The Twelve Hour Gangs CH 5 UP you may post

[mr.kingrichard]

Plot: In the outskirts of a large city, deep within a bustling neighborhood, four gangs rule the streets. These gangs are made of a different race of cats, who are animals for half of the day from 12 AM to 12 PM, and are human from 12 PM to 12 AM. These gangs all have vicious rivalries with each other that have been held for decades. They also do not associate with humans. However, when four members from opposite gangs fall in love, and one cat falls in love with a human, the rigid rules and structures of the gangs slowly begins to crumble as they descend into mad warfare.

Japanese Bobtails (Koneko)
Koneko = Japanese word meaning “kitty” or “kitten”. There are fifty members in all of the Koneko gang, but the ones listed are the “top cats” of the gang, the most important. The Koneko are usually deathly loyal to all of the other members of the gang. They hold a high level of respect for each other.

Yuuka Kimura-Koneko: the dominant cat of the gang, Yuuka has a strong feeling of loyalty for the gang, but she also holds herself in high regard. She has no regard for those outside of the gang. She is a short haired mi-ke (calico) she-cat with bright blue eyes. As a human she has short golden-brown/black hair with white tips and bright blue eyes. Her first name, Yuuka is a combination of the Japanese words yuu meaning “gentleness, superiority”, and ka, meaning “flower”. Her first surname, Kimura means “tree village”. She is 22 human years old.

Atsuko Tsukino-Koneko: Yuuka's best friend and the second most dominant cat of the gang, Atsuko is usually very quiet and tends to stick to herself. She is completely loyal to Yuuka and will do whatever she asks. She is a black and white bi-color she-cat with dark amber eyes. As a human she has long black hair that is white on the underside and dark amber eyes. Her first name, Atsuko comes from the Japanese combination of 温 (atsu) "warm", 篤 (atsu) "kind, cordial" or 敦 (atsu) "honest" combined with ko, meaning "child". Her first surname, Tsukino means “moon field”. She is 20 human years old.

Hayate Miyamoto-Koneko: the “big brother” figure to most of the cats, Hayate is the oldest cat in the gang. He is very wise, and many of the cats will go to him when they're seeking advice. He is a long haired red tabby van-patterned tom with bright green eyes. As a human he has long red hair with white tips and bright green eyes. His first name, Hayate means “smooth” in Japanese. His first surname Miyamoto means “base of the shrine” in Japanese. He is 37 human years old.

Hideaki Honda-Koneko: the youngest cat of the gang, Hideaki mostly tags along with Hayate. He is quite dependent on Hayate and often will not leave his side. He is very friendly and energetic, though he is weary of cats from the other gangs. He is a long haired cream colored tom with dark green eyes. As a human he has long yellow-cream colored hair and dark green eyes. His first name, Hideaki comes from the Japanese words hide meaning “excellent” and aki meaning “bright”. His first surname Honda means “one from the base of the fields”. He is 11 human years old.

Hikaru Yukimura-Koneko: the older twin to Arata, Hikaru keeps mostly to Arata, though he gets along well with the other members of the gang. Hikaru is generally ambivalent to the problems of anyone but himself or his twin brother, though Yuuka is always telling him to support the gang more. He is a short haired blue and white tom with hazel eyes. As a human he has short blue-gray hair and hazel eyes. His first name, Hikaru comes from Japanese 光 "light" or 輝 "radiance". His first surname Yukimura means “snowy village”. He is 19 human years old.

Arata Yukimura-Koneko: the younger twin to Hikaru, Arata mostly keeps to Hikaru, though he does like to go off on his own and interact with other gang members. Unlike Hikaru, Arata cares more for others, and many cats say that he shouldn't be cut out for gang life. Arata is considered the “Romeo” of the gang, inclined to be “in love with love”. He is a long haired blue and white tabby tom with one green, one brown eye. As a human he has long blue-gray hair with white tips and one green, one brown eye. His first name, Arata means “fresh, new” in Japanese. He is 19 human years old.

