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The Empire, the area in which the story encompasses, is run by a theocracy of The Tree of Life, believing that humans are demi-gods whom are perfect. When Itzal's father finds out a way to prove other wise, the Tree of Life kidnaps Itzal's father and kills everyone else except Itzal who was away at the time. With vengeance in his heart, Itzal sets out to save his father and hopefully complete his dad's work along the way~!\n\n=-=-=-ATHORE COMETS-=-=-=\n~>First things first, i will note that this is rough, as in it came out of my nano gush that i decide to post with little to no editing, because that's a good idea! That being said, i don't want people point out my errors in the comments since that drives me bananasx3 Also, refrain posting spoilers of the later chapters in the comments to not ruin anything.\n~> Each chapter will be about 2500-3000 words so, it will take a bit to read. I'm sowwie :C\n~>The Chapter Notes will assume that you have READ the chapter, and the comments will mostly likely contain spoilers so, DON'T READ EM TILL YOU'RE DONE x3!\n~> This story will contain blood, gore and death you has been warned o^o\n~>This story contains my own ideals along with my characters and may touch open heavier subjects.\n=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=\n\n=-=-=-=-=-=-\nCHAPTER NOTES\n=-=-=-=-=-=-\n~> This Chapter is relatively boring in terms of nothing really happening until the end but, it picks up in Chapter 3! ^^ ", "description_bbcode_parsed": "~>Caterwaul is the story of Itzal in Revived Apocalyptic Earth where animals have evolved and taken over. The Empire, the area in which the story encompasses, is run by a theocracy of The Tree of Life, believing that humans are demi-gods whom are perfect. When Itzal's father finds out a way to prove other wise, the Tree of Life kidnaps Itzal's father and kills everyone else except Itzal who was away at the time. With vengeance in his heart, Itzal sets out to save his father and hopefully complete his dad's work along the way~!

=-=-=-ATHORE COMETS-=-=-=
~>First things first, i will note that this is rough, as in it came out of my nano gush that i decide to post with little to no editing, because that's a good idea! That being said, i don't want people point out my errors in the comments since that drives me bananasx3 Also, refrain posting spoilers of the later chapters in the comments to not ruin anything.
~> Each chapter will be about 2500-3000 words so, it will take a bit to read. I'm sowwie :C
~>The Chapter Notes will assume that you have READ the chapter, and the comments will mostly likely contain spoilers so, DON'T READ EM TILL YOU'RE DONE x3!
~> This story will contain blood, gore and death you has been warned o^o
~>This story contains my own ideals along with my characters and may touch open heavier subjects.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

