Edith and her guards could never touch us here.

"There." Dawnwhisker took a step back, staring with satisfaction at my fur. "I've done my best. Why don't you go rest by the pool?"

"Sure," I said, limping towards the clear water. Once I arrived, I lay down by the edge, letting the cool liquid lap against my paws, while the shade of the weeping willows and chilly breeze soothed my stinging whip-marks.

If I hadn't discovered this place, and if Dawnwhisker had died, I was sure I would have gone insane.

- - - -

Regretfully, I pressed the button again, throwing one last wave at Dawnwhisker as the walls closed, concealing me back in the dungeon. I didn't ever want to leave the Isle, but every evening I had to; that was when the guards, and sometimes Edith herself, came to visit me, bringing me "food". Without the fresh-kill from the Isle, I would be a bag of skin and bones about now. Fortunately, Dawnwhisker always had plenty of prey waiting, and I hunted there too, so I was well-fed, which I was sure drove Edith nuts, even though she didn't let on.

As I waited for the wardens to arrive, I wondered vaguely for about the umpteenth time why I was being kept here. Dawnwhisker had never bothered to explain it to me; whenever I'd ask, her lips would tighten, and she would turn away hastily, muttering a hasty excuse. After a while, I had stopped asking, but I never stopped wondering. Wouldn't it just be easy- and not trying to plan my own funeral, but really- to kill me? She had me in her grasp. If she hated me so much, why couldn't she just get rid of me and get it over with? Surely I served no purpose to her, stuck in this dank little cave.

Just then, I heard the grinding sound that signaled the heavy boulder covering the only entrance to the dungeon was being opened. Resigning myself to another evening with the creatures I loathed most in the entire world, I sat down and waited for my "guests" to arrive.

Xavier came first, his pale green eyes eerie in the darkness. In his jaws he held the whip, still stained with my blood from earlier this afternoon. I shuddered just looking at it. Next came Castor, a shorter golden tom with yellow eyes. He held a mangled, scrawny mouse in his grasp. Last of all was a sleek black she-cat known as Cammie. Over the course of a few moons, I'd learned to fear her the most. She held the most weight with Edith, and she was merciless and relentless in her whippings, scoldings, and beatings. As the giant rock slid back into place behind the three cats, I breathed a tiny sigh of relief. So the queen herself wasn't coming tonight. Perhaps I would get out of this with no more wounds. Perhaps...

"Well, well, well. If it isn't little Frostkit," Cammie said, setting down a limp wad of moss, soaked with stale water.

I bristled, but said nothing. Dawnwhisker had held my apprentice ceremony, then my warrior's ceremony, in the secret of the Isle, but they had no reason to take that to heart. I myself didn't understand why I needed a warrior's name, but Dawnwhisker had said it was an important tradition in her old life, and that was good enough for me. I had learnted through hard experience, though, that speaking up about something like a name never got you anywhere with the wardens. Now, I treasured the name Frostflower close to my heart, keeping it to myself. I didn't care who they thought I was. All that mattered was that I knew.

"Here." Castor flung the mouse at me. I stared at it bluntly, my belly comfortably full of fish from the Isle, and made no move to take it. "Eat it, you ungrateful louse!" the tom screamed.

I raised my head and met his gaze head on.

Cammie took a step forward menacingly. "We're waiting, Frostkit."

"My name is Frostflower." The words came before I could stop them. The ends of Cammie's mouth curved into a sickening smile. I'd given her what she wanted. There would be blood tonight. Mine.

"The whip, Xavier," she said coolly, examining the claws on one paw. My stomach tightened in anticipation, and my legs started to tremble. No matter how many times I was subjected to the treatment, I could never quite get used to bearing the pain stoically. Pressing my paws together to stop them from shaking, I remained completely still. Running would only make it worse, and besides, there was nowhere to run to. No way would I make it to the Isle before they saw the rock slide open and shut.

Cammie took the whip gingerly, running a paw down its side in a gentle caress. The bile rose in my throat as I saw the evil gleam in her eyes. I had only time to wonder, ''How could any cat do this to another? ''before she was on top of me.

