Journey to the Trinity Tree - Summer event prompts

[Meekins12345]

Username: Meekins12345
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Erastus, Ciqala, and Axel
Link to their pride or group: The Cloud Coalition - A sub-pride of The Pride of Wikimak
Prompt level completion: Level 5
Prompt: June 4th

"Entry number for in the Adventures of the Strange Portal. Something horrible happened today... Ciqala ran off! I don't know why she had succumbed to the strange and odd call, but she did!"

"It all started after last night's raid. I came outside when she got me, and I had gotten plenty of other medics of both lion and cat variety to come with as well. We all assessed the damage made and ultimately began to work on the wounded. As far as I'm aware, thankfully, there are no casualties. Nevertheless, Axel's in pretty bad shape. The wounds on his back look awful, to be completely honest with you, and I can only hope that those wounds heal properly. I don't know all too much about our enemy but this isn't an enemy that we are familiar with, one like those in the real world... if this isn't the real world."

"Anyway, once we got everyone back into the underground city and made sure the wounded were comfortable and safe, I came back to Axel and Ciqala and we all went to bed. We need our rest, you know? Well, the next day, as we awoke, there was a strange sound... It was soft at first, and so we chose to ignore it, and we ultimately went along with our daily tasks as we've grown accustomed to. Axel remained resting at home while I went with Ciqala to go and spare. As our day continued, the sounds grew louder and louder... and it wasn't just us who could hear them. It seemed all the residents within the city could hear the sounds, this... call, that was calling to us from who knows where. I, myself, was skeptical of this call. It was the tree that had brought us here, and we had seen the rotting creatures that were our enemies only last night. I knew, or at least I was confident, that we were on the good side. 'This call could be nothing but a sham from the enemy,' I thought to myself, and so I just kept sparing... but Ciqala... She seemed to stop and listen to it. She practically ignored me as I called her name, and she just seemed to perk and listen..."

"She kept asking me, 'do you hear it?', 'what does it mean?', 'it's calling me'. I told her not to follow it, not to heed this call. 'We don't know anything about it,' I told her. 'What if it's the enemy? What if they're just trying to lure you in with their calls and their songs?'. But she seemed to have something different in mind. 'But what if it isn't? ...It doesn't sound like the enemy.'"

I asked her how on earth did she know what the enemy sounded like. We had only seen them the night before, and, sure, we got a taste of them, a peak and what we will ultimately see, but we don't know them just by seeing them on the battle field. For all we know, they could be completely different back home! But... she didn't seem to want to reason with me. I don't know why... well, I do know why. She won't listen to me because she thinks I'm not fit for my position, and because of her stubbornness and pride, she wants to ignore me and just go with what her own heart thinks. I wish she would listen to me, I really do, but I can't make someone listen to me. They have to have the want to... and Ciqala has not had the want to for as long as I've known her."

"She seemed to ultimately settle down sometime later in the evening, and she became her more quiet, isolated self shortly after our sparing session. I went to go and get something for us all too eat, since there is quite the stash of food within the middle of the city itself, free for those who are hungry to take. I took something for all of us and ultimately brought it back home, to our little den... it was then that I saw... I saw she was gone."

"I knew where she had gone, she had gone to the call. I was quick to drop the food I had brought and ran as fast as I could out of the city, into the tunnels, and out onto the surface. I saw her... I did! I saw her silhouette within the brush, wandering into the forests without so much as a single glance behind her."

"'Ciqala!' I called to her, but she didn't seem to hesitate in stride or look behind herself even then. She just continued on, into the dark and gloomy forests of this place. I wanted to go after her, but... what if I got lost, too? What would happen to Axel? What would happen to the others? ...What would happen to myself? As much as I wanted to go after Ciqala, I could not risk it... Would she even want to be rescued anyway? By me, especially? Such thoughts plagued my mind then, and they still plague it now."

"I watched and waited to see if she would come back but, alas, she did not. I saw other cats and lions alike go into the forests as well. There weren't that many that I saw that heeded the call, but there was a good amount of them nonetheless. It was disheartening, to see these felines who may or may not be falling into the evil that is plaguing this place... but it didn't seem anything I said or did could bring them back."

"I ultimately wandered back into the tunnels and back to our den. I checked up on Axel, he was sound asleep... he'd been sleeping almost all day! I got him up, gave him some food and told him what happened... He appeared... disappointed, when I told him. But I think he knew that we couldn't do much, if anything, about it."

"We just have to hope that she'll be alright." (1,013 wc)

[minifun990]

Username: minifun990
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt:Ladon Melli
Link to their pride or group:Mystic Isles
Prompt level completion: 5 (1095 words increasing)
Prompt: June 4th

[Goddess Sword]

Username: Goddess Sword
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Mitko (Main character), Beatrix (Minor character)
Link to their pride or group: The Wayfarers
Prompt level completion: Level 5 (1,021 words)
Prompt:

In the shadows of the first battle, there's a mixture of discomfort and victory, a strange muddlement of pride and fear that defines the mood around the tree as the soldiers lament the possibility of worse things to come. The rest of the night and morning goes in silence. But upon waking something reaches out. A strange feeling overcomes the heroes- the visitors as they go about their tasks in the city. Dragging them out of the city and the tree's guard...pulling them deeper to the fields and into the forests... luring them somewhere else. To something better. To something good.
...as far as they know.