=-=-=-=-=-=-
CHAPTER NOTES
=-=-=-=-=-=-
~> This Chapter is relatively boring in terms of nothing really happening until the end but, it picks up in Chapter 3! ^^ ", "writing": "[center]CHAPTER TWO[/center]\n\nI looked at him strangely and turned my head “You… found the Garden of Eden?” It’s not that I don’t believe him, it’s just a strange idea that something so vital to religion and possibly contain the last traces of humanity left on earth. \n\n“Yeah, wasn’t too hard after comparing his home location and that of where his travel logs take him. It’s a place not too far off from The Capital” he says, looking over the maps a second time.\n\n“So when are you heading out? Rather soon I hope”\n\n“I’m not going” he says, he turns around quickly smiling from ear to ear, (which since we are cats, that’s a pretty ridiculous smile). “WE’RE going, tomorrow. I already spoke to your mother about it.”\n\n“But, I thought you just found out…several seconds ago…”\n\n“Yeah, I found out earlier today and spoke with her; I figured I’d be more dramatic when I told you since I figured you’d be excited”. I wrapped him in a hug in thanks, I’d always wanted to leave Riverside and see more of the world then just the same old atmosphere that I’ve dealt with for the past eighteen years. \n\n“So we’re leaving tomorrow? I kinda promised Esti I’d help with the forge, plus I think I should say good bye to people first before we leave for however many days it will take”.\n\nHe folded his arms and thought for a second and nodded “Alright, giving us a day to prepare is probably for the best anyways. So! Why did ya come down here in the first place kiddo?”\n\nWith all the excitement of this news I had completely forgot about the parts Esti had given me for my dad. I reached into my pants pocket and removed the bronze bits, placing them on the desk. He jumped up and snatched them almost as soon as I put them down. He looked them over, inspecting every aspect of the small pieces before opening up the hidden compartment of his desk and removing other metal bits and a large piece of chiselled wood. He almost immediately began to fiddle with it and try to put this strange thing together.\n\n“Dad, what exactly are you making? What are all those parts for?” He seemed to have almost have forgotten I was here. His ear twitched and he grabbed a piece of paper from his desk. He held up the paper that presented a strange curved metal and wood object.\n\n“This is what I'm making. An old human weapon that revolutionized the way they fought. It was called a gun or a fire arm. This prototype is from a collection of files that date back a thousand or so years ago! It’s amazing that it’s managed to survive that long without too much damage. I’ve named it the Heretic’s Handgun.”\n\nHumanists believe that humans were peaceful and perfect creatures that never fought, but most people who’ve looked into the past of humans know that that is untrue.\n\n“So you’re making a weapon? How’s it work? You whack people over the head with the metal covered side?”\n\nMy dad laughed and shook his head. “Not quite, it uses some sort of powder to shoot out these little metal balls at a fast speed. It’s like a small bow and arrow that packs a much bigger punch.”\n\n“So… where do you get the powder?” I asked. I think my dad has one of the coolest hobbies in the entire Empire.\n\n“That’s the thing, I don’t know nor what the powder is actually called. I also need this piece of something that sparks. Its name has faded over time and I just can’t read the faded Engish. Anyways, you best hurry on to bed; you got a lot to do tomorrow if we’re gunna leave in a few days time.”\n\nI nodded and kissed his head before heading back up the stairs, closing the wooden doors behind me. I looked up at the night sky one last time before entering the house, when something zipped across the sky. Furless had once called them “shooting stars” and would make wishes on them. I figured in the spirit of going looking for the last bits of humanity I might as well partake in one of their customs. \n\nI wish I could see my brother one more time, I wished silently. To see what he’s done in The Capital. My brother loved Dad’s work as much as I did, if not more. He and I would run and fetch books off the shelf when my dad needed them, and before we went to bed, Dad would sometimes read us an old human “fairy tale”.\n\nI entered the house and saw my mother cleaning up the shop and straitening up a bit. She turned to me and smiled, “Did your father talk with you?” I nodded and smiled happily. If I didn’t have self control then I would probably be screaming and bouncing up and down like a moron, not that I don’t want to, that sounds sort fun actually.\n\n“Will you be okay here by yourself? I mean, you’re basically running the store and clinic on your own while we’re gone.”\n\n“And I don’t basically do that anyways?” I chuckled; she was right more or less. Dad had become more engrossed recently with his work, probably since he found a lead on the Garden of Eden. I felt sort of bad for my mom, first he dumps most of the store on her and now we’re just leaving her to do all of it herself? It seems a little bit unfair to me, so I should try and help her out a bit before I leave.