Wednesday Morning October 18th, 2025. South-Side Empire City, Illinois.

  In any other circumstance, Andre would’ve been losing his mind to be in the big city. He would’ve been showing all thirty-two teeth as Ceecee led him up fire-escapes at the back of graffiti tagged apartments and across subway tracks that twisted through the city like serpents made of rusted steel.

  But he wasn’t there by choice. His time in the city was dictated by how well he could hide— how hard he could fight. He just had to last until he found her…… wherever she was in the steel labyrinth.

  Ceecee, took them to a rooftop flanked by two skyscrapers where they could see the city beyond— at least to some degree.

  Subways and bullet trains functioned like a second higher level roadway above the cars on the black pavement below.

  Massive buildings reached for the sky. Some steel, some glass or brick. Others had weird hexagonal shapes or holes running through the middle in trippy designs.

  Jamar’s words echoed about the city being a jungle. Andre could see it. He could see the vines and rivers in the form of twisting pipes and cables running for miles over land and through sewerways. Lights flashed from buildings and smokey alleys like bizarre plants that attracted even more bizarre people in a both alien and earthly ecosystem. It made him that much more uneasy. Because inside the steel and concrete jungle, somewhere deep and unseen, his mother was held between the jaws of something terrible. Something that controlled the Rakshasa like puppets on a string.

  “So, is this your first time in the city?” Ceecee asked.

  Andre nodded, “My mom kept me in Cattlecove. She was waiting to see if i’d stay human.”

  “So, you never been anywhere but the forest?” Ceecee asked in surprise.

  Andre finished his oxtail, bones and all. “Yea.”

  An awkward silence spread and they were forced to listen to the honking cars, jets and screaming pedestrians.

  “Y’know….. Old-Man J is right.”

  “About what?” Andre asked.

  “Your mom. She’s good. Probably. As long as he doesn’t have you, she’s safe. He’ll make an even worse enemy out of you in the future if he does something to her while it’s no eyes on you. That’s stupid strategy. Tariq ain’t stupid.”

  “Tariq…” Andre repeated.

  Ceecee nodded, “He’s the Feral that rules all the Prides in Empire City.” She pointed to a billboard in the distance.

  “Chairman of Empire City.” Andre read the billboard and eyed the picture of the man. He was wearing a suit— tailored to his muscles frame. His dark skin was spotless and his hair was cut low and faded. He had big round eyes and full lips with a masculine wide nose.

  “He’s making moves on the rest of North America as we speak.” Ceecee continued, “….Taking the big cities with his big money so the rural spots between either submit or die. He’s cold as ice. He’s all around us too.”

  Andre looked at her.

  Ceecee pointed straight ahead.

  Andre followed her finger up north.

  “We’ll start from the top,” Ceecee said as she wiped her mouth with a napkin before stuffing it into her folded up plate, “You see all them skyscrapers and uppity ass buildings up ahead?”

  Andre nodded.

  “That’s the north-side. That side belongs to the Lionhardt Business Conglomerate. Casinos, Investors, Private Equity Firms, big money and bigger power. The Cats up there can do you worse with a pen and paper than they can with claws. If you couldn’t tell by the name, it’s almost all Leon-Breeds up there.”

  This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

  For some reason Andre immediately thought of a Lion in a tux as he looked at the visibly upscaled portion of the city.

  “To the left side, we’ve got the west side— obviously. That’s run by the Jumpdown Boys also known as the J-Street Lumber-Mill and Metal Foundries. They have the smallest amount of territory but they put in work. All I can say is keep your eyes on the sky if you end up over there. It’s all Ambush-Breeds. Like you.”

  The left side was visibly an industrial district with old steel mills, processing plants and factories spewing foul black smoke into the sky.

  “Leopards?”

  “And Jaguars.” Ceecee said.

  Andre kept that in mind.

  “Next up is the south-side, where we at. This is territory of the GoldDome Gang also known as the Lucky Bricks Boys. Largest territory in Empire City. Lots of gun and drug trafficking here. Run by Leon-Breeds and a few Sprinter-Breeds. And out east is the East-Side Demons. Rakshasa territory. Cop-city over there.”

  The east was filled with forests and nicer homes. The south was almost all apartments and prisons.

