Journey to the Trinity Tree - Summer event prompts

[wucaian]

Username: wucaian
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Moon
Link to their pride or group: Mountain Pass Pride
Prompt level completion: [Lvl. 5/1004 words]
Prompt: -June 10-
The portal was unexpected to say the least. The battle had taken a toll on everyone. Steps were weighed down with exhaustion. Grimaces of pain appeared on most faces. And then there were the ones who laid staring into nothing, minds a buzz with the cries of battle and claws tearing through wood and flesh. Moon wasn’t unaffected. Her shoulder ached, despite the healing one of the Mages had performed on it. She walked through the tunnels, helping others along where she could. She just wanted to curl up in her den and sleep for a week. But not really. Teams had been chosen for watch duty through the night, and tomorrow the leader of the Guardians would call them into the great hall for debriefing.

She wakes in the morning to a flurry of activity. Only snippets of conversation are able to penetrate the wooly morning fuzz in her head.

Who coul-

-ow why.

-might lose-

Outside-

Moon gets to her feet and stumbles out of her den. Lions and other creatures are rushing back and forth through the tunnels. She blinks the sleep from her eyes and then spies someone who’s rushing a little slower than the others.

“Exscuse me,” she says, voice raspy from sleep. The lion stops and whips their head around to look at her. “What’s going on? Everyone’s upset about something.”

“Portals have opened in front of the tree,” they say. No mincing words today. “No one knows who would have had the power to conjure them. Or would want to do so right now.”

Moon’s brow furrows. Portals? Could one of them lead back to her world? She has to know. So she turns and heads for the entrance in the roots of the tree. Rising out of the tunnels she sees what they meant. Six swirling portals surround the tree in a rough circle. One is purple, two are a stormy blue, one is midnight black, another crackles with yellow lightning, and one glows the colors of a sunset. Champions from nine different worlds were called before the goddess. But there are only six portals. If any were to lead her home, Moon guesses it would be one of the blue ones which are similar to the one that brought her here.

But would she go back? A lot has happened here. She’s seen and done a lot in this world. She has helped them win two battles now against the army of rot. Someone bumps into her and shoulders her aside as they make their way out of the tunnels. The red and white lion surveys the portals with a grim expression on their face.

“You should get inside,” they say without turning to look at her. Their voice is low with anger she thinks, and not just the general deep rumble the lions of this realm seem to have.

“Has the meeting been called yet?” she asks.

“Go inside,” they repeat.

Perturbed, Moon turns and descends back into the tunnels. The walk to the great hall is quieter than her walk outside. Everyone is probably with the leaders right now. Moon picks up her pace. She she soon comes to the entrance of the great hall. The atmosphere inside it tinged with the same anxiety from the morning. She joins at the back of the crowd. At the front the crowd is the head Mage, while the leader of the Guardians is nowhere to be seen.

Moon leans over the the creature standing on her left. “What did I miss? Weren’t the Guardians supposed to speak to us?”

“They did. They deferred to the head Mage because of the portals opening up this morning.”

“I know this must be worrying,” the head Mage speaks. “With the portals open, there is a chance for some of you champions to return home.”


There is more uneasy shifting and sidelong glances at this.

“Those feelings are not something to be ashamed of.You all have made the difference these past battles. Things could have been much worse if not for you. But if you would wish to return to your own world, we will not stop you.”

There is an uproar. Calls to why, of denial, of accusation. Moon joins the calls of solidarity. She is not going to leave the goddess’s followers to their fate. She may have wondered upon seeing the portals. She wants desperately to get a message home, to tell them what she’s learned and to warn them. But she will not abandon this fight. The Mage lets them continue for another moment before silencing them with a glare.

“This is our decree. No one shall stand in the way of the champions.” Then their expression turns less severe and their gaze seems to fix over the crowd in the middle distance. “I cannot guarantee the portals will stay open for long. Without knowing who conjured them, we cannot guess how much power was channeled. The sooner you make your decisions the better chance you have of following through. You are dismissed. The Guardians will present our next steps come nightfall.”

The crowd begins to leave. Moon stands still as the other creatures flow around her like a river. Are they just going to wait? The Guardians were supposed to address them this morning. Moon knows that planning takes time from experience. But leaving this is just sloppy. The head guard and captains of her pride would be much more proactive about something like this.

Once she’s shaken herself out of her reverie, she turns and follows the remaining creatures into the tunnels. She heads straight for the den she shares with the rest of her group. Going up to look at the portals again is just inviting doubt. She will return to her pride. She has to believe that. Until then, it is best they do not know what’s happening. They can’t change this. And, should she and the others fail, destruction will come quickly for her world and all the others.

[Firedancer77]

Username: Firedancer77
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Envy, Kina, Cole, Gluttony, Maji ( Galilee and Grimm both also came through, though it is not touched on here )
Link to their pride or group: Isle of Roses and Graveyard of Gods
Prompt level completion: Level 5
Prompt:

The moment Envy saw the portal, she knew what she was going to do. There was the risk that it wasn't going to lead where she thought it would, but at this point, she did not care. Envy had no intentions of sticking this fight out any longer. This was not her realm; this was not her war to fight. She had tried to help, and the golden she-cat felt that she had done her part. She had seen, she had learned, and as curious as she was to know what had been said to sway so many of the champions to the side of decay, it was not worth dying. Envy's primary goal was still to survive and see the look on Pride's face when she triumphantly returned, and right now, she had a way to fulfill that goal.