\n\n“Is there anything you need me to do?” I began to look around the store for any thing I could pick up and take care of easily. My mom smiled and rustled my hair, shaking her head.\n\n“Itzal, sweetie, don’t worry about it. When I married your father, I committed to backing him up on whatever silly and adventurous thing he wanted to do. All I want you to do is have a good time while you’re gone and try not to get too annoyed with your father. He can be a handful sometimes and you may have to rescue him from something he caused himself. If you want to do anything for me, keep him safe.” She was smiling but holding back tears. She must be getting nervous and sort of worried. I guess I can understand why though, we were all the family she had left and if something were to happen to Dad, she’d be all alone if I went to start a family of my own.\n\n“I promise mom, I’ll do everything in my power to keep him safe.” I wrapped her in a tight hug and held me tightly, not seeming to want to let go. After a few seconds I almost had to force myself away from her death grip. She smiled happily and used her apron to wipe her eyes.\n\n“You best get to bed Itzal, you have a big day tomorrow” she said, her sort of muffled by the apron.\n\n“We’re leaving the day after tomorrow, so I still have a day to help you out with any errands you may need done. Plus if you give me a list of the herbs you can’t usually get from around here I can attempt to look for them while we’re gone.” She smiled and nodded.\n\n“If I come up with anything for you to do tomorrow, then I’ll leave you a list. Get to bed Itzal, it’s late and you need as much energy as you can.” Nodded and said goodnight, heading into my own room, shutting the wood door behind me.\n\nMy room isn’t anything special, just a simple wooden room with wood floors. It has a dresser, a bed, my personal chest, a window with a shutter and a mirror with a pail of water beneath it. I took off my pouch bandolier of my shoulder and tucked it and my new clothes I obtained from Esti in my chest for safe keeping and untied my foot wraps, letting my feet finally free of their clothed prison. Then took off my shirt and threw it aside along with Esti’s apron which I was still carrying. I would have to do some washing tomorrow so I'm sure a little more dirt won’t hurt.\n\nI walked over to the mirror and washed my face with water just under it. The mirror was a present from my father from something his great grandfather had found in an old Furless house, it remained next to undamaged besides a small crack in the corner. I undid my small beads that kept the hair out of my face and set them beside the pail. My brother beaded his hair as well. My grandpa beaded his hair as well when he would go off on his assassinations, or so Mom had told us. My brother had been the one to recommend we do it when we go out on out herb runs, but I wear them everyday as a memento of the times me and my brother had shared as kids. \n\nI looked into the mirror and brushed the hair out of my eyes. I wasn’t bad looking, by my standards at least. I had the same brown fur colour as my father, a light brown fur colour around my mouth, dark almond coloured marks that matched my mother’s along my cheeks, upper body, ears, and down my tail. Along with amber eyes and shade of hair that’s a bit lighter than my fur. \n\nI gave my face one last rinse before I crawled into bed, consisting of hay and two blankets. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world but I could manage since it’s to what I have grown accustomed. After one last stretch, finding a comfortable place to rest my tail and the rest of me, I started to drift to sleep, eager to get packing tomorrow and to head out on my first real adventure.\n\n[center]:3\t\t:3\t\t:3[/center]\n\nI woke up to the smell of food, probably one of my favourite ways to wake up if any. After hopping out of bed and stretching out my body, I began my usual morning ritual. I remove any excess hay from my person, tie my hair back up with the same two beads, washed my face, threw the old water out the window to be refilled later, and wrapped my feet up so I don’t injure myself as bad if I end up stepping on a shard of metal or something sharp. I put all the clothes that needed to be washed into the pail and set it by my bed before heading out to the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen letting out a yawn and saw my mother frying what appears to be meat of some sort.\n\n“Morning Mom” I yawn, sitting down in my usual spot at the table. She kisses my head and sets down a plate of bread and cooked meat. “Thanks” I say, taking a huge bit of the meat. “Where’s Dad?”