Two cats sat in an eerie dark cave, in a narrow section near the entrance. Blasts of cold air entered through the opening, causing it to be chilly.

"Gather the seven!" said a tortoiseshell tom, the ginger patches on his fur gleaming in the darkness.

A scrawny, ragged brown-furred tom hesitated. "Master, are you sure?"

"Let them all die one by one. It will be quite satisfying," he chuckled. "They will have no idea what is happening."

The smaller cat dipped his head. "As you wish. Which cats?"

"Tawnypelt and Ratscar of ShadowClan, Heathertail and Sunstrike of WindClan, Icewing and Minnowtail of RiverClan, and Lionblaze of ThunderClan."

"Why only one from ThunderClan?"

"Capture their medicine cat too. Name's Jayfeather. He's blind, so he should be an easy target."

"Of course, Master."

"Leave my presence now."

"Yes, Master."

***

Lionblaze snorted in disbelief. "Yes, and I'm Firestar. Next time you drag me out here, please don't waste my time."

Jayfeather watched him storm off. "I was telling the truth, brother."

***

Sunstrike had been with a hunting patrol and went chasing after a rabbit. It disappeared into a tunnel too small for a cat to squeeze through, and she skidded to a halt in frustration, breathing hard. The other members of her patrol, Crowfeather and Gorsetail spotted another rabbit and hared after it, leaving her standing by herself.

"Hey, Sunstrike!" a voice hissed behind her.

She was ambushed by three cats before she could even move. One of them hit her hard on the head with a forepaw and she blacked out, feeling her body getting dragged off to an unknown destination.