Rootspring knew why his father sounded so afraid. The spirits weren’t like the ghosts he’d seen before. There was nothing peaceful in the way they stared at the living cats. They crouched against the earth, twisted like snakes, their fur spiked as they looked around them. Lips drawn back, they hissed, their eyes as black as holes. They’re in pain. Rootspring shrank as fear ran icy  claws  along  his  spine.  A  white-and-orange  tom  met  his  gaze,  eyes narrowed to agonized slits. Stemleaf! Rootspring swallowed back terror as, through bared teeth, a yowl seemed to tear itself from Stemleaf’s throat. It echoed around the camp, more tortured than the scream of dying prey.

Darkness Within, Chapter 17