~~~Afternoon, West Headquarters
Those cerulean blue eyes.
They would not stop following her, haunting her.
She shook her head to clear her muddled thoughts, but the glowing blue eyes always resurfaced and settled on her mind like particles of dust in water. They looked so familiar, yet she could not place their exact identity. Frustration bubbled up within her, a heated rage that clung to the back of her mind.
Grey turned her thoughts back to the present; she was observing one of the West hunters terrorizing a father and his kit for the two pieces of prey due for their rent. She was perched on the roof above the quarrel below her, watching with keen blue eyes, making sure that no allowances or exceptions were made to clients. It was rather like watching a real-life drama.
"No! We need to eat this or we'll starve," the tabby tom pleaded, hovering over two dead rats. He was so skinny it was hard to believe he was still standing. Ribs showed through his ragged pelt and his cheekbones were sunken in, making him look like a living skeleton. His eyes were a dull yellow, but right now, it was blazing at the hunter.
The kit had exactly the same pelt color and physical state as his father and stared at the rats hungrily, his bony tail waving. He asked his father, apparently oblivious to the turmoil brewing around him, "Can… can I eat, papa?"
"Hush, now," the father murmured. He then turned back to the hunter, a pitch black she-cat with extremely long, hooked claws. She was the most successful West hunter, and thus the senior hunter.
Her name was Fury.
"Well, think of it this way," Fury sneered, "Do you want to not eat for one day, or die by my claws?"
She turned to the kit, who was still staring at the rat and salivating, and hissed, "Don't think I won't kill little ones, because I have before."
The father's eyes widened with horror and he growled, "You wouldn't dare."
Fury's claws snapped out and grabbed the kit, who squealed in fright. She pinned it down, claws at his throat before the father could even blink. The tabby tom roared in rage, but did not attack Fury for fear of her claws on his kit.
"Papa!" the kit gasped, struggling at the thorn-sharp claws poised at its tiny throat.
"T-Take the prey, do whatever you want," he stammered, eyes wide for his kit, "But… just don't kill him."
"Are you sure?" Fury drawled, "If I kill him, it'll be less rent you have to pay…"
The father hissed, "No! How dare you even suggest that!"
Fury snickered and roughly pushed the kit back to the father, who gasped in relief and swept the kit towards him with his tail. They pressed their noses to each other's fur and their loving bond was almost tangible.
Grey narrowed her eyes. She wondered what it would be like to have a father who would fight so hard to protect you, even to the point of starving himself, for Grey's kin was unknown, and the only parental feelings she received was from Father, who was more like a leader than any figure of love. He wasn't one to gush over his adoptive daughter's very existence, or battle to protect her life. Father did bestow words of wisdom here and there, which was probably the closest thing to bonding she and he would ever come to.
Growing tired of the father and kit, the senior hunter scooped up the prey with her jaws and started trotting back towards the headquarters. Grey leapt down from her perch and started to follow.
"Hey, good work out there," she meowed to Fury.
Fury glanced at Grey and purred through her mouthful of rat, "Thanks, Grey. It's an honor."
They padded along in silence for a while, until Grey asked, "Were you really going to kill that kit?"
"Of course. Why wouldn't I?" Fury snorted.
"No reason not to," Grey agreed. Why did she ask that? Of course she would've killed that kit, in order to complete her job. Grey had murdered cats of all ages, from newborns to elders, and it had never bothered her before. It shouldn't bother her now, but somehow, she couldn't stop thinking about the fierce love that the father exhibited.
They arrived at the alleyway that contained the West Headquarters and parted ways. Fury returned into the underground tunnels to deposit the prey she had obtained and Grey decided to take a break from observation. Now, it was time for more important business. She ducked into the alleyway and the tunnels, padding towards the messenger room.
"Mrow! No way!"
"Yes way, you'd better believe it, Windy!"
When Grey stepped into the messenger tunnel, it suddenly became hushed, the chatter that was before cut down like an enemy; it died in a strangled whisper. The two toms that were chatting so heartily shoved each other and become silent, watching Grey enter the room. Three toms stood before her. The first two were creamy toms with large green eyes, obviously twins. The third cat was a patchy tortoiseshell with deep amber eyes. He watched Grey carefully as she stepped forward.
"You two," she snapped at the twins, making them jump, "What are your names?"
"Windy," one murmured, "and this is Breezy."
"And I assume you two are not the elder messengers with the way you were acting," she scolded them, causing them to dip their heads.
Grey turned to the tortoiseshell, "You. What's your name?"
"Zephyr."
"You seem more mature than the lot over there," she gestured towards the twins, "so I'm going to give you a message to deliver to Father."
"Father?" Zephyr repeated, eyes widening slightly.
"Yes, Father," Grey hissed, "Now I want you to tell him these exact words.
Grey requests your immediate presence in the West to discuss how the rain will fall."
Breezy (or was it Windy?) tilted his head and mumbled, "But it hasn't rained in—"
The grey she-cat waited patiently as Zephyr furiously hissed an explanation to the confused tom.
"It's obviously a code for something important, you mousebrain!"
"Oh."
Zephyr nodded to Grey and hurried out of the tunnel, but came to a halt as Hunter shouldered his way into the area. The tension in the room increased by tenfold as all three messengers looked at him in wide-eyed fear and dipped their heads. He glared suspiciously at the patchy tom for a moment, who did not meet his dark eyes.
"He's sending a message for you, Grey?" He scowled at the tom, whose fur fluffed up in fear of the West lord. What sort of rule has Hunter been imposing on these poor cats?
"Yes," Grey tried to keep her voice from becoming a hiss, "Now if you please, let him do his job."
"Why, of course," Hunter resumed his silky smooth purr, and gallantly moved out of the way, but Grey did not miss the warning glare he sent the messenger's way.
Hunter watched the tom flee the tunnel, and turned to Grey, meowing, "Would you like to step out for a moment to discuss your inspection of us for a little bit?"
"There is nothing to be discussed," Grey replied smoothly, "Your hunters are excellent and your messenger system seems to be in order, for the most part."
"D-Do you want us to leave while you discuss?" Windy asked quietly, head still bowed.
"No, we're finished discussing," Grey cut off Hunter's next sentence, and walked quickly out of the room. She heard Hunter snap a few lines at the messengers and follow her out. She sighed loudly, hoping to give him a hint at the exasperation he was causing her; what she wouldn't give to have Hunter disappear.
She stepped out of the tunnel, with Hunter at her heels like a hungry dog, begging for a word. He purred smoothly, his very voice grating on her nerves, "Grey, m'dear, I think we should discuss your inspection a bit more."
"I have told you, again and again, there is nothing more to be discussed!" Grey whipped around and glared at the persistent cat.
"Ah, but Grey—" Suddenly, Hunter choked off with a strangled cough and stared at a figure behind Grey with a mix of awe and fear. Grey smirked inwardly; she knew exactly whose presence was so intimidating behind her.
"Hello, Father."
A/N: Thank you to my sadly not-very-many reviewers~ xD All of you are awesome!