Who follows the strange impulse? The dragging will? Do they go willingly, or begrudgingly? Do they refuse it and stay with the tree?

They had been lucky, almost impossibly so. Miraculously, given the size and force of the rocky limb that had struck her from the air, Beatrix's injuries were not quite as serious as she'd suspected - A dislocation, rather than a truly broken limb, a condition that was still painful but much easier to treat - and while Mitko had brought her back beneath the tree to seek help for her condition, the battle had continued in the warriors' favor. They ultimately routed the beings that had targeted them, and while some cats, like Beatrix, had been left injured, few were severe. Most of them were still well, as fighting fit as they had been before the alarm calls awakened them.

And yet, there was a tenseness around the tree, as cats spoke of rumors that there were yet more opponents to come, that this was a mere scouting party. Though there was some joy, some pride to be had in their victory, there was an overwhelming feeling that this was only the beginning, that much worse was to come. And so, despite their triumph, there was no celebration to be found in the quiet dark beneath the tree. They simply sat in silent contemplation, waiting for whatever might come next, their only words questions of "How can we better prepare and fight these creatures?"

...Given their home beneath the tree, Mitko supposed he shouldn't have been surprised that his suggestion of burning the armies into ash was met with derision. No amount of "They're made of wood, light them up like a fireplace and use their burning bodies to roast our meals. Use the stones and mud to build a reverse fire pit around the tree or something" could convince them otherwise, and he supposed their refusal to acknowledge his ideas was par for the course. Don't listen when he asks to leave, don't listen when he gives suggestions for the fight he wanted no part in to begin with. What else was new?

And then, of course, perhaps more worryingly, were the rumors that cats had begun to slip away from the tree, from the guard... though for what reasons, none knew. They had simply vanished, the only hints to their whereabouts coming through in trails of pawprints in the soil of the tunnels beneath the tree's roots that led up and away, bent grass pressed back by bodies passing through the meadows on the outskirts of the Trinity Tree's view.

It was late the evening after the battle when Mitko felt that same strange tug, a call to leave the tree, to run away to the fields and the forests. Initially, he tried to simply shake it from his mind. No, he had no reason to leave here. Beatrix and Ragin were both here, and once these battles were over, they would again open the portals, and he would be returning to his old life with them both by his side.

...Wouldn't he?

No, of course they would let him go. They had to. Certainly, they'd refused to allow the three to leave initially, but there was a war happening, they needed the help. He might not have liked that the cats, the tree, the goddess of this world had called on them specifically, but when all was said and done, they would send them home. Who would they be if they kept them here, trapped?

And yet... the call, the urge, prodded at his mind. They had refused to let him leave before. And now they were ignoring his suggestions trying to contribute to their cause as well. Who was to say that they would grant him passage even when this was said and done? And even if they did...

How long would this war take? He knew of wars - Not wars quite like this, but human ones. One of his former owners, the man of the house, bore scars from his own battles, and when his children asked, he told them stories of his fights. He'd been in the service for years, he'd said, and he'd seen only a fraction of his war's length.

How long did these cats expect them to stay there? Would they even live to see the war's end? And if they did, would the others still be waiting for them? No, surely not. They had their own lives to worry about. Why should they waste years waiting for Mitko and company to pop back through that portal? They would leave eventually. Prey would learn their hunting methods, they would flee and escape, and the cats would starve. The heat of summer would dry the creeks, and the cold of winter would burn their skin and ice over their fur. They would have to leave, merely to survive.

And so, that doubt planted in his mind, he looked to the cat and fox curled up together, the latter curled protectively around the former, save a cream-colored leg stuck out with a brace around the knee.

"...Stay here," he whispered. "There's something I need to investigate."

Ragin slept still, but Beatrix, her rest shallow from the pain still buzzing in her leg, stirred. "What was that?" she whispered, raising her head to meet his gaze, coral eyes blurry from sleep.

"Stay here," the brown cat repeated. "I have some suspicions about things here. I'm going to check them out."

Beatrix rubbed at her eyes with a paw. "Where are you going? When will you be back?" She asked.

"I don't know," was his response. "Soon, I hope."

"What do you mean?" The fox stirred at her voice, but did not awaken.

"Don't worry about it. Go back to bed. I'm going to get us out of here," was all he said.

And so, in the darkness of the night, Mitko slipped away, following the tracks of the others out of the city beneath the roots. And in the cool night air, he closed his eyes and listened, felt for the tug that would guide him through the grass and leaves towards...

Towards what, he didn't know. But he hoped that the journey would be worth it.

[Midnightkitkat]

Username: Midnightkitkat
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Mios
Link to their pride or group: Oasis Basin
Prompt level completion: 3
Prompt:

The time spent after the first battle was not what one could call a celebration for Mios. Spending his time attending to to those wounded in the first wave and praying for those lost to find peace and safe travels back to their land. Many had not been prepared for the monsters that laid waist to the ranks in the beginning, and only by the blessed did they manage to come back and end the battle with a victory. Helping the small cat He fought alongside becomes his way of dealing with the aftermath. In the Oasis Basin fights are few and far between but even then they where never this bad. As the sun rose so did most moods, survival sure after living through the night. With this change yet another washed over the city and land surrounding.

