The Birth of the Cat Clan

—It's huge! —said Canela.

—It's the best I could find —Evan said— Hey guys come here! Let me introduce you to our new member, she'll be with us for a while.

—Oh, a new companion, how exciting! —said the dove— My name is Pan, nice to meet you.

—Canela, he is Pan, he's my right paw and my eyes in the sky —Evan mentioned while pointing at him with an expression of joy and pride.

—Great! I promise to get along with you! By the way, where are the others?

—About that… How do I explain it to you? —he said while scratching the back of his head— the truth is that I was joking with you, Pan is currently my only ally. I'm sorry to disappoint you.

—It's nothing, I just thought...

—I was embarrassed to tell you, but that's why it'll be good to have someone else with us.

—I understand, I will help you with whatever you need.

—Okay, Pan, any news on today's tracking?

—Yes sir, as for hunters, they have multiplied, today I have seen four captures of dogs in neighboring territories.

—"Hunters?" —Canela asked.

—That's how we call the humans who are in charge of capturing animals that are found on the street —answered Evan— they are the ones you should be most careful of, you can distinguish them by their particular blue clothing.

The risk of talking to ordinary humans is that they can quickly call the hunters with some devices, I think they call them cell phones.

—My lord, if you allow me, in my opinion it will be risky to stay here, if we continue like this we will have no choice but to live in hiding.

—I already told you Pan, we are safe here, we must take care of what is ours. I will not allow them to force us to emigrate, even if we flee we are not sure that we will be better off somewhere else… you know that food has been very scarce lately.

—But my lord, I could start an expedition, and also talk to the boss of some district.

—For the last time, I can't stay alone to guard the territory, nor can I afford for them to discover that I don't have any more troops.

—I can help you! —Canela said determinedly— now I will be part of your clan, I can help you take care of the territory while Pan makes the expedition.

Evan froze for a second, he couldn't stop thinking about the risks of both options, but after thinking about it he decided it might be a good idea.

—Oh, this is great! —Pan shouted excitedly— we can finally say that we are in a clan, we now think as one! What do you say, my lord?

—I actually think Canela will be an easy target… but I saw the strength and skill she has, I think she can use the “adrenaline” like me. With proper training I’m sure she’ll master it.

—Count on me, Evan! —What could he possibly have meant by that? —Canela thought.

Then, night fell and the three of them prepared a campfire. Evan and Pan taught Canela basic survival concepts and notions of the world they live in while cooking a piece of fish that Pan had caught during his expedition in a river, he also got enough bread crumbs and grains for himself and put them to roast. On the other hand, Canela only had to eat the grass that was there to satisfy his appetite.

Canela's life had changed drastically, she only lived locked up in a house so despite being a little insecure, she had nothing to lose and this was her chance to see what it meant to exist in this world. The wheels of destiny have already turned and there is no turning back, the revolution of the 21st century began that very night.

Government House. 12:30 pm the following day.

Today's cabinet meeting opens, the president of the nation calls his ministers and the team of scientists together every week to update them on the situation.

—We currently have a record of 356 mutated animals —the scientist reports— the reason why this is happening is still unknown.

Our group has already carried out various tests and autopsies, and everything seems to indicate that they have evolved suddenly. The cases studied have shown that the animals have vocal cords similar to those of humans and changes in the brain, some have shown growth and others have maintained the original size. The neurons seem to undergo the same process as ours. In some cases, there are mixtures of DNA from the original animal and that of the human.

Such a mixture is impossible to carry out under all the rules and scientific knowledge we have at the moment. The private scientific consensus of other countries denies having carried out mutations in animals in the laboratory, we do not rule it out but it seems to be a very low possibility.

—Okay, at this point, do you think we should publicly reveal what is happening?

Most ministers felt that given the number of complaints made to the police, the number of bribes and confidentiality contracts that people and journalists were receiving in order not to publish anything on social media and newscasts, they all decided to issue a general statement with the permission of the global consensus.

The following day, the statement was broadcast on television channels across the country.

The national government informed all those who own domestic animals that there was a danger of an instant mutation and that they should immediately hand them over to the authorities if they suspected anything. They also announced that the various armed forces would be circulating in the streets to capture all the animals they found and that they would all be taken to special capture centers. They ended the announcement by trying to bring calm and inciting cooperation.

The president of the nation placed his complete trust in the Minister of Environment José Bottaro, a new person in power with pale skin and black hair, who always dressed elegantly even for everyday situations.

He was inexperienced but he earned everyone's recognition because in his first year of management he did a job worthy of admiration.