The first lash cut into my shoulder as I turned to protect my face. The second came whistling towards the side of my head; I held up a paw to deflect the blow, and the lean reed sheared a claw right off. Blood began welling out of the snowy tufts around my toes, but as I bent down to lick the scarlet drops away, another blow caught me on the right side of my cheek, landing so hard I went skidding across the floor. My head reeled with dizzying amounts of pain, and blood trickled from a gash on my cheek. Cammie's breath is hard and fast from the effort of dealing the lashes, and she comes to stand over me. "Had enough?"

Through some insane burst of misplaced bravery, I snarled, "You couldn't whip a flea, mange-pelt. I'll never surrender to a coward like you."

Rage colored her features. "Xavier! The club!"

In a flash, the tom had supplied her with the weapon, a large oaken piece of wood large enough to bash the brains out of any cat. Though Cammie was small, she was strong, and she held it comfortably in her paws. I closed my eyes and thought, ''This is it. I'm going to die now.''

The club came down in a blur of wind. All was silent for a split second, and then- the earsplitting crack of my spine breaking.

Chapter Two
I shivered alone in the dark, loneliness covering me like a cloud. I was still stunned from what had happened, and sure any moment I would wriggle my back legs and they'd refuse to cooperate, or I'd fall over from my legs not supporting me. But nothing happened. My back felt fine; I could arch it and bend it however I liked without any trace of pain.

That cracking noise hadn't been me. It had been the club.

For some reason I couldn't explain, the stout piece of wood had cracked clean in half over me, and I hadn't felt a thing. Cammie had been so furious, her eyes turned red around the edges, and she'd stormed off in a fog of anger so thick it was poisonous. The toms had exchanged puzzled looks and hurried after her, leaving me alone again, wondering what had just happened. And I still didn't understand it. Why would a perfectly strong club break because it hit me? I tried to be strong, but I wasn't that strong. I could never dream of doing that in a hundred years.

Getting up, I decided to go to the one place I always went to for answers. The Isle. Maybe Dawnwhisker could help.

- - - -

This is stupid, this is stupid, this is incredibly stupid.

Coalfur repeated the mantra over and over again in the hopes that somehow his intense dislike of his current situation would transport him back home, where he could go back to hunting in his secret part of the woods and teasing the sense out of his two sisters. No result.

"Darn," he muttered under his breath. This was so useless. It figured that he had been born into the one old-faashioned family that still clung to the hope of the princess ever being found. Yeah right. Like SkyClan could ever be rebuilt. But every six moons, his father and friends picked another unlucky young cat to go out on a featherbrained mission to find the long-lost princess, in the deluded fantasy that somehow the royal family could be restored to their throne, and Queen Edith overthrown. "As if."

He paused on a grass hillock to gather his bearings. He was close to Queen Edith's fortress, too close for his liking. Deciding to get out of there before he was discovered by some wayward gang of wardens, Coalfur turned and began making his way back down the mountain. He would camp out in the woods for a few days, to convince his family that he had actually tried, and then head back home with some tail of woe. They would have to believe him.

And yet, Coalfur couldn't help feeling a prick of guilt as he imagined the disappointment on his aging parents' face as he told them the "bad news". His father, Duststorm, had been SkyClan's deputy back when it was around, and he had always believed that when it was Coalfur's turn to go on the quest, he wouldn't come back empty-pawed.

"Sorry to let you down, Dad," Coalfur said softly, really meaning it.

It wasn't just that he didn't think the princess would ever be found. It was just that... Where could you start searching in such an enourmous territory? What if she had escaped to a faraway land, like the queen had? Another secret their family guarded carefully. Not even their closest friends knew that Duststorm and Applefur had managed to smuggle the queen out of SkyClan territory before she could be slaughtered like her mate. Besides, Frostkit would be nearly his age by now. She probably didn't even know she was princess. She would think him crazy, or worse, Edith would discover his family, and have them killed.

"That's it. I'm done here." Coalfur took a step backwards, and froze. The ground had vibrated beneath his paws; he was sure of it. "What the-"

The next thing he knew, the floor had fallen out from under him, and he was hurtling through thin air.

- - - -

Dawnwhisker was silent for a long time, taking it all in. She didn't look surprised, which was puzzling to me; instead she looked resigned, as if a day she had long dreaded was approaching. Maybe it was already here. A shiver ran through me for a reason I couldn't identify.