\n\n“Currently asleep in his study, drooling on some papers” she laughed. I smirked, my dad tends to fall asleep in very strange places, but I guess that’s what you get from being the descendants of one of the world’s laziest animals. Lucky for us, not all animals evolved into higher beings, such as cows, chickens and most meat giving animals so I have no problem eating a nice piece of meat like I am now. \n\n“Did you come up with a list of things for me to do for you?” I asked, remembering what I had said last night. My mother shook her head “I can’t think of anything in particular for you to do today. Had you asked yesterday afternoon I could of given you a list a mile long but the only thing I really need done is cleaning up the clinic floors which… I know you are uncomfortable with.” I shivered at the thought of the blood covered floor.\n\n“I plan on washing some clothes down river; do you have anything that needs to be done?” My mom thought for a moment before shaking her head.\n\nI finished up breakfast and saved the hunk of bread for later in the day if I got hungry. I cleaned up the kitchen to give my mom a break as she dealt with people coming into the store for their usual purchases.\n\nEntering my room once more I grabbed the rest of my clothes from my chest along with anything I’d need for the day and headed out. I knew today was bound to be busy. I had to get Esti’s apron washed, work at the forge, check with mom if she needs anything, collect herbs for Amaya once the moon comes out and pack up what I need for the trip. \n\nThe walk down river wasn’t to far, about an hour walk away from the town to not get any muck for those collecting water in town, plus I don’t have to listen to the commotion of the village and just relax. \n\nI set my belongings down next to a large boulder and pulled out Esti’s apron. It was made by the tailor who lives at the other end of town, a fox with a couple of kits who play near the Elder’s house, which is good for me because they provide enough of a distraction for him that I can snag a few leaves of whatever I need while no one is looking. \n\nUpon dunking the apron into the water, the soot drifted right off it and the black trails headed away. After about twenty minutes of dunking and rubbing the stains began to fade and it returned to its original creamy white colour. The next thing was my shirt which didn’t take as long and I rested the two articles of clothes on the rock to dry in the sun. Soon I found myself leaning back against the rock just enjoying the sounds of water and native wildlife. I began to shut my eyes and began to doze off for a short nap whilst I waited.\n\n[center]:3\t\t:3\t\t:3[/center]\n\nI yawned and stretched myself out, my body warm from the sun. I stood up and checked on the clothes, dry as a bone. When I looked up at the sky it must have been about mid day or so. I grabbed my shirt and slipped it over my bare chest and decided now would be a good time to try on the other clothes I got from Esti. I tossed my old pants aside and slipped on the new pair. A tad tighter then my old ones, but being a custom fit, they were very comfortable and are held by a belt. The iron knee guards twinkled from the light and didn’t impair movement when jumping or bending, which is good seeing as acrobatics and agility is what I usually need to gather supplies. I put the new leather vest on and it was tight enough so it didn’t fly around if done up and was loose enough so it didn’t strangle me. My bandolier easily strung over the vest and fit snug so it wouldn’t fly off or move about too much. Finally the gloves, they fit right over my paws and had slits in the fingers for my claws. The iron on them was nice too, it didn’t impair any of my movements, though it did give it a tad more weight which would require getting used to. \n\nAfter getting acquainted with my new gear, I took my old pants and Esti’s now clean apron and tossed them over my shoulder. I just had to fill up my pail with water and I could head home. I dunked the pail in and noticed something looked a bit off in the water. I drank a bit and tasted a tad more metallic then usual. I thought nothing of it and continued walking next to the river. \n\nAs I walked the water became more and more red, I was now more then a bit curious and started to get concerned. It’s possible that something could have died and fallen into the river bleeding but it would either be pretty close by due to the tint of the red. I decided to step away from the water as the amount was getting me out of my comfort zone. Further along the smell of something hit my nose, both common and familiar, fire. It was at this point that my walk back to the village had become a hasted run. I looked to the sky and saw it was now black with ash and smoke. I threw the bucket away took to the trees to get a better look, and saw towers of fire and smoke coming from the direction of my village. Now worried and scared as all hell, I became to jump as far and fast as I could, knowing that it would be faster then running. \n\nIn about ten minutes time I reached my village of Riverside. Or what was left of it.\n\n", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "
CHAPTER TWO


