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Invincible yawned as the dawn light filtered through the bowl, cutting into his dreams and drawing him awake. He grunted and stretched, his claws extending as they dug into the earth. He stepped outside the bowl to the beautiful view of the Salt Pool. The cats got to their paws as well, having also been drawn awake.
Remembering the dream he had with the Great Tiger, he realized with satisfaction that he had been given a new power: senses. As he had been given the power of smell recently, he now had powers for the eyes, ears, taste, and touch.
“Now, all of you go and find yourself some prey,” he meowed. “We have another big day ahead of us. I plan on trying to find a new species today, wherever they may be, and then make an alliance with their Great Cat and have them as one of my own.” Invincible grinned and flexed his claws. “Just you all wait until I have all the Great Cats. I am keeping my promise. We will all have the greatest power that anyone could ever want to have and even more than that.”
Invincible heard excited murmurs spread, and huffed. “Now, what did I tell you? Go and hunt, I smell a herd of horn-heads ahead. Go!” They all set off until they vanished up the slope.
Just as Invincible padded over to a puddle and was about to drink out of it, the sand slid slightly and the salty-wet bushes rustled a little. Invincible pricked his ears, letting out another huff.
“I said, get to hunting.” He trotted to the bush and pushed away branches, expecting to see a caracal or a cheetah walking about.
Instead, he was in for a surprise. A young golden-brown cat with sparkling blue eyes and darker tan spots stepped out and looked at him in shock.
Invincible narrowed his eyes. “Who are you? I’ve never seen you around here before,” he growled.
“U-um-” The cat looked at his paws. “My name is Bruce. I mean no harm.” The creature shrank back in a defensive crouch.
Invincible nodded respectfully to the golden cat. “Why, hello there. Don’t worry, Bruce. I won’t hurt you, but you need to tell me some things. Do you have an interest in joining an army? Or . . . a Streak? I’m Invincible, and I’m on a mission to find all cat species. I’d like you to join with me, for you will have endless power in return.”
Bruce cocked his head. “Why, exactly, are you gathering all species of cats? Is something wrong?” he asked.
Invincible purred in amusement and shook his head. “No, nothing’s wrong. What’s wrong has already been dealt with. I just want all species to be by my side so we can have true power and force over all our enemies. I was . . . well . . . bullied by my Streak when I was young, and I have been longing for revenge ever since. I took over the Streak and sought out the cheetahs, and then I had the idea to gather all the cat species. There’s no point in refusing this offer, Bruce, but I’ll leave that up to you. Either have my protection or not.”
Invincible waited until Bruce met his gaze. “Alright, I’ll give it a try,” he meowed.
Invincible flexed his claws. “Great! Now, all we have to do is find your Great Cat, summon the rest of your kind, and go through the Mark and Mask ceremony!” he exclaimed.
Bruce pricked his ears. “Mark and Mask? What’s that?” he asked.
Invincible yawned. “You’ll see,” he said. “Now . . . how do you summon your Great Cat?” he asked.
Bruce hesitated.
“You break the tip of a stick,” he mewed after a moment.
Invincible nodded and searched the Salt Pool for a stick. There was a small one that was plastered into the wet sand. He padded over to it, picked it up lightly in his teeth, carefully snipped off the tip of the twig, and stepped back. Invincible and Bruce watched as a misty shape appeared the shape of a Golden Cat.
“Hello. I’m Jengo, and I’m the Great Golden Cat. Is there anything I can help you with?” The Great Golden Cat cocked his head.
Invincible purred. “Yes, yes, there is. I want to give you all of your species a great offer and unstoppable power. Bruce, here, has agreed, and so should you. I will not make this offer twice. If you agree, you must be under my command at all costs, with a reward of anything you could ever want. You must summon all of the golden cats and we will go through the Mark and Mask ceremony. If not, well . . . it won’t be so fun for you. Anyway, shall we start?”
Jengo smiled. “Of course.”
With a flick of his tail, the Great Golden Cat summoned his species. Cats were swarming in, coming to Jengo’s side and muttering to one another excitedly. With a pang of realization, Invincible realized that there were not as many golden cats as there were fishing cats or cheetahs.
“Why aren’t there so many? You have gathered all of the golden cats, haven’t you?” Invincible swiveled around to look at Jengo.
Reluctantly, Jengo muttered, “Our species is diminishing by the night. Because of No-Furs, the golden cat is getting killed for nothing and getting hung in No-Fur dens.” His ears drooped. “Although I am a Great Cat, I cannot stop No-Furs from doing their business.”
Invincible huffed. “Well, I can. I can kill a whole army of No-Furs with a swipe of my paw. Those creatures are selfish little things, but we can defeat them together. All you have to do is take one quick oath and get your mark and gear. You made the right choice, joining me.
“Now, let’s get this oath done. Repeat after me: I vow to make this oath. The Golden Cats will look down on Invincible the Tiger, never to betray his trust. I will be on his side at all times, to fight, hunt, patrol, and care for him and his soldiers, for if I fail to do this, I will no longer have the protection of Invincible and the Streak, and will be thrown out and defeated. I promise to never leave this oath and keep it with me for life. Invincible is now my King, and always will be.”
When the oath was done and the golden cats repeated him, Invincible gave them their gear. Excited murmurs rose from the cats as they looked at themselves.
Invincible then heard a crackling in the undergrowth beyond the shore of the Salt Pool and looked up to see the cheetahs, caracals, and fishing cats making their way down the slope with prey clutched in their jaws.
“Why, look at all of you! Caught some prey, did you?” Invincible smiled and trotted over to the cats.
Alice peered over Invincible’s shoulder. “Who are they?” the cheetah asked. The others chirped in confusion and wonder as they glanced at the golden cats.
Invincible flicked his tail and chuckled. “Those, my friends, are the golden cats. I found a golden cat named Bruce not long ago, while you were hunting. I convinced him to take my side, and then soon after I summoned the Great Golden Cat, and he summoned all the golden cats. Why don’t you go greet your new Streak members?”
They streamed past him and Invincible’s eyes gleamed with pleasure. Another species has been found and is now on my side. Before I know it, all the cat species will be living under my command. This is going better than I could have ever imagined in the first place.
“Alright, everyone. I have decided that we take a small break from gathering species. We will go back to the Streak and I will check on my tigers.” A sudden feeling washed over him. I have left them for quite a while. I wonder what they’re doing.
“Get on.” In a flash of movement, Invincible turned into his manticore, and the cats leaped on his back, the golden cats murmuring in excitement.
They flew in the direction of the Streak, the Great Cats soaring beside Invincible. As they veered close to the Steak camp, Invincible wondered how Pinwheel and Rapier were doing. I hope they’re alright. They haven’t summoned me at all today.
He landed as they drew near the bowl, the slope opening up to a wide, and familiar, hollow that streamed with tigers. The cats on his flank gasped, as they had never been to the camp before.
Invincible let out a great roar, the cats sliding off his back as he turned into his regular form. The Streak members looked in shock and fear at his new force.
Invincible smiled. They were home.
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