[ * ] CHAPTER 1: Distress [ * ]

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CHAPTER 1





Thin tendrils of grass stirred, whispered secrets to one another as the wind flattened them to the dry earth. The voice of nature was ever-present, prone to spreading news in hushed tones that few could grasp. Fair weather had been afoot for several days long, would run onward for more still, not a cloud hovering in the sky to stain the beautiful expanse of blue. An odd sort of warmth had taken over the air, and blazing heat was cast down from the angry body of the sun. Creatures of all shapes and sizes, from the smallest of ants to the largest of felines, took shelter among the crevices of rocks and beneath sun-scorched leaf canopies.

No sign of rain, no humidity to make pelts seem all too thick.

Half-closed heterochromic eyes flickered across the dry landscape, following the motions of the grass as it danced and spoke of the secrets no others could hope to understand.

Insects droned out a lazy tune in the air, the chirp of cicadas passed to and fro. The impenetrable cloud of warmth seemed to dictate that the day was one to be spent lazing about, and even the Chieftain of Aquarius would not argue. Her cats had been working hard, they deserved a bit of time to themselves. Besides, the chance of danger approaching had lessened significantly since the heat wave had struck the landscape. Who – or what – would dare mount an attack during such a time? No one and nothing.

Factor in that the Alliances were all at peace, and Tylanni was positive there would be nothing to worry about. Her small, rabbit-like tail twitched back and forth behind her across the smooth surface of the boulder that she had claimed as her perch for the day. Tiny ants skittered quickly back and forth across the stone, headed toward the cooled underside that had remained protected from the intensity of the sun.

Perhaps they had the right idea, the dense warmth of Tylanni’s pelt was beginning to grow uncomfortable as it absorbed and held the heat of the day. Eyes flickered momentarily shut to open again only a heartbeat later. What sort of example would the young Chieftain be setting if she just knocked out for the rest of the day?

Jaws split wide in a fanged yawn, whiskers pulled back with the uncontrollable movement. Settling herself more comfortably upon the boulder, Tylanni lowered her fluffy colour-splotched head to rest upon her paws.

I can still guard like this . . . Even as the thought crossed her mind, the Aquarian leader could feel herself beginning to slip. The long tendrils of sleep coiled about her foggy mind, forced her eyelids to droop shut. A low hum passed from Tylanni’s maw before she surrendered herself completely and allowed her body the rest it craved. Her Sign would be fine, she wouldn’t be out for long. It was just a quick, harmless nap.




Wisps of fog swirled hypnotically, crawling slowly over the open grassland toward the home of Aquarius. As far as the eye could see, the thick blanket had settled, had masked the usual landmarks. Where blinding sunlight once radiated, darkness had taken over; an inky, all-encompassing blackness that would not be deterred. Chill breezes nipped at Tylanni’s face, her pelt instinctively fluffed out.

What had happened to the choking heat and the sunlight?

Muscles protested numbly as the bobtailed she-cat rose from her position upon the now-frigid rock. Fog muted the sound of delicate paws as they hit the grass below. No animals could be heard; no birds, no mice, not even the chirrup of a cricket. Large ears pricked forward, strained to collect sound. There was nothing.

Nervous eyes shifted to the West, raked across the landscape for the sign of another, for anything even faintly familiar. Uncertain, the splotched Chieftain started in the opposite direction; toward safety, familiarity . . . toward her waiting Sign.

One . . .

Ten . . .

One-hundred . . .

Several hundred heartbeats passed, innumerable steps, and still there was nothing.

Mismatched eyes closed, a ragged breath exhaled. There was no need to panic, the Mother Aquarius – all of the zodiacs- would not allow any harm to come to her. Of that, Tylanni was certain. Blinking her heavy lids open, the she-cat turned her beseeching gaze upward, silently praying for a sign on what they wanted from her. Black, unending sky returned her stare, cold and unsympathetic.

What do you want from me? What am I here for? The two questions were yowled heavenward – or rather, should have been. All that passed between Tylanni’s lips was air, her vocal cords sealed away from reach. Her cry would not – could not – be heard. Not even by the Mother and Father zodiacs, which had blessed her with the powers of a Chieftain, trusted her to lead her sign.

Everything happened for a reason; every dream had some sort of meaning. A land of silence, of darkness . . . a place where her voice was not heard and her questions went unanswered. Which meant . . . what? Had the Zodiacs abandoned their feline followers? Was this their silent way of letting the young Chieftain know that she was on her own?

Tylanni’s jaws parted in a jagged grimace, her head tossed backward in a wail of anguish. Just a little bit of help, some sort of explanation!




Closing her eyes, the Mother Aquarius turned away to face her companions. Each wore similar expressions of pain and heartache as all twelve of their selected Chieftains sent up silent pleas for help. Their knowledge of the past, of the present, of the near future, was both a gift and a burden.

