Warrior Cats: Sprout || Book One

Chapter Ten

"Hello?"

Lily's azure eyes pierced the soggy gloom of the alley, her night-vision kicking in. Shadows engulfed the walls, and the unmistakable stench of rotten flesh greeted her scent glands. Crinkling her nose, the silver tabby ventured further into the backstreet, Luna, pressed against her side.

Lily glanced to her side, measuring the grey she-kit's wary expression. She was evidently attempting to quash her fair, and failing spectacularly. Lily twined her tail with her friend's in a protective gesture; Luna blinked warmly at the support.

She just gave up all that she's known for me. Even though I'm probably undeserving of that care. I don't think any cat is. And now she's coming with me to face a potentially psychotic tom who we are assuming is my uncle. Thank the stars for blessing me with her.

Lucas broke her pensive thoughts with a low rumble. "This is where we last saw him," he grunted, looking uneasy.

Understandable. That last time we were here, the cat we're now trying to rescue was going to kill him.

Lily forced a wan grin at her ginger companion; Diego hulked beside him, a forever soothing presence. Not for the first time, her heart panged with gratitude for his sturdy, never-faltering character.

"Okay," she sighed, stepping forwards. Her damp pelt clung to her slim frame, highlighting her ribs and her hip bones. "We'll see if he's still here."

By the stars, I hope he is. I don't love the idea of going traipsing around the city in search of an elusive tom.

"Hello?" Lily rasped quietly. She flicked her tail, and curled it around her body protectively, anticipation suddenly pricking at her spine. Gooseflesh erupted along her neck and shoulders and she shrugged with discomfort, mouth pulled into a tight grimace. "Er..."

Why am I so nervous? I wasn't, like, thirty seconds ago.

Her innards felt as though some cat had wrenched them into a roiling knot. Fur brushed her flanks and she glanced up in surprise. Luna, Lucas, and Diego had sidled up beside her, acting like loving, stoic sentinels; Diego and Luna were closest to her, and their fur mingled.

Astonishment caused her coat to raise, and she glanced side to side. Lucas was bent into a makeshift hunting crouch, of a sort, his body low to the ground and his muzzle angled to the back of the alley. Diego loomed above them all, his emerald eyes fixed forwards and his ears pinned to his skull; his paw was placed on her own.

On her other side, a smile played at Luna's lips, chasing away Lily's fear altogether. Warmth pooled in her stomach and she drew herself up and called again, her voice much more audible. "Hello?" she barked. "Is... Is anyone there?"

For a moment, all that could be heard was the pattering of raindrops on the shingles and the foreboding rumbling of the pipes.

Then, a pair of smoldering yellow eyes appeared in the deepest swath of shadow and blinked once, with a measured sluggishness. A grimy white paw emerged from the murk, heralding the approach of the rest of the tom.

The pale cat was resting a hostile battle squat, his eyes shifting furtively from side to side, as if scanning for enemies and pinpointing all possible escape roots. There was a heart-racking pause as he stalked back and forth, before, with a seemingly-satisfied exhale, thumping down on his haunches.

There was an incredulous crinkle to one of his eyes that easily portrayed his aggression and his aversion to them. Lily searched his face for an inkling of the cat he once could have been. Her eyes landed on the worn laugh lines around his eyes; they obviously had not been in use for moons.