Egyptian Maus (Sanura)
Sanura = a Swahili name meaning “young cat”, given because all of the members of this gang are under the age of 25. Despite their young ages, this is the largest gang with sixty-eight members, and so controls the most territory. A number of the Maus are polytheistic, worshiping the Egyptian gods, while many remain without religion. All Maus have a shade of gooseberry green eyes, and it is the mark of the gang.

Akosua Ihejirika-Sanura: the dominant cat of the gang. Akosua rules her territory with an iron first, and is known as a brutal dictator. She does not tolerate outsiders, and is known to carry out executions on anyone who she finds disloyal. She is also very bloodthirsty, and enjoys abusing and torturing lower gang members. She has a spiked baseball bat that she never cleans, and so is very bloody. A bronze colored she-cat with gooseberry green eyes for a light shade. As a human she has short bronze hair with light green eyes. Her first name, Akosua means “born on Sunday” in Akan. Her first surname Ihejirkia means “the one that I have is greater” in Igbo. She is 20 human years old.

Khamisi Afolayan-Sanura: Akosua's long time partner and friend, Khamisi is very submissive to Akosua and will often do whatever she wants. He has no qualms with killing and torturing at her whims, and he knows very well that she could kill him at any time. While he is deathly afraid of her, he also loves her, and will do anything for her. A smoke colored tom with gooseberry green eyes of a medium shade. As a human he has short smokey-black hair with green eyes. His first name Khamisi means “born on a Thursday” in Swahili, and his first surname Afolayan means "walks with grace, confidence" or "walks like a rich man" in Yoruba. He is 21 human years old.

Onyekachi Ihejirika-Sanura: Akosua's half-brother, Onyekachi is the only non-pure blooded Mau in the entire gang. He is half Mau, half American Curl. Although he is ostracized by most of the gang, Akosua protects him, so Onyekachi is very close to Akosua despite her bloodthirsty nature. He is very submissive and non-confrontational, and tends to run away from fights that he knows he can't win. He is a bronze colored tom with white patches, ears that curl back, and deep blue-green eyes. As a human he has short bronze hair with white tips and deep blue-green eyes. His first name Onyekachi means “who is greater than God?” in Igbo. He is 19 human years old.

Turkish Vans (Kedi)
Kedi = Turkish word for “cat”. Many of the Vans are immigrants from Turkey and areas around Turkey. Many members of the gang speak mostly Turkish, and few speak English as their first language. Most of the Kedi are Muslim, though a few remain without religion or are other religions. This is the smallest gang with thirty-five members.

Yahya Tiryaki-Kedi: the dominant cat in the gang. Yahya is very stubborn, and often times will make decisions without consulting the rest of the gang. He often says that “The only man he fears is God”, and has never been known to run from a fight. Yahya has many scars because of this. He is an avid cigarette smoker and can't go a day without smoking at least five of them. He is a brown tabby van tom with blue eyes. As a human he has medium-length brown hair and blue eyes. His first name Yahya is a Turkish form of John. His first surname Tiryaki means “addict” or “stubborn”. He is 30 human years old.

Sevgi Tiryaki-Kedi: Yahya's younger sister, she is also very stubborn like her brother, but she is much more caring than him. She is known as being very carefree, though she carries a weapon on her at all times due to Yahya's many enemies. She hates all tobacco products, and often times she'll destroy Yahya's cigarettes if given the chance. She is a tortoiseshell van she-cat with blue eyes. As a human she has long gold and brown hair and blue eyes. Her first name Sevgi means “love” in Turkish. She is 17 human years old.

Musa Badem-Kedi: Sevgi's main suitor, he desperately wants to marry her. While Yahya is very much in favor of it, Sevgi despises him. He often tries to win her love by buying her expensive objects and giving her money, though she still refuses to notice him. He is a black van tom with green eyes. As a human he has short black hair and green eyes. His first name Musa is a Turkish form of Moses. His first surname Badem is derived from a Turkish word meaning “almond”. He is 18 human years old.