It had started out a small enough one could shake their head to be rid of the tingle, but soon many realized it was not a trick of the mind. Whispers went around until Mios himself recognized the pull described. It was a gentle tug, as if it did not wish to force you to follow it. Only giving the suggestion. Yet after the events of the battle before many grew wary at its presence. Some choosing to go as fellow pride mates begged or demanded them to stay. Mios breaking up a few emotion filled spats in an attempt to keep the injured from hurting themselves further. He didn't have time to choose for himself too caught up in the quite chaos around him.

As the sun began to set however Mios found himself pulled from duty by his small friend. "There are few injured who refuse to stay here. Wanting to follow whatever out there is pulling them in. I'm going with them incase they need my help." Worry etched across his features as her words. Unsure whether it was even safe for them to go. "What about those things?! If they ambush your group it would be carnage.." glancing at the small party that had formed it was obvious most gained injured among them wouldn't be fight again so soon after acquiring them. Ears back Mios placed his stance firm, "My swelling has gone down enough where I can fight with my own vision but not well enough to keep a lookout. I'm coming with, but the others will need to help in alerting me of danger I can't spot first."

Whiskers twitching in amusement the small cat smiled at his reaction. "Of course. I'm surprised you wanted to come along considering the view amongst many. I will not lie and say I didn't expect you to volunteer so easily." With a turn and wave of her tail the cat beckoned the party together. Going over who would have what job in the journey that awaited them. The calm and peaceful call echoing out amongst the trees still, waiting for those who dare follow it further into its depths to arrive.
[503]

[Kitten-Girl-500]

In the shadows of the first battle, there's a mixture of discomfort and victory, a strange muddlement of pride and fear that defines the mood around the tree as the soldiers lament the possibility of worse things to come. The rest of the night and morning goes in silence. But upon waking something reaches out. A strange feeling overcomes the heroes- the visitors as they go about their tasks in the city. Dragging them out of the city and the tree's guard...pulling them deeper to the fields and into the forests... luring them somewhere else. To something better. To something good.
...as far as they know.

Who follows the strange impulse? The dragging will? Do they go willingly, or begrudgingly? Do they refuse it and stay with the tree?

Username: Kitten-Girl-500
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt:
Ichyr | Ravah | Subira | Luina
Link to their pride or group: Summitfall Pride
Prompt level completion: Level 5

Prompt:

【ＩＣＨＹＲ】

Ichyr watched Ravah pace back and forth in the lobby of Ikaika’s hospital. The mottled gray lion had gone back and forth so many times, the floor looked to be permanently scuffed in a straight line. “I can’t believe I brought her with me,” Ravah muttered for the eighty-third time in a row.

“We know,” Subira said. She sighed, then stood up from where she sat next to Ichyr. “Honestly, why are we standing around like this?”

“You call waiting for my daughter to wake up from a coma standing around?” Ravah whirled around, eyes alight with rage.

“Ravah, calm down,” Ichyr ordered.

Subira shook her head. “Ichyr and I are not doing any good here. I should be practicing battle moves in case those creeps show up again. Ichyr probably has leaderly things to go do.”

“‘Leaderly things?’” Ichyr echoed. “Since when have I done anything like that?”

“Since the moment we got here. You’ve been bossing us around ever since we stepped through the portal,” Subira pointed out.

Ichyr just blinked at her. Had he really been doing that?

The rattle-tailed lioness stalked off. “There’s no point wasting any more of my time. I’m out of here.”

Ravah flattened his ears. “Does she not even care that Luina is-”

“Of course she does,” Ichyr broke in. “Subira does have a point, though. We aren’t helping Luina by standing here.” He got to his paws. “I’m going to get us something to eat. We can’t be there for Luina if we starve to death.”

Ravah huffed, then sat down. “Fine,” he muttered. “Go ahead and leave. The only lion Luina needs right now is me anyway.”

Ichyr chose to ignore the comment; he knew that Ravah was thinking emotionally right now, and chastising him for it wouldn’t help matters.

He was just heading into the cafeteria when he felt a strange pull in his chest, going up to the surface and beyond the tree. Ichyr paused for a moment, waiting for the feeling to stop.

But it didn’t. It just grew stronger and stronger, now dragging him up toward the surface tunnel. Intrigued, Ichyr followed it, hoping to satisfy the strange sensation. He paid no mind to the strange looks he was getting as he made his way through the Meakanu district. He saw a flash of blue in the distance, as well as neon green and bright yellow. The locals here had the strangest pelts. Although, his bright scarlet pelt wasn’t much better.

Ichyr headed up through the surface tunnel. He nodded to the guards there, then watched as the roots opened to let him pass. Pale sunshine greeted him as he stepped onto the field. He could still see sludge and sticks left behind by the creatures from the previous night. The forest surrounding the field loomed like a wall in the distance. Feeling the tug draw him in that direction, Ichyr followed it, heading toward the forest and whatever dangers hid inside its depths. He did not know what lay inside, but whatever it was, he was about to find out.

