Impregnable

Chapter 13

"Hold still - can't you see we're trying to save your life?!" Poplar demanded, struggling to hold the thrashing white she-cat down. The cat yowled and desperately tried to claw her way out of the iron grip. Blizzard flattened her ears in disgust and kept a watchful eye on her two kits, with Lizard behind them.

     The mother refused to give up and violently cried out for her kits, who stirred hearing her cry. Lizard let out a warning growl, silencing them and the mother stiffened, holding back choked tears. Poplar smirked, keeping her paws steady on the she-cat, looking expectantly at Blizzard.

     One of the kits let out a fearful mew and the white cat lunged, causing Poplar's grip to slip. However, she slammed a paw on the mother's tail, making the skinny cat yowl. Blizzard's friend increased the pressure, keeping her still against her will as Lizard kept the kits in his reach, ready to strike on a single command.

     Blizzard sighed and let out a shaggy breath, becoming more aware of her surroundings all the while searching for nearby cats that might be lurking in the branches or bushes. The only scent that stood out was the blaring trail they took to chase down the mother. Luckily, she didn't pick up traces of Viper or Skull.

     It would've made things easier if she didn't protest and yowl so much, she thought. I hate to use force against you but sometimes I need to push the scales to get what I need. Blizzard felt a sneer cross her face.

     "This should be our third attempt," Lizard reported, looking at the tiny kits. "Possibly five, if they cooperate."

     "Don't you dare lay a single paw on them!" snarled the mother, wiggling underneath Poplar in vain. "If you so much as harm a whisker, I swear I'll kill you!"

     "I wouldn't be making those kinds of promises, considering your situation," Poplar jested, rolling her eyes in a mocking manner. Her claws slid out threateningly, lifting a single paw that dangled over the white she-cat's throat. "You wouldn't be the first cat I've killed, even if you have kits."

     "Let go of my kits at least," the mother begged, pleading with the cold-hearted cat. "Let them go and I won't hurt you."

     She snorted. "Ha! I've heard that so many times you wouldn't believe it! How do I know you aren't going to stab me in the back? It'd be easier to kill you and the kits, but that's not what we're after."

     "What did we do...!" protested the she-cat, eyes flicking from Poplar to Blizzard. "If anything, you're the ones who should pay!"

     "Careful," Lizard threatened, letting his voice drop. "Slaughtering your kits will be like hunting a mouse."

     And a part of me does miss the feeling of terrorizing cats to the bone. Oh, how I wish we could go back to times when the Storm Siblings would scare the living daylights out of rogues. Blizzard smiled at the thought.

     Poplar laughed. "All right! Enough with this and we'll get to the main part." Her eyes glittered with excitement. Blizzard growled, signaling her friend and the ginger she-cat placed a paw on the mother's throat.

     "We need you to be quiet because there are cats out there that will kill us if they see us do this," Blizzard explained, coming closer to crouch down to the mother's level. "We're supposed to be on a patrol looking for cats to take prisoner, but." She empathized the last word to keep the white she-cat's panic to a minimum.

     "We're sending you somewhere safe so you don't have to die at the paws of either side."

     The mother stayed silent, chest heaving with fear as she stared at Poplar with fearful eyes, trembling like her kits. Blizzard met eyes with the mother and gave her a warm look, hoping that would ease the rogue.