Maze of Shadows

Prologue
A sleek silver seal point she-cat was bounding over a huge expanse of meadow. She scented the air and licked her lips- it reeked of prey. She felt her collar scratching at her neck, so she sliced it with one long yellow claw. It slid off into the tall, sweet-smelling grass and was hung on a frilly pink wildflower. She could hear her sister, Coco, and her friend, Rhett, running close behind her.

"Look at all the pretty flowers!" Coco exclaimed.

"There's no time for that, Coco. We have to find a place to rest for the night," Rhett told her.

"I can smell mice!"

"Of course you can. This place is full of them."

"And it's all ours?"

"Yes. It's all ours."

"Finally," the she-cat mewed. "I'm free. We're free."

Chapter 1
''Drip. Drip. Drip.''

The sound of water slowly brought Kip out of unconsciousness. She felt light and happy. It would be sunrise now, and the sun would be coming up over the meadow. But to her dismay, she woke up in a Twoleg nest. The sleeping bodies of Coco and Rhett were beside her. Cold seeped through the hard nest she was sleeping in. Above her sat a strange pool cut from a white, square rock with a weird, shiny tunnel above it. The tunnel dripped water. There were two flowers to the left and right of the tunnel- sometimes the Housefolk would try to pick the flowers, but all that came out was water. Suddenly, one of the Housefolk burst into their den, holding a container full of hard pellets. It rabbled on about something. Kip picked out the words 'Kip', 'Coco', 'Rhett' and 'breakfast.' She assumed 'breakfast' meant the pellets, but sometimes the Housefolk called them 'lunch' or 'dinner'. The huge, naked, multicoloured being with fur on its head poured the pellets into three of the four bowls that sat next to the pool. It took the other one that was filled with water to the pool. It tried to pick the flowers, but water came out and filled the bowl instead. It sighed and put it down next to the other bowl, then swiftly left the den, slamming the large, wooden thing that blocked the entrance as it went.

"Food! It's about time," mewed Rhett. The tortoiseshell tom padded over to the bowls and plunged his muzzle into the red bowl which he had claimed for himself. Kip prodded her sister Coco. The light brown seal point she-cat yawned and blinked open her eyes.

"Morning, Kip," she mewed.

"Morning? Have you been listening to those Housefolk ramble on again?" Rhett had finished his food and was shaking his head in disappointment.