515/500

【ＳＵＢＩＲＡ】

Subira felt her hackles raise and her tail begin to rattle as she made her way back to the Meakanu District. Ravah was pushing too many lions’ buttons for his own good, and if he didn’t stop soon, he had another thing coming for him.

She sighed, reminding herself to calm down. Ravah was just worried about Luina; thought she didn’t want to admit it, Subira was too. The little cub shouldn’t have been anywhere near the battle. Whether that was irresponsible parenting or the enemy’s fault, Subira couldn’t decide.

Her paws carried her toward the training grounds. She wanted to ask Kadiki about those creatures. Kadiki was a wise lioness, and she had lived for way longer than Subira had; maybe she knew more about the enemy.

The crystals embedded in the roots above slowly grew brighter, imitating the sunrise. It must have been getting lighter outside, signaling the dawn. Subira had to bite back a yawn. She’d been awake since… how late had it been? Midnight? Though she was exhausted, Subira was determined to talk to Kadiki before she had to rest.

The training grounds were near empty, except for Kadiki. She was practicing a solo drill in the center of the sand-covered ring, jabbing and striking at an imaginary enemy. As soon as Subira put a paw onto the sand, Kadiki turned around, her rosettes with neon green centers even more striking in the low light. “Ialis,” the older lioness greeted her.

“Ialis,” Subira repeated, bending her forelegs slightly in a short bow. The word was a greeting in Ikaika’s Ancient language. “I wanted to talk to you about the battle, Kadiki.”

“What about it?” Kadiki began moving in a slow, methodical style, going from battle pose to battle pose. It was a way to channel oneself and keep one’s battle moves precise and clean.

Subira joined her in the exercise, striking out at the air with the hard point of her tail. “Do you know anything about those creatures that showed up?”

The words stopped Kadiki, and it was a moment before the lioness responded. “They are spoken of in some of the Ancient legends. They are hiamoe, creatures birthed from the earth itself. They are dangerous and ruthless, and don’t hesitate to kill.” She locked gazes with Subira. “You were lucky to make it out of that battle alive.”

Subira felt a shiver run down her spine. Kadiki was right; the hiamoe she and Ravah had fought off had injured Luina to the point that the doctors weren’t sure she was going to wake up. Who knew how many more lions were going to be injured—or even killed—by the hiamoe before this war was over.

Just then Subira felt a strange tug in her chest, like something was pulling her. It was as if something was dragging her up to the surface, toward the fields, toward the forest beyond. Almost like a living being was calling to her from out there, calling for her to assist it…

Subira shook her head. Whatever the call was, there was no way she was answering it. Whoever was calling her could wait for someone else. There was too much she needed to do here.

“Are you alright?” Kadiki asked.

Subira shook off the last of the strange feeling. “Perfectly fine. You up for some sparring?”

557/500

[Tiger♥Bear]

In the shadows of the first battle, there's a mixture of discomfort and victory, a strange muddlement of pride and fear that defines the mood around the tree as the soldiers lament the possibility of worse things to come. The rest of the night and morning goes in silence. But upon waking something reaches out. A strange feeling overcomes the heroes- the visitors as they go about their tasks in the city. Dragging them out of the city and the tree's guard...pulling them deeper to the fields and into the forests... luring them somewhere else. To something better. To something good.
...as far as they know.

Who follows the strange impulse? The dragging will? Do they go willingly, or begrudgingly? Do they refuse it and stay with the tree?

Username: Tiger♥Bear
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Suha
Link to their pride or group: Pekee Pamoja
Prompt level completion: 5 (1,126 Words)
Prompt:

