Chapter 1

"You killed Ashfur?"

Hollyleaf stood facing her brothers, their faces horrified by the confession she had just made. The horrible, damning truth she had just admitted to: that she had murdered Ashfur. One of her own Clanmates. Her brother's mentor. She had killed him, to protect a secret that she had ultimately had to reveal anyway.

Ashfur had threatened to kill her and her brothers, in front of Squirrelflight, all because of a moons-old feud. Hollyleaf remembered her terror as the flames rose up around her, blocking off any chance of escaping, and as Ashfur threatened to kill her. But even more than that, she remembered the way her world dropped out beneath her when Squirrelflight, the cat she thought of as her mother, revealed her terrible secret: that Hollyleaf and her brothers weren't Squirrelflight's kits at all.

Though this confession had saved their lives, it had also threatened to ruin them. They had no idea who their real parents were, but if the truth got out to the other Clans, everyone would know Squirrelflight had lied. Worse, with no idea who their real parents were and Squirrelflight refusing to tell them, they didn't know if they were real ThunderClan cats, or even if they were Clan cats at all. If the other Clans found out, what if they were forced to leave ThunderClan? Everything Hollyleaf had been working for her whole life, all of her hopes of helping her Clan and ambitions of being leader one day, would be for nothing. Hollyleaf couldn't let that happen.

So, when her brothers' pleading with Ashfur had failed, she had taken matters into her own paws and done the only thing she could do to protect the secret.

Before the Gathering, Hollyleaf had followed Ashfur to the WindClan border, stalking him like she would a piece of prey: treading softly, claws sheathed to keep them from catching in brambles or scratching on stone. I'm one of the best hunters in ThunderClan, she remembered thinking. How is a cat any different from a mouse or a squirrel? They all bleed the same.

It had been all too easy to sink her teeth into his neck, holding him tight until he went still.

But then she had learned the truth: that her mother was Leafpool, ThunderClan's medicine cat, and her father was Crowfeather of WindClan. The news had shook her to her core. How could she serve her Clan by upholding the code when her very existence was a violation of it?

She had had no choice but to reveal the truth. The cats who had committed these wrongs had to face the consequences of their actions. The Clans had to know! She had thought her brothers would understand, but it seemed no cat could ever understand why she had done what she did. It didn't matter. She knew she had done the right thing.

But as her brothers stood before her now, their faces awash with horror over her final confession, she realized there was no going back for them. They would never be the littermates they had been, trusting each other even when they couldn't trust anyone else. They would never trust her again.

"Hollyleaf, what did you think would happen after you killed him?" asked Lionblaze, looking simultaneously betrayed and bewildered.

"He should have been swept into the lake and never seen again," she said. Jayfeather started, as if having just been awakened from a trance. "But they found him, and now everything is ruined. I can't stay here."

With those words, the full force of what she had done, and what it meant for the future, hit her finally. She couldn't stay in ThunderClan. She had no choice but to leave the home she loved so much. Eventually, someone would figure out what she had done and she would be banished- Leafpool already knew, and after what Hollyleaf had just threatened to do to her, of course Leafpool would tell the Clan. Then she would be exiled. It was better to leave now, on her own terms.

Her body was shaking, and she felt her voice tremble when she spoke again.

"I know I did the right thing, but no cat will ever understand," she meowed, silently pleading with her brothers not to hate her too much for what she had done, and for what she was about to do. Then she turned and plunged into the tunnels.

But she had only made it a few steps when she heard a rumble, ten times louder than any thunder she had ever heard before. It was as if the whole earth was shaking. And then the world was collapsing in on her. Dirt and rock were all around her, throwing her to the ground and crushing her bones. She couldn't move, and with horror she realized she couldn't breathe either. Where air had been a moment earlier she now found only dirt and stones.

I'm going to die right now, she realized. I'm going to die and no one will ever know what happened to me. They won't even have my body to sit vigil over.

And then she heard a voice inside her head, louder than her own. With a shock, she realized it was Lionblaze's.

Come on, are you really going to let yourself be defeated by a pile of rocks? he teased. You've taken down WindClan warriors and Tribe enemies and foxes, your story does not end here.

I'm not strong enough, she protested. I can't fight this enemy.

You're the strongest cat I know, replied the Lionblaze in her head. Now fight!

Rallying all her strength, she thrashed beneath the weight of the rocks, fighting to get her head free. After a moment, her face broke through the tremendous mass on top of her. Graciously, she gasped for breath, taking in what little air she could despite the pressure still on her chest. Then, she kicked her front legs forward, dislodging more rocks until she had her front paws free. Taking a deep breath, she reached forward as far as she could and started to pull herself out.

