The woods were dark. Silver pools of moonlight scattered on the forest floor were scarcely lighter than the shadows cast by vast and ancient trees. Jojo crouched amid the undergrowth, all senses on high alert, grateful for how well his deep blue fur blended into the gloom. All around him, he could hear the rustling and chittering of small creatures. Their scent-trails wove through the leaf litter; the young tomcat chose one to follow. Ancient instinct told him to drop into a hunter's crouch and creep closer to his prize. A thrill coursed through him, down to the tips of his claws.

Jojo's ears perked at a sharp rattling sound, but he was unable to pinpoint from which direction it came. His quarry lifted its head as well; he heard its breathing quicken, its tiny heart race even faster. He clung to the hope that he could still make his kill while the prey was distracted, and pounced. But it was to no avail. The rodent vanished beneath his paws as the night-shrouded forest was flooded with white light. A deep vocalization resounded in his ears and a cloying, fishy scent met his nose. Jojo reluctantly opened his eyes to find a very different creature's face looking over him, hairless except for the top of the head and a bushy brown stripe between the strange-looking nose and mouth.

Oh, that's right, he thought. Mr. George always refilled his dish before he left in the morning. His owner pet the top of his head, speaking more of those strange human words that rumbled and tumbled like falling rocks, as the kitten uncurled himself and stepped out of his plush bed. Jojo had lived with Mr. George since he was a tiny furball of two moons.

The dry food in his glossy bowl wasn't bad by any means, but it simply wasn't the same as what his dreams had promised him. It filled his stomach as it always had, but it didn't bring any excitement. He didn't even flinch at the huge, ungainly pawsteps that lumbered into the entryway, only lifting his head to lick the last traces of flavor from the corners of his muzzle. Jojo meowed a goodbye as his owner stepped into the car-den and shut the door behind him. A large dog with heavy jowls and long legs pawed at it and whined.

"He's gone, Danny, just like he is every morning. Silly fellow, when will you ever learn?" Jojo sneezed with amusement at the dog's despondent stare. "He'll be back at sunset. Come on then, let's go to the garden!" Perhaps I'll be able to try hunting for real! he thought, leading his friend out the pet door.

The scents of earth and the cool breeze blowing down from the mountains were muted under the cloying sweetness of blooming roses. Jojo still took them in with an alight curiosity as he patrolled his garden. A prey-scent hit the roof of his mouth. "A rabbit ran through here!" he meowed to Danny. "They're rather large, and very fast, but I'm sure you could catch one." Danny woofed back at him before resuming sniffing around for a place to make his dirt.

Jojo completed his rounds, stretched out his legs, and then laid down in a lovely patch of sunlight. His catnap was not to last, however. His whiskers detected a disturbance to the breeze, and another foreign scent. He opened his eyes. It was a gawky little fledgling, the corners of its beak still fleshy and yellow. Finally! Now's my chance! Jojo thought to himself. He didn't dare give himself away with any excited cry. He got to his paws and crouched, tail flicking, testing his balance. The young bird hopped toward the neighboring fence. Had it noticed him?

Jojo crept closer to the bird. His usual midmorning sleepiness had evaporated; energy surged anew through him. But then his prey called out sharply and fluttered away. A dismayed yowl escaped the kitten. He clawed at the grass in frustration, only to perk his ears again. He wasn't the only cat out in their garden this morning; in fact, he heard three different feline voices, screeching and wailing, right on the other side of the fence!

"D'ya think it tastes like a real mouse?!"
"We'll just have to find out! Give it here! I'll rip it open!"

"Stop it! Stop it, you fox-hearts! Give her back!" This voice was softer and gentler than the rough meows of the other two, and strained with fear. Erina! Jojo realized. His fence-neighbor was a young molly just his age. They played together or at least conversed almost every day. And now strange cats were attacking her?! He wouldn't stand for it!

Jojo leapt up onto the fence. His lip curled at what he saw. Two scruffy, lean street cats had Erina backed into the corner of her garden. "Cry-kitty! Cry-kitty!" the first cat taunted. A toy mouse, an unnatural sky blue in color and smelling faintly of catmint, was pinned under his paw.

"What are you going to do about it? Run mewling back to your Twoleg?" his friend sneered.

"What do you think you're doing?! Haven't you anything better to do than harass a young molly over a toy?" Jojo yowled at them, his fur standing on end.

"Oh, look, kittypet! Your little friend is here to come save you!"

"Two kittypets! Twice as worthless! I hate soft cats like you who think they're tough!"

"So what if I'm a house cat?! I won't stand for you picking on her!" Jojo launched himself at the street cats in a furious flurry of teeth and fur. He slammed into the larger one, knocking him to the ground. The toy mouse flew out from under his paw.

"Rat dirt! This ain't worth it! Let's not waste our time on kittypets." The shorter stray scampered back through Erina's yard and hastily squeezed himself through the gap in the fence from which he'd come in.

"Good! I never wanted your attention!" Jojo hissed.

"Where do you think you're going?! Don't leave me here!" His friend slammed his back legs into Jojo's stomach, launching him off, freeing him to flee as well. Jojo was left gasping to recover his breath.

"Thank you." Erina pressed her nose to Jojo's flank, right below the mark on his shoulder.

Her touch warmed him and took his mind off his stinging scratches. "It was nothing." He gave his chest a modest lick. "I couldn't just sit there and watch them humiliate you like that."

"That was very brave of you," she purred. "Strays are tough - but not as tough as the wildcats, I've heard."

Jojo's ears perked. "Wildcats?"

