Trixie Longclaw's Arc

Chapter 1 of 13

Trixie Longclaw planted herself in the narrow gap between two stone walls, the only way into the deep forest. Every cat who wanted to rule had to start somewhere, and she had chosen this choke point. One cat wide. Her width. Her rules. She flexed her claws against the dirt and looked at the trees behind her, where deep gouges scored the bark in jagged rows. Her own mark, set higher than any pack cat could reach. A promise: pass here, and pass through me. A small gray tabby stepped into the crevice. Celeste sharptongue. She sat down just out of swiping range, tail curled neat around her paws, and waited. "Turn around," Trixie said. "The pack will tear you open before you finish your first sentence. I won't waste a claw on a corpse." "Then don't," Celeste said. "Walk me in. They won't touch what's behind you." She tilted her head, calm as stone. "I'm small, I'm useful, and I don't need to be liked. Pick a tree. I'll prove it before sundown." Trixie's tail twitched once. She stepped aside.