This is a backstory for the character Silk from my fan-fiction Lightning's Destiny. If you are curious to read more of my Warriors fanfiction or learn more about Silk you can check that out :)
Characters:
Silk— a slim, pure white she-cat with bright orange eyes.
Velvet— a small white dog with curly fur and deep brown eyes
Delilah— a dark brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes
Whiskey— a large, light brown tabby tom with green eyes
Bronze— a light brown tabby tom with a white chest/belly and orange eyes
Dusty— a mostly white tom with some small light brown tabby patches and green eyes
Dark— a mostly white tom with a black tail and black markings on his face and blue eyes
The Brothers:
King— a large black and white tom with icy blue eyes
Lancer— a black and white tom with green eyes
Dragon— a massive solid black tom with blue eyes
Part One: A Lost Pet
In the golden pool of the early morning light that streamed in the window, Silk blinked awake from her perch on the couch. As soon as her eyes opened, her stomach growled. Silk winced, pressing a dainty white paw to her belly, trying to soothe the hunger. She rose and stretched, yawning. Today marked the fourth day without Agnes, her house-folk. The kind old lady had cared of Silk for her whole life. She knew nothing beyond the walls of their home, and the gentle, wrinkled face of Agnes. Agnes always took care of her, brought her food, gave her water, toys and soft places to sleep. But, three days ago, Agnes had left the house and not returned.
Silk was worried about her. She had been moving stiffly, and coughing a lot before the day she vanished. What if something had happened to her?
Silk's belly loudly growled again, reminding her of another pressing issue. Without Agnes, Silk had no food. Silk crouched down, wrapping her thin tail around herself for comfort. She was already feeling weak. How many more days could she go before the hunger overwhelmed her?
"Oh Agnes, where are you?" Silk cried out, her voice breaking slightly as she sighed.
"Silk?" a voice called, causing Silk to jolt.
Silk turned to see a small white dog trotting into the room, her dark brown eyes peering worriedly out of the curly fur of her face.
"Velvet," Silk meowed, relaxing. "I didn't realize that you were awake."
"I have trouble sleeping without Agnes," Velvet said, giving a high pitched whine.
"Me too," Silk said with another sigh.
She wished that she had Agnes' warm side to press against, and that Agnes' large hands would soothingly stroke her head, and that she would murmur quietly to her in her house-folk language while Silk fell asleep with a low purr in her throat.
Velvet hopped onto the couch, curling up against Silk. Velvet whined softly to herself, nuzzling her own paws for comfort. Silk leaned over and gave Velvet's floppy ears a few soothing licks.
Velvet and Silk had grown up together; they had met when Silk was only a tiny kitten, and Velvet only a bumbling puppy. Besides Agnes, Velvet was her only family.
"You think she'll be back, right?" Velvet asked, resting her chin on Silk's back.
"Of course she'll be back," Silk said with certainty in her voice.
Her ears pricked as she heard Velvet's stomach growl.
"What concerns me is what we will do about food in the meanwhile," Silk said.
"I'm so hungry," Velvet said with a sigh.
"Me too," Silk replied.
Silk hesitated, the idea that she had been tossing around in her head for these past few sunrises coming to the front of her mind.
"Velvet…" Silk meowed slowly. "You don't think that maybe… we could go outside to find food."
"What?" Velvet said, her ears pricking as she raised her head from Silk's back so she could look her in the eye. "But, I'm not allowed to go outside without Agnes! And, you don't go outside at all."
"I know," Silk meowed, looking down at her paws. "But, think about it. Agnes brings the food in from the outside. We don't know when Agnes is coming back, so we need to find our own food for a bit."
Velvet gave an uncertain whine.
"Look, here," Silk said.
She rose to her paws, leaping from the seat to the top of the couch, then onto the nearby windowsill. The window gave Silk a view of the yard, then the street, and the row of houses on the other side. Silk had spent many days sitting at this window, watching the house-folk and their cars drive past. Sometimes she even watched Agnes walk Velvet around on a long strip of rope. Silk had always been content to observe though, she never felt an urge to see what was out there. Until now.
When Agnes had vanished, she had left the window slightly open. A fresh-breeze came in to stir Silk's whiskers. Silk sighed, feeling the touch of the clean air. The crack wasn't very big, but Silk thought she could manage to wiggle enough under it to widen it with her shoulders so that Velvet could also fit through.
