Chapter 1

Bloodred light shed over the glinting moors beyond the alleyway. Moon paced, her tail lashing, beside an oily strip of grass edging the stone tunnel. A cool wind blew through her cloudy pelt, the sting of monsters' breath wafting on the breeze. She sank onto her haunches with a sigh.

The rolling moors seemed her only option now; her housefolk had abandoned her here, in the middle of nowhere. How was a housecat like her supposed to survive in such a prey-bare area, where monsters routinely cut cats down if the oncoming leaf-fall didn't freeze them first? But would the wilderness be any safer?

Moon's claws shrieked across the frosty stone beneath her body. Why did they leave me? What did I do?

She glanced down at the collar hanging from her neck. It was supposed to signify that she had housefolk who adored her, but now it seemed a bitter reminder of their betrayal.

"Moon?"

The voice made her leap. She whirled around, coming face-to-face with her brother.

"Boots!" Moon said, catching her breath. "I thought you were out hunting!" Her littermate had always been exquisitely light on his paws, even with the bell fastened around his neck.

Boots' shoulders sank. "Hunting isn't what I'd call it," he murmured. "There's nothing but gray here." He angled his ears out of the lot. Looming stone buildings cast black shadows over snaking, monster-filled paths; the only life was the occasional glimpse of a housecat through a window.

Moon pressed her cheek against Boots'. "We'll be alright. We just have to get settled."

Boots pulled away from her. His icy eyes clouded with uncertainty. "Will we? We're starving. We've been here almost two twilights, and there hasn't been a single whiff of prey…" Boots' tail trembled.

Moon's heart ached with sorrow, for herself, and her brother. They didn't deserve this.

She tried to meet Boots' gaze to offer him some comfort. His bones jutted out from his thin, smoky pelt, and grime clumped his fur into rough knots.

Unable to muster a word, Moon eased herself onto her belly and swept her tail over the spot beside her.

Boots curled up at her flank, burying his face in her neck fur.

We will be alright, Boots… she silently promised him, as long as we're together.

Just before Moon drifted into a hazy slumber, the sound of heavy pawsteps jolted her awake.

Her head shot up. Peering into the deepening shadows, Moon caught a glimpse of shapes swarming over the moors.

"Boots," she whispered, but he was already alert.

The littermates crept closer until they were at the edge of the alleyway. Moon could make out a throng of creatures, lithe and smelling faintly of cold, open air. A pair of golden eyes pierced into hers.

"Get back!" Moon hissed, turning tail and whipping around the corner of the alley. Boots sped after her.

"What was that?" he gasped.

"I-I don't know," Moon stammered, ears pricking at the sound of murmuring voices. "They're speaking…" The faint growl of faraway monsters made their words indecipherable. Whiskers trembling, Moon peered back into the moors. The dark silhouettes were breaking up from each other now, spreading out until it was clear what they were.

Cats.

Dozens of cats.

Moon's hackles rose, though her heart slowed as they started moving towards the horizon.

"They're leaving," she reported to Boots, who shook beside her. His blue eyes glittered in the moonlight.

"Those can't be housecats."

Moon straightened up, tail sweeping around him. "Do you suppose they were wild?"

Boots didn't reply. His claws kneaded the ground, until Moon finally mewed, "Should we follow them?"

Her brother tensed. "No way! They'd claw us to pieces, and — and —" He appeared too terrified to continue.

"But surely there's more prey out on the moors than here…"

"There's no way I'm going out there," Boots protested. "B-but you won't leave me, right?"

Moon gazed at him warmly. "Never. Did you really think I would?" She flicked her tail, and Boots followed her back into the alleyway's center.

"Now, let's get some rest." The ground underneath was still warm from where they had been laying. Moon spread out, wrapping her plumy tail over Boots' thin frame. His breathing soon became deep and rhythmic, assuring Moon that he would sleep comfortably through the night. She yawned, lowered her chin onto her forepaws, and closed her eyes.

