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 9th

"Entry number... I don't really remember what entry we're at anymore, but this is just another entry of The Adventures of the Strange Portal... Well, today we had our first actual battle. It was pretty intense. Both sides gathered on either side of the field... plains? Whatever it would be. We stared down at each other for the longest time, wondering and waiting on who would be starting this fight. It ended up being the decaying enemy that started it. Then it happened. We all roared our victory cries and began running at each other. both groups collided with nary a sound and soon claws and teeth and bark were lashing out at each other. Some battled cat against decaying creature, while others battled against each other."

"I didn't fight all that much, I've never really been much of a fighter. But Axel... Jeez Louise, I have no idea what he's done in his past but he is one of the greatest fighters I've ever seen! He's just lashing and whacking at those creatures and they're dropping like flies!"

"Aww, thanks, I'm so flattered." Axel commented playfully, placing a paw on his chest only to wince shortly after. Erastus only rolled his eyes and continued his writing... and speaking aloud while he wrote.

"But that doesn't mean that he got out of it unscathed. He's got plenty of marks on him now, more than the last time, since he was making a good dent in the opposing team's defenses. Sure, he was downing all sorts of creatures, and even cats and lions as well, but he had gotten beaten up pretty bad over all that. Still, he did a pretty good job. I especially think it quite admirable that he didn't think on killing any of the opposing side's cat or lion soldiers. While he would make it an effort to take down the creatures, he spared the cats and lions... unless they were being unruly."

"I didn't do all that much on the battlefield, since I am a medic, after all. But I did quite a bit on the sidelines. A good amount of our numbers had gotten injured during that fight and they needed somebody to help them out of the battlefield and to get them cleaned up and bandaged. That was my job. I'd find the felines that were injured and drag them out, or carry them, depending on weight, back to the medic groups and help them get situated and bandaged. It was quite the daunting work but it feels good to know that I may have saved somebody's life."

"...We met with Ciqala around the middle of the battle, and she seemed to try and fight but she wouldn't get anywhere near us. She appeared... scared, to be honest. I've never seen her with a look quite like that before. I never thought she could be scared, and yet here she was, on the opposite side as us, wide-eyed and bushy-tailed, as I've heard it called before. She didn't appear to know what to do with herself, a lot like she did on the battlefield before, as I've heard from Axel. We both wonder if she's ever fought like this before, or if she even has the heart to do something like this. Nevertheless, we kept our distance from her. We didn't want to hurt her, since she is...err, was, our friend. I don't know how she feels about us now. I can only wonder if she'll come back home with us after this whole thing is entirely over... if it ever really is entirely over."

"But the battle carried on well into the night. It was surprising how quick the time just passed by. One minute it was the morning and we had just started and next minute, boom. It's nighttime. Nevertheless, from the statistics I've heard, we had little to no casualties on our end, just a lot of injured folks, but thankfully they're able to recover now. It was around nightfall that the battles began to dwindle, and the decaying mob and their cat and lion soldiers began disappearing into the forests once more. For whatever reason, they just seemed finished by that point. Of course some of our numbers went after them anyway... and as you can guess, one of them was Axel. But they weren't gone long, thankfully, and all the cats that wandered into the forests, after the decaying creatures, were accounted for."

"After the mob retreated back into the dark forests, we went back into the city... or, at least some of us did. There are others watching outside at the moment, watching over the city's entrance and the Trinity tree, herself. It's odd how she just watches us. She doesn't talk to us at all as we fight... It's like she's just watching us play a game, giving no advise or even encouragement. You'd think that she could give a little encouragement in the very least... it makes me wonder if... if she cares. But then again, she can't do much in her current state anyway. It's not like she could burst out of that bark and help... unless she could, I don't really know."

"But now we're just relaxing, and I'm watching Axel again since he tends to be stubborn and think he's fine when he isn't. If I weren't watching him, I'm sure he'd be trying to find himself useful, when he really can't be useful in his state at all!"