The Mother Virgo uttered a faint sob, choked back tears that threatened to spill over, while the Mother Libra sighed and uttered a few uncertain words of consolation. A roar tore from the throat of Father Leo, even his immense strength unable to break through to the helpless cats. Something was preventing them from offering aid and kind words, advice and promises of safety. For all their combined power and cunning, they had failed to make contact.

The Zodiacs would not be able to help with what was soon to come.





Tylanni’s slight frame jolted into wakefulness. The trembling of her body roused her from the lingering effects of her nightmarish slumber – at least she had assumed it was her body. As her mind cleared and the sounds of the world came into focus, a chilling realization hit the dainty she-cat. She was not the one shaking; the land was. Eyes snapped open instantly and Tylanni rose unsteadily to her paws. The panicked drum of her heart mimicked the furious rumble of the rock beneath her.

All senses leaped to a state of hyper-sensitivity as the jarring vibrations radiated outward from an unseen force, some underground point that the Japanese bobtail could not locate. Muscles poised to jump, a ferocious heave of the earth knocked Tylanni from her perch and she hit the ground running. Jolts of pain rolled from the pads of her paws up into her shoulders and spine, overshadowed into unimportance by the tremours that shook the land as a kitten would shake a ball of moss.

Yowls of terror, of command, reached the Aquarian over the din and mingled relief and panic flooded over her. She had nearly reached the camp, but would her Sign be okay? Had the trembling earth caused trees or large rocks to crumble? A single cat-sized rock would be more than enough to shatter the spine or cause permanent, irreversible damage.

The edge of the Aquarius camp drew near, and Tylanni quickened her pace. There was no time to waste, she needed to round up all of her members and keep them away from such hazards. With each passing second, the tremours seemed only to intensify. Parting her jaws to call for her Sign, the she-cat slid to a halt as a grey and white tabby tom entered her line of sight. An odd red mark decorated his forehead, the crest emblazoned onto him by the Mother Aries.

“I gathered your cats with my own, they’ve moved to the safety of open ground. That does seem safer, doesn’t it? I’m surprised you hadn’t already thought to do so . . . well, regardless, come along.” in spite the fact that he had to raise his voice to be heard, the tom appeared to be in high-spirits.

Underfoot, the earth felt on the verge of cracking open, and Tylanni could no more tell if she was the one shaking, or if it was the land. Without complaint, she scurried along after her companion as he loped off toward where the cats of their Signs would be waiting – almost as though unfazed.

“Booker, I-”

“There’s time to chat later, you know. Besides, I think our territory could do with a bit of remodelling. Perhaps this will clear some of those pesky boulders I’ve been thinking about doing away with.”

An odd cat that one, and the leader of Aries no less. Tylanni found herself half wondering if he was at all sane, and half admiring him for his bravery (if it could be called such a thing).

Not far off, a group of cats came into view, all huddled together in the open. Pelts were fluffed out and ears pressed flat, wide eyes scanning the land in barely supressed terror. Certainly the Aquarius Chieftain looked no better. Inhaling a breath to prepare, Tylanni bounded ahead of Booker and gave a half-hearted call to those of her own Sign, gathering them toward her. Nervously, the bobtailed she-cat attempted to settle herself more comfortably upon the ground.

Time crept by unbearably slowly as the land continued to shake and tremble, disorienting the senses and tearing down massive piles of rock. All across the land of the felines, trees were split and small cracks opened upon the surface of the earth. Edges of the frighteningly tall hill that had been raised by the zodiacs for their loyal followers crumbled away and crashed down into the depths of oblivion.

Immeasurable, terrified minutes passed before at last the vibrations slowed, subsided.

From the far side of the large group of cats a call went up, ordering each to disperse and head back toward their own encampment. The damage needed to be assessed, what few injuries there were would be dealt with by the medic. Still Tylanni did not relax, and as her Sign started away, her mismatched eyes searched desperately for the other chieftains of the Eastern Alliance.

Face after unfamiliar face passed the she-cat, and she started to doubt whether or not Aaron or Klyope were nearby when at last two dark pelts caught her eye. The two stood with their heads bowed, speaking to one another in hushed tones. As Tylanni approached, their heads lifted simultaneously, grim eyes acknowledging her presence only briefly.

Aaron was the first to speak, “It seems the Zodiacs have a message for us.” though his tone was gentle, his large frame towered over Klyope. Surely the Taurus Chieftain was terrifying to kittens. Even as equals, Tylanni found herself feeling somewhat intimidated.

“They didn’t speak to me, but they sent me a dream.” Klyope put in, tail swishing slowly over the earth.

Offering a faint shake of her head, Tylanni pawed absently at the ground. “They have said nothing to me . . . I tried to speak, but there was only silence. Do you think this is a dream that was meant only for the Eastern Alliance, or for all of the leaders?”

Having approached and caught the tail end of the conversation, Booker put in his own two cents, “Oh, fabulous, I’ve been wondering how the other Signs are doing.”




