It's a trap! Ink thought, springing away as a thick-furred golden tom sprang at her.
She yowled and batted at his face, trying to force him away.
She spotted the two tabby toms, Lucky and Ducky, sprinting away through the ferns, wailing in terror. They were followed by a pale ginger she-cat.
The tom darted beneath her and pushed up, flinging her onto her side. He batted at her exposed throat as she began clawing at his chest.
Then she realized something. The tom's claws were sheathed!
It's a test. They want to see if we have the strength to defend ourselves. And I'm not about to fail!
She surged up, catching him off guard and pinning him before he could fight back. She placed a paw on her throat and hissed in his face.
"Stay down!"
Nearby, her friend Rose had clawed tufts of fur off of a black she-cat. The black cats ears were flattened and she was trying to bat her away. Turning tail she fled to find a different opponent.
She lifted her paw and allowed the golden tom to wriggle free.
"Find a different opponent!" she snarled.
He smiled and nodded, before racing off.
She hurried over to Rose, who was casually plucking black fur out of her claws.
"It's a test," she said to her friend.
"I know," the white she-cat replied, flicking her tail in a pleased way. "And I think I just passed!"
"Same."
They watched as the group of cats grew smaller, until only a small handful of guests were left.
"Enough!" ordered Hay Stalk, the big tabby and white tom that lead the Tribe. "The meeting is over!"
He looked down at the guests.
"We have found our new Tribe-mates!"
YOU ARE READING
Cats of The Cliffs
AdventureInspired by the Warriors Series by Erin Hunter. The Tribe of Crashing Waves, named for the sound that they could hear from the town they lived in, have been driven from their home in the old church. Their frail leader, Frosted Eyes, used the last of...
