A Chance Meeting

[froststream]

((So... Waiting for Zero))

Alfa was tired. He had run as far as he could, as fast as he could, and finally saw the comforting shape of the old, creaky woden barn. He slowed his pace a little, and flattened himself against the rough wood, bending over, breathing heavily. So. The kits were gone now. Some loners had stumbled along and just picked them up. He snarled at the thought, of how stupid he had been. But, thankfully, he had done what he wanted to do to them. Nonetheless, if he still held them hostage, he could wait until they were a bit older, and try again. And he could use them for power. They would be slaves, growing up under his claws, vulnerable to his fangs and his fangs only. Waiting to satisfy his every need, craving, or want. And when they failed to do so, crack he'd hit them and down they'd go. And it would be them grovelling for forgiveness. And then they'd be back with him, two she cats with him forever, underneath his power. Doing what he ever imagined.

Alfa jerked his head up, catching himself. He had been so deep in thought about his little daughters, he had sort of blacked out. Now he was back in the world. He flattened down his fur, which had ruffled in anticipation and excitement at the idea. Then, he steadied his breathing and smiled. Oh well. It would be so risky to ever go near ShadowClan, but Beatrice could always be here. And he might find another she cat, who knew? He thought he caught the scent of another cat, and he lifted his head and stared in the direction it had come from.

[Mousy]

Thankfully, Zero had managed to get out of the hole. After depositing Foxfoot and loners at various places, he had gone on alone. Now, he was running through the undergrowth a little way away from a small clearing. When he reached the clearing, he barrelled in to another cat. He backed off, hissing, then realized it was the cat Hawktalon had arranged for them to meet. Speaking of Hawktalon, where was he?

"I'm Zero. I'm hoping that makes you Alfa? I was told to come here by Hawktalon because you'd be here," he said, dipping his head to hide his confusion if anything else as a dark shape padded out of the undergrowth. Zero immediately recognized Hawktalon's bulky shape.

Zero could follow simple instructions. Good. He was seemingly stupid, but obviously not so. He padded to the tabby tom's side.

"Greetings," he snarled. "I am Hawktalon."

[froststream]

Alfa lifted his head at the voices, and saw two cats appear from the shadows. He felt his hackles rising, and a hiss forming deep in his throat. But once he heard their names, he caught himself, lifted his head high, and regarded them through his burning golden gaze. One of them was a grey and brown tabby - very handsome, he noted - and the other was a strong looking dark grey cat that smelled of ShadowClan. He seemed to have more power over the other - Zero, was his name?

"Greetings," Alfa said in his deep voice. He puffed out his fur adn squared his shoulders, making sure to not look threatened. He was caught off beat, though. "Yes," he mewed. "I am Alfa. Hawktalon has spoken to me. I was unaware that there were two of you coming. I'm sure we'll get along fine, though, won't we?" He raised an eyebrow, and added almost forcefully, " won't we? " If either one of them would attack, he'd be very upset. He could probably escape with his fur intact, though these cats looked strong. "Now, what did you want to tell me?"

[Mousy]

Zero nodded politely to Alfa. His mother and second uncle had trained him quite well. But, he was still evil. He glanced across at Hawktalon and noted the scratches. He knew that he usually wouldn't tell, but he thought he might. He decided to to let him speak in his own time.

"So, Alfa. I hear you've fathered a lot of kits? Over fifteen, I hear?" he mewed politely. "I've fathered four kits." he added quietly.

He started thinking about his family in WindClan. How were they now? How was WindClan? How was Ravenstar, and everyone else. Particularly Miststorm. Apparently, he'd become an elder. The thought almost made him laugh, but he caught himself.

Hawktalon glanced at Zero, who seemed to be lost in thoughts and sighed. He hoped the dog would be caught- dog?! Alfa didn't know, did he?!

"I think we've lost him..." he mewed. "Also, if you can avoid it, don't go too far from here. There's a twoleg's dog loose in the forest. ShadowClan's on to it, but I don't know if even our strongest warriors can defeat a dog too easily. So, don't go too far..." he mewed anxiously, unconsciously flicking his tail over the cuts on his shoulders. He wasn't about to say that they were from Fireshadow.

[froststream]

Alfa was silent, as he listened to the two others. They seemed to be nice enough cats, but why they wanted to speak with him was still a mystery. The gentle-sounding Zero had asked him about kits. They had clearly heard of him. Alfa sort of smiled to himself and straightened his spine. THe only thing that he didn't particularily find great was that Zero seemed to care for his kits. There seemed to be something to his voice that showed when he spoke of them.