"You've told me about how there are food-things to eat out there," Silk meowed. "Good smelling things that house-folk sometimes drop. And, look!"
Silk spotted a bird flutter past the window.
"There's prey for us to hunt too," Silk said. "I'm sure we can catch something."
"Birds are hard to catch. I've tried," Velvet huffed, rearing up on her hind-legs to rest her forepaws on the windowsill, so that she could see outside too.
"Well, we need to eat something," Silk said, turning to look at Velvet.
Velvet pressed her ears back to her head uncertainly.
"What if Agnes comes back while we're gone?" Velvet asked. "Silk, I don't know…"
"Please, Velvet," Silk meowed, a hint of pleading entering her voice. "I don't want to go outside as much as you do. But we need food to live. We will come right back afterwards, I promise."
Velvet was silent for a moment longer.
"You're right," she finally said with a sigh. "But, we come right back."
"Of course," Silk assured.
Silk bent down and wiggled under the windowsill. With a grunt, she raised herself upwards, slowly expanding the gap.
"Is that good?" Silk panted, her legs trembling as she took a break from pushing up on the window.
Silk eyed the now much larger opening. Velvet also closely examined it, looking up and down at the window.
"I think so," she yapped.
Velvet pulled her paws back to stand back on the ground. She took a few steps backward, the tags on her pink collar jingling. Silk eyed it, feeling glad that Agnes didn't make her wear a collar like that around her neck.
"Watch out," Velvet warned.
Silk moved out of the way as Velvet took a brief running start and sprung cleanly out of the window and into the yard. After only a moment's hesitation, Silk followed her outside and into the unknown.
"Um… Silk, do you know where we are?" Velvet asked, with a soft whine, looking around at the unfamiliar street and casting a worried glance up at the darkening sky.
"Er," Silk meowed, giving an uneasy tail-twitch and glancing to the left then the right, searching for familiar landmarks. "I'm sure we came this way, home must just be right around the corner."
Silk and Velvet had to wander for a while before they found anything to eat. They ended up stumbling across these big, silver, metal bins in an alley which had food scent coming from them. Silk first had tried to knock a bin over, but she found that she was not strong enough. She was lucky to have Velvet there, with her greater size and strength, Velvet had been able to tip the bin over without a problem. There had been remains of some kind of bird in there, along with some other scraps of house-folk food. Silk was grateful that she finally had a full belly, but in her and Velvet's quest to find the food, they ended up far from their house… And they were having a bit of difficulty finding their way back.
Velvet gave another high pitched whine as they continued walking down the street.
Silk's ears flicked back at the annoying noise.
"Will you quit doing that?" Silk snapped, a hint of irritation creeping into her voice.
"I'm sorry," Velvet muttered, ducking her head. "It's just I've never been away from home for this long."
Silk sighed.
"I know," she meowed, her irritation waning as she looked at her friend. "I haven't either. I'm sorry… I'm just feeling stressed too."
"It's okay," Velvet barked softly, giving a small tail wag to show all in forgiven.
They continued on in silence for a bit longer. Silk gazed at the house-folk houses around her, but none of them seemed familiar. The scents on the breeze didn't smell like the scents that drifted through the window during the days that Silk would lie on the sill either. And, as the sun set, the shadows grew longer and deeper, turning the world around her more sinister and unfamiliar with each passing second.
Silk blinked hard, looking back to Velvet.
"I don't know where we are," Silk meowed, despair creeping into her voice.
She stopped walking, and for a moment she felt like crying like a kit.
"Why did Agnes leave us?" Silk said, her voice pleading.
"Shh," Velvet said, giving Silk a nuzzle with her long nose. "It's going to be okay."
"How can we find the way back?" Silk mewed, feeling very small. "It's getting so dark…"
"How about we find a place to rest for the night?" Velvet suggested. "In the morning, things will look more familiar. Then we can find home."
Silk nodded, slowly at first, then more vigorously. She felt better now that they had a plan. Even if it was a tentative one. Velvet led the way down a nearby alleyway. The fur on Silk's back prickled as they walked through the narrow lane. She felt like the walls were pressing in, and that there were eyes on her. Silk glanced quickly to her left, and she spotted a flash of movement as a cat dashed past, scrambling up a low wall. The stranger glanced down once at Silk and Velvet from over it's shoulder, before disappearing down the other side of the wall.
