Fate Begins Anew
"Um…mama? Why is brother still white?"
"Yeah! Da said he would change before he opened his eyes."
"Shush! Both of you. We don't need you bringing attention to this anymore. (mutter) By the ancestors, every cat already knows we brought a monster into the world."
"A monster? What is that?"
"D…do you think…he…did this?"
"Ha! Like the White Ghost cares for any living creature besides those destined to die. No, this is something worse. Now shush or go bother your father."
Two steps of pawsteps faded away as Thunder and Sneak left the warm den. Ears pricked as a larger body shifted somewhere nearby. Despite the warm den and the comfortable breeze, a little kit still felt cold. Truth be told, he always felt cold. With the cold came another sensation. It made him feel scared and small, as if everything around him was a threat and he had no one to help. Yet a name for the feeling never came to him. The little kit pushed the thought from his mind. There was no reason to be scared. His mama, Rain, was in the den with him. He could smell her scent off to his left. A strong scent of dirt and heather filled his nose as heavy pawsteps entered the den. Branches groaned and snapped as Wing's massive body squeezed into the tight space. At least, he always imagined his father to be massive, simply based on sound and smell. His eyes, after all, had yet to open.
Wing's deep voice rumbled, "Leader wishes an update."
"Of course, she does. That slim, half-starved hare-brain can't help but stick her nose in other cat's business. The Wind Spirit already blessed her with two strong nephews. She doesn't need to think about…that," Rain's high-pitched voice snapped.
The kit's ears twitched as his father growled, "My sister worries for her family. Besides, she is our leader, chosen by the Sun Guider. We must respect her wishes and honor her demands." A shiver ran down that tiny spine as a cold gaze fell on him, "Thunder said he hadn't changed."
"He hasn't! The ancestors must have sent us an omen. You know as well as I that only the White Ghost bears that pelt color…"
"ENOUGH! I will not hear of those silly stories used to scare kits! The White Ghost has a true name."
"Fine, Wing. Would you rather we call our son by that name too? It's fitting, after all."
"I highly doubt our Family would accept such a choice, with that name being cursed and all." Silence reigned in the small den. Wing's tail flicked, "Scarat. That'll be his name."
"Scarat – the Herald of the White Ghost? Not much better than calling him "Death", now, is it?" Rain yawned before stretching. "Whatever you decide. You toms pick the names, no matter how dumb they may be."
"Death? Why would they name me that? I heard brothers saying a cat's name meant who they were. But I'm not that…am I?"
"You disagree with my decision?"
"Hm? Oh! Not at all, darling. Scarat is a perfectly fine name for a monster. I'm talking about when you gave Sneak his name."
(Deep chuckle) "Yes, you continue to remind me every day." A cold, damp nose touched the kit's forehead. Wing rumbled darkly, "From this point forward, you will be known as Scarat. May the White Ghost watch over you, for he's all you have, young kit."
At that moment, Scarat chose to open his eyes. He couldn't believe what his parents were saying. Even at his young age, he knew that death was something to fear unless one passed the Warrior's Ritual. Were his parents saying he was scary? Maybe they meant he would one day become as feared as the White Ghost? Scarat didn't know the answers to his questions. However, if this was the name he would bear, then he wanted to look his parents in the eye. He wanted them to know that he would carry the name with pride, as a true Wind or Sun Warrior did. His eyes, stretched wide with awe as they saw the world for the first time, stared into Wing's amber eyes.
The massive, brown tom with a white chest, belly, and paws, backed away. His hackles rose along his spine. Rain, a slim gray she-cat with white flecks and paws, leaned to look around her mate's massive form. Her piercing green eyes narrowed into dark slits. Claws gleamed in the bright sunlight as they slid silently from their sheaths. Scarat blinked at her, flicking his long tail to the left side of his body. It rested against his forepaws before curling like a snail's shell. Both adult cats hissed in horror. Without a word, Wing left the den. Rain snapped her gaze and face away from the small ball of white fur.
Scarat's head twisted as loud screeches could suddenly be heard outside. It was his Family, the large group of cats his blood lived amongst. Something had them riled up.
"Monster!"
"That thing is cursed! We need to kill it!"
"White pelt and deep blue eyes! Isn't that what the White Ghost looks like?"
"Surely the Sun Guider wouldn't let this happen!"
"Cursed! We're cursed!"
"Not cursed – doomed!"
"The ancestors must be mad at us for something!"
"It's an omen of things to come!"
"Leader, what will we do!"
"Silence!" cried a powerful, feminine voice. Scarat's ears pricked forward as he listened to her speak, assuming she must be Leader. "I commend Wing and Rain for being forward with this truth, instead of hiding it away. We all feared what it meant when the siblings died heartbeats after birth. Now the truth has come to light. The White Ghost has marked this kit. It has tasted blood when it murdered the siblings. As Wing has stated, its name will be Scarat. May we look to the Sun Guider and the Wind Spirit for comfort. The Moon Chaser will be our guard at night. However, you all know the ancient law: no kit shall be abandoned for any reason. We will uphold our end of the oath."
Cats began howling in outrage. Scarat shrunk low into his nest. Fear began to make his heart pound.
"Yes, young one. You are right to be afraid," Rain muttered coldly. She still refused to look at the monster she birthed. "You are a monster. You killed your baby brother and sister in cold blood. The White Ghost has marked you as his by your white pelt and your long tail."