"Do you know why that happened?" I said, inwardly begging her for a rational explantion, though a cold pit in my stomach signaled I wouldn't get one. "Maybe the club was really weak, or already cracked?"

She gave me a sad smile. "I think we both know that's not true."

I scraped my claws against the hard floor in frustration. "Then what happened? Do you know?"

"It's very complicated, Frostflower," she said quietly. "Perhaps now is not exactly the time to reveal to you your past. It might be-"

"Forget what it might be! I need to know." I softened my tone. "Please."

The cream she-cat sat down, and motioned for me to do the same. "This will take a while."

"I have time," I said. "Till morning, when Cammie comes with my 'breakfast'." I hid a smirk at the thought of what the black she-cat was doing now. Was she afraid of me? Humiliated? I gulped. What would be my punishment? They would surely blame me, even though I hadn't planned it at all.

Then Dawnwhisker started speaking, and I tuned out the rest of my thoughts, focusing on the story she was telling me. A story of sadness, despair, and betrayal. My story.

- - - -

"It all started with a kingdom called SkyClan. A kindom you should be ruling- but never mind that for now.

SkyClan was ruled by a king and queen. The king was a jovial ginger tom by the name of Blazestar, loved and adored by all. He joked and bantered with the best of them, but in battle he was a fierce and brave opponent. He would die for the lowest ranking soldier without hesitation, despite everyone's constant attempts to protect him. His queen was equally beloved, beautiful and sweet. She seemed to float around the place. Her name was Icewhisper, for her snowy coat and blue eyes. She looked a lot like you, Frostflower. Like mother like daughter."

Frostflower gasped. "My mother...? I'm a princess?"

Dawnwhisker nodded, and she fell silent again, waiting for the she-cat to continue.

"Like I said before, the entire Clan adored their rulers. But in every crowd there are those with evil intent, like poisonous rot in a bushel of healthy apples. Cats who hated the king and queen, and were prepared to commit despicable acts in order to get rid of them. Among them was Edith.

For some reason, she seemed to harbor a particular loathing for Queen Icewhisper. I cannot describe the murderous rage in her eyes when that name came up, nor do I know the reason why she reacted so strongly. I think those two had a past, perhaps, that no one knew about. A dangerous past. One of Queen Icewhisper's weaknesses was that she was too trusting. When everyone with any heart at all is your friend, you don't give that much thought to your enemies. Doesn't mean you don't have them.

Anyway, Edith began gaining popularity with rogues and loner outside the Clan. It was harder, much harder, for cats outside SkyClan to survive, especially since our territory was so big, and took up a lot of hunting space. One day, King Blazestar agreed to meet with Edith and some other cats to work out a solution. It was a fatal mistake.

The location was a shadowy part of the woods, just out of the borders of SkyClan. Blazestar was to come alone, and his almost foolish sense of honor prevented him from bringing any back up, which would've been an excellent idea. He didn't stand a chance. They jumped him as soon as he arrived, killed him with a quick slash to the throat, and set off for the queen. Luckily, the SkyClan deputy, Duststorm, saw them, realized what they had done, and raced back to the queen's living quarters before they got there. That's all I know about what happened to her. They say she died trying to escape with you. Edith couldn't find Queen Icewhisper's body, so no one knows for sure. But she did find you, and that's why you're being held prisoner. The world could never know you're alive, or Edith would be overthrown."

I cut in once again. "But why didn't she kill me?"

Dawnwhisker held up her tail. "I'm getting to that. Edith is waiting for the chance to kill you. Then, all hopes of SkyClan being restored will die from the most loyal cats, and she can truly take over as queen. For now, only her own followers accept her as that; the remnants of Clan cats refuse to call a loner and cat of such evil their leader."

"Waiting for the chance?" I repeated.

Her eyes met mine steadily. "You cannot be killed as of now, Frostflower. StarClan has protected you. You were born on the night of the full moon, a night which would ordinarily have been the one you were taken to the Rock of Dreams to be acknowleged as princess. Instead, when Queen Icewhisper brought you there, Edith's rogues were shattering the Rock. StarClan's last communication with us was to Bind you, so that you were protected for a certain amount of time. A shard of the Rock of Dreams flew out, forming that." She indicated the tiny, star-shaped mark just below my ear. I touched a paw to the soft skin in surprise; I had never thought much about what I considered an unusual flaw in my pelt.

