Chapter 6
Another couple weeks have passed, and finally Blake can feel Ruby and Weiss starting to grow more comfortable with her presence in their home.
She even shared a squirrel with Ruby the other day because Weiss wasn't hungry, and while they didn't really talk during the meal, Ruby didn't seem to be on edge or uncomfortable in any way.
"Something smells good." Yang comments, and Blake looks up to see Ruby and Weiss returning from their hunt, Ruby with a rabbit and Weiss with a sprig of some leafy plant in her mouth.
Ruby walks over and drops the rabbit next to Yang, Weiss following her and spitting out the plant onto the floor.
Yang glances down at the plant and raises an eyebrow. "Catnip? Where'd you find that?"
"She traded it with Maria for a mouse." Ruby replies, smiling amusedly at Weiss. "We passed by Maria's house on the way back and had a quick chat with her, and Weiss made her a trade offer after she complained about being too old to hunt anymore."
"Hey, we can afford to give up a little prey right now." Weiss huffs, looking embarrassed as Yang turns to smirk at her. "It's spring, we're not going to starve if I give up one little mouse."
"Is catnip any good?" Blake questions curiously, taking a step closer to the plant. "I've never actually tried it before."
"I mean, I personally think it's a little bit overrated." Yang replies as Blake moves even closer and begins to smell the plant. "But that's likely 'cause I'm so big, it probably has less of an effect on me."
Blake nods absent-mindedly, opening her mouth and drinking in the scent of the catnip.
She has no idea why, but just smelling this plant makes her mouth water. It doesn't even smell particularly good, just like some generic plant, but there's something so... enticing about it.
"You can drool all over it once we've eaten." Yang says, chuckling as she places a paw in front of Blake's face. "But first you should probably get some real food in your stomach. Catnip's always better when you're not hungry, anyways."
Reluctantly, Blake pulls away from the plant, licking her lips as she sits back on her haunches and directs her attention to the rabbit.
The four of them crowd around the rabbit, and they begin to eat together.
Blake feels wonderfully content. Warm and full of food, the effects of the catnip slowly making its way through her system. She yawns and shuffles a little closer to Yang, burying herself into the larger cat's thick fur and rolling onto her back.
Yang's tail swishes lazily above Blake's head, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth...
Blake blinks sleepily as she continues to stare up at Yang's fluffy tail, feeling a sudden urge to reach out and touch it.
So she does.
Stretching up as far as she can, Blake reaches out and bats at Yang's tail from her position on her back, giggling in delight. She continues to bat at it for a while before eventually rolling over again and standing up, backside wiggling as she prepares to pounce.
But just as Blake jumps, Yang's tail suddenly moves out of the way, and she catches only air. She quickly scrambles back to her feet and reorients herself, turning to face Yang again.
Instantly, she's bowled off her feet by the larger cat, Yang tackling her and sending them both rolling across the floor. When they come to a stop, Yang uses her weight to pin Blake beneath her, smirking triumphantly down at her.
"You're squishing me!" Blake complains, though she's not really annoyed. She tries to wriggle out from underneath Yang, but Yang is far too heavy for her to escape.
"You were asking for it." Yang replies with a chuckle, shifting her weight to only trap Blake even further.
There's a hum and Blake's glances over to see Weiss cracking open her good eye, all four of her legs tucked beneath herself. Ruby is lying beside her, resting her head against Weiss's shoulder.
"It appears that Blake has gotten herself into some trouble." Weiss murmurs to Ruby, sounding both sleepy and amused, and Ruby opens her eyes as well.
Ruby's eyes narrow as she stares at Yang, her tail beginning to flick excitedly behind her. There's a second where she simply just sits there, before suddenly she's throwing herself at Yang like a cannonball.
She impacts her sister's side with a thump, successfully dislodging Yang from her position atop Blake, and the two of them start playfully wrestling with each other.
Weiss chuckles as she watches the scene unfold, Blake also unable to stifle her own laughter, launching herself into the fray as soon as she sees that Yang is getting the upper hand over Ruby.