So, naturally, she stepped through.

Her triumphant return did not go unnoticed. Envy wasn't certain where she would return, but as it turned out, she didn't have to worry about drawing the eye of the other cats in the Depths if she did indeed get deposited there. As she stepped out, the cats of the Graveyard of Gods stepped back, gasping as she exited and set all four paws back on familiar territory. Everyone looked shocked as the murmuring began, except for Gluttony, which was not what Envy was expecting. Though Lust's surprise was amusing, Pride's gaping was truly comical.

And just as she expected, he immediately began to peddle utter nonsense to his blind followers. "It's a miracle! Envy has been returned to us, alive and well and back in her mortal form."

Envy smirked knowingly at the tom cat. "Yes, I was given a choice, and I chose to return to this form and this world rather than staying and reattaining my full godhood. I simply could not leave my friends behind, now could I?"

He got the message, grinning at her as he said through gritted teeth, "Of course not. That is what makes you a proper hero. We had feared the worst when you did not return from the realm of the gods, but we all know now we had nothing to fear. Tell us, what was it you were summoned for? What was on the other side of the portal?"

"I am not to disclose what happens in the realm of the gods," Envy responded in a sweet tone, smile never leaving her face as Pride seemed to resist the urge to claw her face out, "as I'm sure you know. However," the golden she-cat glanced to the two other supposed Gods, Lust and Gluttony. Despite not really caring about what happened to the tree gods and who lived or died, Envy did feel somewhat responsible for at least sending some other help in her stead, especially since she'd thought several times that someone else would have been more equipped, "they have requested the presence of another God, Gluttony."

The black and white she-cat immediately stepped forward, red eyes glinting dangerously. "Me?"

Envy nodded, ignoring whatever Pride was going to say as she gestured for Gluttony to come closer. "There is a war between gods on the other side of that portal," she whispered to her once she was close, lips still curled into a smirk at the look of irritation on Pride's face, "and you are a far stronger warrior than I ever was. I do not care who you fight for. Fight for the goddess, or decay, or both, or neither for all I care. However, I believe someone ought to replace me as a champion there, someone who can fight."

She honestly expected Gluttony to open her mouth and give away absolutely everything, but instead, the she-cat just seemed properly invigorated as she pulled away, smirking at Envy as she gave a mock salute with her tail. "Understood," she said with a grin, and then she turned around and stepped through the portal without a moment of hesitation, no questions asked. It was the best result she could have asked for in the situation she was in, and Envy could not be smugger as she turned to look at Pride, lifting her head up and silently challenging him to speak against anything she had just said or done.

And like the slimy coward he was, he said nothing.
---
The moment the portal opened, Kina knew she wasn't going to do anything about it. She was not about to leave when she had come so far and invested so much into the fight that was unfolding. The brown and black lioness was going to see this out to the end, no matter what it took.

That resolve didn't prepare her for Maji to come stumbling through the portal, her black eyes sending shivers down Kina's spine as she realized how similar they seemed to the eyes of the army of decay. (Despite fighting alongside them, the younger lioness still was not any more accustomed to their bizarre behavior than she was before she joined this side of the war, which was saying a lot, because before all Kina had thought was that they were vile creatures who were fighting for evil and attacking them.)

"By the rose, you really did come through here," Maji said as she stared down the Heir, stepping towards her as expression morphed to one of disapproval. "Do you have any idea how worried your family is? You disappear without a word, a message, nothing. All we know is that both you and the portal, the portal your father explicitly told everyone not to touch, were gone, and we were left to assume what had happened. We didn't even know how we could contact you again or find you. Nasaba has given me strict orders to send you back and gauge whether whatever is going on here requires me to stay or not. So, Kina, do not argue with me. If you'd like, you can fill me in on what is happening here, but then I want you to go straight-"

"Um, Maji?" Kina said timidly, flinching at the glare the Soldier fixed her with. "The portal has closed."

The older lioness glanced behind her before silently looking back to Kina, who sheepishly grinned at her. "Your father is going to kill me."

"Tell me about it."

[ 1058/1000 words ]

likely will be continued when I have time

[minifun990]

Username: minifun990
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt:Ladon Melli and now Dahlia, Eleri, Jovano and Samena
Link to their pride or group:Mystic Isles
Prompt level completion: 5 (1033)
Prompt: June 10th

[Frisco]

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

The battle was coming to an end. The fighters, exhausted, were returning to their bases to rest and recover to later set forth into battle once more. Sen’s party consisted of only a couple felines so despite their best efforts there were many wounded. They were being tended to by various healers and medics.

