[beeqlass]

mark

[Archaeopteryx.]

Username: Archaeopteryx.
Cat Name: Fire Upon the Rising Waves / "Rusalka"
Gender: Female
Rank: n/a (deity)
Clan: Enurian
Age: Ancient
Prompt: Fire Upon the Rising Waves

[KittyandCat]

Username: KittyandCat
Cat Name: Carpsong
Gender: Tom
Rank: ex-warrior
Clan: HollowClan
Age: 339 moons
Prompt: [wip]



©

[allynabean]

DUE TO REQUEST, THERE'S A WEEK EXTENSION ON THIS CONTEST!!

New end date is Rollover to Feb 7th!!

[-Ramona Flowers-]

mark!

[EchoIre]

Username: EchoIre
Cat Name: Reka
Gender: Female
Rank: Lakemother
Clan: LakeClan
Age: Ageless
Prompt:


The night was dark and cold, but LakeClan's camp was anything but. Today, the clan's first warrior apprentices had passed their assessments. The camp was filled with laughter and warmth well into the night. As the night wore on and the clan grew tired, Briar was called upon to regale them with one last story.

Briar leapt up the Highstone and beamed down at her clanmates. "Tonight, my dear friends, I will tell you the tale of the great protector of our lands. May our new warriors grow to be as honorable and cunning as Reka the Lakemother."

~

"Long before Twolegs ruled the earth, the world was wild and untamed. Spirits and fae roamed next to the living. But even then, there was no peace amongst our peoples."

"The spirits were cruel, jealous creatures. These were not the wise, curious spirits we know today, but beings who loathed the living and loved the power they held over them. They most enjoyed dooming the living to walk the same starry paths as themselves."

"The fae saw our world as their plaything. They freely snatched infants from their mothers with no remorse, leaving changelings in their place - or sometimes, nothing at all. The more powerful fae sought to make our world their own; it wasn't uncommon to find clearings full of unnatural creatures and grass that wasn't green, trees that bore strange fruit, chunks of land suspended in the air by some unseen power. Mortal creatures who were unfortunate enough to wander into such places, or have simply been living there before the fae's arrival, were subject to the chaotic creature's cruel whims."

"That is to say, the mortal creatures were considered unwelcome pests in the world that was meant to be their own. I would not be here to tell you this tale, nor would you be here to listen, had it not been for the Lakemother."

"This story is one many of our ancestors have told me many times. None agree on exactly who or what Reka was. Some say that she was a fae or a spirit. Some say that she was the unnatural child of either a spirit or a fae and a mortal. Others still say that she was a mere mortal, who stole a fae’s power. Each version changes the story, just slightly, and I believe that is what truly makes Reka our protector."

"Reka is as shifting and shapeless as water itself, and for that reason can be whatever we may need. Should we need to the kindness in our world, she is a spirit or fae who sacrificed everything to save us. If we need a beacon of unity, then Reka is there, bridging the gap between the mortal and the immortal. And when we need to celebrate ourselves, to see the strength that lies within a beating heart, Reka's heart shines above the rest."

"Tonight, Reka was once flesh and blood. Tonight, she was and is one of us, and rose above the cruel immortals that plagued her people."

~

“Reka was always a protector. When she had just barely opened her eyes, she alerted her mother to a fae trying to steal her brother. The fae, in its panic, left the changeling it had meant to leave in his place. Perhaps Reka got her heart from her mother, for the kind mortal took the changeling in and raised it as her own, giving us the heroes Hazel and Lezah - though that is a tale for another day.”

“This act of courage placed a target on Reka’s back. As soon as she could walk, Reka was tormented by the fae. Strange beasts were sent to destroy her, and were felled by her quick wit and guile.”

“However, while she seemed untouchable, others were not.”

“Reka defended her colony as best she could. Still, they grew tired of searching for new safe spaces. Even if Reka chased every beast away, helped them find new land, she was still the catalyst. Was a such a bold protector worth it, when her very presence drew the danger to them?”

“Reka was not blind to her people’s suffering. She always believed that she was there to defend them, but soon she came to realize that she was what attracted immortal ire. Though the fae were not kind, she was what gained their attention. If she were not there, perhaps her people could exist unnoticed.”

“One night, Reka left her family behind and fled into the darkness. For six days and six nights, Reka traversed through the untamed wilds. She braved roaring rapids and steep valleys, hungry beasts and vengeful spirits, until she at last reached the land of her birth.”

