Alley Cats

Hearing the she-cat's ignorant remark, Mairenn smirked triumphantly. The music of Mairenn knew no perimeter; had no bounds! She began to yowl The Song that Never Ends (Reprise) with a volume unknown to feline ears.

"I am not eating this!" Feather shoved the food away, and yowled "SHADOW!" Again this time managing to yowl louder.

Shadow perked his ears forward as he heard the distant high pitched yowling of Mairenn. Hope flared inside him like a newly kindled flame.
"I'm coming!" Shadow yowled into the blue sky as he pumped his legs faster. His sprinting slowed to a stop as Feather and Frostbite's scent disappeared into a large metal tunnel. Fear slid off of him as he gazed into the gaping hole. At the end, Shadow could barely make out the bright glow of daylight. Gathering up all his courage, Shadow padded solomnly into something that may change his life forever.

"SHADOW!" Feather said louder, hearing a faint reply. Feather looked at Frostbite. Then faintly gestured to the tunnel with her tail, making it a signal that only Frostbite would regonise. "I am with Frostbite on this one. NO way I will be a kit bearer to a cat I don't even know." Feather said frantically. "SHADOW! In the nursary tunnel!" Feather screeched at the top of her lungs. She starting sprinting and jumping around, ready to eveade the other cats.

Celesty heard the faint reply too.
"Guards!" She growled, "An intruder is coming!"
As 4 guards dispatched themselves from the tunnel entrance. Four others took their place.
"Honey, please don't move around," She said to Feather, her voice turning sweet. "You'll be with your brother tomorrow,"

In the darkness, Shadow could make out the steady tapping of feet.
"Feather? Frostbite?" He asked the darkness. He was answered by a feriocious growl and a large bundle of fur knocked him down.
"Intruder!" A gruff voice growled. As Shadow struggled to get up from the cold wet ground he felt the ground move beneath him. Looking behind he saw that two large cats had him by the hind legs and were dragging him through the tunnel. He kicked out, hoping to nail one in the face but a large swipe in the face soon quieted him down.

"He is not my brother!" Feather pleaded to Celesty. "He is the cat I love....." Feather heard a scuffle and dodged out past the gaurds. She saw Shadow being drug away and she sprinted and jumped. Landing on one of the gurds scquare in the back. She leapt and held on trying to scratch the gaurd in th face. The other gaaurd had let go and Feather hoped Shadow could deal with him.

"Feather!" Shadow screeched as the she cat's grey body landed on one of the guards. The cat let go of him and struggled to get Feather off. Taking the little time, Shadow twisted his body around and nipped at the other guards muzzle. He let go with a screech of pain. As the other cats filed out of the dens, they rushed over to contain the cats.

Two toms rushed over to help the cat with Feather. They batted her sides with sheathed claws careful not to leave any marks on her fur. As they did so, three other cats bounced onto Shadow pressing him into the dirt. Suddenly, a loud snarl ripped across the clearing. Every cat looked up to see Zane standing atop of the large rock.
"What is going on here?" He snarled his tail lashing back and forth. He looked around the clearing and his gaze fell on Shadow.
"Revolting, huh? Are you jealous that I will take this beautiful she cat as my kit bearer?" Zane growled flicking his tail at Feather.

His gaze then fell of Feather. "Why do you attack my warriors? You should be happy to be able to carry kits from me." The black tom padded down from the rock and stood facing Shadow.
"YOu do not smell of a pack cat," He mumbled. His amber eyes flashed toward Feather. "Perhaps this stray is your mate?" Zane asked Feather.

Feather hoped Shadow would not be angry but she partialy lied, making it sound real. "Yes, he is, and I won't be baring anyone's kits unless they are his." Feather said angrily. She jumped off the gaurd and away from them. She sprinted over next to Shadow and hissed at the cats holding him down. "Get away from him." She snarled, fluffing out her fur, although she didn't look much bigger. 'I lied about the first part, but it is true I wouldn't bear kits from Zane.' She thought. She looked at Shadow, her eyes endless pools of protection and love, then back to Zane.

Zane's fur bristled with anger. "No one speaks to me like that!" He snarled batting Feather's face with unsheathed claws. "Guards! Put her in the Keeper until moonhigh,"
As 4 guards took control of Feather they dragged her toward a small tunnel behind one of the dens.
Zane turned toward Shadow.
"Now, my brother, how long has it been again since Mom and Dad were killed?"
"Zane," Shadow breathed in disgust. Two cats sat on Shaodw preventing him from moving.
"You're still the same, Shadow. When will you notice your true strengths? When that time comes you and I will rule the city. Guards, guard him heavily." Zane turned away from his brother and as he entered his cave he said to Shadow once more.
"I can't wait to see the look on your face when I make your mate bear my kits," He smirked as he vanished into the darkness.

The sun shrank behind the cityline casting a long shadow over the camp. The Keeper was heavily guarded with warriors and Shadow lay slumped against the wall of the camp. Under Zane's orders the cats had beat him to exhaustion and all he could do was lay on the ground, numb with pain. As the moon made its slow creep toward the center of the sky. Celesty came out of the Sanctuary, she excitedly ran over to Zane and whispered in his ear. He nodded and looked at Shadow. A grin spread across his face and he padded over to Fang.
"I want you to have the other she cat," He growled in his ear low enough so nowbody could hear. Fang nodded pleased.

