Stars Tryout for 3512 and 3513

[Timid-Decidueye]

This hadn't been in their star charts. It hadn't been in the stars' calendar, so what was happening? Fear spread through the cats as they ran around, paws pounding against the grass as they kicked up dirt. It was pretty bad to say the least. The day had started getting darker, and when they looked up in confusion, they saw their sun covered by the moon. What was this? Why was it happening? And more importantly, how was it happening? Had they angered their gods? And if so, could they undo what they might have done?
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POV — Estrelle

I paced around the sun-eaten grass of the Gods' domain, muttering incoherently to myself as I watched the fellow God, albeit the one of the moon, sit there calmly, their tail flicking gently across the silvery blue grass, just at the edge, their claws almost breaking the barrier between our two territories.

"Why can't you just listen?!" I paused my paces, turning my head to snarl at the plum-colored rosette tabby in front of me. "You yap and yap all day long, complaining about never having enough worshippers, but can't you understand that the mortals need rest? That they need to sleep when the moon is up? Do you not understand?" I sat down, my claws digging up dirt. It was too early to deal with what was now happening. The mortals were in shambles because of this battle, but as much as I wanted to scream at the cat in front of me, I knew I was being hypocritical.
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WC: 256

[Mercuré]

POV - Ngondá

My eyes darted out to watch as Estrelle strode across grass yellowed by their light, brittle and sharp. I felt a hiss rise in my throat but I managed to tamp it down. Now was not the time to resort to snarls and claws as much as I wanted to. My mouth seemed still to open on its own accord after their words crossed our domains.

“Do I not understand?” Mt words felt airy in my mouth, shrill, “Of course I understand! What I don’t understand is why they can’t sleep with the sun in the sky! I provide a gentler light, my shadows help hide them as they sneak up on prey. I am the one who should rule."

Yet as I spoke I became distracted. Distantly I could feel the whisper of prayers against my fur. Pleas to me, to Estrelle, to anyone to end this. Questions arose as well, What have we done to anger you? How can we fix this. I felt an ache in my chest. This needed to end but I wasn’t sure how.
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WC: 182

[Timid-Decidueye]

POV — Estrelle

I could hear the drumming of heartbeats, and yet I ignored them. I stood back up, the fury I felt driving me. Why couldn't they see it? How could they not see how selfish it was of them? Though, could I really say anything? My paws left marks in their wake as I stalked towards Ngondá, anger seeping into my gaze as a snarl left my throat.

"The light from the sun is easiest for them to see it! Your night shields the predators that roam the boarders! How can you be as dimwitted as to not understand that?!" I wasn't thinking as I spoke, my tone full of venom and malice. I let the anger talk for me. I wasn't as cool-headed as the other gods, and that showed a lot.

I could hear the pleads same as them. I knew I needed to end this stupid bicker between us. But it would come down to one ruler. Ngondá and I could not share the sky, and that was made perfectly clear today. I stood before Ngondá, my paws threatening to cross into their territory. "Stand down, Ngondá. You know the moon will never outshine the sun. No one will worship you as their day, and that. Is. Fact."
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WC: 210

[Mercuré]

POV - Ngondá

I could feel a shock course through me like lightning and then the heat of anger trickled in. How could they say such a thing? How could Estrelle be so arrogant? I had enough.

“Fine.” I spoke clearly. The word felt dead as it left my mouth. My anger had cooled into something much more dangerous.

“Fine?” Estrelle asked in shock.

“Fine. You’re right. No cat needs night. In fact, why should I concern myself with mortals!” I knew as soon as the words left my mouth they were false but I couldn’t care. I could barely hear the mortals pleading over the sound of the blood rushing through my ears.

At that moment, I turned away. The realm behind me collapsed. Plush purple grass shriveled and withered within seconds. The stars in my night sky fell down one by one, their streaks looking like stripes in the sky. The whisper of wind through deep blue dibondo trees halted and everything became eerily quiet as I turned around one last time to view Estrelle. They were surrounded by their own realm of golds and oranges and there in the middle they stood in shock. Their mouth moved as if to speak but it was too late. I didn’t care what they had to say. I gave one last look before the sky folded down into the grass and the dirt rose to meet the heavens. The realm was gone. I was gone.

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WC: 242

[Timid-Decidueye]

POV — Estrelle

I watched Ngondá leave. Happy, at first, knowing I'd won. Thinking they'd come back, I sat there, basking in my triumph. I had won. Ngondá was leaving, and I was the ruler.

Waiting for them to turn back, and realizing they hadn't made my smug expression fall. I watched them walk further and further away. I ran to the edge of my territory, my heart pounding in my chest. What was I doing? What was I thinking? Oh... That's right. I hadn't been thinking.

