The injured sparrow seemed to be unsuspecting as a predator inched closer and closer towards it. The pursuer, Butter, was a Seal Point Ragdoll cat that lived with humans who only occasionally let her outside to play. She treasured these rare and fleeting moments of primal freedom, during which hunting was always her main objective. Butter stayed crouched and perfectly still, waiting for the bird to further lower its guard.

It should be mentioned that Butter had never made a successful kill before. Being predominantly an indoor cat, she was given seldom chances at practice. But today felt different. The air was electric, her senses sharp and her limbs responsive. As icing on the cake, the bird was mildly wounded. This dramatic event unfolded atop the roof of a suburban house. The sparrow was perched along the edge and faced the sunset horizon while Butter slowly descended from the East. 

It was the moment to strike. In three quick steps and a leap, Butter the house cat crimsoned her fangs with the blood of her first catch. However, just as quickly, the inexperienced cat found herself falling off the edge of the roof. The house was single storied, which made the roof edge low enough for any cat to survive the fall, but high enough to make the feline lose hold of its prey. 

By the relatively short time it took for Butter to retain composure, the now dead bird was already in the jaws of another, mysterious and previously unseen cat. He had a pure white coat of fur and was of the rare Khao Manee breed with a further, rarer configuration of a yellow right eye and blue left eye. He was a little skinny, but had eyes of a fierce and feral soul.

"Hey, that was my catch." Butter meowed.

The wild tomcat didn't say anything, limp bird hanging from his mouth. He slowly started to back away with his eyes still trained on Butter. 

She naively tried to reason with the hungry stray. "I was going to give that to the humans I live with! Then they might let me outside to play more often."

The silent cat seemed irritated by that comment. He swiftly turned his back and darted over the backyard fence with the dead bird. Butter was equally annoyed by the theft of her precious catch. The sky was turning from orange to purple and soon it would be completely dark, so Butter reluctantly thought to head back inside the house.

"You think this world outside is for mere play?" The male cat's voice appeared from the other side of the fence. "You are but a domesticated pet. You would sacrifice precious food to humans? We strays need such kills to see the next day."

"Uh... well, it was still my kill though! You stole it from me after I fell from the roof." Butter responded.

"Fool, was the prey not injured when you saw it?"

Butter was taken aback by his knowledge of this. "It was. How did you know?"

"Because I was the one who injured it, obviously. I caught it earlier today but a human intentionally interfered and stopped me from killing it. I have been stalking it all day ever since. So in truth, you are the actual thief."

This time, Butter was out of arguments and didn't retort.

The stray continued. "Cats like you should stay indoors." The next thing Butter heard was the faint rustling of grass and fallen leaves.

"You can't stop me from going outside. Next time we meet I will definitely beat you!" Butter meowed back, but the other cat was already gone. 

That night, Butter found it hard to sleep. She was still restless from her encounter with the jaded white tomcat with odd eyes. What did he mean by calling her a domesticated pet? Why wasn't the outside a place for play and fun? And why did he take hunting so seriously, saying a kill lets him see the next day? The flustered house cat pondered these ignorant questions while laying next to her magic bowl that the humans pour free food into every day. 

TO BE CONTINUED...