HUNTING

Azlan flattened his ears, trying to blot out the harsh commands that rang from the throats of their capturers.

"Sit still!" a nearby tom snarled, and Azlan heard a cry echo into the night.

Azlan, along with many other cats, were being forced to participate in another one of this Clan's twisted games. Azlan already knew the program – he'd been here for more moons than he bothered to count. He wasn't quite familiar with the game they were about to play, but he bet it was just as contorted and feral as the others.

"Azlan!"

Azlan's gray eyes flickered toward a white she-cat whom he knew as Kira. She was the shaded she-cat that came up with each and every game that was played. She sure looked pretty – her fur being perfectly groomed and her blue eyes glowing with darkness, but she was the coldest cat here. Her veins were barbed wires, her shadow of a heart pumping ice instead of blood.

"How's my favorite pawn doing?" Kira growled, curling her tail around her paws as she sat in front of Azlan.

Azlan cringed at the word 'pawn'. Kira was his mentor, all cats here had one. They were more like slaves, being forced to do whatever was asked of them. If you refused… you could only pray that they'd grant you a quick death.

"Can we just get this over with?" Azlan hissed impatiently. Whatever game they were about to play, he wanted it done as soon as possible.

Kira didn't say anything, but her eyes flashed. She stalked away, leaping into her tree to address her Clan.

"Are the prisoners ready?" she yowled, dark satisfaction lighting her gaze as she saw nods from her warriors.

"Pawns!" she addressed, swaying on her branch. "Congratulations, you've been selected to participate in today's hunt."

Azlan heard snickers from the mentors, accompanied by growls of impatience and excitement.

"The rules are simple," Kira went on, "we set you free, and you run. Afterward, we chase and try to catch you."

So, it's basically like a twisted game of hide-and-seek, Azlan remarked, flexing his claws in the soil.

"We have until sunrise to catch you," Kira meowed. "If no one has captured you by sunrise, you're free to go – you no longer belong to us."

Azlan felt his eyes widen. If he could just avoid being captured until sunrise, he'd be home free? The thought sent chills down Azlan's spine, making him shiver.

"What happens if you do catch us?" a cat from the crowd yowled, the voice laden with fear.

Kira's eyes lit pleasure at the question. She unsheathed her claws, her gaze lighting with bloodlust and a low growl rumbling in her throat.

"You'll find out soon enough." she promised.

"Feel free to use the help of the other pawns," Kira added, "you'll need all the luck you can get."

Azlan dropped into a crouch, ready to race away as soon as Kira gave the word. The forest bloomed invitingly from the ground, offering protection in its labyrinth of bushes and trees and boulders.

"Ready?" Kira yowled, her cold gaze sweeping over the cats. "Go!"

Just to let you know, this isn't a story, but it's not a one-shot either. I wrote this for a guest who requested I do a story about the cats from AGONY. If you haven't read that one-shot, I suggest you do.

Okay. Guest, I'm not entirely sure that I'll write a story. It takes too much work - characters, plots, events, etc. I might decide to write one, though I'm not sure. If I don't write a story, then it'll most likely be a series of one-shots. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, the next will be better (there'll be about 5 of them). I'm going to post a chapter to Toxic Trivia about a personality test I took today, so stay tuned!