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Post by Karma on Jun 11, 2009 13:26:02 GMT -5
Each group, though they live in the same land, have varied cultures that have been shaped by their histories and where they live. There are certain aspects of each group's culture that overlap with others, but for the most part, the groups are thoroughly divided by more than territory boundaries; they're separated by cultural norms and traditions as well.
Traditions that are the same in all groups:NamingThe majority of group-born cats are named for characteristics of their appearance, and the names are in two parts. The first part is usually an adjective (Black, Sharp) or a noun being used as an adjective, and the second part is a noun. This gives two-part names such as Sharpclaw, Silvertail and Jaguarpelt. For the most part, the words used in a name can be anything; one mother may choose to name her children after their physical appearance, but another might decide she wants to simply name them after a trait she wishes for them to have (Swiftfangs or Lionheart, for example). Traditionally, kittens are named two moons after they are born, but this is not a tradition that is strictly enforced everywhere and some kits are named sooner or later than two moons. However, there are some cats that may simply be named Leaf or Boulder, or even a gibberish-sounding name (to a cat) like Thomas or Missy. The majority of these are loners or pets to humans; very rarely are there cats named like this within a group. If a loner or a former pet joins a group with a name like this, the leader may or may not change the cat's name to something else. Some leaders will let the cat in question choose to have a name change, and others will simply not address the issue at all. On a side note, the suffixes "-paw" and "-star" at not restricted to certain ranks. An adult cat could be named Blackpaw and a regular run-of-the-mill member of the group could be Nightstar, though the "-star" suffix is decidedly uncommon and is rarely ever used in names. The suffix "-kit" does not exist here. When a cat in a group becomes a ranger or a sage (a full member of the group), they are allowed to change their name if they wish. They have exactly one moon from becoming a ranger or a sage to change their name, during which the leader must perform the ceremony for a name change. Though this does not affect actual character-to-character interaction, names that have two parts that would result in a double letting of some sort are written as hyphenated names, such as One-eye or Short-tail instead of Oneeye or Shorttail. Additionally, the second part of the name is not capitalized; it would be Tigerfang, not TigerFang. Usually, cats within groups are not named for an opposing group's element, but rather their own (if the cat has an element-like aspect of their name at all). Therefore, it'd be unlikely to find a cat named Waveclaw in Sunnysands or a cat named Windtail in Shadowtrees, but you might find a Waveclaw in Crashingwaves and a Windtail in Ruinplace. Prefix usageThe rough equivalent of honorifics in other languages, prefixes signify the speaker's opinion of or relationship to the subject. Most ranks (see below for those) come with their own prefixes that are used when referring to someone of that rank, but these are used among the "regular" members of the group. Using no prefix at all is considered rude and implies that the cat being talked about/talked to is an outsider. It is, of course, a forgivable offense from a kitten who hardly knows anything about life in the group, but an older cat may get a stern talking to. - Min: An endearing prefix used by siblings and close friends. For example, a cat named Blackear might be called or referred to as "Min'Blackear" by his friends or siblings. This prefix is gender-neutral.
- Rei: An endearing prefix used by lovers. For example, a cat named Moonheart might be called or referred to as "Rei'Moonheart" by her mate. This prefix is gender-neutral.
- Jai: An endearing prefix used by parents referring or talking to their children. For example, a kitten named Stonetail might be called or referred to as "Jai'Stonetail". This prefix is gender-neutral.
- Goro, Gora: A prefix used by someone of lower rank talking to or referring to someone of a higher rank or otherwise someone they respect. This prefix is also commonly used by children talking to or referring to their parents. At one point, this prefix was solely used for rangers, but its usage has spread to anyone of a higher rank or parents. Goro is for males, Gora is for females. For example, a male cat named Smokeheart might be called or referred to as "Goro'Smokeheart" by a page or by one of his children.
- Deko, Deka: A prefix used by someone of higher rank talking to or referring to someone of a lower rank, such as the leader talking to a ranger. It's not a necessarily hostile prefix depending on context, however, since using no prefix at all means that the subject is an outsider. Deko is for males, Deka is for females.
- Lorr: A neutral prefix used among cats that have just met or if the speaker isn't sure what to refer to the subject as. It is also used among cats that consider each other equals (e.g. two pages) and are not that close. For example, a cat named Duskfur might be called or referred to as "Lorr'Duskfur" by a fellow page.
- Ris: A prefix used to refer to somebody dead. This prefix is not used when referring to "mythical" figures, such as Yggdrasil of Shadowtrees or Sunpelt of Sunnysands. It is also a gender-neutral prefix.
Rankings- The Leader: Formally called the "king" or the "queen" depending on gender, the leader is the one who guides the group. If the leader takes a mate, then the mate usually also becomes a leader and the two rule the group together, but there have been times when one leader remains the sole leader and does not "promote" the mate.
When addressing or talking about the leader in one's own group, the prefix "Roh" or "Rah" is used depending on the gender of the leader. For example, a male leader named Silverfur would be called "Roh'Silverfur" and a female leader named Gingerpaw would be called "Rah'Gingerpaw".
- The Advisor: The second-in-command of a group. Advisors may serve for life or be constantly rotated out depending on the leader. If a leader dies without naming an heir or if both die simultaneously, the advisor will take leadership. If the named heir is too young to take leadership, the advisor will be a temporary leader until the heir is old enough to become leader. The end result, if nobody enforces the heir actually becoming leader, may end up as the advisor becoming a permanent leader. Occasionally, the advisor doubles as the heir, but this is rare. Typically, the advisor is chosen from veteran rangers.
When addressing or talking about the advisor in one's own group, the prefix "Kro" or "Kra" is used depending on the gender. For example, a male advisor named Smokeheart would be called Kro'Smokeheart and a female advisor named Oakfang would be called "Kra'Oakfang".
- The Sage: The healers and keepers of lore, the sages' main job is to take care of injured cats. They often answer to the most skilled or veteran sage when the leader and advisor haven't given them any particular orders, but there is no "official" leader of all the sages. They are also charged with being able to know ceremonies, the group's lore and traditions, so they often end up acting as mentors of sorts to a new leader. In especially dire wars, groups have had the majority of their sages evacuate and hide so that, even if the remainder of the group is wiped out, the traditions will live on. Though less numerous than rangers, they are no less important.
Female sages that become pregnant will temporarily retire from her position as a sage to take care of her kits. Once her kits become pages (or sooner, depending on circumstances) she will go back to being a sage.
When addressing or talking about a sage in one's own group, the prefix "Rio" or "Ria" is used depending on the gender. For example, a male sage named Wavestrike would be called "Rio'Wavestrike" and a female sage named Greeneye would be called "Ria'Greeneye".
- The Ranger: As the "regular" members of the group, rangers perform all sorts of duties for the good of the group. They hunt, fight opposing groups should the need arise, and train pages that are training to become rangers. They are the "doers" in the group, and the leader may consult veteran rangers for advice. The advisor is usually selected from rangers, as well. For the most part, a group's strength relies on the power and number of its rangers.
If a female ranger becomes pregnant, then she will temporarily retire from her position as a ranger to take care of her kits. After her kits become pages (or maybe even sooner, depending on circumstances) she will go back to being a ranger.
There is no set prefix for rangers.