Silk swallowed. Although she couldn't see the cat's face, she had still felt the hostility of it's gaze.
"Here looks good," Velvet yapped.
Silk looked at the spot Velvet picked out for them.
It was a damp, dark corner of the alley, hidden the shadows, and the ground was hard and cold.
Silk found herself longing for her soft blankets, couch, and bed back in their house.
Velvet curled up on the ground, a white curly-furred mound. Silk settled down next to her, pressing her matching white coat to her friend's.
"Goodnight, Silk, everything will be better in the morning," Velvet said.
"Goodnight," Silk sighed, shutting her eyes.
The next morning, Silk snapped awake to the sound of house-folk shouts. She leapt to her paws as she saw large shadows looming down the alley.
"Velvet, get up," Silk hissed in a hushed voice, prodding Velvet's side with her paw.
"Wha—" Velvet mumbled, rising her head while blinking sleepily.
"Get up! We've got to go! Strange house-folk are coming!" Silk said.
Velvet rose to her paws.
"What do we do?" Velvet asked, looking around.
The house-folk had entered the alley. There were three of them. They saw Velvet and Silk, and they froze.
Velvet and Silk froze in response, and for a moment, everyone just stared at each other.
The house-folk started talking in low, soothing voices in their house-folk language. Silk cocked her head, listening. Their voices sounded friendly, but she didn't recognize many of the words. She only picked out kitty, and dog.
"We should go," Silk said quietly to Velvet.
Silk noticed Velvet's tail was slowly wagging.
"They seem nice, Silk. What if they know Agnes?" Velvet said, looking at the house-folk.
"Not all house-folk know each other," Silk hissed to Velvet in an exasperated voice.
Velvet gave a quiet whine, before falling silent for a moment.
"Fine… you're probably right," she said finally.
Silk began to slowly back away.
"Come on," she muttered.
Velvet gazed at the house-folk for a moment longer, before forcing herself turn away. Velvet at her side, Silk turned, and they padded away, deeper into the alley.
"We can find our way back home without them," Silk meowed, seeing the distressed look on Velvet's face.
"I'm just—" Velvet began.
She paused as the sound of a rock rattling against the ground echoed through the alley.
Silk looked over her shoulder towards the sound and felt her fur rise slightly.
"The house-folk are following us!" Silk hissed.
Velvet's eyes widened in concern, and she glanced back to see for herself. Silk increased her pace, and now the two of them were trotting down the alley. The house-folk increased their pace too, to keep up. Silk felt her heart begin to pound a bit loudly in her chest. Velvet's floppy ears laid back in concern, and she shot Silk a worried look. Still striding quickly, they turned a corner and found themselves face to face with a tall fence, made out of shiny, silver house-folk material, weaved together like a spider's web.
"Quick, before the house-folk get any closer," Silk said, hooking her small paws into the fence and beginning to climb.
Velvet whined, prompting Silk to look back over her shoulder. Velvet was still on the ground, peering up at Silk with large, watery brown eyes.
"What are you doing?" Silk meowed, urgency creeping into her voice. "Come on, Velvet!"
"I can't," Velvet cried. "I can't climb like you! You know that I can't!"
Silk felt a huge pit open up in her stomach. She had forgotten. Although Velvet's paws were small enough to fit in the gaps between the webbing, she didn't possess the balance Silk did, and her claws were blunt and clumsy, not sharp and retractable for careful gripping. Silk sprung back down from the fence to Velvet's side.
"Don't worry," Silk said. "We'll find another way."
"No, you have to go," Velvet said, urgency in her voice.
Silk looked over her shoulder at the quickly approaching house-folk. They seemed more menacing, walking briskly, big paws swinging at their sides.
"I'm not leaving you!" Silk cried.
Velvet gave Silk's flank a firm nudge with her muzzle.
"I said go Silk! What's the use in both of us getting caught!" Velvet said.
"Velvet!" Silk cried.
"Climb!" Velvet barked.
Silk obeyed, scaling to the top of the silver mesh fence in a few easy bounds. At the top, she looked down over her shoulder to see Velvet cowering at the bottom of the fence as one of the house-folk bent down to pick her up.
"Get your paws off of me!" Velvet growled in a shaky, uncertain voice.
