Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Khalida, Nthanda, Ravi, Valerius
Link to their pride or group: xxXxx
Prompt level completion: Level 5
Prompt:
Story A
After the surprise attack, your cats find their way to safety to get patched up and rest. They're left alone to regain themselves, before being roused again by the evening when the army is gathering its forces "The time is nearing... The real army is coming" A soldier tells them solemnly. "If they get through, they'll corrupt our goddess... They'll wither her away to nothing and we'll all be doomed." They're stoic and though obviously restless- the soldiers native to this odd world between worlds seem resigned to their fate of battling or facing doom. As if they'd done this many times before. "Quick to the surface.... Our forces are waiting." the cats are ordered. "Find somewhere you will be most useful."
This is your cats chance to flee in the chaos, to try and find a way home, join the other army, or to find their place among the ranks of soldiers gathering in the meager light of dusk in this strange world. The roots and tree around them seems to shudder in anticipation of the battle to come. Who's told to be left behind? Who isn't ready yet? Who can stand with solidarity, and who second guesses their every move and preparation?
The creatures lurk, staring unblinking. Former friends gather among them, watching them in silence. As if they're not the ones who have chosen in error.
Story B
"We rise at midday" The haphazard and withered tree had declared, to the excitement of the creatures around it. And so it had- its creatures (At least coherent to some degree of its words) All stood at precisely midday, and began to move. They didn't order or command, or even address the cats who chose to stay with them. They simply stood...and left, beckoning them to follow, if so loyal they'd remain. As they approached the tree of life, they spread. Into a haphazard army, with no real organization. For all their numbers and the strange beings at their disposal- they followed no leader and followed no plan. They were there to attack, and that was all they knew.
Could your cats become a leader? Could they stand up and organize creatures who do not know how to do so themselves? Would they slip into the ranks, even seeing obvious flaws, and let it work itself out? Can they fare with the sight of their friends turning on them? Would they try to convince them to switch sides? Who would?
In the distance...as two sides prepare for a war of life and decay, there is the faint smell of rain.
"We rise at midday."
Khalida was uncertain this bunch was ready to face any kind of fight. She had done her best, along with a few other lions and cats, to get everyone in shape. But right now he wasn’t feeling too confident in their chances.
The creatures at best could rely on their brute strength but they had no real sense of organization or unity. But perhaps their numbers and strength alone would end up being enough.
Of course, she didn’t really want them to win, if only because for all she knew her sister was still there with the tree. But really she wasn’t sure she wanted either side to win. Though she had tried she had failed to gather any real, positive information on either tree or their followers. Because of that she felt no less reluctant then before to pledge herself to either side completely.
No, she intended to remain neutral, inwardly at least. For now she was outwardly a loyal followed of this dying tree and the decaying army that led them back to the great tree.
As they got closer to the tree they began to spread out in an almost random fashion and Khalida sighed, shaking her head. Someone had to do something about this.
“Wait!” She flew up above them, hovering above the ground before the army. “We must have some order here or all of this is for nothing.”
A few lions and cats seemed to agree and one lion came to stand at the front of the group near her. “The forces we go against are well organized by now, trained and efficient. We stand no chance in this disorderly fashion.”
“What do you suggest we do?” One cat asked in an ill-tempered way. “We can’t train these beasts, I doubt they understand a thing we say.”
“Even if they can’t understand our words we can still show them what to do,” Khalida interjected. During their time with the army she had observed that, as long as they were allied, the creatures were not too hard to persuade into doing what they wanted.
“Sounds like an awful lot of work to put in at the last minute,” the same cat said, still not seeming convinced.
“Would you rather not even try and just die here?” The lion retorted. “No? I thought not. So let’s at least try. We all want to go home to our worlds, our prides, I assume. To march in like this is madness.”
The cat begrudgingly dipped their head in acquiescence and the lion who had been speaking, along with Khalida, Valerius, and a few others who joined them, they began trying to bring some semblance of form and order to the army.
~……………~
"The time is nearing... The real army is coming."
Nthanda shuddered a little at those words. She wasn’t sure she was really prepared. Not even sure Ravi who was trained mostly for fighting, was really prepared for a threat like this.
“It seems too soon,” she murmured to him, wincing a little as she moved and upset an injury to her shoulder.
“We had little time to prepare,” he replied quietly, his gaze turning to the speaker at his next words.
"If they get through, they'll corrupt our goddess... They'll wither her away to nothing and we'll all be doomed."
“I wonder if they can hurt her just by touching her,” Nthanda mused. “We didn’t find much information on her weaknesses. But…where there is death there is life. I wonder what might rise up in her place.” She spoke quietly, not wanting the citizens to hear her and take her words as offense or threat.
“I find our lack of information disturbing and suspicious,” he muttered.
“As do I. But we have done our best to find out more and been misguided or turned away.” Nthanda glanced around as she spoke. She couldn’t help wondering why these soldiers already seemed resigned, almost expectant. Had this happened before? If it had, had some escaped? Or if not, where did all of them come from?
"Quick to the surface.... Our forces are waiting."
Those words jolted Nthanda out of her thoughts and she followed Ravi to the surface, unable to help wondering if this was all worth it and this fight was one worth the risks they faced.
As they got to the surface she was disheartened to see the sheer number of creatures gathered before them in the army. And even more so to see how many lions and cats were among them.
Without thinking she found herself looking for her sister and Valerius among the crowd. It took her only a moment to spot the winged lioness, and the prince not far from her side.
[i]
Was she joining the other army? Or was this all part of some plan of hers? [/i]
Nthanda couldn’t help but wonder, but as much as she wanted to approach her and see what she was up to she stayed back, waiting as the two sides faced off and wondering who would be the first to attack.
Briefly Ravi had glanced back at the tree, wondering if the ever so great goddess would say anything, make any remarks, or leave them all to fight it out without any guidance or wisdom.
Truthfully he suspected it could go either way. He had serious doubts about her, perhaps due to his usual wariness of strangers and ‘higher powers’ like her. Whatever the reason he couldn’t help feeling irritation as her lack of real information thus far. Following blindly by faith didn’t sit well with him, and nothing she had done during their time here had especially assured him of her honesty or purpose.
Now as he looked back out over the army he wondered not for the first time why such a goddess couldn’t just defeat them herself, or with her own forces, rather than dragging mortals and other-world lions into her messy affairs. Somewhere in the back of his mind he remembered that mortals and supposed gods didn’t mix well. He’d always had that deep seated belief, but had no idea where it had come from or what had brought him to it, only knowing he couldn’t shake it. Especially not now as he faced down a decaying army and had to face the prospect of losing members of his group to battle he wasn’t entirely convinced they needed to take on.