“Years prior, Reka’s family had been forced to leave by the very same fae which tried to steal her brother. In its rage, it had drained the land of all life, leaving it desolate and bare.”

“Where lush forests once grew, only leafless skeletons remained, their twisted limbs tearing at the sky itself. What once had been dry grass was now cracked earth as far as Reka could see. Jagged hills emerged from the deepest of the cracks; Reka could swear she felt them grow under her paws as she scaled them. The fae had grown much stronger since her family left.”

“Which was exactly what she was counting on.”

“The fae had spent the years fuming over how Reka had humiliated it. It had heard of Reka’s feats of daring since then, and grew stronger in the hopes that it would one day take her down and regain its honor. Yet, when it sensed her enterits territory, it hesitated. Reka’s tale had been conflated by those she bested; among its kind, she was said to be as powerful as any of them, if not more so. Had she come to ensure it would never again cause harm?”

“Regardless, the fae could not stand for such a bold intrusion. With a furious roar it charged for Reka, tearing apart whatever laid in its path. Gorges were torn even deeper by its mighty claws, withered trees tossed into the sky they reached for. Nothing could stop the fae in its warpath.”

“Except for Reka.”

“The fae was expecting to find Reka standing proud and ready for battle. Maybe even drawing magic to her, if the tales were true. Instead, what the fae found made it stop in its tracks.”

“She was bowing.”

“‘Great fae of the barrens,’ Reka spoke, ‘my family has been tormented by your kind and others endlessly. We have grown weary.’”

“‘So you have come to beg for my aid?’ The fae sneered.”

“‘I have come to surrender.’ Replied Reka. ‘Myself and my people grow tired of this fight. Take me as your trophy as you sought to take my brother so long ago. Let this be done.’”

“The fae was stunned. This wasn’t the untouchable, powerful Reka its peers spoke of. The creature before it was cowering and exhausted. Was this a trick? ‘No,’ it thought, ‘she was only ever mortal, after all.’”

“The fae grinned. ‘I accept your offer, beast.’ It spoke, its voice like the snap of dry branches. ‘This is the only wise decision you’ve made in your life.’”

“Reke kept her head bowed low, but she was grinning too. ‘Yes,’ the thought, ‘it is.’”

~

“For years Reka remained at the fae’s side. She had feared what the fae would do to her, as none of her people truly knew what happened to the stolen children, but despite the fae’s cruelty it now seemed to care about her.”

“It had taken her back to its realm to gloat, but fiercely defended her from harm. It mocked her hunting skills when she could find nothing in the desert it created, but provided her food when she began to grow gaunt. It asked very little of her - oftentimes, only that she accompanied it whenever it had a task to complete. Otherwise, Reka was free to wander.”

“Of course, Reka wasn't left completely alone. Because she was in its land, the fae could always sense where she was. It would regularly appear somewhere near her to mock her. As time went on, these visits turned to conversations, and that’s when Reka set her plan into action.”

“Reka had watched the fae closely, and knew how it acted and what it liked. With this information, Reka endeared herself to it, slowly becoming the fae’s most favored. After years, she never left its side. She served the part of a companion well.”

“The entire time, Reka was watching. Waiting for any hint of what could harm the fae. And after years, she found it.”

“It had been so simple. She and the fae were walking through its territory, when they came across a strip of reddish rocks that had been pushed out by one of the jagged peaks that split through the earth. When the fae walked over them, it drew its paws back with a hiss. It pressed the injured appendage to its chest quickly, but not quick enough to hide from Reka’s sharp eyes.”

“The rock had burned it.”

“'Are you okay?’ Reka asked, fake concern pooling in her voice.”

“The fae nodded through its grimace. ‘The rocks are hot. Just- don't come back here. It isn't safe.’ And with that, the fae dissolved into a gust of sand and left Reka by the strange rocks.”

“She knew she had to act quickly. She scooped up one of the rocks closest to her. It wasn't hot, but strangely heavy for its size. She hid is between her teeth and walked back to her old den. There, Reka ground the stone, and ground it into a fine powder. She hid the powder away, returned to the fae’s side, and waited.”

“Months passed by. Eventually, Reka began adding the powder to the fae’s food - only a little bit, and weeks apart. Every time, the fae grew sick.”

“Whatever the rock was, it hurt the fae. She had a chance.”

