A bag is taken off of Ricci's head. The sudden flood of light momentarily blinds him. As he comes to, his eyes slowly adjust and he begins to make out his surroundings.
He sees that he is in a different alleyway from before, kneeling on the ground with his ankles and wrists tied behind his back. There's a bandage wrapped around his left thigh and he's flanked by the two cats he fought earlier. One of them was holding his sword and scabbard.
In front of Ricci is a large cat sitting on what appears to be a throne made of trash cans. He is dressed like the other cats except more ornately. He wears a white v-neck tunic with a metallic mesh over it made of interlinking soda tabs.
He has a tattered piece of cloth with a blue and green square pattern on it wrapped around his waist that went down to his knees and a sash with the same pattern over one shoulder. A navy blue cloak pinned with a brass broach in the shape of a lion's face completed his attire.
With just one look, Ricci knew that this guy was the leader.
The cat began to speak, "My name is Felix MacLeod, chief of the Cat Clan. Who the hell are you and what are you doing in our fief?"
"I am called Ronin," Ricci replied, "I was raised by the monks of St. Elmo's Cathedral. I mean your clan no harm. I am simply passing through."
"You mean us no harm?" the chief asked rhetorically, "Yet you trespass into our territory armed with a deadly weapon." He gestures to the sword in the guardcat's hands.
"You must release me," said Ricci. "I've been sent on a mission of vital importance by my master."
"Oh really? And what is this oh so important mission of yours?" asked MacLeod.
Ricci replied, "I cannot disclose that. If word spreads then it could jeopardize the mission."
"Well isn't that convenient," MacLeod said, "How do I know you're not a scout for the Reptilians."
"The Reptilians?!" Ricci exclaimed. "Do I look like a lizard?"
The cat replied, "I've never seen your kind before, and the Reptilians are mutants. How do I know you aren't some sort of… rat-snake hybrid?!"
Ricci sighs in frustration then blurts out, "I've been sent to deliver a sacred relic to the Sage of Central Park!"
MacLeod rolls his head back and laughs, "Central Park?! That's just a myth. The green in this city disappeared ages ago. What's next? You're gonna tell me that giants built New York City?"
The cats in the alley all roared with laughter.
"It's real!" exclaimed Ricci, " My master is a learned man, he does not speak fables."
The chief stood up abruptly and shouted, "Enough already! Ronin the rat-snake. I find you guilty of trespassing, possession of illegal arms, espionage, and kitten endangerment. As leader of the Cat Clan, I sentenced you to death by gator."
He points towards the two guardcats and says, "Cast this furball into the sewer!"
A look of horror comes over Ricci's face as he says, "No…"
The cats flanking Ricci each grab him by the arm and carry his tied up body over to a manhole. Meanwhile another cat, standing by the manhole, pulls on a rope attached to the metal lid, opening it.
The two guardcats hold him over the hole, preparing to drop him. Ricci looks down and sees a school of gators drifting in a stream of green, luminescent water. Two begin to circle ominously beneath the manhole, then one leaps up and chomps at him.