Thank you all for the follows and favorites, it really helped me want to continue writing the next chapter.

Chapter 5

I wanted to scream, but somehow, I managed to keep in the emotion and the fear and the sheer surprise from exploding out. Quietripple- it couldn't be her behind those dark amber eyes- growled and took a step further. I shuddered. "Wh... who-"

"You don't know me," she whispered. "You never saw me. Shhh..." Her words sounded hyptonizing, and I found myself actively trying to look away from her eyes. "One word gets out, and I'll make sure you pay..."

I forced myself to look tough. I wanted my claws to unsheath, but I found that my entire body was rigid with terror. "You c- can't m- make me do anything," I finally replied. "Even if you are... are..." I suddenly found that my mind was the only thing left not frozen. "Even if you are a spirit."

"You catch on fast," Quietripple purred. "I can't, hm? That's right. But I do have your friend here, and after all, you are living, too. Which means..." she paused, as if waiting for me to answer.

I shook my head numbly. "No, she's dead." I wanted my paws to move, but it was like I was stuck or something.

"I knew it. Foolish young kits," Quietripple muttered under her breath. It smelled like holly. "She is not dead, even though she may have come close to it." Her nose quivered. "I have the power to borrow her anytime I want, kit, and that means you, too. I can turn into my true self, kill Quietripple, and replace her with you."

"So..." I struggled to understand. "If you're so much more powerful in your spirit form, then why would you bother with..."

Quietripple snarled. "Spirit forms do not last forever in the living world, fool! I grow tired of talk!" She took a step backwards. "Go find your pitiful clan," she continued, her voice softer this time. "To the far plains on the south, for there they are heading."

I opened my mouth to interrupt, but Quietripple was faster: "But just remember, I will always be there for you..."

Suddenly, my paws felt as if they were suddenly un-frozen and pattered uselessly on the ground for a few moments before finding their running positions. "To the south!" Quietripple called out, but I was already turning in that direction. To the plains...

I began running, kicking up dust.

Behind me, I felt a sudden weight being lifted off of my shoulders, and perhaps I wasn't shivering quite as much anymore. Spirits do leave an impression on you, I thought.

By the end of sundown, it was almost completely dark and I had no idea where I was.

I was picking up my clanmates' scents, but mostly they were just confusing and mish-mashing and all over the place. I could only follow them as best I could- they must find a place to lodge for the night, I thought.

Sure enough, after many more minutes of trekking through the night, I could begin to hear some kind of commotion nearby. I couldn't tell where they were exactly, though, and so I had to rely on my senses to find direction until something tapped me on the shoulder.

I jumped, expecting to find those amber eyes of Quietripple before me once again, but it was nothing more than the concerned face of Jaggedfeather. "Cedarpaw!" he hissed. "Where have you been?"

"Out," I replied simply. "Where's the camp?"

"Down that field of heather. In this dimple in the ground." I shuddered when I thought of another hole, and perhaps more possessed cats to greet me, but Jaggedfeather didn't seem to notice.

Right as cat-shaped shadows thickened in front of me, I stopped with my mentor alongside me. I couldn't help but grimace, but relaxed as soon as I realized that it was no more than Stormwing. "Cedarpaw!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah, I'm back," I said, resisting a sigh. "Where is my nest..." Then, suddenly remembering the occurrence with Quietripple, I added, "I was out to find her, but... I'm afraid she may have been lost." I hung my head. "Sorry, I tried my best." Stupid lies.

Stormwing's eyes widened. "I'm glad to tell you that you are wrong. In fact, Quietripple returned about half an hour ago. We were all worried." He turned around. "Quietripple! Come out of there! Someone's been looking for you."

What? I stared intently at the camp in silence, until finally, a frond of ferns parted to reveal the same she-cat that I had been searching for and was even possessed by an evil spirit- I searched for glowing amber eyes in the gloom, but all I could see was the icy blue of her original color. "Yes?" she asked coolly.

I took a step back. "N-nothing." How could this be real? Unless that spirit was making empty threats... I shook my head numbly, as if shaking off what I was seeing. "I- I think I need a break. Get some fresh air. Be right back for dinner."

I didn't wait for Stormwing or Jaggedfeather's approval.

I found a patch of earth, just out of sight of the camp, and far enough so that they could not hear me, either.

Staring up at the night sky, dotted with countless stars, I began to worry. Was that a spirit from StarClan? But the legends that surrounded them never seemed to have any trace of evil in them... but perhaps they were wrong. I raised my head up.

"If you are there, explain yourself!" I shouted, heart pounding. No reply. I waited for who-knows-what to happen, and nothing happened. "Now!"

Still nothing. I began to worry. Was the whole thing really just an empty threat? But as I thought more about it, what was the spirit's goal in the first place? Did Quietripple know what had happened to her?

Nothing stirred in the night air. I turned around, shifting in my place. It was getting really cold, and dark, and I didn't want to be out here while evil spirits were around...

So I stood up, brushed the loose dirt out of my pelt, and began running in the direction of the camp. I kept looking up to see if there was an answer, but still, nothing moved. When I burst through the clumsily-made ivy entrance that our camp was sheltered behind, I called out for Stormwing.

"Stormwing! I need to talk to you about something!" I shouted.

Moments later, his shaggy gray head appeared through the entrance of his den. "Yes?" He began padding out to meet me. Something told me that he wasn't in the best mood for late-night talks, so I had to get this over fast.

"Stormwing," I began slowly. He watched me with interest. "Have you ever heard of spiri-"

I froze. Something seemed to be digging into my back. I tried to swing my head around to see, but I couldn't move. There was no pain, just a piercing, burning, icy-cold sensation concentrated on a single point. I heard voices, but I had to strain to understand what they were saying.

Then it was over. "I am sorry for disturbing you. It is nothing," I found myself saying. "I will go back to my own den now."