SPACEThe fight against the scouts had been successful but it seemed she wasn't the only one to think this was just the beginning and more soldiers could be expected. The rest of the day had been fine. No attacks. Suha had decided to spend more time practicing her combat skills. She was a quick learner and she thought she was getting better. Her reaction time was improving. She wasn't second guessing herself as much with her attacks. When she wasn't sparring, she was speaking with General Kamau. She would learn more about the plane of existence they were on. About the goddess- her purpose, her abilities, and things of the like.
SPACEWhen night came, it was still quiet. Something didn't seem right. Surely there must be more. The night passed slowly, her thoughts filled with uncertainty. As the night started to turn to morning, she took notice of a strange occurrence. Some of the champions were making their way toward the tunnel as if to leave. Peculiar, she thought. In that moment she felt it. A pressure in her mind. Something was telling her to leave. More concerned with the other champions- and assuming they were also being guided by this feeling- she decided to go along with it. For now. Suha wasn't a fool and she was very aware of manipulation. Tricks on the mind. Charms. Illusions. This feeling felt like those things.
SPACEShe followed the others through the tunnel and out into the field. It seemed some were going along as if this was normal. Others were reluctant to go but appeared pressured by their comrades. It was also apparent that not all of the champions left the city's walls. Perhaps some could see through the guise after all. Or simply didn't wish to leave the safety of the city. But she was hoping to figure this out, find out what this piece of the puzzle was. The closer she got to the trees of the forest beyond, the stronger the pull seemed to be. She could feel it trying to probe into her mind, convince her to come along past the trees. She had to give whoever was behind it credit. They made it seem very promising. A better place- a good place, to come to. But to Suha it felt wrong. Something wasn't right about this. She watched as some of the champions kept going, giving in and abandoning the tree. Some seemed to shake it off but were left confused, wandering around aimlessly. Searching around, she tried to see if there was a source of the pull. Of course, there wasn't. It would be ridiculous to be so exposed. Beside the persistent impulse to continue past the trees, she didn't sense anything else.
SPACENot wanting to risk staying out here exposing herself to possible dangers in the woods, she turned back to return to the tree. The champions who ventured on would have to fend for themselves. She wouldn't be able to bring them back to the tree. She didn't have the ability to remove the hold on them. It was instances like this when she wished Akbar was here. What she lacked in power, he made up for. However, after dealing with a few of the enemy it was best that he wasn't here. While she wasn't super effected by their attacks, it would be different for the god of creation. Her powers were parallel to those that would harm the tree. Her wounds could be fixed. Akbar's powers would be more useful back at the tree. Healing those that were injured, even mending the tree should it be damaged. He may hold some damaging spells, but he mostly offered support. Though he was much better at combat than she was so he could be useful on the field as well.
SPACEShe returned to the tree without incident. A few more champions had passed by. She lifted her head, ignoring them. There was nothing she could do for them now. Suha continued on down the tunnel and back into the city. Though now that she was here, she wasn't sure what to do. More sparring wouldn't hurt. Or perhaps getting some rest. Though if she were to spar, say with General Kamau, perhaps she could get some more information about what just happened. If not to gain information, than to at least share information. It could be informative to know. The general was speaking with a lion guardian just ahead. Perfect, she thought.
SPACE"Apologies, general. I was hoping for a moment of your time."
SPACE"Ah. 'iilhat aldamar. Pleasure to see you again." The smokey cat gave a gentle nod of his head. "I actually have duties to attend to that demand my attention. Perhaps my associate can be of assistance. This," he gestured with a paw toward the lion, "is Mandla. He is another general."
SPACEThe goddess looked at the lion. He was white with soft jade spots, eyes shared the same green hue. The tail tuft matched the mane which was a brilliant emerald with softer jade streaks and some white flecks. He bowed his head to her in greeting to which she gave a nod back. Looking back to Kamau, she gave a quick smile. "Thank you, general."
SPACEKamau bowed his head then shared a look with Mandla before leaving the two lions. The green lion spoke up. "What can I help you with, 'iilhat aldamar?"
SPACE"A couple of things, actually. I was hoping to share some information or perhaps gain information. Can you dance and talk at the same time?" She tilted her head toward the sparring rings. He seemed to catch on and gave a smile.
SPACE"I'm the best at it." With that, he headed for the ring.
SPACEShe smirked and followed behind him. "We'll see."
SPACEThey entered the ring and got into position. After they both acknowledged each other, they began to circle the ring. Mandla made the first move. He rushed her but she dodged the attack, making sure to keep her body facing him in case he made another attack. Which he did make. This time, she blocked and made an attack of her own. Her paw connected with his chest and she pushed him back.
SPACE"Good." He stepped forward and raised a paw, wanting to engage in paw to paw combat. She nodded in understanding and came up, the two exchanging blows. Blocks, punches, pushes, and even swipes. "So. What was it- huh- you wanted to -ha!- talk about?"
SPACE"Earlier." She spoke between blows. "I felt an influence. A charm. Or manipulation spell. It seems to have had an effect on a lot of the champions."
SPACE"That is troubling. What else-huh-do you know?"
SPACE"They were being led-huh-out to the forest. I didn't want-ah-to risk getting caught."
SPACEMandla stepped back. Suha also stepped back trying to catch her breath. He looked at her. "We must be vigilant. If they can influence us from beyond the reaches of the forest... I worry about what else they can do."

[Firedancer77]

Username: Firedancer77
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Envy, Kina, Cole
Link to their pride or group: Isle of Roses and Graveyard of Gods
Prompt level completion: Level 5
Prompt:

Envy had two goals for her time in the world on the other side of the portal, both of which she felt like were logical and fair for her to have while she was playing as a champion for a goddess in a tree.

Firstly, Envy intended to do whatever she could (within reason) to try and fight against the oncoming army of decay, as she was pretty sure the champions were calling them. She would help plan, she would fight (not in the middle of things, but maybe on the outskirts of the battlefield, against the weak dregs of the army, or, if they found a way, from a distance, where there was no risk of Envy getting killed in the battle), and she would try to gather as much information as she could.

But the second goal trumped any others, including the first goal. And that second goal was to not die, because if Envy died (or even got grievously injured), she would have a very hard time going back and proving Pride wrong, and Envy was determined to see Pride's face fall as she triumphantly returned. Everything she did while she was through the portal, every move she made, was calculated around the risk of death that came with it. She wasn't going to do anything that risked her failing to accomplish that second goal, even if it meant that her first goal would not be accomplished. That one was completely unimportant in comparison to the goal of staying alive, not even just because she wanted to spite Pride, but also because Envy simply was not ready to die.