Sen and his team took respite in a small glade between large trees. They were mostly okay. The large lioness with spiky mane had the most scars and some wounds still bleeding, but she looked to be still full of strength and did not wince even once when a small she-cat was patching her up. Marlevort, though just a small kitten that could’ve easily been trampled by the armies, looked perfectly fine. His tail was wagging lazily from side to side as his watchful eyes observed the battlefield, now empty.

They started discussing strategies. What to do, whether they should join either side, what to ask the trees and how to convince them of the error of their actions. Before they could reach a conclusion, before they decided on any action, their attention was shifted back to the area surrounding the tree of the goddess. Just like the day they arrived here, portals started opening everywhere around it. They all stood up and moved closer, curious of what was happening.

A large lion with a horned helmet rushed towards one of the portals.

- That’s my home! - he shouted. - I can go back! - and without a look behind him he jumped through. For a moment they could still see him running between jungle trees until he disappeared behind them. And so, the portal closed.

All champions were exchanging nervous looks. They could go back home. But should they?

Sen turned to his group. The denizens looked worried, they did not want to be abandoned by their heroes when the battle wasn’t over and the final one was still upon them.

- The portals… they’re back. But why?

Sen shook his head.

- Nothing in this place is ever clear.

They stepped between countless portals. Various lions and cats were disappearing inside them or in turn, coming out of them and into this strange land. Friends and families were being reunited. Some were pulled back by their loved ones, others got their reinforcements and were immediately beginning to explain the situation and forming new tactics. Sen turned to Rei, Varjo and the little cat.

- It’s our chance to go back. We don’t know what will happen if we stay. If we can change anything. If the portals reopen when everything is over. - He looked serious. - Not all of us may survive to find out.

Varjo gulped. Rei looked at him and spoke, without the usual irony in his voice.

- You should go back. You’re not a fighter anyway.

Varjo thought about it for a moment, they all waited in silence. It was true, but also the plan was not to fight, but to end the fighting. He was afraid, definitely. He could just go back, but… what would the people in his village say? He volunteered to be the hero, was he now to run like a coward? He would hear no end of it from his captain, but even more so… He would always regret it.

- I’ll stay - he said and realised that his voice wasn’t shaking like he expected it to.

- You don’t have to stay just because of your ego - Rei told him. - I can even write a letter to your captain saying that you were a hero, saved a princess or whatever and so on. There’s no point in dying just to keep your pride.

Vari smiled, cheekily, unusually for him.

- Don’t underestimate me. I chose to be a champion and I will see this til the end.

- I might just develop some respect for you, lil cousin - Rei grinned in response and ruffled the hair on Var’s head.

- What about you? You never wanted to be here in the first place.

Rei sighed ostentatiously and when he spoke, you could hear a joking tone in his voice.

- I’d go, but the villagers from my place will just push me back in. They have zero respect for their captain, so rude.

They all looked questioningly at the small cat.

- I came here for a reason. I will leave once the mission is over.

Marlevort spoke so matter-of-factly they were all a little taken aback. Did he know something about this world? Was there something he was hiding from them?

Rei narrowed his eyebrows and glared at him.

- Are you hiding something from us? Do you know how this whole thing will end?

- No - the answer was short and simple.

- Can you tell the future?

- No - Marlevort raised a surprised eyebrow.

- Are you some kind of a vampire of spirit that can’t die and you’re going to eat us all during the fight because that’s how you gain your power?

- No.

- Are you lying to me?

- No.

Mar felt a little weirded out, but finally Rei seemed satisfied with the answers he received and left him alone.

Sen was deep in his own thoughts. It looked like everyone wanted to stay. Not to fight, but try to resolve the issue in a different way. But what if that was impossible? Would they join the fight? Would they want to leave then? Would the portals still be open to let them through? He never wanted to be a part of another war and would love nothing more than to return to his family. However… the army of decay was still a threat and a war between gods would surely affect their world. What was the right thing to do to protect his home? Stay here and do his best with the crew he had now or return home, warn his pride and prepare alongside them for an enemy that might come.

His thinking was interrupted by a grey lion stepping onto the plain from one of the portals. He noticed Sen then looked around at the blue-leafed trees, violet sky full of stars and the great tree covered with glowing blue runes.

- Woah - he said.

- Fantom! - Sen run over to him and immediately put his muzzle into Fan’s mane in an affectionate gesture. Then he quickly moved away, embarrassed of in front of the strangers.

Fan smiled softly and licked his cheek.

- I’ve missed you. I’m glad you’re safe.

Sen wanted to respond, but from the portal more lions came. Lasan, Moe and Siare. They were all looking around in awe.

- Las? You shouldn’t have come here, it’s dangerous.

- I’m sorry, dad, but I can’t stay home when you’re all here! I’ll be good, I promise! I can help or even stay with Moe, just don’t send me home, please!

- We’ve left you alone long enough. If someone goes back it’s either all of us or noone. Anyway, what’s been going on here?

Rei, Varjo and Sen accompanied by the denizens of this place explained the situation and talked about all the things they have learn in this place. They also shared their plans of wanting to stop the fight rather than joining either side.

- I think I might be able to help with that - Siare said in a melodic, soft voice.

