I had went to sleep as normal that night, expecting another thrashing the next day judging by how far my wounds had healed. But I found myself awoken by a strange noise outside the den, followed closely by another; it sounded as if one of the cats outside had tried to cry out for only half a heartbeat, before the bones in his neck were crushed by a set of powerful jaws.

What's happening? Are we under attack?

The camp fell silent again, however, save for the sound of quiet pawsteps outside; pawsteps that were much too light to be those of a predator, and could only belong to another cat.

But who would be up at this time, except for the guards?

As if in response, a large, gray shape came running into my den, carrying a rather large rabbit in its mouth.

Oh... It's the new cat from this afternoon. What's she doing here?

"Alright, hold still. Let's make this as quick as we can," the gray she-cat meowed, dropping the rabbit and unsheathing a set of surprisingly large claws that looked sharp enough to cut through rock.

I reflexively shrunk back at seeing the powerful claws, having known only the pain of torn flesh to follow such a sight; but instead, I felt the grip around my paws begin to loosen as she effortlessly cut through the vines that tied them together, instantly causing my heart to rise up with excitement.

No way... Did she actually... free me?

"Now, eat this rabbit and recover some of your strength," she whispered firmly, pushing the fresh-kill towards my face. "I bet they haven't given you this much to eat in forever, have they?"

That was definitely true; my stomach was growling loudly just from looking at the rabbit. I waste no time in devouring as much of it as I could, feeling several times more energetic and alive by the time I was finished.

"I still can't believe it..." the she-cat growled under her breath. "These cats are fucking monsters if they think they're justified in doing this to you! Tell me... why do these cats think you could kill them all? You don't seem dangerous to me in the slightest!"

Despite what the she-cat had done for me, I found myself unable to tell her the truth. How would she react if I told her that I really did have the power to kill them all? Would she turn around and end up hurting me like the rest of them?

"You know what? It doesn't matter," the she-cat meowed suddenly, rising to her paws. "It's time for us to get the hell out of this place."

"Huh? Us?" I whisper, my voice naturally faint after moons of nothing but screaming in pain. "You're leaving too? Didn't you just arrive earlier today?"

The gray she-cat gave a disappointed sigh. "I didn't think I'd be leaving so soon, either. You see, I fell in love with your leader a few moons ago, and after a while he offered me the chance to join his Clan. Naturally, I accepted right away, hoping that the two of us could start a new life together, perhaps even raise a family... But after seeing you here, and the things that he allowed his Clan to do to you, I came to realize that he has no regard at all for what others are feeling. He is just a soulless cat who doesn't actually care about anyone other than himself. And it hurts so much because I still love him, even after you've opened up my eyes to the truth, but... But I can't be in a relationship with a cat like him... Not again."

I noticed a single tear fall from the she-cat's face as she spoke, and I stopped myself from asking any questions about her previous relationship.

Eventually she looked up back at me again, her eyes only slightly damp.

"If you're just about ready, we can leave anytime. My name is Samantha, by the way. What's your name?"

It was a question that no cat had ever asked me before... and a question that I could never properly answer.

"I... I don't have a name," I whisper. "My mother never gave me one."

"Are you serious?! Holy shit, this place is even worse than I thought!" Samantha hissed, visibly struggling to refrain from shouting in anger. "Let's get out of here. You okay to walk?"

"I... I think so..." I reply, even though the truth was that I hadn't walked a single pawstep since I was thrown in the den, and my legs-though still usable-felt like dry twigs underneath me.

"Good. Then let's go."

I slowly follow Samantha to the entrance of the den, where she carefully took a quick look around for any other cats that had woken up. Luckily, however, there were no signs of any activity in the camp except for the two of us.

The two of us emerged from the den, making sure to make as little noise as possible. I found it rather difficult to control my excitement as I took in all the sights and sounds of the outside world for the first time in my life-an experience that I was long overdue for.

This is... incredible! I've never tasted air this fresh before... This dirt is so much softer than the rock floor in the den... And the stars look so pretty! I had no idea that I was missing out on so much-Whoa! What the-!

It was then that I noticed the two cats that had been assigned to guard my den, their faces eternally frozen in shock and their necks viciously torn open; the fatal wounds were still slowly leaking blood onto the ground.

Samantha stopped and laughed silently when she noticed my shocked expression as I stared down at the guard's body beside me.

"You're probably wondering how I managed this," she purred. "You remember how I mentioned I was in a terrible relationship before? Well, a while ago I managed to come across a cat who happened to be very skilled with attacks-I think he even said he came from one of these Clan things. After I told him about my relationship, he agreed to teach me everything that he knew in secret. It wasn't long before I had mastered almost all of his attack moves.

"And as for the cruel tom I was with, well..." She paused briefly to glance down at the guard's mangled corpse. "Let's just say that this is nothing compared to what I did to that bastard. I almost feel sorry for his owners; though by the time I saw them again they already had a new cat... And a new carpet..."

I couldn't tell if she had said anything after that, as all my attention had been stolen by the emotions that welled up inside me. Despite having known Samantha for less than a day, I found myself growing closer and closer to her, as if she were the only other cat I had ever met in my life. Perhaps it was the mere fact that she had broken me out of that horrible den, or maybe it was her formidable strength and willpower that enthralled me.

But it didn't matter. I didn't even care. Because for the first time in my life, I felt safe.

I felt comforted.

But most of all... I felt happy.

And I wanted it to last forever.