I was walking through a tunnel. It was dark on all sides, no light to be seen except from a single bright pinprick at the end. But however much I padded, ran, stumbled, it was always the same distance away.

My legs were hurting now, but I knew I had to get to the light. Something was behind me, and it didn't sound friendly. Quite the opposite, in fact. I never saw it, but I could hear its growls echoing in the darkness and spurring me on. Huge footsteps on the ground. There came another thud, and I fell.

My head hit the ground, and it hurt, way more than it was supposed to. There was no other pain in the rest of my body, however, or maybe it was everywhere and I couldn't pick out individual feelings anymore.

The ground seemed to give way under me. I stopped, turning, and sniffed the air. I wasn't sure what I expected to find; a family of badgers, maybe a den of foxes or a pack of dogs. Instead, there was nothing.

There came a sound like lightning crashing to the ground, except that this time, it stayed on and on until I was sure I had gone deaf. Light filled my vision, but it was not the light that I was dying to reach. It was bright, too bright, and I could see nothing else.

Hard voices. The demented face of what looked like a mash between a cat and a spider, and there were red dots swimming in front of my eyes. I screamed, but I wasn't sure I made any sound at all. It was coming near me, nearer within the heartbeat as I tried desperately to scramble away-


"Is he going to be all right?" The concerned voice of Mousepetal asked. Soft fur brushed her flanks, and a dark brown tom with a spotted pelt peered down at the dying kit with an equally worried expression. "I'm not sure, my dear. But don't you worry. Our kit will be safe and sound in a few moments... just need to find a certain cure..."

"What have they been teaching you when you were an apprentice?" Mousepetal yowled angrily. "Get on with it!" Her tail flicked towards the writhing body on the dried leaf-bare grass, which was kicking and clawing at thin air with a pained expression. Her heart twisted with every passing second. "Start doing something! You promised me to come here!" Tears swam in front of her vision, and the clearing suddenly seemed blurry. "You said that we would find a home for our love, Toadskip."

Toadskip frowned. "But I'm not useless! Just let me concentrate on the task for once."

Before Mousepetal could think of a reply, shadows began appearing behind her. She took no notice of anything unusual, and instead focused all her remaining energy on the kit. Her kit.

She didn't notice the shadows move from where they were behind her to right over her head until it was too late.


The darkness was pressing in on me. I could feel it.

They were almost crushing. Then they really were crushing.

Until I couldn't feel anything anymore.