- Yeah, maybe you can talk them to death with your chatter - Rei laughed and Sia gave him a death glare.

- I intended to have a look around and go back for reinforcements, you know, lions that can actually fight. But if we’re not fighting - Moe’s eyes sparkled with excitement. - It’s so nice to meet you all, ahh! - She shrieked and hugged the bandaged, spiky-maned lioness. - You all look so cool! So unusual! Is this colour real? What about those markings? Oh and look at all the little kittens, eeeek!

She run off hugging surprised strangers.

Fantom sat next to Sen, resting his shoulder against his. So much worry lifted from Sen’s heart. Sure, they were still in danger and without a concrete plan, but at least they were together. A lion’s true strength was in numbers. He felt that now maybe they actually stood a chance at making a difference.

[ 1364 words ]

[Spotted.Newt]

Username: Spotted.Newt
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt:Tulca-Noen and Acacia
Link to their pride or group: The Cosmos
Prompt level completion: 5
Prompt: Prompt 10

[Runnersback]

Username:Runnersback
Link to lion(s) involved in prompt:Achilles Letaba Diablo
Link to their pride: Realms of L’Oasis Lo
Prompt level completion: Level 5
Prompt:010

[-Isabella-]

Username: Isabella45
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:

Both sides of the battle have fled to nurse their wounds...well,mostly that of the army of life. The army of decay seem unperturbed, though they are seemingly plantlike in makeup and it's truly unclear if they even feel pain. The calm between the battles is unnerving. Your cats know they have very limited time to rest and recover. While training, resting, or whatever it is they choose to do- a portal opens to them. A portal Home. Some final offer from some unbeknownst being, or some freak coincidence offering them a way to retreat now, to flee these lands while they have their chance. To return with their lives intact, and their bodies as little damaged as possible.

Do they take this chance? Why or why not? Do they remain to fight for what they must? Do their egos demand they stay? Do they return for more help or try to find a way to communicate with their friends or family on the other side of the portal? Does someone else come in to join them, or see what's really beyond that portal? How do the older cats present the events that have happened to their new recruits, if they have any? Do they spurn them away and back home before they can get involved?

Nthanda finally gave up, feeling defeated. The goddess ignored her, not replying if she even heard her words.
Not wanting to leave Ravi for too long she left, frustrated and feeling a certain lack of respect for the goddess. She understood that leaders could not always disclose everything, but this goddess had been far too secretive for her liking. It seemed unjust of her to ask so much of them and barely speak to them in return.
She didn’t need the treasures or material rewards her father hoped would come of this, but better leadership did seem necessary.

As she returned to Ravi she was relieved to see he was still resting and she settled near him, letting her thoughts wander.

She’d scarcely been there for long when something seemed to catch cats and lions attention and drew hers as well. A portal had appeared, glowing brightly in the darkness. It looked just like the one that had brought them here and she felt some mix of confuseon and hope.
“Ravi,” she whispered, nudging the lion carefully.

“Hmm?” He lifted his head tiredly, blinking a couple times as he tried to get his gaze to focus.

“The portal is back,” Nthnada said softly.

“What?” He seemed more alert then, looking around until his gaze fell on the portal. “But why? Who brought it here?”

“I don’t know. It just appeared. Some lions have already gone through.” Even as she spoke one timid lioness quickly darted through the portal.

“Do you think we should leave?” He looked over at her. “It’d be safer if we did.”

“Well, yes but…If we go back with nothing to tell or bring with us I’m not sure how the pride will receive us. And I don’t especially care about this goddess, but some of the lions here…I guess I still can’t help wanting to help them. They seem to feel so hopeless.”

“I know,” he said quietly. “But you can’t help everyone. This is getting dangerous. I don’t want you to die here.”

“I don’t want you to get hurt any more, or die either. If you want to go home I think you should.”

“Not without you,” he said firmly.

“You’re hurt more than I am,” she argued. “If anyone goes you should go.”

“I can’t leave you alone.”

“I have Khalida and Valerius.”

“I don’t trust him, and Khalida is still with the army of decay doing whatever it is she has planned.”

“I know you worry but I just wish you’d go. I’d feel better knowing you’re safe.”

“I don’t want to worry you, but I can’t leave you alone here. I…I don’t know what I’d do if anything happened to you.” His eyes were dark with worry, and his tone soft and almost desperate.

Not used to seeing him that way Nthanda was surprised. Before she could say anything though she heard a soft swooshing sound nearby and turned that way instantly, wary in case of another attack. But it was only her sister who stepped out of the shadows.

“What are you doing here?” Nthanda asked her.

“Checking on you,” she replied. “I saw the portal. Are you thinking of going through?”

Nthanda glanced at Ravi, who didn’t immediately speak.

“Come with me a moment,” Khalida said to her sister, turning to go without waiting for an answer.

Nthanda stood then to follow her a short ways off. “What is it?”

“We can’t go back with no new and empty-pawed without repercussions to all of us. This was kind of your idea so you might get in trouble worse than anyone.”

“I don’t want to abandon them all anyway.”