All of that boiled down to one simple sentiment in Envy's mind when she found her head turning to face the entrance of the city and a thrumming building up inside her, a call in her ears urging her to follow many of the other champions out of the city and to who knows where in the strange world: no way.

Envy didn't care that the call seemed good. She didn't care that many of the other champions seemed to be adhering to the call, which was really a glorified feeling that seemed very intent on luring them outside of the city that they knew to be safe (for the most part). She didn't even care that her not going might mean that the goddess died or something else equally as ridiculous (because seriously, why should her decision not go impact whether or not the goddess died, when it seemed like hundreds of other champions were going to follow it and find out what it was about? One measly golden she-cat, however amazing she may be, shouldn't change that).

Envy was not going to risk her life by exiting the city and chance facing off against who knows what simply because she experienced some weird feeling alongside everyone else that suggested they leave the safety of the underground city beneath the tree encasing the goddess. Nothing sounded like a better deal than an underground city beneath a tree that encased a goddess. Envy was not going to be swayed on that matter.

So, with a dramatic huff, she pulled her head away from watching the mass exodus of champions out the entrance of the city (though, if she was being honest, not as many went as she was expecting, which, if anything, only solidified her feelings on the decision she made to remain), and Envy ignored the way her paws itched to follow after everyone else as she walked deeper into the city. She was fully intent on outlasting this feeling in her gut, and she would do it gladly.
---
There was a thrumming in her veins that Kina could not ignore. It came out of nowhere in the afternoon, the day after the attack, and it was calling her, a low pounding inside of her (though not an uncomfortable one, just a beating alongside her heart that she couldn't control or quiet) that was begging her to follow it. But where did it want her to follow it too? Kina didn't know, but she felt it tugging at her eyes, at her paws, at her heart, urging her to go to the city's entrance, to venture beyond what she already knew (in the vaguest of senses) in this world and go to where it called her.

She wasn't positive, but the lioness could swear that the call was not all that different from the one that had convinced her to go through the portal in the first place, the one that had led her to go behind her pridemates' backs and against what her father's decision probably would have been (and against his instructions to stay away from the portal) because she just felt that she was meant to be the champion representing the Isle of Roses. If she trusted that call then, she would trust this one now.

As she slowly crept towards the entrance of the city, hesitant as she tried to ignore the part of her brain that nagged her to stay where she knew she was safe, Kina stumbled directly into another lion.

"Oh, I'm so sor-" she cut off herself as she looked up to meet the lion's eyes.

They glowed like embers against his dark fur, and were distinct enough that she recognized them even without initially noticing the pale gold mane framing his face. This was the lion that had helped her during the fight the other day, the one who she had inadvertently caused to get injured: Cole. Immediately, she ducked her head in embarrassment, paw nervously scraping at the ground.

After a moment of silence, Kina looked up to see Cole offering her a gentle smile, tilting his head to the side as if he was examining her. He didn't look mad, but Kina still felt bad; in fact, if anything, the fact that he didn't seem mad just made her feel even worse. At least if he was mad at her, Kina could feel a bit less guilty, because if someone got mad at you for bumping into them on accident, especially at night, they weren't a good person, because you can't really blame someone for bumping you. However, he didn't seem to blame her at all, even offering a mumbled comment that she was fairly certain was him taking the blame himself and saying he should have been watching where he was going, and that frustrated her.

[ 1081/1000 words ]

continued here

[Frisco]

Username: Frisco
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Sen, Rei, Varjo, Marlevort
Link to their pride or group: Night Watch | Purradise Lost
Prompt level completion: 5
Prompt:

The night after the fight went quietly. They all sat together talking excitedly about the events of the day, but slowly, one by one, headed off to sleep. Tired both physically and physically they drifted off into a land of dreams pretty quickly.

Marlevort slept on a ridge overlooking the rest of his new team. He moved uncomfortably and his blue eye opened. The cave was illuminated with colourful crystals and runes. It was hard to tell if it was day or night or how long he’d slept. It didn’t matter anyway, as he was woken up by a weird emotion. He couldn’t quite tell exactly how it made him feel.

For a moment he thought he heard a voice or rather a melody. It spoke to him without words, but he could still derive meaning from the sound. It promised him knowledge. Power greater than he could find here. A place better, safer. All he had to do was follow it.

He opened another eye and put his head up, listening in to the voice. He wondered what the wizard would say. Probably nothing. He never spoke much, though he did give Marlevort a speech before he entered a portal. He only gave instructions and warnings, never commanded Mar to do anything. If he asked him now what he should do, follow his feelings or stay and fight, he would probably smile one of his smiles that meant he knew more than anyone else, but wouldn’t say anything, leaving the choice to Marlevort. Perhaps he already knew what Marley would choose anyway. Noone really knew how far Zappersnap’s knowledge reaches, except for himself.

The little cat stood up, his black and orange tail twitching a little. He jumped down onto the floor of dirt and stone and made his way between the sleeping lions. His small, agile paws made no sound. He travelled through the long corridors, stopping from time to time to listen out for the voice to tell him which way to go. He wanted to communicate with it, but it was no more than a sound, a sentiment. Perhaps if he tried singing back to it? He bit his lower lip and lay his ears over his head. The thought alone made him uncomfortable. Carefully, he looked around to see if the coast was clear. There was noone in sight. It was worth a try. He took a deep breath.