I skidded to the edge of their territory, gasps leaving my throat. I opened my mouth to call out for them, but nothing came out. I stood there, panicking. I watched them leave... and felt the ground tremble. I felt the ground beneath my paws crack, and I knew I'd messed up. "No... No, no, no.."

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The mortals hadn't known what had happened in the realm above, but the moon had left its place in front of the sun. They were thankful the gods had listened to them — or so they thought, at least — and had returned order to the sky above. Though in the following days, they'd come to notice that the moon had never risen. Had never told them when to sleep. They, again, panicked. The sun beat down on their aching bodies, they thought maybe they hadn't prayed enough. And so, logically, they prayed harder. Little did they know that wasn't the issue at all.

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I paced around my land, gazing at the still grass that made up Ngondá's territory, pleading to a force above my own that Ngondá would come back. I knew my mistake now, and it humbled me greatly. I crouched down at the border between our territories, a stark contrast in the colors of the grasses. "Ngondá..." I whispered, my breath moving gently through the blades of grass. "Ngondá, please. I can't do this without you.."

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WC: 319

[Mercuré]

POV - Ngondá

I sat in the void I had created of purple and blue swirling clouds, away from everything. Prayers had stopped temporarily but had begun again with a new sense of vigor as I knew the mortals had begun to realize I had left. Their sounds washed over me like the gently lapping of waves at the shore and I slowly began to push them from my mind. It hurt to ignore them but I had made my decision.

Then piercing like rays of sun through deep water a prayer stuck out unlike the rest. I latched onto it in my mind, struck by how different it was. Content wise, it was not much different from the rest, begging for me to return. But as I turned it over in my mind I suddenly was shocked, it was from Estrelle.

“Ngondá, please. I can't do this without you.." rang Estrelle’s voice, clear in my head. As soon as I listened to Estrelle the countless other prayers poured in. I couldn’t do this. I couldn’t abandon the mortals. It was time for me to return.

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WC: 183

[Timid-Decidueye]

POV — Estrelle

I had my muzzle buried between my paws, my cheeks damp with tears as I watched their territory hopelessly. "Please..." I begged, my voice hoarse. "Please, Ngondá..." I closed my eyes tightly, tears streaking down my fur. Part of me thought that maybe Ngondá couldn't hear my prayer. Another part screamed that Ngondá knew it was from me and ignored it. And the last part, the tiny optimistic part I had knew that Ngondá definitely did hear me. That they were coming back.

I opened my eyes, my vision blurred from the tears. I saw a figure standing right in front of me, their coat as familiar as the grass beneath my paws. "Ngondá..." I almost thought I hadn't said it, but I knew I did as my throat throbbed. I picked my head up, staring dumbfoundedly at them. "I'm sorry, Ngondá... I thought... I thought maybe the mortals could be ruled under one.. I thought I was right, and..." The words fell from my mouth faster than I could think of new words to say. "I can't do this alone..."

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WC: 181

[Mercuré]

POV - Ngondá

As I arrived I stretched my limbs and let my realm unfold again. Owls hooted and the stars raised slowly back to their spots in the sky. I felt the rippling of purple grass under my feet and it felt like home. But I couldn’t stay here. I strode forward through my realm until I finally met the edge. Like pushing through a fragile wall I walked into the realm of Estrelle with its orange skies and golden hues. I stood in front of them and watched as they looked up, tears at their eyes.

Estrelle spoke hurried and desperate apologies as I looked on and I felt myself melt under the weight of our fight being dissipated.

“I can’t do this alone.” Estrelle finally uttered.

“I know” I responded, “You don’t have to do it alone anymore.”

I watched as slowly the sun slipped down past the horizon and the moon, my moon, rose. The prayers ceased. The wind moved. All was as it should be.


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WC: 167

[Timid-Decidueye]

POV — Estrelle

I stood up, a smile on my face as a breathy laugh left my throat. I reached a paw to my face and ran the back of it against my eyes to clear them of the tears. I nodded and watched the moon, their moon, rise, the stars put back where they should be.

"...I never stopped long enough to notice how stunning it all is..." I muttered softly before sitting down on the grass and staring at the moon and stars. "What lovely shapes they make... What are they called?"

I watched Ngondá sit next to me, looking at the sky, too. I curled my tail around their body, a faint smile on my face as I continued to watch. "How silly I was to think you were below me.."

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WC: 131

[Mercuré]

POV - Ngondá

“Constellations” I murmured, answering their question and laughing softly at their curiosity.

I watched the beauty around me, how the world had seemed to take a collective sigh with everything in order. As the night turned slowly to a warm dawn I held my breath at the beauty of it. The world that was shaped by not just me, not just Estrelle, but something we created between the two of us. The mortals awoke and stretched their limbs and went about their day and once more I marvelled at what we had created as the day sunk into the hues of another sunset. I thought I might be imagining it, but it seemed to be the most beautiful sunset I had seen in a while
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WC: 125

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