Eclipse stood trembling in a crowd of Drolgons, facing HailClaw. The dawn patrol had found Storm's body, and brought it to the camp immediately.

"Something is going on," HailClaw announced, looking around at the Drolgons who'd gathered. "There's been a death two nights in a row. I say this is no coincidence. I think that there might be someone killing these Drolgons."

The crowd gasped and whispered nervously to each other.

FeatherCloud leaned closer to Eclipse. "You don't think it's a Drolgon from Pacree Sky, do you? What if they're in the camp right now? What if they're standing near me, waiting to massacre us all?!"

Eclipse didn't respond to her sister, but she stepped forward.

"Alpha, I have some important information to share with the Pacree," she announced.

HailClaw nodded to her. "Go ahead, Eclipse."

Eclipse took a deep breath. She'd spent the whole morning figuring out what she should do in this exact moment. She was trembling with fear, but ready.

"The Darkbeasts were coming to me in dreams," she started.

That instantly set off mutters and whispers about traitors and lies. But HailClaw raised his wings in a sign for silence. Then he nodded to Eclipse again, telling her to keep going.

"W-well," she stuttered. "They gave me information. Although... only after they tricked me into doing bad things. But the information is important. And I'm telling you this now to warn you, whether you believe in the spirit realm and The Dark Place or not, the Darkbeasts are coming. They will attack us, bent on vengeance and thirst for blood. We have five days to prepare. We need to be ready."

HailClaw looked thoughtful. "This sounds like false information," he decided. "But I suppose we'll prepare for battle, just in case. Even if it isn't true. Better to be safe than sorry. Thank you, Eclipse."

Eclipse dipped her head to the ground, and lifted her wings behind her in a formal bow.

The crowd was dismissed, except for the high-ranked Drolgons who were ordered to help prepare for battle.

Eclipse slumped down in a sheltered spot beneath a tree, and laid her head on her paws. But then the air turned hot and stuffy, the cold dirt beneath Eclipse turned to dry, hard-packed sand, and the snowy evergreens turned to big, dry, weird-shaped rocks.

No... no, no, no!

Eclipse slowly turned around, quivering, and saw a giant shadowy pitch-black huge wolf with glowering bright red eyes towering over her. Eclipse realized that all the Darkbeasts had morphed into one giant creature of shadows.

I gave away their secrets! I betrayed them! And now they're going to kill me for sure!

"You know what happens to traitors..." the beast hissed menacingly.

Eclipse crept backward, her tail between her legs, and her ears flattened to her head in terror. The beast thundered toward Eclipse, each pawstep shaking the ground. Eclipse scrambled backward, her belly fur brushing the sandy ground.

Eclipse tried to close her eyes to escape, but it didn't work. Then the beast was suddenly right in front of her, and it lunged at Eclipse. She ducked, sheltering her head with her wings. The beast burst into hundreds of Darkbeasts, swirling around Eclipse, and slashing at her pelt as they did. Eclipse started shrieking.

She felt a light touch on her wing, and jumped. She opened her eyes and unfolded her wings, and found the whole Pacree staring at her.

Sapphire was crouching beside Eclipse, sheltering her with her wing. Eclipse was trembling so hard, it was difficult to speak.

"T-they're c-coming!" She choked out.

Drolgons glanced at one another, and whispered nervously.

Suddenly, the sky darkened. Eclipse looked up, and saw that the whole sky was covered in a mass of dark storm clouds.

"Oh no," she said, but she was interrupted by a bolt of lightning.

It shot through the sky, and struck the bush next to Eclipse. Eclipse yelped, and jumped away. The fire quickly spread around her, and thorns blocked her path upwards out of the flames. Eclipse crouched with her belly fur brushing the ground, and quivered in fear.

"Help!" She wailed. "Help me! I'm trapped!"

She could hear scuffling and grunting from outside the cage of fire as her Pacree-mates tried to get her out.

Eclipse swung her head around as the bush behind her was shoved away a little to make a tunnel out, but as she turned, the long fur hanging over her left eye brushed the flames. Suddenly Eclipse felt smouldering heat against her skin, and she screeched. She sliced the fur off with her claws, and stamped it out. Then she squeezed out of the small tunnel.

"Are you okay?" Solar whimpered, bounding over.

FeatherCloud and Sapphire followed her.

