Rabbit, Sky, and Niko were walking in the woods. They were padding towards the hills.
"This was where we met Niko." Sky smiled. Everyone did too. They were all lost in a memory.
And didn't see the shadows in the darkness.
Something jumped on Rabbit. Then something jumped on Sky. And then something jumped on Niko.
The three cats were pinned.
All Rabbit saw were teeth. Then the teeth curved into a smile.
The animal got off Rabbit and yelled, "Got you!" The other animals jumped off his friends and laughed.
Then Rabbit saw them clearly. It was three cats. One was a gray tabby, a dark brown cat, and a black one. They were all males except of one female.
The gray tabby walked up to Rabbit. "We are the Tree-Gliders. It sounds awesome, right?" She asked. She struck a cool pose like a hero. Then she sat back down. "It's not. But it's fun. But we don't have a home. Ca-can we live with you?" She shifted her paws and looked at the ground. The other cats looked hopeful too.
Rabbit and Sky looked confused. Niko motioned for a little meeting. They circled around each other.
"You know how you rescued me, right?" Niko began. The others nodded. "Well, we can take them in too. If they're not contributing, we can send them off." The others agreed. They broke up.
Niko looked at the cats. "First, what are your names?"
The cats looked at each other. The tabby smiled. "I'm Daryl, and these are my brothers, Daryl and Daryl." She laughed. Sky, Rabbit, and Niko looked at them.
"Serious names please." Niko replied. The other cats stopped. "Okay. I'm Rose. And these are my brothers Chance and Branch." The gray tabby answered.
Niko nodded. "Rose, Chance, and Branch, you three can join our group. But you have to contribute by hunting and protecting our land. Okay?" The three cats nodded eagerly.
"Yes!" Rose acclaimed. "And you are?..."
"Niko, Sky, and Rabbit." Niko pointed at each of the original cats.
Rabbit could not stop looking at Rose. She was beautiful! Her tabby coat, her green eyes... he sighed.
Niko said to them, "Let's go home. We will get you situated." She turned around and started walking home. Everyone followed. But Rose hung back to catch up with Rabbit.
"I'll talk with you later, Mister." She laughed before licking his cheek. She ran ahead to catch up with her brothers.
Rabbit stopped. A lick already? They were meant to be! He felt like he was floating as he walked back with the group.