"Orto! I almost doubted the fact that you would show." Pearl purred as she pressed herself against the tom who arrived with his companions.

"You've known me long enough to know I keep my word Pearl." He mewed simply as she backed away and led them to where the trial would be taking place.

"So what do we do exactly?" Kia asked Pearl. Her hackles began to rise; not liking part of this so far. But she knew she shouldn't make assumptions too quickly.

"There are three rounds. First is, you must find what I have hidden. It will get you to the next location where I tell you the next part. Don't worry, I made sure it was," she purred. "Very important." Heading into the darkness, she completely disappeared but the three cats could still feel her watching him.

"Well I'm as ready as I'll ever be." Orto grumbled, flexing his claws. Rufus looked deep in thought. Kia padded around and her gaze began to wander. Blinking, she saw a hole. Taking a step forward, she saw two bodies block her view.

"Where do you think you're going fresh-bait?" Growled a familiar voice. Kia looked to see the two toms she fought yesterday. "I don't know why you two are here, but my friends and I have a trial to complete,"

"We're here because Pearl told us to be your first challenge." It was the dark gray and striped tabby, only this time, he had a sickening scar along his back.

"Is there anycat that this she-cat does not know?" Kia sighed in annoyance. A hiss sounded behind her and she looked over her shoulder to see Rufus and Orto, pelts spiking and backs arched.

"Woow, the two big bad toms are scared of us." Mocked the rosy eyed tom. The dark gray tabby beside the white tom flicked his tail dismissively. "Why are you hanging around those two when you could be with us?" He asked purring, his tail lashing to and fro.

"In your wildest dreams would I ever want anything to do with you Poker." She snarled through gritted, sharp fangs.

"I couldn't agree more." Orto rumbled. Poker narrowed his eyes at the black and white mottled tom. A growl rumbled in his throat as he asked, "How dare you speak to me?"

"Wait, how does she know," Rufus began when a loud and annoyed hiss came from the rosy eyed tom. "Gahh! I'm tried of this! Enough dribble, let's fight these fools!" He yowled and lunged for the dark gray tabby cat. Rufus curled his lip and moved to one side.

Kia pounced on Poker's back, hissing. Orto grunted and yanked Mackey by the tail as he was about to claw Rufus.

"You fight well." Rufus meowed as he dodged a furious swipe from Poker. Kia and him stood back to back now.

"So do you." She meowed. Mackey and Poker were panting. A yowl sounded from above. It was Pearl who neatly walked off a dumpster and onto the ground below.

"Well done you three. The first trial had been completed." She meowed, though her gaze was all on Orto, who was lapping at a scratch on his flank as his tongue reddened with his own blood.

"I do hope you're okay Orto. Poker and Mackey can be very strong and loyal, but I'm not sure you know what that means." Her voice was a dangerous hiss. Then she looked at the two toms. "Poker, Mackey, thank you dears. You two know what loyalty really is." She purred and flicked her tail.

Then four pieces of prey, two rats and two pigeons, Pearl then purred at them and sent the two toms away. "Trial two. I have hidden three very important things to each of you." She silently turned to the dumpster. "Best of luck. You'll need it." The white she-cat leaped up onto it.

Kia stared at her. "This is starting to be some rat droppings." She mumbled under her breath, her brown tabby tail lashing and twitching.

"Don't worry about her, she's always like that," meowed a voice. The three cats looked around to see a she-cat jump from the same dumpster where Pearl was. "My name's Mystery. You all must be Kia, the strong willed, Rufus the leader, and Orto, Pearl's pride and joy or love she goes on about." She sat down and began to wash herself.

"How'd you guess?" Rufus asked. The she-cat gave an amused purr. "Word gets around here when cats do nothing but eat and sleep." She replied. Kia stared at her. "The strongest willed? Not bad."

The mottled black and white cat took a step forward. "Why are you here?" Orto asked the she-cat, eyeing her as she examined her claws.

