"Graystripe!"

Graystripe groaned and blinked open his eyes. It had been 2 days since the plan was made up to escape, and all of the cats have been preparing. He sat up and stretched and scratched his claws on the floor of his den.

"Graystripe! There's a new cat here!" mewed Todd, the tabby tom in the den next to his.

"Eh? Who?" Graystripe peered over Todd, and saw a small orange and white bundle of fur was hidden.

"We don't know, he was asleep when the twolegs brought him in, and he hasn't woken up."

"Can you try to prod him through the mesh?" Storm yawned from the end of the row.

"I'll try." Todd replied, he stuck a skinny leg through the mesh and prodded the strange tom. It grunted and blinked awake.

"He's awake!" Todd meowed. Graystripe tried to see.

"Wh-where am I?" the tom groaned. He stood up.

"You're in the pound." Vixen, the tom across the room meowed.

"What?" The tom stood straight up and hit his head on the roof. He swayed in the spot and shook his head. "Not here again!"

"You've been here before?" Graystripe asked.

"Yes, and I didn't like it here at all. I managed to escape last time, but then they took me right back." the tom spat angrily.

"How did you escape?" Lily spoke up.

"I let my claws grow long, and I managed to pick the lock on the door here. It wasn't easy though, some of my claws broke but I managed." the tom replied.

"That's good to hear that it would work, we're trying to escape, but at the right time." Graystripe mewed.

"And when will that be?" the tom stared at him through the mesh.

"Very soon, I hope." Storm piped up, "I can't have my kits here."

"Why not tonight? When all of the twolegs are asleep?" Todd suggested.

"That's a good idea!" Rose meowed.

"Yes!" Vixen yowled.

"One problem though." the tom spoke, everybody looked at him, "there are some twolegs that stay here at night, it is hard to get past them."

"We just have to be as quiet as possible." Graystripe replied. He was used to it, when stalking prey.

"Stealth." Storm mewed quietly. Graystripe nodded.

"Then it's settled, we leave tonight. When the moon is shone through the glass." Graystripe pointed to the clear glass, showing more twoleg nests but a clear view of the sky. The other cats murmured in agreement.

"It's time to get up!" Graystripe meowed quietly to Todd, and prodded him through the mesh. He awoke.

"Aww, why not another minute?" Todd yawned.

Graystripe rolled his eyes, "No, you need to be wide awake for this." He turned around, and yowled so all of the other cats could wake up.

"Moonrise already?" Storm yawned.

"Alright! We get to escape!" Pebble yowled happily.

"SHH!" Vixen hissed, "Do you want the twolegs to come in here?"

"Oops, sorry." Pebble muttered.

"Right, so, get ready everyone. Pick your locks, and be careful!" Graystripe spoke out. The other cats nodded silently. And with that, they stuck their paws through the meshes and began to pick at the locks.

A few minutes went by, and no luck yet. Graystripe wandered if it even was gonna work. Would he be stuck here forever and get killed? Or become a kittypet. The fur along his spine prickled. Kittypets! Ugh! But then he remembered Firestar, a great Thunderclan leader and his best friend, was a kittypet when he joined the clan.

"I got it!" Pebble yowled triumphantly, shattering Graystripe's thoughts. There was a slow crrreeeeeeeaaaaak, and Pebble jumped graciously out of her den and onto the ground. for once Graystripe got a good look at her. She was light gray with white paws and white-tipped ears.

"Alright Pebble!" Storm meowed happily.

"Can you help us out here?" the ginger and white tom growled while furiously picking at the lock.

"Sure thing." Pebble padded up to the tom's den and reared on her hind paws and stuck a claw into the lock. within a minute, there was a click! and the lock opened. The tom pushed the mesh open eagerly and jumped out.

"You cats help the others now." Graystripe meowed, still focused on his lock. It was hard, and already one of his claws were broken.

"Right." the tom meowed, and got to work on Vixen's den while Pebble went to Rose's.

Within seconds their locks were undone, and Graystripe was getting frustated. finally, the lock clicked open. He pushed open the mesh and jumped out, happy to be free. Rose, who was a pale red color, walked up to him.

"So far this is working." she purred.

Graystripe nodded. Pebble had undone Lily's den, and the tortoiseshell leapt onto the ground without a sound. The ginger and white tom undone Todd's and Storm's last, and they bounded over.

"Now everybody, follow me, and be quiet." Graystripe mewed. Quietly he crept to the end of the room. The door stood ajar, he pushed it open and slipped through, the other cats following.

There was a long twoleg made tunnel ahead of them. Doors on both sides, all closed. Light was pouring out from under the cracks.

"What if the twolegs come out of there and catch us?" Todd whimpered.

"They will if you keep whining like a kit!" Storm hissed quietly. Todd didn't say anything more.

"C'mon, we'd better hurry." Graystripe meowed silently. He was about to walk on when one of the doors open and out stepped a twoleg, staring down at the cats.

They all froze, the light reflecting the panic in their eyes. The twoleg started toward them, holding it's paws out.

"RUUUUNNNN!!!!!" Graystripe yowled. And at an instant, the cats scattered, slipping through the tewoleg's paws.