Star's Redemption

Prologue

I was walking down the street. I had just moved here a few days ago with my niece. I didn't quite know where everything was, I just knew there were gangs. I wasn't really striving to join one, either. I had enough problems with the city gangs.

As I was minding my own business, a heavy impact hit me from the side and I got pinned up against a fence. With a screech, I flailed my arms and finally focused enough to see who was in front of me. A chestnut colored fox with bright green eyes. He had a pissed off glare, and looked just a little bit older than I was.

"Who are you?" The stranger hissed. "You aren't on your territory, cat boy!"

"Territory?" What?

The fox seemed to relax a little. "You aren't in a gang?" He asked in a more soft tone. I shook my head, gulping down the fear that was rising in my chest. "Well then." He let me go. "What's your name?"

"Star." I said.

"Star, you just moved here?" The fox asked. I nodded. "How old are you even? You barely look like an adult. Just a tall baby."

"I'm eighteen." I said.

"That explains it." The fox looked away. "I'm not much older than you. I'm twenty."

I didn't know what to say.

"Did you come here alone?" The fox asked.

"No, I came with my niece." I said.

"Your niece? How old is your niece?" The fox asked.

"Four." I said.

"Interesting." The fox muttered. "I'm Aspen, by the way."

"Hi." I whispered awkwardly.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Aspen asked.

"I live in a small apartment uptown." I said.

"Uptown?" Aspen asked. I nodded. "Downtown would be where the Ebonys are. Cat gang. Listen, kid." He started. "You're much better off either staying the hell out of these parts of town, or joining the Ebonys. You can choose one or the other. Any other option is an immediate gateway to whatever afterlife you believe in."

"I'm from the city." I said. "Bad side. I came here to escape the gangs, not to become one."

"I see." Aspen said. "You might be safer living down near the country, then. That's the wolf and dog territory, but they aren't violent. Their leader doesn't really do the whole violence thing."

"They have leaders here too? Who is your leader?" I asked.

"That would be me." Aspen said. My fur puffed up almost immediately. "I have the other violent gang, but I am not a racist bastard like some of my members. You might want to get out of here though before anyone catches me talking to you."

"Will the cat gang attack me?" I asked.

"No." Aspen said. "They will just want to know who you are. They won't hurt you though."

"Okay. How do I know if I'm in their territory?"

"You want to join a gang?" Aspen asked.

"No. I want to avoid it." I said.

"Downtown." Aspen said. "Don't go there."

"What does it look like?"

"Aspen! Who are you talking to?" A deep voice sounded from around the corner.

"Quick! Hide!" Aspen shoved me into a bush. I groaned. Way to go, now I have thorns up my ass. "I'm talking to myself again." Aspen said.

"Sure." The person there said. "This is why I should have been the leader instead of your freak ass. Your father sucks at choosing next in lines anyway."

"You can go now." Aspen muttered.

"Whatever. Don't let me catch you being a creepy little whore." The person said and I heard his footsteps retreat into the distance.

"You can come out now." Aspen said. I pulled myself out of the bush, beginning to pluck the small thorns away from the fur on my face. "You have to go now though."

"Alright." I said. "If I got attacked by your fox friends, would you help me?"

"Sure, though it kinda depends on how many of them there are." Aspen said. I nodded.

"Bye." I said. I started walking again without a care. Aspen went in the opposite direction. He seems like a nice guy. I'm surprised he's the leader. The city gangs leaders are Ajax and Jasper, and they are both just something. Both suck ass, both are rude motherfuckers, and both will kill you with no remorse, but for the fun of it.

I had been walking for a while, not really knowing where I was going, but keeping in mind where I came from so I could get back home, where Rosemary, my niece, was probably asleep.

I got into this area where there were a bunch of apartments and taller buildings. Huh, this did kind of look a lot like-

"And who might you be?" Someone spoke next to me from an alleyway, making me jump. I turned. A shorter cat stood there with another cat. The one who spoke was a nearly pure black, long furred cat with a white streak down his muzzle and stopping at his nose. The other was a grey cat with black hair slicked back with gel.

"I-I don't-"

"I have not seen you around here." The same cat spoke. He stared at me intently. He looked a bit younger than me. Probably fifteen or sixteen, would be my estimated guess.

"Star." I said.

"Are you from here?" The other cat asked.

"No, I'm from the city." I said.

"Gang part of the city?" The other asked. I nodded. "You know Ajax and Jasper then?"

"I know Ajax more personally." I said. The cat with the white streak on his nose looked at the cat behind him with a small grin.

"You might want to have a talk with our leader, if you know Ajax." The cat said.

Did I accidentally walk into the cat gang territory? "No thanks." I said. "Can I go-"

"No." The cat with the slicked back hair said. "But before we go find the guy, let's properly introduce ourselves. I'm Fog. This is Marble."

"I think I would rather go home now, thanks though." I said. Marble looked at Fog with a sideways glare. He mouthed something. I backed away as they started getting closer to me.

"What, do we scare you?" Marble sneered

"No. I just don't want to die today!" I pricked.

"What's going on here?" A deep voice made me freeze. Marble and Fog both seemed to jump a little as well and they whipped around.

"Chester! We were just talking about you!" Marble grinned awkwardly and his eyes narrowed. He was a cheeky little motherfucker.

"I'm sure you were, who is this?" Chester asked, staring me down.

"Oh, he's our new friend, Steph? Stag?" Marble blinked at me.

"Star." I said. How the hell did you mistake my name? You hear it once and never forget it because of how stupid it is.

"Star!" Marble said, correcting himself. "He's from the city and says he knows Ajax."

"No, I-"

"Is that so?" Chester's eyes lightened. "Well then, you might have some use here with us."

From that point on, not only was that something that would change my life forever,

But it was something I would dream to get myself out of.