Then Sapphire gasped. "Eclipse, your eye!"

Eclipse froze. The Mark! Why did she have to have it still? The stupid thing would give her away!

But... that's what the Darkbeasts want. They started this fire, trying to expose me!

"Oh dear!" FeatherCloud whined. "What happened to it?"

"More like why does it look like that?" Solar whispered. "Did it get burnt?"

"That's not a burnt eye," SpringShine muttered, stepping closer to Eclipse to examine it. "And I've seen a real one, in case anyone was wondering."

Some Drolgons who'd gone to get water to put out the fire came back, and they poured the lakewater from big leaves onto the flames, putting them out.

"She has The Mark," the Darkbeasts' voices suddenly boomed. "She has served us by giving us information about the Pacrees so we could attack, and wipe you all out. She has done so, and she has also murdered Reed and Storm. She has lied to you all, and she will destroy you."

Eclipse glanced around at the shocked and horrified faces of her Pacree-mates. This was it. This was the moment where she would be killed for murder that she truly believed was entirely the Darkbeasts' fault.

Eclipse looked to her sisters; Solar was staring up at the sky in confusion, probably wondering where the voices came from and why they were saying these things. FeatherCloud was staring at Eclipse, gaping in horror.

Eclipse flicked her gaze away, toward Sapphire. Her friend was steadying herself like the ground was shaking. She slowly turned her head toward Eclipse, and Eclipse saw betrayal, anger, sadness, regret, and horror all mixed in her beautiful sapphire-blue eyes. Though there was something off about Sapphire's reaction, Eclipse couldn't quite put her paw on it.

Eclipse squeezed her eyes shut, tears welling up. She flattened her ears, crouched to the ground, tucked in her tail and wings, and held her head in her claws.

"Eclipse..." Sapphire choked out. "You didn't do it, did you? Please... say it's not true..."

"I did!" Eclipse wailed. "I killed Reed because he broke my heart, and Storm because he threatened to expose me! But I swear, it was all the Darkbeasts' fault! They tricked me!"

"Why...?" FeatherCloud whispered. Then her voice raised to a screech. "Why, Eclipse? Why did you murder our father?! Why would you hurt Solar and me that bad?!"

Eclipse didn't respond. They all had a right to be mad at her.

Then many more of the Pacree howled insults and horrified words at Eclipse.

Eclipse shoved her forehead to the ground, and caterwauled until her throat was stinging, unable to listen to the hurtful words and agonized cries anymore.

"I'm sorry!" She wailed. "I know I'm a monster! I know! So just get it over with, and kick me out of Pacree Sky already!"

HailClaw stepped toward her, towering over scared, trembling Eclipse.

"Very well," he hissed. "Eclipse. You have committed a crime against Pacree Sky- you have murdered the innocent. As of now, you are no longer a member of Pacree Sky. If any of my Drolgons spot you inside or on the border of Pacree Sky, they have my permission to kill you if necessary. Now be gone out of my camp, or else you will be attacked. You have been exiled."

Eclipse hung her head, and dragged her wings and tail behind her as she turned, and padded out of camp. She took a last glance back over her shoulder as she reached the archway, and saw Sapphire looking at her with a confusingly calm look on her face. But Eclipse could see a little bit of sadness in her, because they would probably never see each other again.

"Asch, Yuki, Crow, escort this monster out of our territory," HailClaw barked. "And Eclipse, don't even think about hurting any of these three Drolgons. They have my permission to kill you if you so much as lay a claw on them. Now be gone out of my sight!"

Eclipse swung her head away, and slipped out of the archway, with Asch on her left, Yuki on her right, and Crow behind her. The three he-Drolgons were carrying her things that they'd gathered from her den in some of SpringShine's pouches. They walked on through the forest, until they reached the border into unknown space.

"Please..." Eclipse mumbled. "Say goodbye to everyone for me..."

"How about no?" Crow sneered.

Eclipse took one last look at her former Pacree-mates, slipped her pouches over her head, and stepped over the border. She heard pawsteps padding away behind her, but didn't look back.

She stared into the forest of unknown territory, and a strange feeling washed over her; was it freedom? Relief? Excitement? Sadness? Despair? Anger? She didn't know. But she did know that she was starting a new chapter of her life. She had the whole world to explore! And best of all, she wouldn't be able to hurt anyone anymore.