I looked at him strangely and turned my head “You… found the Garden of Eden?” It’s not that I don’t believe him, it’s just a strange idea that something so vital to religion and possibly contain the last traces of humanity left on earth.

“Yeah, wasn’t too hard after comparing his home location and that of where his travel logs take him. It’s a place not too far off from The Capital” he says, looking over the maps a second time.

“So when are you heading out? Rather soon I hope”

“I’m not going” he says, he turns around quickly smiling from ear to ear, (which since we are cats, that’s a pretty ridiculous smile). “WE’RE going, tomorrow. I already spoke to your mother about it.”

“But, I thought you just found out…several seconds ago…”

“Yeah, I found out earlier today and spoke with her; I figured I’d be more dramatic when I told you since I figured you’d be excited”. I wrapped him in a hug in thanks, I’d always wanted to leave Riverside and see more of the world then just the same old atmosphere that I’ve dealt with for the past eighteen years.

“So we’re leaving tomorrow? I kinda promised Esti I’d help with the forge, plus I think I should say good bye to people first before we leave for however many days it will take”.

He folded his arms and thought for a second and nodded “Alright, giving us a day to prepare is probably for the best anyways. So! Why did ya come down here in the first place kiddo?”

With all the excitement of this news I had completely forgot about the parts Esti had given me for my dad. I reached into my pants pocket and removed the bronze bits, placing them on the desk. He jumped up and snatched them almost as soon as I put them down. He looked them over, inspecting every aspect of the small pieces before opening up the hidden compartment of his desk and removing other metal bits and a large piece of chiselled wood. He almost immediately began to fiddle with it and try to put this strange thing together.

“Dad, what exactly are you making? What are all those parts for?” He seemed to have almost have forgotten I was here. His ear twitched and he grabbed a piece of paper from his desk. He held up the paper that presented a strange curved metal and wood object.

“This is what I'm making. An old human weapon that revolutionized the way they fought. It was called a gun or a fire arm. This prototype is from a collection of files that date back a thousand or so years ago! It’s amazing that it’s managed to survive that long without too much damage. I’ve named it the Heretic’s Handgun.”

Humanists believe that humans were peaceful and perfect creatures that never fought, but most people who’ve looked into the past of humans know that that is untrue.

“So you’re making a weapon? How’s it work? You whack people over the head with the metal covered side?”

My dad laughed and shook his head. “Not quite, it uses some sort of powder to shoot out these little metal balls at a fast speed. It’s like a small bow and arrow that packs a much bigger punch.”

“So… where do you get the powder?” I asked. I think my dad has one of the coolest hobbies in the entire Empire.

“That’s the thing, I don’t know nor what the powder is actually called. I also need this piece of something that sparks. Its name has faded over time and I just can’t read the faded Engish. Anyways, you best hurry on to bed; you got a lot to do tomorrow if we’re gunna leave in a few days time.”

I nodded and kissed his head before heading back up the stairs, closing the wooden doors behind me. I looked up at the night sky one last time before entering the house, when something zipped across the sky. Furless had once called them “shooting stars” and would make wishes on them. I figured in the spirit of going looking for the last bits of humanity I might as well partake in one of their customs.

I wish I could see my brother one more time, I wished silently. To see what he’s done in The Capital. My brother loved Dad’s work as much as I did, if not more. He and I would run and fetch books off the shelf when my dad needed them, and before we went to bed, Dad would sometimes read us an old human “fairy tale”.

I entered the house and saw my mother cleaning up the shop and straitening up a bit. She turned to me and smiled, “Did your father talk with you?” I nodded and smiled happily. If I didn’t have self control then I would probably be screaming and bouncing up and down like a moron, not that I don’t want to, that sounds sort fun actually.

“Will you be okay here by yourself? I mean, you’re basically running the store and clinic on your own while we’re gone.”

“And I don’t basically do that anyways?” I chuckled; she was right more or less. Dad had become more engrossed recently with his work, probably since he found a lead on the Garden of Eden. I felt sort of bad for my mom, first he dumps most of the store on her and now we’re just leaving her to do all of it herself? It seems a little bit unfair to me, so I should try and help her out a bit before I leave.

“Is there anything you need me to do?” I began to look around the store for any thing I could pick up and take care of easily. My mom smiled and rustled my hair, shaking her head.