The house-folk mumbled something in their strange tongue, holding Velvet firmly to their broad chest. The house-folk looked up at Silk, prompting her to flinch. But, she was out of their reach, and they seemed to decide it wasn't worth it to pursue her. The house-folk turned away, Velvet in their arms.
"I'll find you!" Silk cried to Velvet as they walked away. "We'll make it back home to Agnes, I promise!"
"Stay safe, Silk!" Velvet cried her voice, her voice whining. "I'll be alright!"
"Velvet!" Silk cried, feeling her heart tearing in her chest.
Then the house-folk turned the corner, and Silk was alone.
Silk could not find Velvet.
She wandered the streets for sun-rises, her strength waning as the days past. She was not as strong as Velvet, and she was unable to knock over the big, silver bins, despite the house-folk food-scent she could smell coming from them. She wasn't fast or coordinated enough to catch the mice she sometimes saw scurrying in the shadows of the alleys. Also, without the protection of Velvet at her side, Silk was hounded from one corner of the city to the next by vicious stray cats. Cats with scarred faces and torn ears and yellow fangs that snarled and hissed and cursed at her, chasing Silk out of what they called "their" territory.
Silk's white pelt was now a dingy grey. Her paw pads were scraped and bleeding from spending hours every day walking on the harsh stones of the streets. Her ribs jutted out of her sides and her legs trembled in exhaustion. All she could think about was her house. And, Agnes and Velvet, and the warm pool of sunshine coming in through the window and a soft cushion to lay on. As the days past, those memories became more and more like distant dreams. Still, she padded on, searching fruitlessly for some familiar landmark.
But, some part of her, deep, deep down, knew that she would never find her way back home.
Silk's heart pounded in her throat as she flew down the street as fast as her weak, trembling legs could take her, a huge grey brute of a cat at her heels. Silk had only wanted to lap some water from a puddle when this tom came out of the shadows, snarling and charging at her. After being chased several blocks, the grey tom lost interest, and with a parting hiss, he slowed his pace, letting Silk get away. After sprinting until the cat was out of sight, Silk staggered, panting down an alley. She found a dark, damp corner, hidden from view, where she collapsed.
I'm not sure if I even care to wake up again… Silk thought as her eyes drifted shut, exhaustion sweeping over her.
Silk felt a muzzle touch her flank.
"Velvet…" she mumbled, still mostly asleep.
The soft muzzle touch was replaced with a rough paw shaking Silk's shoulder, and snapping her awake.
Silk sprung to her paws, eyes flying open, hissing hysterically, claws flashing.
"Easy!" a dark brown tabby she-cat snapped, springing away a tail-length, out of the reach of Silk's blows.
The she-cat blinked annoyed amber eyes at Silk.
"What do you want?" Silk said, arching her back.
Her voice came out surprisingly hoarse from sunrises of disuse.
"I was making sure you weren't dead," the brown she-cat said, curling her lip up to reveal a flash of fangs. "I couldn't see you breathing, and I didn't want your rotting scent to stink up my territory and scare my prey away."
There those strays go, calling the streets "their" territory again, Silk thought.
"Well I'm not dead," Silk said.
Despite her weakness, she still gave an offended tail-twitch. It was true that she didn't smell that good, and she couldn't remember the last time she groomed her pelt. But, she didn't need this mangy street-cat pointing it out.
The she-cat regarded Silk with a guarded gaze, but to her surprise, the brown tabby didn't lunge at her to chase her off.
"What happened to you? You look pathetic," the she-cat asked.
Silk winced like her blunt words were physical blows. Her mind drifted to the string of long sleepless, food-less nights.
The amber eyes on the tabby darkened.
"Was it the Brothers? You didn't wander into the Brothers' territory did you?" the she-cat asked in a hushed voice.
"The Brothers?" Silk echoed in confusion.
The brown tabby's brow furrowed suddenly.
"You don't know about the Brothers?" she meowed incredulously, suddenly wary looking. "Where are you from?"
"A house," Silk snapped, annoyed at the tabby's evasiveness. "I don't remember how long I've been wandering. I lost my way home, and I can't find my house-folk or my dog."
"Your… dog?" the tabby squeaked in a shocked, high pitched voice.
"She's my friend," Silk said in an impatient voice. "She was taken by strange house-folk."
"Two-legs can't be trusted," the tabby growled in agreement. "Although neither can dogs."
"Have you seen her?" Silk asked, a hint of hope creeping into her voice. "She's got white, curly fur…"
The tabby was already shaking her head.