"Hey, now, that really hurt!" Another tease was given.

"You just hush and get some sleep, you turkey."

"Fine, whatever you say, mom."

"Jeez Louise... Well, this is probably the tail end of this entry, and perhaps this war itself. I hope we're ending it soon... I'd hate to get caught in the rain that's bound to be coming. But I suppose it's really inevitable..."

"Until next time, which may be sooner or later, depending on all what happens... Hope that everything goes well. (1,000 wc)

[SurgeFire]

Username: SurgeFire
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: orpheus, lucian
Link to their pride or group: Vallis
Prompt level completion: Level 5
Prompt:

Orpheus was struggling with this entire concept of going against what he had originally believed in.
It seemed so foreign. So odd... to be fighting for the side he had been told time and time again was hellbent on destroying the goddess. The goddess... was the good one, the one that should be protected. There was nothing wrong with her words, her actions, her decrees. She was perfect, and should have been protected; trusted.
How was he supposed to believe any of this when he could see the flaws in all of this? When he had asked her a simple question, she turned her head away and did not respond; the moment that shattered his entire faith in her... her lack of action.
And of course, there was the matter of his mate and child... thank the gods Caspian was still at home, Orpheus couldn't even fathom being even more torn right now from all of this conflict.
Why had he done any of this? In the pursuit of finally feeling accepted, for once? That was it... he wanted to be something special for Vallis. He wanted to finally do a big task and receive the reward of acceptance.
To be accepted was all he ever wanted. Long had he been plagued with the lack of memory. Long had he gone without even knowing why some cats truly hated him; he had no idea why any of this had happened to him, and it made him so upset... so willing to do anything to fix it.

But the goddess was a lie, he came to that conclusion. He was no longer going to fight for her honor.
And that's why he stood on the side of decay; he could no longer keep fighting for an indifferent goddess, but he could sympathize with the lowly, the decaying.
He didn't even see Lucian glaring at him from afar.

Lucian was still not happy over Orpheus defecting to the decayed, but he had kept quiet. He decided he was just going to not interact with the other cat this time, unless it was to protect him as an ally; no emotional or friendly intent behind it, just... protection.
He was frustrated.
For once, he thought he had it; the opportunity to prove Orpheus wrong, the opportunity to portray him as a fighter for the breaking of balance in the world. Yet that wouldn't be the case as he stood at a distance on the same side as the creamy tomcat; not today, not ever, apparently.
Would he ever consider Orpheus a friend?

The question suddenly came to mind, and he couldn't quite shake it easily. The two kept ending up on the same side of conflicts; at first, the side of life, and now, fighting for the same side of death. He wasn't sure if Orpheus knew entirely of the goddess' plan of destroying the balance of the world, but he knew that Orpheus wasn't going to quickly turn back to her side.
It seemed as if it were fate that he should let go of his hatred.
And yet memories long ago came back to his memory, which he shook back with a start. Not now.
He couldn't quite forgive him yet. Even if they were standing on the same side of the battlefield.

He could hardly think anymore before the battle began, and his side went forwards first.
He ran forwards, an angry cry rising from him as he lunged for a target that he could easily disable then; he went for a target that he could easily disable, given his natural weaker disadvantage of being a cat; he definitely didn't want to go for a larger creature such as a lion so quickly, so soon; if he did, he'd use his magic for that, not sheer strength.
And his magic.. he had thought about using it, but he was so, so wary. He wasn't sure how he'd go along with doing that; he already had problems using it himself due to the memories he associated with it, but Lucian... striking his former allies with his terrible lightning?
It seemed wrong. He could already hardly bear to look them in the eyes as he struck them down, if he used his magic he'd truly think himself as a monster.
Was he not enough of one already?

He didn't want to think too much on that.

