CORFU CATS

1

The betrayal

The street was silent; and almost deserted. The shops were empty; the shopkeepers dozed in wicker chairs inside. The hot midday sun blazed overhead, and the only things alive, at first sight, were a squabbling flock of fat, grey pigeons that wandered about cooing and pecking at breadcrumbs on the cobblestones. But, to a sharper, more observant eye, there was something else. In the shade of the stunted bushes that grew around the Apothecary, lay a lean, silver shape. It was a cat, slender and deadly-looking. It watched as the pigeons; blissfully unaware of its presence, hopped about on the pavement; still cooing softly to themselves. Then, without warning, the cat made a sudden rush into the centre of the flock. She had the element off surprise on her side, and she struck one down before it came to its senses.

"Is your clan eating pigeon now? City pigeons nest in the sewers, you know." The remark came from a small silver-tipped black tom that was perched on a café window ledge. "Leave the hunting to the dominant sex."

The blue-grey cat hissed softly and narrowed her eyes. "What are you doing here, Jackdaw? This is my territory." the blue-grey cat unsheathed her claws.

"Moonstar, if this was still your territory, I would not be in it. Your Clan is dying. Bloodclan are taking over. Goodbye, littermate."

Too late, Moonstar realised that Jackdaw, her brother, had betrayed her. Too late, she realised that his talking had been a distraction while seven huge Bloodclan cats crept up behind her. His smirk was the last thing she saw before darkness clouded her vision.

2

The scavenger

Way above the city, a raven circled. Its plumage was sleek and glossy; and it had grown fat on roadkill. Far below, a small, forlorn grey shape lay on the cobblestones. The raven called "Caark! I shall feast tonight! Caark!" and dropped like a stone towards his next meal. He alighted on the ground beside Artemis's tattered body. He leaned forward and was about to open the carcass when it uttered a forlorn mewl.

"Caark! Cat still lives! Caark! What life you on?" he asked, but he needn't have bothered; Moonstar was already counting on her claws.

"…And there was that time I fell off a wall… and that time I ate a whole seagull in one go… it was one of the really big ones too… so…was that time my fifth life? Oh, I'll just say it was my third…"