Everyone is standing in the center of the camp. I can't see who are they watching, so after a moment of putting the prey I was carrying into a pile, I give my hunting group a glance and slowly walk towards the crowd. There is a rustle from behind me, so I turn my head around and notice that the group is following me. A few of the cats seem to look apprehensive with their ears slightly flattened and their tails nervously lashing back and forth. I give them a reassuring purr before staring back at the humongous crowd of cats and walking forward again.

        After a moment of me walking, the cats back up to form a circle around a cat. I still can't tell who, but I'm starting to guess that it's the leader. (I guess I'll just still call the wretch Name for now.) Some cats notice me and the hunting group in the crowd, so they make room for us. We rush to the front of the crowd, and the feeling of apprehension that the others have been feeling rises in my heart. I was right about Name; he was standing in the middle of the circle we were forming. Next to him, though, is a plain brown cat who looks slightly shorter than me. Compared to Name, that cat looks like a squirrel, so I can easily guess that he or she's an earth cat. The cat is obviously trying to act careless as he looks around for cats he knows and shouts a greeting to them, but there is an odd, afraid light in his brown eyes that is so intense that it makes me look away.

        Name finally growls, "The hunting patrol has returned, so we shall begin with the punishment." Punishment? I notice for the first time that there are four more cats sitting at the edge of the circle, all of them bulky and tall with grim, emotionless looks on their faces.

Suddenly, one of the cats on the edge of the circle stands up and nudges something with his or her tail. A strange blue leaf the shape of a simple circle is next to the cat. "I have the blue-leaf," she announces in a high-pitched meow. A chill runs down my spine as I hear quiet but terrified whimpers all around me. The black and white cat picks up the object with her jaws and carries it closer to Name and the victim. The said victim looks like his eyes are going to pop out of his head now; he's obviously scared out of his wits. I would definitely feel the same if I was in his place.

Name shouts to the crowd in a louder voice than usual, "We have some new members here, so I shall briefly explain the power of the blue-leaf before we proceed with Branch's punishment." He spits out the brown cat's name as if it were a piece of foul-smelling cat dung. "A while ago, when cats got on their third strike, they got executed by getting their necks slit by me. But that was not a smart solution, as we need as many Earth cats as we can to incorporate into the Earth-Superior army." He pauses, letting that thought sink in our brains. Why can't that idiot stop calling us Earth cats? Name continues, "Then, one of our finest Superiors discovered a plant that is able to wipe the memories of cats. Since there is a limited resource of blue-leaves, we are unable to provide a plant for every cat to digest, but we now use it for cats who are unable to behave properly in our planet, just like our friend, Branch." I can now see Branch's body trembling wildly as Name mentions his name again. I have a sudden urge to scream to stop Name with this strange punishment.

The black and white cat who had the blue-leaf before speaks up again. "Are we ready to begin with the punishment?"

Name doesn't answer yet. He first turns to Branch. His ice-blue eyes are emotionless, and his voice is almost monotonous as he asks, "Do you have any last words?"

"Yes, I do." Branch's shaky voice rings out into the crowd. "If you have the courage, I encourage many of you to escape. Go join the rebels. Don't wander around believing that you will get out otherwise. I'm sure that once they win, they will keep us as slaves and try to take over Earth as well!" He gets louder with every word as gasps rise throughout the crowd. Branch opens his mouth to yell something else, but Name stands up and gives a simple nod to the black and white cat. The cats at the edge of the circle suddenly close in on Branch.

A cat near me starts to whimper loudly, and someone next to her starts to yowl his name. I can't see Branch because the Superiors are pinning him down. Although no one is brave enough to try to save the victim, there is a large commotion in the crowd. But there is something else that's deafening to my ears. It's a horrifying sound. It's a sound I'm certain I will never forget. It's Branch's screaming.

The Superiors are surprisingly having trouble with Branch because he is thrashing around like he's completely insane. A panicked screech consumes the empty air, overcoming all other noise. It doesn't even seem feline; the sound is like how one of the strange humans on Earth would scream. I want to move, I want to save him, but like in the fight with the rebels, my paws are stuck to the ground and cannot move. Finally, they seem to have succeeded in forcing down the plant because eventually, the scream quiets down to a low-pitched moan. All of us, even the whimperers, are silent as the five Superiors back up. Branch is unconscious on the ground. I can see his chest moving, but his eyes are closed.

"The punishment is complete. All we do now is wait until he wakes up." Name flicks his ears, looking satisfied. He looks at the Superiors and murmurs, "You may take him to Den Three. After that, you are dismissed. Thank you for your assistance in this matter." His tail gestures toward the den.

I hear one of the Superiors purr, "Anytime, sir!" With that, they drag Branch away towards the den.

