I AM SORRY! I know I haven't updated this in forever, but I've been busy! I've also been working on my other fic, The Growing Up of Tigerstar, because I have more reviews on it.

This chapter is short, but important.

I want 55 reviews before I update again.

*

Tigerstar's POV

I looked at Sandstorm, curled up in her nest of brambles. What was this feeling I felt whenever I looked at her?

It couldn't be love, for I delighted in making her cry and yowl in pain. I enjoyed hurting her.

Though I envied Firestar for his mate.

They were the same feelings I felt for Sasha. I wanted to hurt her.

But I loved her.

Did I love Sandstorm? How could I when I hated her?

Perhaps it was just an obsession, lust.

Yes, that must be it.

It had to be.

*

Sandstorm's POV

Tigerstar gave a loud snore, which woke me up. I sighed and stared at the two guards seated at the entrance to the cave.

"Someone awake?"

I jumped and turned around to see Tigerstar heaving himself out of his nest—his soft, comfy, bramble-less nest.

"What do you want?" I growled at him.

"Oh," he yawned. "I was going to meet with someone. You are being moved to a new den for a while."

"A new den?"

"Yes, a—special den." His eyes glinted with contempt.

Blood suddenly grabbed me by my scruff and hauled me out of Tigerstar's den and into the dense pine trees of ShadowClan territory. We came to a den made out of thorns, and I wondered with a jolt of fear why it was so far away.

A wisp of scent floated past my nose. It was a scent I didn't recognize. It had a trace of Tigerstar in it, and some pine smell. I thought it might be a rogue.

Blood dragged me into the thorn-den and I was roughly dropped on the ground. "Hey!" I yowled, but Blood had already gone back to Tigerstar and closed the entrance.

"Who are you?" a voice hissed.

I was peering at the thorns, trying to see if there was some way I could make a hole to escape through when the voice spoke. I cried out in alarm and toppled over.

"Who are you? Did Tigerstar send you?" A shape came out of the darkness and towered above me. It was a tawny she-cat. She was hissing at me and her claws were unsheathed.

"I—um—he sent me, but just to be a prisoner."

The she-cat still looked wary. "What do you mean?"

I sighed. "I mean he had me captured and brought here, and now he's forcing himself on me every chance he gets—"

"You too?" The she-cat seemed to relax the slightest bit, although she still looked suspicious. "I'm Sasha. And you are…?"

"Sandstorm of ThunderClan. Or at least I used to be. Now it seems like I'm just the violated prisoner that Tigerstar tortures."

"Really?" Sasha set her mouth in a hard line.

"How did you get here?" I asked her.

Sasha's eyes clouded over with sadness. "I used to be a kittypet—"

I was surprised about that.

"—then one of my Twolegs died and the other went away somewhere. I met Tigerstar when I was wandering out here in the forest and I met Tigerstar, and some things happened and next thing I knew, I was in this thorn cave." Sasha sighed.

I laid my tail on her shoulder. "It really stinks, doesn't it?"

Sasha rolled her eyes. "At least Tigerstar hasn't gotten me pregnant yet. That would be a nightmare."

"Which your life it about to be."

I was startled. "Did you say something, Sasha?"

"No," she meowed.

I looked around for the speaker of the mysterious voice. "Is anyone there?"

"No one else is here besides us, Sandstorm," Sasha meowed with a concerned look in her eye.

"Right…" I replied.

"So, do you have an escape plan?" Sasha asked hopefully.

"I had something in mind," I admitted. "But we'll need time, darkness, and someone's who's small…"

*

Firestar's POV

I laid my head down on my paws.

"Firestar? Do you want something to eat?" Fernpaw padded into my den.

I shook my head. "Could you get Whitestorm for me?"

Fernpaw nodded and hurried away.

I sighed. My best friend, my mate, my medicine cat, my nephew, and a good warrior. Fernpaw had learned a thing or two from Cinderpelt, so she was helping some other cats with their wounds, but we still needed a real trained medicine cat, not an apprentice warrior.

We were also short four warriors.

And StarClan hadn't appeared to me since that one dream where I saw Sandstorm.

I'd gone to see Tigerstar, suspecting he might know something about the disappearances. To my disappointment, he was even more clueless than I was.

I had also gone to the Moonstone, but StarClan had been silent.

Was I destined to lose every cat?

Where were they?

*

Please review! Again, I'm sorry for the late update!

A cowboy rides into town on Friday and stays for three days. He leaves on Friday. How?

Answer the question, send in a cat for me to use in the story, and if you get it right, I'll use it! Like if you want to be a member of Tigerstar's guard…or something.

Ciao!

~LenzieKat~