Blake jumps onto Yang's back, earning a grunt of surprise as Yang tries to shake her off, but she clings on determinedly. She holds onto Yang's scruff, weighing the larger cat down and getting an appreciative noise from Ruby.
Eventually, Yang manages to throw Blake off and knock Ruby to the ground. She grins and opens her mouth to gloat, but before even a single word is out Weiss is already slamming into her side, sending them both crashing to the ground.
They all pile on top of Yang and she groans, briefly attempting to push them off before flopping onto her back and conceding defeat. "Okay, okay, I surrender." She laughs, grinning widely.
Blake climbs off of Yang, laughing as well, and settles down a short distance away, Weiss walking over to Ruby and beginning to groom a patch of her fur that got rumpled during the scuffle.
Yang gets to her paws and makes her way over to Blake, dropping down beside her. "Three on one really isn't fair." She remarks, shaking her head.
"You going against Blake alone is hardly fair." Weiss counters with a smile. "Besides, our sizes together is probably pretty comparable to your own."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Yang dismisses with a roll of her eyes, though there's still a wide grin on her face. "Well, I think I'm gonna go for a walk, get out all of the energy I've still got." She announces as she stands to her feet. "Anyone want to come with?"
Ruby shakes her head, her and Weiss already having returned to lounging and grooming each other. Yang looks to Blake instead.
"Yeah, sure." She replies, getting to her feet as well. "I could use some fresh air."
As they walk away, Blake leans against Yang's side, enjoying the warmth that the other cat provides. "You're so warm." She giggles, and Yang just chuckles in response.
Fennec shivers as he walks alongside his brother down the narrow alleyway. "Gods, I hate this place." He mutters under his breath, lip curling as his eyes fall on a visibly infected cat sleeping amongst a pile of trash.
Corsac doesn't reply, but it's obvious that he's feeling equally unnerved by their surroundings.
The air here smells horrible. There's a subtle but ever-present stench of rot and bitter smoke that lingers in the air, making Fennec feel a little bit ill every time he takes in a deep breath.
He wonders how any cat can even live here. He supposes they must simply be used to the smell, their senses adapted to tune out all of these terrible city scents, but still...
He looks forward to being done with this all, and never having to return to the city ever again.
A sudden growl makes Fennec jump, startling him from his thoughts and pulling him back to reality.
There's a group of cats approaching them now, backs arched and tails lashing angrily. "You're in our territory." One of the cats growls, her claws unsheathing as she comes closer.
"Territory?" Fennec raises an eyebrow. "You city cats have territories?"
One of the other cats snorts at that. "Are you stupid?" She sneers, baring her teeth. "Course we've got territories."
"So you two are forest cats then, eh?" An older queen with greying fur questions as she steps in front of the others. "Cinder's gonna want to hear about this. She'll want to know why there are forest cats prowling around our territory."
Fennec takes a step back, backing away from the advancing group of queens, his fur bristling. "We're not prowling around, just passing through-"
"That's what all you toms say," The older queen cuts him off, eyes narrowing. "But we know better. So you're going to come with us, or else."
"Or else what?" Fennec snaps back, his temper beginning to flare, and Corsac quickly nudges him with a shoulder, muttering his name in warning.
Fennec opens his mouth to retort, but then closes it again, his anger rapidly being replaced by fear. He's not really in any sort of position to argue with these city cats, doing so will probably be risking his own death.
"Fine." He growls. "We'll go with you."
The older queen smirks. "Excellent." She purrs, and soon there are cats on all sides of them, surrounding him and Corsac as they're escorted through the alleyways.
Eventually, the band of queens stops at some sort of abandoned human structure, an open, rectangular, cave-like space that smells of dust and cats.
Many eyes stare at them from out of the darkness, and Fennec feels very nervous as he's pushed forward to stand in the centre of the structure. Slowly, as his eyes begin adjusting to the dim light, he sees a cat jump down from the top of some human thing, a flat surface held up by four sticks, landing right in front of him and his brother.