Oriental Shorthairs (Meaow)
Meaow = Thai word meaning “cat”. Many of the Oriental Shorthairs are descendants from immigrant cats from Taiwan and areas around the country. Some of the cats are American-born. There are forty-seven members of the gang, though at least ten of them are under the age of thirteen. They are the most secretive of the gangs and are rarely ever seen freely traveling the city. Often times, they will travel using “tunnels” through the roofs of buildings or through the alleyways. They are known as the “alley cat gang” due to this. Many of the Meaow have blue yes.

Preecha Metharom-Meaow: The dominant cat in the gang. Preecha is known as the kindest of all of the leaders. He is very lenient and forgiving. Many of the other leaders look down on him for this. He is a gray tabby tom with sky blue eyes. As a human he has short gray hair and sky blue eyes. His first name Preecha means “intelligence, wisdom” in Thai. His first surname Metharom refers to a place or institute of learning or where knowledge is provided. He is 45 human years old.

Lawan Metharom-Meaow: Preecha's only surviving daughter from his late wife, Lawan is known as the “jewel of the Meaow”, due to her striking beauty. Preecha holds her in high regard and is quite protective over her. Despite this, Lawan is very independent, and likes to explore the city from the alleyways that the Meaow roam. She is a dilute tortoiseshell (blue and cream) she-cat with blue-gray eyes. As a human she has long blue and cream hair and blue-gray eyes. Her first name Lawan is believed to mean “beautiful” in Thai. She is 19 human years old.

[mr.kingrichard]

Table of Contents

Prologue
Chapter one
Chapter two
Chapter three
Chapter four
Chapter five
Chapter six

Current word count: 4,487 words (5/14/13)
Current page count (in OpenOffice): 8 (5/14/13)

[Stray Dog]

Yo, totally bookmarking and volunteering to draw art of the characters because damn this is all so cool.

[mr.kingrichard]

Yo, totally bookmarking and volunteering to draw art of the characters because damn this is all so cool.

Really? Oh my gosh that would be amazing! Though I should tell you, the Japanese Bobtails are Japanese in build/complexion, the Maus are Egyptian/African (though Onyekachi is biracial), the Vans are Turkish/Middle Eastern, and the Orientals are Taiwanese. Just for reference.

[mr.kingrichard]

Prologue

It was only just barely two o' clock in the morning, and already the lights from the streetlights shone on the bloody asphalt. Here, not thirty minutes ago, the Koneko and the Sanura had fought their second bloody battle in the past two weeks. The smell was almost dizzying, and there were no pedestrians or cars making their way down the lonely street. Sitting on the sidewalk and overlooking the damage, Yuuka Kimura-Koneko hung her head and sighed heavily, her stringy black-tipped hair falling into her eyes. The Koneko had won this battle tonight, taking back this stretch of street from the Sanura when they had taken it two weeks ago in the first bloody skirmish, but to Yuuka they might as well have lost. Many of the members that had been involved in the fight were badly injured. The Sanura had lost one member; his body lie cold in the middle of the street, undisturbed. The Sanura had retreated too fast to recover the body of their dead brother. For a few moments, Yuuka sat in silence, her eyes closed and her head bowed, until she heard footsteps and someone settled beside her.

“Yuuka.” Her eyes opened suddenly, and her head whipped over towards the person who'd settled beside her. She reached subconsciously for her dagger, but relaxed when she realized that it was another member of her own gang, Hayate Miyamoto-Koneko. He held up one hand defensively when she reached for her dagger, but they both relaxed at the same time. Hayate's green eyes that were normally bright and energetic were dull and tired, and Yuuka knew full well the reason for it.

“How are they, Hayate?” Yuuka asked, and the older male shifted a bit.

“Hikaru should be fine within a few days, and Arata wasn't badly injured. Hideaki hid like he was supposed to, and luckily no one found him. Atsuko is still critical, and if she makes it through, she's certain to have some scars. What I'm worried about right now is keeping any infection out. Akosua isn't known for cleaning her weapons, and who knows what kind of diseases her other victims could have carried. We haven't lost anyone yet, though.” Yuuka was silent while Hayate spoke, but it wasn't long before her shoulders began to tremble.