For the rest of the battle he surrounded himself with soldiers that had a similar level of experience and could work well with him throughout; he didn't want to rally anyone, for he just couldn't see himself as a leader in this world, still.
It was still so foreign to him to attempt to rally creatures and cats that were not from the same world as he was, so he just... could not.

Orpheus had silimar intentions in mind as he went for the battle in a much more peaceful and simply disarming manner; he used his nature magic in order to not cause utter destruction, but to impede the progress of the enemy. He felt even more wrong about attacking the cats he formerly thought of as friends; and if he thought he killed one... he wasn't sure what he'd do.
But it was going to come someday, whether he liked it or not.
He just had to brace himself for that moment when it came; but ignorance was bliss for now.

He wished so badly he could muster up the courage to ask for peace, but he was too nervous, too afraid, to even suggest that when war was happening in such a violent, raging manner; he felt as if he'd be getting in the way of everyone, and that his words would make no difference at all.
So he remained quiet despite this; just fighting, disarming.

He did forever wish he could make a difference, however.
Orpheus just wasn't too confident in his own abilities to do this; and when they receded into the shadows, he took one last sad glance at the battlefield and returned with his allies, his spirits low.

[1019 words]

[MySpoons]

Its the army of decay who begins the fray, rising with angry cries as they lurch forward towards the other soldiers in a massive force. After that, the battle breaks loose in flurrys of claws and wood and teeth. Both sides are matched -the army of decay in its numbers, but the army of life in its skill, and the battle rages across the field. There is nothing from the gods, only silence. Observance. Quietness. The world beyond the field feels far away, as if nonexistant, frozen in time, waiting the outcome- who would flee, who would stand tall at the end of the fight.

How do your lions approach this battle? How does it go for them? Do they choose targets they can easily disable, or go for higher risk higher reward targets? Do they flee to protect the tree more closely, or sneak in for a surprise attack behind enemy lines? Do they attack offensively, or defensively? As the battle rages on, how long do they last before they start to get tired or scared? Do they have high endurance, or burn out after a burst of adrenaline?

Who do they surround themselves with, experienced soldiers to help them, or weaker soldiers needing their help? Do they try to rally their troops or try to make an outcry for peace?

The first wave of the combat lasts until deep into the night, when the army of decay finally recedes into shadows with the coming of morning. Do your cats retreat gracefully?

Though this battle has come to a standstill...the unnerving silence and lack of victorious cries from either side make it very clear to those still standing in silence among the fields that once night comes again... so too, will their foes.

The rain creeps closer, heavy dampness in the air, but so yet, the clouds have not broken.


Username: MySpoons
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: MAR'S CHAMPION, Samael, Isolde
Link to their pride or group: The New Guard
Prompt level completion: Level 5
Prompt: [1014/1000]

Seeing a war spirit, Isolde's nervousness transforms into anxiety. She isn't here to fight on behalf of another god! Not one she does not know by name-- or without knowing exactly what the conflict is meant to be about. While the world here is beautiful, the chaos consuming the minds of these powerful players and mortals makes little sense, even to someone like her who is used to the fickle moods of gods.

In her stress, her ice powers manifest into tendrils of frost radiating out from her paws. White and blue, crackling grass and freezing the water content within the vegetation around her. Even some of it creeps onto the golems who have no body temperature other than the ambient air. Isolde looks for a leader of the side she's standing on, glancing for someone who is giving the orders and rallying the soldiers.

She cannot find anyone like that. Not before an unspoken agreement ripples through the crowd, spurring the golems forward with a strange creaking groan. Isolde jumps back out of the way, ears pinned in horror as the forms of the golems surge forward like a rockslide. The large figures crash into the opposing forces with a screech of cats.

Isolde darts forward after a moment, not wanting to be left stuck between those who are defending and those who are charging forward. She slips under the larger golems and their dangerous swipes with large stone claws to keep herself safe from possible attackers. The sounds of the battle are horrible. The scrape of metal on metal and stone, the cries of the injured, enraged, and scared.

