Abandoned Protector
Humans are fickle pests in today’s age. Nothing more than a bother to calm going homes, and in some cases they even want to destroy what some Esk call their safe place. Some succeed in destroying a home that’d been built up by its inhabitants, forcing the creatures out and leaving a lone Esk to wander in worry.
But not Curse’s home. No, Curse had a watchful eye over their campsite. They weren’t fond of intruders in their home, not unless it happened to be a lost little feline wishing to make a home for itself. Those were things Curse accepted with open paws and a gentle guide into a comfortable place inside the abandoned camp. But when it came to the humans, Curse was never one to let them stick around without their blood running cold in fear.
The three ghostly cats mewled and purred at Cat’s Curse, their wispy paws playing with the long fur of Curse’s tail. They paid no mind to the little cats, their only working eye instead focused on the large open camp ahead. Vans were left behind even after all of these years, boxes and chairs, and all over did little trinkets and oddities reside. These were the things Curse swore to protect for the past 40 or so years. The place might’ve been in ruin, but it was home to many, and especially to Cat’s Curse.
Unfamiliar chatter arose in the nearby trees. The ghostly familiars turned and stared, pale eyes growing wide at the sound of footsteps and unintelligible sound. It was almost like a broken radio, but it was an all to familiar disturbance. Humans. Some spindly group of pests had wandered into the camp, speaking of the legends around it and probably trying to sleep there and see what all happened. It was a familiar and a disappointingly not uncommon occurrence, but it was a mere annoyance at best, and a horrid, blood boiling event at worst.
Dark sleek fur and an emaciated body slinked through the overgrown shrubs like that of a lithe snake. A single white paw stretched out, needle claws digging into dirt and rock as Curse’s head poked through the brush. They were young, at least they looked like it. The pair was smaller than most others Curse would see walking about in their territory, but that didn’t make them any less unwelcome. The false black and cream ears twitched in the wind, a single eye and a dark hidden snarl watching as the folk trotted on through, paying no respect to the land they were trekking across.
Vermin. No respect for anything living.
Orange and fur so dark it might’ve been black shone like silk in the sun’s basking light as Curse continued their slow stalk behind the pests, claws aching despite not being able to cause any amount of real harm.
The crosshair that floated above Curse’s head flickered to life, the once white sigil bleeding and turning into a deep crimson. The ghostly specters padded along and stalked by Curse’s large feet, their eyes trained on the humans as they moved forward. It didn’t take long for the shaking to start, even less for one of them to start thinking about leaving. For such large things that seemed to cause such destruction, the pests certainly were easy to manipulate with a gentle shove of an enchantment.
“Maybe… Maybe we should just go? This place is giving me the creeps.”
“N-...No, c’mon. It’s just a campsite, okay? Nothing here can hurt us.”
“Yeah, but… you know the stories!"
“We’ll be fine, okay? Just... hang tight.”
Cat’s Curse hissed out a deep and raspy hum that reverberated off of them in broken waves. The floating sigil glowed a deep and rich cerise, such a strong wave of energy that the bluegrass and Dark Debbie that coiled around the creatures eye bristled and leaned towards it. Such a hateful feeling, almost toxic, but it made the plants thrive in joy. Curse let out another rasped hiss, large claws sheathing and digging into muck as the creature circled the humans.
Pathetic intruders. Nothing worse than lowly cowards. Curse’s emaciated body slinked around like a newly animated rabid mammal. Even the others before you put up more of a fight, pests.
The cats of the campsite hissed and growled at the humans. The energy from Curse was nothing but unpleasant, a deep and heavy warning. And as their sigil glowed bright, their specter familiars jumping to the highest points and staring down with hatred filled pale eyes, the humans began to shrink. They turned, the cats surrounded. They tried to move forward, and Curse offered more energy, more hate, more warning. They were a predator, and they had no qualms acting like it. The humans turned and fled, tripping over boxes and logs that decorated the boundary and earning a harsh, involuntary thrum of hate filled energy from Cat’s Curse. The creature hissed a low vibration, stalking off in stiff movements towards the edge of their territory. They wouldn’t be content without knowing, seeing that this pest was gone.
And they were.
The humans fled until they no longer could be seen in Curse’s single eye, until the gangly creature could no longer feel their footfalls echoing through its paws. But still, Curse sat. The creature watched in deep settled hatred, just to see if they turned back, if they even dared to try and enter again. But when they didn’t, the creature moved on towards the other ends of their boundary, stalking about and allowing their energy to return with less hate, the anger turning into a steady content thrum as they secured their borders.
The specters and the living felines mewled at Curse’s return. The spectral cats brushed against the roughly wolf sized Esk, gentle veins of pride echoing through them and the veins of life that flooded this campsite. Curse’s sigil returned back to its gleaming white self, the deep wine color fading out as the enchantment waned, the creature finally fully settled with the day’s work. Settling down beneath a rose bush, ghostly cats following and once again returning to playing with the long and flowy fur that was Curse’s tail, the sour energy of the air collected and dispelled.
Yes, some places have been ruined by humans, and many more places will continue to be. But for as long as Curse resides here, amongst their feline companions and the abandoned myths, this campsite would be protected. It has been for 40 odd years, and it will stay standing for as long as Cat’s Curse’s energy echoed through its veins. For this was its home, and no one would take that away from it.