"I'll tell you." Erina picked up her toy mouse and disappeared through her house's own cat flap. Jojo was left to lick his scratches until she returned without it, no doubt having safely tucked it away somewhere. The two kittens began their usual stroll among the houses, Danny dutifully trotting behind, as their conversation resumed. "Yes, Freddy said that there are cats living in the woods and mountains! They kill other animals for every meal and even eat their bones, and line their nests with the pelts of house cats!" Erina meowed, wide-eyed.

"Oh, goodness. I hope they never come down here. Those strays were bad enough." Jojo shivered at the prospect of having to face an opponent like that, able and willing to kill him just for getting in its way. Yet, hunting for food and roaming freely…

"Why would they? The territories they roam are supposed to be vast. Far bigger than a garden." Erina suddenly raised her head and looked away, toward the tall buildings that rose on the horizon. "Do you hear something?"

Jojo barely made out a flurry of sharp caws over the distant omnipresent drone of the roads. "Just some crows being crows. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about."

So they didn't. They continued exploring, playfully pouncing at birds while not really expecting to catch them, and greeting other cats and dogs they encountered with friendly meows. "You know, it's interesting that you mention the forest," Jojo said, as their long circuit neared completion. "I actually had a dream about it, just last night."

"Oh?"

"Don't worry, I wasn't eating house cats." Jojo gave a mrrow of quick laughter. "But I was hunting. The moon was so bright. I felt… alive." He scrabbled for words that could potentially hope to capture what he felt then.

"I think I would be scared if I found myself alone in the woods…"

"I would protect you. It would only be honorable," Jojo purred. Then he glanced up at the sky. "It's nearly sundown. Mr. George will be home soon. I wouldn't want him to worry."

"I should get home too," Erina added. "Well… today was fun! I hope we can see each other again soon!" She touched her nose to his shoulder again and trotted off.

"Me too." Jojo turned back for a moment. He wasn't sure why, but he wanted to watch her leave. Her grey-and-white patched fur seemed to glow golden in the early evening light. He had never really noticed before how long and graceful her tail was. Then he trotted home. He and Danny were back in through the pet door by the time Mr. George's car pulled into its den.

Jojo came running to greet his owner like usual. But Mr. George didn't come in right away, like he did every night. His steps toward the door into the house were slower, uneven. When the human did finally step inside, Jojo saw why: he was carrying a gray box scored with holes under his arm. Jojo knew that box; Mr. George had once lured him into it with treats and taken him to a sharp-smelling place where a strange human who covered her muzzle had stuck something like a giant bee stinger into his rump. His tail fluffed at the memory that seeing it brought, and then some more at the realization of what was inside it. The scent of another cat hit the roof of his mouth: a young male, like him, but unfamiliar and dirty.

"Jojo!" Mr. George said his cat's name. "Hmrgh hmrgh Brando." Jojo didn't understand the rest of what he said, but he clearly wanted his attention. This must be very important. He set the cage down on the couch and opened its front. Owner, cat, and dog waited with bated breath for one heartbeat. Two heartbeats. Then, in one fluid motion, the strange cat leapt out in an arc of gold and landed gracefully on all four paws.

Jojo had never seen a cat like this before. His eyes were sharp and orange as he glared at each creature in turn. His fur was matted in some spots, patchy in others, and filthy all over. Dark tabby stripes accentuated how lean his legs and tail were. Three small black spots were visible on the inside of his left ear.

"Hello!" Jojo lifted his muzzle in greeting. "My name is-" But the other cat shoved right past him. He crossed into the kitchen without a word and drank deeply from Jojo's water bowl. When he finally lifted his muzzle, there was barely any left. He skulked back, licking his lips, and glared at the three of them again. Danny started barking excitedly, as if he had just caught on to the situation. There was another flash of gold and the dog yelped. Danny ran whining back to Mr. George and looked up at him plaintively. Jojo gasped; he was bleeding from a claw-slash scoring directly across his wet black nose.

The new cat followed and then twined himself about Mr. George's legs, purring, as though he'd lived his whole life in that house. Mr. George cooed at him and scratched him behind his ears, just like he always did with Jojo. He made that sound again: "Brando." That must be the name he was giving to this new cat. But… did he not even see what this so-called Brando had done to Danny?!

Maybe I'm judging him too harshly, Jojo thought with a pang of guilt. All of this must be very new for him if he's never lived in a house before; a street cat would find my ways strange. I'm sure things will go more smoothly once we get to know each other better.

After Mr. George had fed the cats their evening meal and gone to bed, Jojo tried introducing himself again. "Hello, erm, Brando. I'm sorry if we got off on the wrong paw earlier. You must have been quite thirsty after your trip here. And I suppose that Danny can be rather scary if you don't know him well; I would be scared if a large dog came charging at me too. But he's actually very gentle and sweet. He's my best friend, actually… But I've lost the point. My name is Jojo, and it looks like we'll be living together from now on!"

Only now did Jojo's new housemate address him. "I want to make a few things clear, kittypet," he hissed. "I'm not interested in being friendly with you. You will not call me Brando, or any other meaningless name that Twolegs might foist upon me. And I loathe dogs. Keep that slobbering beast away from me or I'll teach him another lesson."

"Oh…" Jojo's ears and tail drooped. "Well, if you need anything that may help you settle in, I'll be right here."

"Like I would ever need a kittypet's help."

"And good night to you as well," Jojo sighed. He padded to his bed, where this whole long, eventful day had begun. He curled up into a ball and pushed his nose into the crevice between the cushion and the wall, hoping to somehow catch the wild scents of his dream and return to those woods. Jojo had started this day filled with curiosity, excitement, even hope, because of it. But now? He just didn't know.