- The Page: The younger members of the group that are learning how to serve the group. Generally speaking, they're not considered "full members". Pages begin their training at the age of six moons, and all the rangers in the group contribute to their learning, though eventually a page tends to "settle" with a particular ranger whose teaching style just works for him or her. Some pages don't ever "click" with a certain ranger, however, and these pages simply continue to be trained collectively. Though it varies, pages that learn faster or simply have a more natural ability will usually finish their training after four moons. Pages that take longer typically don't have their training exceed six or eight moons.
Pages that are not training to become rangers but rather to become sages instead learn the art of healing and the traditions of the group that may require a sage (such as a ceremony that needs a certain herb). However, "sage pages", as they're called, are also expected to learn some fighting tactics and the ability to hunt so that they are not merely stockpiling herbs during times of peace and, should the group's territory be invaded, be able to fight.
It is considered taboo for a page to take a mate or have kits during his or her time as a page; the punishment for a page that does so depends on the leader's decision.
There is no set prefix for pages.
- The Heir: The next-in-line to become leader. The heir is usually chosen from veteran sages or rangers, or is one of the leader's own children (the heir might be both, though). The latter method of choosing an heir has become increasingly more common throughout the years. Heirs are expected to continue work as a regular member of the group, but they are sometimes given special treatment and greater care is often taken to ensure their safety. Most of the time, groups keep who the heir is a secret.
When addressing or talking about the heir in one's own group, the prefix "Tai" is used, regardless of gender. For example, an heir named Sharpclaw would be called "Tai'Sharpclaw" no matter if Sharpclaw is male or female. If the advisor also happens to be the heir, it's considered more polite to refer to them with the Tai prefix than the Kro/Kra prefix.
- The Ancient: The ancients are cats too old or too crippled to be expected to perform duties for the group any longer. Much to the chagrin of younger cats that are born blind or deaf (occasionally mutes as well), they often become ancients instead of pages when they turn six moons, though there have been cases in the past where such cats become pages to the sage instead. Nonetheless, they're respected and taken care of by the group, and when the leader needs to make an important decision, the ancients are sometimes consulted for advice.
When addressing or talking about an ancient in one's own group, the prefix "Griso" or "Grisa" is used, depending on the gender of the ancient in question. For example, a male ancient named Whitepelt would be called "Griso'Whitepelt" and a female ancient named Short-tail would be called "Grisa'Short-tail".
- The Kittens: The kittens are simply the cats too young to be pages. They are taken care of by their mothers or other female cats nursing young, but of course, the entire group will contribute to their well-being and ensuring their survival.
There is no set prefix for kittens.
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Post by Karma on Jun 11, 2009 14:08:27 GMT -5
The cats of Crashingwaves have control over the Water element. This ability manifests itself in a natural skill in swimming and being able to conjure up small amounts of water. This water, however, is undrinkable; it will never quench any thirst, leading the cats of Crashingwaves to seek their water from the river and the massive waterfall that tumbles down the cliff in their territory and into the sea. Some especially adept users of the Water element have been able to freeze the water they create, a very useful ability in the midst of battle for tripping up foes or for simply cooling down after a day on the sunny beaches of the territory.
Crashingwaves, about twenty moons ago, underwent a turnover of sorts in the group's belief in the guardian deity. Possibly due to the turmoil of prey loss, a rumor sprang up of a new deity: the Ocean was not the guardian of Crashingwaves as they had formerly believed. Rather, it was the Moon; the Ocean had never been protecting Crashingwaves, it had always been the Moon, and the cats had merely confused the voice of the Moon for that of the Ocean. Needless to say, some straddled the boundary between belief and disbelief regarding this new deity; others held on tight to their belief in the Ocean, and others still instantly took to worshiping the Moon. It's worth noting that the Moon believers did exist prior to twenty moons ago; they were, for the most part, simply far less outspoken regarding their beliefs and tended to remain quiet for fear of exile.
No matter if a cat believes in the Ocean or the Moon, the origin story for Crashingwaves remains largely the same. Long ago, the ancestors of the modern-day Crashingwaves group dwelt in lands far across the endless sea. In those days, cats did not live in established groups with set territories, traditions and hierarchies. They roamed the land as loose groups of cats who came and went as they pleased. Some might stick together for a while, others would pitch in for several hunts and then be on their way. Despite the lack of territory boundaries, groups would frequently battle each other for the right to hunt in an area, or even drive away smaller groups from the prey they had just killed.
Rockclaw and Wavefang were two half-sisters in a fairly large group. Unanimously, this group was led by a grey, scraggy-furred tomcat named Wolfpelt. Despite his unkempt appearance, Wolfpelt was a fearsomely large cat with piercing yellow eyes. In the past, several cats had attempted to kill him, but somehow, Wolfpelt always knew when and where an ambush would be, and very easily fought off any would-be usurpers of his rule. Sneaking away from Wolfpelt in the past hadn't worked, either; once a cat was in this group, he or she was in it for life, and Wolfpelt took care to hunt down any deserters. Though he ruled with absolute power, Wolfpelt's cunning led the group to many successful hunts; just like how he always knew where to find an assassin in the bushes, Wolfpelt seemed to have an uncanny way of pinpointing exactly where the best hunting grounds were.
Both Rockclaw and Wavefang never had much of a choice as to whether they would join this group or not; Wolfpelt was Wavefang's father, and the group assumed the same of Rockclaw, as both Wavefang and Rockclaw had the same mother, Fernpaw. As she had told them herself, though, Rockclaw's father was a tom she'd secretly fallen in love with seven moons before she took Wolfpelt as her mate. However, he'd vanished during the night of a particularly bad storm, and soon after, Rockclaw was born. Wavefang was born three moons after Rockclaw, and everyone assumed that Rockclaw was merely the result of Wolfpelt and Fernpaw falling in love sooner than they initially believed.
Due to being born into the group, neither Wavefang nor Rockclaw even contemplated leaving. This group was their only life, and as they'd heard from others who'd been part of other groups, Wolfpelt ensured nobody starved to death. In other groups, hunger was extremely commonplace; food was difficult to find, and even when prey was located, there was rarely enough for everybody. Why leave the protection of Wolfpelt? Even when they were adults, neither had attempted to leave, unlike several had before them.
One day, things began to change in the group. Prey became more scarce. Even Wolfpelt was unable to figure out where the prey had gone. Cats grew desperate for food, but when they ran off, Wolfpelt let them go. He couldn't waste energy chasing down deserters; he had to unify the remnants of his group. The group, though, slowly grow smaller and smaller until it was only Wolfpelt, Rockclaw, Wavefang, their mother, and several other unrelated cats who were steadily losing faith in Wolfpelt's leadership. The old tom was becoming more terrifying by the day; he once again was resorting to violence to keep everyone together, threatening to kill any who ran off.
"You must leave here," Rockclaw and Wavefang's mother said to them one day.
"We can't abandon you! This is our home!" they protested.
"Besides," Rockclaw added. "Wolfpelt will kill us if we escape. He's always able to find the deserters. Don't you remember how easily he could even find the cats who ran off two moons before he started searching?"
However, their mother was steadfast in advocating their departure. She turned her head to face the open sea, where the sun was beginning to rise. "You must cross the ocean and go to a new land, where Wolfpelt will never find you."
