A Tale of Three

Chapter 11: Ambition

By the time the moon had almost reached the other side of the sky, the cavern was so crammed with wildcats that even a step was a challenge. Every feline pressed as closely as they could to the boulder that stood above the bonfire; their voices were hushed whispers.

Cyrene pushed her way through the crowd, ignoring any growls or snarls that followed in her wake. She wanted to hear what Lili and Omnes had to say. The two felines had just come back last night and since then every wildcat had been pressing them for information. She remembered vividly how they had pushed the curious ones away, finally settling to tell everyone that night.

Cyrene saw the two felines chatting on top of the boulder, with their tails casually flicking against their paws. She wished they would just get on with it. But like always, they decided to take their time.

When Lili and Omnes had arrived, their faces were so troubled it was impossible to see a glimmer of happiness in their eyes. They had refused to speak one word about their travels. However, by the look on their faces, every feline who had grown old enough to hear about it knew what it was about. Their faces looked hollow and sunken as they chatted, and Cyrene could easily see the look of war.

The meeting started briefly after everyone arrived. Lili roared to call attention, and the whispers of Veilded's citizens turned deathly quiet.

"As you all know, Omnes, I, and a few other felines left three days ago. We left because of the murder of a glaring leader. The name of the leader that died was Pygmy Rock, but most of you know him as Boulder. However, this wasn't their usual 'fight to gain a higher rank.' Boulder was murdered in his sleep." Roars shook the air. In Anglo, in order to become leader you have to beat the leader in face to face combat. Slitting the throat of the leader while he slept was unthinkable. Cyrene didn't think it had ever happened before. As the angry whispers continued, Lili stepped back and Omnes took her place.

"While we were investigating the murder, we uncovered something else. In every glaring but ours, wildcats have gone missing. Some of them have returned. However, the ones returning have started to act different. They hardly know their past and disappear at random times. It's like the moon has gotten to their head. Glarings such as Astute and Anglo have started to kill any missing felines who return." The news shook the crowd. Lili's face was an expressionless mask, while Omnes's creased with worry.

"What if it's a necromancer?" Cyrene didn't even recognize she was talking until all the voices around her became silent. A few felines turned to face her.

"What?" one of them said. She repeated the question. The crowd of felines facing her was growing, and Cyrene felt her voice grow as she repeated the question again and again.

Nimsay said a necromancer had returned, and the strange activity wasn't something anybody seemed to have seen before.

Cyrene gulped as she noticed every feline was paying attention to her, and she was the only one talking. Even Lili and Omnes had turned their attention towards her.

Lili's face contorted in anger and shock, and the white tattoos covering her face wrinkled as she snarled. No one seemed to notice but Cyrene.

"What makes you say that Cyrene?" Lili asked, seemingly regaining her composure.

"I had a dream. Some creature-a wraith- said a necromancer had returned." Cyrene smiled at everyone around her, hoping to seem like she knew what she was talking about. Her muscles tightened as she became aware of how empty the air was. She couldn't even hear a breath.

Cyrene expected Lili to react like the others. She thought she'd be curious, angry, or even shocked. Instead the sleek panthress took a deep breath, and her muzzle curled in a smile. Her eyes narrowed into slits as she talked to Cyrene.