x
“I vow,”
“I vow,” Weird and Rapier repeated.
“To make this oath. Weird and Rapier 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.”
They repeated what Invincible said, Weird shivering with excitement. “Lift your throat. This will barely even hurt,” the tiger grunted. 278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVxARQM3DGR
Weird lifted his throat, holding his breath, waiting for the scratch. First Invincible did Rapier, and his brother sank his claws into the earth. Then Invincible drew his paw back and swiftly sliced a shallow wound in Weird’s neck. It hurt only a bit, and he lowered his head. Invincible now showed his throat, and Weird and Rapier both scratched his throat. Not able to feel pain, Invincible didn’t even tense. “Good. Now here’s your mask and spikes. Put them on.” He gave them a set of cool spikes and coils, as well as a bone mask and outer body bones. “Now you are officially one of us!”
Weird shot an excited glance at his brother, and back to the black-and-white tiger.
“I can’t wait to get my revenge with this . . . gear! I will rip Sleek to shreds!” he growled. 278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnH5fKfo517
Invincible cocked his head. “Sleek?” he asked questioningly. “Yes. Sleek is that horrible cat you just fought off. She allowed me to take a name to be ashamed of. Weird. And then she banished my mother, and made a rank called Weird Guards! If it weren’t for Mist, I’d still be trapped in the Kit Den.” Weird felt the familiar spark of rage, an urge to claw and bite at something.
Invincible also looked mad, but still confused. “Mist? Who’s Mist?” He shot a glance around as if thinking that Mist was somewhere in the bushes, spying on them.
“Nothing to worry about. Mist is my Spirit Guard. He protects me, and he can take over my body! He replaced me just a moment ago when Sleek was chasing us, or so I heard. It is very rare to have a Spirit Guard, too. And there is also a very evil Spirit somewhere, lurking. It’s the definition of evil! But Mist hasn’t told me its name yet, so it is a mystery.”
Invincible bared his teeth in thought. “Don’t worry, little ones. We will find out what it is very soon, and I will protect you. I made my oath too. Nothing can stand up to me! And I have more allies,” he added.
Rapier narrowed his eyes. “Allies? But . . . we’re alone, aren’t we?” he asked.
Invincible let out a laugh. “Come out!” he yowled.
The forest rustled, and the trees shook. Then, a bunch of big cats came out.
They were smaller than tigers, but still bigger than normal cats. Some of them were spotted under their spikes, the others some plain tan with black tufts for ears. There were two other tigers, orange-and-black instead of Invincible’s unique black-and-white pelt. And then, there were misty forms of cats as well. One of them was a white tiger, another a colorful spotted cat, and the other a starry black-eared cat.
“What are those?” Weird exclaimed at the irregular cats.
Invincible followed his gaze and chuckled. “What are those, you ask? Those are the Great Cats. I am on a mission to collect them and have them on my side. The Great Tiger is like a father to me. The others are the Great Cheetah, the spotted one, and the Great Caracal, the plain one. I have so far collected the Cheetahs and the Caracals.”
Invincible turned to the Cats. “I have found our newest allies, everyone. Meet Weird and Rapier. We will help them find their mother, Uraza, and get a world of their own. We will not let Sleek touch them! Who’s with me?” The Cats cheered and bowed in their respect to their leader.
Invincible nodded in satisfaction and swerved back to Weird and Rapier. “I will send you guys on your way. Go and find your mother. I will be here whenever you need me. I have the power to know when you are in danger since you are now my ally. Oh,” Invincible put up a paw as if to stop them from going anywhere. “Before you go, you wouldn’t want to be carrying that name with you, wouldn’t you, Weird?”
Weird looked at Rapier and back to Invincible. “What are you saying?” he asked cautiously.
“Would you like a new name? Or have the name Weird for life? I don’t want you to have that name. You don’t deserve it. I would like you to choose your own name for yourself. Rapier, you have a fine name. You don’t have to. But Weird, this is an important question. Would you like to change your name?” Invincible seemed to stare into Weird’s soul. Weird twitched his tail in his eagerness.
“Yes! Yes! I can’t believe this is actually happening! I get to choose whatever name I want?” he asked knowingly.
“Of course. What name do you choose?”
278Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8ybfv2szkE
