"Halfface? What are you doing?" The tortie tom whirled around to see a silver molly with black stripes like lightning staring at him in horror. "How could you kill that apprentice? You- you're a monster!" The orange-and-black tomcat purred, which sounded like a knife dragged across a chalkboard. "Oh, Lightningstep. So foolish. He had it coming." Lightningstep shook her head, her goldish eyes glinting in grief for the fallen apprentice. Halfface grunted. "If you say a single word of this to anybody, you will meet a fate a thousand times worse than that apprentice." Lightningstep glanced over to the gorge he'd pushed the apprentice down. It seemed to expand, a gaping mouth ready to swallow Lightningstep if she made one wrong step. The tabby she-cat heaved a sigh, looking back to the tom. "I- I can't. I'm loyal to my clan. Not ours. Mine. Because clan is family, and you're no family of mine." Halfface growled, lunging at Lightningstep. He swept her paws out from under her and she went thundering to the ground. He took that as a chance to leap onto her. He tried to bite into Lightningstep's throat, but she thrashed just enough for him to miss and land a deep wound in her shoulder. She hissed. He scratched her over the ears, stepping off of her and letting her stand. She rose to her paws shakily and he sauntered up to her. "Remember this when you're exiled, /traitor/." He slashed his claws across her face, running off as fast as he could. _____________________________ Lightningstep finally dragged herself into WindClan camp. "Oh! What happened!" Petalwish, the medicine cat, came over to Lightningstripe. She grunted. "Come with me!" Shrieked Petalwish. Lightningstep whispered, "No. No, I need to..." Petalwish shook her head, guiding a trembling Lightningstep into her den. "Tsk, tsk. You warriors have no need to act so tough; you need to be patched up." Before they got to the medicine den, Smokestar came storming over, her bicoloured eyes shining in rage. "You! Halfface told me you killed an apprentice!" Lightningstep's jaw dropped. "I- No! It- it was-" Smokestar hissed. "Enough of your lies! Lightningstep, from this moment on, you are exiled from WindClan! If anyone sees you after sunrise tomorrow, they can kill you! Now leave, and don't you dare come back." Lightningstep, ears and tail drooping, began out of the camp, still trailing blood. She looked over her shoulder one last time, sending a rage-filled glare at Halfface. "You'll pay for this." She whispered hoarsely, leaving camp. Halfface purred. "Sure I will, sweetheart."
Lightningstep grew up a loyal WindClan warrior alongside Halfface and Eclipsecloud. At least, she thought they were loyal too. Until Lightningstep witnessed the murder of an apprentice, performed by Halfface himself. They fought and Halfface won, leaving her for dead. She made her way back to WindClan camp, only to find that she'd been framed. She was exiled, and her life spiralled away from the simple elegance it once was.
