Elisa froze as the black tom unsheathed his claws.
"Fight you? But, sir, you're an Alpha! Betas don't fight with Alphas," Elisa replied nervously.
"Well, you seemed quite eager to fight with this Omega rabbit foot," the black tom said nonchalantly. "Wouldn't that break your little code?"
Elisa stood up a little straighter, though her paws still trembled. "With all due respect, sir, Omegas who don't know their place should be put in it."
"Don't know their place?" The black tom laughed. "A place for an Omega is wherever they choose! But you wouldn't know that. Your family has probably brainwashed you with that kind of thinking for years."
"Brainwashed?" Elisa tilted her head. "But isn't that just how it is? You're that Omega's mate, right?"
The black tom scoffed. "Why, because I came with him here? No, he's not my mate. He's this rabbit foot's mentor." The Alpha glared down at Cinderpaw, who shriveled under his gaze. "So you won't fight me because I'm an Alpha, then?"
"Exactly, if my parents ever found out I fought an Alpha –"
"It's not your parents you need to worry about now," the longhaired gray tom finally spoke again. "And, Nightstorm, Cinderpaw is my apprentice. It is my job to discipline her. And as a deputy, you should know better than to challenge a cat no older than a rabbit foot to a fight."
"Have you forgotten I outrank you now, Frostnose?" Nightstorm growled. "An Omicron doesn't tell a deputy what to do."
"You know Cherrystar would say the same thing if she were here," Frostnose replied calmly. "She may be prejudiced, but you know it would be an unfair fight. You have years of training, she likely has none."
"Hey, I'm still here!" Elisa piped up when Frostnose spoke. "It's true I've never had any battle training, but that's because Betas don't fight. Alphas do most of the fighting."
"That only goes to show how sheltered your life has been," Frostnose meowed coolly. "In our world, everyone must fight. It is how we survive."
"But – don't you have strong Uppers and Middles who can fight?" Elisa asked curiously. "The Lowers wouldn't need to fight, then. They aren't made to."
"No one is made to do anything," Nightstorm growled. "We're trained to. Anyone of any rank can do whatever they choose in our world."
Suddenly, Elisa felt something stir deep inside of her at those words. Anyone of any rank can do whatever they choose in our world. It was a message Elisa had never heard before. Something she had never even considered.
"So... what you're saying is... a Beta could take on the job of an Alpha? Or... an Omega doesn't have to bear kits?" Elisa pressed.
Frostnose nodded. "Yes. You could be whatever you wanted to be in a Clan." He extended a paw towards Elisa. "Does that sound more tempting than your current life?"
Elisa's ears swiveled towards him. "What do you mean?"
"I'm asking you if you'd like to come with us."