        As soon as the shock wears off from my body (which takes only a couple of seconds), fury replaces it. I mean, we don't even know what Branch even did. How did Branch deserve this fate?

        I slightly step away from the crowd, which had still not exactly disassembled. They must be waiting until Branch wakes up. I decide to wait with them out of curiosity. However, my heart keeps getting angrier with each coming thought that my mind comes up with. Why is Name in charge of our fate? Why can't we choose whether or not we want to fight the rebels? "Why do the Superiors need to act so high and mighty?"

        It takes a second to realize that I just blurted out the last one in a really loud voice that makes everyone near me turn their heads toward me, including Name. I can't resist a gulp as Name's eyes menacingly narrow at me. He suddenly strides toward me and growls, "You ask why we are, in your words, 'high and mighty?'"

       Oh, great. A few days ago, I wanted to keep away from getting a second strike, but it looks like that's not happening. Whatever, this place is so stupid. "Yes, I do," I meow to him in a calm, steady voice that contradicts the chaotic feeling I have inside. "I bet that normal cats can do just as well as you can on the important matters like fighting and hunting."

        Name stares at me for a moment. Then, he simply turns around and stalks toward Den Three. Wow, did I really get out of trouble that fast? Everyone looks after him with wide eyes, and I hear them whisper how lucky I am that I didn't get hurt by Name.

        But I quickly realize that that's not exactly true when Name comes back with the four Superiors. Some cats around me gasp and back away from them.

        Name states, "I am deciding that you need to learn a lesson, one that teaches you about the extraordinary powers of the Superiors. Hopefully then, you will know that we are more than just high and mighty." With that, he gestures his tail to a silver tabby that is next to him and mutters, "You may show him what you can do, Moonlight."

Moonlight gives a plain nod before slowly walking towards me. "Hi, Forest! I control the atmosphere for Earth cats! It's kind of difficult sometimes, but-" She cuts off her speech when she notices that Name is fiercely glaring at her. I hold back a chuckle. All I'm learning so far is that this cat is really talkative. "Well, if I wasn't controlling the atmosphere for you to be able to breathe," she chirps, "let's see how that would feel!" She smiles at me with her eyes wide and concentrated on me, and-

I can't breathe. I'm trying to force the air in my lungs, but there's no air. Panic clutches my heart as black spots start to dance in my vision. I no longer know what I'm doing. I just want to breathe, but I know I won't be able to. I'm going to die. And I'm absolutely certain that I will die when I vaguely sense that my feet collapse under me. I hardly care, I just need air. I start to thrash around for air. The black spots are getting bigger by the second. I need air. I'm going to die.

        But at the very last second, when my mind is barely functioning, the sweet air rushes into my nostrils. Relief fills my lungs as I start to breathe again. My head is pounding with pain, but I'm too thankful to care. I hear a voice next to me. "You looked like you had fun!" It's too high-pitched to be Moonlight's. I don't know how, but I automatically stand up and look at the black-and-white cat straight in the eyes. I try to look away, but my eyes are so firmly locked with hers that I can't. Wait..

       It just hit me that I'm not in control of my body right now. Her satisfied purr tells me that she's controlling me. "Do you see now how you can't disrespect the Superiors, and how they are stronger and better than you?"

        My mind isn't working clearly. I can barely take in her words, but I just want Idiot the black-and-white cat to stop using her power on me, so I mumble, "Y-yes.."

        "What was that? Say it loud so everyone can hear you!"

        "Yes.." My voice cracks in the middle of the word, so I don't think it sounds any better than the last one. My guess on that turns out to be right, since one of the Superiors sneers. A sudden, strong burst of water sprays out from the sneering cat's mouth, and it hits me right in my forehead. The impact of the water surprisingly stung, and streams of it trickle down to my eyes. I really want to wipe a paw at my face, but stupid Idiot is still controlling my body. "Let go of me!" I cry.

"You need to answer louder! Do you agree that the Superior cats are better than you?" Idiot was practically screaming right into my face. My eyes are stinging like crazy. Before I can answer, another powerful stream of water slams into the side of my head, and the world begins to spin around me. My head feels like it got stabbed multiple times by their filthy claws.

Finally, I scream back at her. "Yes!"

        Idiot chuckles a little before letting me collapse to the ground again. I hear her yell to everyone else, "See what happened to that stupid weakling over there when he didn't believe in our power? If we hear that anyone else is talking badly about us, worse consequences will occur to prove them wrong, along with the strike, of course." Idiot pauses before chirping, "Oh! And if any of you overhear bad word about us, go report it to your camp leader. He will reward you!"

        Just then, I hear a whisper in my ear. It's Name's voice.

        "Strike two," he hisses.

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This was a fun chapter to write! Don't hesitate to vote and comment your thoughts!