The president assigned him a special brigade and a significant budget. He was not only tasked with carrying out his normal duties, but also with being in charge of building the animal capture centers and also reaching consensus with other countries on the current situation.

—You have a long week ahead of you, José, don't disappoint me —said the president.

—"Count on me," he replied. 

Together with the Minister of Security, they coordinated the armed forces, and then José went to the capture center A in his personal vehicle.

Capture Center A, 19:30 p.m.

Once at the capture center, José and the scientists waited until the animals arrived.

The police enter and mention that they captured: 37 dogs, 16 cats, 5 pigeons, 5 cockroaches, 1 snake, and 7 rats, these will remain in their cages for an indefinite period of time.

The police informed Jose that none of them were mutated at first glance, then thanked them for the work they did and asked everyone to step away for a few minutes.

Jose was left alone with all the animals screaming and fighting to get out.

—Friends, don't be afraid! I promise I'll get you out of here. I'm building a safe place for all of you, but first I ask you to be patient. I know it's hard to believe, but I'm on your side.

Please don't make a fuss in the cages, if you trust me I promise you'll be released soon. I have to go now but I'll make sure you don't get hurt, I'll be back soon I promise," he said as he headed for the exit.

José left the place and continued his day going to the other capture centers. 

Meanwhile, Canela and Evan say goodbye to Pan, who is going on a trip to negotiate protection in neighboring territories.

After saying goodbye, Evan teaches Canela how to move in the shadows and always hide with the environment to avoid humans, he also showed her basic combat techniques.

—Perfect Canela, if you fight this way it will be difficult for others to hurt you.

—Y-you're right, even though I'm having trouble keeping up, I feel like my heart is going to explode.

—I think rabbits are not used to stress, you shouldn't overdo it but the reality is that you have to adapt to this.

By the way, I've noticed that you're still unconsciously activating adrenaline.

—I still don't know what you mean.

—Did you notice the movements you made every time I was about to hit you with my attack? It would have been impossible for you to have dodged them if it weren't for the adrenaline.

—Now that you mention it, I was very scared at that moment and I don't know how I did that.

—Our brain sets a limit for the force that our body can tolerate, but when we activate adrenaline our heart beats faster and our muscles are able to break their limit, as are our reflexes.

—So that's why... I should learn to control it, right?

—That's something that only an evolved animal like us could do, the catalyst is fear. You have to feel like you're about to die, but at the same time you have to be able to stay calm and understand that it's a fictional scenario, that way fear won't paralyze you.

—I understand, I'll try, when I master the adrenaline I'll be unstoppable.

—Umm, something like that, adrenaline multiplies the attributes of your genetics. A rabbit with controlled adrenaline could beat a dog, but a dog that also knows how to use it would definitely beat you, since it would be superior to you in every aspect.

Evan warned that overusing adrenaline could shorten life and cause serious injuries to the user's muscles. Canela continued training with Evan and later they began daily surveillance of the territory.

In parallel, Pan was about to reach his destination.

—Well, I think it's this way… —thought Pan— but where will I find the district boss? I have to find someone to guide me in this city —he said while flying peacefully— Wait… What is that?!

Pan watched as an object was heading towards him at full speed and tried to avoid it, but he was unable to react in time, resulting in a direct impact on his face. In free fall, Pan managed to recompose himself and flap his wings again.

—What the hell was it?! I almost died —he wondered as he heard a screeching cry— A-a hawk!? What is a hawk doing here!?

The hawk fixed his gaze on Pan and with a quick movement attacked again in the air, this time Pan saw the attack coming and managed to dodge it but the hawk continued trying until he managed to pierce Pan's left wing with his claw.

Pan screamed in pain and tried with all his might to free himself, but it was in vain. The hawk began to dive at full power while still clinging to Pan's pierced wing. Just inches from the asphalt, the hawk released Pan, slamming him into the ground and resulting in a bloodbath.

Pan loses consciousness without being able to do anything. Without wasting any time, the hawk grabs him with its talons and carries him away.

Two hours later, Pan wakes up with a severe headache, tied to a post in a dark, abandoned place. The echoing drips, the sound of distant water flowing, and the dim light in the place made Pan's heart feel like it was about to burst. The lump in his throat and the sweat that flooded his body prevented him from thinking clearly.

—W-where am I? What's going on?

“Who sent you here? What were you doing flying in my territory?” said a voice from behind Pan.

—I… I just wanted… I came in peace —he replied exhausted.

—Do you think I'm stupid? I didn't get where I am precisely by being nice to intruders. Answer: Who do you work for?

