[SSS] A Shadowy Skirmish

Morningfog shook out his pelt as the autumn breeze sent a chill through his fur. It had rained recently, and the city’s streets puddled with dirty, frigid pools. The smell of the freshly caught rodent in his jaws tightened his stomach with hunger, but he couldn’t let himself hoard this measly catch. Sunnywink was occupied otherwise at the den, and there was little prey to go around even if they were both to hunt.

Finding even this single prey had taken him far from his band’s usual hunting grounds. Splashing through the water, Morningfog tried to look for familiar landmarks amongst the gridded brick buildings and degrading, metal beasts that lay long dead on the sides of streets. 

“You’re on my hunting grounds, thief.” 

Morningfog whipped his head towards the noise, flitting his eyes around for the source. He shifted the prey in his mouth to muffle out a reply to the unseen speaker, “The Shades own this ground, no living cat.”

“Spoken like a true heretic,” came sly and full of venom. “True followers of the Night Shade would know the truth behind kittens’ tales. That prey belongs to the worthy.”  

A new sense of dread poured through Morningfog’s skin like the soaking puddle at his paws. Who was this cat to claim his worth or this land?

A feline figure stepped out from the monster’s metal belly. The scraping of claws on the stony ground was unmistakable—deeply deliberate. The sun’s slow set drew long, dark shadows over their face and body. Besides the gloom, Morningfog could not detect their scent anyway in the wet air. Effectively, this cat was a stranger to him.

The stranger’s teeth flashed in a snarl. Muscles coiled before they leapt at him with claws unsheathed. He stumbled back in a rush, but felt the sting of their claw tips rip across his snout. Gasping in pain, the prey tumbled cold out of his jaws and into the filthy water– Shades! Now you’ve spoiled it for anyone! He thought furiously.

Despite the loss, the stranger was clearly unsatisfied. They leapt at Morningfog with a furious hiss and the two tumbled into the water as well. 

Hot blood roared in Morningfog’s ears as the freezing water seeped into his pelt. He kicked at the stranger’s belly with his legs, wide-eyed and desperate to wrestle them off of his own belly. In the pair’s struggle, the stranger tightened their grip on his the charcoal sire and raked their claws across his shoulders. Bright pain lit up his mind, the sting tearing at his resolve to fight as effectively as they did his pelt. 

Morningfog shifted his chest sideways to grasp the stranger’s foreleg in his jaws. He sank his teeth into the limb; salty blood gushed over his tongue as the other feline yanked back with a cry of pain. Now’s my chance! He kicked out a last time at the stranger’s belly and watched in relief as they stumbled backward with a groan. 

The charcoal tabby sire wasted little time rolling onto his paws again and leaping away from the scene in a hasty attempt to flee. He splashed through the still water and made for the direction of the street away from his attacker. His pelt was warm and sticky as his haste opened every cut further, and most of the air had left his lungs far earlier in the skirmish. 

A low growl announced this scrap was far from over. The stranger had recovered disappointingly quickly–and bounded after the sire to slash at his behind. Morningfog didn’t need to look to know they were right behind him–hot breath at his tail was followed by a frightful tug. 

He yelped in surprise; the prey was gone! He was leaving! Why are they chasing him?! He kicked out a little with his foot and slipped from their grasp. A quick glance over his shoulder revealed the mysterious stray spitting out a mouthful of thick black fur, but overwise silent and still where they stood. Their hateful gaze followed him as Morningfog ran as far as he could from the stranger’s “territory.” Thank the Shades for his thick black fur!