The silver tabby pelted after the dog, ignoring the stabbing pain in his paws and the cries of his friend, Fox, to come back, that it was too dangerous. The tom ran on, head down, and determined to chase this dog far away from the park he and many other cats called home. He launched forwards and latched his teeth into the flank of the dog, enjoying the musky song of blood that burst on his tongue. He skidded to a halt at the edge of the road. The black dog ran on, eyes wide with fear.
Three toms ran up behind the silver tom, pelts bristled in awe, wide eyes falling on the young tom. "Trout…You…You chased it off…" The ginger tom meowed, stepping on the street and sniffing the spattering of dog blood.
Trout shrugged his massive shoulders nonchalantly, his tail resting on his large white paws.
"But if you hadn't chased it, it would have killed Bird and her kits." Fox mewed, "You're so brave! Scaring off a dog all on your own! Weren't you terrified?"
Trout gave Fox a chilly look, "No. I'm never scared. Especially when it comes to taking care of the other cats." He flexed the muscles under his sleek and shiny coat, claws slipping out to scratch the earth, "Anyways, we should hunt. Tallears and the other old cats are probably pretty hungry." He tilted his head to Smoke and Rain, "You two hunt for Bird and the other mollies, their paws are full dealing with those bratty kits of theirs."
The silver tabby tom couldn't deny the feeling of pride that came from bossing his own father around. His chest swelled as Rain nodded in reply, his father respected him enough to carry out the orders he'd given!
"Fox and I will hunt for the old cats." He twitched his ear in the direction of the park, where they preyed on squirrel and, sometimes, ducklings.
"Your son is shaping up to be a great leader." Smoke meowed to Rain, "So strong and fearless."
"But he doesn't understand that claws and brute strength doesn't solve every problem." Rain meowed back, dropping the blackbird he'd caught earlier, "A leader has to understand diplomacy. What if Misery decides to try and take our territory again? If it wasn't for Marsh's negotiation skills her cats would have torn us limb from limb!"
"Misery isn't interested in the park anymore. Not since she took over Slick's alley and his cats." The black cat meowed, pausing to stalk a squirrel, he killed it cleanly, "Besides, she owns half the city, there's no way she'd try and take any more territory. She wouldn't be able to control all of it."
Rain shook his head, "Misery has ears everywhere and her cats are incredibly loyal."
"I don't see why, they always look so scrawny and haunted…"
"Living in that damp manor, I hear it's haunted by all the cats she's killed."
"You know what she does to punish traitors?"
"What?"
"She makes them stay in the basement for a week. If they survive the rats they have to face Bumble..."
"You mean that huge grey tabby? He looks too stupid to hurt a fly!"
"You've never seen him with his claws out."
"Are you two about finished gossiping?" Trout snapped, coming up behind the two toms, "I sent you to hunt, not chat." His blue eyes were narrowed, two ducklings lay at his paws, still warm. Fox trotted up behind him with a fat squirrel, his wide amber eyes cold as he dropped his own catch.
"They've hardly caught a thing!" He hissed, staring at the blackbird and squirrel. "That'll barely feed Mint and her brood!"
"Come back to base when you've caught enough to feed all the mollies!" Trout ordered, snatching up the dead ducks and storming back. Fox scooped up his prey with a sneer at the older toms and followed after his friend. "How dare they spend precious moments talking when the she-cats and kits sit there starving?"
"Starving is a bit of an overstatement don't you think?" Fox questioned, "Newt and Minnow brought them a whole duck earlier…I bet they're still plenty full…"
Trout whipped around, baring his teeth around the duck feathers, his eyes spoke of the punishment to come. The silver tom stormed ahead, fuming and holding down his rage. Fox felt his heart jump into his throat, he knew Trout would probably claw his flank or mate him roughly that night. He hated Trout's punishments and wished he could just please the big tom and make him proud.
That night Smoke and Rain padded in, squirrels, birds and mice in their jaws. They slunk past the ring of younger toms bullying the smallest tom, Cedar. They had learned early on not to interfere, they would only result in the cats turning on them. They hated to admit how scared they were of their own children and their kits' friends. They dropped the prey in front of the mollies with kits.
"Finally!" Nettle snapped, green eyes glowing with contempt, she snatched up a mouse and threw it to her plump black and white kittens who attacked it with excited squeals, claws and teeth tearing into mouse flesh, flicking blood and entrails on the dusty ground.
"Grr! I'm a dog!" Squeaked Bo, the largest tom in the litter, he ripped the dead animal's throat out and shook the limp body around, keeping it out of reach from his smaller siblings, "I'm eating cat meat! And none of you can stop me!"
"Oh yeah?" Misty hissed, "Well I'm Trout and I'll tear your pelt off!" She pounced on her brother and dug her teeth into his ear, ignoring his mews of protest. He twisted around and pulled her off, slamming her into the ground, smashing Yew underneath them. The small kitten mewled in disapproval and tried to wriggle from underneath his siblings.
"ENOUGH!" Nettle snarled, bowing the kittens over with a hard blow, "Stop playing and eat your food."
Trout finished with Fox and left the ginger tom with a deep score down his ashen muzzle and a bite on his shoulder. Fox picked himself up and sat with his bushy tail across his paws, watching Trout swagger off to converse with Ripple, the gang's leader. The big blue shaggy she-cat nodded solemnly at Trout's words, her left ear flicking. Fox crept closer, belly close to the ground as he hid behind a bush, ears pricked to hear the conversation.
"…Outright attack is the only way to show Misery we aren't the pushover she thinks we are…She's already taken control of Slick's territory, the next logical territory is ours."
Ripple narrowed her eyes, "You might just be right Trout…Though I fear we aren't strong enough to face her on our own…" A heavy sigh came from her scarred muzzle.
Trout snorted, "Of course we aren't," His tail rested on his paws, "Which is why we need to join forces with Burly's cats and the remains of Slick's followers. We need to show Misery she's not welcomed in this city."
Ripple nodded, a sigh escaping her deeply scarred muzzle. She swiped a paw over her torn ears as she spoke again, "You are a clever and wily young cat. We are lucky to have you."
Trout beamed under the praise, his pelt glowing hot with pleasant embarrassment, then he spoke in a hardened voice, "If only all the gang saw it that way…" His eyes wandering over to where Smoke and Rain lay, chatting among themselves. "Some cats seem to think I'm not qualified enough because I'm young."