"Where I come from, the other side of the city, lots of cats believe in you. I am among them of course. I came here on behalf of many, we see you three as hope. We were all scared of Shere-Khan. But then you three came and began standing up to his followers. We started to try and stick of for ourselves until he started killing many of our cats. So, many cats came here, I'm staying with Pearl, and she told me a lot about you all, even some things you're looking for is. She left to get her 'beauty sleep' but as if she needs it with every tom following her." She meowed.

Kia and Orto exchanged a glance. Rufus braced his shoulders. "Well what are we waiting for then? The sooner this is over, the happier I'll be when it is." He mewed.

"Alright. You're first then Rufus, follow me." She looked around to make sure no cat was nearby and walked on. "Be careful, Poker and Mackey are like Pearl's loyal pets. If they find our anything, she'll for sure know." Mystery looked at them over her shoulder then walked out of the alleyway.

The three cats followed her quietly. Kia's amber eyes wandered and she stared at the ground as she moved. The she-cat mentioned Shere-Khan. Cats were so horrified of him. But she wasn't surprised.

The she-cat suddenly stopped and jumped onto a windowsill and looked into the Twoleg den. "Here's where you'll find it," she meowed as she pointed to the inside with her tail. "We need a kittypet collar. I'm sure you want to see your mom, dad, and siblings Rufus, but they might now remember you. Because when they were taken away, they suffered a memory loss, so no need to stay long. Pearl knows how to hit cats where it hurts." She meowed as she looked at Kia and Orto.

"My parents..." Rufus didn't hesitate to climb inside and sniff around for the collar, hoping it had one of their scents on it. "I-I thought they were..." he trailed off and continued looking until his eyes happened upon a bright yellow collar. Sniffing it, he gasped. "That smells like my father."

"Make it quick! They might be back soon. And be careful!" Mystery hissed in worry at the tom. Rufus snatched the collar quickly and leaped back up and onto the ground of the outside. He held the color between his teeth. It was muddy and dusty, faintly having his father's scent.

"Okay next is..." the she-cat looked at Orto. "You. I think you should stay behind for this one." She spoke, almost sounding hurt to say. "But you can come to see what kind of monster Pearl truly is." She looked at him.

"I already know that Pearl is a monster." Orto rumbled bitterly. Kia blinked at him, his body stiffening. Rufus stared at his friend. "Orto?" He meowed, looking concerned for his friend as he threw his father's collar, which was rather large, around his neck.

"Alright. Don't say I didn't warn you...follow me." She spoke as she walked back into the alleyway and continued to walk until she stopped and jumped onto the dumpster. "Wait here," she told them as she opened it and a horrid odor radiated out of the bin and came out dragging a bag, a tuft of fur poked out.

She opened the thing and pulled out a scruff with her jaws. "Pearl kept her and used her to get rid of anger for a very long time, when she found you, she killed her, and determined to use her as your object to find. I'm...sorry." She looked down at the crumpled body.

Orto's eyes widened. "Orchid..." he stared at her, unable to look away as grotesque as the thing he was not witnessing was. "My sweet Orchid." He muttered.

"Finally Kia, I don't knkw where or what yours is. Pearl seemed to keep your a secret she said." The white and black spotted she-cat meowed.

"Maybe that just means I'm the best for last then." Kia meowed simply. Her voice was unwavering and her eyes displayed nothing but calmness. The sentence she spoke was sarcastic.

"I hope so, but sadly I can't help you here. I must be off, before Pearl and he others may think of something if I am gone for too long," she spoke as she bowed her head. "Thank you for giving not just me but many more hope, I hope to see you in the future." Mystery bounded forward and jumped onto a trashcan, climbed on a windowsill and went onto a rooftop and she was gone.

"What could your secret even be?" Rufus asked. Kia stared seemingly at nothing as she flatly meowed, "Something I'm almost sure you two could never begin to understand."