A few times, Isolde has to send a burst of ice to slick the ground between her and the feline charging her. At first glance she thought some of the small felines were cubs-- but they're fully grown cats, just small ones. Someone lands on her back and slips-- jumping from a golem's side it was attacking-- and tries to use their claws to remain on her. Isolde yowls and uses her antlers to knock the cat off, staggering for a moment before righting herself.

She becomes more vigilant after that, trotting with a slight limp-- bleeding golden Ichor as she cuts through the battling felines. Isolde wants to find this goddess. The life one, the opposing side's leader who is letting her forces attack and waste their lives over divine conflicts. It isn't right!

Isolde dodges too many fights to count. Cats snarling and screaming at one another, wrestling with such ferocity they don't realize they've put themselves in the way of their opponents. The golems are not intelligent. The ice spirit sees many of them go down after being topped off-balance or destroyed until they can no longer move on broken limbs. What they lack in strategy, they make up for in strength and numbers.

After what feels like minutes of high-stakes dodging and weaving through the fighters, Isolde finds a gap in the goddess' forces and makes a break for it. Some felines cry out warnings as Isolde refuses to engage with any of them, darting through to approach the large, lone tree that towers above the fight.

The loud clatter of metal and metal and a deep, rumbling growl crowds her heels as she runs. Isolde knows it's the war spirit chasing after her without needing to look. The fur on her spine raising in warning, Isolde saturates her path with ice and sends herself sliding off-course to avoid a powerful strike that cuts the air behind her where her haunches were moments ago.

- -- --- -- -

Samael was not sure what to expect from the lithe lion darting across the battlefield with a mane of ice-- but avoiding his attack by slipping on ice they created was not it. Samael follows up with another attack, cracking the ice underfoot due to his combined weight of himself and his armor. Because it is not permafrost, Samael is able to muscle his way through the obstacle by turning the slick ice slide into shards that prick his paws. A simple price to pay to prevent this lion from getting through.

His jump connects with the ice lion, who crumples with a surprised shout when he puts his weight on-- yes, her-- back. Samael shifts his weight to draw back a front paw. The ice lioness wriggles under him like a fish and manages a half-turn to push him with a frantic swat. The blow is not powerful enough to rock him back-- it is the mind-clearing shock of cold that does it. He rears back on instinct, shying away from the coldness that feels as if it is burrowing into his chest. Samael looks down. His black armor is coated in ice, his chest plate welded to his pauldrons.

With a snarl and a violent shake, Samael is able to free himself after a few shocking moments. In time to see the ice lioness running off. Samael takes off after her, body checking those who dare to get in his way or aren't paying enough attention to move quickly enough. She is heading straight for the goddess' tree--

and she dives into the city unchallenged, likely because she looks as if she's fleeing for her life. If it weren't for the fact that Samael saw her standing with the opposing army, he would likely think she was on the goddess' side, too.

Before Samael finishes deciding that one lioness with ice powers isn't going to topple a civilization, the roars from the battlefield increase in strength and number. The army of decay is retreating back to the dying forest with slow steps backward. In increments, felines disengage from each other and stand motionless, panting and exhausted.

Now that the fight is over, Samael is also feeling the effects of a prolonged battle. The fire in his eyes dim until his eyes no longer glow and his armor melts away into nothingness, leaving behind a bruised and battered lion. Samael takes a deep breath and tastes rain on the wind.

This realm is exhausting.