"Cross the ocean?" Wavefang asked, bewildered. "How...? It's not exactly a river a cat can just swim across, Mother!"
"And how do you know there are other lands out there?" asked Rockclaw, staring uneasily at the horizon. "Are you certain it's not only water?"
"Have faith, my children. If you believe you can find a new land, then you will."
Given courage from their mother, Rockclaw and Wavefang departed for the beach shore the following evening. The day had been yet another unsuccessful hunt; Wolfpelt wasn't even present, as he was hunting down even more deserters to the group and possibly attempting to force them back in.
"Can we really swim across this?" asked Rockclaw. She grimaced as a noticeably large wave crashed down just several pawsteps away from them.
Before Wavefang could respond, however, they heard an all-too familiar voice; they turned around in fright, and upon a rock a little ways away, Wolfpelt stood, his yellow eyes seemingly ablaze with fury.
"So, Whitetail was right! Fernpaw did tell you to run!" he hissed. Wolfpelt jumped down from the rock, practically spitting his words. "Traitors! My own daughters! I'll teach you to betray me!"
"Come on, Wavefang! We don't have time!" Rockclaw called over her shoulder as she bolted into the sea, her sister dashing behind. The vengeful Wolfpelt, however, refused to give up the chase. Even into the ocean, he paddled madly behind them, given an almost endless amount of energy due to his unbridled hate and desire to kill the "traitors".
Abruptly, as the moon shone brightly above them, the water seemed to recede underneath Rockclaw and Wavefang! A wave surged up underneath Wolfpelt, and he was dragged away from the two half-sisters, screeching with blind fury.
"I'll follow you! I'll get you someday, I swear, you turn-tails!"
Every time he tried to enter the sea once more, another wave would simply carry him back from whence he came. Rockclaw and Wavefang were long out of sight by the time these waves stopped, and Wolfpelt was forced to give up and return to his group, battered, soaked and weary. The sisters continued to paddle forward, losing the will and energy to press on. Turning back was no option, though; Wolfpelt would surely find them if they returned.
Here, the story changes more drastically depending on if the speaker believes in the Moon or the Ocean; devout followers of the Moon hold to that the Ocean, being an unpredictable menace that the Moon was only temporarily able to control in order to save Wavefang and Rockclaw from Wolfpelt, attempted to drown the exhausted sisters in its rage at being controlled. The Moon, however, exerted all its power to manipulate the Ocean's waves once more and carry both cats to a faraway shore, where they'd be safe from both Wolfpelt and the Ocean's wrath.
For those who continue to believe in the Ocean, Rockclaw and Wavefang were swept up in its benevolent waves to be more swiftly taken to shore. The Ocean deliberately altered its currents to bring them to a land where they would be able to survive, continuing to ensure that Wolfpelt never took a step inside its waters to pursue the runaways.
These two "branches" in the story unify once more in that Rockclaw and Wavefang went on to found different ways of worship upon this new land; Rockclaw, the Ocean, and Wavefang, the Moon. The perspective and the light they're presented in, though, depends on the speaker's own religion once again.
For Ocean followers, Rockclaw is the one who became leader of the newly founded group on the beach. In honor of the Ocean, who she believed had carried them to safety, she called the group Crashingwaves. Despite lacking the same physical prowess her half-sister did, Rockclaw proved to be an excellent leader with her judgment; though she allowed cats to come and go if they so desired, any who joined refused to leave due to her kindness and mercy.
For Moon worshipers, Wavefang is, in actuality, the true founder of Crashingwaves. Disgusted by her half-sister's rejection of how the Moon had guided them to safety, she called the group Crashingwaves so that nobody would forget how the Ocean had tried to kill them. Like her father had before her, she instilled a sense of remaining with the group until death. Guided by the light of the Moon, Wavefang was able to support her group and strengthen it quickly.
The story then remains the same; after several years of ruling, the half-sister who did not become leader then killed the other and took the position of leader. For followers of the Moon, this meant that Rockclaw forbade the worship of the Moon after killing Wavefang, and this is why Crashingwaves honored the Ocean for the most part, and not the moon, though a select few remained faithful to the Moon and carried their faith on through their children. Conversely, for those that believed in the Ocean, it meant that despite the murderous Wavefang's attempts to make the cats turn their eyes and hearts away from the Ocean, they held fast to the truth. Once Wavefang died, then they were able to worship their true guardian, the Ocean, in peace.
This legend, and the bitterness about which sister was the true heroine and founder, means that cats are very rarely named after them, as is not the case with other legends in Crashingwaves (and legends in most of the other groups). After all, a Wavefang amongst a group of Ocean worshipers would likely be ostracized. Similarly, a cat named Rockclaw would probably be tormented by anyone who believed in the Moon.
Despite this massive split in opinions, both sides of the Moon versus the Ocean debate do not wish to see the end of the group that either Wavefang or Rockclaw worked so hard to create. As such, no leader has yet exiled or attempted to kill all of the believers of a certain deity, and the religious differences of both groups have been tolerated... to some extent.
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Post by Karma on Jun 11, 2009 14:08:46 GMT -5
The cats in the northwestern section of the land are known as "the Ruinplace cats". They can control the element of Air due to living on a cliff that is very exposed to the wind. These cats tend to associate their abilities more with the sky than the wind, however, due to the fact that in the past, some cats in Ruinplace have been able to control the weather itself and even summon lightning from the heavens to strike their enemies.
Ruinplace is notable for its belief in multiple deities. While other groups have mythical figures that are extremely close to deities and Crashingwaves is divided over the true nature of their deity, Ruinplace is the only group that truly believes in multiple deities. These gods are called "the Cats of the Sky". As their name suggests, they live in the sky and watch over Ruinplace from there. The Cats of the Sky are usually deceased Ruinplace cats, though some think that a portion of their number are Ruinplace cats that have not yet been born.
In Ruinplace, the ancients often tell kittens and pages stories of the origin of the Cats of the Sky. At one point, the souls of cats who died would wander the land endlessly, unable to find rest or their true identities, for a cat forgets who he or she is after death in Ruinplace lore. They haunted the living, jealous that their lives had been cut short and that the living would now experience things they could no longer do. One dead cat in particular, no more than a nameless specter like the rest, terrorized the living more fiercely than the other members of the dead did. She would harass rangers and pages on the hunt, distracting them from the prey and frightening them into going back to camp without a single piece of food for the starving kittens. Ruinplace was dying thanks to this cat rallying other members of the dead and having them aid her in attacking Ruinplace. The dead plotted to destroy this group for good; the living had forsaken them and feared their vengeful nature, after all, so what good were such scum alive? On the night of the full moon, they would attack Ruinplace and start a new group comprised solely of the dead, and then they would take over the rest of the land.
One day (the day the dead planned to attack under the glow of the full moon) however, the nameless specter who had rallied the dead decided to follow a young page and give him a scare, perhaps terrorize him into spreading the word to Ruinplace and causing them to become more afraid and disjointed, making it easier to attack. For some reason, he went to a tall, white tower that she had never been up. Still oblivious to his little haunter, the page continued up the tower and finally made it to the top. A bright light shone, going around and around in circles endlessly. The light illuminated the dead cat's image, and the page yelped in fright.
