And so Riggu Felis became a Warlord among the feral cats of Green Isle by knowing and wielding the power of grief. He was a lord of blood and tears, tearing down the strong by targeting the weak ones for whom his enemies fought.

The first otter village to fall knew nothing of their fate before it descended upon them. They had always been adept at guile and ambush themselves, and knew their oppressors to be a dull-witted breed capable of falling for the same trap twice or more. And their sentries were sharp-eyed and vigilant; what had they to fear? When their young ones went missing, then floated lifeless down the river the next morning, it was as if an angel of death, some ferrybeast from Dark Forest itself, had come and gone in the night.

They knew better than to think that had actually happened, though. They sought their revenge, just as the wildcat lord had predicted. Just as the wildcat lord had predicted, too, the cats defeated them, playing their defensive advantage and their distance from water as the trump cards they were. Broken by loss, the diminished beasts of that delta town struggled but feebly when their new masters arrived to claim them. They accepted the long, slow ache of toil to avoid more of the sharp, bleeding pain of deaths and mourning.

Felis set them immediately to the construction of his fortress, there on the coast. For it was inevitable that the other otter clans scattered about the Isle would notice their friends no longer sent letters, or come to visit only to discover the seaside town had become a slave camp. He would be ready for them when they did.

He stood there, observing the manifestation of his will in his slaves' handiwork and in the disposition of the cats who guarded them, when the she-cat came to call upon him. Her voice was reverent, but also hungry, in a way that intrigued him.

"The cats know at last that you are their lord too," she purred. "They didn't recognize majesty when it was right in front of them, but victory, that they can understand."

"Keep your flattery." He could not, however, totally conceal the pride in his voice. He looked at his admirer with a wary eye. "You're the one who had guts enough to speak to me at that first war council, aren't you. What's your name?"

Her smile looked wicked, but it came from true feeling. "Ratha Kaltag, my lord."

Felis looked back at the fortress-in-progress. "And what do you think you 'recognized' that the others didn't? Why do you think you're so clever?"

"Not clever, lord, but I know myself and I know them – enough to see how you are different. You are a true wildcat, lord, are you not?"

He scowled at her. "And what does that mean to you?"

"It means you are still a keen edge, my lord. You have not the weak blood, the tamed brain that slows our thoughts and keeps us from reaching greatness."

"And yet you seem bold enough." It was not a compliment so much as a warning; his hand touched his axe as he voiced it.

Ratha shook her head. "I have only been given space and time to see it, lord. Since I am younger than the other war chiefs and a she-cat, my voice always drew only reproach from the others. I learned to keep silent and watch. I grew skilled at seeing exactly how the others failed… but I also had time to know myself. If I were in their place, I would focus on my plans and grow blind to all else, just as they have." She smiled at Felis. "But you, my lord, swayed every mind within moments. A true power we bickering dullards never found!"

"Is that why you come to praise me? Because I have power, and your siblings never let you have any?" He sneered.

"No, lord. I don't want power for myself. I am still a feral cat, and I would fight my battles with the slow wisdom of a feral cat, and be deposed. I cannot take power from you."

"If not for yourself, then what?"

She laughed softly, not mocking, but confident. "I suppose that is one way I can think but you cannot."

This raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"You will never think like a she-cat," she said amusedly, bowed, and took her leave. As she turned to go, her tail brushed a paw's length against Felis's tail, and a shudder went up his spine.