Incoming Storm

Prologue

Prologue

They had all known that the scrawny silver she-cat had been about to betray them. They just hadn't expected it would be so soon.

"Odd? Are you out there?" Odd's leader's rasping voice sounded in the gloom.

Odd, a golden tabby tom, hesitated for a few heartbeats. He was in the entrance cave to where their colony had been residing for the past few moons. They had climbed up a mountain, hoping to leave behind the ever encroaching two-legs. It had been a mistake, though. Their ranks had been significantly reduced, with cats dying from BloodCough and other deadly diseases even in SunTime.

Odd padded forward, holding his chin high as he strode past the cats that were sitting on the cave floor, eating FreshMeat he and his brother Skipper had helped catch. Odd navigated the tunnels easily, making his way to the farthest back cavern, where there was no light at all. His leader had always liked being in the shadows for some reason.

"Yeah, I am here now, Pit." Odd tried to conceal the nervousness in his mew. Pit was really taking the BloodCough hard; for a while they had thought she was going to die. "Is there anything you need, Pit?"

She let out a raspy chuckle as Odd padded closer. Pit was purring, her pupils dilated in an alarming sort of way. Odd knew that it was from the weird weed that the kittypet they had recently recruited, Sweetycake had found. She had claimed it would help Pit, and it had, but it had also made her alarmingly loopy.

Odd could only see Pit's eyes, and the faint outlines of her scrawny frame. "My trusty boy, I have a job for you."

A job! Odd felt pride at his leader's smooth recovery glow inside his chest. Pit was finally getting better. She was finally thinking about their colony again. Odd wished he hadn't had to spend the past half-moon being lost and desolate without Pit, though.

"What is it?" Odd felt eagerness ripple through his pelt. "Do you want me to get the other kits, Skipper and Trusty too?"

Whenever Pit had a task for him, and he achieved it, Pit would always reward him. He loved being hers to command for the good of their colony. Though, he also did have his own agenda from time to time... No, I do not. Pit would never like him again if she knew about his secret.

"Odd." Pit's voice was serene. "Just you for this one, my little kit. You were always the strongest. You'll be my favourite if you do this one little task."

"Yes?" Pit's still a bit weird.

Pit dug her sharp and gleaming claws into the cave floor, creating a horribly squeaky racket. She had always used it whenever she was giving Odd special or secret commands. Other cats despised the sound, but Odd secretly relished it.

"Storm's going to betray me," Odd heart Pit's voice crack. "My first follower... She's turning against me. Her son is too."

Odd felt his tail droop, ruefully. "Makes sense. Storm was our best eagle killer, though."

Pit nodded understandingly. "But her kit was always a liability, since she never trained it to do much of anything."

Odd dipped his head, "I'll go now, Pit."

Odd knew the truth, though, and he knew what had to be done. He still couldn't believe how long Storm, the scrawny silver-grey she-cat had gotten away with acting as an imposter, turning cats against Pit.

He padded out of the cave into the dull afternoon light, his ginger fur fluffing up against the sudden chill that probed out of his pelt. Odd looked around in the dying light for his victim.

Odd had never liked Storm, and he had liked her kit even less. When he had been a kit, Storm had always looked down on him for being so close to Pit all the time. She had often scorned him and his littermates, and called them Pit's 'pets,' and 'weapons.' Odd had always guessed that was because she wanted to be Pit's 'pet.'