"Sorry. I avoid dogs as much as I can. Haven't seen a white one either," she said.
Silk's tail drooped.
"So you're just a lost kitty-pet," the tabby meowed.
Silk's tail twitched. Other strays had snarled that word at her too. Although she wasn't sure what it meant.
"My name is Silk," she said hauntingly.
The brown tabby looked her over carefully.
"I'm Delilah," she meowed finally.
Abruptly, she got to her paws. Silk flinched at the sudden movement, but Delilah just turned and padded away, down the dark alley. Silk watched her go, but before Delilah went more than a few tail-lengths away, she turned to look at Silk from over her shoulder.
"Are you coming?" she asked in her blunt voice.
"What?" Silk said, blinking hard in surprise.
"Are you coming?" Delilah echoed in a more annoyed voice. "Or stay here and waste away. Judging by how you look, I'd say you'd make it one or two more sunrises on your own."
Silk froze for a moment. For a heart-beat she was too shocked by the offer of help to even move. But, she knew Delilah was right. She felt the deep exhaustion dragging at her bones, whispering in her ear to stop running, stop fighting, just lie down and let a dark wave of endless sleep pull her under. There was a part of her that was tempted by that voice. She was tired, so tired. She wanted to rest. She also wanted to find her way home to Agnes and Velvet. But, they were so far gone from her now. She knew that accepting Delilah's offer meant accepting a life without them, maybe with new house-folk or maybe she'd never see the inside of a house again. A life of the unknown. Although, there was always the chance that Delilah was leading her into a trap and soon she would be dead anyways. Perhaps into the claws of these mysterious "Brothers."
Silk shook her head slightly. Maybe not though, after all, Delilah seemed scared of them.
Go, a powerful voice commanded from within.
As tired as Silk was, there was a part of her that wouldn't let her rest, wouldn't let her give up. It was the part of her that had forced her to keep moving when strays chased her for blocks even when her lungs gasped for breath and her legs screamed. It was a part of her that she didn't even know that she had for the moons and moons during which she lived warm and safe in a house. This part of her was wild and strong, and it sneered at the thought of comforts Silk once had and it told Silk that she would live.
It was the part of Silk which she would have to embrace if she wanted to survive.
Forgot your old life, the voice said, Your new one starts now.
Silk forced her weak, trembling legs forward.
Silk spent the next several sunrises recovering her strength and learning the art of survival and hunting and fighting from Delilah. Delilah was an unforgiving teacher. She regularly told Silk how she knew kits that could hunt and fight better than her. She was impatient with Silk, snarling at her to spring faster, hit stronger. She often acted so annoyed by Silk's presence, Silk was baffled by why she even offered her to join her in the first place.
But, despite Delilah's often unpleasant attitude, Silk slowly began to recover and soon started to gain strength. Her muscles hardened under her fur, bigger and leaner than they were when she lived in her house. Her claws became sharper. Her reflexes became faster. Silk groomed her pelt until it was a polished white again, although it made Delilah sniff that now the prey would see her from a block away. Soon her fur was the only soft part about Silk. She wasn't as good at hunting or fighting as Delilah, not even close. But, she was still able to scrape up a meager food pile by the end of the day. And, soon she was the one chasing stranger cats off of the streets. Her and Delilah's streets. Their territory.
It was a strange thought. This land was hers, bought with her strength, and defended by her. Even the house were she once lived wasn't hers, not in the way this territory was.
Silk slowly grew fond of Delilah's blunt and often harsh demeanor. She still sometimes thought of Velvet or Agnes, but as the days past, thoughts of them became less and less frequent. Delilah and Silk made an effective team, and Silk could see Delilah's tabby pelt growing sleeker as she benefited from the support of Silk's hunting and patrolling. Slowly Delilah began to open up to Silk. She had kits once, and it seemed like she missed the companionship they had given her, which Silk suspected, was part of the reason why she let Silk join her. Although, Delilah was vague about what happened to her kits. From what Silk could gather, some were grown and gone, while others didn't survive to make it that long.
One day, Delilah took Silk to the farthest edge of her territory, where they scaled the wall to the roof of a tall two-leg den.
"Do you see that?" Delilah meowed, flickering her tail to indicate something in the distance.
Silk looked and gasped. There, smack in the middle of the grey of the city, was a patch of bright, vibrant green. It was packed with soaring trees, spreading branches, and rustling leaves.