This cat is entirely black, with short fur and a very slender build, her body covered in a multitude of scars. Her amber eyes are bold and unnerving, her lips curling into a sneer as she looks them over.
"Why have you brought these toms to me?" The black cat questions, glancing to one of the cats that escorted Fennec and his brother here.
"They're forest cats, Cinder." The older queen answers, glaring intensely at Fennec. "Thought you'd want to know why two toms from the forest are in your territory."
The black cat, Cinder cocks her head to the side, looking curious as she turns back to face Fennec. After staring silently at him for a moment, her gaze hardens and becomes cold. "I recognize that scent on you." She murmurs, stepping closer to him and taking a deep inhale of his scent. "You're from the White Fang, yes?"
"Yeah, I am." Fennec replies, standing his ground and trying not flinch under the intensity of her gaze. "What of it?"
"Tell me, forest cat." Cinder continues, her voice dropping to a low growl. "What are you doing all the way out here? And what the fuck are you doing in my territory?"
"We didn't know we were in your territory." Corsac hastily replies, looking a little nervous as Cinder's head snaps in his direction. "There's this cat we're looking for, she ran into the city and-"
The look in Cinder's eyes is positively murderous now, and Corsac stutters for a second before going completely silent, swallowing nervously as she takes a slow step toward him.
"So what you're trying to tell me..." She whispers, unsheathing her claws as an erratic twitch shakes her body. "Is that you two are hunting a queen?"
"I-I- no! It's nothing like what you're thinking!" Fennec quickly protests, but it's too late, Cinder is already lunging at him with a snarl.
Fennec manages to dive out of the way just in time, turning and bolting out of the human structure along with his brother, Cinder's cats hot on their tails.
Oh, he hates this place.
"It's not safe to be traveling in such small groups right now."
Weiss glances up to see four of Cinder's cats approaching, tensing up a little as they stop right at the edge of the border between their territory. "What exactly do you mean by that?" She asks cautiously, dropping the squirrel she'd been carrying in her jaws.
"There's a dog on the loose." A scruffy grey queen explains. "Large, vicious thing, killed one of our cats just the other day. We found it eating her body, just barely managed to get away ourselves."
Weiss feels a little sick hearing that.
"A dog?" Ruby asks, sounding concerned. "Do you know where it's currently staying? How long has it been in the area?"
One of the cats shrugs. "Dunno how long its been around, exactly, but we've been scenting it and finding its messes for a little over half a moon now." She explains. "But we're pretty sure it's currently living in that park near the edge of our territory. The overgrown one that the humans never use."
"Well, I suppose we'll just have to try sticking clear of the area and hope it moves on soon." Weiss says, and the grey queen scowls.
"Easy for you to say. You're not the ones whose territory it's been hunting on, not the ones it's been attacking." She growls out, and one of the others gently lays her tail across her shoulders.
"Just... keep your eyes open and your guards up." One of Cinder's cats advises as she and the others all turn and begin walking away from the border, retreating deeper into their territory.
"Gods, that's scary." Ruby murmurs once they're alone, a shudder passing through her frame. "I hope that dog leaves before it hurts any more cats."
Weiss nods silently, leaning comfortingly against her mate's side as they walk away, though anxiety gnaws at her stomach like hunger.
Ruby and Weiss arrive back at the house right at the same time Blake and Yang do, the other two gasping and panting for breath, looking thoroughly exhausted.
"Are you alright?" Weiss questions, frowning. "Did something happen?"
Blake shivers and presses into Yang's side, her eyes blown wide with fear and shock. "We were hunting near the park and got attacked by a dog." Yang answers in a hushed tone, wrapping her tail around Blake. "We had to hide under a a dumpster for ages until it gave us an opportunity to run away."
"It didn't hurt you, did it?" Ruby asks, her ears going flat as a worried expression appears on her face. "You guys got away okay, right?"
Yang nods silently and Blake leans a little closer to her. "We're fine, Ruby," Yang mutters, her voice hoarse. "It didn't touch us at all."
