He stepped out of the water, carrying a dead fish. Something occurred to him; ears pricked, he wondered how he could ever know something as big as this.
He knew his whole life, someone had been following him. He pretended to not hear the rustling of grass and leaves behind him.
He put dust over his fish, and went to catch another.
As he returned, anger boiled up inside him. The stalker had stolen his fish! Now he caught a scrawny looking one. He finished this fish with a few rapid bites and decided to set up a trap.
He would catch two more fish. The first one he'd set out. He put more dust over it and pretended to catch another one.
He heard the familiar rustle of leaves. He whipped around and raked his claws at the thief. They let out a yelp.
"Who are you!?" The tom growled and pinned down a beautiful light gray and white she-cat. "None of your business."
The she-cat wriggled out and spun to face the tom, her fur lifting. "Get away! I caught this food, you thief!" The tom hissed. He leaped at the gray she-cat who opened her mouth to answer.
"I have been following you because I want you to join me," the cat explained, swatting the black and white tom away.
"If you don't, I'll kill you and your family." The tom bristled and halted. Of course she knew about his family. "I knew you were alone and wanted to get your attention. I want you to be mates with me. I know you need food and your family is sick. I know the river isn't as full of fish as it used to be. My mother told me it was as full with fish as a barn is with hay."
The tom stopped. This she-cat was more beautiful than his mate. She looked underfed, surprisingly. "I had a brother," she murmured. "He decided that he was going to find fish from the river. Your mate's friend killed him for trespassing. I would never eat anything as long as he died." She did look scrawny and underfed.
"Come with me," she continued. "We can be full fed and live a great life together and have children who grow up
to be amazing fighters." She brushed her tail along the tom's spine. Her yellow eyes were full of love and affection- and something else.
The tom couldn't give in and leave his family. "Can you bring my family?" He asked her. The she-cat's eyes filled with thought, then she nodded. "But you cannot be mates with that other she-cat. She isn't yours anymore."
Then, the she-cat turned towards where his family hid. The tom followed more slowly.
The she-cat hurried to her new mate's family. They would get in the way of her plan. "He didn't even ask for my name?" She hissed aloud. "He's more stupid than I thought."
She finally was at the rock where the ugly light brown she-cat lay, weak with hunger. Her four kits looked young but they weren't kits.
"Hi," she meowed to the she-cat. "I'm Lily. Who are you?" The she-cat hesitated. "Get out," she croaked. "I am here to bring you food. As much as you need."
The she-cat paused and looked weak with hunger. "Okay. I'm Horse. These are my kits, Feather, Spots, Stripes, and Raven."
She nodded to her kits, who were sleeping too. "Idiot," Lily snarled and Horse looked taken aback. "I stole your mate while you were here dying. He never cared for you. He told me he loved me and to kill you."
Lily leaped at Horse, who shrieked. She clenched her teeth around Horse's throat and blood welled on the ground.
She dragged Horse to a river and pushed her in there. One of the children yowled "Mother!" So loud Lily was sure that black and white tom would hear.
Lily bounded back to the rock and calmed the apprentice. "Where did you see her go? Did you actually see her go?" She asked him. It was Stripes.
"What happened?" The tom pushed his way in. "Lightning!" Stripes gasped. "That she-cat is gone!" Lily shrieked to "Lightning."
"What!?" He hissed. "How could she be gone? Did she see us and leave?" "No," Lily sneered.
"I need to talk to you." They set off and Lightning became impatient. "Lightning," Lily murmured," I didn't want to tell your kits, but I watched your mate-" ("Horse," Lightning interrupted) -" leave on her own. She told me to die somewhere. I followed her and couldn't stop her from being torn apart by a cat. They pushed her down a river."
Lightning wailed. "No!" He screamed at a tree. "It wasn't her time." Lily rolled her eyes. "Would you like me to show you the river?" She asked.
Lightning nodded. Lily thought cleverly of how she would push him in. Finally, she passed the actual river and found one that passed through trees. "Here." She padded to the edge, and waited for Lightning to do the same.
"I'll let you grieve in peace," Lily muttered and left his side. He was mourning so much it made her sick. Finally, she pushed Lightning in and he fell with a shriek.
"I would never be your mate!" Lily screamed and pushed him under the water. He was so scrawny and weak he couldn't get back to the surface for breath. But the she-cat hadn't known he gasped for breath at the surface of the water.
Lily killed one of the kits while they were hunting and two more when they were grieving under a rock.
The only remaining one was Stripes. "How could you!?" Stripes screamed behind Lily. She whipped around and raked Stripes' shoulder.
Stripes ducked just in time and fled. Lily went after her and realized she was climbing over a cliff in pursuit of Stripes. Stripes dodged my blow and kicked her off the cliff.
Lily fell with a deafening crash and was dead.
But Stripes kept running and promised herself never to come back again. Her adopted (yes, they weren't her real family) family was dead. Except for Lightning.
He vowed to get revenge on that same she-cat.
