Username: Arrikanez
Cat Name: Midnight's Crown of Storms [Prince to his friends]
Gender: Male
Rank: Knight
Clan: The Dark CarnivalAge: 2.9
Kitty trying out for: MYO#002Prompt:~And what has you so troubled, Prince?~ Chroma's voice rang unexpectedly into the dark cat's head, gaining an earflick in irritation, and a sigh. "You wouldn't understand, Chroma." the black cat said, tail lashing in frustration. "If you hadn't stolen my name, I might be able to make one for myself here in this... gloom." His ears went flat, and he turned away from the others at camp, curling his tail around his hind quarters to make himself a smaller target.
Fortunately - or
unfortunately, if you happened to be Prince - a certain member of the Carnival was not so easily put off the scent of someone in need of a little jovial cheer. Fortune's End strode over once he had finished his meal of shrimp and fish, bringing by a piece of the fish for Prince, as he sidled up to him, and dropped the morsel at his feet.
"What's eating you?" he asked, sitting next to the sullen cat, and canting his head to one side. "You haven't touched a bite of dinner, and you've been over here brooding for the better part of six hours. You look like you're desperately in need of answers, or a hug, and I might be able to provide at least one of those."
Prince stretched out, and arched his back, his fur standing along his spine on end as he relaxed back, and eyed the fish with only mild distaste. "How can you stand it?" he hissed to the other cat. "Being stuck in
this form, in
this place, with a voice in your mind speaking of redemption of all things. I had palaces! I had servants! I had plans for the places I'd go, the things I'd conquer, how I was going to show my enemies my fangs. And then... this."
Fortune's End thought for a moment, then lifted a paw to gesture matter-of-factly. "The way I see it... your past life is your past. Your life now is your chance to redeem what you've done there. From what I remember, you were an actual crowned member of royalty, and you did some... not so good things." His tailtip shook as he thought of that. "But now you're a cat, and you're in high standing here. You have a chance to do some good, gain some power in a fruitful, not harmful way. Don't you want that chance?"
The other cat hissed softly. "What if I don't. What if I'd rather Chroma left me to my own devices? What if I wanted to stay where I was?"
"Well you can't." Fortune stated. "Because what's happened has happened, and Chroma doesn't take back his choices. So maybe... just maybe... you should run with this chance? It's what I'm doing. Granted, before... I wasn't exactly the best person. I had a lot of debt, and a lot of things I did that I shouldn't have, or at least should have thought through. I was sullen most of the time, and gloomy, and downright unpleasant. So I look at this life as a chance to fix that - to make people's lives better, and rethink my own choices." He dipped his head. "Maybe you could look at it as the same."
The dark cat's tail twitched. "I suppose if it's inevitable... then maybe it would be a good chance to perfect what I had neglected in my old life. Most of what I had was handed to me by my sister, older brother, and father. I wasn't ever expected to prove myself, only to use what I was given." He sighed. "So... self-improvement could be a... decent motive to get past this new... feeling. This unpleasant body might... I guess.. be a chance to do something for myself."
"That's the spirit!" Fortune said, beaming. "Not QUITE what I was talking about, but I'll take it! So yeah, use this as a form of self-improvement if you need to. I promise you'll be happy you did. There's so much you can do here. I know it's a red sky, and there's fog, and the place isn't huge, but... there are good points too. You just have to get out of this funk to find them."
Prince hissed. "Maybe not yet." he said, giving a low growl which caused Fortune to take a step back. "I need to think. I need to plan what I'm going to do next. But..." A begrudging sigh fell from his mouth. "... Thank you, I suppose. For giving me a new outlook. I'm still angry, but at least I have a constructive way to use it. You... helped, I suppose."
"Good enough for me!" Fortune gave another sunny grin, and then padded back off to the others, good deed done for the day. Meanwhile, Prince's posture relaxed a bit.
"Self-improvement, hrm? I suppose that's not redemption..." he mused to himself. "Perhaps this can work to my advantage... I just wish it wasn't so RED here all the time..."
~You and me both, Prince.~ Chroma agreed firmly in his head.