Dunepaw stood in the clearing, his body already rushing with fear mixed with only the slightest sliver of excitement. He watched Dovestar warily as her sleek frame ascended the mound of boulders that made up her speaking point. The gray tabby molly still sent shivers down his spine, no matter how long it had been or who tried to help.

    Snailpaw shifted beside him, giving him a glare. "Would you calm down already? You're twitching too much!"

    "Sorry..." The tom hadn't even realized. He knew he was scared but with Swiftpaw and his sister just on the other side, he wouldn't dare admit such a thing.

    Dovestar slowly perched herself on to the edge of the rocks. "You all know why we are gathered here. Foxes have invaded our main hunting grounds. Many of them. It is our job to take back what it is ours. To reclaim territory lost to us. We are warriors! We fight for what is ours."

    No wonder. Who knows how many cats she could have manipulated to follow her. All of us? Dunepaw wondered with a low, sinister growl. She can sure make a speech.

    Yowls of approval from mostly the molly's followers rang in the darkening sky.

    "We attack tonight," Dovestar stated. "But tonight will not only be that. I have been pondering a new tradition. A test of loyalty to outsiders. To cats who were not born here. Cats that are possibly able to commit treason. Cats like Nightwatcher's group."

    Hisses of protests rose from a section of the crowd, and Dunepaw flattened his ears and stumbled back. What? Disloyal! Treasonous?

    Hollybloom rose her voice in a loud snarl. "This isn't right! My kits can't prove their loyalty! They still haven't opened their eyes quite yet!"

    "Your kits?" Dovestar laughed maniacally. "Why, Hollybloom. They were born here. You were not. Your kits are not yours. They are mine, to keep as prisoners and to make sure they don't have the potential to commit treason."

    Hollybloom shook her head, her lips curled. She raced back to the nursery only to be blocked by Shadestep and Gingerfall. The three kits mewled in fear as they were carried by the nape of their neck. "Dayripple will take care of them."

    Hollybloom shrieked in fear and started forward through the cacophony of hisses and growls and words of disbelief coming from most cats. Nightwatcher grabbed her by the tail and hauled his mate back and whispered gentle words into her ear.

    Dunepaw stared at his younger siblings in disbelief. Dovestar flicked her tail, and his gaze was ripped away as he was escorted out of camp with most of his family and the new comers. He slid into place beside Melonpaw. She looked just as bewildered as the rest of them.

    "What's going to happen to us? Why are we even going? We were born here!" The dilute tortisshell's voice shook. Her legs trembled and Dunepaw offered his shoulder.

    It wasn't much help, for he was trembling with fear.

   He was trapped, again. But this time it wasn't just in his mind.

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    Dunepaw curled his lips in a snarl at the cat shoving him. Lakestep unsheathed his claws and slashed them across his muzzle. "Quiet, fox-breath. It'll be better if the foxes don't notice you."

    He rubbed his nose with a paw before he was shoved again with the rest of the group. He looked around. Nightwatcher, Hollybloom, Finchlight, Sweetweb, Foxpelt, Shadeleap, Spiderblaze, Duskflurry, Rubblefall, and Duskflurry made up Nightwatcher's group.

    There were also others, Dunepaw noticed. Pineberry, Ambervine, Gentlepetal, Spicedust, Brambleears, Elmpaw and... Waspfire! Dunepaw bolted from his position and stood immediately at Waspfire's side. His mentor was shaking violently, his eyes wide as four slim, orange pelted foxes slid from the shadows.

    Six foxes came after that, and the two groups bunched together. And another two came prowling up from the other side while Dovestar watched from atop another large boulder, unnoticed by the foxes.

    "Try to run," she laughed. "You won't get very far. Some of you will die. Those strong enough to survive and kill all of them will be worthy enough to become my warriors. Except those in Nightwatcher's pathetic little family as he calls it. We can dispose of them. Our Clan will be of pure blood. Not made up of mostly cats that are possible of commiting treason and ruining what we have established."

    A new shape appeared, Robinblaze, at Dovestar's side. "And perhaps you might survive like this young warrior here. Loyalty, fear, they will earn you your life here."

    Gasps of astonishment and horror roared up from Rubblefall, Duskflurry, and Nightwatcher. Dunepaw's father was outraged and he snarled. His outrage was quickly cut off when a fox snapped at the black tom. All fighting did. They were surrounded.

    A pained scream erupted from nearby and he looked to see Shadeleap leap in front of his sister, only to be grabbed in a foxes jaws. The fox gouged his serrated fangs into the brown tabby's neck and flung him to the ground. One dead. How many more to go? Dunepaw shook in fear.

    He was broken from his thoughts as a low growl sounded behind him. Waspfire spun around and leaped ferociously onto the fox, tearing and biting at it's neck. Dunepaw soon joined in, clawing and biting hard on its tail. The fox was dead in a quick few seconds. Dunepaw was surprised.

    Screeched erupted from everywhere in the clearing as fox after fox and cat after cat was killed. Dunepaw was bleeding badly after taking a large fox on alone, only to be later helped by his mentor. Duskflurry was dead, Gentlepetal, and Brambleears, too. Their numbers had dwindled on both sides, but it seemed as if the cats were loosing.

    Another yowl rang in the cool night air. Please don't be anyone else! Many yowls erupted, ones he didn't recognize, ones he had never heard of. A large patrol of cats came crashing in, and a large, snow white tom stood at the edge.

    "Come with us! We'll give you sanctuary!" His gruff voice yowled to all the cats accused of being treasonous.

    Unfamiliar cats rushed into the battle and parted the circle of foxes, allowing an exit for the refugees. Without hesitation, Dunepaw, Waspfire, Ambervine, Spicedust, Nightwatcher, and Hollybloom were the first to streak out, followed by the others that had made it out alive. Finally the strange group of cats rushed out, some already bleeding badly.

    The large white tom that had spoken yowled an order, and the refugees were rushed to a place unknown to Dunepaw. A place outside of MoorClan territory. But he was going, especially if it meant freedom from Dovestar.