“She bided her time until another fae came to visit hers. As they sat and talked, Reka put more and more of the strange powder into her fae’s wine. By the end of the night, it couldn’t even stand. It sent away its friend with a smile, but begged Reka to sit with it throughout the night.”

“As sunlight bled into the darkness, the fae only showed signs of getting worse. Reka pestered and preened tirelessly, begging to know what was wrong.”

“‘I was poisoned,’ the fae groaned. ‘I should have known better than to trust him.’”

“‘Poisoned?’ Reka snarled. ‘In your own realm?’”

“The fae moaned. ‘I’ll deal with it… later.’”

“‘And now?’”

“‘There is nothing else I can do.’”

“Reka stood over the fae. ‘Lend me your power. I will get you vengeance.’”

“The fae laughed. ‘Oh, you're still feisty, aren't you?’ It reached out to pet Reka’s head. ‘I will recover in time. Then we will confront him together. How does that sound, little beast?’”

“Reka’s gaze turned dark. ‘Perfect.’”

~

“For the next five days, Reka continued to poison the fae. Only when it could no longer move did it call Reka to its side.”

“‘I am dying.’ The fae rasped. It beckoned its most beloved pet closer and ran its fingers through her fur. ‘Take my power, little beast. Avenge me, and live well.’”

“Blinding light filled Reka’s vision. Energy surged through her veins. She grit her teeth and dug her claws into the earth as the power coursed through her.”

“After what felt like hours, the flood subsided. Reka was left weak and panting, her very bones buzzing with an energy she had never felt before. She could feel every creature in the fae’s land, every blade of grass, every shadow, like it was a part of herself. Dark clouds pooled overhead.”

“Reka turned blue eyes now as bright and clear as the ocean upon the fae. ‘My beautiful beast,’ it cooed as it reached for her face.”

“Reka pulled away. ‘I am not yours.’ She lowered her head to glare into its eyes. ‘You will not be getting vengeance today.’”

“For the first time in her life, Reka saw fear in the fae’s eyes. And despite herself, it sickened her. Reka drew back as thunder cracked the sky. She called forth the magic that was now her own and created a portal under the sickly fae. As it sank into the fae realm, it held Reka’s gaze, eyes alight with fury. Rain began to fall in scattered drops. Once the fae had finally faded from this realm, Reka turned to survey the land that was now hers.”

“The earth was still dry and cracked, pierced by jagged peaks that clawed at the sky. The dead forests had long ago turned to splinters, the grass to dust. Reka sighed, feeling the wind move with her breath. The rain fell harder, coursing over the barren earth. Reka moved through the flood like a fish in water, undeterred by the harsh current.”

“She was connected to the land and water now, and could feel that even as the rain poured, the earth was too dead to absorb it. Instead, the harsh rain was tearing the ground apart and washing it away, softening the jagged land the fae created.”

“Reka paced through the torrent until she reached a massive crater. Water was already pooling in its great depths. Reka waded into the muddy water, and as she did, it turned clear and blue. Once she reached its center, she dipped under the growing water and laid upon the lakebed. The water passed through her lungs as easily as air.”

“Reka summoned the water the fae had banished to her watery nest. Though her eyes were closed, she could sense everything the water touched; it became part of her and she became part of it. It rained for weeks, until the could feel it touch far-off rivers, until fish swam through its clear waters. Then, she waited. Every day passed by like a heartbeat for Reka. With every breath, grass spread over the rolling hills of her land. Trees grew taller every minute. And though she could not see it, Reka could feel when life had returned to the land of her birth.”

“Only then did she call upon her family to return. Decades had passed, and it was her descendants who answered her call. They found a land of emerald green grass and aquamarine waters. At its heart pooled a lake greater than any they had seen, and at its shores stood a cat with fur that shimmered like scales.”

“‘This land is safe,’ Reka spoke in a voice like the song of a thousand streams, ‘for you, and all your descendants. Stay here and thrive.’”

“With that, the Lakemother returned to her watery bed. Some say that she rests there still today, watching over all who make her lands home and keeping them safe.”

[allynabean]

DUE TO REQUEST, THERE'S A WEEK EXTENSION ON THIS CONTEST!!