Khalida snorted softly. “Of course not. If we stay though we have to be careful. I don’t know what’s going on around here but it all seems kind of off to me.”

“To me too. I was hoping I’d get Ravi to go home but he won’t, not without me.”

“There’s no way I’d want to send you two back alone to face them. But if we stick it out here I think it’s best we don’t really ally ourselves to anyone in particular. Not in a...public verbal way at least. When all of this ends I don’t want to us to find ourselves in trouble for allying with the wrong entity. Though I have to admit the decaying tree has been a bit more forthcoming than this goddess…But anyway. We need to be together on this.”

“Of course. What you say makes sense,” Nthanda responded. “What does Valerius think?”

“He agrees with me. He…well he isn’t too eager to go running back just yet either. And I don’t blame him. Now, if that’s settled I better get back. Wouldn’t want anyone to miss me.”

“Alright. Just be careful. You’re not invincible you know.”

“But close enough to it.” Khalida half smiled then without another word lifted herself into the air again and disappeared against the night sky.

Nthanda returned to Ravi who seemed a little anxious. “Well what did she say?” He pressed.

“None of us should go back yet. The pride might not be too happy if we return empty-pawed.”

Ravi was about to argue but stopped himself, realizing she was probably right. ”Very well then, so we all stay here and do what?”

“Keep our minds open and don’t ally ourselves to any one side just yet. Both might be lying and we don’t want to get caught in a feud we have no business being a part of.”

Ravi nodded in agreement. “She and Valerius will stay where they are then?”

“Yes they will.” She nodded slightly.

Ravi, though not entirely satisfied or comforted, nodded then was quiet, looking out at the portal.

Nthanda stayed by him at first, listening to the sounds around them and finding that now it was mostly quiet again. Most lions and cats who wanted to had already gone through the portal, leaving their ranks somewhat diminished.

“Ravi?” She said after a moment, quiet in case he was sleeping.

“Yes?” He replied softly.

Nthanda hesitated then, finding that she wasn’t sure she really wanted to say what she had been about to, not sure she wanted to open up that Pandora’s box.

“Thank you,” she finally said. “You’ve always protected me, and seemed to care for me.”

Ravi thought to say a million things right then, that of course he cared how could he not? That he hoped to always be able to protect her. But in the end his logic won out and he only said, “You’re welcome, Princess. It’s been my honor.”

[Kitten-Girl-500]

Both sides of the battle have fled to nurse their wounds...well,mostly that of the army of life. The army of decay seem unperturbed, though they are seemingly plantlike in makeup and it's truly unclear if they even feel pain. The calm between the battles is unnerving. Your cats know they have very limited time to rest and recover. While training, resting, or whatever it is they choose to do- a portal opens to them. A portal Home. Some final offer from some unbeknownst being, or some freak coincidence offering them a way to retreat now, to flee these lands while they have their chance. To return with their lives intact, and their bodies as little damaged as possible.

Do they take this chance? Why or why not? Do they remain to fight for what they must? Do their egos demand they stay? Do they return for more help or try to find a way to communicate with their friends or family on the other side of the portal? Does someone else come in to join them, or see what's really beyond that portal? How do the older cats present the events that have happened to their new recruits, if they have any? Do they spurn them away and back home before they can get involved?

