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The cats of the Carnival had been given a (brief) reprieve from the constant onslaught of their growing void problem, and the fact that more and more red was showing up in places red shouldn't be showing up in. Cats had arrived via one of the largest void-patches near the ocean, calling themselves the Starlight Theatre Company and promising entertainment so long as they were allowed to set up a 'theatre' to house their production in. Chroma was not around to tell Viperstar what to do, so he allowed it. The male had always been fond of the theatre, and even though he had no idea what Les Misérables was, he figured a play would be a grand activity to help ease the tension around the place. Turned out to be a great idea. The cats who attended enjoyed the play immensely, and many red seashells and roses were showered upon the Company at the close of the play. Viperstar was under no impression that he wanted to be known to have been there, but he even saw a human 'shadow' at the back of the impromptu theatre watching the production. So Chroma HAD been in attendance.
After the production was over, Viperstar elected to leave the theatre up, and offered a heartfelt invitation for the Company to come back any time they felt like showing off a new production. The mood was ten times lighter as the Company left, and saw cats relaxing with their significant others - if they had them - and even a cat from a 'clan' outside of the void lounging alongside Fortune's End. Viperstar introduced himself, brusquely but in a friendly sort of manner. The other cat called himself Bullheart, and claimed that he was Fortune's mate. There was no problem with that, and Viperstar left them to their business. Fortune had canted his head lightly at the Leader, and went back to grooming Bullheart's ears, and talking about his plans for the future - which he fully intended to spend with the large cat.
Instead of dwelling on how lonely he felt, walking among all these couples and polycules, Viperstar busied himself with upkeep of the Carnival. Making sure everyone had food, and nothing was out of place. It was during this 'routine' check he found Dept Strider tending to something he had never expected. A small, mewling kitten. It seemed to be old enough to eat solid foods, so that was for the good, but where had it come from? Depth refused to say, just continued grooming the young male, and giving 'stay back' vibes to Viperstar. Fine, if he wanted to be secretive about where it came from, it was no fur off Viper's nose. The kitten would be discovered by the rest eventually, and then Depth would HAVE to come clean. Probably.
Sighing, Viperstar crossed past most of his group, and headed out into the sand-dunes, padding down along the beach to try and snag a fish or three. He was having very little luck, when something caught the corner of his eye. One ear went straight back as he realized he was being followed. Rounding on the intruder, he stared them down, ears straight-back, and eyes narrowed.
"Today is not a good day to surprise me, intruder. What do you want." he hissed.
Said intruder didn't look scared. He looked amused. "Well, I was coming to see if you needed help. So the 'intruder' bit is a little hurtful, don't you think? I'm Rider of Chaotic Waves - or just... Rider, for short. I don't belong to a clan, or a group, or anything. I simply travel from place to place, helping wherever I go. And man... are you guys in serious need of help. This place is literally falling apart. The line between this domain and oblivion is REALLY thin. Like, paper-thin. Rice-paper thin. Whatever or whoever is holding you guys together isn't doing a real good job of it."
Viperstar did not back down. His bristling just got worse, and his tail floofed out wide. "How do you know about all of that? You some god? Some sort of deity that wants us dead? Like Chroma?"
Rider snorted, and waved a paw dismissively. "Uh, no. Nothing like that. Is Chroma the name of the guy in charge of this place? Ah, that's why there's a memory embargo going on, huh? Right. Well, the first thing I'm going to do is remove that." His left paw glowed a deep blue, and he stomped hard on the sand with it. Cracks seemed to appear and then disappear, fading off into the ocean, and there was a disturbing 'glass splintering' sound as it went. Viperstar's ears couldn't get any further back, but he crouched down low, and hissed.
"What did you do!?" he yowled, angry and scared all at once.
"See for yourself." Rider said with a wide un-catlike grin. "I removed the embargo. You can speak of anything you like now. There was a pretty powerful spell holding back your names, your memories, anything from your previous life that didn't fit with 'cat lore'. That's gone now. Pretty sure you all should be allowed to choose your own paths. Not have them dictated for you." His tailtip flicked. "Now, that's not to say that some of your group won't continue to choose to go by the names of the cats they are now. Or... well, new names entirely. After this, I mean. But you have freedom now. Your 'Chroma' isn't looking. Not paying attention. It was child's play to remove his runic hold on you all."
Viperstar relaxed only slightly, and gave the stranger the benefit of the doubt by trying to do what he'd been trying to do since he came to this red-soaked, nightmare-inducing rusted playground of lies. "... My name is Ian Drayton and I come from the planet of Juridia." Hearing his own voice saying his own name, he bolted straight upright and his ears went all the way forward. "What?! ... Ian Drayton. Ian Drayton. Ian Drayton." he tried again, his grin growing wider every time he said his own name. "Oh my gods that feels better."
