[ WP ] My cat comes home nearly every morning with cuts and scratches all over . Write about what he could be getting up to on his nights out .

By day I am one being but by night I am another. I have two lives, two missions, two families. In the daylight I am Whiskers, friend to the humans who live in this house, but at night I am Shadowswipe and I fight to defend our land. 
 
 As night falls I am called to the borders of my land where I meet Razorpounce and Deathclaw, my brothers in my nightly duties. These two warriors have been my brothers for many a year, Deathclaw living next door since long before I was born and Razorpounce a new addition at number 32 when I was still but a trainee under Deathclaw myself. 
 
 Together this small band defends the homelands against interlopers, the ones who would pull our lives to the ground and shit on them like cheap kitty litter. Together we are the Brotherhood. 
 
 That night our patrol had begun as it always did. We sat on the fence at number 16 and looked out over the great dark road. Across was the Deadlands, an area where no cat could go, as it was infested with that most vile vermin, dogs. The Deadlands are not our great fear though, the dogs are slaves to the humans and humans are too stupid to invade other territory. No the Deadlands is almost a boon, a rock to brace our back against when all around the world attacks and to say *no more, this is as far as we shall be pushed*. 
 
 The evening was quiet, peaceful, silent. Lights from houses flickered on and off and we moved along the western edge, keeping a look out, but seeing and hearing nothing. As we passed into the sacred woods we made the sign of the beast, three scratches in the earth, to show humility and honour to our dead. 
 
 Tonight Deathclaw halted us not far into the woods, he was hungry and so we spaced out and soon had each taken down a mouse or shrew and sat happily chewing our way through them. Finishing we moved on, towards the centre of the woods where the edge of our territory lay and we would mark the demarcation, to ward off anyone who would pass near and be unaware this that was our land. Soon we were on the way back to the houses, the woods clear and the rodents cowed for another day. 
 
 Passing back into the gardens we felt it immediately, something had changed. A scent lingered on the air and the noise was different. The *feel* in our whiskers was different. Deathclaw did n't need to say anything but Razorpounce and I moved off quickly, he taking the Northern Fence and I moved up onto the bungalow guttering, each of us straining our senses to find what it was that had changed. 
 
 Deathclaw took the dangerous path, as he always did. He walked through the middle of the gardens, fur fluffed, but passing confidently past hedge and bush, daring whatever it was to come at him. We reached number 41 before we felt it again, whatever it was had drawn close and a sudden chill had come across the gardens. Even the faint noises of bats had gone from the distance, it was deathly silent. 
 
 Deathclaw stopped, sniffed the air and then leapt onto the birdbath, allowing him some height against whatever was in the dark. When it came forward we all saw and smelled it at the same time, how it concealed itself before I have no idea but suddenly it was overwhelming and all consuming. 
 
 It was the largest fox I have ever seen in my life and had strolled into the garden and now sat, beneath the birdbath, staring up at Deathclaw. Deathclaw was not a small cat, in fact he was one of the largest and strongest I have ever known, but this fox was vast. It was the size of a Doberman and had scars criss-crossing his face showing he was no stranger to fighting. 
 
 Casually he stood and then lifted a leg and pissed in the grass and the scent of `` MINE'' filled the air. Deathclaw was a tactician, a careful fighter, but this deliberate insult was too much and with a yowl he was in the air, claws extended and swiping across the foxes face, before he could even finish the piss. 
 
 The fox was taken aback, used, I suppose, to fighting on his own terms, but this did not last long. He snapped out at Deathclaw and missed him by a hair and then snapped again at his tail. Deathclaw was not so foolish to be taken like that, we had all fought foxes over the years but never one like this, never such a beast. 
 
 I moved down, getting closer as quietly as I could. On the other side I could see Razorpounce waiting too and we held each other in our gaze to time this to perfection; through long training and fighting together, we knew what we would do against this threat. Deathclaw had moved back, pulling the fox forward, but it was insanely quick and snapped out and caught Deathclaw by the ear, pulling him forward for a second and then blood glistened in the dark, as his ear was tattered. 
 
 Still Deathclaw did n't respond, but danced back, bringing him closer and closer, until at last he was in range. Silently I launched myself from the roof and a moment later Razorpounce did the same from the other side from the fence. I dropped like a rock, claws outstretched and aiming at the beast. 
 
 Neither of us was as large as Deathclaw, but the height we were falling from gave us power in our paws. I hit his head, raking down and drawing blood as I slammed into it as Razorpounce hit squarely into his chest; the fox twisted and screamed in pain. He fell awkwardly and raked out at us with his claws, catching me across the chest and kicking Razorpounce in the face, sending him flying backwards. His response was too late as now Deathclaw had all the advantage he needed and he was on the great foxe's head and his claws sunk deep, drawing blood and then shredding the foxes left eye. 
 
 The noise was halfway between a yelp and a yowl before the fox twisted and ran, bolting from the garden as fast as it was able. I swiped as it went past, drawing one final strip of blood and then Razorpounce and I followed, making sure it went well beyond our borders. 
 
 Deathclaw was washing as we returned and we took turns to clean each other, taking care over his ear. The battle was over and once again we were safe, a few scratches and one ear lost, but otherwise the victory had been won an an acceptable cost. Painfully we returned to our patrol, but it was quiet now, the night was peaceful. Soon it would be morning and we could return to our other lives, the world safe for another day.