"Min'Skytail, is that you?" he asked timidly. "Have you been the one hurting Ruinplace?"
It all came back in a rush: she had been a page in Ruinplace before falling off of the cliff and into the ocean. This was her brother, Cloudfur. He had tried to stop her from jumping on the ledges, but she hadn't listened. All this time, she had thought it was Ruinplace's fault for her death; somehow, she had thought they had been the ones to forsake her and leave her for the dead. In reality, however, it had been an accident of her own doing, and she had been taking revenge on the living for nothing.
"Skytail... that's my name," she murmured.
"You remember!" Cloudfur exclaimed joyfully. "They say that the dead will remember when they were alive if you say their names."
"Min'Cloudfur, this is terrible!" Skytail said. She looked down at her paws. "I... I told the spirits to attack Ruinplace. Tonight, they'll attack and kill everyone. I thought..."
"I know," said Cloudfur. "The dead think the living are to blame for their deaths."
"Exactly!" she said. Cloudfur had always been able to understand. Suddenly, she felt puzzled. "But wait, how do you know that?"
Cloudfur sat down and wrapped his tail around his legs. "Our mother appeared to me in a dream. She said that you would be here, on this tower, and explained why the dead hate us so."
They talked for quite some time; Cloudfur explained that the dead were actually mourned more than a fair bit in Ruinplace. There was no hate for the dead except for the fear that they would come and kill Ruinplace... a nightmare that was about to be realized this very night. Skytail and Cloudfur, thinking that perhaps they could convince the dead to not attack Ruinplace, departed from the tall tower and headed over to the common meeting place of the dead: a crumbling stone wall. Cautiously, they climbed one of the remains of a human nest and watched the dead practice fighting each other, preparing for the upcoming battle.
"There's no way we can stop them," gasped Cloudfur.
Skytail grit her teeth and shook her head. Turning to her brother, she said, "We just need to get the Ruinplace cats out! If we can get the living out from camp, then we have a chance to fight them off!"
"How?" asked Cloudfur, panicked. "How can you fight the dead?"
An answer seemed to appear in Skytail's head. It bubbled up from inside, as if it'd always been there. It sounded absurd, though. Was it her mother speaking to her, giving this answer to her? Skytail resolved that she'd just have to trust her mother or whoever this answer was coming from.
"...If we rally the cats..."
"A rally?! A rally won't conquer the dead!" snapped Cloudfur.
"The dead have power because the living fear them!" Skytail said. The word seemed to keep coming; they weren't her own, but they came from her mouth. "They gain their power from fear! Their hate comes from the living's fear of them! They abhor the fear! They loathe being thought of as the enemy and the outsiders! Their hate in turn gives them power! If we stand together as one group and stand strong, then we can beat them!"
Cloudfur opened his mouth to continue arguing, but down below, he heard the loud calls of the dead banding together. Indeed, the sun was beginning to set, and they could see the moon slowly beginning to rise in the sky. They didn't have much time. Both siblings nodded to each other and left the human nest, racing towards Ruinplace camp with speed they had never thought was in them. It was like the very winds were blowing them to their destination.
"Roh'Redstripe! Roh'Redstripe!" Cloudfur called out as they burst into the ruin, looking around desperately for the leader. The ginger tom padded out from behind several cats, looking as bewildered as all the rest at seeing a spirit with the page.
"Wha... is that... Ris'Skytail with you?" asked Redstripe, befuddled. "What's going on, Deko'Cloudfur?"
"There's no time to explain!" Skytail interjected, stepping in front of Cloudfur. "We need to get out of here, and we need to stay together! The dead are coming to attack!"
"I'm sure you'd know all about that!" snapped a ranger whose name eluded Skytail's memory. "You ruined far too many of our hunting patrols! Why should we trust you?"
The cats of Ruinplace descended into an argument, debating whether to stay or go, to believe this spirit or not.
"The dead have clouded judgment. Perhaps..."
"This could be a trap!"
"No! Stop!" Skytail yelled, panic rising inside her. "What we need now is unity! We need to be united, or the dead will win!"
Before the argument could start up again, the piercing yowls of the oncoming dead could be heard. The cats looked to Redstripe, anxiously waiting for his decision. He closed his eyes, deep in thought for what seemed like an eternity. Abruptly, his eyes snapped open and he stood up.
"Cats of Ruinplace! Follow me! We shall take shelter in the tall white tower!"
With that said, Redstripe walked out the entrance to the camp. Grudgingly, some cats followed him with their heads bowed low and glares fixated on Skytail as they passed. Others practically bolted out the door, small kittens scrambling to keep up and being picked up by the older cats behind them. Skytail couldn't believe it. Redstripe had believed her! Was this also her mother's doing? Had she...
"Roh'Redstripe is our father," said Cloudfur, as if that explained everything.
It supplied a possibility, but not the concrete reason that Skytail would have liked. There was no time for wondering, though. She would be able to ask Redstripe later when everyone was safe. Cloudfur and Skytail raced ahead to catch up with the rest of Ruinplace, remaining in the back, should any ancients or kittens begin to falter. Anxiously, they looked around, expecting the dead to come parading out from behind every rock. Not too long after Skytail began to think that the dead weren't going to show up, for they were already slowly managing to get inside the white tower, she saw a pair of glowing red eyes in the darkness, and shortly after could discern the rest of his body from the shadows. It was one of the more bloodthirsty spirits. Though she didn't know his name (she hadn't known him in life) the spirits often referred to him as "Fang", so-named for his abnormally large teeth. He was leading the spirits, and looked absolutely murderous. His fearsome, white teeth seemed to glimmer in the dark.
"Forward, comrades!" he yowled. "There they are!"
"Faster!" yelled Redstripe. He jumped to the side and allowed his group to pass into the white tower, all while yelling 'Go!' with increasing franticness. The dead were rushing towards them. Panic swept through Ruinplace's cats; cats squeezed in through the narrow entrance that was the small hole. Kittens and ancients were given priority, but a few panicked rangers and sages cut ahead of them to save their own skins.
"Cowards!" hissed Skytail. However, though she stepped forward to face Fang and the spirits, none of the cats thought to stand beside her. They concentrated on getting into the tower and away from the vengeful spirits. Not even Cloudfur could keep his courage up and fled as soon as most of the cats had gotten inside. Spotting their former leader, the rushing spirits halted in their tracks.
"What are you doing?" demanded several of them simultaneously. "Why are you with the living? They forsook us and made us forget our names!"
"Fang, what have you been telling them?" asked Skytail. "The living didn't take away our identities! We lost them when we died!"
"No!" hissed Fang, hackles raised and teeth bared. "They stole our names from us! Now get out of the way! We shall reclaim our identities and make them suffer as we have suffered!"
Behind him, the dead yowled in agreement. Fang narrowed his eyes. "If you aren't with us, you're against us. Move!"
"Never!"
Clouds rolled in overhead, blotting out the moon. Alarmed, several of the spirits began to look around at each other, wondering what kind of power they were witnessing. Rain came down in a massive downpour, nearly as deafening as the lightning and thunder that followed. The spirits murmured in fear. A flash of lightning illuminated the area. Skytail leered at the spirits.
"Go." At the sound of her voice, some of the spirits began to walk off, but Fang's commanding gaze and warning hiss caused them to come back, if disheartened by the power radiating from this strange spirit.