Rider canted his head forward. "Doesn't it though? I can't do anything about the cat forms. That's beyond my power. But hey - you all have your identities back, that's got to be worth something." The strange cat paused, and canted his head to one side. "I might stay here a while. There's more stuff that needs to be done. No, I'm not originally a human, or anything humanoid, but I can work with a cat form, let's say." He smirked. "Plus, your group needs all the help you can get. You've got gods coming in the back way, a sick and possibly dying god hiding out here - judging by the state of the place - and not a pretty clue in any of your heads about how to USE this voidspace. Chroma gave you a huge in - y'all just haven't found out how to manage it yet. That's okay. That's why I'm here. Well... why I'm here NOW at least."
The brown-and-white cat hopped up onto a taller dune, and looked out toward the ocean, slowly being converted from a grey-blue color to pure blood red. He 'tsked'. "Looks like I have my work cut out for me. You all need guidance. I only came here to see if I could help, but it looks as though I might need to call in some backup. See... I have this.. friend of mine... Well, no - we'll see if I need to get his attention." His tail flicked a bit. "First things first, you need to call a meeting of all the cats in your territory. It's time you all learn what you're ACTUALLY here for."
Viperst-... No, Ian, he could actually call himself that now... nodded a bit, and started off to do just that. Whoever Rider was, he'd given him his identity back, and that was cause alone to trust he knew what he was talking about. He could walk to the walk as well as talk the talk, and if it helped him figure things out - he'd trust this 'Rider' to the ends of the voids and back.
When he arrived back into the center of 'town', he climbed up onto the central leaning trapeze platform, which was high enough where he could project his voice to reach all cats that were gathered around. They were actually calm enough for once - thanks Starlight Theatre Company! - to pay attention to what he was saying, so he raised his volume for the first time, and called a 'meeting'.
"Uh.. Every cat who can hear me! We need to talk about how things are right now! I want to introduce you to a cat. His name is Rider. He's given us back our identities, and we can say our own names and origins now! But he has ideas how we can have more freedom. Gather up in front of the tent." He raised his tail high, and lifted his ears, watching all the cats below him do exactly that, and feeling a swell of pride. Hey! Actual leadership stuff felt good!
The cats fell into place, seating themselves with expectant expressions in front of the platform their leader was speaking from. A few of them tried out their previous names, and re-enjoyed the taste of their identities as they came flooding back. Some cats were quiet. Depth settled in front, as well as that... strange... kitten. Fortune's End and Bullheart said their goodbyes as Bullheart disappeared back through a void, this time taking Under Glass with him, as his son wanted to see the rest of Bullheart's group, and get to know his sibling better. Once that was done, he took his seat next to the polycule, and looked up at Viperstar, and a new cat joining him, standing at his shoulder.
"Wow, there's a lot of you, aren't there?" Rider said, looking over the assembled cats. "Not nearly enough - but a lot of you regardless. So. This world around you. These red waters, the sand, the beach, the rocks and the forest. They're yours for the changing. Chroma - at least I think Ian said his name was Chroma - is too weak right now to stop you from molding and shaping what should rightfully be yours. And ALL of you have the power to do this. You don't need to be a being like I am to make changes." His tail swished a bit. "It will require practice, and it will require patience - but you all should have the ability to make what you want out of this world. No need for the deity that created it to be involved in the process. I promise you, your freedom can be your own. Just as I returned your names to you - this world can ALSO be returned to you to do with as you please." His ears stood straight up.
Every cat there was eying him with rapt attention - even Ian, beside him - was eager to hear how this worked.
"As I stated, it will take patience and practice, but I can sense each and every one of you has the power in you to do what is needed for this group to regain what it has lost." He tapped his paw on the edge of the platform. "With my help, you can bring back color, abundance, and greenery to this place."
There were murmurs of agreement, and a few silent cats that just eyed Rider with distrust. Depth Strider didn't seem to believe a word of what he was saying, as his ears were straight back, and he was folded around that strange kitten. Luck of the Draw didn't seem to believe him either, his eyes gone cold and unfriendly. Odd One Out's gaze, for once, was all animosity and distrust. None said anything. The rest of the cats began to cheer, and started talking amongst themselves.
Rider stepped down from the platform, and sat somewhat near the back of the shadows of the tent. A humanoid figure appeared just to the outside of the last cat seated, sitting on the ground, and looking... angry. None of the gathered cats could see either the humanoid form of a seething, burning red Chroma... or the shadow of a man with massive wings rising from Rider's own, cast on the back of the ruined tent.
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inventory
♟ prey list ♟
Shrimp | 1FP
Shrimp | 1FP
Vole | 1FP
Snake | 4FP
Snake | 4FP
Snake | 4FP
Rat | 2FP
Lobster | 4FP
Crab | 5FP
Hedgehog | 2FP
♟ herb list ♟
Lamb's Ear| 1
Horsetail | 2
Comfrey Root | 1
Foxglove Seed | 2
Holly Berry Bunch | 2
Wintergreen | 2
Broom | 1
Loveage | 1
Deadly Nightshade | 1
Celadine | 1
Catmint | 2
Cobweb | 1
Dandelion | 1
Daisy | 1
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misc.
level 5♟ 293/650
predator/prey list
No Death Yet
items used
N/A
active quests
N/A
WORD COUNT
2087
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