"We encountered some of Cinder's cats while on our hunt." Weiss murmurs, licking one of Ruby's ears to help settle her nerves. "Apparently they've been dealing with this dog for half a moon now, it even killed and ate one of them."
Blake looks alarmed, Yang letting out a low growl upon hearing the information. "So we've got a fucking dog loose and it's killing cats? What did Cinder's lot say they plan to do about it?"
"Nothing." Weiss replies with a shrug. "They just told us to keep our eyes open and our guards up, didn't mention plans or anything."
"If this dog continues to stick around, it'll put everyone here in danger." Yang mutters, her tail beginning to swish anxiously behind her. "If it's resorting to eating cats, then it's probably starving, and likely intends to stay in the park long-term due to the amount of prey in the area."
"So... what are we going to do about it?" Ruby asks nervously, shuffling from foot to foot. "I mean, it's not like we'd be able to kill it..."
Yang lets out a long sigh and shakes her head. "I think I need to have a personal chat with Cinder about this whole situation." She mutters before turning toward the window and exiting the house.
The three of them just stand there in silence for a while, Weiss continuing to lick Ruby's ears. Eventually, she looks over to to see how Blake's doing, noticing that the small cat is trembling severely now that Yang's gone.
"Blake?" Weiss murmurs, tilting her head slightly to the side. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah." Blake answers in a small voice. "I'm okay."
She sniffles, and it's very obvious to Weiss that she's most certainly not okay. Weiss gives Ruby a questioning look, and Ruby nods, the two of them walking over to Blake and sitting down on either side of her.
They sit there, simply offering Blake a comforting presence, staying there until Blake's breathing slows and her heartbeat steadies.
Aside from the White Fang camp, this is the most cats in one place that Blake thinks she's ever seen before.
Including her, Weiss, Ruby, and Yang, there's probably twenty of them in total, all congregated beneath a large bridge. Well, large compared to her current size, it's a pretty ordinary bridge, really.
On one side, there's a pale orange cat surrounded by a group of eight other cats. Roman, Yang told her his name is.
Seated a fair distance away from Roman is a scarred black cat with her own group, consisting entirely of queens. Blake recognizes a couple of the cats from when she went with Yang to visit Jaune, assuming that the black one must be their leader, Cinder.
"So," Cinder speaks up eventually, turning in the direction of Roman and his cats. "I'm sure we all know why we're here." She says, her voice echoing slightly off the underside of the bridge.
"All I've heard is that you've got a dog problem." Roman drawls out, sounding bored and disinterested.
"We've all got a dog problem." Yang retorts with a growl, Blake noticing just how on edge she seems to have become. "There's a dog living out of the park, and it's been attacking cats from all territories."
Roman raises an eyebrow at that. "Really? All territories? Because I don't seem to have had any dog issues." He glances over at Cinder's group, who appear visibly hostile now. "This doesn't sound like a problem that affects my cats, just yours."
Cinder looks furious, her claws scraping angrily at the stone beneath her feet. "So what? You think this dog will just continue to ignore you in the future?" She spits, hackles rising. "This dog has already killed one of my cats and injured two others, and attacked Yang as well as one of her own! Do you seriously expect to just be ignored once it's killed us all?!"
At that, Roman's demeanor changes entirely, his boredom being replaced by something far colder. "This dog situation doesn't affect me at all in the now, so it seems to me to be your issue, Cinder." He turns and begins stalking away, his cats following closely behind him. "Good luck dealing with your dog problem, ladies, try not to get yourselves slaughtered." He sneers before disappearing around the corner.
"That vile little shit!" Yang snarls after he leaves. "Someday I'm gonna claw him, just you wait!"
Cinder's cats mutter their agreement, and both Ruby and Weiss have their claws unsheathed, looks of disgusted anger on their faces.
"Well," Cinder begins, making Blake jump as she realizes that the cat is now standing right beside her and Yang. "I suppose we should figure out a way to deal with this dog situation, yes?"
"Yeah," Yang mutters, nodding as she turns to face Cinder. "Let's."