"Why should we listen to you, traitor?" scoffed Fang, turning back to face Skytail.
"She's not the traitor," came Redstripe's voice. He stood next to Skytail, already soaking wet from the heavy rain. "You are. You're opposing the very group that you were born and raised in."
Slowly, the cats of Ruinplace emerged from the tower and stood beside or behind Skytail and Redstripe. The spirits yowled as they recognized faces; they did not see the enemy that had taken away their identity, but rather saw siblings, parents, friends, and even children or grandchildren. Now disunited, many of them fell away and refused to fight Ruinplace. A third of the spirits, though, stood with Fang.
"Let go of your hate!" implored Skytail. By the reactions from the cats behind her, many of the spirits that still wished to kill them were the recently deceased. The Ruinplace cats recognized the vast majority of the spirits in front of them. There was no way they could fight these cats.
"Hate is what keeps us in this world," Fang said. "Don't you see? You have slowly begun to let go of your hate, and you are fading away."
Skytail looked at her paws. Sure enough, like Fang had said, they were see-through! Though they'd been somewhat see-through before due to being a spirit, she could see entirely through them, now. Cloudfur's worried expression on her left convinced her that the rest of her was transparent, as well.
"If we fade away," continued Fang. "then we will have accomplished nothing in our deaths."
"Accomplish something?" roared several spirits who had opted not to fight. "You wish to murder our families and friends! What kind of accomplishment is that?"
The spirits stood beside the living, staring Fang down. Lightning flashed again, and thunder resonated throughout the area.
"We won't fade away without a fight!" bellowed Fang. The vengeful spirits charged forward, and Ruinplace did the same. The two groups collided in a mess of fang and claw; the tangible spirits, made touchable by their extreme hate of the living, were torn apart by the living. The rain slowly seemed to intensify as the fight reached its climax; Redstripe faced down Fang, the two circling each other, eyes locked on the other. Thunder boomed ominously after yet another lightning flash.
"Who are you?" spat Fang.
"I am Roh'Redstripe, the leader of Ruinplace," said Redstripe evenly.
"Redstripe?" repeated Fang. He laughed, a harsh, scratchy sound that reminded all who could hear it of a cat raking his claws on a boulder. His eyes seemed to light up just a little more as he remembered. "That was the name of the scrawny little kit... that my advisor sought to make leader. I guess she succeeded after I was gone, if you're leader now."
Redstripe faltered in his steps. "You're Ris'Galefang!"
Fang, or Galefang as his name apparently had been when he was alive, took advantage of Redstripe's misstep and pounced, easily pinning down the leader. "So, that was my name? Thank you, Redstripe. Now let me repay the favor!"
He raised his head, prepared to sink his teeth into Redstripe's throat. Lightning seemed to crackle in the sky above, and every cat ceased fighting to look at what was happening. The sky was streaked with pale blue electricity, closer than any cat had ever seen. Even Galefang stopped attacking Redstripe to watch in horror as it seemed to grow larger and larger until it almost took up the entire sky.
"What's going on?!" he demanded of the cats around him, wildly looking for an answer.
"Look! It's that white cat!" someone called out.
"Ris'Skytail! It's Ris'Skytail! Ris'Skytail is atop the tower!"
Indeed, Skytail was on top of the white tower, summoning the lightning. Even from so far away, Galefang could tell she was looking at him. Like thunder, her voice came down from the very top of the tower:
"This is the end of you, Fang!"
Redstripe scrambled away from under Galefang's grip none too soon; the massive lightning bolt came crashing down and struck Galefang. He howled in pain, but was no more; the divine lightning had caused him to meet his end. Several of the spirits, loyal to the treacherous Galefang to the end, charged in to save their leader, but met a similar end. When the lightning vanished, a loud crack of thunder boomed through the area, and the murderous spirits were gone. Ruinplace had won. The rain continued, and the cats all watched as Skytail slowly walked down from the tower, walking on air.
"That's the end of it..." she rasped, weary from the energy she used to summon the lightningbolt. Skytail collapsed to the ground, barely visible any longer. "I... I heard mother... she said that the spirits who fade away... they were waiting for the hate to vanish... they're watching over Ruinplace. If you... go to the tower... and call, they'll come."
Skytail's spirit disappeared entirely, a vague, otherworldly glow emerging from where she had fallen and slowly soaring up to the sky. Though the rain continued to pour around them, the cats of Ruinplace bowed their heads in a solemn silence. The spirits around them faded away like Skytail did, their remnants ascending higher and higher until they were lost in the clouds.
"There they go..." murmured Cloudfur tearfully. "...to the sky, with the other cats who let go of their hate."
In honor of Skytail and of the other cats who conquered their hate of the living and now live in the sky, the tower from which Skytail had called down the divine thunderbolt was called "the Skytower", and like Skytail had said, the Cats of the Sky could be heard from it and would answer prayers from atop that mighty tower.
This story, as do many others in Ruinplace lore, warn against allowing hate to control one's actions. This idea has manifested itself in the common Ruinplace ideal of "don't burden others with your emotions". Some older cats will berate the younger generation for being overly emotional, citing Fang's strong emotions as being the cause for Ruinplace's near destruction. While they aren't emotionless, the Ruinplace idea of emotions is that they ought to be controlled and restrained; grieving over someone dead should be private and one should most definitely not be controlled by anger or the thought of getting revenge. The idea has, in the past, faded in and out to the points where it's either the end-all Ruinplace ideal or an old tradition nobody remembers, and there's no telling how strongly it'll manifest itself in whatever generation.
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Post by Karma on Jun 11, 2009 14:09:04 GMT -5
The cats of Shadowtrees have control over the power of Earth. Most of its members can cause small tremors or move boulders. Long ago, it is thought that this group could even make plants grow, but this art has since been lost, and thus their magic cannot govern any form of plant life. Many leaders in the past have attempted to reclaim the ability, and all have ended in a sorrowful failure. There are still some cats who are intent on trying, though there are just as many or maybe even more who believe that it's better to simply give up on it. Still, whether it's a remnant of this lost power or simply due to living in an area with lots of trees, the cats of Shadowtrees are extremely adept at climbing and hiding in trees. Radical members of Shadowtrees in the past have dreamed of a land covered entirely with trees, and there are some who believe this to be the ultimate future of the land.
The cats of Shadowtrees, for the most part, worship the massive tree in the center of their territory: the holy tree Yggdrasil, named for a legendary hero in Shadowtrees lore (of course, they are quite firm in the belief that this legend is history and not a mere myth). Many of their terms that would invoke the power of a "god", however, reflect the earth. (Such as 'His body has returned to the earth' in reference to a deceased cat or 'May the earth have mercy on us'.) There are still some phrases that are more geared towards invoking the power of the heroic Yggdrasil, such as 'May Yggdrasil watch over you'.
The tale of Yggdrasil is iconic of Shadowtrees identity; long ago, Shadowtrees was taken over by a cat named Flaresoul. She, being of Sunnysands heritage and quite adept with the skills of the Fire element, was able to terrorize and frighten the cats of Shadowtrees into submission. The ones who did not submit were burned alive, a terrifying fate that the cats feared awaited their beautiful forest. In time, however, Flaresoul grew to be more neutral and less reliant on her brutal threats, but the cats still resented her leadership. Prey was not as plentiful and the herbs they used to cure illnesses grew sparingly; the cats assumed it to be the Earth's way of telling them that it was not right for a Sunnysands cat to rule Shadowtrees.
