Warily, the heavyweight prizefighter limps slowly through the shards of broken shadows, those cast softly upon his alley from the dirty street lamps beyond his privileged domain

Shrouded by hair as black as the moonless night, he patiently moves with a lifetime of practice, doggedly stocking his near silent and illusive prey – solely to fulfill his primal needs

Like body armor, his thick scabby feline coat bears the scars of a soldier of fortune, hiding the lean muscular body of the warrior within

Anticipating the unexpected in each step his dark piercing eyes scan the arena with relentless resolve, searching out the slightest breath of movement

Lifting his perceptive nose to the sky he sniffs the still night air

Suddenly! His sharp eye catches the nearly imperceptible movement of an unfortunate victim and with lightning speed darts from the gloom of the filthy dumpster

Through a paper-thin crack in the broken brick wall he follows his agile quarry as it leads him to its point of final stand

With ice water running through his veins, he attacks his prey with abandoned fury impeding its every attempt to escape with a slash of his razor sharp claws

With a final cry of defeat, his victim ultimately succumbs to his attacker’s advance and exhales its final last breath

Cautiously guarding against the ever-present interloper, he eagerly devours his prize, satiating his voracious hunger, at least temporarily

With his conquest complete, he carefully preens himself. Licking the remaining scraps of triumph from his powerful paws, he savors the spoils of victory

Displaying delusions of grandeur, he perches atop the gritty green dumpster as if though it were his throne and watches suspiciously over his realm

His alley! His kingdom!

As the lone sentry of this imposing kingdom, he guards against all intruders. Because in this harsh shadowy battle for life, the majestic alley cat cannot afford the luxury of friends