"I've never seen so many trees all together," Silk said, her oranges eyes going wide. "Is it a forest?"
Delilah let out a brief, rusty purr.
"Not even close. My mother was born in a forest. She said that it made this look tiny. This is the Park," Delilah said.
"Oh," Silk said, still blinking in surprise. "Can we go to the Park?"
Delilah shook her head, the amusement fading from her eyes.
"That's the center of the Brothers' territory," she meowed. "It is the best hunting grounds in all of the city, packed full of mice and birds and squirrels. Once the Park was open for all the cats in the city to hunt in. Until the Brothers came along and claimed it all for themselves and their band of brutes."
Silk's brow furrowed as she looked out towards the trees. She felt a strange longing to go there, to feel dirt under her paws and hear the wind rustling through the branches.
"Who are the Brothers?" Silk asked, the curiosity eating at her.
"There are three of them. Litter-mates." Delilah said in a low voice. "There's Dragon. He's the biggest and the strongest. And, there is Lancer. He's not as strong or as big as his brothers, but he's really clever. Then there's King… King is their leader."
"Why is King the leader if Dragon is stronger and Lancer is smarter?" Silk asked, brow furrowing in confusion.
Delilah's eyes nervously darted from side to side for a moment before she looked back at Silk.
"There's something about him… He's got this cold, dangerous energy that pulls cats towards him. Words come out of his mouth and cats either cower in fear or fawn at his feet," Delilah said.
Delilah shook her head, a shiver racing down her spine.
"He is also the most ruthless cat in the city," she meowed.
"They've gotten a big gang of cats together in the Park," Delilah continued. "They control them through violence and fear. They have the largest territory of any cat in the city and it keeps getting bigger as they push farther and farther out from the Park, driving cats out of their territories or killing them if they won't join them."
Silk swallowed, her fur pricking at the fear she could hear soaking Delilah's words. Delilah sprung to her paws.
"Let's go," Delilah meowed in her typical brisk way.
She turned and scaled back down from the roof.
Silk gave one last look at the Park from over her shoulder before following Delilah away.
Silk and Delilah patrolled their territory by night to avoid running into house-folk. One evening, just like all the others, Delilah was in front, trotting across the top of a brick wall, and Silk was right behind her, by her tail, her paws sure on the narrow trail. As they moved in silence, the muted evening city-noises were shattered by the snarling and howling of a dog. Silk looked in the direction of the noise, focusing intently to determine the threat. Delilah froze, her ears pricking towards the sound for a moment before carrying on her way, seemingly unconcerned. Silk looked back at Delilah and dashed over to her.
"Don't you want to check that out?" Silk asked, padding closer to Delilah. "It sounds like its coming from our territory."
"I don't mess with dogs," Delilah said curtly. "You shouldn't either if you value keeping your pelt intact."
Silk opened her jaws to reply.
Suddenly, the yowling of cats mixed in with the barking of the dog, causing Silk to freeze again.
"Someone's in trouble," Silk pointed out.
"Someone is trespassing," Delilah grumbled.
But, Delilah changed direction despite her protests, and now they were tracing a tangled path across the tops of the walls towards the sounds of the fight.
Silk put on a burst of speed, dashing around Delilah to get to the scene first. Silk peered down from the top of a high wall into a dark alley.
A huge, hulking brown mutt stood squarely in the center of the alley, snarling at the three cats he had cornered in front of him. The cats were pinned at the end of the alley, unable to scale the massive concrete wall that Silk stood on top of. The dog attempted to creep closer to them, but he was never able to get near enough to grab them. The cats held off his attacks every time; the three would lunge as one, fending the dog back with tight, closely coordinated strikes. Now the dog and the three cats stood still in a stalemate.
Drool was dripping from the dog's jowls. He was growling something to himself in a harsh, mumbling voice. Silk's ears pricked as she tried to decipher his words.
Delilah caught up with Silk and crouched next to her, peering down into the alley.
"That's them!" she gasped in a hushed voice. "The Brothers!"
Silk's gaze flickered back from the dog to the cats to study them intently. The biggest, Dragon, Silk presumed, was solid black and heavily scarred. His pelt almost completely blended in with the shadows of the alley, only his bright blue eyes cut through the dark. The leanest of the three, Lancer, was a patchy black and white, with long claws and green eyes. And then there was King, another black and white tom, with a fierce snarl and icy blue eyes that made Silk's blood run cold when they flickered upwards and met hers.