“Akosua is getting much too strong,” Yuuka muttered under her breath. Hayate nodded in agreement, his eyes wandering down to the bloodied asphalt. “This is the second attack in a month. If this keeps up, there's no way we'll be able to continue to fight them. They'll take us over, and then...” Yuuka trailed off, knowing that Hayate's mind would follow. “I've been thinking, perhaps we should create an alliance with the Meaow? They are also a smaller gang like us, and I know that Akosua has been hungrily eying the southern part of their territory for a long time. And, old leader Preecha is ill, and has been ill for a long while. It won't be long until he dies, no matter what his people like to think. Lawan will have to take over after him, but she's nowhere near ready to be a leader. She'll need help.”

“Yuuka, no gangs have ever formed an alliance before,” Hayate said rapidly. “Are you sure that this is wise?”

“Too much Koneko blood has been spilled,” Yuuka growled lowly. “I'm tired of Akosua deciding to claim whatever she wants. It's about time that someone stood up to her.” Yuuka got to her feet and gave one last look to the bloodstained street, before stalking off towards the middle of Koneko territory.

“I guess I'll just have to trust her. After all, she's done the right thing so far,” Hayate sighed as he too forced himself up and followed after Yuuko, leaving the street the way they found it. Black, cold, bloodstained, and barren, save for one lone body lying in the middle of the street in the pale yellow light.

[mr.kingrichard]

Chapter one
Dreams of the face of love

This was the third time that Hikaru Yukimura-Koneko had been in this dream. The dream with the long-tailed she-cat, whose face he could not see, and with a pure white, shining pelt. No matter how long he chased her, he could never catch her, but still he continued to chase. It was useless, he told himself, ridiculous even. Why would one chase what he could never catch?

This is ridiculous, Hikaru told himself as the tip of the she-cat’s tail disappeared under a bush. If anything, Arata should be having this dream. He’s the one who’s always chasing after she-cats. He poked his head under the bush, and the she-cat turned to face him. Finally, he could see her face, and Hikaru was taken aback by her beauty. Never before had she seen a cat so perfect. Upon seeing him, her clear blue eyes brightened, and she laughed.

“My love, you have found me!” She cried, but as soon as Hikaru took a step towards her;

The dream vanished, and Hikaru woke, his wounds from the night before stinging painfully and reminding him that he was, at least for the moment, in the world of the waking. It was well past noon, and Hikaru was glad for that at least. His wounds stung a little less when he was a cat.

Shifting, Hikaru turned his head to look beside him. Arata was curled up next to him, his face buried in Hikaru’s uninjured stomach. The younger twin purred softly in his sleep, and Hikaru leaned down to swipe his rough tongue over Arata’s soft ear. Arata yawned, then kneaded Hikaru’s belly gently with sheathed paws. As cute and sentimental as it was, Hikaru knew full well that they needed to wake and get on with patrolling or searching for food. So long as they could move, they would be useful, for so many of the Koneko were far too injured to move from their beds.

“Arata, come. We must move. It’s past noon, and it will be safer for us to look for food for the others and ourselves while the sun is out.” Arata grunted, and he tried to bury his face in Hikaru’s fur again. But, like a mother weaning her kitten, Hikaru stood, and Arata found no warmth to comfort him. “Come on, now. Up.” Finally, Arata peered up at Hikaru with his bi-colored irises in disdain, his little bobbed tail twitching and bobbing.

“Why? Nobody else is going out.” Arata buried his face between his front paws, and, annoyed, Hikaru nipped at Arata’s ears.
“That’s because they’re too injured to move. Besides, we’ll have to patrol the territory. Some of the Sanura might not have got the message that we won.” He ended the last sentence with a growl, and Arata huffed.

“Alright, alright. I’m up.” The blue-gray tabby slowly got to his feet, stretching out each leg tediously. Hikaru just rolled his eyes, stepping out from under the pile of wood and boxes that they’d slept in last night.

