ORIGIN #1907 - Yu gonplei ste odon
"Yu gonplei ste odon"
Small paws pitter over hot sand as the sun relentlessly beats its rays onto the desert floor. A small sandy colored cat struggles to walk as his tired eyes search for shade from the heat. The runt was on his own now. He’d never learned how to hunt or fend for himself. He’d been struggling on the edge of life since birth, and now… once again, the small tomcat was tipping off the edge.
The frail, starving kitten managed to find a sliver of shade behind a rock. He dragged his paws through the sand and collapsed into the shade, closing his eyes to rest. It wasn’t long before the sun shifted in the sky and the shade that he was once lying in was non-existing. The small cat, however, continued to lie there as the sun beat him without hesitation. He was too tired to stand. His paws twitched as wind blew a blanket of sand over him. The cat’s vision began to blur. His stomach ached and his mouth was dry. He drew in short, fast breaths. The sun didn’t seem so bright anymore… Nothing seemed so bright… His eyes fluttered shut and a vision of a red face and glowing orange eyes filled his vision.
Not long passed before the small cat’s keen ears picked up on the soft pitter of feet on the desert floor. A scent was carried to his dry nose and his head rose slightly. A mouse picked at some vegetation near his still body. The kitten shot up in excitement, startling the mouse. It scurried away, and with his remaining strength the sand cat gave chase. He wasn’t ready to leave this world quite yet.
The kitten gained on the mouse, throwing it off balance with a swat of his small paw. He swiftly killed it. Panting, he picked up his kill in his jaws. Looking up, massive broken structures towered over him. Wind blew more sand across the desert floor, bringing with it the faint scent of water. The cat trotted into the fallen city. Broken adobe houses fill the sandy streets and stone structures towered overhead. He searched for a quiet and safe place to eat his catch. The cat chooses a broken building partially buried in the sand. His eyes adjust to the darkness as he squeezes into a crevasse. He chooses a corner and feasts on the mouse. After his belly was full, he found a place to rest within the adobe temple.
He rests for three days, only leaving the safety of the temple for water. He tracks down the water he smelled when he first arrived to the long-abandoned ancient city. The source was a natural well, not too far from the ruins. He lapped up the water readily. He drank so much that he felt sick, throwing up some of the water before taking in some more. On his way back, the small sand cat caught a lizard in which he feasted on upon his arrival to his temple. He regained his strength over these few days.
The next day, he decided it was time to explore his new home. Broken steps stretched to the sky, temple roofs crumbled and collapsed long ago, making climbing to the top of some of the buildings easy for him. The walls stood strong and tall, though some buildings had completely collapsed or were buried completely in a sandy grave. While exploring these ruins, the young tom cat, for the first time in his life… felt alive.
For years to pass, the sand cat found sanctuary within the fallen city. There was a steady supply of lizards, snakes and mice for him to hunt. He scales the temples day in and day out, climbing as high as he could, reaching for the sky. At the top he would lay and watch over his home.
For years the cat was safe in these ruins. Admittedly it got lonely at times and he would explore some places outside the city but always found his way back. The now matured cat ran along broken walls, the sun casting large shadows of his small frame on the dunes beside him. The cat felt powerful. This was his kingdom! He let out a mighty mew at his shadow, his tail flicking from side to side playfully as he sat on the wall and looked at it. His trained eyes catch sight of movement on the wall and his head snaps to see what it is. A lizard scurries quickly on the wall. He gives chase. The lizard climbs higher, scaling the walls with ease in at attempt to escape but that doesn't stop the determined tomcat. He leaps to higher levels and pulls himself up onto fragile roofs. Thankfully his weight is not enough to make them collapse.
As he chases he doesn’t notice a larger, winged shadow in pursuit of his, not until massive talons sink into his back and lift him off the building. He lets out a painful wail, the talons grip tighter and blood trails from his sides, staining his tan fur. He struggles to get out of the firm grip, fighting the feathered raptor. He reaches to claw at the beast, a few good scratches in and the bird decides the cat is not worth the fight. With an ear piercing screech, it drops him.
The fall feels never-ending. The cat flails helplessly as he looks for something to grab onto, to catch himself on. The sound of impact is mixed with the sound of broken bones as he smacks into the roof of one of the buildings. The roof cracks and breaks beneath him and he falls a little further to the desert sand. Stones from the roof fall around him and on him. One larger piece crushes his tail. His body lay motionless but his sides heave with shallow breaths. Blood trails from his mouth and through the puncture wounds, coating the sand around him in a thick red layer. The sun sets and here, again… the sand cat tips off the edge of life. Though he keeps fighting for every breath. He wants to live. He wants to truly, live.
A pale white figure rises from the shadows. Her delicate white fur illuminated by the moonlight. She looks like the moon itself as a pale red face emerges from the shadow, its glowing orange eyes staring the the tomcat as he fights for his life. A glowing pink pattern flickers softly on her face and horns, slowly trailing down her sides until it was glowing brightly, illuminating the darkness as it moved like waves on her fur. She approaches the cat, her long tail trailing behind her. She towers over the cat who is struggling for his breaths. He’s in pain, his spine broken and his tail pinned underneath debris. She leans down to the small cat, her eyes studying him carefully. He still fights to live. Her glowing markings dull out completely, and a pink light consumes the dying sand cat.
“Your fight is over.”