- Meeeeow? - he tried shyly, melodically and immediately blushed.

There was no response. All this embarrassment for nothing. He started with a quicker pace, hoping to get away from this feeling. As he neared the exit of the underground city, he was met with many more felines heading the same way. They all had slightly confused, but curious even hopeful looks on their faces. They must have felt the same strange sensation he did and decided to follow it. As they emerged from between the roots and stepped onto the soft grass he took a closer look at his companions. Stars shining in the night sky and runes glowing on the tree illuminated their furs. Marlevort was pretty sure he saw the silhouette of Varjo, a lion he fought with yesterday. With him were two others from their group. Their commander and Rei were nowhere in sight.

-----

Sen got woken up by raised voices. Rei and Vari were arguing again in theatrical whispers. He groaned. Didn’t they have to face enough enemies yesterday? Did they really have to fight each other too?

Slowly he got up, stretched, extending his claws and yawned. His bruises from the battlefield still hurt a little. He shook his head, fluffing up his thick mane. He walked towards the area he heard the voices from, but suddenly stopped. His subordinates were quiet, but he seemed to hear something else. It seemed to be just at the edge of his hearing, more of a feeling than an actual sound. He had a sudden urge to leave the underground city, but he resisted it. The unknown entity was telling him that something better, greater lay beyond the boundaries of the tree. Could it be trusted? Any more than the goddess anyway?

He reached Rei, who sat on the hard, dirt floor and fumed slightly. Three other felines from their yesterday’s squad were still there, Vari and two other were absent. So was the black and orange cat.

- What happened? I heard you arguing.

Rei rolled his eyes.

- They had a “feeling” - he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm - and followed it.

- What do you mean? - Sen asked, though he expected he already knew the answer.

- You must have heard it too, right? The voice saying that rainbows and sunshine await anyone who abandons the tree. The obvious trap!

His tail whooshed and a growl rose from his chest.

Sen wanted to say “you shouldn’t have let them go”, but Rei wasn’t responsible for them. He, Sen, was. He bit his lip. Even if they followed them now and tried to stop them, did he really have any right to? He would do it in a heartbeat if he knew he could save them that way, but… They knew as much about the voice as they knew about the goddess, which was basically nothing. Maybe they were right to follow and he was in the wrong. He would just have to accept their decision, he did not know what else to do. Things were turning more complex than he ever expected.

- What about you? - he asked, turning to Rei and the rest of the group, who were listening in.

Rei shrugged.

- I’m all for breaking the rules and following your gut, but those aren’t my feelings. Something is making me feel them and that’s suspicious.

A large, blue cat nodded in agreement.

- Yes, we can’t trust it. We swore to protect the goddess, we cannot turn back on her.

- But, what if it really can show us a better place? Maybe even a way to stop this war - chimed in a young lion with glowing green markings.

They all turned their heads and looked at Sen. He was so happy when the war between dreams and nightmares ended and he didn’t have to make such hard decisions. Questioning the authorities, fearing spies, not knowing who to trust or what to do to save his pride without needlessly endangering them. And here he was again. He took a deep breath before speaking.

- I will not tell you what to do. We have no way of knowing if that feeling is a friend or an enemy. All I know that you’re good folk and I don’t want to see you get hurt. I responded to the cry for help and I intend to do my best to protect you by staying here and preparing for another attack of the army of decay.

They all looked encouraged, a lioness even smiled at him. He wished he could’ve felt the same.

[ 1162 words ]

[-wild-]

In the shadows of the first battle, there's a mixture of discomfort and victory, a strange muddlement of pride and fear that defines the mood around the tree as the soldiers lament the possibility of worse things to come. The rest of the night and morning goes in silence. But upon waking something reaches out. A strange feeling overcomes the heroes- the visitors as they go about their tasks in the city. Dragging them out of the city and the tree's guard...pulling them deeper to the fields and into the forests... luring them somewhere else. To something better. To something good.
...as far as they know.

Who follows the strange impulse? The dragging will? Do they go willingly, or begrudgingly? Do they refuse it and stay with the tree?

Username: -wild-
Link to lion(s) involved in prompt: Bigwig, Lander + Katara
Link to their pride or group: Rosetinted Pride
Prompt level completion: Lvl 5
Prompt: below

Katara heaved, trying to control her heavy breath. All the felines below the great tree had only just finished the preparations when the first attack came...

She could still hear it, the banging of the drums echoed through her mind. It was enough to drive her mad... Horns sounds and the drums banged on and on and on...

"Katara?" Lander's voice snapped her out of it. She looked up to him, grunting in response. Lander sighed, "We should head to the healers, get your wounds properly looked at... Bigwig's there already."

Katara nodded, "Okay. Let's go."

The healers were located further into the underground city, at the back. It meant at least that, if the enemies were to break through there lines and into the city, they'd have a harder time managing to get there.

Even on the way to the healers den, Katara couldn't help but feel like the enemies were to easy to beat... Their side suffered injuries of course but, it wasn't anything overly bad? And that made her suspicious.

"You're thinking," Lander said, chuckling.