Even as Moon faded into slumber, the memory of the wild cats burned in her mind.

Heat flared across the grass. It reached into the sky, red-hot embers flitting through the wind.

Moon raced through the flames, her paws tripping over marshy, blackening earth.

"Boots!" she shrieked. "Where are you?" Had the fire already engulfed her brother? Her stomach plummeted at the thought, but her instincts to survive overpowered her panic. I must escape! A gap between the flames appeared, but it rose into a great, searing wall just before Moon could reach it. She whipped around and sprang in an attempt to scale the fire. A great burst of heat forced her back. She was trapped in a circle of flickering light. It pressed in on her, filling her lungs with sticky, dry smoke.

"Somebody help me!" Through the wavering blaze, bodies of powerful cats watched her with calm, narrowed eyes. "I'm going to die in here!"

The inferno roared, brighter than the sun, hotter than anything Moon had ever experienced. She willed it to end her quickly, but for many moments, all she could do was cower as it scorched her pelt.

Thick plumes of smoke wafted at her paws, rising to burn her eyes and nose. Overwhelming heat shot through Moon's body. She let out a shrill cry as her pelt caught fire, digging into her skin, leaving her nothing but a burned mess of fur and flesh.

"The sun is up," called the surrounding cats.

Moon's eyes flew open. Boots loomed over her, his head tilted, outlined by morning light. "Shall we go hunt?"

Moon caught her breath, sheathing her claws.

"Are you okay?" Boots bent down and nudged her shoulder.

"It was only a nightmare." She heaved herself onto her paws. Bright sunlight spilled into the alleyway, seeping her pelt in warmth.

Moon's gaze traveled to the moors. She half-expected to see it set ablaze, but all was calm, full of swaying wildflowers and wind-swept grass.

"Let's go," Moon meowed, sauntering out of the alley. It was early enough that the monsters were still fast asleep. She and Boots darted down the black paths. Boots' bell sang as it pounded against his chest. He skidded to a halt, looking apologetically at Moon. She shrugged, gesturing for them to keep moving, but in the back of her mind, she wondered if Boots' bell would turn out to be a hindrance on their hunting expedition.

Twisting down a narrow path, Moon plunged onward.

The warm scent of mouse tickled her nose. She slowed, head swinging to and fro, and charged towards a small mound of leaves scattered beside the path. Moon slammed her paws down, her pelt pricking as she felt flesh beneath her claws. The mouse squealed and wriggled. She shot forward, prepared to make a killing bite.

"Moon!" Boots' shriek made Moon falter. The mouse shot away, disappearing between buildings. Moon whirled on Boots. "What?" she snarled, anger pulsing through her.

"The moors," her brother gasped. "The cats are back!"

Moon swung her head to the grassy slopes beyond the stone buildings. Against the sky, figures clashed, yowls ripping through the air.

She was glued to the spot in fascination.

Pools of cats raced together, flinging themselves at each other, digging into pelts, ripping out chunks of fur. She saw bodies of all colors, shimmering gold, pitch-black, cats of dappled white and red, all battling for their lives. A pang shook in her stomach, and Moon was briefly pulled away from the moors as she was reminded of her hunger.

Boots turned to her with flattened ears. "I'm sorry about the mouse."

Moon narrowed her eyes, lips twitching. A blast of wind shook through her fur. It pressed Boots' pelt against his small frame, revealing ribs. As the mouse-scent faded, more suddenly hit Moon's nose; rabbit, shrew, eagles, all coming from the wilderness beyond. She glanced back towards the rolling hills and flat grasslands. The shadows on the horizon were dispersing, each racing in different directions. A few mounds remained, unmoving on the earth. A chill shot through Moon.

She was a housecat, born and bred. And the wild was unrelenting, unpredictable, unsafe. But it couldn't be any worse than this wretched place. It was their last resort.

"That's it," Moon meowed, forcing her voice to stay strong. "We're going to the moors."