Grey Skies
~~~ Evening, Alleyway
The twolegplace. Those who live here tell tales of the wildness and savageness of the forest cats, spinning horrible stories of bloodshed and death, but no stories need to be spun to describe the wilder, more savage lives led in the twolegplace. At least in the forest cats live by code, but here, no code can reign in the vicious, warring world of cats. Yet somehow, there is law in the chaos, hidden unseen in the shadows but felt everywhere across the twolegplace.
"Who's there?" The dark grey tomcat called out into the murky darkness of the alleyway. Surrounding him were trashcans, boxes and strange twoleg contraptions that meant nothing to him. He stood at the end of the alleyway, and had just finished his meal, a long dead piece of crowfood. It was the best he could get.
At first, silence was the only reply he received, but he knew there was someone there, watching him. He looked behind him; the wall blocked his escape. He looked around him; they were there too.
But who were they?
They were called the Syndicate. They came after the ruthless, bloody reign of Bloodclan, but in truth, weren't much better in terms of moral, and ruled in a different way. Sometimes, power is best played out in the shadows, imposing fear not of them, but of everyone. The Syndicate never wore flashy collars to display their allegiance; no one knew who they were, but everyone knew they were there, watching. They were a rather large group, but their exact size was never confirmed. Sometimes, someone forgot their omnipresence, and they paid for it—with their life.
A grey she-cat stepped into view, eyes a piercing blue. Shadows stirred around the tomcat as she flicked her tail, revealing two other snickering cats, eyes glowing in the dark.
"Greetings, my name is Grey. You're Steel, yes?" The she-cat asked, "Former clan cat and brother of Oakleaf?"
Steel widened his eyes, "How did you know that? I tell no one of my past."
"Let's just say we have connections," she grinned, revealing sharp teeth, "And our connections say that you haven't paid your rent for two moons."
"I… I don't have the prey to pay you."
"We already let you off for a moon, to see if you can redeem yourself," she sighed dramatically, "but it seems like you've wasted the chance we so generously gave you."
"No—please! It's hard enough to feed myself, how am I supposed to pay such high fees?" Steel backed up towards the wall as the mass of cats neared him.
"That's your problem," Grey sneered, "We are already so kindly protecting you for such a low price, but if you can't even afford that, well, you can't afford to be here."
Suddenly, the cats around Steel dashed at him, fangs bared and claws flashing, causing him to cry out in terror. He attempted to flee, but there was nowhere to run. His shrieks of pain were drowned out by the shrieks of bloodlust of his attackers. Blood spilled onto the ground. Disinterested now that her speech was finished, she turned away from the cats writhing in futile battle on the ground.
"Grey?" A small tabby scurried up behind the grey she-cat, white paws drumming the ground. She glanced at the bloodshed behind Grey and turned back towards her, apparently used to such scenes. She had to be used to it by now; she was one of the few messengers for the Syndicate, chosen for their knowledge of the twolegplace and sharp nose to sniff out any cat.
Grey glanced at the tabby and meowed pleasantly, "Bells, what message do you bring from Father?"
"Ah!" Bells exclaimed quietly, "Father asked me to tell you that the inspection of the West Territory is due soon. He's slightly suspicious of the behavior occurring there because of the lack of production."
"Hn," Grey muttered, thinking, "I'll look into it."
Bells nodded and scurried away just as quickly as she had appeared. Just then, the cats behind her finished their battle, dragging unconscious Steel and dumping him at her feet. She looked at the unmoving lump of fur and meowed, "Good job, now after reporting to Father, bring him back to the prison and let him rot there."
They grunted and disappeared, leaving a bright splash of blood on the sidewalk as a warning to any other cat who might even think about challenging the Syndicate.
~~~ Evening, West Headquarters
The twolegplace was a rather large, city-like area, and there was no way Father could control it all at once. So, he split it into two sections, a West Territory and East Territory. The West Territory is the side that borders the forest, and the East Territory, noticeably larger than the west, covers the rest of the twolegplace and is cut off at the highway, where no cats dare wander across.