[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:009

[TheSongOfTheStars]

Username: TheSongOfTheStars
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Bryva Hayes Lost Shard
Link to their pride or group: HOD Dark of Mists
Prompt level completion: 3
Prompt:

505 words

Lost Shard collapsed in exhaustion after retreating back into the tossed and tangle wilds. She was still in view of the battlefield, but hopefully out of sight of any of the city cats. She set her back against a tree and for a couple of minutes just tried to breathe, tried to calm the pounding in her head, tried to settle the whirling bellowing thoughts in her brain.
After several minutes of just sitting there, bleeding, Lost Shard pulled the medical kit she had found in the old pile of junk back at the oasis amidst the decay.
There was not a whole lot in there, but there was some ointment and bandages. Most of it was spent on her wrist as she tried to repair some of damage done when she tried to scale the wall. That little cat had done a big number on her.
Ultimately the breach on the wall had failed. The ladder had been hooked over the top and several decayed soldiers as well as their allied cats and lions had been able to scramble up, but they had been overwhelmed and the ladder,which had not exactly been up to code, had been shoved over and shattered on the ground below.
After that Lost Shard was not entirely sure what had happened. She recalled darkness, screaming, the pain in her wrist, and an unbalanced sensation.
She had woken up half suffocated, her face buried in mud at the foot of the wall. It had not been a pleasant awakening to say the least.
As she had cleared the grit from her eyes and ears she had realized that the decayed army was retreating and had gone stumbling after them as quickly as her battered body had allowed.
She finished bandaging her hand and the effort had left her drained in more ways than one. Sinking back against the tree she dug through her own supplies, the ones she had brought from the Swift and pulled out a nutrients ration. It was tasteless, but she was used to that, and it filled an aching hole in the pit of her belly. She wondered how her fellow cats, lions, and weird dying (already dead?) plant soldiers were fairing. It seemed that the decayed soldiers had faired fine, but she had no idea what was up with the living soldiers.
There was a crack of sound and blinding light that caused Lost Shard to flinch. As soon as she could see, hear, and think clearly again she realized another portal had opened up.
It was a way back. It was an opportunity to get out. To escape the madness surrounding her. To forget about the struggle between renewal and eternity.
She almost had the enough energy to stand and lunge into it. But she settled back down before she did it.
She had entered her portal while in the Swift. If she went back now, it was fairly likely that she would end up in orbit without so much as a spacesuit.
No, she was not going to risk that.

[faelyn]

Username: Faelyn
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Star & Lily
Link to their pride or group: The Isles
Prompt level completion: Level 3
Prompt:
Light was dancing into the dark abyss that was awaiting it, the plumy figures that resembled moving pictures were darkening and only one thing was for certain.

A storm was brewing.

The winds had bittered, the cold air sinking its fangs into her crimson flecked fur. Cries of all-struck fury were laced within the silence, adrenaline sparked within her, igniting a fire that had long since burnt out.

They were here.

These cats surely weren’t cowards.

Lip curling into snarl, the muscles that traced her lithe figure sprung into action. Claws struck home, tearing into the flesh of her assailant. Eyes burning with an intense fire, a screech of agony left the lips of the victim - no - her victim.

Deep within her, the depths of her heart screamed, begging her to let the feeble soldier of decay retreat.

No.

Not, this time.

Lashing out at the feline’s neck, a gurgling cry spasmed from the enemy’s throat. There was no pity. No remorse. The soldier just messed with the wrong cat.

Everything was a blur and time was endless. The forces of darkness and light were whirling, a song of hate and pain chorousing into reality.

Letting out a hiss of anguish as claws rake across her back, her slender stature was flung back into combat. Protect the tree. It was the only thing that was present in her mind.

A snap crackled into the air as her forepaws slammed into a dark-furred feline. Her enemy’s eyes twinkled as her verdant ones wandered to meet them. The tiniest twitch of a grimace tugged on her lips as life ebbed away from the soul of the soldier.

Then, it all came to an end.

The infantry of decay had fled to the shadows. Perhaps, she was wrong. They were cowards.

Blood. Pain. Fury.

All present in those moments of withdrawal. Pure glee graced her scarlet-traces features as the army dispersed like a flock of ravens.

“Weaklings. Can’t even stand their ground on the battlefield.”

