The Tongue Of Cats

Chapter Twenty

"Are you ready?"

The voice sounded over the crowd of cats, the felines jostling each other for a better view as they stood in a clearing by the biggest Twoleg city. It was nearly all the cats of the Clans, with so many colors and faces that it nearly hurt Aspenfrost's eyes to look at them. The tom was standing in a somewhat shady corner as a big, muscular gray warrior stood on a huge rock by the front of the crowd.

"This is the biggest battle I've seen in my life," a small brown tabby muttered to her neighbor. "So many cats... blood will mark the streets until this is over."

And I will spill the blood of many Twolegs, Aspenfrost vowed angrily. Iriskit will be avenged. He straightened up, angling his ears toward the tom who had stepped onto the rock.

"We will attack at dawn, while the Twolegs are sleeping. You'll be split up into groups, attacking at weak points around the city. Snakewhisker will divide you."

Aspenfrost nudged the cat who had spoken a heartbeat earlier. "Do you really think this is such a bad idea?" he whispered.

She glanced over at him, ears flattening slightly as she realized he was talking to her. "Yes," she responded carefully. "It's always unwise to spill so much blood."

* * *

Aspenfrost's group converged around him, plunging down a slope into a small Twoleg neighborhood. Their job was to cut off this community from the rest of the city, and in only several seconds, the roads were blocked with hissing, snarling cats.

Twolegs poked their heads out of houses, confusion spreading on their faces when they saw the felines grouped on the streets. Aspenfrost's feelings were still in a turmoil over what the she-cat had said. He had been sure in his resolve to avenge Iriskit. But now he was nearly as confused as the Twolegs.

A Twoleg approached them, paw stretched out. Its eyes were gentle, but Snakewhisker--who had agreed to lead the patrol--stepped forward, fluffing up his fur. The Twoleg stepped back in response to his ferocity.

Snakewhisker leaped at the creature, claws sliding out. He slashed once at the Twoleg's leg and again at its side, ripping the pelts that it wore.

Shocked, the Twoleg stumbled backwards, pink mouth gaping in fear. These were civilian Twolegs, Aspenfrost realized. They didn't know fighting tactics against the cats--but as more Twolegs began to appears in doorways to the dens and along the road behind the first Twoleg, the brown tom wondered exactly how easy it would be to secure the town.

The cats sprang into battle, a light of fury shining coldly in the heart of every eye fixed on the Twolegs. The creatures swarmed forward, raising the long metal sticks that hurt so much and metal poles for slamming down on a cat's head. But there were less firesticks than usual, and the metal poles were slow and unwieldy, hard to be swung when an agile cat could leap out of the way with ease.

A siren wailed behind them and Aspenfrost turned. He had been jumping into the battle whenever necessary, and trying to save cats from getting too hurt. Refusing to actually attack a Twoleg directly, he would just swipe at their legs and paws.

More Twolegs had arrived, pouring out of the wailing red monster. Every Twoleg held a firestick, the menacing metal sticks gleaming in the sunlight. He yowled in fear, warning the other cats. Even blood-hungry Snakewhisker couldn't argue: The Twolegs were too numerous for the cats to defeat.

A shape crashed through the trees at the same time the Twolegs began closing in on the group of warriors. A black she-cat yowled at them from the shelter of the trees. "Hurry! All of the groups have diverged onto the main building in the city so we can kill the Twoleg leaders. Your fight here is hopeless--come!"