Disclaimer: This one-shot is based off of the story of the Chinese Zodiac mentioned in Natsuki Takaya's Fruits Basket. The personalities of the original 12 Zodiac are copyright Takaya; these specific "Black Zodiac" characters I have developed myself. This is also based off of the Anime, not the Manga as the story of the Zodiac changes in the end.
A/N: This is also my first submission in a fan site. I have had this on hand for a while and figured "Why not?" Enjoy. :D
The Black Zodiac:
The Tale of the Ocelot
The story of the Sheng xiao, or yet better known as the Chinese Zodiac, has been subject to many alterations since its establishment. There is version in which the placement of the animals along the Zodiac calendar was determined by a race across a river to the Jade Emperor. Here the rat and the cat, though not very fast swimmers, used their intelligence to try to reach the Emperor first by jumping on the back of the ox. Determined to be placed first among the animals, the rat pushed the cat into the river and jumped before the ox as he reached the shore. The other animals followed suite to their own methods of crossing the river.
However, there is another version many are quite more familiar with. In this story, 13 specifically chosen animals were invited to join a feast with the Jade Emperor; or the Lord depending on the style of how the story is told. Here, the cat had asked his good friend the rat to wake him up in time to join the other animals for the special banquet. Unfortunately for the cat, the rat had other plans and decided not to wake him out of his own greed and thus the cat would not become a part of the Zodiac. Although, which this tale comes another; a second side of the Zodiac.
In the beginning before the great feast, the animals lived together among a peaceful garden not unlike that of Eden. The food and water was plentiful and their lives happy and comfortable. But with everything white there must be a black in order to maintain the balance of nature. Having been restricted to entering the garden of Eden and forced to watch outside the gates were a set of 13 animals; the black side of each of God's chosen.
Across from the charming and critical Rat, there is the sneaky, lying, and manipulative Weasel.. The Cow, seen as dependable and patient, would meet its match with the rude, deceitful, and power-thirsty Bull. Despite the Tiger's need to be rebellious and daring, they would also be seen as sincere and generous. However, the Black Panther is nothing more than vicious, hateful, and selfish; a definite opposite. The tender, kind Rabbit would not feel at home with its lazy, judging, and timid cousin the Raccoon. The Dragon is a sign in particular that is present in both the Chosen and the dark Zodiac, however what's very different is form and personality. In the chosen Zodiac the Dragon, given the form of the less frightening Sea Dragon, is considered dignified and intelligent. The brawny black Dragon of the dark Zodiac is considered to be more of a sloppy, ignorant coward despite its represented size. The rest of the Zodiac and it's black counterparts are as followed: The Eel for the Snake, the Black Unicorn for the Horse, the Fox for the Sheep, Lemur for the Monkey, Raven to the Rooster, Jackal to the Dog, and finally the Rhino to the Pig. A darkness consumes the souls of most of these cursed animals, but, as stated before, there must be a balance or else the world would turn to ruin.
To make sure the dark animals did not destroy each other, a young animal was sent as a messenger to keep order and peace among the clan. She was not a true member of the dark Zodiac, yet she was considered a keeper and guardian of the gate who was asked to remain living among them for the sake of demoting retaliation. This animal was the Ocelot. Because of her pure qualities, she was indeed invited to the grand feast on the other side of the gates. Unfortunately for the Ocelot, she was not as strong as her dark cousins and would find herself being tormented and treated unfairly. She was created to be a messenger and a guardian, not a hateful fighter and so she was no match for the Black Zodiac. Despite her open invitation to join the grand feast, she found that joining the Jade Emperor was completely out of the question. The other animals would not let her join in on such a blessing if they, themselves, were not allowed to participate in such a grand event. This rule was strictly enforced even so, for the sister of the Ocelot was in fact the Black Panther who was considered to be the most vicious of the 12 cursed animals. The Ocelot knew that her sister would never allow her to attend any such feast.
The day of the grand feast finally arrived and the black animals continued their lazy slumber, a sleep that would usually last until the evening house. As the other animals slept, the Ocelot found her chance to escape the wrath of her sister and made the attempt to join in the other chosen 13 animals. Despite the pain of the recent assaults cast onto her, she continued through the gates toward the feast of the Eden animals. With each step the pain in her limbs grew more intense, yet she was already half way and could almost make out the golden path to the Emperor's home. With the heat of the afternoon sun and the agony from her injuries, she found herself crashing to the dirt in defeat. Exhausted, the Ocelot fell into a deep sleep until she felt drops of rain fall from the sky. The sky was dark and the ground smelled like the sun had set hours ago. The Ocelot knew she was just too late to join the others; the feast was over and now she was alone covered in mud under a continuous rain. With a gently push, she lifted herself onto her feet and turned away from the golden path to exit the grand garden. As she began her departure the sounds of a sad soul interrupted her depressed thoughts. To the right of the dirt path she found none other than the orange cat. At first the cat was taken back as to why the Ocelot had not joined the grand feast. She took her place on the ground to lie beside the smaller feline and confessed her story of abuse and disappointment. In turn, the Cat shared his own story of how he was tricked by the greedy Rat.
Hours passed while the two shared their personal stories until a thunderous sound began to shake the grounds of the grand garden. The Ocelot then realized she had left the gates of the garden unattended and those sounds where the storming of powerful hooves and paws. As she pushed herself to her feet to run back to the gates the dark animals stormed from the forest and attacked the young Ocelot directly in front of the cat. She was a betrayer and a cheat and should be punished. Out of all of the animals, the two most vile and cruel were the Bull and her own sister the Black Panther. The Bull pierced her body with his sharp horns and the Black Panther bit, tore, and punctured her skin with tooth and claw. The cat tried to help his friend but was heavily outnumbered and was cast aside as easily as a stone. It was the Raccoon who suggested that the Ocelot had received enough cruelty for the day as she had watched the entire act from a tree branch being even too lazy to participate with the others.
The Ocelot, despite being near to death, was still breathing, although faintly. The black animals turned their backs on the fallen cousin to leave her for death, sister Panther included. The body of the Ocelot was no longer the solid shade of gold it has once been. Now, large holes and scars covered her body which would eventually scar over into an ugly black. From her branch the Raccoon watched the Ocelot with a very small feeling of pity, yet still turned to join the others. The Cat sat next to his friend, cursing to himself at his lack of strength. He stayed with her throughout the night, never once leaving her side as he attempted to heal her wounds. They were young, weak, and fragile outcasts, yet they would have each other.
As the Cat watched his friend fight for her life, it was then that he realized it was the Rat's fault, more than ever before. If he hadn't been tricked by the Rat he would have been awake to see the Ocelot fall. The Cat could have helped her and joined her in the grand feast together. They would be behind the doors of the Jade Emperor's home enjoying the wonderful feast. The Cat how hated the Rat so much more than he did after his trick.
As for the dark animals, upon their departure from the garden the Devil offered them a pact. They would have their own days of celebration where they would be looked to as important. The Devil granted them their own calendar; a calendar followed by those who promote and worship the highest evil…The Black Zodiac.