"Thank you," Alfa said sincrerly to Hawktalon. "I was near there myself. I was -" He caught himself. This cat was ShadowClan? He couldn't tell him about the kits. What if this was just a trap? But the cat seemed genuinely concerned. And look at those gashes! Alfa flinched at the sight of them. "Thank you, both of you. It means a lot you bothered to inform me. I appreciate it." To Zero, he nodded curtly, and said in his deep voice, "Yes. A little over fifteen. But what I'm concerned about is why you want me? State your buisness, or I'm leaving."

[Mousy]

Hawktalon laughed. This was perfect. An impressionable older tom like Zero and an impatient younger tom like Alfa? He chuckled at the thought, then raised himself to his full height.

"I wish to offer you a deal. You and Zero both mate with she-cats then abandon them. You do this of your own accord, and without payment, but Zero gets freshkill from me, straight from ShadowClan. We have very good freshkill in ShadowClan. So, if you were to continue with this, but under me, I would bring you freshkill." Hawktalon purred.

Zero glanced at Alfa. How had he not worked out about this dog? Surely, a dog was a blindingly obvious problem? No matter. He wouldn't tell Hawktalon about these latest kits. Why would he? He stretched out, but stayed standing. His green-gold eyes glinted mysteriously. Fortunately, Hawktalon didn't notice.

"So, Alfa. What do you say to this deal...?" Hawktalon hissed.

[froststream]

"A deal?" Alfa hissed. "You mean to say you'd pay me for simply doing what I'm already doing?" Alfa laughed. But then he started thinking. He was such a poor hunter, almost mockingly so. He would've been killed off by starvation and cold long ago, had it not been for easy catches that seemed to come at the best of times. Had Lady Luck not travelled with him, he'd have been crow-food many, many moons ago. Lady Luck, he realized, would not stick around long enough, and if he wanted to live until his muzzle turned silver, than he'd better find someone else who could provide what he needed. So, relying on Luck to grant him one last deal, he prayed that this deal would not be the end of him.

"I would say... You're clever, that's all I'll say," he laughed. "And I will accept this deal. But on one condition. If ever I need to break loose, this contract is mud. I do not belong to either of you. Of course, I'll help out when I'm needed, but I'll never bow down to you. Ever."

He shifted, slightly more comfortable. He flicked his gaze towards Zero, a smile curling out of the corner of his mouth. "Good to knw I'm not alone. I need to know, though, before anything is sealed, what you do exactly . I'll tell you my story, in exchange for yours." Once again his burning gaze flicked to Hawktalon. "And you must never retell it. Or else there'll be a beast to pay."

He sat down, preparing himself to tell the story. It seemed like he had been on his own for eternity, but he remembered a time he was safe with a family.... "I was born with two brothers, Darius and Snake. My parents took care of us all well. My childhood was uneventful. But soon my Mother and Darius were murdered by rats. My father believed I was the cause, that I lured them here. He wanted me to leave. So I killed him. As well as Snake. Then I set off on my own. I found Misty, a nine moon old kittypet, impregnated her and left her alone in the wild. Then I did the same to July, Juniper, Mousepaw..." He cut off. He couldn't mention Paleflower, the kits or Smokeheart. That left a huge gap in his lifespan. He hoped they didn't notice things didn't add up. "So, Hawktalon," he began. "What do you think of ShadowClan she cats? Do you draw the line there?"

[Mousy]

Hawktalon smirked at Alfa. He didn't quite understand how the sandy-coloured tom had figured him out, but he was good at it. Fireshadow, obviously.

"She-cats? They're either gullible, or they scratch your eyes out if you try to get close to them. Only a special kind of cat can get close to the ones that are bad-tempered, and I'm using one of them- Toadpelt- to get close to one. But, if I couldn't use Toadpelt as a shield, I would go within several foxlengths of her. Her name is Fireshadow." Hawktalon said.

His mind flashed back to the fight with the dog. Fireshadow had been the first one to scent it; the small dark ginger she cat. That was extremely strange... How had she scented it? Maybe it had something to do with RiverClan. Apparently, they had very good senses of smell.

He was snapped out of his daydream by Zero's tail flicking in to his shoulder. Zero sat down and looked at Alfa, then at Hawktalon. His eyes suspiciously flashed green.

"Well, I was born in WindClan along with two siblings to Mothwhisker and a father whose name escapes me. I had an uncle, an aunt, two second uncles and a second aunt, so we were a large family, but we were happy. Basically, I left WindClan because I wanted nothing more to do with it, and took the name Zero. Then, I met Hawktalon. He said I would get paid in freshkill if I mated with she-cats then abandoned them. This was because Hawktalon's sister had been exiled. The first cat I mated with was called Ashfoot, then a she-cat called Leafbreeze who is, uh, Hawktalon's sister. Now, I'm here. Zero explained. He stretched out, then wrapped his tail around his paws.