Riff Raff 𝙙𝙤𝙣'𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙟𝙞𝙢 ✼ [ 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 ]

[Leroy]

Pawsteps thunder under the weight of full bellies and raucous company. The congregation of rowdy cats rolls against the beat of night, enjoying every moment of revelry. Their trajectory is towards home; that ratty little strip of paved stone and desolation, sandwiched between a dark and boarded up structure of some sort, and an equally unimpressive twoleg nest.

An alleyway is what the kittypets would call it. But the Riff-Raff ain't just alley cats. They're a phenomenon unto themselves, and the land they rule over is far greater than this dingy stretch of ground.

"AND I SAID, 'LOOKS LIKE YER RUMP HIT EVERY BRANCH ON THE WAY DOWN FROM THE UGLY TREE'!" Leroy would roar in an overzealous burst of laughter, as he rounded the corner to their home. He's just finishing up a ribald anecdote about that one time he jumped over a kittypet's fence, beat the ever-living snot out of the cat in his own backyard- "AND I STOLE ALL HIS KIBBLE AFTERWARDS, WITH THE DOGS WATCHIN', TOO!"

All it takes is a story of a trivial conquest, spun with embellishment and vulgar pomp, to have his fellow ruffians and vagrants chuffed with delight. The gang stands strong on stories like these - from all cats almost equally - thriving on the notoriety and legends of the acts that get them the food off other's tables. Together, they live as lions among mice. And though they tend to dive into the twolegs' crowfood and discarded goods on occasion, the bottom line is that no one goes hungry.

Pale lamplight spills over the entryway to the alley. Two goons guarding its entrance pick up from their indolence to welcome in their peers. Many voices spill together, falling in a crumpled heap of noise that seeps across the stone. It is all garbled, broken fragments of boasts and retorts in kind. Insults, petty jabs, puns, comebacks, you name it. These cats were family in all but blood, and shared the same confidence of strength that made them certain of their survival in the streets.

All that laughter has Leroy heaving, as though trying to push up a burden lodged within his gut. He loiters behind a little ways, no longer sauntering but slinking, where he can watch and listen to the others for a moment. Those keen emerald eyes of his glide across his companions' forms in a reflective tilt, before they come to a skidding halt on the fleabag nearest to him.

"Well, well!" the tom remarks. His teeth spread in an ebullient sneer, beaming. "Whad'ja get up to tonight, tough fella? Strut around town showin' off yer mangy hide or what?"

// RIFF! RAFF! THE FUN BEGINS! @Haunted Plush @deidre @beatles @senatorwii @lavs @euphoria @ovenemoji @nanocoffee @shinyotachi

 

[Chili]

"Hah."
Chili flicks an ear at his leader, not making eye contact, which some might assume was out of arrogance, but was really just the way he was. He thought it more rude to stare someone down, anyway. If anything, he was being more respectful.
"Yeah, I had a cat come up to me with a look on their face, and I thinks to myself, 'oh, heah we go.'" Chili talks with his paws, gesturing and nodding his head as he speaks, relaying the story to Leroy.
"'So they tells me that there's some kinda infestation goin' on, some rodent problem, opossums or raccoons or sumthin'. Nothin' any capable cat should be worried about. So I says to them, I says, 'Well, ya best go take care of it, then!' But 'a coirse dey says 'nooo there's too many of em! It ain't like no little rat family, there's a whole whorde of em! Like nothin' I ain't ever seen before!'"
He sighs, as if tired from dealing with the other cats.
"Anyways, I takes a small patrol out with me to see what's what. I took that cat with me too, even though they said they didn't wanna. Gave em a swat ovah the eah for that one."
Chili swipes his paw, claws extended. He grins a little as he does.
"Aftah a while, we gets to the place, and I havfta say they wasn't lyin', there's what seems like a whole swarm of em. But you already know I took care of em lickety-split, knockin' em out left n right. And eh, the rest of the patrol helped too. But don't worry boss, we won't be seein' the likes of them for a while, I thinks. Might need to check up on it again sometime, but I think I chased em off pretty good."
He puff out his chest and a smug smirk spreads across his muzzle, and he turned to show Leroy his flank.
"Plus I got me a spiffy new souvenir to rememba my victory by." He had three thin parallel scratches on his side, under his dark thick fur. They looked like they were pretty fresh, and had only recently stopped bleeding. Chili's whiskers twitched with pride at them.

 

[SWAN]

┍

Swan watches the interaction from a few paces away, calm in the face of the rowdy atmosphere as she groomed the dirt from her fur. She had been one of the cats to join Chili on his little excursion—not to do any exterminating, but to chase after any rodents trying to hide and shove them towards another cat's waiting claws. It wasn't the typical kind of thing she'd consider fun, but she wasn't going to say no if a trustie was offering. It hadn't been a challenge, but it was exhausting—what does a rodent need that many family members for, anyway?

Oh well, Swan thought, swiping a licked paw over her ear, seein' Chili swat at that pinhead was kinda worth it. Should know better than to try an' skimp out on somethin' a trustie says.

‎┙

​

 

[selma]

Selma

Selma had been half dozing on the windowsill of the abandoned twoleg nest when a portion of the little group she joined up in the alley, loud voices bouncing off the stone walls. She merely opened a ruby eye to observe them silently, internally sighing as she acknowledged this would no longer be a spot to gain some beauty sleep. Not with all the chatting of stories. Unfortunate yet not surprising. Stretching out her limbs briefly, the cream feline began to groom herself as the casual chattering reached her ears. Perhaps her attempt at beauty sleep can occur later, once this group had run down their excitement for the night. Oh well.

═════════════⊹⊱ ♛ ⊰⊹═════════════

 

[Cheese]

Padding across the alley, Cheese watched his mate talking with his leader from afar, not joining in as he stayed back. He had been assigned to go with that group earlier, although he was about to find something to eat when he was called. He didn't want to go, but he knew better than to talk back to Chili. His stomach was still empty now, and he hadn't had a chance to find anything yet. At this point, it was probably better to wait until Chili brought him something anyway.
"I never had to wait this long to eat with my housefolk," he muttered under his breath.