Clark covered his mouth, unable to hide his shock. Lex showed a flicker of disgust, clearly repulsed by the rotten stench emanating from the mixture of blood and fur before them.
Bat-Cat's fur stood on end as he bared his fangs and let out a low growl. Pikachu's short fur had also puffed up; he was obviously terrified as well.
The cats in the cages that were in better condition lay weakly on the ground, skeletal and glassy-eyed. The ones in worse condition were difficult to describe. Some closest to the Owl sculpture had become unidentifiable mixtures, no longer even recognizable as cats.
The torches planted around the room and the still-glowing energy channels made it obvious that this was some kind of functional Magic Circle. Judging by its style alone, it was definitely not meant for anything good.
Bat-Cat took several deep breaths. Feeling him tremble, Clark pulled him into his arms and stroked the fur along his back. But Bat-Cat did not stay there long. He jumped from Clark's arms to the ground and gently sniffed at the scents of his companions.
Lex stepped forward as well. He crouched beside the cage of a living cat and examined it. He found a pattern branded onto the cat's hind leg, something like an owl's eyes and forehead.
Neither the two men nor the two animals could use magic, so they had no spiritual vision. They could only tell that this was an evil Magic Circle, not what it was specifically meant to do.
Though they could not see it directly, they could still deduce its purpose. After being jolted by this scene, the sense of danger that made Clark's hair stand on end instead stimulated his Super Brain. He said, "I remember... I remember there were some owls disguised