Tribe of Cats: The Troubling Menace~Book 1

~Chapter 6~

Lyla awoke in panic when she heard a yowl from the clearing, it was in the middle of the night. She sprang to her feet with her tribemates. Lyla kicked up grass as she started to bolt into the clearing.

Lyla was the first to race out into the clearing. She took in the scene in front of her. There was a big light grey tom with large white paws. He had two companions with him, a she-cat and a tom. The she-cat was brown and had white spots. The tom was fawn colored with grey paws and a tail-tip. Blizzard was confronting the big tom bravely, although Lyla could see his legs were shaking with fear.

Alpha and Beta bounded to the front and confronted the three cats. Their pelts were prickling with hostility. Lyla jumped up to support her leaders. She unsheathed her claws and went into her battle stance. She felt her packmates slide in beside her and took up their battle positions as well. The three strangers looked unnerved by this and stood there calmly.

Lyla felt her neck fur prickling with unease. She hadn't seen a cat this brave. If she were in that position, she'd be shaking in her pelt. Lyla felt laughter bubble up inside of her when she remembered that she had faced the Tribe a few months ago when she first met the Tribe.

Alpha curled his lip as he examined the tom and his comrades. "What brings you here?" Alpha snarled, his tail lashing with hostility. He sniffed, his muzzle curling up with disgust.

Lyla scented the air and realized that the cats smelled like Furless place. She was from the Furless place but she hated it even when she lived in the place.

Still, the tom in the middle looked at Alpha with ease and confidence. "We have heard about you and we would like to join you." The light grey tom mewed, his voice steady with assurance. His companions squared their shoulders with overconfidence.

Alpha took a surprised step back and blinked, stunned. Beta replaced him and stood there, like a rock while Alpha regained his composure. Alpha was looking at the ground, his legs shaking as if he couldn't believe a cat wasn't afraid of him.

"What qualities would you bring to our Tribe?" Beta asked, her golden gaze was unreadable. But Lyla could see her claws were unsheathing and sheathing nervously. Even she was nervous, and that was making Lyla nervous.

If Beta is nervous... Lyla's thought process trailed off as she studied the well-muscled trio.

The tom glanced at his companions with amusement and self-assurance. They glanced back with confidence. "We would bring you many qualities. I am a great fighter, and Fawn can take down a hare easily." He gestured toward the fawn colored tom with grey paws and a tail-tip. As he did so, Fawn puffed out his chest. "And Spot can scent and hear things. She is the first cat I have ever seen that can do it so well!" He nodded toward the she-cat, and she blinked self-importantly.

Beta blinked, unimpressed. "Well, Night over here is great at catching hares. And Stripe can easily beat any enemy. Rabbit also has magnificent tracking skills." Beta meowed, and yawned as if she were bored. She even started to groom her chest fur impatiently.

Lyla didn't know what to think. She had a feeling that they shouldn't trust these cats. But at the same time she thought maybe they could somehow help their Tribe grow.

We need more cats! Maybe they could help us. And if the raccoons come back, we will have more cats. Lyla thought deeply. But as she gazed at the tom in the front, she noticed that his claws were unsheathed tensely as if he were about to go into battle. She felt her fur prickle with dismay.

I don't trust him...

Alpha stepped forward again and mewed, "You may join. But you will take low ranks." Alpha meowed hurriedly. Then he murmured to Beta, "Please tell them their ranks." He seemed like he was troubled.