An amber-colored tabby she-cat, her fur blazing with the golden light of the sun, climbed the steep slope of the lush green hills. She twitched her whiskers as she saw a rabbit nearby, blissfully unaware of the cat's presence.
The she-cat slowly crept up on the creature, making sure each step was silent and precise. Staring straight ahead, it seemed that nothing would distract her from her prey - until the faint cry of an eagle was heard overhead.
At this, the ginger tabby darted into the shadow of a bush, waiting for the large bird to come swooping down upon the rabbit. Sure enough, the beating of large wings could be heard as the eagle snatched up its prey and soared back up into the air.
When the bird was no longer in sight, the she-cat emerged into the open air again. Figures, she thought, annoyed. Those eagles from the mountains keep stealing my prey. Why can't those mouse-brained things just stay where they belong?
She remembered her mother, Sun in Cloudy Sky, telling stories about the cats that lived in those bleak stone mountains.
"They are a Tribe, who have a camp behind a great, roaring waterfall. It glimmers in the sunlight and glows silver at night. They coat their pelts with mud to blend in with the rocks, and hunt eagles instead of hiding from them."
"Wow! Why can't I do that, too?" she had asked at the time.
"Because, Flare," Sun in Cloudy Sky had replied. "That place is dangerous." Her tone had been sad and guarded, as though she knew more than she was telling. Flare had never questioned how her mother knew about these strange cats, though she thought she must have encountered them once.
Flare exited her memories and shook her head. No. That isn't important right now, she told herself. I have to look for prey.
No more eagles interrupted her as she continued hunting. A few moments later, she had caught a fat squirrel near the roots of a tree. Satisfied, she sat down to eat it.
She was just about to take the first bite of her prey when a flash of gray fur darted near the corner of her vision.