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

Prompt: Subira watched Ravah’s eyes flickered open. He blinked drowsily, then yawned. “Subira?”
SPACE“Yes, yes, it’s me.” Subira put her forepaw on Ravah’s. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
SPACEHe blinked again. “What happened?”
SPACE“Ichyr had to carry you here from the battlefield,” Subira explained. “You were passed out.”
SPACERavah smiled weakly as Subira leaned in to nuzzle the mottled gray lion’s cheek. “You’re going to be just fine now.”
SPACE“Am I interrupting anything?”
SPACESubira immediately broke away from Ravah as a nurse entered the room. “Of course not,” she babbled.
SPACE“Your friend Ichyr said I should come get you. There’s something outside you should see.” The nurse moved over to help Ravah, supporting the mottled gray lion as he eased himself off the cot. “Easy there,” he said. “Don’t reopen your stitches.”
SPACE“It still amazes me how you guys can do that,” Ravah said.
SPACE“It’s an art,” the nurse said, helping Ravah stagger out of the room. “It takes many years to learn it, and decades to perfect.”
SPACESubira followed them, watching as wounded champions from other prides hurried through the halls. It was like they were all trying to get somewhere within a time limit, though Subira didn’t know what would warrant such a stampede. Well, a slower stampede, but still a stampede nonetheless.
SPACEIchyr appeared by their side, a brown-gray cub on his back. “I’ve got Luina,” he said, replacing the nurse and assisting Ravah. The nurse quickly ducked away to help an elderly lioness.
SPACE“Daddy!” Luina cried. She leaned over and buried her face in his chest fur, grinning. “Daddy okay now!”
SPACE“Yes, I’ll be fine soon,” Ravah promised.
SPACEThe little cub balanced quite precariously on top of the two lion’s backs. Each time they stepped forward, she almost lost her balance and fell onto the earth underpaw. After watching ten seconds of this, Subira swooped in and snatched Luina up by the scruff, flipping her over to land on Subira’s neck instead.
SPACEOutside the hospital was just as much chaos as Subira had expected. Lions and cats were filing toward the center district of Ikaika, and Subira could faintly see them gathering in the giant courtyard at the heart of the city.
SPACESubira stuck close to Ravah and Ichyr as they made their way to the center courtyard. It had a giant gazebo of vines arching around it, colliding in the middle in a woven array. And right in the center, as tall as three lions stacked on top of one another, was a glowing blue portal.
SPACESucking in a breath, Subira stared wide-eyed at the portal. The Ikaikans had funneled the foreigners in their midst into the center, grouping them around the portal.
SPACE“Oasis Pride,” the portal said in its ethereal tone.
SPACESubira saw a lion she recognized limp forward toward the portal. He quickly vanished into the blue light. Then the portal flashed blue.
SPACEIt’s our way home, Subira realized. Someone had given them a chance to return back to Summitfall, to escape this death-ridden land, to retreat with minimal damage. To return with their lives intact.
SPACESubira watched as Ichyr came to the same conclusions. She moved to stand by the half-manticore. “We have to send Ravah and Luina through,” she murmured into his ear. “It’s too dangerous for them.”
SPACEIchyr nodded agreement. “Ravah, you and Luina are going to go through there when that thing calls for Summitfall lions. No buts,” he added as Ravah tried to protest. “Ikaika is no place for cubs right now, and you’re too injured to fight. Home is safest for you.” He squared his shoulders. “Subira and I will stay. The Tree still needs help.” Subira could tell that the last words caught in his throat as he said them.
SPACERavah sighed and nodded. Subira let Luina climb onto her father’s back, and when the portal called for those from Summitfall Pride, Ravah stepped through. He cast one remorseful look back at Subira before the blue light pulled him away.
SPACEAs soon as the last trace of him had vanished, Subira turned around and shoved through the crowd, headed back toward Meakanu. Kadiki hadn’t been injured, and the older lioness would spar with her. Subira didn’t want to waste a second of the break between waves.
SPACESuddenly there was a shout as someone dropped through the portal. Subira whipped around to see Sekhmet pick herself up off the ground, her worried expression morphing into her signature smirk at the sight of her comrades. “Well, well, well. Fancy meeting you two here.”
SPACE“Sekhmet,” Subira said, astonished at the appearance of her fellow iskro. “How—where—what—?”
SPACE“That portal appeared again and I headed through. Figured since it showed up twice, it was pretty important,” Sekhmet explained. She used one forepaw and hugged both Subira and Ichyr at the same time.
SPACE“It’s so good to see you,” Ichyr said, starting them all on the way to Meakanu. “How are things in Summitfall?”
SPACE“Quiet and tense. We’ve all been worried about you guys. And when Ravah came through all bandaged and stitched up—” Sekhmet sighed, letting her head hang for a moment. “We started to wonder if you guys were… gone.”
SPACE“We’re both still alive and kicking,” Subira said. She shifted smoothly into her snake form, startling passerby, then shifted back. “And the goddess gave me the gift of shifting without any drawbacks.”
SPACE“No more energy loss?”
SPACE“No more energy loss!”
SPACESekhmet’s smile grew even bigger. She glanced up at the roots above them. “I’ve been practicing with my gift as well, though this is probably not the best place to practice.”
SPACESubira was struck with a sudden idea. “You can create fire instantaneously, right?”
SPACE“As long as there’s heat nearby, yes.” Sekhmet cocked her head to the side. “What does that have to do with anything?”
SPACE“So, basically, there’s this army of wood-slash-stone-slash-mud creatures, called hiamoe, that are attacking the Trinity Tree.” Subira flicked her tail upward. “That’s the Tree above us. The army of hiamoe are trying to get to the Tree and defeat it. Our job is to stop them from killing the goddess, and your fire will be the perfect weapon against them.”
SPACEIchyr looked awkwardly uncomfortable during Subira’s entire explanation. His ears flattened as she mentioned the army’s motive. “I think we have a different goal…”
SPACESubira stopped and looked Ichyr straight in the eye. “And what in the name of—” She stopped, realizing she was about to use the name of the lioness walking next to her. “What do you mean?”
SPACEIchyr pulled them aside into an alleyway. “I’m warning you now, what’s going to be said next is controversial,” he said. After a brief pause, Ichyr explained his experiences with the withered tree and the army of decay and the forest and Coho and the goddess’ plight to stop death altogether. “We have to keep balance, but I don’t believe killing the goddess is the answer,” he finished.
SPACEAfter staring at the outraged expression on Subira’s face for a few seconds, Sekhmet nodded. “You’re right. That was controversial.”
1159/1000

[Goddess Sword]

Username: Goddess Sword
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Mitko (Major character), Beatrix (Major character)
Link to their pride or group: The Wayfarers
Prompt level completion: Level 5 (1,023 words)
Prompt:

Both sides of the battle have fled to nurse their wounds...well,mostly that of the army of life. The army of decay seem unperturbed, though they are seemingly plantlike in makeup and it's truly unclear if they even feel pain. The calm between the battles is unnerving. Your cats know they have very limited time to rest and recover. While training, resting, or whatever it is they choose to do- a portal opens to them. A portal Home. Some final offer from some unbeknownst being, or some freak coincidence offering them a way to retreat now, to flee these lands while they have their chance. To return with their lives intact, and their bodies as little damaged as possible.