"My word is final! Scarat will stay amongst us until he is old enough to fend for himself!" Leader screeched above the rising din.
(Snort) "You're lucky Leader can't turn her back on kin. If she was any other cat, you would be given back to the ancestors." Rain glared at him, "I'm not your mother. Wing isn't your father and you have no brothers. Thank your White Ghost that we've shown you mercy." Claws unsheathed once more, "Don't make us regret our kindness."
Lightning, formerly known as Scarat, looked out of the Twoleg cage. The other cats captured from his Family had already been sold. Thunder and Sneak were safe with their parents, hiding amongst the tall heather. He sucked in a deep breath, even though the rank air made him sick. Long, white legs trembled with exhaustion. The Twolegs who captured him were desperate. They were choosing to put their hope in stronger, more aggressing cats. Lightning, as they had named him, was built for speed. Therefore, he was useless to the Twoleg's who trained cats and dogs to fight for entertainment. Worse, he was beyond worthless to those who needed animals to fight in massive battles with other Twolegs. A cat with speed was only useful to those who needed hunters. Loners and rogues often filled those roles.
Thus, every day the pure white tom received less and less food.
Deep blue eyes closed. His forehead pressed against the cage door. Tears trickled down his face. Every scar his Family had given him were stark against his thinning white fur. He had suffered every day for cats who didn't love him. They called him cursed, a monster. They reminded him that Death itself had chosen him. For what purpose, only Death could possibly know. However, right now it seemed as if Death would claim him and his body sold as food.
A wry smile touched his lips, "Guess that's all I'm good for."
"Giving up so soon, young one?" a deep voice rumbled.
The tom's head snapped upward. Standing before him was a tall Twoleg with black hair. Faint stubble could be seen growing on his cheeks and chin. Blue eyes studied the tom with an analytical, piercing stare. Hanging from his neck by a silver chain was a clear gem. Lightning sucked in a breath. The gem seemed to glow with a faint, blueish tint. Some unknown power radiated towards him, seeking to know and understand his every thought.
Deep blue eyes rose to that piercing stare, "Who are you?"
"Trenton. You are?"
"My blood Family called me Scarat – the Herald of Death. These Twolegs who captured me have chosen to call me Lightning," the tom meowed, boggled by the fact this Twoleg could understand him.
"Interesting…," Trenton muttered, scratching an itch on his neck with black-gloved fingers. "They can be quite literal with names. Does 'Poppy' suit you?"
"Aye. I'm built for speed. They said I was like a bolt of lightning when they spotted me in my home territory."
"Hm. I have need for fighting cats. Speed such as yours could prove…beneficial." The Twoleg pulled off a glove. His warm fingers rested on the wooden gate, "Will you join, young Poppy?"
The tom felt his heart pound. This Twoleg looked at him and saw worth. He was willing to have the tom at his side, amongst his ranks. The tom shook. Heart cracked and broke as warm tears filled his eyes. His damp, pink nose touched the Twoleg's fingers. A gentle smile touched Trenton's lips. At that moment, one of the sellers came forward to speak with him. Lightning listened as they settled terms of purchase. Deep blue eyes closed. Each word spoken repaired the broken pieces of his heart.
A massive black stallion trotted down the cobblestone paths. Trenton rode in silence. Lightning calmly rested on the man's shoulders, his unusually long tail flicking and curling. Deep blue eyes analyzed the path ahead. Ears listened for any command from the Twoleg. Trenton saved his life. His purchase of the tom gave Lightning's life meaning. He finally had worth. He finally had a home.
The world would bleed before anything broke the tom's loyalty.
Unfortunately, fate had other plans. A plan that would shatter Lightning's heart anew.
Chapter one is done!
Sorry for the delay. We wanted this to be a natural continuation of the prologue that didn't feel too jarring. Thus, we wrote, rewrote, edited, rewrote, and re-edited this over and over again. But now it's here!
Succulentsofa – Thank you so much for your kind review and helpful critique. We tried to keep it in mind as we worked on this chapter. Hopefully the conversations flowed better this time around. One of the hard parts with dialogue is portraying the world they live in through it. For example – the initial characters you met spoke more formally to each other, which did make a lot of their statements seem stiff. The characters here didn't have that restriction. Hopefully this chapter kept up to your expectations!
A little insight for those who may be confused:
- The ancient cats you met in the prologue have LONG been dead by this point. We used them as a way to lay the foundations for these characters will face.
- Lightning's "Family" lived on an open plain filled with heather. Thus, things that are rare and make you stand out are considered bad omens. Being born pure white, with an unusually long tail, and rare deep blue eyes practically guaranteed Lightning's terrible beginning. But you'll learn more about that later.
- Every group of cats has a different belief system – much like us humans. Lightning's "Family" believed in nature "gods". The Sun Guider is what you think of as Zeus or Odin. The Wind Spirit is the primary warrior god – much like Ares. The White Ghost – as you can imagine – is the personification of death, like Hades and Thanatos were to the Greeks. Other cat groups believe differently – and some do have a concept of Starclan and the Dark Forest.
- Poppy means "Lighting" in the human tongue. That's why Lightning says "lightning" when he speaks because he is speaking cat while Trenton says "poppy" because he is speaking in the human tongue.
If you have any further questions, let us know and we'll try to make those clearer as the story progresses.
Hope you all enjoyed!