  “Tariq?”

  “Every gang and every Cat in this city answers to him. Central-side is supposed to be all humans, that way Tariq can control who and how they’re turned from the inside. He can also stop outsider Strays from reaching them that way.”

  Andre was past overwhelmed but he couldn’t just up and leave. They tried leaving once already.

  “Where do you think my mom is in all this?” Andre asked.

  “I try not to think. Especially not about Tariq. Probably Northside. Less dangerous, more security. But what’s your plan? You gonna just head north solo? Even if you’re a Hybrid Feral, I don’t think you got it like that.”

  “I don’t….” Andre said as he hugged his knees while sitting on the ledge, “I don’t have…. any of this. I don’t have any clue where I’m at. This all sounds like a shitty crime show, but my mom is here and shes the only family I’ve got. If she’s north, I go north. I killed one of those Rakshasa things, I’ll do it again.”

  “How about sixteen of them? And they all got shotguns and explosives.” Ceecee said.

  Andre looked over at her quickly.

  She looked at him with a blank expression, her hoop earrings blew in the wind. Her threaded eyebrows sat low near her almond eyes that shone like pools of cocoa under the cold sun.

  “Yea, so let’s not.” Ceecee said. “Obviously, you can’t just fall in line. You’re a Feral—”

  “What is that? I keep hearing that. Feral and Stray…. I don’t understand.” Andre interrupted.

  Ceecee shook her head, “You too green, Andre.”

  “…”

  “It’s how we get split up in Prides. Every Pride’s got a leader, and they’re backed by followers. They probably have different terms outside the city but Strays and Ferals gives a good bit of deniability if any human outsiders hear us. I’m a Stray. Im a Cat who got bit. That’s how I became a Cat. That’s how everyone here becomes a Cat. You’re chosen by Tariq or one of his Scouts. We aren’t born, we’re made. We’re weaker, smaller, heal slower and have less instincts, but we have more control. We’re safer. Better for city living. There’s only one Feral in this city and it’s Tariq. He was born like this. He’s immortal, he’s bigger, stronger, faster and more ferocious than any of us. He’s the top dog…. cat. But now you’re here. You’re the only one that can take his spot….. on paper at least. That’s why he can’t hurt your mom. It makes this that much more personal. It’s also why you can’t just fall in line and hide forever like the rest. You can’t follow. All you can do is lead. But you don’t have any followers. You’re a king with no kingdom.”

  “I’m not a king. I just turned seventeen.” Andre said.

  “Kings don’t care about age…. historically. Nasty asses.” Ceecee spat on the rooftop in disgust.

  “I feel like you’re talking about something else now.” Andre said.

  “Sholl’ is.” Ceecee sighed, “This convo is too heavy….”

  “Yea….”

  Suddenly she stood up. Casually, she lifted her head and listened. The sun sat over her like a halo of radiance, causing her brown skin to shine. The fine hairs on her face, arms and hands that you can’t see with human eyes turned bright gold. She looked like she was wrapped in golden lace. She looked divine even in her mundane clothing.

  “You hear that?” She asked.

  “Hear w—”

  “Listen.” She said.

  Andre listened.

  He heard everything. He heard someone haggling for the price of purses for sale on the street. He heard a car accident out west. He heard babies crying and cranes twisting and—

  Ceecee tapped her feet to the beat. A beat Andre could follow thanks to her physical guidance. Not very far, on the street based on the sound of cars. He heard drums. Echoing plucks of guitar strings followed along with xylophones and flutes while someone sang in a different language. It was beautiful.

  “Oh come on that’s a good show.” Ceecee said.

  “I didn’t know they did concerts on the fly like that.” Andre mused as he stood up.

  “On the fly is the only way here. Come on, I’m gonna show you how to act like you live here.” Ceecee said before flashing her golden eyes at him and stepping off the rooftop.

  For a moment, Andre forgot they were superpowered feline shapeshifters. He stomach sank as she fell into the city clutter below. Then he saw the sparks fly from her digging her claws into the support beams of the railway beneath them to stop her fall.

  She flipped off of the beam and landed on the concrete one hundred feet below, even in shadow she shined.

  With her hands cupping her mouth she yelled up to him, “You coming or what?”