New end date is Rollover to Feb 7th!!

extended again until ROLLOVER TO FEB 12th! (sunday > monday)

[Hazelfang]

Username: Hazelfang
Cat Name: Nymfaelis
Gender: Female
Rank: Priestess of the Aeterna Cataracta
Clan: Kin of the Vixen
Age: 100+ years
Prompt: 𓆝 𓆟 The Story of Nymfaelis𓆟 𓆝

Google Docs w/ all endings to verify word count (which is 2499)

Author's Note: It looks way better on desktop! It is still readable on mobile, it just doesn't properly size and you have to scroll a bit. So if you're reading on mobile, I recommend changing your tab setting to "desktop site" instead that way nothing gets accidentally cut off! Everything is on the Google Doc though if it doesn't work <3 And don't forget to unmute to hear the pretty music 😊 there's a couple different songs snuck in throughout!

Some art too <3

Credits <3

[ArithMedic]

Username: ArithMedic
Cat Name: Elysia Cordelia
Gender: Female
Rank: Knight Guardian
Clan: Bronze Fleet
Age: Adult
Prompt:

A long time ago, when the world was created, there were two gods. Leatrix, the goddess of life, healing, and the future, and her husband Kassandre, the god of death, war, and the past. These two deities combined their powers to create the world and in the world, they created their children, beings who could change from animal forms to demi-god forms at will. Leatrix named all of the animals, both those that were non-sentient and the forms of her children and Kassandre called his children's demi-god forms "humans". These human forms took on a shape reflecting that of their parents, but with the ears and tail of their animal form.

There was also a third deity, so some claim, who was born out of the formation of the world, yet was not one of Leatrix and Kassandre's children. Cordelia, goddess of the oceans, bathed the world in waters during her birth. None of Leatrix and Kassandre's creations were designed for the waters, which withdrew into the dips and crevices of the earth, so Cordelia created creatures of her own to fill her waters. However, the waters still appeared lifeless. Then Cordelia watched Leatrix playing with her children and decided to copy her. Cordelia stole away a feline child and gifted them the gift of water, able to form scales and breathe in water.

Leatrix was furious and banished Cordelia and the child from the land, and taught her children not to believe in Cordelia. Kassandre as well affirmed that belief in order to support his wife, even as storms of sorrow and jealousy brought many into his domain of the dead. After all, his children were closer to him in death than they were in life, although they passed out of their mother's reach.

Such is the record held by the Followers of Cordelia.

Elysia was born into a war-torn household. Her mother had revealed her faith in Cordelia at Elysia's birth, taking her fish-like tail as a sign that she was a gift from the mother of the oceans. Elysia's father was furious, both that her mother changed her surname without speaking to him and that her mother believed in the Heretic. Because of their fights, Elysia was often ignored by her parents and sought solace with her household's servants.

However, she was not safe even with them. One night while Elysia was young, a servant stole her away in her sleep and tossed her into the waters of a lake nearby. Elysia would never know if the servant intended for her to drown or to test if she was a mer-cat because the servant was caught and arrested by guards before Elysia surfaced.



Elysia's clothes caught on a tree submerged in the lake, trapping her underneath. She panicked, fighting against the water around her, trying to rip her night gown so she could get to the surface and breathe. After her panic wore out, she realized that she felt no urgent need for oxygen and instead felt like she was breathing fine. She felt her neck and realized she'd grown scales and gills. Her eyes also adjusted quickly to the darkness of the lake and she saw that she'd grown an aquatic tail and fins.

As her mind cleared, Elysia realized she could change into her cat form to escape her tangled dress and she did so, swimming to the top of the water easily with her aquatic tail. There, she climbed nervously out of the water and released a sign of relief when the scales and gills vanished when she told them to.

Elysia did intend to return home at first, but it suddenly dawned on her that she didn't have to. The guards hadn't even gone in to save her, they'd just assumed she'd drowned. Or maybe they thought it would be better if she did. Some of the people in her family's estate blamed her for her parents ruined relationship. Why would she return to a place like that? Her parents hardly paid her any attention, not even her mother who'd so cherished her at her birth.

Elysia decided to take shelter in an abandoned fox den near the lake, eating whatever she could find that seemed edible and occasionally poisoning herself by accident, although she survived each occasion and never ate those things again. She ran whenever she heard or saw her family's servants enter the forest. Some of them caught a glimpse of her, reporting to her parents that her ghost haunted the lake they believed she'd died in. Elysia would not learn this story until much later in her life.