"Of course I'm thinking, we're just out of a battle!" Katara snapped, "I'm surprised that you came out without a scratch given your head on approach to it too..."

Lander just rolled his eyes, "They were made of ... mud? And wood. I didn't think anything but a head on approach would get things done."

Katara sighed, "Don't you think it was a little... too easy? I don't know, maybe I was just expecting more..."

Lander shrugged, "I mean, I guess. But I don't think that was the main battle Katara... At the very least, we know the voice was telling the truth."

Bigwig spotted his pride lions coming as one of the peoples of the city treated him. He smiled, motioning them over.

Both lions trotted up to their leader, Katara laying by his side, "Bigwig! How are you? Okay?" She asked concerned.

Bigwig chuckled, "I'm absolutely find, just some mild abrasions," He looked to the lion helping him, "Could you perhaps see to my lioness here? She has a few cuts that could use some seeing too."

Katara rolled her eyes, "I'm really fi-Oh, oh, um alright." Before she could finish the Lion had already nodded to Bigwig, and started working immediately on Katara's wounds.

Bigwig smiled to Lander, "As clean as always, Lander my friend."

Lander chuckled, "Can't let them get a hit in, then it gets messy." He winked, waiting as his friends were treated.

The treatment didn't take too long, thankfully, and many more lions and cats were needing to be seen too, so Bigwig and his pride wandered off into the city. They were able to stock up on supplies, get some food and water and finally were able to settle in for the night.

"This way," Bigwig announced, "We have a settlement quite high up. It's really rather comfortable."

"Settlement?" Katara questioned, following her king.

Bigwig nodded, "Yes, a place for us to sleep and rest when we aren't preparing. They have ample space. And they needed it too to house all these felines." He chuckled as he led them up some wood roven staircase.

He was not lying when he said the settlement was high up. Lander was almost not able to look down they were that high... Which of course made Katara laugh.

Bigwig brought them into the large space. They entered through an oval gap in two tree like roots, just big enough for a lion, the space inside took their breath away.

"Wow," Katara gasped, "It's ... lovely."

Lander smiled, "Hmm, we could fit another three lions in here if we really wanted!"

The space was made from three walls of wood and bark and roots. The roots seemed to glow a light blue shade through the walls, giving the lions a little bit of light to see. Where the fourth wall would of been was a small bush that ran along from one wall to another. On the other side was a drop, straight down into the city. But from where they were, they could see everything... The training grounds, all the felines moving from one place to another, the entrance place, the healers den, the fod den. Literally everything was visible.

The ground was a luscious soft grass, longer in some places which they presumed would before them to sleep and bed in. Lander took full advantage of one of the sleeping areas, sprawling himself out and rolling around.

Katara rolled her eyes, "You're such a big cub..."

Bigwig chuckled, "It would be him to take the corner spot too." The founder lion walked over to a branch, coming from the right hand side wall and began to get comfortable in his long grass bed.

"I thought you would like the one close to the 'window'." Bigwig smiled to Katara.

Katara smiled back, she liked to know what was going on, "Yes please..."

She made her way over, walking in circles until she found the right position to lay down in. The bush separating her from the settlement and the very long drop was small, small enough for her to rest her head on and watch the going ons of the felines below.

As the night went on, Bigwig and Lander eventually fell asleep, exhausted from the previous days battle. Katara however, struggled greatly with her sleep that night.

She tossed and turned, but the lioness simply could not shake the unsettling yet intriguing... She wanted to know more but it came in waves. It made her want to get up, leave the city, go outside, explore, find something? She didn't know. And when the wave had passed she felt still again. The impulse disrupted her sleep the entire night.

The next morning was no different for Katara, she still felt the waves of impulses calling her out into the forests, but she could still not pinpoint where she was to go or why this was happening.

Breakfast had finished and the other felines had all broke off to train and go about their duties like the day before. But that was when she noticed it... some of the other felines seemed to be feeling the same thing.

She overheard whispers and conversations of the strange impulsive pulling them out. She watched as some felines journeyed out into the forests beyond.

"Where are they going?!" Lander pondered, watching them go.

"They're following their impulses..." Katara said eerily.

Lander gave her an odd look, "Eh?!"

"Don't you feel it Lander? Something seems to be... calling us. There's something out there. Something we need to find." Katara looked out of the city entrance.

"No I haven't 'felt' something calling me? What the hell are you on about Katara?" Lander looked very confused.

"So you've felt it also..." Bigwig murmured.

"Bigwig?" Katara looked relieved, "You've felt it too?"

Bigwig nodded, his eyes dark, "All through the night... I thought I was only dreaming but, it seems we are not alone."

Lander snorted, "Well you guys surely aren't following it right?"

Katara and Bigwig just looked at the beige lion. Lander sighed, "Really?"

"Come on! We should go now, the soon we get there the sooner we find out!" Katara called, leaping forwards and running straight out of the city.

Bigwig smiled and followed the lioness out and through the city entrance.

Lander sighed, "Well," He began dragged his paws over to follow, "Here we go I guess..."

[EchoIre]

Username: EchoIre
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Chetan and Kamala| Hazel
Link to their pride or group: Motoheri Pride | Hallow's Edge
Prompt level completion: Level 5
Prompt: x