CHAPTER 1
"C'mon, Fawn! Wake up!"
Fawn squeaked in protest as her sister, Fox, prodded her side with a paw. "Please?" she pleaded. "Auntie Robin's going to show us around Twolegplace today!"
Fawn glanced over at Robin, who was snoring loudly. "I don't think she will be anytime soon." she mumbled, rolling over. Fox pouted. "Of course she will! All we have to do is wake her up."
"And how are we gonna do that?" Fawn sighed. "She's out like a light." She had heard Robin use that saying before, although she wasn't sure what it meant. Fox began grinning wildly. Oh no, Fawn thought. "Just watch." The dark ginger kit crouched down, and then pounced onto Robin's back. "Sneak attack!"
"Oh no, I've been hit!" Robin laughed, picking up Fox and setting her down on the ground. Fox giggled. "Can you show us around Twolegplace now?"
Robin shook her head. "I can't-"
"You promised!" Fox interrupted.
"But you two can come with me to run an errand," she finished. Fox rolled her eyes. "Errands are boring! What do you even have to do?"
"Something very important. Fawn," Robin smiled, "Since Fox clearly doesn't want to come, do you want to?" Fawn nodded shyly. "Fox, you stay here. Make sure no one takes our food," Robin gestured to two boxes of chicken sitting a tail-length away, then picked up the smaller one, which was tiny enough for her to carry. Fox grumbled something under her breath as they padded out of the alley.
"I'm surprised that your sister didn't come with us," Robin meowed once they were out of hearing distance. Fawn shrugged. "I guess her hatred of running errands outweighs her love for adventure. Where are we going, anyway?"
"You heard about the cat that killed the dog, right? Scourge, I think." Fawn nodded, so Robin continued. "Well, we're bringing him this chicken to thank him. Dogs are real pains in the tail."
"How do we know where he lives?"
Robin shrugged. "They sent some cats out to tell everyone who he is and where he lives." The older she-cat dropped her voice to a whisper. "Honestly, I think he's trying to turn us into some sort of group." She glared at several cats fighting in an alley as they passed. "I personally wouldn't be opposed to some rules around here."
They walked in silence until they reached a long alley with two cats standing guard. "Excuse me," Robin mewed politely. The black and white tom to the left glared at her. "State your name and business," he growled.
"I'm Robin, and this is Fawn," Robin introduced. "We're here to offer Scourge a box of chicke-"
"Thank you for your offering," the other guard interrupted, seeming anything but thankful as she snatched the chicken and began to walk down the alley. But as she did, Fawn caught a glimpse of a cat standing on top of a dumpster, looking down at them.
From the stories the other cats had told her about Scourge, Fawn would have assumed that he was a tall, muscular cat with powerful claws that could slice a cat in half. But the cat that stood on the dumpster was a scrawny tom no larger than Fawn herself, with a single dog tooth studding his collar and blue eyes blazing with hatred.