It was decided later that evening that two of the Chieftains would travel to meet with the leaders of the other Signs, while the remaining would stay behind to look after their cats. Much deliberation was necessary in the decision upon who would go. At last it was decided that Booker would pay a visit to the Western Alliance – something he was quite thrilled about – and Tylanni was elected the best candidate to visit the Northern Alliance, as she had been born to Gemini and was close friends with the leader of Pisces. Klyope and Aaron would thus be left in charge until their return.

Though there was a lot of debate regarding when the two would set out, all four Chieftains fell to the conclusion that it would be best to go as soon as possible.

As the sun rose upon the horizon the following morning, Tylanni and Booker set out side by side across the landscape that would lead to the border of the Eastern Alliance’s territory. While being in the company of another should have relaxed Tylanni, it served only to set the feline on edge. It was impossible to guess what they would find upon reaching their destinations . . . for all she knew, her friends in the North had fallen to ruin. Would Kaiton be okay? Contact between the two had been difficult to upkeep, considering their responsibilities to their individual Signs.

Bit by bit the sun crept across the open expanse of blue sky above. A blanket of sickening heat was draped over the land in a fashion that mimicked that of the day before, and as the hour neared noon Tylanni and Booker halted for a rest. They had agreed sometime in the early morning to travel together as far as Lake Asteri, at which point they would part ways and seek out the Chieftains of the Northern and Western Alliances.

Tired paws tore warily at the dry turf grass, and Tylanni lifted her gaze to peer out across the landscape. Certainly they had to be drawing close, and yet not a smudge of watery blue was visible ahead of them. One ear flickered faintly for sound of danger, for the hint of land tremours, before the Aquarius leader turned to face her companion. “We’re heading in the correct direction, aren’t we?”

“Hm . . . well, frankly I don’t think any direction is necessarily the wrong one. They all lead somewhere, after all. Quite nice, really; always having a destination.”

Faintly, Tylanni wondered whether Booker even realized what he was saying most of the time. Rising from her hunched position, the she-cat squinted out across the dry grassland ahead before she uttered a faint scoff. “That’s all well and good, but I don’t see the waters of Lake Asteri anywhere up ahead. Do you?” Dual-coloured eyes turned to the Aries Chieftain for confirmation.

Booker offered a slight shake of his head before he started doggedly onward once more. “Perhaps the shape of the lake has altered, what with all of the recent landscaping. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

An incredulous shake of Tylanni’s head followed the tom’s words, though she dared not say more. It was near impossible to tell whether Booker was being serious or not – though she felt quite certain he was. Quite the odd choice for a leader, surely the Mother and Father Zodiacs had other, more competent options to lead Aries. Still, the splotched she-cat had never been one to doubt their loyal Zodiacs. They must have had their reasons for the choices that they made.

Pressured by the scorching heat, each step felt like two. Pawpads burned with exhaustion and pain from the scalding earth and rock underfoot, and Tylanni felt on the verge of collapsing when an odd sight met her heterochromic gaze. Cats – several of them – all collected together in the middle of the open landscape. It was not at all uncommon to encounter a lone feline exploring the land that the Signs called their home, but to stumble upon such a large group was very rare indeed.

Ears flicked backward with uncertainty, and a prickle of fear traced along Tylanni’s spine as she and her companion drew near. Something just did not seem right. The pounding of her heart was nearly enough to cast the Aquarian Chieftain into asphyxiation. She struggled to inhale a calming breath. There was no need to panic; there was no reason to assume something bad had happened. But surely something has, for this group to be collected out here . . .

Seemingly unfazed by the discomfort that plagued his travelling partner, Booker called out a cheerful greeting. “Salutations, lovely day we’re having, isn’t it?”

From the depths of the crowd a low murmur went up, and heartbeats later Tylanni realized that the cats before her were the Chieftains of the Northern and Western Alliances. Instinctively she sought a familiar face and her heart plunged into the tips of her toes as striking golden eyes met her own. “Kai . . .”

“Tyla, it’s terrible . . .”



Summary





It seems that the trembling land has caused large portions of the earth to crack away and plunge downward. As such, the edges of the cats’ territory have been deemed entirely unsafe – this includes any and all large piles of rock or stone, and caves. With the intense heat water sources have vanished; it is uncertain whether the water merely dried up, or there is something else behind this disturbance. Even Lake Asteri, which has always been a centre point of the land, has faded and left a gaping crater. Because of the lack of stability and the terrifying quakes, venomous snakes have begun to slither from their usual rocky recesses and are now situated in less practical locations.
Each of the Chieftains has been briefed on the situation, and all Alliances have been cautioned as to what these changes mean.

Caution:

- The edges of the land are unsafe and should be avoided.
- Ophiuchus’ Prison and the Cavern of Twisted Paths are off-limits, as the quake has caused cave-ins and made the ceilings unstable.
- Water is scarce and must be conserved.
- Snakes are also avoiding the caves, making them a larger hazard than usual.
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MediocreKit's avatar
Wow *needs to pay more attention to the groups I'm in* has anything else happened since then? When could I rp with people about this? No ones' ever online when I am ;-;