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Description
The moon glowed faintly between the dappled shade of the trees. An area clear of trees reflected the moon as a silver disk on a midnight blue screen, many claw pricks of light showed through. In the centre of this pool, a rock stood. On a flat, circular rock, rested a paw’s breadth above the water, sat two cats, the third still jumping over the rocks that led to it. For the third cat every gap between the rocks was a huge leap, she was little more that the size of a kitten. She made it to the rock in seconds of starting, and sat, washing the back of her left golden ear with her white paw. The other two cats shied away from her fear clouding their eyes. She surveyed them, taking mental pictures of their faces. She started washing her black paw, giving it brisk but gentle laps with her small, pink tongue.
“So,” She started, turning her gaze to the bigger black tom, who flinched. “What brings you here?”
“It’s started.” The deep brown answered, shuffling his light brown forelegs.
“Did I ask you, Beech?” She mewed.
“No, Topa…” Beech stopped himself, saying her name! What was he thinking? “I mean: No, miss.” He flinched as she turned her head, he could just see her pale blue eye glaring at him.
“Do you need to be reminded of the rules?” She meowed sweetly; Beech cowered, wishing she was growling. “I can if you want.”
“Please, miss! He didn’t mean it, miss!” The black begged. “He’s only young, miss! He doesn’t know what he’s saying!”
“Then you must teach him, Alder.” She growled in his ear. “Your brother will need it if he wishes to stay alive.”
“Yes, miss. Of course, miss.” Alder bent low on the rock.
“Now, what has started?” She mewed briskly, back in front of him before he could blink.
“Dream and Weather have gone! They left!”
“And their bodies?”
“They left them.”
“Where are they now?” A hint of a growl edged her meow.
“Their bodies have been decapitated, like you asked, and their eyes have been gouged out.” Alder affirmed, quivering. “They are being buried now.”
“And the eyes?” Her hushed mew was hurried, betraying her fear.
“Here.” Alder nudged a leaf with his paw. “What are you…?” He started but, before he could finish, she had eaten them.
“Yuck.” She licked her fur to rid her tongue of the taste. “Those were the worst things I’ve ever tasted!”
“W-what do we d-do now?” Beech stuttered, finally regaining his voice.
“Now I remind you of the rules.” The golden mewed. “One, never call me Topaz, not even by accident. Two, speak only when you are spoken to. Three, do as I say not as I do. And four, Meet me here again next new moon. Okay?”
“Yes, miss.” Alder and Beech chorused.
“You may go now.”
Alder and Beech ran for it, hoping that they would make it back to camp alive.
Ahh. At last. Topaz thought as she whizzed away. I am free from those two pests! Now I can live how I want! Now what shall I have for tea? She came across a Cougar, “Good day,” she mewed, “where is the best prey today?”
“Oh, Topaz, it’s you!” The cougar turned round. “You didn’t half make me jump! You’re really getting the hang of this hiding and creeping up, now.”
“Oh, sorry Amber, I thought you were someone else!” Topaz blinked.
“Well, you sound hungry, what shall we hunt today?” Amber sharpened her claws on a nearby rock. “We could have mountain goat, eagle or rabbit.”
“Could we hunt a grizzly?” Topaz begged. “I really want a grizzly.” She opened her eyes to their biggest.
“Topaz, you know that trick only works on kits, and only if their eyes are a similar colour. Yours are amber and pale blue, so it wouldn’t work anyway.”
“Please?”
Amber heaved a sigh. “All right. But if you get hurt it’s your own fault.”
“I won’t get hurt!” Topaz hopped onto Amber’s back. “There’s one just over that ridge, if you run we’ll be able to surprise it! It’s just finished hibernating.”
“Ooh! An irritable grizzly. I haven’t had a good fight in days! Have you?”
“Nope! But quick, it’s starting to come out now!”
“Hold on!”
Topaz was flying, she could forget her plots when she was with her mentor. It was so much more fun than calculating plots. But she had to do something in her spare time.

