The night air was still and heavy as Electra followed her family through the streets of the City of the Dead, the flickering glow of streetlights casting eerie shadows on the damp pavement. Muffin the Elder padded steadily beside her, quiet and watchful, her green eyes reflecting every sliver of light. Ahead of them, Snowball scanned the dark corners within the City of the Dead, on the lookout for trouble, his muscles tensed as he scanned their surroundings for potential threats. Greg the Overlord led them with calm authority toward his sanctuary—an abandoned mausoleum nestled deep within the old cemetery, known to the cats as the City of the Dead.
The mausoleum loomed before them, its stone walls weathered but resolute, an imposing refuge for the clowder. The cats leaped to the top, and skirted the edges, ensuring that there were no dangers. As they entered the open space, Electra’s gaze fell upon the lifeless body of the white rat, still and unmoving on the cold stone floor.
“Dinner,” he announced, nudging the rat toward his family. His yellow eyes gleamed with satisfaction as he looked at the others, a silent command to take their share.
Electra wrinkled her nose and took a step back, her pampered instincts rebelling at the thought. She may have been a part of this clowder, but the life of a spoiled house cat had left her unprepared for the realities of scavenged meals. “I’ll pass,” she murmured.
Snowball and Muffin wasted no time. They pounced on the offering, tearing into it with efficiency and precision, their hunger too pressing to allow for ceremony. As they finished, each cat sat back on their haunches, meticulously licking their paws and faces, erasing any trace of their meal.
Electra settled herself on a nearby slab of stone, watching her family’s ritual of cleaning with a mixture of fascination and unease. There was a unity in their movements, a bond born of survival and necessity, and in that moment, she felt the distance between her life of comfort and their lives of hardship.
Once they were all settled and their fur smoothed, Electra took a deep breath. “I spoke to Dracine, the bat,” she began. “She’s seen the missing cats… they’re being held at the veterinarian’s office. I don’t know how many, but they’re trapped there, locked away. They are prisoners.”
The three older cats exchanged a glance, their expressions darkening as Electra’s words sank in. Snowball’s tail lashed, his claws unsheathing reflexively at the thought of their kin in captivity.
Greg narrowed his eyes, deep in thought. “The vet’s office,” he repeated, his tone cold. “If they’re being held there, then we’ll need to devise a plan. But this isn’t a place we can easily enter or leave without being seen.” His gaze drifted back toward Electra. “Did Dracine mention how the humans are guarding them?”
Electra shook her head. “Only that they’re there, and they don’t have a way out.”
Greg nodded, his expression one of grim resolve. “Then we’ll need to scout it ourselves,” he said quietly. “We can’t leave them to their fate, not if there’s a chance we can free them. But we’ll have to be cautious. The vet’s office is a fortress of the humans.”
Muffin placed a gentle paw on Electra’s shoulder, her voice a soft murmur. “You’ve done well, Electra. You’ve brought us valuable information. Whatever happens, you’re still part of this clowder. Remember that.”
Electra felt warmth spread through her chest as she helplessly purred at her mother’s words, a sense of belonging she hadn’t realized she’d been missing. She looked around at her family, her gaze lingering on each of them, and knew that whatever lay ahead, she would face it with them.
A HOME in the City of the Dead
As the night deepened over the City of the Dead, the four cats began to form a plan, their quiet voices blending into the shadows that stretched long and dark within the walls of the City of the Dead.
“Hush!” Electra murmured. “Quiet.”
In the distance the cats heard the voice of Desiree, calling for Electra through the night. “Electra? Lectie!”
“She’s worried,” said Electra. “I should go back.”
“Not yet”, said Muffin softly. “We may still need you.”
“What are you thinking, Mother?” Snowball moved closer to Muffin.
“Electra knows how to get loose from the humans. She did it tonight.” The cats all turned and looked at Electra.
“Whoa, y’all. I know how to get out of my house. I don’t know how to get out of the vet jail.”
“What needs to happen for the cats to get out of the vet’s office?” Greg asked.
Electra stared back at the white faces. “How should I know?”
Snowball growled. Electra’s back arched slightly and she recoiled.
“Look, cats,” Electra said, “I’ve been in the vet jail before. It’s different from my house. At my house all I have to do is pay attention and be fast and I can slip out the door and run. But at the vet’s office they keep you in steel cages. Inside the cages the world echos loudly, so you can’t hear yourself think. And there are heavy latches that cats can’t open. The humans use two hands to open them, and they have thumbs!”
Greg licked his paw and rubbed it thoughtfully across his face. “Could we slip in past the humans?”
“Probably, but they would just trap us, too. What good would that do? They have traps that lure you with food. The door closes behind you and you can’t get out.” Electra stretched. “I suspect Desiree has set one outside our house to catch me. Be careful and don’t go near them, even if you smell good food inside.”
“We will have to outsmart them,” Snowball growled.
They could still hear Desiree’s calls through the night, “Electra! Kitty, kitty, kitty? Where are you girl?”