The sun was shining down brightly on the street, and a few of the Koneko that could move freely were starting to greet one another and search for food. A few cars rumbled down the street, and the sidewalks were mostly filled with humans. The humans kept their distance from the foraging cats; they knew full well what the shifters were capable of, and they were much too afraid of the shifters to stop them from doing whatever they wanted. Despite this, many of the shifters kept mostly to the streets, rarely raiding stores or restaurants. Every once and a while, the leader would go to the local store and demand a large quantity of food, but most of the shifters preferred fresh meat from mice, rats, and birds. They were scavengers as well, and were known for raiding trashcans, especially the Meaow. Their main diet consisted of leftovers and alley rats.

“We’ll set off down the western border, where we won back the street last night. We’ll make sure that no Sanura have crossed the border and put down our scent. Then we’ll look for food. The blood stench probably attracted some rats or birds,” Hikaru said once Arata came to his side. “Alright?”

“On one condition, we only fight if there’s no more than two,” Arata stated. “Any more, and we report back to Yuuka. We’re in no shape to be in a fight where we’re outnumbered.”

“Fair enough. Come, let’s go.”

And so the pair were off, going towards the western border of Layalle street, the street they’d won in last night’s battle. The border was only about two miles from where they’d started, but Hikaru was exhausted still from his wounds. Although they hurt less, he’d still not fully recovered from the blood loss they caused, but he refused to stop and rest. So long as he could move, he would carry on with his duties.

The bloodstains were still on the asphalt of Layalle, and the old scent made Arata shudder. It didn’t seem as though any Sanura had returned since last night’s battle, but, still unconvinced that they would stay out of the territory, Hikaru sprayed around the boundary of the street, a clear warning to the other gangs.

When the brothers turned into an alley, however, Arata paused. “Wait. Someone’s here.” Hikaru stopped as well, ears twitching. The only other visible creature was a rat, and Hikaru frowned.

“It’s just a rat.”

“Ssh!” Arata hissed. The rat was suddenly alerted of their presence, but just as it was turning to run, a blur of white and tortoiseshell pounced on it, quickly dispatching the creature. The she-cat’s blue eyes met Hikaru’s hazel ones, and he stiffened. A Kedi? But what was a Kedi doing so far into Koneko territory? The she-cat would have had to cross through Sanura territory to get here. How did she make it?

“Hey!” Hikaru called out after his momentary hesitation. It was too late, though, and the she-cat turned with the rat in her mouth, squeezing through a small hole in the side of a building, her white tail-tip disappearing into the darkness. Hikaru went to follow her, but Arata stopped him.

“It's no use, Hikaru. We'll never catch up to her, and besides, she's headed into Sanura territory. We'll be killed if we go there.”

Hikaru sighed, knowing that his brother was right, but still feeling wretched that he let the she-cat slip through his claws.
Even so, those pretty blue eyes seemed familiar, and Hikaru couldn't make the image of her face fade from his mind as they rifled through the trash.

Completed

[mr.kingrichard]

Chapter one is now complete

[mr.kingrichard]

[bump]

[mr.kingrichard]

Chapter two
Moonlight call of the crazed dictator

“I wouldn't go in there if I was you.”

Onyekachi Ihejirika-Sanura stopped in his tracks, looking over at the smoke colored tom who'd spoken to him. Khamisi Afolayan-Sanura lifted up one paw, licking at one of his talon-like claws, his long spotted tail twitching slowly back and forth. Onyekachi had been on his way to his sister's “den” of sorts, which for all intents and purposes was simply a cardboard box surrounded by guards and heaps of whatever junk metal or parts they could find to protect it. Khamisi's voice had stopped him, however, and Onyekachi tilted his head curiously.

“Why?” He asked, and Khamisi huffed.

“Didn't you hear? We lost against the Koneko last night. They took Layalle street back. It's a pity, really, there's a nice population of rats around that area,” Khamisi sighed, putting his paw down and standing up on top of the fallen trashcan that he'd been lying on. The tom winced a bit as he jumped down from the trashcan. His right back leg was wrapped up in white cloth, and a few spots of blood leaked through the cloth. “We lost Chioma last night.”

“No! They killed him?” Onyekachi asked in shock, and Khamisi nodded. “Poor Chioma. Does his sister know?”

