Chapter 1
Unsuccessful
The strong scent of rat filled the young cat's nostrils, overtaking all of her senses. It smelled so mouthwatering and delicious that she didn't think when she quickly sprang from her hiding place behind a poor looking bush and charged at the surprised rodent. Unfortunately as she got closer, the rat darted toward a small hole in one of the fences that surrounded an upwalker nest. The she-cat skidded to a halt and hissed at herself as the rat disappeared into the darkness. A small chuckle could be heard from behind her. She turned to stare at the one who had been watching.
"Wonderful skills you have there, Shell." The taunting, sarcastic, slightly muffled, meow came from a young dark brown tom that happened to have a bird clamped in his jaws. His green eyes were narrowed and mocking, which made the she-cat's pelt prickle with annoyance. Shell usually ignored her brother, Scar, so that's just what she did.
"Shell!" A loud yowl suddenly came from around the corner of the fence as a dark gray tabby came into view. When the she-cat padded up to the two cats and saw no prey near the young tortoiseshell a hiss escaped her throat. "I see you didn't manage to catch anything, as usual." Her voice was irritated and disappointed at the same time.
Shell's eyes narrowed and her ears flattened against her head. "I almost caught a rat!" she protested, her tail lashing at the ground.
"Look, Yowler! I caught this bird." The brown tom emphasized the word 'caught' as he set his prey in front of the older cat. Yowler's face filled with pride as she looked at Scar. "Well done," she purred.
Shell glared at her brother and snapped, "Well at least I was never stupid enough to go running into a thorn bush like a blind rabbit!" She always reminded him of this when Scar got on her nerves, which was quite often. She was referring to the time when her, Scar, and Patch, her other brother, were kits. They had wandered off, wanting to explore a small portion of the forest, and Scar had gone running straight into a large thorn bush. Now he bared a long scar across his chest, from his right shoulder blade down to the top of his left leg.
Scar's ears flattened and he let out a menacing hiss. Shell ignored him once again and began to trot back towards the alleyway, or in other words, home.