It was the first time he saw all the she-cats at once. They were a sadly endearing group, juggling infirmaries and animosity with a quiet strength weaving in and out of their personalities. Getting them out of cat territory would not be easy.

Esta was the cat referred to earlier as the Amazon, and she didn't hide her hatred of his species. She appeared to be the only cat without some kind of physical problem. Everyone babied Sheeba, but she batted their hands away when they ...