—I am Evan the cat's right-hand man… from district three of the city, but please listen to me for a moment, I did not come with bad intentions.

“Okay…” he said as he walked into the light, revealing his face. “Speak quickly, dove from district three.”

—«A crocodile!?» —he thought worriedly— w-what we want is protection for our district, the hunters are everywhere and every day it gets worse, we have nowhere to hide anymore.

—Ha ha ha! If they fear men then they deserve to be hunted, here only the strongest survive.

—Yes sir, I understand what you say, but then why are you here in this abandoned place?

—What?! —he screamed as he pressed on Pan's wound.

Pan lets out a scream that echoes throughout the sewer.

—Are you implying that I'm scared? I'm a crocodile, obviously being in these abandoned sewers is the best thing I can do. I'm not stupid!

—I know, I know, I didn't mean that! Sir, we're all in real danger, we should be united, and food is scarce everywhere.

—Listen, dove, I don't care if you're so useless that you can't even hide or take care of your resources. You've already irritated me... Hawk!

-"chirp"

—Go to District Three and tell Evan that the next time he wants to do business, he should have the balls to come in person… and for wasting my time, tell him that if he wants his friend back, he should bring me fifteen kilos of meat. You have a week to do it, in the meantime this pigeon will live through hell in person.

"Squeak," he said with a bow, as he took flight.

—Hey, you can't be serious. I didn't do anything to you. You have to let me go!

District three, 8pm. Canela and Evan talk on the roof of a house.

—Evan, can I ask you something?

—You're already doing it.

—How is it possible that you only have two members in your group so far?

—You see, two months ago I ran away from home. The truth is that the first few days were very hard and it was hard for me to adapt. The other cats kept winning fights with me on the rooftops every time I tried to get some food.

—What?! You lived in a house like me?!

—Yes, I was also a domestic cat, supposedly my owners could not pay the rent anymore and had to move, for some reason they said they could not take me with them and abandoned me, I tried to follow them but their vehicle was very fast and I could not keep up with them.

—Miserables... I can't believe they did that to you, they probably didn't really love you.

—I think the same since they never treated me very well, but oh well, it doesn't matter, now I'm better than ever.

—Yes, me too, I feel that everything happens for a reason.

—Absolutely, the day I lost my last fight I was dejected under the rain, very hungry, scared, angry and resigned, I let out a heartbreaking scream looking up at the sky. At that moment I thought I would die so I took revenge on life.

Right after I heard the sound of thunder and my entire vision went white, I fainted and when I woke up I was already evolved, I just didn't know it at the time.

—I can imagine what you went through, it must have been horrible Evan… I promise you won't be alone anymore while I'm here —she said while taking his hand.

—Canela… —he said a little embarrassed— t-thank you.

—Tell me what happened next.

—Of course, it took me a few seconds to realize that what had woken me up were someone's screams, Pan's screams. He had started eating on the street and the orange cat that had defeated me minutes before had him in his grasp.

Pan was begging for his life and I managed to save him by punching the other cat.

—Evan, you're too cool! You not only saved me but Pan too!

—Ha ha ha yes, it was very easy to win the fight thanks to my new strength, Pan had the same reaction as you, since he could have left but she preferred to stay with me.

I asked him his name but not having been raised by a human he didn't have one. I thought it was funny to call him Pan since his death was almost caused by some bread crumbs.

— that makes sense —she said with a smile— it's because you're very protective Evan, you make everyone want to be with you.

—Y-yes, I guess I like to help everyone a lot —he said blushing— anyway, that's how I became the owner of the territory, beating the orange cat and being an evolved animal I imposed much more respect towards the other animals. Word quickly spread and we've been safe ever since.

—Hey, now that we are two evolved, we will surely command even more respect, maybe we won't need many more allies after all.

—I hadn't thought about that, you're right Canela. Although it would be a good idea to get more troops, it's difficult to make normal animals understand the importance of associating with a clan... it's that although they can understand our language, they don't really understand the magnitude of this world or even think beyond their basic instinct.

—Well, we should take advantage of the fact that our territory is relatively small and take care of it ourselves, take care of everyone from the shadows.

—Exactly Canela, that is my goal, and after saving Pan I made a promise to myself. I will never abandon those I consider my family, I will not allow anyone to feel the way I felt with humans.

—I won't let them treat you like that again either, Evan... I promise I'll take care of you with all my might.

—Canela... —he said while they stared into each other's eyes and lips— yes, rest assured that I will also take care of you, the Cat Clan will never abandon its friends!

-Yes!

Moments later, the crocodile's first commander, the hawk, arrives and transmits his boss's message to the cat Evan.