As understanding slowly began dawning on me, I said, "So when does the Binding fade?"

"When you reach the age of twelve moons," she said solemnly.

I frowned; I had no idea how old I was, though I knew Dawnwhisker had "apprenticed" me when I was six moons old. Time didn't really matter in the dungeons. ''How much of my life has Edith wasted? And how long till she ends it for good?''

"When will that be?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"In one moon," she said softly. "We have to get you out of here before that happens."

"How?" I asked in despair. "It'll never happen. There's no way out of here!"

At that point, a giant hole formed in the ceiling. A screaming mass plummeted into the top of the waterfall. My jaw dropped open as the cat, a male, it appeared, despite the high-pitched shrieking, went cascading down the stream of water, paws churning, and fell into the pool with a deafening splash.

I hardly dared to believe it, wondering if my mind, overloaded with all the information Dawnwhisker had just given me, was hallucinating.

"I think- I think we just found our way out."

Chapter Three
"Never mind that." Dawnwhisker bounded past me. "This cat needs help!"

I broke into a run, skittering over the slippery boulders and splashing into the pond. Together, we hauled the tom out of the water, laying him out on the bank. Dawnwhisker pressed both paws against his chest and began pounding. Water spewed, then dribbled, out of his mouth, and he blinked his eyes- glowing green eyes, almost hypnotizing- up at us.

"Are you okay?" Dawnwhisker said.

The tom's jaw dropped. "Wha-" He looked up at the gaping hole his entrance had torn in the ceiling. Light was coming out of it, not sunlight, but a duller, more violet-gray light that spoke of dreams and sunsets. A tingle started in my paws and worked its way up to my head. The real outdoors, so close I could nearly touch it! A way out of my prison, if only I could get to it. "What just happened?" The tom's voice jolted me back to earth. He had struggled to his paws now, his black fur slicked to his body with water.

"I think you fell through the ceiling," I informed him.

He stared at me, blinking droplets out of his eyes. Something in the way he regarded me for a second, so intense I could feel it burning my pelt, made me shiver with a combination of pleasure and fear. Of course, that was ridiculous, since I didn't even know him- A sudden thought struck me. What if he was one of Edith's cats, sent here to kill me? I began backing away.

Dawnwhisker didn't seem to sense what I was thinking. She was studying the tom intently. "You look familiar, for some reason," she said.

He shook out his fur, making it spike up all over. Her words didn't seem to register. "Where am I?"

I smiled as politely as possible to someone who had just infiltrated your only secret hiding place by falling through the roof. "I don't think the name will mean much to you, but you're in the Isle."

"Nope, doesn't mean a thing to me," he said.

I sighed and exchanged a glance with Dawnwhisker, but she didn't meet my gaze; she was wrapped in her own little world, lost in thought.

Seeing it was up to me to encourage formalities, I said, "My name is Frostflower. What's yours?"

His eyes widened as if he was seeing a ghost. He looked like he'd been petrified, and didn't speak for so long I was sure he wasn't going to answer. Perhaps his fall had impacted his brain. "F-Frostkit?"

"Your name is Frostkit?" I asked impatiently.

At that he seemed to snap out of his trance. "No! I mean, my name's Coalfur. It's just...," he took a step closer, "Princess?"

I stared at him in disbelief. "How did you know?" I was too shocked to bluff my way out.

Suddenly, Dawnwhisker spoke. "Frostflower," she said warningly. "Edith will have her rogues down in the dungeon soon. They'll have heard the noise. And if one discovers the gap from above..."

Fear clenched around my heart at the prospect of the Isle, Dawnwhisker, and our only hope of escape being discovered. "We've got to get out of here!"

I had to give Coalfur credit; he didn't panic or start screaming, or even stare at us like we were crazy. All he said was, "How? We'd have to climb up the waterfall."

"Let's do it," I said.

"You're crazy," Dawnwhisker said.

"Okay," said Coalfur at the same time. They glared at each other.