Contempt was evident in her tone, as her forepaws pleaded for another blow at the enemies features. Grace was still laced in her movement, as she weaved around, nostrils gathering the scent of the enemy's blood stained on the rocks.

Ha. Those little demons didn’t know where to hide.

“It’s over, Star.”

The gentle voice chimed from behind her like a bird’s song.

Lily.

Blood was lightly smudged on the blonde-furred hunter, the gorgeous, verdant eyes of the slender feline radiated an exhausted aura.

Right then and there, all of the victories of the battle faded.

It couldn’t be.

Countless corpses were scattered like spring blossoms across the fields. A perfect loss between both sides. Heart aching with sorrow, the balance within her faltered and she hit the ground, fragments of stone piercing her sides. Letting loose a quiet groan, blood ebbed from the deep wounds that had been earned on the battlefield. Eyes fluttering shut, a dark cloud loomed over the last remains of light in her vision.

Then, alas, it consumed her.

word count #508

[Jantzi01]

Username: Jantzi01
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Kosa Helios Virtue
Link to their pride or group: The Ushirikiano Pride Here
Prompt level completion: 5
Prompt:
Here (Same for both groups

[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. 5/1096 words]
Prompt: -June 9-
The army of rot appears from the trees. The only warning was the rustling and groaning of wood as they approached. They didn’t see the creatures until they were spread in a line before her own forces. She felt a shiver go up her spine. Their power scared her. That they could alter her senses was not a good sign for her chances at defeating them. She sweeps her gaze up and down their lines, picking out the ones who had disappeared days ago.

She feels a swell of rage and sadness to see them standing opposite her. How could they side with the enemy? After all they’d seen? After the attack on the tree? ...what happened? Around her others must be thinking the same. Cries go up as they beg their friends to come back to them. Moon does not scream. She feels tears spill over but does not acknowledge them. They have made their decision. If she hesitates now it could mean the end for her. She can only hope they wake up and see reason.

The leader of the Guardians steps forward, followed by the leader of the Mages. “So you’ve chosen the side of death and destruction?” they roar.

This finally breaks their calm and a chorus of voices rises amongst the horde’s ranks. Above the din, one voice can be heard shouting, “We have chosen the natural way of things! It is you who try and cheat death. But we embrace it!”

“Then you have chosen your fate.” Then the Guardian lets out a great roar, the call to battle.

Moon charges forward with the other champions of the goddess. As the other side approaches, she can’t decide who is the bigger threat. The creatures or the traitors. But quickly the choice is taken from her. The other side moves more quickly than she expected. Which is terrifying. One of the rot minions swoops upon her.

They swing down from above to crush her beneath their clawed feet. She dodges to the side. She rolls and skids to put some distance between them. Her silver armor protects her from the rocks in the ground she rolled across. She snarls at her enemy before her. The monster before her is tall, twice as tall as a lion. It stands on spindly legs with its large and taloned paws. The creature bares its fangs back. It charges her again. Moon runs to meet them. She ducks under the swipe and tries to get in closer. Up close its longer arms will become useless, and hopefully even a hindrance. It twists away from her, putting her back at arm’s length. It swings one of its arms with the momentum. Moon doesn’t see it. It hits her on the right flank and sends her tumbling. She’s dazed from the fall but struggles to her feet. She spits out grass and shakes the fogginess from her head.

It presses the advantage. It swings long talons at her. Left and right. Left and right. Moon’s forced to keep hopping backward. It swings its arms low, leaving very few openings. Moon knows she needs to stop this. Letting it herd her around is dangerous. On its next swing to the right, she makes a break for it. She runs to the left, letting the paw follow her. Its right paw comes right at her and she jumps to clear it. The creatures arms get twisted up in its attempt to grab her. She pushes herself to run faster. While it’s righting itself she runs for their flank. She takes a swipe at their back ankle. The creatures snarls in pain.