“Itzal, sweetie, don’t worry about it. When I married your father, I committed to backing him up on whatever silly and adventurous thing he wanted to do. All I want you to do is have a good time while you’re gone and try not to get too annoyed with your father. He can be a handful sometimes and you may have to rescue him from something he caused himself. If you want to do anything for me, keep him safe.” She was smiling but holding back tears. She must be getting nervous and sort of worried. I guess I can understand why though, we were all the family she had left and if something were to happen to Dad, she’d be all alone if I went to start a family of my own.

“I promise mom, I’ll do everything in my power to keep him safe.” I wrapped her in a tight hug and held me tightly, not seeming to want to let go. After a few seconds I almost had to force myself away from her death grip. She smiled happily and used her apron to wipe her eyes.

“You best get to bed Itzal, you have a big day tomorrow” she said, her sort of muffled by the apron.

“We’re leaving the day after tomorrow, so I still have a day to help you out with any errands you may need done. Plus if you give me a list of the herbs you can’t usually get from around here I can attempt to look for them while we’re gone.” She smiled and nodded.

“If I come up with anything for you to do tomorrow, then I’ll leave you a list. Get to bed Itzal, it’s late and you need as much energy as you can.” Nodded and said goodnight, heading into my own room, shutting the wood door behind me.

My room isn’t anything special, just a simple wooden room with wood floors. It has a dresser, a bed, my personal chest, a window with a shutter and a mirror with a pail of water beneath it. I took off my pouch bandolier of my shoulder and tucked it and my new clothes I obtained from Esti in my chest for safe keeping and untied my foot wraps, letting my feet finally free of their clothed prison. Then took off my shirt and threw it aside along with Esti’s apron which I was still carrying. I would have to do some washing tomorrow so I'm sure a little more dirt won’t hurt.

I walked over to the mirror and washed my face with water just under it. The mirror was a present from my father from something his great grandfather had found in an old Furless house, it remained next to undamaged besides a small crack in the corner. I undid my small beads that kept the hair out of my face and set them beside the pail. My brother beaded his hair as well. My grandpa beaded his hair as well when he would go off on his assassinations, or so Mom had told us. My brother had been the one to recommend we do it when we go out on out herb runs, but I wear them everyday as a memento of the times me and my brother had shared as kids.

I looked into the mirror and brushed the hair out of my eyes. I wasn’t bad looking, by my standards at least. I had the same brown fur colour as my father, a light brown fur colour around my mouth, dark almond coloured marks that matched my mother’s along my cheeks, upper body, ears, and down my tail. Along with amber eyes and shade of hair that’s a bit lighter than my fur.

I gave my face one last rinse before I crawled into bed, consisting of hay and two blankets. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world but I could manage since it’s to what I have grown accustomed. After one last stretch, finding a comfortable place to rest my tail and the rest of me, I started to drift to sleep, eager to get packing tomorrow and to head out on my first real adventure.

:3\t\t:3\t\t:3


I woke up to the smell of food, probably one of my favourite ways to wake up if any. After hopping out of bed and stretching out my body, I began my usual morning ritual. I remove any excess hay from my person, tie my hair back up with the same two beads, washed my face, threw the old water out the window to be refilled later, and wrapped my feet up so I don’t injure myself as bad if I end up stepping on a shard of metal or something sharp. I put all the clothes that needed to be washed into the pail and set it by my bed before heading out to the kitchen. I walked into the kitchen letting out a yawn and saw my mother frying what appears to be meat of some sort.

“Morning Mom” I yawn, sitting down in my usual spot at the table. She kisses my head and sets down a plate of bread and cooked meat. “Thanks” I say, taking a huge bit of the meat. “Where’s Dad?”