Several moons after Flaresoul took over, a young loner male came to Shadowtrees. At first, the rangers who found him wished to chase him off, but one older ranger recognized him as the son of two former Shadowtrees cats. The loner acknowledged this fact, and said he sought to reclaim his family's honor by going back into Shadowtrees to repent for his parents' treachery. Impressed by his loyalty to a group that he had never been a part of, the rangers took him back to camp and pleaded with Flaresoul to let him stay.
"What is your name?" demanded Flaresoul.
"Yggdrasil," said the loner. "It is the name of my great-grandfather, who came from very far away lands and joined your group after he came here."
"Yes, it's true," rasped an ancient. "I remember a Yggdrasil. I was just a kit, but that Yggdrasil was a fine ranger even though he could not control our element. A cat who bears his name ought to be proud."
In light of this fact, Flaresoul allowed Yggdrasil to keep his name if he so wished. Indeed, Yggdrasil opted to keep the name his mother had given him, and was allowed into the group. He trained harder than any of the other pages, but he had trouble controlling the element of Earth despite being fully Shadowtrees in blood. The other pages had been learning to control it since birth; Yggdrasil's training had amounted to simply learning how to take care of himself and nothing about controlling any elements. Still, he managed to prove to be a competent fighter and hunter, and was made a ranger after six moons of training. Flaresoul once again gave him the option of changing his name, but he declined once more.
"Yggdrasil," he said. "is a very important name where my great-grandfather came from."
"This is not your great-grandfather's land," reminded Flaresoul.
Yggdrasil nodded. "I know, but I wish to honor where he came from and keep my name."
So, his name remained unchanged. Despite sneaking off to train countless times in the night, Yggdrasil could never quite master the powers of the Earth. The other cats decided that it was because he had been a loner; the earth did not want him to reclaim his family's honor too easily, and he was being made to work for it. Still, the differences between Yggdrasil and the other cats only grew larger as Yggdrasil was unable to train pages like the rangers could, and eventually he felt truly alone in the group.
At the same time, Flaresoul began to grow more insane, like an uncontrollable blaze that wouldn't cease spreading. She had suffered a nasty leg wound and feared that the cats of Shadowtrees would take advantage of her weakness and rise up against her. What she needed was someone she could trust — someone who would not side against her if a rebellion came. Taking advantage of Yggdrasil's loneliness, she promised him a position of power, to make him her advisor or even heir if he proved to be loyal enough. However, Yggdrasil sensed her steadily growing madness, and declined her offer as politely as he could. Furious, Flaresoul had him exiled from the group, never to return for his impudence. Many of the cats responded to the exile eagerly enough, several of them even attacking Yggdrasil if they spotted him on Shadowtrees territory. Shortly after Yggdrasil had all but vanished completely, Flaresoul grew more tyrannical and threatened to burn down the forest if the cats opposed her. A few rangers decided this was enough, and attacked her after making plans for several weeks. Flaresoul defeated them easily enough; with a few walls of fire, she was rendered impossible to touch and simply killed the rangers. They had injured her severely, though, and she feared there were other groups like them. Then, she recalled the prophecy of an old sage, Goldeyes, who had made his dislike of her quite clear:
"I see... your downfall in the future, o terrible queen. Your flames will not protect you forever. You will fall against a tree that cannot be burned."
So, she allowed the fire to spread throughout the forest. That would teach the cats. She laughed insanely, watching the flames lick and burn each and every tree they could find. That would surely prevent the sage's prediction from coming true. Seeing the panicked Shadowtrees cats run about in desperation for shelter gave her a sick sense of pleasure, a sweet taste to her already perfect victory. At last, they would understand why they should not have opposed her. Flaresoul, satisfied with their panic, began walking through the burning forest, unaffected by the smoke and the fire she had created.
"Where's your unburnable tree now, Goldeyes?" Flaresoul cackled madly. She looked at a burning bush and smiled with satisfaction. Her evil joy, however, was cut short by the untimely arrival of a cat.
"Flaresoul!" called a voice. She turned, and behold, it was the same cat that had been chased out by Shadowtrees. It was Yggdrasil.
"What do you want?" Flaresoul hissed. "Are you here to take your revenge for being thrown out?"
"No," said Yggdrasil. His green eyes narrowed. "I'm here for Shadowtrees — to stop you from destroying this place entirely."
Flaresoul's maniacal laughter pierced through the air. "Look around you, kit! This forest is in flames! Nothing can stop it. You cannot stop me."
Yggdrasil took several steps forward. Where he placed his paws, the earth turned green like it had been before the flames. Small plants sprouted, and though they whithered away when he raised that paw, it was unlike anything anyone in Shadowtrees could ever do. Flaresoul noticed this and felt her confidence diminish completely, terrified at the power that this cat was exhibiting. Yggdrasil's voice was low, but it carried an unquestionable sense of authority, so unlike the quiet cat he had been as a page and ranger.
"Yes, I can, and I will."
Her terror gave way to fury, and Flaresoul leaped into the air with a loud yowl. Yggdrasil dashed underneath her, and both turned simultaneously to face the other, hackles raised and teeth bared.
"Why fight for this group?" demanded Flaresoul. "They kicked you out! They attacked you!"
"Under your orders!" spat Yggdrasil. "Don't try to make Shadowtrees into the enemy, here! You've corrupted the very soil of this forest!"
"Watch your corrupt soil burn, then!" screeched Flaresoul. She released another shrill yowl, causing flames to erupt from the ground all around Yggdrasil. The male cried out in fear, seeing that the fires were too high to jump over and were advancing quickly. Before he could think of a way out, the flames closed in on him and he could only shriek in pain. Flaresoul laughed once more, but her laughter subsided when the flames dissipated. Where Yggdrasil had been standing, there was no body. There were no ashes. In fact, it was entirely green, and a small tree sapling sat in the middle.
Flaresoul was taken aback. "What is the meaning of this?" Suddenly, she realized. "The prophecy! The tree that cannot be burned! It's here! Yggdrasil was—"
As if responding to the name Yggdrasil, the tiny sapling rustled its budding leaves. Flaresoul flinched and braced herself for whatever powers this tree had, but nothing came. She chuckled once again. "What a pathetic tree! You may not be burn, but you cannot do anything to stop me."
Yggdrasil's words echoed ominously in her head: 'Yes I can, and I will.'
Was there more to this tree that she could not see? Hesitantly, Flaresoul padded forward and sniffed the sapling. That was her greatest mistake. As soon as she touched it, all the fire in her body rushed out of her and lit the tree up into bright green flames, green like the color of Yggdrasil's furious eyes in their short battle. Never before had Flaresoul known the agony of being burned; Sunnysands cats whose lineage was strong and saturated with the power of Fire were, for the most part, immune to fire and heat. This tree's green flames, however, caused a pain unlike any other, and Flaresoul's yowls echoed around the burning forest long after she had breathed her last.
With the death of their creator, the fires slowly died down. They had taken the entirety of the forest with them; everything was dead. Blackened cinders were all that remained of once proud trees whose leaves had blotted out the sky, and the cats mournfully looked at the wasteland that was all that remained of Shadowtrees.
"Everything is dead," moaned Blackspot, a page. "Flaresoul has ruined us forever."
The majority of the other cats murmured in agreement, sorrowfully wondering how they would go on living without their forest.
"How is it that the flames stopped?" asked Goldeyes, the sage who had foretold Flaresoul's demise. He shook his head at the cats' pessimism. "Someone stopped her. The tree I saw in my dreams must have put an end to her."
The other cats, recalling Goldeyes' prophecy, looked around expectantly, but they could not see a sign of a tree anywhere. That is, until one young kitten squealed, "Look! Over there! I see something green!"
The cats of Shadowtrees rushed over to where the kitten had indicated, but they were shocked to see Flaresoul's charred body lying next to nothing more than a tiny tree sapling.
"How is this possible?" growled Thunderstep, an old ranger. "Flaresoul could not be burned by fire. She walked straight through the same wall of flames that killed my sister and wasn't hurt at all."
"It is the tree!" proclaimed Goldeyes eagerly.
"This is the tree that could not be burned?" asked a skeptical ancient. After looking at it for several moments, she reluctantly nodded. "I suppose I can see it being your tree, Goldeyes. After all, it is the only living tree here."
Goldeyes shook his head. "It's not my tree. This is Yggdrasil."
"Yggdrasil?" chorused the entire group.
"Can't you smell it? That's his scent on the sapling's bark!"
Many of the cats hurried forward for a sniff. Through the smell of Flaresoul and burnt wood, they could most definitely pinpoint Yggdrasil's scent on it.
"The earth is telling us something," said Goldeyes. "It is telling us that Yggdrasil had more loyalty to Shadowtrees than us all. He stood against the flames alone while we all cowered in fear, though he had nothing to lose if the forest burned away and he had all the reason to hate us." The other cats shifted uncomfortably, feeling terribly guilty for their mistreatment of the hero. "The earth is rewarding his courage by allowing him to become a part of it for all time. We must respect that."
All of the cats bowed their heads low to the tree sapling, some murmuring apologies to it for how they had treated Yggdrasil. After they had paid their respects to the tree, several cats hauled Flaresoul's body away from the sacred plant and the remaining cats returned to camp, given hope by what they had seen. Goldeyes, however, remained by the tree.
"This tree..." he murmured, staring intently at it. "...will be the beginning of a new Shadowtrees."
Goldeyes' prediction proved to be correct; indeed, Yggdrasil grew taller and faster than any other tree the cats had ever seen before. Before three moons had passed, it was a towering tree whose seeds had been sowed all across the scorched land by the wind. These seeds sprouted rapidly as well, as did countless other plants. The cats of Shadowtrees attributed the rebirth of their forest to the tree Yggdrasil, and have since worshiped the tree as their guardian.
Because of this story, many cats will go to the tree Yggdrasil for guidance or to ask for a blessing, believing that they will receive good luck or a divine revelation of sorts from it. In fact, dead Shadowtrees cats are usually buried near Yggdrasil to help their soul be guided back to the spirit of the earth. However, this story has also given them a wariness regarding Sunnysands and fire in general; the last thing they would want is for the forest that Yggdrasil had rebuilt to be destroyed by a cat like Flaresoul. Some members of Shadowtrees believe that dreaming of fire is an ill omen of things to come, but such beliefs have died out a bit over the years.
The story of Yggdrasil has also given Shadowtrees a typically higher tolerance for non-traditional names, as Yggdrasil refused to change his name. If a former loner wishes to keep his or her name and invokes Yggdrasil's story, then it's almost certain that he or she will be allowed to keep the name.
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Post by Karma on Jun 11, 2009 14:09:19 GMT -5
The group in the southeast is Sunnysands, the cats who live in the desert-like area of the land. They can control the Fire element and worship the Sun as their deity, who can be both a benevolent guardian or a vengeful god — the sole one who has the power to give and take life away so easily. The Sun warms the earth, but the Sun can also cause droughts if it is displeased by its subjects. The Sun can give power just like it can take it away. Many stories tell of cats who were so powerful they could create and control a strange liquid just as hot as the great Sun itself; this liquid is called "magma" or "lava", but the Sunnysands cats do not know how to manipulate this lost art.
The massive crater in Sunnysands territory has a distinct history; the myths of the area state that at one point, there were no craters in the entire area. In fact, as opposed to a crater-ridden area with a river in the north, Sunnysands was once a flat land with little water, according to Sunnysands lore. Their most common origin story explains the existence of both the river and the craters.
The heroic Sunpelt (whose exploits are often the subject of many tales told to kittens), so-named for his unwavering faith in the Sun's wisdom and fur that seemed to glow in the sunlight, brought in many cats from a faraway land under the guidance of the Sun itself. This was before any true formation of the groups. Though some of the cats believed that the northern forest would be more suitable for living, Sunpelt was steadfast in settling in the desert. A few of the cats ignored his words, however, and went into the forest anyway. (Depending on the teller of this story, these cats may be the ancestors of those in Shadowtrees or may have simply died without Sunpelt to guide them.)
Sunpelt and the remaining cats marked the desert as their own, chasing out intruders and establishing a more structured group. In the beginning, they thanked the Sun for every stroke of good fortune and for leading them to this place, but slowly and surely they began to curse the Sun for the dreadful heat of the desert. For this reason, the cats lost faith in the Sun when the lake, their only source of water, dried up entirely one day. They decided that the Sun had forsaken them, and that they were all alone. Sunpelt did not believe that they had been left alone, and climbed atop a tall boulder to address the Sun.
"O mighty lord!" called Sunpelt. "There is no water in the lake any longer! Our kittens are dying of thirst, and the prey has left us for more bountiful land! We need your aid, o mighty lord, to keep ourselves alive!"
"Ahh, Sunpelt, it is good to hear from you once more," replied the booming voice of the Sun. "If you ask it, then I shall open a way for you to obtain it. Go to the source of water in the north and soak a ball of moss with it. Carry the moss ball back here and I shall create a river."
Silverclaw, one of Sunpelt's closest friends, thought the idea was crazy when Sunpelt told him what the Sun had said.
"Surely even the Sun cannot create a river out of several drops of water!" he said despairingly. "We shall die before a ball of moss becomes a river."
"We must try," said Sunpelt. Silverclaw shook his head and refused to go with Sunpelt, instead opting to stay 'where our leader ought to stay: with the dying cats'. Still, Sunpelt remained steadfast in his obedience, saying, "The Sun would not give me an impossible task, Silverclaw! For the survival of this group, I will go."
With that, he departed alone to the north. He encountered no cats as he walked through the shady forest; the slinking cats of the shadows feared his radiant fur and kept their distance. It wasn't long before Sunpelt came to the river he knew would lead him to the source of water. Though he was walking along the river and using it to make sure he remained on the correct path, he cautiously kept his distance from it all the same; a massive flood was what had killed several cats on their way here.
"Go back," hissed a voice in the trees.
Sunpelt halted in his steps, trying to pinpoint the speaker. "Who goes there?"
"Who goes there?" mocked the voice. "You intrude on our land and have the nerve to ask, 'Who goes there'?"
"I am here on behalf of the Sun," said Sunpelt, unnerved.
A pure black cat leaped down from the branches of a nearby tree, hackles raised and slowly advancing towards Sunpelt. "You should not be here, glowing one."
Out of the shadows, several other black cats emerged, all hostilely leering at the hero. "Get him!" barked the leader.
The cats charged blindly forward at Sunpelt, a massive writhing group of fangs and claws. He tensed his legs and jumped over them once they got close, continuing to madly dash alongside the river; outnumbered about seven to one, there was no chance he could have stayed and fought. Behind him, he could hear the savage yowls of his pursuers. It wasn't long before their cries faded into the distance; Sunpelt's strong legs carried him swiftly away, and they couldn't follow fast enough. Thinking that he had lost them, Sunpelt slowed down to a quick walk, still cautiously looking around. Out of a tree, one of the shadowy cats leaped out and landed on him, scoring several long gashes on Sunpelt's body! Fiercely, Sunpelt thrashed about and knocked the cat off his back, but the striped she-cat merely licked the blood off her claws and locked gazes with him. Panting heavily, Sunpelt regained his composure. The cat had managed to strike the back of his neck, and he could feel himself getting weaker by the second due to the blood loss.
"Leave this place," hissed the she-cat.
"I cannot," Sunpelt replied evenly. "And I will not until I've finished what I came here for."
The cat sneered and shook her head. "Your injuries will kill you."
"We shall see, then, if you're right," Sunpelt said.
Seemingly interested, the she-cat's eyes opened a little wider. Her fur flattened and she sheathed her claws, beginning to walk away.
"Very well, glowing one. We shall see, indeed."
Now that he was truly alone and not under attack, Sunpelt relaxed. Was it pure luck that the cat had taken on his "challenge", or had the Sun done something to drive her away? Whatever the case, he had to keep going. Though battered and weary, Sunpelt continued to press on. His footsteps became gradually more uncoordinated, but he still kept his eyes set on the goal: the source of water, where he could get the ball of moss to create a river. Several times he nearly slipped into the river he was navigating by, and it seemed like there were unseen cats all around him, laughing at every stumble he made and whispering that he wouldn't make it. Determined to prove them wrong, Sunpelt strove forward with increased drive. Eventually, he saw a spring of water, lush and green all around. It was the source of water! He'd made it!
Exhausted, Sunpelt collapsed by the source of the river, his blood mingling with that of the water and the soil underneath him.
"I... made... it..." he weakly rasped.
The world was getting blurry... breathing heavily, Sunpelt felt his body shudder. Was this the end? Had he failed the Sun and his group? Through the dense foliage, a ray of light shot through, increasing in brightness.
"Sunpelt... you have been injured in my stead," said the Sun. "I will heal your injuries and make your paws bear you home swifter than ever before."
A strange glow surrounded Sunpelt, and he felt as if the black cats had never attacked him at all. All that was left to remind him of that frightful encounter were several scars on his flank, but they did not trouble him at all. They were proof that the Sun was no vengeful god; it had healed the wounds when it could have left him to die by the water's edge. With renewed vigor and energy, Sunpelt scooped up a ball of moss into his mouth and drenched it in the pure waters.
The Sun was true to its word; Sunpelt was able to race back to the desert much faster than he had ever run before. He got back right as the Sun was setting in the evening sky, just in time for the Sun to work its miraculous wonders. If the Sun had gone down, then he would have had to wait until the next day.
"Quickly, Sunpelt!" commanded the Sun. "Place that ball of moss down on the ground and back away."
Sunpelt did as he was told. In a massive flash of light, water erupted from the moss ball — far more water that could have been contained in such a tiny thing. The moss, after all the water had left it, continued to spread around the slowly forming river until the entire area surrounding the water was green with life. This was surely the work of the Sun!
"Bring your group here and let them rejoice!" said the Sun before fading into the west entirely.
Sunpelt, though he felt exhausted with the departure of the Sun, ran back to find the parched cats by the boulder where they could address the Sun. Silverclaw had already told them; the Sun had spoken to him and said that Sunpelt's quest had been successful, so where was the river? Sunpelt led them to the water, and they drank deeply. No matter how much they drank, the river did not run out of water. It was no mere puddle that would vanish in a day's time. It was a true river connected to the source of water. The cats gave thanks to the Sun and slept by the river, content and confident that they would survive.
Moons passed, many days came and went, and the cats — they had taken to calling themselves "the cats of the Sun's lands" — thrived in the desert. Prey was plentiful, they had enough to drink, and new kits were surviving their first days of life. However, peace was not fated to last...
The savage cats in the northeast followed the newly created river downstream and found it in the dark of the night, when the cats of the Sun's lands were fast asleep.
"How clever!" hissed their leader. "They have stolen the source of water and used it to make a river."
Jealous of the power that the cats had, the barbarians went further upstream and used dirt to clog up the river, thus preventing anymore water from flowing into it. They continued to fill it up with dirt and rocks until finally, it was little more than a puddle. Satisfied with their work, they cackled insanely and departed back into the shadowy woods before the Sun rose once more.
When the cats in the desert awoke quite late in the day, they were shocked and outraged to find their treasured river nothing more than a thing of the past.
"The Sun did this to us!" cried some of them. "It has truly forsaken us!"
"The Sun took away our river!"
The cats who believed that the Sun was to blame for the river's departure resolved to go north to live with the others who had left Sunpelt's group many moons ago. Enraged at their disbelief and willingness to leave their true group for the dead, the Sun rained destruction upon the land. Giant flaming rocks came from the sky, and all of the traitors were killed. Only the ones who had stayed with Sunpelt remained alive in the destruction.
"Your souls will never find peace," said the Sun to the treacherous cats. "For as you were so willing to forsake me, I shall forsake you."
"O mighty Sun," said Sunpelt hesitantly. "What about us, who stayed faithful to you?"
"Sunpelt, you and your cats shall rest with me in the sky for all time. You shall attain the highest glory — but not yet. Go to the center of the desert."
Sunpelt and the other cats were surprised to see a large hole in the ground. It looked as if one of the flaming rocks had struck here, but had been moved.
"This is where you shall live," said the Sun.
"It is much safer than near the river!" exclaimed Sunpelt. His ears flattened and he felt saddened upon remembering the fate of their river.
"Fear not. I will create another river; those stupid cats in the northwest merely clogged up the river with their earth and rocks."
The Sun was true to its word; the dam that the barbaric cats had created was easily demolished, and the water came rushing back into the river. From then on, the cats living in the sunny sands of the desert made their home in the crater — proof that as long as they were true to their group, they could survive any catastrophe.
One of the most prominent features of the Sunnysands culture is the heavy emphasis on supporting the group and being willing to die for it. While other groups have this, Sunnysands has higher stakes involved: as in the story of Sunpelt and the founding of Sunnysands, they believe that if a cat dies as a coward or without having properly served the group, his or her soul will never find rest and will wander the desert endlessly for all eternity, or even fade away altogether depending on the severity of the cowardice. On the opposite side, cats that die in service of the group "earn" their right to live with the Sun itself and the other cats who also gained the privilege. For this reason, Sunnysands cats are stereotyped to place little value on their lives and are thought to be extremely reckless. (They are not necessarily all like this, obviously; it's just how the other groups see them.)
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