[✦] if i lose it all [stars 5000]

[dimi.]

Username: dimi.
Cat Name: fatiha - "new beginning".
Gender: female
Rank: sorcerer
Clan: summit grove
Age: unknown

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2,212 words

[dimi.]

"The eternal night is here." A quiet, irritated, and fearful voice croaked. Beaming white moonlight shone upon the field, embracing the silhouettes and creating the shadows of dozens of cats beneath it. Surrounding the moon sat imposing clouds, ones profiting off the cold breath the planet was emitting.

"We won't survive an eternal night if it snows. Out here in the open field, there's no where to shelter." Another, more delicate but still wary voice replied. "We do not have the food stores or the herbs to treat even the most minor of colds."

Then it happened. White flakes that would fill a kitten eyes with wonder struck fear and anxiety into the hearts of each adult beneath the sullen clouds.

"Fatiha, we must do something!"

"I know, Naira." The molly replied, dread evident in her voice. Her golden gaze met the sky for a moment, the anxious breaths she took and exhaled visible, thanks to the cold. "I have but one idea. Get the cats huddling together. Find anything you can use to preserve heat."

"What will you do?"

"Go to the paw that beckons." Fatiha said as her shoulders sunk, her fear evident in each step she took away from her clan, and towards the mountainous terrain on the horizon.

[dimi.]

The trek to Fatiha's destination had been perilous. By the time she arrived at the maw of the mountains, her legs were quivering, and drenched. The snow had quickly piled up; with no landscape or trees to soften the blow, there was nothing to lessen the accumulation. But she didn't care how cold she felt, or how the cracks in her paws seared with pain. She cared about her clan.

The ones she was going to save. The ones she needed to act quickly for - and she would act.

There had been rumors that the Gods of the world manifested themselves as mortal creatures that inhabited the planet. Some believed it was to watch their creations without being caught. Others believed it was for fun. Though Fatiha had no way to guarantee the information was true, that didn't matter. Asking the Gods for mercy or assistance was the only course of action left; even the most talented of fire starters in her clan could not warm the cats forever.

And so, Fatiha headed to the place with one creature so fierce, she was certain it had to be a God, or at the very least, maybe an acquaintance of them.

The Dragon. The largest creature on the planet, covered in shiny black scales, black as night. It spent it's time weaving between the mountains, and occasionally breathing fire into the sky. No one knew what it's purpose was, or how it sustained itself without directly harming the clan. Fatiha had to hope her hunch was right.

She ascended the mountain hastily, making her way towards the dragon without a second thought, whom continued his flight uninterrupted. If he blew fire upon her, at the very least she'd be warm before her demise.

Something didn't feel right to the dragon though. He peered about the scenery, his pupil suddenly locking onto Fatiha. But her gaze didn't falter. She watched as the dragon's wings flapped, with so much strength that snow on nearby mountains was flung straight off, plummeting to the ground in front of Fatiha. He soon found himself perched atop one of the mountains, his head leering over the side to gaze upon Fatiha, who shivered; not out of fear, but from the cold.

"I know you are a God of this world." Fatiha stated bluntly. "And I need your help - right now."

The dragon's pupils grew into saucers. Another creature, a feline none the less, had seen through his disguise. And to ask for help of him so brazenly...

"You have my attention, mortal." His voice was deep and crackly, almost overwhelmingly so to Fatiha's ears; one could certainly tell he exhaled flames

"My clan lives in the open field on the horizon." Fatiha began, gesturing to the field with a head tilt. "And the eternal night paired with snow and cold, is going to kill us all."

"The eternal night?" The dragon's voice was laced with confusion, then his eyes lit up. "Ah. The month where the moon never sets, and the sun never rises. Is that what you're talking about, cat?"

"You mean you do not control the weather?" Fatiha sounded defeated.

"No. I do not. I am creation. Another God is responsible for the elements." He replied, his tail large tail lashing wildly. "Why does this information matter to me? I do not have all day."

Don't have all day? You're a God. You do what you want. But Fatiha knew that flack would not get her anywhere; and so, she kept her mouth shut, and continued to think.

"Creation." Fatiha mumbled, her paws shifting. The cold was finally catching up to her. She knew she had to utter her wishes quickly, otherwise she would succumb to the cold. "I need you to create a place for my clan to call home. One that can withstand snow; one that can defend against all elements."

"Something as simple as a shelter?" The dragon repeated, his green orbs narrowing. "Why should I aid you? If you cannot handle a little snow, perhaps your species, your clan, is not worthy of life."

That notion made Fatiha angry. To imply her friends, her families lives were worthless...

"Just because you are immortal and used to leisure does not mean all are." Fatiha retorted.

"You would do well to watch yourself in the presence of me, cat."

"And you would do well to heed the words of your subordinates." Fatiha spat back. Inside, her soul trembled, begging her to quit being so rude. But Fatiha knew that if this plan didn't work, she was dead. Her clan was dead. And she would have no one to blame but herself, if she was too passive.

But while Fatiha thought the dragon was angry, he was pleased. The quick and serious tongue of Fatiha had the dragon beyond intrigued, in fact. To see what was essentially an atom of his size before him, pleading for mercy and assistance despite knowing how outmatched she was... this soul was worthy. Worthy of consideration. But not worthy of exception.