“Currently asleep in his study, drooling on some papers” she laughed. I smirked, my dad tends to fall asleep in very strange places, but I guess that’s what you get from being the descendants of one of the world’s laziest animals. Lucky for us, not all animals evolved into higher beings, such as cows, chickens and most meat giving animals so I have no problem eating a nice piece of meat like I am now.

“Did you come up with a list of things for me to do for you?” I asked, remembering what I had said last night. My mother shook her head “I can’t think of anything in particular for you to do today. Had you asked yesterday afternoon I could of given you a list a mile long but the only thing I really need done is cleaning up the clinic floors which… I know you are uncomfortable with.” I shivered at the thought of the blood covered floor.

“I plan on washing some clothes down river; do you have anything that needs to be done?” My mom thought for a moment before shaking her head.

I finished up breakfast and saved the hunk of bread for later in the day if I got hungry. I cleaned up the kitchen to give my mom a break as she dealt with people coming into the store for their usual purchases.

Entering my room once more I grabbed the rest of my clothes from my chest along with anything I’d need for the day and headed out. I knew today was bound to be busy. I had to get Esti’s apron washed, work at the forge, check with mom if she needs anything, collect herbs for Amaya once the moon comes out and pack up what I need for the trip.

The walk down river wasn’t to far, about an hour walk away from the town to not get any muck for those collecting water in town, plus I don’t have to listen to the commotion of the village and just relax.

I set my belongings down next to a large boulder and pulled out Esti’s apron. It was made by the tailor who lives at the other end of town, a fox with a couple of kits who play near the Elder’s house, which is good for me because they provide enough of a distraction for him that I can snag a few leaves of whatever I need while no one is looking.

Upon dunking the apron into the water, the soot drifted right off it and the black trails headed away. After about twenty minutes of dunking and rubbing the stains began to fade and it returned to its original creamy white colour. The next thing was my shirt which didn’t take as long and I rested the two articles of clothes on the rock to dry in the sun. Soon I found myself leaning back against the rock just enjoying the sounds of water and native wildlife. I began to shut my eyes and began to doze off for a short nap whilst I waited.

:3\t\t:3\t\t:3


I yawned and stretched myself out, my body warm from the sun. I stood up and checked on the clothes, dry as a bone. When I looked up at the sky it must have been about mid day or so. I grabbed my shirt and slipped it over my bare chest and decided now would be a good time to try on the other clothes I got from Esti. I tossed my old pants aside and slipped on the new pair. A tad tighter then my old ones, but being a custom fit, they were very comfortable and are held by a belt. The iron knee guards twinkled from the light and didn’t impair movement when jumping or bending, which is good seeing as acrobatics and agility is what I usually need to gather supplies. I put the new leather vest on and it was tight enough so it didn’t fly around if done up and was loose enough so it didn’t strangle me. My bandolier easily strung over the vest and fit snug so it wouldn’t fly off or move about too much. Finally the gloves, they fit right over my paws and had slits in the fingers for my claws. The iron on them was nice too, it didn’t impair any of my movements, though it did give it a tad more weight which would require getting used to.

After getting acquainted with my new gear, I took my old pants and Esti’s now clean apron and tossed them over my shoulder. I just had to fill up my pail with water and I could head home. I dunked the pail in and noticed something looked a bit off in the water. I drank a bit and tasted a tad more metallic then usual. I thought nothing of it and continued walking next to the river.

As I walked the water became more and more red, I was now more then a bit curious and started to get concerned. It’s possible that something could have died and fallen into the river bleeding but it would either be pretty close by due to the tint of the red. I decided to step away from the water as the amount was getting me out of my comfort zone. Further along the smell of something hit my nose, both common and familiar, fire. It was at this point that my walk back to the village had become a hasted run. I looked to the sky and saw it was now black with ash and smoke. I threw the bucket away took to the trees to get a better look, and saw towers of fire and smoke coming from the direction of my village. Now worried and scared as all hell, I became to jump as far and fast as I could, knowing that it would be faster then running.

In about ten minutes time I reached my village of Riverside. Or what was left of it.

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