Wow, 30 chapters! That's some sort of milestone, or something. I dunno. xD
Questions, yay, stuff. :p
Queen of Pens: But would there be so many cats without owners in the city? Wouldn't they be caught and taken to a pound, or something like that? If it was a small city, then it wouldn't have so many cats, although nothing would be done to control them. But if it were a large and prosperous city, say, somewhere like Sydney, there would be people trying to control the stray animal population.
It all depends on where you live! I live in a very (very very) small town. We have Animal Control, but they really don't do anything, and we only have one shelter here; it's almost always full. Because of this, animals here are not rounded up very often; it's just too much work, and they breed like crazy. I go to a woman to have my hair cut, and she used to have a log-cabin style place in the middle of town. Living underneath her house were FOURTEEN black cats! (I counted them while they were chilling outside while waiting for my brother's hair to be finished). And that's not counting the ones I could hear moving around underneath her house! And that's just one place. There are probably hundreds of strays in my town, no one really cleans them up.
That being said, this Twolegplace is medium-sized. They probably have AC and two or three shelters, but cats have a way of keeping hidden most of the time. They burrow under buildings, or live in abandoned lots like Cane and Amber. If people don't go into those abandoned lots, who is going to report them to AC? Competition is obviously going to be fierce, but considering most cat litters are anywhere from ten to four kittens (my friend's cat had a litter of a whopping fourteen, poor girl) the number of living cats will be high.
Queen of Pens: Also, why did the guards let Reedrush in? They had no idea what she were going to do. For all they knew, she could be one of Cane's minions who had disguised her scent. She might have had an army behind them, ready to take advantage of the less guards. Reedrush refused to tell the guards what her business with Amber was; she might have even killed Amber when she had the chance. Don't you think that that level of trust with strangers would spell Amber's doom?
Firstly, Reedrush could never be Cane's minions. Cane is a firm believer in tom supremacy (as Amber is the opposite). He'd never trust a she-cat with an important mission, like invading Amber's home. Secondly, if there was an army, why would Reedrush have Jag at her side? If she was really trying to be sneaky, surely Jag would be hiding with the others, not right there flashing his tom-ness in their faces? Thirdly, both Amber and Cane are extremely arrogant, and actually quite trusting of cats of their gender. They've earned reputations for taking cats in without many questions, but they are also known for being incredibly brutal if that trust is betrayed. Not very many cats want to tangle with them. And then, both Amber and Cane are very assured of their own personal power, and think themselves above the other's tricks. Fourthly, Amber was not quite alone; Flicka was waiting just outside, and as she's Amber's trusted right paw, if there was even the slightest hint of a struggle, Flicka would be in the room immediately ripping the threat to shreds. And, finally, Amber was curious. Any cat working with Cane would know that a tom strolling into the heart of Amber's territory was a death sentence. And because toms and she-cats are so segregated in Amber/Cane's groups, seeing a she-cat and a tom together was a very strange thing. Amber was wondering how this could be so; obviously they were not her agents, nor were they agents of Cane, so who did they belong to? She knew the only way to pry an answer from them was to talk to them face-to-face, and she did not believe herself to be in any real danger. Despite her soft looks, Amber is a very fierce and skilled fighter; she would not be on top if she wasn't.
Lynxeye: How does he (Brightfire) get along with Death, then?
Remember, Brightfire and Frostfeather never had a true relationship; Frostfeather's not the type for lasting things, and she had a bit of a reputation. Brightfire knew that, but he let himself be weak for a night, and they had their little fling. Things are more complex now that he's a father, and it'll be awkward, but he harbors no resentment towards Death for his advances. Now, he might be angry with Death for his lack of any gentlemanly qualities....
Shimmertail: I was also wondering: what happened to Toxin?
You remember her? I'm surprised! She'll have her moment, just you wait. She's a smart one. ;)