"Serves them right," Delilah said in a smug voice, but not loud enough, Silk noticed, for the cats below to hear them. "Unless the three of them have nine lives, I don't see them making it out of this one. Their reign of terror is finally at an end."
"Do you really think the dog will kill them? Why don't we help them? Do you want them to die?" Silk asked, looking at Delilah in surprise.
"They deserve it," Delilah snapped, looking equally surprised at Silk's defense of them. "They're in our territory! They could be here to kill us! You haven't been on the streets long enough to know what they do."
"But, they'd be powerful allies for us if we were on their side!" Silk argued, the fur on her shoulders prickling. "What if they granted us hunting in the Park?"
"The Brothers don't have allies," Delilah growled. "Only slaves."
Delilah turned away.
"Let's get out of here," she said.
Silk hesitated. She turned to look back down at the dog.
"Hey you!" Silk called, her normally soft voice becoming strange and grating sounding.
The three cats, Delilah, and the dog all looked up at Silk.
"Why are you chasing these cats?" Silk asked the dog.
A long pause of silence stretched out, where everyone seemed to freeze. Then to the amazement of Delilah and the Brothers, the dog's mouth began to move.
"Cats small. I chase. I hungry," the dog barked.
His accent was much harder for Silk to understand than Velvet's, but the words were still there, peeking out between the growls and snarls.
"Cats don't make good meals," Silk said, her words sounding more like yaps than meows as she responded in dog-tongue. "They have claws and fangs that hurt and cut. I can show you where to find food that will not bite back. House-folk food."
"You cat. How speak dog? Why I believe you?" the dog growled.
"I'm friends with dogs," Silk said. "My dog friend taught me. Do you want the food or not?"
The dog hesitated, his gaze flicking from Silk down to the three brothers in front of him before looking back up at the white she-cat.
"Where food?" he asked finally.
"There are big silver-bins full of house-folk food just a few blocks from here," Silk meowed. "I'll show you."
She got to her paws and trotted along the wall without even a glance down at the Brothers or the dog. Despite her bold exterior, her heart pounded in her chest, and part of her wondered if the dog would even follow, or if he would just fall upon the toms anyways. Silk didn't want to turn to look. She knew that would be taken as a sign of weakness. Weakness that she couldn't afford to show in front of the Brothers, if they were really as ruthless as Delilah claimed.
Speaking of Delilah…
Silk realized that she was gone. She had vanished into the night at some point during Silk's conversation with the dog. The fur down Silk's back prickled slightly. If her gamble with the Brothers didn't pay off, then she just isolated or lost her only…
Well friend is too strong of a word
…but ally, at least, out here.
Silk risked a glance towards the ground out of the corner of her eye. Despite herself, she was surprised to see the dog trotting beneath her. He had followed. Silk locked her eyes back forward. She led the dog away blocks away to an alley that was lined with the big silver bins. The dog passed beneath Silk at a faster pace as he caught scent of the house-folk food coming from them. With a strong push of his shoulder, he knocked two of them over and shoved his head into the contents, making snuffling noises. He began to crunch on something he found there.
Silk took this as a sign to depart before the dog changed his mind and decided maybe he actually did want something warmer to feast on. She turned and walked back the way she came at a brisk pace.
Silk followed the trail back towards her and Delilah's favorite sleeping spot, where they usually bedded when they were done patrolling during the night. She wasn't surprised to find Delilah already there. Silk braced herself as Delilah rushed towards her. She half-expected to feel her claws score down her pelt, but Delilah stopped just short of Silk.
"Are you freaking mouse-brained you good for nothing kitty-pet?" Delilah spat, arching her back, fur prickling down her spine.
"I'm doing us a favor," Silk said, only a slight twitching of the tip of her tail betraying her annoyance.
"I want nothing to do with the Brothers!" Delilah hissed.
"Is that so?"
Delilah flinched and leapt a tail length back as three cats materialized out of the shadows behind Silk. Silk turned to look at them. She was unsurprised that they had followed her. But, the fact that they had been so undetectable about it was impressive.
The Brothers padded up to Silk. They hadn't made it out of their skirmish with the dog unscathed. Each of their pelts was adorned with new wounds, but none of the scrapes were anywhere close to severe.
