Forest's Fate

Chapter 8

        Everyone is standing in the center of the camp. I can't see who are they watching, so after a moment of putting the prey I was carrying into a pile, I give my hunting group a glance and slowly walk towards the crowd. There is a rustle from behind me, so I turn my head around and notice that the group is following me. A few of the cats seem to look apprehensive with their ears slightly flattened and their tails nervously lashing back and forth. I give them a reassuring purr before staring back at the humongous crowd of cats and walking forward again.

        After a moment of me walking, the cats back up to form a circle around a cat. I still can't tell who, but I'm starting to guess that it's the leader. (I guess I'll just still call the wretch Name for now.) Some cats notice me and the hunting group in the crowd, so they make room for us. We rush to the front of the crowd, and the feeling of apprehension that the others have been feeling rises in my heart. I was right about Name; he was standing in the middle of the circle we were forming. Next to him, though, is a plain brown cat who looks slightly shorter than me. Compared to Name, that cat looks like a squirrel, so I can easily guess that he or she's an earth cat. The cat is obviously trying to act careless as he looks around for cats he knows and shouts a greeting to them, but there is an odd, afraid light in his brown eyes that is so intense that it makes me look away.

        Name finally growls, "The hunting patrol has returned, so we shall begin with the punishment." Punishment? I notice for the first time that there are four more cats sitting at the edge of the circle, all of them bulky and tall with grim, emotionless looks on their faces.

Suddenly, one of the cats on the edge of the circle stands up and nudges something with his or her tail. A strange blue leaf the shape of a simple circle is next to the cat. "I have the blue-leaf," she announces in a high-pitched meow. A chill runs down my spine as I hear quiet but terrified whimpers all around me. The black and white cat picks up the object with her jaws and carries it closer to Name and the victim. The said victim looks like his eyes are going to pop out of his head now; he's obviously scared out of his wits. I would definitely feel the same if I was in his place.

Name shouts to the crowd in a louder voice than usual, "We have some new members here, so I shall briefly explain the power of the blue-leaf before we proceed with Branch's punishment." He spits out the brown cat's name as if it were a piece of foul-smelling cat dung. "A while ago, when cats got on their third strike, they got executed by getting their necks slit by me. But that was not a smart solution, as we need as many Earth cats as we can to incorporate into the Earth-Superior army." He pauses, letting that thought sink in our brains. Why can't that idiot stop calling us Earth cats? Name continues, "Then, one of our finest Superiors discovered a plant that is able to wipe the memories of cats. Since there is a limited resource of blue-leaves, we are unable to provide a plant for every cat to digest, but we now use it for cats who are unable to behave properly in our planet, just like our friend, Branch." I can now see Branch's body trembling wildly as Name mentions his name again. I have a sudden urge to scream to stop Name with this strange punishment.

The black and white cat who had the blue-leaf before speaks up again. "Are we ready to begin with the punishment?"

Name doesn't answer yet. He first turns to Branch. His ice-blue eyes are emotionless, and his voice is almost monotonous as he asks, "Do you have any last words?"

"Yes, I do." Branch's shaky voice rings out into the crowd. "If you have the courage, I encourage many of you to escape. Go join the rebels. Don't wander around believing that you will get out otherwise. I'm sure that once they win, they will keep us as slaves and try to take over Earth as well!" He gets louder with every word as gasps rise throughout the crowd. Branch opens his mouth to yell something else, but Name stands up and gives a simple nod to the black and white cat. The cats at the edge of the circle suddenly close in on Branch.