The East Territory is controlled by Tibio, a rather queer cat with strange tastes and strange ways. Many wonder why Father chose him to lead such a large area, but never question his choice. Tibio is a sturdy, black tom, with a bone-white hind leg. He claims he named himself because a cat told him his white leg was his "tibia" and he changed it to make it sound more masculine. He insists that everyone call him Tibbs.
The West Territory is run by an angular, dark ginger tom, whose face resembles a fox, with his slanted amber eyes and pointed face. His name is Hunter; he prides himself on being able to hunt down every single one of his enemies. Usually, the West Territory has an even ratio of captives to prey brought in, however, lately numbers have been fluctuating slightly.
Grey padded towards the West Headquarters, located near a small, narrow alley, where it was dark no matter the time of day. Twoleg junk was piled at the opening, and any wandering eyes would see no more than trash in the darkness. However, the alley is longer than it seems, and if you walk in to a certain extent, you'll find a dead end, once more piled with miscellaneous items. Most cats would turn around after sniffing about, but only those who know how to get in will find the small hole behind a trashcan that is the door to the West Headquarters. Guards were posted in strategic positions all around the alleyway, making sure no curious souls get out alive.
The moment Grey leapt into the alleyway, she was greeted with a thunder of snarls, and guards glared at her from all around. She stood her ground as the snarls rolled off of her and gradually quieted.
Suddenly, a familiar tom slunk out from the shadows. His dark ginger pelt and dusky amber eyes were unmistakable; Grey was in the presence of Hunter, lord of the West.
"Ah, what a coincidence!" Hunter purred, voice smooth and rich as honey, "What brings Grey, the daughter of Father and next leader of the Syndicate here to my humble home?"
"Stop talking like that!" Grey snapped, annoyed when she heard the first syllable of his voice, "I've come for an inspection."
Immediately, Hunter's eyes narrowed and became guarded, and his voice sank into a growl, "Why would we need an inspection?"
"Ask Father that," Grey retorted, not revealing her knowledge.
Hunter murmured, "Ah, well, I can't deny Father, can I…?"
Grey snarled in impatience and stalked up towards him, "I'll be staying for the next week to inspect your performance levels and behavior of your hunters, as per procedure. Now, show me to your headquarters. Refusal to cooperate will result in consequences."
The tom grinned widely and hissed, "What consequences can you impose on me?"
The guard cats around him closed in behind Grey, snarls once more rumbling in their chests. Grey held the other cat's amber gaze without a quiver, her claws sliding out to match his.
Hunter broke the moment when he threw his head back and laughed, "Ha! I would never do that to you, dear Grey. I was merely joking. You didn't really think I would do anything to you, did you?"
Grey kept her position, glaring at Hunter, "Well, it can't hurt to be prepared, right?"
Still chortling, Hunter turned and started walking towards the entrance, beckoning to Grey with his tail, "Come along, then. I'll show you to your new home for the next week."
Grey followed him, forcing herself not to turn around and face the guards still watching her suspiciously behind her. Didn't they understand who she was? And that their loyalty was not to Hunter, but to Father?
The headquarters was underground, but was rather spacious and involved a network of tunnels and caverns scratched out years ago. Hunter trotted down the tunnels confidently, and finally stopped in front of a dent in the earth, already lined with feathers and fur of other cats. It was new and had not been slept on, as if it was prepared especially for her.
"You've been expecting me?" Grey inquired, eyes narrowing.
Hunter grinned, "Not at all."
He turned and left, tail swishing and Grey's ear twitching in endless annoyance.
A/N: Those who know me might see the resemblance between The Alliance and the Syndicate, but I just have a thing for organized crime. :)
Thanks for reading my new story~ Review are very much appreciated!
Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors.