☾✧~ Story Hub

[espen.]

name; mystifying hecate
buddy name; atlas

theme songs;
in the shadows
demons

characters included;
dazzling orchid
singing wren
clear-eyed starling
ravaging serpent

ideas behind concept;
Short story of how Hecate came to
the mortal lands and joined the cause
along with some one-shots in the
Principality group

back

credits;
#1
#2
#3
#4

dnp

[espen.]

[espen.]

Light burst forth from behind my eyes, piercing my vision with blinding white. A couple seconds of panic passed and color began to seep through, showing me a tropical landscape. Buttress trees scattered around the damp, decay-reeked mix of dirt, clay, and mud. The grey, lichen covered roots of the trees snaked about, towering high, forming walls to protect from the unknown dangers.

I rested my fluffy, grey-orange head once more, only to force my striped legs to haul myself up. The very bones I stood on ached, dragging down my determination. Eventually, after much struggling, hopeless falling and slipping, and only a few prickers here and there, I managed to stand. Awkwardly. Very awkwardly. My front paws were splayed out in front of me, trying to balance my numb back legs. I felt like a baby animal, spreading out its supports for the first time, knees quaking with the effort.

No matter. I'm sure it'll come back to me soon enough. Speaking of things of memory, why am I here? What...happened?

The thick jungle air hit me the same time as all the sounds, throwing my mind off track. I had been so preoccupied with basic cat life skills that I didn't really notice where I was. The air felt heavy, pressing down on my thick fur. The Buttress trees' roots thinned out like tributaries of a river, the lichen never ceasing its flow. Birds and monkeys squawked and squealed somewhere off in the distance.

I shifted my weight, my joints feeling almost wet from the humidity, and jolted at the feeling of soggy leaves under my claws and in between my toes.

Beside the thick tree trunks, were bushes. Some had thin leaves, like cat tails, others fanned out, like sand being blow in one direction.

Above, light filtered through the green-soaked canopy and blanket of morning mist. Shadows of animals leaped about, startling me. My head whipped around, jostling my brain, as my eyes followed a feline-shaped figure. My paws moved to turn my body around. My tail swished low to the ground.

Then...

Clink, clink!

My magical metal bells jangled, cutting through the natural ambience and my racing mind like a scythe goes through wheat. I had forgotten they were there! The two pawcrafted metal spheres with lovely purple ribbons where gifts from my parent, Morganus, deity of the shadows, moon, and all forms of prophecy and magic. They granted me a temporary ability to seemingly melt through the shadows and appear in another, as well as boosting my normal magic skills. However, right now, I wasn't too thankful for their existence.

Stupid things! They'll give me away!

My agitated mind flicked from the shadow, which my eyes had lost track of, to the obnoxious noise around me. I lightly closed my eyes, breathing in and out slowly, like I was taught, forcing my heart to still and my blood to slow. I imagined my veins turning a deep, magical purple, the liquid flowing backwards to my chest, where my heart thumped lazily. Then I told the magic what to do. Hide the bells and their noise.

sshhhhhh...POP!

I opened one eye, squinting the other as I swished my tail to test the spell. Only the sound of dampened wet leaves being disturbed. I sighed with relief and shook off my pelt, enjoying the silence. My ears perked up, listening intently to the complex ambience.

This time I used my natural magic that I was born with. My ears could hear a mile away and my instincts always knew which direction was north. I could hear a flock of macaws to the east, and a mound of bustling army ants to the west, deep in their work. Ahead was north, and I heard a slight growl. It started in the creature's chest, clearly feline. Claws on wood, paws flattening wet leaves and mud. Tail breaking through oxygen particles, swishing back and forth. My breath caught, bubbles rumbling in my stomach in panic and anxiety. Something was coming. The violent growl grew. The animal was putting more hatred behind it. More drive. More thirst for prey.

I lowered to the ground, eyes wide, tail still, straight behind me.

More soft squelching from the mud. The growl's vibrato melted. I swear I could hear the creature's very ears swiveling around, listening to every conversation of the jungle. The squelching quickened. It was moving towards me.

My hackles rose, my stance changed to prepare for confrontation. My mind raced, clumsily trying to find a way to outsmart the oncoming storm.

Tree roots...vines...No, no, no!

My muscles tightened, claws digging into the soft earth.

Bushes rustled, leaves scraping against each other as something pushed through. A small, fuzzy feline with a golden pelt dotted with brown and black rosettes vaulted through the flora, landing and growling at me. I unwound my body and stood up straighter. Its high-pitched squeal was disappointing. The jaguar cub was no bigger than a 5 moon-old kit.

Absolutely no threat what. So. Everrr--

My thought was cut off by a massive body thumping into mine. I fell, blue-ginger head crashing against a rock, pressure pushing down on my entire right flank, making me wheeze shallow and pointless breaths. My eyes could only see blotches of the world.

No, no, no! NO! Of course there would be a mother!

With a hiss, the beast pushed its paws off my body, turning to its kit. Air flooded my lungs, reviving my blood flow and vision. The spots burned white as I tried to get up.

Big mistake. Huge mistake.

The jaguar mother's ears flicked back towards me, followed by her muscular torso.

SHING

I screamed, pain enveloping my system and as I fell back to the ground. The left side of my vision was a black hole, the right in the process of being swallowed up.

Another blow hit me.

I yowled, feeling the damage with every claw across my face. My ear...My eye! I could feel the sadness and hopeless feeling caving in on me. Tears flooded my right eye, worsening my vision. I resorted to clawing the air, no true target in sight.

Please...hit something. Anything. Just get it away!

My paws' frolicking slowed down, my front legs tiring. I gasped for air, anxiety rushing along with the blood. My right eye drooped, and I felt the tears fall. Fluttering open, the last thing I saw must have been a hallucination. There were regular sized cats with blowguns, spitting something at the mother jaguar, scaring her off.

I have such weird death visions... I think, before losing consciousness, for the second time that day...assuming I was out for only a day the first time...

[espen.]

I could see myself falling into infinite nothingness. My thick blue-ginger coat ruffled in the wind called upon by gravity. Black. Cold. It was one, flat color, yet it seemed to go on forever, despite its lack of depth. This was all from a third-cat perspective. My floating point of view circled around my body, confusing my brain. Something was wrong. Everything was...wrong.

I forced my physical eyes to open, going over the motion in my mind, again and again. White blared to the right of my face, the left still black. I blinked the vivacious color out and noticed I couldn't feel anything on the dark side. It...was empty. No eye.

I flicked my ear, remembering where the mother jaguar had made her mark. No ear. Completely torn off.

That beast! That complete and utter monster!

Anger bubbled up in my heart. If I ever saw that thing again, I'd tear off more than just an ear and an eye! My rage vibrated under my skin. Suddenly, a voice cut through the chaos.

"They're waking up! Orchid, c'mere!" called a feline voice. Paws rushed forward. A dainty nose sniffed close to the ground.

I blinked twice more. I could see a similar ground as before, but cleared of leaves. A little pink nose came into view. My head shot up, realizing how exposed and vulnerable I was.

"Who are you?! Where am I?" My breathing was heavy, panicked, and concerned. My eyes- or rather, eye- was wide, my star-shaped pupil dancing around the surroundings, assessing possible exits.

I was in a clearing of Buttress and Baobab trees, both types of trunks thick and decorated with various berry branches, lichens, and pet monkeys. In a tighter circle around me were meticulously planted globs of long grasses, forming a half-circle den. To my right were mud bowls filled with dried fruits, nuts, and medicinal flowers and herbs.

And infront of my torn up, throbbing face was a curious grey she-cat, nose twitching. Another concerned looking cat was behind the first, poking its head out to see me.

"I'm Dazzling Orchid, and the curious kit behind me," Orchid glanced back with a smile, "is my neighbor Singing Wren, who seems to have disturbed you." The grey she-cat turned and walked over to the herbs, showing off a pair of glittering green fairy wings and soft, white tail and paw tips. She had deep-red rose ornaments and her eyes matched the darkest forest camo of her wings.

Singing Wren squeaked and rushed out of the den once they'd been exposed, leaving me smirking slightly. Pain streaked across my muzzle as I did this, poisoning the moment. I grunted, trying to get myself up, paw under body under back.

"You really shouldn't be moving just yet."

I sighed, letting gravity take hold of me as I thumped back to the moist earth.

Clink!

My eyes had started drooping, but at the all-too familiar sound they leaped back up. My bells! I must've let go of the spell! I panicked, heart racing out of my chest. Orchid's shimmering wings fluttered slightly as she turned away from the bowls and towards the new sound, eyes flicking to the shiny metal instantly.

"Where did you get those?" She stepped closer. My heart outran my breath, muting its sound with the pounding. "These ribbons...are so intricate." The she-cat's eyes narrowed. "Who...are you? What is your origin, stranger?" Her eyes got wider, more defensive as she took a step back, fear dancing in the irises.

"I-" my mouth dried up, as if the confusion bubbling inside me was a fire scorching a desert. I was still on the ground, but my heart raced like I was running. My mental paws tried desperately to grasp what happened before I woke up. They met nothing but brain mist.

Then...

A glimmer of a golden memory sparked in the distance, appearing, then vanishing. My mental view rushed toward it, my physical eye blank and cloudy, processing things. The spark continued fading in and out, but as I got closer, the scene inside grew. It showed me glorious days of past, hitting my face with warmth and sunshine.

I saw the Pit of the Obsidian Tiger, the beast's sharp fangs glinting silver, highlighted by the warm, unseen sun. The throat grew, letting me see into the very belly of the beast. The opalescent marble pillars of my home-on-high, towered above into the fluffy clouds. My father, his marbled and mottled grey pelt cloaked in tendrils of violet smoke and indigo shadows, stood out against the angelic background bathed in sunny beams. He welcomed me with a nod of his mighty maw.

My magic surged through me, giving me the strength to stand up. I heaved with my newfound might, squared my shoulders, and raised my mangled head.

"My name is Mystifying Hecate, and I am the offspring of the god of Morganus, lord over prophecy and darkness. Those bells were a gift from him..." And, what happened before I woke up? I dug into the memory, my mind being transported to the exact time and place. I took an unconscious step back, faltering in confidence. Remembrance flowed through me. "The deity who rules over Ophigar...attacked me. My father! He threw me down to Earth-?" My star-studded eye was wide, stretching like the maw of a serpent. Brain vapor swirled as I tried to figure out the rest of what happened. Each area had their own personal deity, along with the overall deities, like my father, and his vast relatives.

There must be unrest in Ophigar.

"Why do you think your father cast you out, dear?" Dazzling Orchid softened her gaze and stepped forth, worried. I found her posh vocal patterns somehow soothing.

"I-I don't know." My heart sank, my eye and ear following, the latter focusing on nothing in particular.

"What's happening in Ophigar?" The out-bursted query hit Orchid's face, twisting her eyebrows in confusion.

"It's crashing into chaos, if I'll be honest with you, Hecate. Is it alright if I refer to you as Hecate?" The she-cat's eyes widened a little for the second time today, awaiting the answer. I nodded simply, my mind still racing. "The kingdoms within have always been met with small revolts, but horrible rogues came barreling in and just wiped out the entire monarchy. The jungle and tundra areas have mostly stayed out of it. However, it's getting bad over there, and I feel a pull to help."

Realization hit me like a gust of wind. "My father sent me here to protect you." I looked up into Dazzling Orchid's green eyes, determination making mine practically glow. A small gasp came from her dainty muzzle, her emeralds widening

[espen.]

I huffed and puffed, my blue and ginger sides shaking with exhaustion. I had been training with the Principality for only a week, and man were these sessions getting to me! I suppose I've never really had a reason to exercise before, so it makes sense I'm so unfit, even for a deity such as myself.

My paws slowed, and I bowed my fluffy head. A few seconds passed, and I shook off the thought of giving up, my ear flopping about. My head upturned and off I went, regaining my previous gait.

The damp, hickory hued dirt blurred past, starry eye unable to keep up with the minute details of it. I savored every moment my paws met the ground. The squelching and the mushing was soothing to my strained lungs and aching legs. It felt as though every niche of my paw pads had been caked in wet earth.

>>------—--—--—--—-—-———⌲

"The bandits keep coming back."

At the new voice, I raised my blue-ginger head, eye and ear perked with interest. A sleek ebony ghost-tabbied feline slinked through the part in the curtain that divided the light from the dark of the hut. Their torso matched the curve of the wall across from me. My neck muscles kept their position as their tufted tail followed their long body. Starry eyes captivated by flowy tail, following its path.

"Ah, Starling, I'm so glad you could join us," spoke Ravaging Serpent, their black, white, and lime head curtly nodded as the new cat sat down across from me, neatly placing their tufted tail over their white paws.

My mighty head swung to face them, my eyes never moving from their position. I raised an eyebrow in curiosity, and their sleek black muzzle opened to respond.

"I'm Clear-eyed Starling, Rav's Combat Experient on the Advisory Counsel," he glanced at the Monarch with those blank blue eyes, framed by endless pitch-black scleras.

I nodded and narrowed my eyes in resignation. "Mystifying Hecate. Daughter of the deity Morganus, god of shadows, the luminescent moon, and all forms of prophesy."

My galactic eyes gazed into theirs and detected the slightest bit of awe as they widened, then shot back to the normal, ice-cool exterior.

"Impressive," was all they said. Curt.

Ravaging Serpent cleared their throat and directed the conversation back to the current predicament. My keen eyes blinked, tail tip flicked, and I turned most of my attention to the matter at hand. We had a war to win, after all.

"Alright, so..." And the planning began

>>------—--—--—--—-—-———⌲

The demigod she-cat cut through those rogues like a river seeps through the slightest leak. The mortal Principality cats watched from the sides of their eyes as the animate shadows curled and launched up into the air, only to come crashing down with silent force onto the enemy. They swirled with liquid black and the deepest purples, reigned in only by the magical prowess of Hecate, their new recruit from the jungle biome.

As claws, swords, and axes clashed and clanged with a rigid metal sound, all the sentries and knights wondered if it was safe to have such a powerful deity in their ranks. Sure, she was immensely powerful, but at what cost? What if they upset her, and the blue-ginger feline turned on them? The benevolent Monarch, Ravaging Serpent, had told their platoons and troops to trust the newcomer, but everyone had their doubts.

A shriek burst through the crowd, so loud you could almost see the ripples it made through the oxygen particles. Sentries, knights, and rogues alike paused, weapons midair, and pricked their ears to listen to the details of the sound. A kit must have snuck out of one of the huts and been discovered. A meek and fragile body was heaved across a clearing a ways away by the massive paw of the rogues' patrol leader. The mud-decorated kitten squeaked as it hit the mundane, grey earth. Every good-willed cat in the larger, body-ridden clearing cringed as the gigantic rogue stalked towards the child, eyes alight with malicious intent.

Only the heavy panting of the cats could be heard. All eyes were stuck to the lumbering figure. No cat saw the creeping up of the dark shapes. The fire raging in the newcomer's gaze. Or the thin strand of shadows curling ever so delicately up the rogue's hind paw. As the commanding feline jerked her head back, the vine of dark amethyst tightened and the last clear view of the cat's face was their eyes wide as the moon, and filled to the brim with pure fear. The rest was merely a dark blur of fur and screams as they were tossed around by the mystical weapon.

After that day, none of the Principality's sentries, knights, or even magus doubted Hecate. Perhaps she wasn't so bad after all, and really had the same goal as everyone else. However, the matter of her platypus was quite different. But that's a concern for another day, and another battle. For now, Atlas will just be that weird little creature tagging along behind Hecate, shouting about how they shouldn't be fraternizing with mortals and whatnots.

[espen.]

Curtesy Post or whatever they're called. Basically, I'm just making sure you can see the time on the above post, and the last time I edited it. Y'know, so I don't get disqualified ;-;

Which wouldn't be ideal.

Anyway, I hope you have a great day and thoroughly enjoyed my story, because I had a lot of fun making it!

[espen.]

res

[espen.]

res

[espen.]

res

[espen.]

res