Do they take this chance? Why or why not? Do they remain to fight for what they must? Do their egos demand they stay? Do they return for more help or try to find a way to communicate with their friends or family on the other side of the portal? Does someone else come in to join them, or see what's really beyond that portal? How do the older cats present the events that have happened to their new recruits, if they have any? Do they spurn them away and back home before they can get involved?

They had spent the rest of the night hiding from the battle by the druid's Lovorka's tree, neither really sure where to go from here. The lion had seemed to concur with what Mitko had said to his companion earlier, proven with the skull of rot and the delicate life which bloomed forth from it. But truth be told... They weren't really sure where to go from here. Beatrix had spoken to the goddess, yes, and the deity had seemed to like her well enough - Enough to patch up her dislocated leg, if nothing else. But one visit... would that be enough to prove the cream-colored cat trustworthy, they wondered?

As battle echoed in the distance, Beatrix had suggested that perhaps they might convince both the god and goddess that this war was unnecessary, that their fighting until one's end was counterproductive, with the patches of life and death in their domains. Bring the goddess to the oasis of life in the forest, bring the god of decay to the dark rot within the goddess's tree. Show them the skull in those places, a reminder that life and death were just two sides of the same coin. "A coin has to have two sides," she'd said. "if you get rid of one, there's no way for the other to exist. If you cut a coin in half, cut the face side off, there would still be a side besides just the tail. There has to be two."

Mitko seemed unconvinced. "That's true, but..." He scrunched up his face. "See, the god, he seems reasonable enough. He's struggling, fighting back, but he understands the idea of balance. He doesn't want to destroy all life, it seems. But the goddess..."

"I don't believe she's entirely bad. Maybe she doesn't understand, but-"

Mitko shook his head. "Maybe not, but I think she might be more stubborn. Less willing to understand why death is important. Death is painful, it's something our instincts scream at us to avoid at all costs. I don't know if she feels those same instincts, but... living things don't want to die, to see others die, unless they have to. And I would imagine that counts for a deity as well, especially one of life."

"Still, the coin analogy," Beatrix insisted. "If we tell her about that, show her that-"

"I don't know," he said. "Have you ever seen that... trick humans do, where they take a strip of paper and twist it and stick it back together in a loop, so that if you traced the inside, it turns back outside, and you can trace that one side all the way back around? I think it's called... a mobius band, or something like that? She might be able to make an argument that there doesn't need to be another side. That life doesn't need death."

The fight raged on in the distance, battle cries drifting out past the fields to where the cats and fox sat in their grim discussion.

"Then... What are we supposed to do?"

"I don't know."

It was then that Ragin's ears perked up, and he trotted over to the twisting base of the third tree, whining. A familiar whimper that took them both by surprise. Glancing at each other, they followed to the hollow between the roots where he had again begun to dig.

A portal.

"...Mitko," Beatrix said, gazing into its shimmering surface. "We can... we can leave." Her eyes seemed to light up, the way they had when she'd first arrived in this world, fantasizing about glory, about victory, of being a hero. "We can leave...!"

But now... this time, it was Mitko who hesitated. He glanced over at the flowering skull sat nearby, and then back towards the gap between the forest and the tree, where claws and fang clashed. "We... can. Yeah. We can leave." He turned back to Beatrix, a renewed fire in his eyes. "Go on. Take Ragin with you and tell the others I'll be back soon."

Beatrix was taken aback. "Wh... You're staying?! But you're the one who was insisting this whole time that we had to find a way home!"

The brown cat grimaced. "Look," he said, "I don't want to be here. I don't. But..." He turned back to the sound of battle. "They're going to destroy each other. Not just the god and goddess, but the others, too. Cats and lions who were dragged from their normal lives into this whole affair, just like us. I might not like being here, but I can't just let that happen. They're innocent in this. We're innocent in this. Everyone is only here because of a bunch of deities that decided they needed to have mortals die in their name, rather than facing their problems personally, head on. Or recognizing that they themselves might be the real problem." His tail swished in frustration. This whole affair... these deities were just kittens taking play fights too far. Kittens who wouldn't split their mother's milk. Who would let their runt siblings, the mortals who fought on their behalf, kill each other and themselves so that they could get the lion's share. Normal felines dragged into martyrdom for causes they had no stake in themselves. "I'm not going to let them have their way."

Ragin looked up at the two and whined, then returned to digging at the hollow where the portal hid.

"...Then I'm staying, too," Beatrix said, nodding. "I don't like this place, either. But I'm not going to leave you to stay here and suffer alone."

Mitko watched in silence as the fox continued pawing at the bark and the earth. "...Help me catch a mouse," he said. "Like Ragin and I do. You've seen us do it, right?"