At the head of the group was King. Face to face, he was even bigger than Silk expected. Dragon, though, was absolutely massive. He stood at King's shoulder and slightly behind him like he was his huge shadow come to life. On King's other side was Lancer, who was a normal sized tom, but there was something about the unstable glint in his green eyes that sent a shiver down Silk's spine. Silk's gaze flickered back to King's. His icy blue eyes seemed more stable than Lancer's, but their intensity was equally as frightening.
Silk lifted her chin and pushed away that fear.
"Hello," she meowed.
"You are the cat from the wall," King said, but the way he phrased his words made it seem like a question that wasn't a question.
"Yes," Silk said, answering him anyways.
King tilted his head slightly, a mixed expression of amusement and bemusement appearing on his broad face.
"You spoke to the dog," he said. "How?"
"I was once friends with a dog who taught me," Silk replied.
"Why did you do it?" King asked.
Silk's ear flickered. She did her best not to fidget under the heat of his gaze.
"I couldn't let him tear you up. It looks like you've already lost enough fur to him," Silk pointed out, a hint of teasing in her voice.
Lancer's green gaze snapped sharply to Silk, and Silk froze, wondering if she had over-stepped. But, to Silk's surprise, King just purred slightly at her response.
"What is your name?" King said, his voice deep and melodic.
"Silk," Silk said, swallowing slightly as she suddenly realized her mouth was dry.
"Do you know who I am?" King asked.
"You are King," Silk meowed.
"Why did you save us, Silk?" King repeated.
He flickered his tail to indicate Delilah, and Silk was surprised to realized that she had not run off, but was still there, frozen by fear, perhaps.
"Your friend seems to disagree with your decision there," King added.
Silk swallowed, staring into his blue eyes. She understood what Delilah had meant about King now. His eyes were paralyzing. They were inviting, but also threatening. They promised great rewards, but only if you did as he said, and if not, you would surely be punished. Silk felt the words being pulled out of her almost against her will.
"I want to live in the Park," Silk meowed. "And hunt the plentiful prey there."
A sudden purr burst from King's throat.
"That's good because I was going to extend and offer to you to join us," King said, his blue eyes glinting like sunlight reflecting off ice. "A cat that can speak dog-tongue could be very useful. And, you've shown yourself to be quick-witted and fearless."
Fearless? Silk's thoughts echoed.
Well, here she was standing in front of the three most dangerous cats in the city, and not a single piece of fur was ruffled. Would she ever thought that she was capable of that back when she was living with her house-folk? …Maybe she was fearless after all.
"I accept," Silk said, the words out of her mouth before her brain could even think about them.
"I suppose you won't be coming with her?" King meowed, his gaze sliding off of Silk for the first time to look at Delilah.
Silk heaved in a deep breath that she didn't even know she was holding when his eyes lifted off of her, while Delilah jolted like she suddenly regained the ability for motion.
"That traitor? No chance!" Delilah spat before turning tail and running as fast as she could.
Silk watched her go. She was slightly surprised that she didn't feel much more than a faint twinge at Delilah's departure. Despite the time they spent together, the bond that they had was hollow. It was only one of survival. And, now an opportunity came along that allowed Silk to have a better chance of survival. So, she took it. It would have also allowed Delilah a better life too. But, she was a fool, and she spurned it.
"Do you want me to…?" Lancer asked, inclining his head in the direction she went.
King shook his head, and the Brothers didn't move. Silk didn't doubt that they could have chased Delilah down and caught her if they wanted, but instead they let her go.
King's eyes flickered back to Silk.
"This way," he said, a purr in his deep voice as he turned to the side.
Silk hesitantly brushed past Lancer and Dragon, following King away while the other two brought up the rear. The four padded through the twisting streets of the city. Silk was surprised that the whole walk, they didn't encounter a single cat to challenge them. Silk's gaze flicker to King as she realized that this was the power of the Brothers.
Dawn was breaking as they took the final corner and a sudden wall of green met Silk's vision. The sun rising behind her illuminated the trees in a halo of gold. Silk gazed at it in awe, her mouth watering at the rich prey-scents that rushed out on the breeze to meet her nose. It was the most beautiful sight she'd ever seen.
King's icy gaze drifted from the Park to Silk. Silk's orange eyes flickered over to meet his blue ones.
"Welcome to your new home," he said, a lilt in his deep voice.