Enter the Cat Chapter 1

Chapter 3

The jar as my fist meets the resistance of flesh is accompanied by a meaty thud as I land a solid punch to the mid section of the stray in front of me. A slight grunt of pain is all that escapes his tightly clenched jaws even though I put good effort into the blow.

"I repeat, why were you stalking women?" Wade demands tightly.

When no there is no reply to his question, Wade nods to me and I repeat the blow. This time, I strike on the other side of the torso as I search for sensitive spots left by the beating Malcolm administered in an effort to gain answers to Wade’s questions.

"What were you doing stalking human women? What did you hope to achieve?" Wade demands flatly.

Again there is no answer and I deliver a flurry of blows at Wade’s signal. This time groans of pain reward my efforts but I feel no pleasure. Unfortunately sometimes physical violence is the only way to pry necessary information out of a reluctant stray. We need to know why he has knowingly and persistently been on clan land without permission when he has clearly been doing much more than passing through.

Stray werecats rarely travel in the company of other cats and frequently leave behind clear evidence of kills when they feed in cat form. That and their tendency to travel in cat form during the day greatly increase the chances of being sighted by humans. Strays passing through are warned to notify us that they will be moving through our territory. This knowledge helps us work out which few strays are troublemakers and which are merely moving from one location to another. Most of the other clans have similar rules with the movements of strays, and I do know a few clans who strictly forbid strays crossing their clan territory at any time. Clan members always extend the courtesy of asking permission before venturing onto another clan’s territory and there has never been any refusal of permission to my knowledge.

"Ok already!" The stray gasps, "I get the message! Stay away from humans."

"What were you doing stalking human women?" Wade demands evenly. "Answer my question."

Again there is no answer but I wait for a signal from Wade before punching the stray again. This time I have winded him and it takes a few seconds before he can draw a breath to groan.

"What were you doing on Williamson clan territory?" Wade asks.

"I was looking for someone I used to run with," the stray admits before coughing painfully.

"Why the interest in human women?" Wade demands harshly with a nod.

I give the stray no time to answer as I deliver several hard punches to his ribs. The blows leave him groaning in pain as he swings by his arms where they are bound above his head and secured to a short chain hanging from a cross beam. He raises his head to glare at me a few seconds before letting it fall forward once again.

It is a real possibility he had formed a relationship with a human, which raises the possibility of interbreeding between the two. This could result in seemingly a human baby being born only to become turned into a stray at some further time in their life. While the difference in the blood make-up is nearly undetectable in a newborn baby it becomes much more noticeable in those about to ‘turn’. Clan Alphas generally try to keep track of any such children in hopes of being able to render assistance at that time in their lives.

"What makes you assume I was looking for a human female?" the stray says, clearly relishing the furious growls his taunt elicits.

I don’t wait for Wade’s signal this time and aim for the stray’s face. I feel teeth come loose and skin split beneath my knuckles as I hand out a savage beating. Was he hinting he had been hunting the she-kitt born in this territory? Just the thought of a stray like this getting anywhere near Jazzy spurs me on and even Wade doesn’t object as I land punishing blow after punishing blow. Cartilage crunches as his nose breaks and I back off several steps as I manage to control the urge to smash his face beyond recognition.