Feather was disgusted. Her face hurt. She sat in a small dark tunnel gaurded by 2 cats there was no escape. She knew it. 'I won't bear Zane's kits.' Was what Feather tried to think to keep herself calm. It wasn't working. She used a paw and cleaned her wounds on her face and then she scraped the flower out of her hair. Then she curled up in the back corner of the tunnel, and dozed lightly waking up to every sound, terrified that Zane was coming. It was almost moonhigh, she sat waiting awake.

Mairenn silently sighed and rolled her eyes. I'm still here! she thought, as she snuck behind behind Cloud. Mairenn lunged for his neck. And bit. Hard.

Finally, moonhigh arrived and the cats were clustered around the clearing meowing excitedly. Zane padded out of his den, his pelt shining fiercly in the moonlight. He hopped up onto the rock and announced in a clear voice. "Bring out the princesses!"
Two toms appeared out of the Keeper, their pelts pressed up against Feather's, preventing her from getting away. Two other toms did the same with Frostbite.
"Wait!" A screech sounded in the ground. Zane glared at the interruption and asked, "What is wrong?"
"Cloud!" The she cat replied. "He's dead!"
Zane wasn't amused. "Even though we lost one cat tonight, we will have much more with these two," He said flicking his tail towards Feather and Frostbite.
"BUt, do you know who did this?" He growled scanning the clearing. Everybody glanced at each other, worried that one of them might slaughter them all. No answer.
"Very well, we will continue with the ceremony," With a flick of his tail he summoned the two cats up to the rock.

Feather had been brought out into the clearing. Many cats were gathered. Feather heard Zane say something about Cloud being dead. 'Mairenn.' Feather guessed in her thoughts. Feather didn't know what would happen next, but she hoped with all her heart that Shadow wasn't going to see. Feather just stared hollowly around, drinking in the faint traces of Shadow's scent. She waited.

Feather looked beautiful in the moonlight. Her pelt had been groomed and her eyes were clear pools of blue. Her pelt was a soft silver in the moonlight which was the opposite of the grey color it was in daylight. Her scratch on her face hadn't been to deep and it was just acctoss the surface. Feather had cleaned it which made her face look fine. Her fur was smoothed and Feather was absoululy stunning.

Blending in with the group of cats, Mairenn smiled. No one had noticed she was new yet. And she was right behind Fang. Well, this is probably NOT going to work, but hey, its worth a try, and I'll go out with a bang. She slowly reached for Fang's neck, and snapped.

She looked at Zane, wondering what was going to happen.

Frostbite felt almost ready to faint. She saw something flick in the corner of her eye. She turned her head ever so slightly. There was Mairenn, being the brave hero she was, biting into Fang's neck. 'Go Mair!' she thought, silently pushing her friend on. 'You and Shadow save us today, I'll be in your debt for the rest of my life!'

Zane's eyes flickered as he saw the body of one of his conrad's fall.
"Fang!" He roared. Everybody turned to look at the tabby. Blood trickled down from his mouth and his eyes gazed sightlessly. A she cat stood over him. Narrowing his eyes Zane screeched. "Seize her!" Three toms bundled after her and knocked her to the ground.

Mairenn grinned. "Oi, what took you so long, kitties? By the way, I told my family where I am. If I don't come back, they'll know, and tell the whole wide world. I'll be a fabulously dead matyr. Its a lose-lose situation for ya'."

Feather watched in horror. 'No,' Feather thought. "Zane!" Feather cried. "Stop this! Please!" Feather looked frantically from Mairenn to Zane.

Zane lowered his head and looked into Feather's eyes.
"Why don't you like this, my love?" He asked in a soothing tone. He padded around her, his tail skimming over her gray fur. "We'll have wonderful kits, much nicer than Shadow's," He flicked his tail toward the lump of black fur laying unmoving at the far corner of the camp. "And I'm not even sure he'll make it through the night," He meowed. "So it's either me or the soon-to-be-dead-brother-of-mine,"

"Brother?!" Feather gasped stunned. "I don't care who you are! How can you do something like this to him?" Feather looked into Zane's eye her eyes bruning blue balls of anger. 'I won't let Shadow die!' Feather thought. 'Not here, not after all we've been through.' The past weeks events passed through her thoughs.

Zan's fur bristled with anger.
"He's a coward! When our parents died he ran away! And I'm going to make you a queen whether you like it or not!" Zane was about to mount her when a loud screech sounded from the crowd of cats. The scent of humans wafted toward the leader and he yowled to the cats.
"Humans! Everyone! Hide!" As the cats spread out to their shelters, Zane turned toward Feather, "I'll make you my queen when this is all over,"
Bunching his legs, he jumped off the rock and scurried after the cats that were running down a pipe behind the rock.

Feather wasn't going to loose Shadow now. Feather dashed over to Shadow. "Shadow, Shadow please wake up....." She pleaded, "We have to leave, please...." She rasped over his head and gently nuzzled his cheek. "Shadow....." Feather said anxiously. 'He's not waking up......' Feather thought frightened. 'What if....' She ducked her ear near his muzzle, no he was breathing.... Feather got a wave of Adrenaline, ''Frost, Mairenn, get out of here now!'' She hissed. Then she grasped Shadow by the scruff. She knew where she'd take him, to the park. It wasn't to far but it was still safely away. With that she started dragging as gently as she could.

"We don't have enough time Feather!" Frost said, nudging Feather. "We will just have to pick him up and go! I can help." she grabbed the lower half his limp form. "Pick his scruff up gently, watch out." she warned.

"Ok.'' Feather said. ''Just be careful.'' She picked up Shadows Scruff up gently and started walking again.