"...Yeah. I can try."

And so it was that, written in blood on a leaf pulled from Mitko's satchel, the two wrote a note. Two simple words: "Back soon."

And, tied in grass wrapped around Ragin's neck like a collar, they sent their message back to the others. Three became two. And they steeled themselves for what was to come.

[Meekins12345]

Username: Meekins12345
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Erastus, Ciqala, Axel, and Scirocco
Link to their pride or group: The Cloud Coalition - A sub-pride of The Pride of Wikimak
Prompt level completion: Level 5
Prompt: June 10th

"Entry number insert number here of the Adventures of the strange portal. Thankfully, we've gotten our chance at rest and relax after that whole spiel yesterday. But so much has happened since the last time I wrote! Both good things and some rather unsettling things but, nevertheless, all is good overall!"

"First order of business, and admittedly the most important if I were to give them any sort of ranking system, Ciqala came back! It happened a little after I had finished writing the entry of yesterdays. We heard pawsteps coming up to our den and me and Axel both got onto our paws since we thought it might be another guard, since they tend to come to us and let us know if there is anything going on on the top level. We were expecting to see smaller cats or lions that resembled those of the city... but instead of anything like that, Ciqala pops right out!"

"She seemed rather uncertain at first, almost shy, if I were to call her anything like that and, believe me, it feels weird calling her that, but she just seemed... shy. She looked to her paws and glanced up nervously at us a moment before she breathed out a sigh and uttered 'sorry' to the both of us... It only took us both a quick second before we just pounced on her and told her how happy we were to see her back. She seemed... confused at first, admittedly, but then she seemed to enjoy the attention and we all just laid around afterwards. It was nice... it reminds me of my former pride."

"She began telling us all about what she had heard from the opposite side. Did you know there are two trees? Not like, your average everyday trees but like the trinity tree? Except one's decaying, of course, but still! What a game changer! And then that side thinks that the Trinity tree is defying the laws of nature, basically, by offering eternal life... While I know Wicasa does offer eternal life after death, eternal life before death seems kind of redundant, if you ask me. To live forever in a place like this? That'd be hard... especially when everyone else is bound to die around you. Sounds kinda depressing now that I hear myself writing."

"She told us about what she had seen, too. She told us about how she wandered into the forest and found this decaying monster practically useless, but he had a flower on his head and other plants growing around him, due to the fact he was fertilizing the ground, I'm sure. And she said he was fine with it, content to just be there. It really opened my eyes to all this, and it makes me wonder if that's really what we're fighting for... eternal life. She never promised us anything when we got here, the Trinity tree. At least, I don't recall being offered anything in return... which doesn't seem all that fair, if you ask me, but I suppose that's just how the snail's shell cracks."

"She was telling us more and more about what she had seen, but then something amazing happened! A portal showed up at the corner of the den... a portal back home! I could smell the familiar smells that only Kildonia had to offer, and I could see the oceans and beaches of Kildonia's wonderful seascape just on the other side. We were all tempted to just go back home, I will admit. I saw Axel and Ciqala, both, looking at the portal back home like it was a huge elk or a plump deer. I was probably looking at it in the same way, I'm sure... But then we all looked at each other, each one with the same look in their eyes, at least from what I could see. While this could have been our ticket out of this mess, our destinies brought us here and it is here we should stay until the work here is done and over with. That... And Axel doesn't particularly like leaving a job unfinished, and neither do I. I'm not sure were Ciqala stands concerning that sort of viewpoint but she didn't seem like she wanted to go back into the portal anyway. So we all stayed, and soon, the portal closed..."

"Only to open again and spit someone out of it! We just about jumped out of our hides when we saw another lion just pop right out of that sucker and watched it just leave... It was almost like it abandoned this lioness here..."

"She was pretty skittish at first and we had to do a lot of convincing before she settled down. Her name is Scirocco and she comes from back where we all started. You know, not Kildonia. Apparently she was abandoned from her pride because of her strange markings, and boy, does she have a story behind that."

"She told us she didn't always look that way. She was a darker lioness at one point, and probably one of the prettiest in all of her pride. She was also one of the strongest mentally, easily planning and mapping out battle strategies and such. She was about to become mates with the strongest warrior within her pride, but then everything changed. In a thunderstorm, before their mating ceremony, she was struck be lightning!"

"She said she blacked out when she was struck and woke up with some horrid pain just about everywhere. Thankfully, she was relatively unscathed, save for her pelt. It looked like the lightning that struck her stuck to her fur and traveled across it, making its own patterns and markings about her. She was ultimately banished from her former pride after they saw what happened to her, despite the fact she had gotten out of such an ordeal unharmed otherwise. So she had been wandering since until the strange portal came up. With no where else to go, she went inside and here we were."

"We told her that we didn't mind her markings, after all just look at all of us. I personally think they look quite pretty... but don't tell her I said that. Well... Now we have a new Coalition member, as well as a new fighting companion within all of this... I just hope things don't get much worse from here on out. I'm not sure we can't take much more."

"'Till next time." (1,078 wc)