It comes after her again, eyes alight now with fury. It’s off balance from the turn and hit to its leg. Moon doesn’t hesitate. She circles back to it’s back legs. It’s forced to turn with her, which keeps it off balance. She dives under its belly. It tries to kick her once it catches on. Before it can she’s leapt up to slash its belly and run out from the other side.

The creature stumbles. Moon runs back in. But the creature recovers quickly. It twists and catches her in the shoulder with a paw. It throws her to the ground. Its paw caught her in the shoulder armor, but two of its claws connect with flesh. For a moment she doesn’t feel anything beyond the ache of connecting with the ground. Then pain blooms below her shoulder.

She staggers to her feet while blinking tears of pain out of her eyes. Her right shoulder is on fire. She can’t put as much weight on it as her left leg. She tries to power through the pain so she’s not so obviously favoring it. The creature grins. It runs at her, obviously aiming for her injured shoulder. Moon takes a steadying breath and runs at its incoming swing. Running on her leg hurts, but she ignores it to keep going. She leaps over its paw and quickly swerves for its back. Pushing off her right leg, she feels a spike of pain. She might have done some damage with that. But the creature has to regroup. That opening is all she needs.

She leaps for it’s flank and digs her claws into the wood. The creature screams and tries to shake her off. But moon digs her claws in deeper, grunting with the effort. Then she begins climbing.

[Wet Bread]

Username: Wet Bread
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Worm, Aluraune
Link to their pride or group: Rusted Daemons
Prompt level completion: level 5
Prompt:
Their side was the first to move. Not with any calculation of command, but simply with the creatures of decay taking their steady steps forward, without a word. Worm took action as soon as the creatures around her did, sprinting, charging into battle, heading straight for her target: Aluraune.

Worm was suddenly grateful she'd chosen the bracers. They'd help protect her legs from the brunt of Aluraune's vines if she chose to use them, though they wouldn't be all that effective against Worm anyways. Sure, the vines could sap Worm's magic, but she wasn't looking into the future right now anyways. She was living in this moment, only trying to look ahead an instant. She wasn't even paying attention to the vision she had the night before. She was completely disregarding it in favor of focusing on the battle ahead.

She couldn't help but notice that neither of the gods were here to participate in this battle. No, they were content to simply sit back and watch. It made Worm sick but it seemed all too typical of a leader to let their citizens deal with the battles. Weren't they gods? Didn't they have powers that made their fighters pale in comparison? None of this made sense. Nonetheless, Worm charged with the same vigor.

She reached Aluraune quickly, finding the fellow cat prepared to fight her. Aluraune surely had been able to read her signals. She was a smart cat like that. Aluraune unleashed an instant flurry of vines, which Worm dodged with mild success. Some grazed her pelt, the thorns scratching her up a bit, but none managed to get a hold of her. Worm charge Aluraune, tackling her and forcing her vines backwards before they could grip the creatures of decay.

Before Worm could truly do any damage to Aluraune, sharp fangs dug into her pelt, ripping her off the other cat and flinging her away. Worm flipped herself midair, landing on her paws a little less than gracefully. A large blue lion, presumably one of the guardians, was standing at Aluraune's side. The lion bared its teeth at her and Worm's fur bristled. If she had to fight a lion then so be it. Luckily, some of the creatures of decay and allied cats reached Worm's side quickly, helping her face the lion. As the others attacked it, Worm was quickly to dodge under its paws and dodge past it until she reached Aluraune once again. Another creature was at her side as Worm sparred with Aluraune.

Aluraune had to use her vines to keep the creature back while she tried to fight Worm with her claws. Unfortunately for her, Aluraune didn't hold a candle to Worm when it came to regular paw to paw combat. Worm had been practicing for ages, until she had to be sent to healers for exhaustion and injuries. To make up for her lack of fighting magic, she had to bulk up on physical strength. As Worm started gaining on Aluraune, getting closer and closer to injuring her, Worm realized how crazy it had become. Cats, lions, and creatures fighting each other everywhere in a frenzied chaos. This was dangerously close to her vision.