"Perhaps I can help, with creative liberty, of course. But contracts have conditions, and nothing comes for free." The dragon carefully dropped down from the top of the mountain he stood upon, taking a seat on the ground before Fatiha, his face level with hers.

"Anything."

"This is a selfless act. Your clan would praise you for such an act. But that would not be fair; I am doing the work..." The dragon thought aloud before smiling. "I will create a home that will last your clan generations. But you will be forgotten."

"Forgotten...?" Fatiha's voice shook slightly. She wasn't sure she understood.

"Your name and face will be stricken from the minds and scribes of all who know you. Fatiha will be no more."

"This is an unfair condition! How could you ask this of me?!" Fatiha yowled, her body shaking, her claws unsheathed and digging into the snow. She wanted nothing more than to fight the foe before her; but that wasn't an option.

"It is one life in exchange for dozens. No matter how painful, even you realize that this is the only option, no? You would not of come all this way if you had another choice." The dragon replied. "It is not death. You may restart your life from nothing but the experience you have thus far. You will be forbidden from telling others about me, or anything about the creation of your new home. But your clan will be warm and safe. And in time, you may build up the trust to join them again."

A single tear fell down Fatiha's cheek. The faces of everyone she knew came to mind for a moment. The idea of them not even knowing her name broke her heart, but the Dragon was right; she had no other choice.

"I'll do it." Those were the last words Fatiha uttered before the mountain beneath her collapsed, falling into a seemingless endless abyss. The notion of sleep called her name, and she listened, her eyes slowly shutting as she descended.

[dimi.]

The next time Fatiha awoke, she lay in an open field. But there was no snow on the ground. She wasn't sure how much time had passed. It had to of been less than a moon, as it appeared to still be night time. There was a chance she had awoken during the night by pure chance, though.

She rose to her paws slowly, peering about the field. At first, she didn't notice anything different. She wondered if the dragon had deceived her, and cast her out instead of fulfilling her wish.

That was until she set her eyes upon it. A large tree - so tall that it looked as though it were touching the clouds. In fact, the top branches looked like they passed through the clouds entirely. A tree that looked like it would take thousands of years to grow had seemingly sprouted overnight. She remembered her deal with the dragon; that she could not utter his name.

"The ...... is a ..." Her voice sounded distorted anytime she said the words Dragon and God together. He was serious; he concealed his identity while destroying Fatiha's altogether. She turned her head, looking towards the mountain range on the horizon.

There he was - the dragon who had destroyed everything she had worked for while also saving her clan was weaving between the mountains once more, as though nothing had happened.

Fatiha wanted to scream. She wanted to mourn. But she didn't have time for that. If she was going to reform relationships with all the cats of the clan, she needed to do so quickly. And so, she warily approached the tree, glancing around for any cat who looked familiar.

When she reached the base of the tree, she looked it over, her brows furrowing. She wasn't sure how far she would have to climb, or if she would have the strength. That was when a voice behind her snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Who are you!?" The cat hissed. Fatiha peered over her shoulder, her eyes widening. It was Naira; her closest friend.

".....!" Her voice became distorted again when she tried to utter Naira's name. The dragon really did mean she would start from scratch; she couldn't say anything she was not yet meant to know. Taking a breath, she continued. "I'm Fatiha. I've been... looking for a place to shelter. These fields are scary." She explained, gazing at Naira warily. She knew Naira was scientific; an emotional explanation may not suffice. But she didn't want to risk her voice becoming a glitching mess and scaring Naira more.

"Oh! Yes... This tree came out of no where a couple weeks ago. A true scientific violation, really." She said, her ears perking up as she looked over the tree. "It retains a proper temperature to keep cats comfortable; there's no fires and yet it is warm. An enigma, truly." Naira smiled. "And Fatiha is a lovely name."

That was the same phrase Naira had greeted Fatiha with the first time they met; when they were both children. Something about that felt bitter sweet.

"Would I be allowed to stay?" She asked. Naira shrugged.

"Not my call. But you can come up the tree with me to ask."

Talking to Naira as though the two had never met was a different kind of hurt. She would be able to handle the others not knowing. But Naira hurt the most; she thought the two of them were soulmates. And perhaps this do over would prove that was right. But there was no way to tell. She would learn in time.

Her argument and pleads with the Gods had been an emotional battle. She saved her clan from certain death and granted them a new place to call home. And though she did not know it yet, she had also blessed them with a new gift; magic. The Dragon had been intrigued by her, and with such a brutal contract, he blessed the clan with magic that Fatiha still has yet to understand.

She lost everything else though. Everyone in her clan forgot her. She lost her right to speak, to talk of her experiences. Her voice became a glitching mess anytime she tried to talk about things she wasn't supposed to know. It made continuing projects with Naira extremely difficult. Perhaps she would lose her chance to love Naira too, but she wasn't backing down yet.

Perhaps Fatiha would feel even more hurt if she knew how cats saw memories of her. Though they forgot her face and name, memories with her present still burned in her friend's minds; they just don't know who they were with. Her face appears distorted or covered by various objects. In a way, the clan does and doesn't know of Fatiha's existence; just that she once blessed their lives, and suddenly vanished.

And if Fatiha knew that, it just might destroy her.