Chapter 3

Seal gnawed on the criss-crossed twigs blocking her escape. Having gained inspiration from the shiny metal fences Twolegs used, the cats had blocked the entrance to the cave Seal was in. She had nothing more to bide her time with than chew on the twigs and act as though she was staring stupidly into space when the guards passed by the opening. So far, the dumb Clan cats thought she had gone insane. They constantly taunted her. She hated it, but she had to go along with it. They never suspected her attempts to get out.

She had tried digging, but she quickly met nothing but bedrock no matter which way she dug. It confused her how the cats had found such a well-sealed-off cave, but she guessed it must've been hard and that they might have added some of the bedrock themselves. She had attempted to shove the barrier down, but each stick was thick and sturdy and deeply ground into the dirt. Every time a cat trod over the cave a shower of dirt coated Seal's once-pretty fur. That night was the Gathering. It had only been a few days in the cave, but they treated her so poorly it would be a blessing to kill her. She was looking forewords to the Gathering, actually. She would have one last thing to say before she was killed, probably in a cruel, torturous way. That the rebellion, no matter what happened, would always have the strength to go on. And they'd have to face generations of retaliation and the half-Clan cats would never die out.

For the first time in her young life – for Seal was, in fact, very young, and would've just been made a warrior that night probably if she had been pure-blooded or had lived in a different era – she realized the irony of the Clans' situation. When half-Clan cats had been declared to be killed, more half-Clan cats had been born, as though the cats enjoyed the bloodshed. And she realized, with a feeling of pity, it was true. How each cat watched with bloodlust and glee in their eyes as their own Clanmates were slaughtered right before them. They purposefully had half-Clan kits to feed that bloodlust and to fuel that glee. Well, they'd get some splattered blood all right. She wouldn't go down alone, and she'd take down some pure-bloods with her.

Seal took a half step backwards as a cat approached the entrance to the cave. She stared dumbly at the sliver of sky she could see, only for it to be blocked a moment later by a thickset figure. Seal weakly complained, "You're blocking the pretty sunset." The cat just laughed. Seal could recognize that laugh anywhere. It belonged to the one cat not fooled by her ruse. She managed to jump to her paws before a paw shot in and, digging painfully into her shoulder, dragged her towards the barrier. Seal couldn't hold in the cry of pain as Copperstar tore ruthlessly into her shoulder with that tight grip.

"You know what today is, right, my dear niece?"

"Ya, today's the day I'm going to kill you!" she cried, lunging forewords and fishing her own paw through a gap. But before she could so much as touch the leader she swiped one of her forepaws and, holding Seal's foreleg in an uncomfortable position, pinned down her forepaw, earning her another cry of pain from the silver-and-dark-gray she-cat.

"Such a pity. Resorting to a cheap move to try and murder a leader. Do you think that'll help your case?"

Seal snarled, "You're half-Clan too!" She had never though of it before, but as she said it, she realized it was true. Her father was half-Clan, and Copperstar was his…

"Half-brother," she retorted. "Your pitiful father was my half-brother. I'm pure-blooded ThunderClan." Copperstar dug her claws in deeper and now Seal just opened her mouth in a silent scream.

"What do you mean… half-brother?" she asked, glaring at the ThunderClan leader.

"We share the same mother, but our fathers are different. One from ShadowClan, the other from ThunderClan. Your dumb father was lucky he was never found out."

This time Seal didn't reply. Just glanced into the dark cave, wishing she had been more vigilant. After a while of Seal's silence, Copperstar muttered something then growled, "Hope you enjoy your last few moments, you mixed-Clan cat. If only you knew exactly why you were so important to kill, and not because of your cute little rebellion…"

Russet followed Blurry and Sleet along with several other cats that he knew enough of to not attack at the Gathering. The group silently crept over the log and into the surrounding brush. The mixed scent of the four Clans was so strong their own scent was covered. Russet could see Copperstar trot away from a low indent in the ground. He could see what looked like interwoven sticks covering an opening and assumed Seal was in there. He let his claws unsheathe and he impatiently kneaded the ground. A tawny she-cat beside him asked, "Excited for the fight?"

Russet just shrugged his shoulders in a noncommittal way. Just then Sleet appeared beside him and asked, "You worried about Seal?"

For a moment the tom didn't reply, then slowly said, "If I had turned back to help her…"

"You would've been captured as well, except they wouldn't have saved you for the Gathering. They would have killed you then and there."

Russet was shocked with Sleet's blunt analysis of what would've happened and he realized she was right. He would've done nothing to help at all, just deprive the rebellion of one more cat when they needed every one to keep up what they were doing.

"Seal knows what she's doing," Sleet added in a gentler tone. "Even if she dies, she'll not give up without a fight. You can be sure of that."

Russet nodded his head absent-mindedly as he watched Copperstar once more get up. All the cats instantly looked up at her and tracked her as she jumped down and went to the indent again. He saw her tear the twigs away, though he didn't have a good enough view to see how she did it. Then she disappeared into the cave. The clearing had taken on a foreboding silence as they waited for the inevitable…