Then it happened.

Just like her vision predicted, the creature next to Worm got confused and turned, ready to attack her. Aluraune's vines simultaneously pulled the creature towards herself and pushed Worm away. The creature focused it's attention back on Aluraune, slashing her side with its tough claws. Worm ran forward, pushing the creature away, and checking on Aluraune, who'd fallen to the ground.

"Why would you do that?" She questioned, angry, as she checked on the cat. She expected the creature to attack again but instead it turned away, lumbering away in the opposite direction. Oh. The sun was already rising. It was time to go. Worm wanted to check on Aluraune, question her further, but the champions and guardians were starting to turn on her. She turned and fled with her, "allies."

She couldn't get Aluraune's unlikely actions out of her mind. She had to know she would get hurt doing that? Why did she? Worm hated her, it didn't make sense. She only hoped Aluraune didn't die on the battlefield. Bael would not like that. Worm felt fear as she thought about the next battle to come. They felt far off from the end of it and these creatures were so disorganized. This couldn't happen again. She couldn't be attacked by her own allies.

~~~

Aluraune wasn't entirely sure why she did it. That was her chance to watch Worm perish without suffering the blame of her death. It would have been the perfect opportunity to get her out of the way. But when she saw the creature turn on Worm, Aluraune remembered that determined look in Worm's eyes. The look of a cat who'd been wronged many times over. The look of cat with the same simple end goals as Worm. Aluraune focused less on the stuff she lost and more on the power she gained, but her and Worm had experienced an eerily similar amount of suffering. While the look in Worm's eyes did remind Aluraune of Bael, they also reminded her of her own daughter. The one Aluraune lost because of Bael's selfishness. That lost had perhaps led up to this. Ever since her daughter's mysterious disappearance, Aluraune had slowly turned against her leader and mate, pretending to be ever on her side while plotting to overthrow her and make Bael suffer as much as she had. Perhaps Aluraune had made a foolish blunder.

She sacrificed her plans to save Worm, and she thought as the creature's claws slashed her, maybe her life. Aluraune fell, suddenly feeling weaker than ever before. Much to her surprise, Worm rushed forward, standing over her and shouting something before she fled the scene. The lion that came to her aid earlier rushed to Aluraune's side, examining her closely. As she laid on the ground, trying to keep conscious, Aluraune realized: she should have considered Worm an ally from the beginning.

[1,014 words]

[EchoIre]

Username: EchoIre
Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Chetan
Link to their pride or group: Motoheri Pride
Prompt level completion: Level 2
Prompt:

Chetan was wary to face against the champions who had abandoned the tree. Were they truly wrong? Did any of them know what they were doing, the outcome of their actions? Still, the army of decay surged forward, and Chetan and the army of life met them boldly. Regardless of his doubts and concern, Chetan was called here to protect the tree, and that's what he would do.

The leopard avoided fighting other cats when he could. It... didn't feel right, not when he felt as though some strange force out there had led them astray. When there was no other option, though, Chetan tried to be quick about it; nothing life-threatening, but enough that he could get away while they were stunned. During the brief seconds between clashes, he looked for a certain pale yellow lioness. If this was where the other missing champions had gone, then this must be where she was, too. Unless Kamala actually did get sidetracked exploring, and missed the call. He hoped that was the case. He hoped she was safe.

This raid was much larger than the first one, a full-scale assault. Already weakened by his wounds from the ambush a day prior, Chetan was much slower fighting. He kept with a small group of other warriors, mostly assisting them in their battles as opposed to seeking out an enemy on his own. By the end of the battle, Chetan was bleeding, burned, and exhausted. But, they had won. Hadn't they? He shared a look with his fellow champions, defenders of the Trinity Tree, during the silence that followed.

Could they withstand another attack?