I flicked my tail and bounded around the pool, pulling myself up onto a boulder. "Come on! We don't have much time; they must be searching the place as we speak. It won't take them long to find the button."

Coalfur frowned as he hopped up beside me. "The what?"

"Never mind. Just climb."

We worked in silence after that, focusing on fastening our claws into the moss on the rocks, made extra slippery by the constant bombardment of spray from the waterfall. All my muscles were tensed in case I stumbled, and after just a few minutes every part of me ached. I gritted my teeth and lifted my head, only to see that we were less then halfway there. Dawnwhisker was just below me, gripping a clump of reeds to steady herself, and Coalfur leaped nimbly above my head, his muscles rippling under his coat. Obviously, he was fitter then me, but who could blame me; I'd lived my whole life in a pit.

Nevertheless, I pushed on, ignoring the screaming pain in my legs. My efforts redoubled when I heard shouts and banging outside the Isle, and realized Cammie and the others had discovered I was missing. Fear mixed with adrenaline in my blood, pumping me up so fast that I caught up with Coalfur. As I reached for the next rock, a blast of icy cold water hit me in the face; I let out a shriek and felt my back paws slide out from under me as gravity yanked me backwards. Just in the nick of time, I felt strong jaws lock into my neck-scruff and haul me back up.

Breathing hard, I looked up into Coalfur's emerald gaze for a split second, before concentrating on climbing again. "Thanks," I panted.

"No problem," he grunted, propelling himself up with his hind legs.

As I continued my ascent, I couldn't help marveling how quickly the tom had adjusted to this. He had just fallen into our world, and already he was helping us. And he had recognized my name. Was he one of the cats that still clung to the belief that SkyClan could be restored? Had I found an ally- and just in time, it looked like- in a most unexpected place? Or were there some of Edith's cats waiting for me at the top of the hole, accomplices of him. Somehow, I doubted it, and not just because falling through a cavern roof was a bit too far for any spy. Somehow, I just didn't think Coalfur had that kind of evil in him. And it had nothing to do with the way it felt to have his strong form around me, almost nothing at all.

"We're almost there!" he called from up ahead; I quickened my pace, and heard Dawnwhisker do the same behind me. By the time I reached the top, Coalfur was already there, and he bent down and helped pull me up. I collapsed, panting with relief, on the soft earth near the bubbling waterfall, while Coalfur hauled Dawnwhisker up too.

The cave was right beside us, a noisy stream of water flowing out of it to jet down the side of the cliff, and just above our heads, so close I could feel the dewy scents of evening on my face, was the hole that promised us freedom.

"Let's go!" Dawnwhisker said, her damp fur bristling with excitement. I nodded and placed my paws on the edge of the hole, then used my forelegs to pull myself up. Leaning down, I helped Dawnwhisker up; Coalfur scrambled out after her.

Anticipation frothing inside of me, I looked around, and nearly fainted. The outdoors was much better then I could have ever dreamed. We were standing on a mountainside, and the valley slope stretched out beneath us, bathed in a heavenly aura of pink-gold light. The sun was just slipping away, so that only the very tip showed amid a halo of burning red on the horizon. I caught my breath at the pure splendor and beauty of the scene, enraptured by the soft trills of birds, musical and foreign to my ears, and the sweet perfume of real wildflowers, sun-kissed and bathed in dew.

I swayed gently back and forth to an invisible tune that the earth seemed to vibrate with. "It's so... alive." Without warning, my legs collapsed from under me, and I lay in the grass, soaking it all in.

Coalfur was staring at me with a look as dreamy as my own; perhaps he too was taken in by the evening. Dawnwhisker though, was all business. "Frostflower, you can revel later. For now, we've got to get out of here, before Edith's rogues find us."

I scrambled to my paws. "Right, sorry. Where do we go?"

"I know. My family will be happy to have you. My dad will be overjoyed," Coalfur volunteered.

I shot a glance at Dawnwhisker that said: Can we trust him?

A shout echoed down the valley, and up at the top of the mountain I saw cats spilling out of a cave, angry frowns on their faces. There was no time for decisions.

"Run!"