“She was there, she watched,” Khamisi replied, and Onyekachi shook his head. “He was a brave warrior, may he rest in peace. And there are many others who are badly injured, but we haven't lost anyone else yet. Still, Akosua's been in bad humor since we were forced to retreat last night, and I know that she cares for you dearly, but it's in your best interests not to go in there.”

“Did you try?” Onyekachi asked, and Khamisi huffed, putting one paw on his cheek.

“Yes. I think she tried to kill me, but I couldn't tell if it was a legitimate attempt or not.” Onyekachi's tail twitched a bit as he laughed, and Khamisi shot a glare in his direction. “Why do you want to see her, anyway?”

“That's none of your business,” Onyekachi replied, his ears flattening against his skull defensively. Khamisi huffed again, rolling his eyes, and then narrowing them at the younger cat.

“I think it is my business, brat. In case you still haven't noticed, I'm the second most dominant cat in this gang, which means—”

“KHAMISI!” Both of the toms flinched at the sudden shriek from Akosua's den, and an expression of pure terror crossed Khamisi's countenance. He was painfully aware, however, that there was no way to escape his fate, and so Khamisi got to his feet and limped off into Akosua's den. There was a bit more screeching and shrieking, and suddenly Khamisi burst from the den and ran as fast as he could down the street. Akosua stood outside of the den and called after him;

“And don't come back until you've decided to become subordinate!” The she-cat gave a hiss just for good measure, before she turned to Onyekachi and pulled him close with her paw. “Ah, my precious little one,” she cooed, licking her half-brother's forehead in a way that only most mother cats did. “Don't bother listening to anything that tom says, he's sore over his leg. Come, come talk with me.” To most, the dramatic mood swings that Akosua went through would keep them from trusting her completely, but Onyekachi had never known anything other than his sister's dramatic moods, and so they didn't bother him in the slightest.

The younger cat obediently followed his older sister into her den, watching as she settled down in the nest of blankets, sheets, and newspapers that she had made for herself. “I do apologize for Khamisi's brutish behavior. He still hasn't learned. He isn't the most intelligent cat, is he?” Akosua asked, false pity lacing her words. Onyekachi nodded, not because he was too afraid to disagree, but simply because he'd been thinking the same thing all along. “Though he is handsome, and I like him too much to kill him. He should consider himself lucky.”

Akosua reached out one of her long legs and tapped Onyekachi's paw, beckoning him closer. Onyekachi trotted closer, settling down beside her in her nest. Akosua curled around her like a mother cat would curl around her litter, leaning down to lick Onyekachi's ears a few times. “Oh, how I do wish I could have beautiful kits like you. The gods have taken all of my kits away from me before their birth, and for the one who was birthed, he only lasted half an hour,” the she-cat wailed miserably, and Onyekachi licked her cheek to comfort her.

“Don't worry, Akosua, I'm sure that you'll bear healthy kits one day,” he said, and Akosua flicked one ear in response.

“And they will inherit a great Kingdom,” she purred, her tail twitching slowly back and forth. “As you know, the Sanura currently have the biggest share of land of all of the gangs.”

“Well, I was going to talk to you about that. I've heard many of the cats saying that you were planning to make an alliance with the Kedi to take over the entire southern half of the Meaow's territory. Is that true?” Akosua laughed, and Onyekachi's ears flicked back against his skull.

“Oh, my dear brother, where have you been? Although, I must admit, this is probably partially my fault for not keeping you filled in. I already have made an alliance with the Kedi. When I suggested to Yahya that we take over and split the southern Meaow territory, why, he almost swallowed his cigarette!” Akosua let out another laugh, and Onyekachi laughed as well, though it was a bit more nervous than his sister's. She picked up on it, and her eyes took on a bit of worry as she looked at her brother. “Does this bother you?”

“No, no, I was just wondering...what will we do with the Meaow if we end up taking them over?”

“Isn't it obvious, my sweet?” Akosua cooed, wrapping her tail around Onyekachi's. “They will become our slaves.”

Complete

[mr.kingrichard]

Chapter two is now complete.