The Story of Tiberius

Chapter 122

"How is this the easy way?!" Ozone yowled about five minutes later. Nitro remained silent, staring at the ground about a little over three hundred feet below. A firm grip on each of the cats' scruffs with his talons, Tiberius kept himself and the pair aloft while he shouted, "What are the rabbit's plans?!" Back down on the ground safe and sound, the search party had their heads tilted back as far as their necks would allow. Leaning towards Buddy, Mel whispered, "You think we've gone too far with this?"

"Look man, I don't know anything about a plan! Just let me live!" Ozone cried, turning his head so he could see Tiberius. Not believing a single word that came out of the hairless cat's mouth, the old red tailed hawk snarled threateningly in his face. He prayed one of the two would begin talking sooner than later. His left wing was killing him and he could feel his strength ebbing away bit by bit. It wouldn't be long until all three plummeted from the sky to their deaths on the pavement below. Shaking both felines, he demanded, "Tell me the plans!"

"I want my mommy..." Nitro whimpered, curling up into a ball. Hugging his long tail, Ozone was visibly shaking. Rolling his light brown eyes in annoyance, Tiberius decided to try a new tactic. Absentmindedly, he released his hold on both of their scruffs, allowing both cats to plummet towards the ground. Their terrified yowls filled the air within seconds. Tucking his wings by his sides, the old hawk dived alongside them. Looking at them, he had the most serious face he could pull off as he growled, "Plans?"

"I don't freaking know!" Ozone insisted, struggling to flip himself over properly so he could land on his feet. The ground was closing in, coming closer and closer. In a matter of a few seconds, the two felines could potentially become flapjacks. Tiberius was beginning to think that was going to happen when Nitro suddenly cried out, "There's an ambush waiting on the Brooklyn Bridge!" Slowly turning his head to face his friend with a look of disbelief on his face, Ozone reached over with one paw and slapped Nitro across the face. Then the two promptly returned to screaming their heads off. But they never did hit the ground.

Having had gotten his answer, Tiberius swiftly caught the two cats by their tails. Their noses were just half a centimeter above the pavement. Seeing that, Ozone and Nitro breathed a sigh of relief. But their moment of calm was broken when the hawk suddenly threw them aside. Nitro skidded across the ground on his back while Ozone tumbled head over heels. Towering over the pair once they came to a stop beside some trash bags, Tiberius got right in Ozone's face as he snarled, "Now get out." He held up his talons threateningly for extra emphasis. Not needing another invitation, the two felines tore out of the area with their tails held high in fear. Huffing, the red tail turned to face the rest of the search party, who were completely speechless by what they had just witnessed. Looking over at Gidget, he muttered, "There's an ambush on the Brooklyn Bridge-"

Gidget started running at those words before he could finish.