Chapter Four
My breath came hot and fast, despite the fact that we were running downhill. I stumbled and tore my claws on sharp shards of rock, but didn't stop to assess the damage. We hit the bottom of the mountain and continued running, into what I could only assume was a forest, though I had never seen a tree, let alone a whole congregation of them. The dark canopy of branches and leaves scared me, casting eerie gray shadows over our path, but they also provided more cover then the exposed hillside. Behind me, I heard the shouts fading, but didn't dare to believe we had actually outrun Edith's forces. She would find us, unless we could get somewhere really safe, really fast.

"This way!" Coalfur ducked around a large oak tree, towards where the ground sloped down into a ravine of sorts. I tumbled after him, Dawnwhisker at my side.

At the bottom of the ravine, I saw nothing much, just a dead end, where a sheer wall cut off any means of escape. But Coalfur was slowing, his eyes lighting up the way they only do when you're almost home. "Mom? Dad? I did it. I found her."

Before I could analyze whether his words were good and bad, two cats seemed to step out from the wall. Looking closer, I saw that they had emerged from behind a tall clump of weeds and dead tree stump; there must be a hidden entrance.

"Coalfur?" The tom spoke first, his tone incredulous. Then his gaze found me, and his jaw dropped. "Queen Icewhisper! No... But you look so much like her..."

The she-cat sagged against him, her eyes as round as an owl's. "You... Oh Coalfur. I'm so proud!"

She rushed forward and buried her face in his fur. He looked faintly pleased, and very embarrassed. "Mom."

Ignoring him, his mother raised her head and stared at me in wonder. "Princess. You've come home."

Feeling extremely self-concious, I shifted from paw to paw. Luckily, the awkwardness was broken by Dawnwhisker, who took a step forward. "Duststorm. Applefur." Turning to Coalfur, she said, "I knew you looked familiar. You have your father's eyes, and your mother's ears."

"Dawnwhisker?" The tom, whom I assumed to be Duststorm, looked disbelieving. "We thought you were dead."

She shook her head with a rueful smile. "Nah, just severely injured."

"If only we had known, we could've helped," Applefur said.

Dawnwhisker shook her head. "Trust me, you couldn't have. It'll take a long time to explain exactly why, but just take my word for it now."

"Excuse me? I don't mean to be rude," I said softly. "But we're being pursued by Edith's cats, and if we could get a little shelter or something-"

"Of course!" exclaimed Duststorm. "Follow me." Beckoning with his tail, he led us towards the wall, ducking behind the tree stump at the last minute. I stooped my head and squeezed in after him, anticipating extremely cramped quarters, and instantly found that the cave opened up into a cheery looking home, with light sand-colored walls, good ventilation, and a soft floor. Nests lined the wall, and a small pile of prey sat on the other side. Applefur hurried to the fresh-kill and began sorting through it. I was about to protest that I'd already eaten, but thought the better of it; that climb up the waterfall, followed by a headlong run, had made me hungry again.

"Thank you for helping us," I ventured.

"Are you kidding?" Applefur looked dizzy with happiness as she set a squirrel down next to me. "We've been waiting for this day for so long!"

I smiled, taken in by her enthusiasm, which mirrored what I was feeling, though mine was just at finally being released from my prison. Coalfur looked mortified by now, and was making it a point to look anywhere but at me.

Giving him a gentle glance to show it was okay, I mewed, "I'm glad that it's here too. Where do we go from here?"

Duststorm chuckled. "You're a go-getter, like Blazestar was." His gaze saddened briefly. "But I think for now you should just rest. We have an extra nest," he gestured with his tail, "that you're welcome to."

"An extra nest?" Coalfur said coldly, staring at his parents. Applefur looked uncomfortable, and Duststorm frowned at his son.

"Yes. Ever since your sister moved out-"

"Moved out?" Coalfur lashed his tail in agitation, facing down his father angrily. I frowned, glancing between them, trying to figure out what the big deal was.

"Look, I can sleep somewhere else if it's a problem-"

"It's not a problem," Duststorm interrupted. "Is it?" His green gaze pierced Coalfur's fur. The black tom turned away without responding.

"Okay," I said hesitantly. I intended to lay awake and think about the day's events, but as soon as my head touched down in the soft, plush grass nest, sleep claimed me for the night, and well into the morning.