Eventually, Elysia realized that she couldn't live in the fox den forever. She'd also have to change out of her cat form soon, or she'd be drained of her mana and be forced out of it and go into mana shock. That night, she weighed her options and left the fox den, lake, and forest behind, heading into the nearby town her parents ruled over. There, she dug some discarded clothes out of a trash bin that were a torn but otherwise in okay shape and changed in her human form and into the clothes. She sold the necklace she'd had the fortune of wearing to bed the night she was thrown into the lake and used the money to pay for passage to another town.

Few took any special notice of what appeared to be an urchin child leaving town. Elysia wondered what that said about the state of her parents domain, but disregarded the thought. This domain had no connection to her any longer.

The search for Cordelia has begun.

[946 word and 1 art piece]

[razr]

Username: razr
Cat Name: scylla
Gender: female
Rank: scorned god
Clan: iron arbor
Age: old as the tide, probably
Prompt:

"Stay out of the water."

That's what everyone always says. The river circling the city isn't safe. Not for consumption, and certainly not for swimming.

They say boats are capsized without warning. Wandering children are taken by the tide. Fish caught from the waters make you ill.

They say there's something lurking in the glittering waves.

Not parasites. Not sharks. No strong currents or sand slipping from under your paws.

Actually, nobody will say what it is.

I don't think anybody knows.

Some will say that the old, rotting cabin at the shore houses a big green witch, and she cursed the river so that children will stay away from her house.

Some say there's gold in the riverbeds, and the bourgeoisie don't want anyone to find it.

Some say an old factory used to dump their waste in the water before getting shut down. That's what most people think.

But it doesn't explain the silhouettes in the water, does it?

What could?

Shadows the size of cats, with eyes glowing like the city lights, neon and dangerous. At least five at any given time. Their paws carry enough strength to tip cargo ships. Their hungry teeth crunch through metal and bone. They pull young ones into the deep, for dinner or for fun or to act as their own kits after they were cursed forever to be infertile.

It's all hearsay, anyway. None of it's true.

"Stay out of the water." That's ridiculous.

It's only me in here.

Won't you join me?


---


You'd be bitter too, you know.

I used to be something great.

The power of the tide followed my beck and call. Every decadence you can imagine, and then some, was ripe for the taking. Everyone knew my name, and everyone knew not to forget it.

I think I'm the only one that remembers it, now.

How long has it been? Years? Decades? Centuries? Hell if I know.

This filthy water is timeless, unchanging and hardly moving. The only measure of time I have is the expansion of the city above me.

Watching those huge stone towers ever encroaching on the shoreline, flooding the murky deep with neon lights.

At least I can see now, I tell myself.

Not that there's much to see.

None of the sandstone or pristine castle floors I'm used to, certainly. Hardly even any fish.

Only plastic and metal and the clouds of filth stirred at the bottom and the silhouettes of mortals peering into the depths, whispering to each other.

They jump at every little shadow, like there's something in here to fear.

It's not entertaining anymore.


---


Life is hard down here. It's a shame it lasts eternity.

The wriggling plankton stick to my fur uncomfortably and the old buried skeletons don't make for very good conversation.

Cats fall in here sometimes.

Mostly young ones. Ones who haven't learned to avoid the green muck on the surface that sticks with you forever.

I get them out when I can. They rave to their families about a cat with a tail split in two, with webs between its toes and a glint in its eyes.

I'm lucky when they brush it off as panicked delusion. Not so much when they fence off the lake or send cats under to investigate.

Those ones usually don't make it back up. It's not my fault. They're too heavy to pull back up.

It's not my fault.

Okay?


---


I'd be more lucky if he would fall in instead.

I can still remember his technicolor eyes watching me sink to the bottom.

My tail and my webbings are no good in this muck. I couldn't swim. The water's thick with mud and trash. It's all I can do to drift with the weak currents or sink.

I wish he would sink too.

That bastard.

It's his fault I'm stuck down here.

Everything I had, ripped out from under my paws. And why?

I never cared about his petty take over, nor posed a threat.

But as I pick off the algae growing over my fur, I'm starting to think I should have.

Could he have been stopped, with just one more allied against him? Could I have turned the tide?

Could we have been saved?

I don't even know where the others are anymore. I miss them dearly-- yes, even my bickering with Apu. It was only natural. I grieve it all the same.

I grieve them all the same.

( 746 words )

also have this art piece!