Link to cat(s) or lion(s) involved in prompt: Kandra and Pandra
Link to their pride or group: Oddity Pride
Prompt level completion: 5
Prompt:
Story B
Your cats have chosen to follow the strange voice as it leads the way through open field and into the twisting path of the forests, growing darker and darker the further they get from the great tree and into the deep reaches of the bramble and thorn. At the end of the voice, they find another army. A... not so pleasant one. The army of decay stares, expectantly. They do not attack, they simply stare with empty eyes as another tree lies among them, rotted and gnarled. "Ah... I see you have come." a voice responds, deep, polluted, and dripping with mystery. "...Please, sit. We have much to discuss. The goddess isn't who you think she is...." it says, evenly, showing control that the monsters it had sent the night before most certainly had not shown.
Do your cats run right away? Do they decide to hear out this strange dying god? Do they attack, or fight back?
Your cats have chosen to follow the strange voice as it leads the way through open field and into the twisting path of the forests, growing darker and darker the further they get from the great tree and into the deep reaches of the bramble and thorn. At the end of the voice, they find another army. A... not so pleasant one. The army of decay stares, expectantly. They do not attack, they simply stare with empty eyes as another tree lies among them, rotted and gnarled. "Ah... I see you have come." a voice responds, deep, polluted, and dripping with mystery. "...Please, sit. We have much to discuss. The goddess isn't who you think she is...." it says, evenly, showing control that the monsters it had sent the night before most certainly had not shown.
Do your cats run right away? Do they decide to hear out this strange dying god? Do they attack, or fight back?
Although they had both come to the conclusion that they would continue to follow that which pulled and called them, it was still difficult for the sisters, Pandra and Kandra, to leave the city, the tree, without causing alarm. It was a very real possibility that leaving this place would also cause them trouble. If they left, it was possible that they would not be able to return and, since the portal lead them directly here, that carried its own risks.
Carefully, before the morning sun had risen too high, the pair managed to set out. There were less eyes to watch them, but, unfortunately, it was likely impossible for their leaving to go unnoticed. The tree, itself, was alive, after all. So, certainly, it, no, she would know.
"Are you certain that this is the right choice?" It was Pandra that asked to confirm this in a quiet voice.
Kandra nodded her head once. "We made this choice together, so we'll follow it through," the more colorful lioness answered.
One thing the pair had come to realize during their time here, was that Kandra actually had a appearance more similar to the residents of this world, than that of where they came from. Unusual colors were not unheard of, of course, but there were few and far between, compared to more... natural colorations. Here, it seemed to be the opposite. There were very colorful folks.
As they carried on, they first came to an open field, and it was then that they both began to wonder how long of a journey that they would be in for here. Would it take just a few hours? Or would it take days? If it took a very long time, then what would happen in this world in the meantime? Would the others be attacked again? They had all sorts of questions cross their minds. But there was hardly any use in wondering about things that they could not answer.
"I seem more out of place here than you do," Pandra mused, at one point, just to give them something to talk about as they crossed the empty field.
Kandra chuckled at a bit, at that statement. "I never thought I'd see the day where I don't really stand out."
"Do you like it?" The primarily brown lioness wondered.
Kandra shrugged as she stepped. "I don't know. I mean, I've always been like this, so it's nothing knew anymore. Perhaps growing up, I felt insecure about it, but I don't feel that way anymore. My colorful appearance is just a part of who I am. So... I guess it doesn't matter, one way or another. It's interesting to see, for sure, but it's not this way or that way. Just interesting." There was a pause in her words, before she asked, "What about you? Do you feel out of place?"
"Not because of my appearance," Pandra replied, flicking her tail a few times, as she gave it some thought. "Just because I'm from a different... world, yeah, I feel out of place for that reason. I'm fortunate enough that no one has really treated me any differently because of the way I look while here, since there are many of us that all look differently."
The carried on with random conversions or peaceful silence as they traveled across the field, and finally made their way to a vague, twisting forest path. It could hardly be called a path, and there was no doubt that it would soon vanish in the thick of the forest. Still, they need not a path to follow, as they were following something else.
The twin sisters were more cautious as they ventured into the forest, but they did not hesitate. Rather than passing the time with idle conversation, each sister remained silent, listening to the world around them. They each stepped lightly, as if they may have been on the prowl, careful not to make even the slightest noise. They were both surveying their surroundings with each step. If something would be out to get them, they had no desire to be caught unaware.
The more they walked, the further they got from the tree and its underground city, the darker the world seemed to become. Perhaps the forest was just growing thicker and thicker, but that did not seem to be the only reason. Soon, they reached the very thick of it all, having to avoid thorn and brambles.
And, then, they came to their destination. Though it took some time, the day was not yet over, and both laid eyes on an entire army. Both lionesses stopped short, when they realized what they were looking at. It was the same creatures that they had just fought off, the day before. But none of these rotting... things moved to attack them. They didn't move at all, in fact.
It was Pandra that stepped forward another pace, when she spotted the gnarled tree, front and center, and it greeted them, then. In a voice full of pain and misery. It was a terrible sound, and so very, very sad.
Kandra was more hesitant than her sister, more cautious, but she didn't turn away. After all, they had been called here, and there was no way she would leave her sister behind. Her mind, actually, began to fill with even more questions. But, ultimately, was there a chance for diplomacy here?
She glanced at Pandra, as she stepped forward to be in line with her again, and, in turn, she glanced back at Kandra. The two nodded. It seemed they shared this thought.
"You have called us here," Pandra began, in response to the rotting tree, her red eyes trained on it "So can we presume that we are safe here? That your army will not come to harm us? Know that if we are attacked, we will not hesitate to do anything within our power to make it out of here." Once she got these words out of the way, she went on, "Please, tell us your story."
[1011]