Description
The moon glowed faintly between the dappled shade of the trees. An area clear of trees reflected the moon as a silver disk on a midnight blue screen, many claw pricks of light showed through. In the centre of this pool, a rock stood. On a flat, circular rock, rested a paw’s breadth above the water, sat two cats, the third still jumping over the rocks that led to it. For the third cat every gap between the rocks was a huge leap, she was little more that the size of a kitten. She made it to the rock in seconds of starting, and sat, washing the back of her left golden ear with her white paw. The other two cats shied away from her fear clouding their eyes. She surveyed them, taking mental pictures of their faces. She started washing her black paw, giving it brisk but gentle laps with her small, pink tongue.
“So,” She started, turning her gaze to the bigger black tom, who flinched. “What brings you here?”
“It’s started.” The deep brown answered, shuffling his light brown forelegs.
“Did I ask you, Beech?” She mewed.
“No, Topa…” Beech stopped himself, saying her name! What was he thinking? “I mean: No, miss.” He flinched as she turned her head, he could just see her pale blue eye glaring at him.
“Do you need to be reminded of the rules?” She meowed sweetly; Beech cowered, wishing she was growling. “I can if you want.”
“Please, miss! He didn’t mean it, miss!” The black begged. “He’s only young, miss! He doesn’t know what he’s saying!”
“Then you must teach him, Alder.” She growled in his ear. “Your brother will need it if he wishes to stay alive.”
“Yes, miss. Of course, miss.” Alder bent low on the rock.
“Now, what has started?” She mewed briskly, back in front of him before he could blink.
“Dream and Weather have gone! They left!”
“And their bodies?”
“They left them.”
“Where are they now?” A hint of a growl edged her meow.
“Their bodies have been decapitated, like you asked, and their eyes have been gouged out.” Alder affirmed, quivering. “They are being buried now.”
“And the eyes?” Her hushed mew was hurried, betraying her fear.
“Here.” Alder nudged a leaf with his paw. “What are you…?” He started but, before he could finish, she had eaten them.
“Yuck.” She licked her fur to rid her tongue of the taste. “Those were the worst things I’ve ever tasted!”
“W-what do we d-do now?” Beech stuttered, finally regaining his voice.
“Now I remind you of the rules.” The golden mewed. “One, never call me Topaz, not even by accident. Two, speak only when you are spoken to. Three, do as I say not as I do. And four, Meet me here again next new moon. Okay?”
“Yes, miss.” Alder and Beech chorused.
“You may go now.”
Alder and Beech ran for it, hoping that they would make it back to camp alive.
Ahh. At last. Topaz thought as she whizzed away. I am free from those two pests! Now I can live how I want! Now what shall I have for tea? She came across a Cougar, “Good day,” she mewed, “where is the best prey today?”
“Oh, Topaz, it’s you!” The cougar turned round. “You didn’t half make me jump! You’re really getting the hang of this hiding and creeping up, now.”
“Oh, sorry Amber, I thought you were someone else!” Topaz blinked.
“Well, you sound hungry, what shall we hunt today?” Amber sharpened her claws on a nearby rock. “We could have mountain goat, eagle or rabbit.”
“Could we hunt a grizzly?” Topaz begged. “I really want a grizzly.” She opened her eyes to their biggest.
“Topaz, you know that trick only works on kits, and only if their eyes are a similar colour. Yours are amber and pale blue, so it wouldn’t work anyway.”
“Please?”
Amber heaved a sigh. “All right. But if you get hurt it’s your own fault.”
“I won’t get hurt!” Topaz hopped onto Amber’s back. “There’s one just over that ridge, if you run we’ll be able to surprise it! It’s just finished hibernating.”
“Ooh! An irritable grizzly. I haven’t had a good fight in days! Have you?”
“Nope! But quick, it’s starting to come out now!”
“Hold on!”
Topaz was flying, she could forget her plots when she was with her mentor. It was so much more fun than calculating plots. But she had to do something in her spare time.