She hissed with pain as one of her hind legs moved through the stone. The pain was so sharp she feared it might be broken. But she was alive. She had to get free, and then she could worry about her leg. Gritting her teeth, she dragged the rest of her body out of the stone before collapsing onto the ground to catch her breath.

Now that she was no longer focused on survival, she took stock of her surroundings. The tunnel was completely dark. She took a moment straining her eyes, desperately trying to make out any light, to no avail. She was blind.

Is this how Jayfeather feels all the time? she wondered. It was terrifying, knowing that anything could be right next to her and she would never know.

Next, she took mental stock of her own injuries. Her ribs hurt from where the rocks had been crushing them, but they were already starting to feel better, so she didn't think there was any serious injury. The pads of her front paws were scraped raw from pulling herself out, and they would definitely sting when she tried to walk. But the biggest issue was her hind leg. Gently leaning on it, it screamed out in pain. Probably broken. She thought she could maybe walk by dragging it behind her, like Cinderheart had when she had been injured falling from the Sky Oak, but it would be slow going.

And then of course, there was the fact that she had only been down here for a few minutes and she was already having conversations with cats who weren't there. But that was a problem for later.

Harnessing as much strength as she could muster, she pulled herself decisively to her paws, and began the slow trudge down the cave. She didn't know the layout of the tunnel system, but she knew she couldn't go back, so all she could do was go forward and hope to StarClan there was another exit connected to her tunnel.

She didn't know how long she had been walking for, though she suspected she hadn't gone very far, when suddenly her face collided painfully with a wall.

"No…" she whispered. "No, no, no, this can't be a dead end." Desperately, she scratched at the wall with her claws, feeling around until she was sure this was the end of the tunnel.

"No!" she yowled. This couldn't be it. After all of the work she had done to free herself from the rocks, was she trapped down here now? Fear fluttered up inside her, and she could barely think. Somehow this terror was so much greater than the fear of being crushed to death. She was trapped, and she was going to starve to death in complete darkness, all alone. It was all over.

Just when she had lost hope, she heard another voice in her head. It was Jayfeather.

Stop being so mouse-brained, he snapped. So it's dark. So what? Are you so reliant on your sight that you can't use your other senses?

Pausing her panic for a moment, she steadied her breathing. He was right. She may be blind, but Jayfeather had never let that stop him. Closing her eyes, she let her other senses take in her surroundings.

The smell of the tunnel was damp and earthy. She couldn't make out the scent of any animals aside from the moons-old smell of fox. Not a threat to her now.

She took a moment to feel with her whiskers. All she could feel was a gentle, almost imperceptible breeze, making the cold tunnels just a little bit colder.

Wait, a breeze? If she could feel a breeze, that meant the air had to be coming from somewhere, right? If she was completely trapped, there would be no way for air to get in.

Newly energized, she began to drag herself back down the tunnel, this time keeping her right flank pressed against the tunnel wall so she would be able to feel if anything opened up. She felt she must be almost back to the cave-in when suddenly, the wall disappeared from her side. Another tunnel!

Eagerly, she turned, taking careful note of the direction. Once again, she dragged her useless, aching leg down the tunnel until she realized she could see a faint light in the distance. Was she imagining it? Did she want to see light so badly that her brain was tricking her into thinking it was there? It certainly wouldn't be the only thing she had imagined today.

A few moments later it became more obvious. The tunnel was definitely getting brighter.

She followed the light until she got to where it was brightest. Looking up, she realized it wasn't an exit. The light was leaking in through a crack in the cave ceiling. It was certainly too small for a cat to fit through, and probably too small for even a mouse.

Well, at least I'm not completely blind anymore, she thought, looking down at her bleeding paws. But what good does that do me if I'm trapped down here with no way to hunt, much less gathering healing herbs?

At this consideration of her plight, a wave of dizziness came over her. Maybe if she just slept…

Suddenly, she heard paw steps behind her. She wasn't alone. She whirled, seeing the shape of a dark cat come faintly into view, and the shape spoke.

"Hollyleaf?"

(A.N: Thanks for reading! Chapter 2 is already written, and coming soon. If you enjoyed, please please leave a comment! I've admittedly never finished a long writing project like this before, and getting indication anyone is actually reading will make that way more likely. 17 chapters are planned- hope you enjoy!)